However he is refusing to rest on his laurels and is intent on leading his team up the table.

They face Wigan at home tomorrow on the back of successive defeats by Arsenal and Burnley.

Defender Sylvain Distin is expected to make his debut after arriving from Portsmouth as a replacement for Joleon Lescott.

Moyes points to Lescott as an example as to how far the club has progressed in recent seasons.

He said: "I would like people to understand when I came to Everton I wanted to build a new young side which I thought could improve and we would have resale value on the field. That has proved to be the case.

"We bought Joleon for just under £5million and sold him for very close to £25million. So in truth we have made big profits.

"When I came in, apart from Wayne Rooney, there wasn't any resale value at the club. Very few players were saleable.

"Now we have that on the pitch. What we have also developed is a football club that is now competing at the top end of the league. I want to continue competing up there."

Moyes has opted for experience by bringing in Distin, who has also worn the colours of Newcastle and Manchester City,

"This time I need a straight replacement. I felt Sylvain fitted the bill whether he was 31 or 21, " said the Everton boss.

"We have all been waiting to bring players in. It has been a real difficult time regarding people coming or going. But we cannot use that as an excuse."

Everton at least had the consolation of getting through to the Europa League on Thursday when they dismissed Sigma Olomouc.

But the pleasure of victory did not last long for Moyes, who said: "I then thought about us being bottom of the league and the need to start winning games.

"So it did not take long to bring the stress back on and start worrying about the next match."

Wigan have lost three successive games under new manager Roberto Martinez but Moyes is a fan of the Spaniard.

He added: "I respect Roberto Martinez and the work he did at Swansea. He is one of the up and coming managers in the country.

"It will take him time to get used to the Premier League and what is required. There is a bit of Spanish in the way his teams line up. Good on him, he has put his own marker down.

"I will be treating Wigan really seriously. It is a really important game for us. I feel there is an improvement coming and hope we can show that in the game. We need to get back on track."