Asked if he had been surprised by the setbacks, Moyes said: “My first thought was ‘yes, I was surprised’ because Everton is such a big club. Great traditions, what the club has stood for over the years, the new stadium is an exciting new move for us. But then you have another thought and you think again — ‘we have been around the relegation positions the last five years and not far off the bottom.’

“The fact of the matter is we’ve got to rebuild trust in people who should come to Everton and show that the club is going in the right direction and that we’ve got a new future. We’re all desperate to give the supporters something again. Let’s hope we can pull it together for them and get them a team to be proud of by the start of the season.”