Everton On Verge Of Trophy - Moyes

17 April 2009 13:09
Everton boss David Moyes will tell his players now is their time to be heroes ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United. Moyes has immense respect for the club's glory years in the 70s and 80s, when they were a match for city rivals Liverpool. But the Scot is acutely aware that talk amongst Toffees fans always harps back to those years of glittering success. Moyes will send out a team at Wembley against Manchester United on Sunday aiming to reach their first final since 1995, when they beat United in the FA Cup final at Wembley. The club's previous success to that was back in 1987 when they last won the league title. Just two trophies in 22 years and none for 14 is a record that Moyes desperately wants to change. He said: "I believe this club is very, very close to winning a trophy. There has not been one since 1995, and the one before was eight years previous. "You walk around the corridors of Goodison Park and you see the photos on the wall of the heroes from the past. "I want to see my players' pictures on the walls now, as the heroes of the present. "This club has been waiting a long time for this, something they were used to a few years ago. "There are not many youngsters who support Everton who have seen their club in too many semi-finals. "I wish it was the final, a semi-final like this at Wembley can make people think they have already arrived. That is one of the reasons I dislike these semi-finals being played there. "We have got to keep remembering it is only a semi-final. I want everyone, the players and supporters to enjoy it but I want to be going back to Wembley in a month's time for the final itself. "If we win this game it does not win you a trophy. It only gets you to the final and we must always remember that, we must win this one and then win the cup next month." Moyes, who should have defender Joseph Yobo back from injury for the match, added: "I want to give these fans something to celebrate because they have always been very good to me over the seven years I have been here. "They are such loyal supporters and they have seen this club go through difficult times. "Hopefully they can see signs that things are getting better. We had a league cup semi-final last season and a decent run in the UEFA Cup. "We are getting better as a cup side, not something we have been that good at in my time here. But Everton are going to win something soon, let's hope it is coming now. "I believe that it will be sooner rather than later. It is because we have better quality players and a winning mentality. A bit of both, and that costs a few bob normally." Moyes, who hopes Louis Saha will have recovered from illness for the match against his former club, could also have teenager James Vaughan in the squad after a successful 90 minutes in the reserves' 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Thursday. Moyes added: "The players and managers who went before here have won cups, leagues and in Europe. "That's good, you want to have such a history. And you can see pictures of those great days all around the club. "But what we want now is to get our pictures up on those walls in the corridors of Goodison. "We have worked hard. We will deserve it if we do get to Wembley after the matches we have had to play so far." Moyes wants to see the senior men in his squad take responsibility on their shoulders and not rely on skipper Phil Neville's big-game knowledge from his time at Old Trafford. "Phil (Neville) will be important, he has been there before and he understands what games like this are like and what is required," Moyes added. "But there are other senior players who now have to stand up and take responsibility. They want me to talk about them as if they are contenders pushing towards the Champions League. "But they have to show me that they can handle this. They must stand up and show that to me, they must show that they are not always looking around for other people like Phil to do it for them. "They must take care of themselves and be part of this team. And I am sure they will be, they have been groomed well and they believe like I do that success is coming soon."

Source: Eurosport