Everton have proven themselves a different side since their most recent old boss, Sean Dyche, was replaced by their current – and former – boss, David Moyes. While this is not the boss’s first time on Merseyside to be sure, his last coaching position prior to his return was, of course, at West Ham United.

There, he won a Europa Conference League title, and led the side to a number of top table finishes to boot. What was his reward? No new contract, and a showing of the door in London. Now, back with Everton after more than a decade, David Moyes will look to illustrate to West Ham and company precisely why he was so successful during his time in London, and why they made a big mistake in letting him leave.

Ahead of Saturday’s affair, we spoke to West Ham Till I Die writer Daniel Coker for his insights of the team at this point, a bit later in this campaign:

RBM: First off, what are the vibes around West Ham and the supporters right now? Surely the bottom half of the table is not where anyone imagined the side to be when the season was beginning – especially after recent successes?

DC: I think the vibes are split, to be honest. There are many who want to get behind Potter and are willing to cling on to any seeds of improvement, and there are those who think we made a mistake in allowing Moyes’ contract to run down and wonder how we can get back to what he offered us in terms of European success, a trophy and three top-nine finishes out of four seasons. Personally, I fall into the latter category – it would be easier to move on from the Moyes years if we could see any improvement in what we’ve seen since.

Again, speaking personally, I was expecting a difficult season this year and a finish between 12th and 17th – our recruitment was poor and, from early on, it seemed like Lopetegui wasn’t a very good fit.

RBM: What are the differences between this side and those from previous seasons when David Moyes was still bossing the side?

DC: This season, the team hasn’t played to its strengths, and we did not improve sufficiently during the summer. Wan-Bissaka has probably been the only signing who’s truly impressed. Kilman has been inconsistent, Rodriguez and Soler were poor signings, and the decision to loan out Ward-Prowse was dreadful (thankfully, Potter has put that right by recalling him). Summerville and Fullkrug have struggled with injuries, to say the least. Moyes had a strong team spirit, which we haven’t seen on many occasions this season.

RBM: What went wrong under now former boss Julen Lopetegui, and has anything improved under Graham Potter?

DC: Lopetegui didn’t stamp his impression on the side, and there seemed to be communication issues. The team didn’t seem to know how to defend as a unit, and there didn’t seem to be patterns of play moving forward. There were a couple of good performances, but we allowed the opposition to create too many chances.

There has been an improvement under Potter defensively, but the five-man backline, coupled with two defensive midfield players, really restricts us as an attacking force. Potter’s goals-to-games record at Brighton and Chelsea was unimpressive, to say the least, and we are seeing that replicated early on in his time with us. Arsenal away aside recently, it’s all been rather uninspiring so far.

RBM: What needs fixing this summer? Who are some names you can think of that the side could get to improve themselves?

DC: We need to add quality to the spine of the team. We need a new centre-back, which could well be the return of Nayef Aguerd from his loan spell at Real Sociedad. I’d like to see him next to Jean-Clair Todibo. We need a dynamic central midfielder in the style of your former player Amadou Onana – we haven’t really replaced what Declan Rice offered us in that position. And, finally, we absolutely must bring in a quality centre-forward – Niclas Fullkrug was never the answer and Evan Ferguson isn’t being given the opportunity to start games so perhaps isn’t trusted enough, or isn’t fit enough, to be that option for us. Tammy Abraham could be a target for us up front and is a player I’ve been keen for us to bring in since his Chelsea days.

RBM: Why do you think West Ham was so willing to move on from the current Everton boss at the end of the past season? Do you think the higher-ups would do so again if they could have a redo?

DC: Personally, I wasn’t someone who was willing for that to happen. Some didn’t like his football or results in the second half of last season, but there’s a bigger picture. In terms of results and success over a few years, we’ve rarely had it so good in my 34 years of supporting West Ham and attending games.

He put West Ham back on the European map and put pride back into the club, which hadn’t been there for a while, certainly since the stadium move. Some of those European nights gave the stadium an atmosphere that we hadn’t seen since the final game at Upton Park – we certainly haven’t seen anything like them this season.

I’d like to think Sullivan and Brady, in hindsight, wish they’d offered Moyes a contract extension which wasn’t derisory, but they do make a lot of odd decisions and never seem to learn from mistakes.

RBM: Who can you see giving the Blues some trouble this Saturday when the Hammers travel up to Merseyside, and how might West Ham line up against Everton?

DC: Jarrod Bowen – and that’s probably it. Maybe Mo Kudus but Moyes will of course recognise his threat and look to negate it. I would hope that Potter would now recognise that three/five at the back massively restricts our attacking play and that we might see four at the back with an extra attacking player (Paqueta) coming into the side for one of the defenders. After Newcastle at home, where we didn’t create a meaningful chance after the first minute of the game, we need changes. I would expect (hope?) to see:

Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Ferguson.

RBM: Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday’s match?

DC: A 0-0 stalemate. Wishing all Everton supporters, after Saturday’s game, an enjoyable last couple of months at Goodison Park. A great stadium which will be missed. Savour your final games there – we all miss Upton Park. All the best.

Our thanks to Dan for his time.