The former Ireland international discusses Everton's strong start to the season, as well as his former clubs West Brom, Preston North End and Sunderland.
Kevin Kilbane believes Everton’s strong start to the Premier League season is “solely down” to David Moyes, but is sure he will continue to drive standards higher and expect more from the team.
Despite the lack of new signings at the beginning of the season, the Toffees currently sit sixth in the league, having lost only two of their first 10 games.
In our exclusive interview, Kilbane also discusses West Brom’s promotion hopes, the secret to Hull City’s success and Preston’s tough start to the season – with the Lilywhites currently sitting bottom of the Championship table and favourites in the football betting to be relegated.
Preston have had a pretty tough start to the season. What do you think has gone wrong there, and how do they turn it around?
To be honest with you, I don’t think it’s necessarily a case of what’s gone wrong at Preston. I think the problem they’ve always faced is that they’ve been in the Championship for over 10 years now, and it’s been an achievement to keep them in the division year upon year, given the budget they have compared to the rest of the teams.
They’ve not been able to compete. They’ve never really been able to sustain a challenge when they’ve reached the top six, which they’ve done quite a few times over that spell.
The difficulty they’re facing now is probably the reality of where they’ve always been. They’ve probably excelled and gone beyond where they should be. That’s been the issue: every manager who has gone in has faced an expectation of finishing in the top six.
The reality is that, when you look at the Championship this season, it’s another brilliant campaign. There are only three points separating the top six, and looking outside the top six, you’ve got Southampton and all these other top sides. Look where Burnley are now as well.
The league itself is daunting for a team like Preston because they can’t compete financially or attract the best players. They can’t attract players on the salaries required to get them up the table.
They know where they are, and I think they’ve always known where they are. I hope Graham Alexander can just get a few wins before the end of the season. The most important thing is to keep them in the league, which is going to be a task in itself. But I do think last week’s win against Southampton can give them a little bit of belief that they can go on and get results against the best sides.
One of the first things Graham Alexander did was give Andy Moran more time on the pitch. Could he be someone who might help them pick up some form?
I was so surprised he wasn’t playing at the start of the season. Even if I wasn’t watching the games earlier in the campaign, I’d look at the team sheet to see if he was in it, and he wasn’t. I couldn’t believe it.
At Championship level, he’s got enough experience now. He did really well when he played at Blackburn, and I think he’s a player who just needs games.
We’ve seen him play enough for Ireland to know that he might not necessarily be consistent and play nine out of 10 for 10 games in a row, but you’ll get certain spells in games where he’ll have five or 10-minute periods when I wouldn’t want to say he’s unplayable, but he finds a way to open a game up. That’s the ability he’s got.
Maybe Heckingbottom before him decided that they just needed to be solid, stop conceding goals and stay in matches. If they drew 0-0, that would be great. But I think Graham Alexander recognises that they’ve got to score more goals because they’re not opening teams up at all.
We’ve seen enough of Andrew Moran. I know the quality he’s got, and it’s just surprising that it’s taken so long to get him in there. Hopefully now he’ll get game time and the belief from Alexander that he’s going to play him regardless of whether he performs well in every game.
Do you think Moran could play his way into the Euro 2028 qualifiers for Ireland with a run of games?
In a word, yes, he can. You’re right in saying he’s down the pecking order. [Jack] Moylan has been sensational this season. Every time I’m watching him, even in the highlight reels, he’s been great in everything he’s doing.
So you’re looking at Andrew Moran and asking whether he can get ahead of those two and Finn Azaz as well. Probably not right now, but how many injuries have we had to our key players over the last few years that have hindered us at times?
Who’s to say that if he starts playing consistently at Preston, creating chances and hopefully scoring goals consistently, he can’t be involved by the end of this Euro campaign? Hopefully, as you say, he can push his way into the Euro squad because we’re all hopeful that we’re going to be there in 2028.
Are you pleased and encouraged by what you’ve seen from Everton so far this season?
Very pleased. You can’t help but be pleased with it. It’s been a great start, and I know David Moyes will still be driving the standards even higher. He’ll be expecting more from the team and wanting more from the team.
