In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is condemned to roll a large boulder up a hill for the entirety of his afterlife. Zeus creates a situation whereby every time Sisyphus nears the top the boulder rolls to the bottom again, the Greek king is condemned to the perpetuity of futile effort and frustration.

Without meaning to sound melodramatic, there are comparisons between Sisyphus and David Moyes. Despite the Glaswegian’s best efforts, over a decade at Goodison Park has brought him little success. The 04/05 season saw Everton qualify for the Champions League yet their dream was short-lived. Moyes’ side also made it to the FA Cup final in 2009 only to lose out to Chelsea; yet apart from those instances there have been few moments where silverware was within reach.

Moyes’ Everton have always been a formidable side, always capable of beating the best in the league. There isn’t one team in England that looks forward to an away day at Goodison Park and the city’s ‘family’ club have a number of players coveted by other managers.

Why, then, has David Moyes not achieved the success that a three-time LMA Manager of the Year perhaps deserves? The uncomfortably familiar trend to each season must be wearisome for both the talented manager and the fans. In the last ten years Everton have come 7th, 16th, 4th, 11th, 6th, 5th, 5th, 8th, 7th and 7th.

So, in his first full season at the club Moyes took Everton to 7th place, last season he did the same. There have been peaks and troughs in between but the pattern is largely tainted by a sense of déjà vu. However, this consistency should not be undervalued. For Moyes to have come in the top eight for eight out of his ten seasons at the club is hugely impressive considering the budget on which he operates.

Arsene Wenger often receives praise for how he maintains Arsenal’s Champions league status whilst spending very little and, proportionately to the amount of money Everton have, Moyes’ achievements are not dissimilar.

Nobody could claim that Everton’s Premier League performances have been below par during Moyes’ tenure. However, what is evident is that with the club’s competitors increasing their financial investments, Everton are in danger of being left behind. To have consistently built and managed strong sides at Everton, despite his financial restraints, is an achievement that cannot be underestimated yet neither is the fact that Everton have been riding their luck with Moyes – few managers could run the club as efficiently as he does, yet if this lack of funding continues he could be tempted away from the north-west.

Without investment from Bill Kenwright, Jon Woods or Robert Earl the club will be unable to keep up with those around them yet the three majority shareholders in the club have already explained that investment on their part is not a possibility.

The only option, it would therefore seem, would be to sell the club. Easier said than done. Everton are haemorrhaging money.

Their most recent financial statements revealed that although their loans had been reduced from £30.5m to £23.7m their overdraft has increased from £5.1m to £9.1m. The service charges and interest on these debts alone is a huge burden.

On top of this they also sold their Bellefield training ground in 2007 for just over £9m. That money, however, has already been spent and the club now has to pay £1m per year to rent their new training ground at Finch Farm in Halewood.

In order to stay afloat it has been said that Everton will need to sell, on average, one decent player every summer.

Consequently, finding a buyer has been a difficult task. Moreover, the comparison between David Moyes and Sisyphus becomes a little clearer. Just as Sisyphus suffers catastrophic set backs every time he nears the top of the hill, David Moyes is forced to sell one of his star players at the end of every season. How he is ever supposed to build a truly successful team under such circumstances is something of a mystery.

Perhaps Everton’s owners are happy to merely cling on for now, hoping that Moyes’ stewardship will safeguard them until some frivolous and foolhardy new buyer steps up to save the club; however until such time it appears the satus quo of the club will remain.

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