Moyes insists poor run is not down to bad luck

Everton manager David Moyes maintains his club's run of seven games without a win has little to do with bad luck.

GettyImages

David Moyes is facing tough times

Moyes takes the Toffees to West Ham on Sunday for a Premier League game critical to both sides who are sitting just above the relegation zone.

Moyes is hoping to have striker Louis Saha back from a calf injury, on the ground where he scored two sensational late goals last season to produce a shock 3-1 victory for Everton, who had been trailing for much of the match.

The Scot said: "We have had bad luck, but not all the time. We have to decide when it's luck and not just bad play. But we know we need to do better, and not rely on such things as luck.

"There has been signs that we are getting better throughout, but not enough to get us back to where we want to be. It can be about confidence, but that can change very quickly. We certainly need to get that back.

"But there is no need to think in terms of rebuilding confidence, it is not like that. A few of the lads are doing okay, but we need to play better as a team.''

Moyes has blamed the strain of playing so many games in Europe for some of Everton's problems, but he believes they can still qualify for the next stage of the tournament.

He said: "We have lost a couple of Europa League games, but we are still second in our group and very much in the competition. Away to AEK Athens in our next match could just about see us qualify.

"Now we need to be positive. West Ham will be a big test, I saw them on Wednesday when they beat Aston Villa and that was a really big result for them. You could see what it meant to the club and the players.

"We know that we will face a hard test. But we are resilient, we have got wins when they are least expected. The last couple of games there we have OK, and we will aim to do that again.''

He added: "Gianfranco Zola has done well there since he came in as manager, but I believe his bigger problems are behind the scenes. I don't know everything about that, but there is no doubt he has had difficulties and would like to have changed things around a bit more.

"But with (coach) Steve Clarke, they make a good team. They are making a good fist of working with what he has at West Ham and getting the best out of them.''

Russian winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is suspended. Having been sent off last weekend against Aston Villa, he was able to play in the Europa League home defeat by Benfica on Thursday before the domestic ban started.

Former West Ham captain Lucas Neill and Dutchman John Heitinga, both ineligible for the Benfica game, come back into the squad.

Tony Hibbert returned for the European match after flu, but Everton will still be without long-term injured players Phil Neville, Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar, Victor Anichebe, James Vaughan and Leon Osman.