He’s a great manager and a great person to get the best out of individuals. That’s why Everton have been so successful this season. It’s solely down to him.
I know there’s a lot of talent in the squad. Dewsbury-Hall and Garner are doing excellently in midfield, Thierno Barry is scoring goals up front, and everyone is playing their part.
But David Moyes was under a lot of pressure at the start of the season. He wasn’t backed financially or given the necessary funds to bring in the players that were needed. We all know that; it’s visible to us all.
But he knows what to do in these situations, and what he’s done in the first 10 games or so has been phenomenal. There’s nothing to suggest Everton can’t continue what they’ve done this season, finish in the top six and maybe achieve something phenomenal by going beyond that.
Would you be renewing Moyes’ contract, even with the uncertainty surrounding the ownership? As a player, does that give you more stability and peace of mind?
Of course. But I think that, regardless of the ownership at the club and whoever comes in, you’re not going to get a better manager than David Moyes for what’s needed right now.
Given time, David Moyes has built teams like he did at Everton in the past, teams that go on to play great football. I’ve witnessed it; I’ve seen it.
He hasn’t achieved anything as yet, but given the state the club was in at the start of the season and the lack of investment that went into the team, everything is pointing towards an extension of his contract in some capacity.
Should Jack Grealish be sent back to City in January, given his recent controversies? How do you think Moyes should manage this and, as a player in the dressing room, how would you respond to someone breaking the protocols in that manner?
I’ve seen it and witnessed it. Invariably, the dressing room is very forgiving. It’ll bring you back in. You’ll have a character in there, the captain or one of the senior figures within the dressing room, who will probably say something, and then it’s about getting on with things. You’ve got to go and win football matches. That’s what it’s all about.
What I would say about Jack Grealish is that, in David Moyes, he’s got a manager who’s so experienced. I played with David at Preston, and some of the things we experienced there were outrageous, happening on a weekly basis. That was in the olden days of football, so David Moyes has experienced every element that’s been presented to him. The Jack Grealish situation is nothing new to him.
David Moyes will be compassionate with him. He’ll help him if he needs help, and he’ll punish him if he needs punishing. He has a great way of finding a balance in how to treat people.
I don’t think there’ll be a better manager for Jack Grealish right now. Moyes will be compassionate towards him, but he’ll also show a little bit of stubbornness and make it clear that he needs some backbone. He needs to grow up a little bit as well. There’s an element of that which comes into it.
Hopefully, David Moyes can find that balance for Grealish. Hopefully, Grealish himself can get the help he needs. If he needs help from a mental health perspective, David Moyes will be more than willing to help him out there, too.
He’s got the perfect manager to help him in any way, and David Moyes will be able to deal with the situation perfectly. He definitely won’t need my words to advise him on that.
The club has been linked with Kelvin Yeboah from Minnesota in the last few days. What do you know about him from your work in the MLS, and do you think he’d be a good signing?
I’ve watched him quite a bit. I think he’s been relatively consistent in the MLS, but his numbers haven’t been at the level of some of the other top strikers who have been playing in the league this season.
If you look at the top strikers who have been scoring consistently, we’re talking about Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi and Lewandowski, who’s come into the league as well. These guys are household names. We know them. Yeboah is a bit of an unknown, probably to a lot of people in Europe.
Things didn’t go particularly well for him when he played in Europe before, either. The teams he’s played for include clubs in Serie A, France, Belgium and Austria. He hasn’t really found consistency until coming over to Major League Soccer.
It’s a difficult one for me to say because I think it’s a huge step up from the MLS at his level. Again, we’re not talking about the players I mentioned before, who could easily make the transition. For a player to go from MLS to the Premier League and find real consistency, it’s a huge step up. It really is.
I think he’s got all the attributes. He’s quick, runs in behind, is decent in the air and works hard. If you’ve got those attributes, particularly the willingness to work hard and run, that’s what David Moyes wants from a striker.
He’s just got to fight for his place. What Everton are crying out for is a major goalscorer. Thierno Barry has started to find a bit of consistency this season, largely because there hasn’t been anybody else, so David Moyes has had to play him. He probably needs pushing a little bit. I think everybody needs pushing from time to time.
