SIX YEARS ago, when David Moyes took charge of Everton, the club was a last resting place for old sweats such as Paul Gascoigne and David Ginola. Fast-forward to 2008, and Goodison Park is more of a nursery, raising a new family in the image of the championship-winning icons of the Eighties.

They say Liverpool and Everton are separated only by the width of Stanley Park. More pertinently, it is something like £30m a year, but just one place in the Premier League table. The 44-year-old Scot proves top clubs do not need to look abroad for good, effective management. Arsenal notwithstanding, Rafael Benitez could yet shore up his reputation by winning the European Cup for a second time this season, but in domestic terms the plaudits go to his Merseyside rival.

For a generation or more, Liverpool were the embodiment of stability. No more. It would surprise nobody if they started next season with another change of ownership, a new chief executive and a new manager. It is Everton who are running smoothly. Hats off to Moyes and his staunch chairman, Bill Kenwright.

Since the January 2007 transfer window, they have spent a net £14m on players compared with Liverpool’s £40m. Typically, when Moyes signed Yakubu from Middlesbrough last summer for £11.25m, he balanced the books by selling James Beattie and James McFadden. Liverpool have no such concerns when Benitez buys Fernando Torres (£26.5m), Javier Mascherano (£17m) and Ryan Babel (£11.5m). Yet look at the league table. Everton have won more games and Moyes continues to embarrass not just Liverpool, but Manchester City, West Ham and Tottenham, all of whom have spent extravagantly by comparison. Joleon Lescott, the England defender, has just been rewarded for his progress with a contract that makes him one of Everton’s top earners on £35,000 a week. Lucas Neill, the West Ham full-back, is on £60,000 a week.

Away to poor old Fulham this afternoon, Everton should continue to forge ahead in pursuit of a Champions League place and the riches it brings. Moyes was, of course, disappointed by Everton’s midweek elimination from the Uefa Cup. They outplayed Fiorentina in the second leg and won 2-0, only to go out on penalties. Moyes said: “We’ve played 10 games in Europe, won eight, drawn one and lost one. I’m proud, but disappointed with the outcome. We played some really good stuff, and we’ll all learn.”

Moyes was pleased, too, with his team’s improvement in the Premier League. The club has been looking for increased income streams not only from the Champions League but also from a larger stadium to be built just outside the city boundaries, in Knowsley, for the 2010-11 season. In the meantime, Everton are punching above their weight and Moyes sees a bright future for the club. “I don’t want this to be a club that’s a home for old players, I want us to be young and vibrant,” he says. “That’s what I mean when I talk about the Everton family, and new players feeling that they are a part of it. I used to hear about Adrian Heath, Peter Reid, Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray and wonder what that special feeling they had was all about. Now I understand, and I hope we’re building our own group like that.”

The popular belief that Sir Alex Ferguson was his mentor is a myth, he says. “It’s not true. I think it got around because I spoke to Alex about becoming his No 2 a few years ago.” They missed out on him at Old Trafford nearly a decade ago, but what price Moyes getting the top job when the Methuselah of Manchester finally retires?