By Jeremy Butler
LIVERPOOL, England Dec 10 - Few would have
believed that Everton would enter Saturday's 200th Merseyside
derby with Liverpool seeking second place in the premier league.
After a disastrous end to last season, when they were
thrashed 5-1 by Manchester City and finished 17th, just outside
the relegation zone, Everton were also involved in an
acrimonious board room battle and then sold Wayne Rooney.
Liverpool, meanwhile, had spent 14 million pounds on striker
Djibril Cisse, installed Valencia's Rafael Benitez as their new
manager and kept captain Steven Gerrard.
Everton, however have the opportunity on Saturday to at
least temporaily go second in the league after a run of results
that has taken many by surprise.
They have already registered 10 wins, one more than the
whole of last season, and are just six points short of last
year's total of 39.
Theories for the change have included Moyes' decision to go
easier on his players in training to the suggestion that the
team spirit is better following Rooney's exit.
"The difference is winning. When you are winning it changes
everything," said Moyes. "The players play with confidence and
it's easier to manage a winning side.
"What I am doing is no different to what I have done in
other seasons.
"My other five or six years in management have been fairly
successful and if I change now, it will have meant all those
things I did in the past were wrong.
"I didn't think that was the case just because we had one
semi-dodgy year here last year."
"Is the spirit different now? That might be the case, but we
had a good group here before."
Moyes said he would be looking to add to his squad during
the January transfer window but not to the detriment of the team
spirit that has built up.
"I am definitely looking forward to having money to spend
(and) I think there will be enough for us to do one or two
things.
"But anyone that comes in will have to be part of the spirit
we have here. If not we don't want them and the players would
not have them here anyway."