If it were to be Yeboah, there might be one or two others within the league as well. Julian Hall is another one. He’s only a youngster at the Red Bulls, and he might go to another level beyond Everton. I don’t know, but he’s certainly a player I’ve watched and admired this season. He’s young enough that you could perhaps sell him on and create a huge profit, too.
The league has a lot of talent, particularly from a striker’s perspective. I think Yeboah is a player who could do well, but I do think it’s still a huge step up from MLS to the Premier League.
West Brom are fifth in the Championship. Do you think they have the foundations to go on and make it into the Premier League? Would you fancy them at this moment in time, based on what you’ve seen so far?
It’s what I said before, I think. There are only three points separating the top six, and they’re in the mix. That’s the only way you can look at it.
If you look at the sides right at the top now, Wolves, Middlesbrough and Birmingham, all these sides are huge spenders. They’ve got big budgets. West Brom are probably at the bottom end of that top six or top eight in terms of spending power.
But they’ve got consistency and a little bit of momentum with them right now. The Championship is one of those leagues where momentum is everything. If you gain momentum across five to 10 games, it usually carries you through the next 15 or 20 games beyond that. You only need to look at what Coventry did last year.
I do fancy them this year. I’ve been a bit disappointed watching them over the last couple of seasons, especially last year. It was a big disappointment whenever I switched the games on and they were conceding terrible goals at times. This season, they’re a lot more solid, and the front players are really gelling.
Jayson Molumby has been fairly central over the last few weeks as well. Are there signs that he can hit another level?
I think it’s always an interesting question when you ask that. Everybody can improve; everyone can get better.
I’ve always found that when he’s played in an Irish jersey, it’s looked to me as though he’s struggled to bring his West Brom form into the Ireland games. I don’t think he’s really excelled or shown his true capabilities.
I remember talking to Keith Andrews about Jason Molumby, going back 10 years at this stage, when he was in the under-21s. It might have been eight years ago when he was playing under-21 football. Keith loved him. He said, “This guy is going to be a player. He’s got everything. Box-to-box midfielder, he tackles, wins the ball and passes forward.”
I just feel as though he’s maybe played within himself. Maybe that could be down to how the team has played at times as well. I don’t think he’s really excelled when he’s played for Ireland consistently.
Every time I’ve been watching highlight reels recently, or if I’ve watched West Brom live, Molumby has been integral to everything they’ve been doing. He’s been playing really well, so he’ll start for Ireland and continue to start. Halgrímsson likes him, so hopefully he can continue to grow as a player.
He’s 27 now. The next few years should be about him staying at the level he’s at and playing consistently, hopefully.
Do you think he has more to him than perhaps Irish fans have seen?
Yes, I do. I’ve been critical of him myself. I’ve been disappointed when I’ve watched him playing alongside Cullen or whoever he’s played alongside in the middle of the park.
I do feel that him alongside Cullen at times has been disappointing. That’s been our big weakness as a team. We’ve had certain areas that have excelled, whether that’s Chiedozie Ogbene or Troy Parrott, and our defence has been good. Kelleher has been outstanding.
In midfield, we’ve not been able to hold games or dictate them. It’s really been our Achilles heel, whether we’ve played against Armenia or Kosovo recently. We’ve all witnessed it and seen it. It’s largely been down to our midfield not being able to control games for us.
So, in answer to that question, yes, I do think we haven’t seen the best of him. That goes back to what Keith told me a while ago about how good this lad actually is.
In James McClean’s new book, he was saying that he “absolutely loved” Wigan. Do you share the same affection for the club, and how does it compare to where it is now, down at 21st in League One?
Of course, we were in the Premier League and had household names playing for us. Valencia, Heskey, Palacios and players like that, who were really top players. Kirkland in goal as well. We had some excellent players, really top-drawer players.
Of course, they’re in a different position now. Once they got relegated after winning the FA Cup, it’s been a hard slog for Wigan.
I’d echo everything James said. It’s a great club. I think it’ll never get the attention it probably deserves because they’re never going to be able to attract 40,000 or 50,000 every week. But there was always a core of around 15,000 who would turn up at the JJB, the Dave Whelan, whatever stadium it was called when I was playing there.
It was always such an intense atmosphere. What I used to love about playing Wigan was that the fans would tell you after the game, in a nice way, if you hadn’t played well. They’d come over and have a chat with you: “Didn’t go well today, you didn’t play well.”
You’d say, “No, I didn’t play well today.”
They’d tell you to get it right. Then, the following week, if you’d managed to improve and played better, they’d come over and tell you that you had played well.
It was never two-faced with them. They were great fans to play for.
They were honest. That’s what the majority of football fans are in general, but Wigan fans were especially like that. They were great.
Hull have also been surpassing expectations. What’s been the secret to their success?
Last season, for them to get promoted, was unbelievable. This is where we go back to the Championship, and you’re looking at teams like Preston and others, and the positions they’re in. Any team can get out of the league if they get momentum.
That’s exactly what Hull did last year. To get promoted despite having a transfer embargo was unbelievable, especially considering the financial clout in the league.
The last year or 18 months they’ve had has been unbelievable. Watching them in the Premier League, they’re solid and difficult to play against. They’ve got a great way about them. Watching John Egan control the defence has been great for us Irish fans as well.
They’ve got good players, and they’ve got a consistency about them. If they concede, they don’t look like they’re going to go on and lose a game 3-0 or 4-0. They’re solid enough to stay in the game. If anything, they might get a goal late on to snatch a draw from defeat.
They’re very consistent. There’s not too much more I can say to praise Hull. They’re another team, like Wigan in many respects, that goes under the radar. But it’s a well-supported club with a very passionate fan base, and they’ll get behind them all the way.
If they stay up, it’ll be an achievement. But if they can get anywhere in the top half of the table, that’ll be incredible for them.
Sunderland are finding their second season quite tough. Could the Chelsea win be a turning point, and do you see them staying up?
I watched the Chelsea game, and that has to give them belief. It really does. Brian Brobbey was so good and so physical against Chelsea’s defence, and Chelsea couldn’t cope with him.
It’s something I’d look at and say, yes, I have belief. If I’m looking at a lot of the teams in the bottom half of the league, they’d target Hull, Coventry and many other sides around them. They’ll feel as though they’re better than them.
They’ll feel as though, with a player like Xhaka sitting in midfield, he’s probably as good as anybody outside the top six in the Premier League in that position.
I’d be confident after that Chelsea game. I really would. I think it should give them belief. They play a counter-attacking style and will sit deep, but with the players and personnel they’ve got who are suited to that style, I think they’ll be okay. I do. I think they’ll get out of it.
Seamus Coleman has got one foot in playing, one in coaching and one in the media at the moment. What advice would you be giving him with Euro 2028 approaching?
I can’t advise Seamus, I really couldn’t. I’ve just been such an admirer of him for such a long time.
I find it remarkable. I’ve actually been waiting to see this. You just told me that he has trained, and I haven’t read or seen that myself. I thought it might have been a bit of a false one that Hallgrímsson was throwing out, that he was going to come and take part in training.
But Hallgrímsson clearly feels that he can contribute on the pitch. That might just be in training, of course. It’s a very unusual situation to have a training player playing at international level.
But if you’re going to make allowances for anyone, you make allowances for Seamus Coleman, given what he’s done.
I think he’ll drive standards. He’ll definitely raise the level of intensity day in, day out. I think that’s one thing he’ll bring, and he’ll raise the alertness of every single player as well. They’ll be trying their very best for him, sometimes even more than they would for themselves.
It’s a shrewd call from Hallgrímsson to keep him involved. He’ll contribute in terms of what he can say in meetings as well. To me, it’ll be a great relationship for Hallgrímsson, John O’Shea, Paddy McCarthy and all the coaching staff to have Seamus as that link.
At the moment, it looks beyond him to play at the Euros in 2028. But, again, we’re talking about Seamus Coleman. It looked beyond him to play the way he did against Portugal at the Aviva last year, and then to turn it on again against Hungary a few days later. Nothing seems beyond him. Who’s to say he can’t be there in 2028?
