Deserved congratulations to Everton manager David Moyes on his 150th league victory Wednesday, earned in emphatic fashion as brilliantly summarized here at EPLTalk. Moyes, 48, is the third-longest tenured head honcho in the prem, behind only Arsene and Sir Alex; whom he is sometimes rumoured to replace should his fellow Glaswegian ever retire. His 150 league victories with the same club rank third among current managers behind the same two living legends; Harry Redknapp lies fourth with 66.

While Moyes is the magician of keeping the so-called people’s club above mid-table, with an average league position of 7.8 in 9 full seasons as top Toffee, he has yet to sip Chang beer from a trophy of any kind during his Goodison Park reign. Supporters and Moyes alike blame the paucity of pounds, or as Big Daddy Kane put it, “romance without finance is a damn nuis-ance.” There is usually a direct correlation between the biggest cash-splashers and the top spots in the league, aside from Newcastle’s barren late-2000s campaigns.

Everton’s revenue, as reported in such sources as Deloitte’s Annual review of Football Finance, is stagnant and decidedly below the league’s perennial powers. The club has been active on both the buy and sell sides in the transfer market (most notably selling Wayne Rooney for £25 million in 2004), as detailed in this chart; and it becomes apparent that Moyes has made the best of the resources at his disposal.

The recent additions of Landon Donovan and Darron Gibson should envigorate the team as they return to mid-table and away from an early-season relegation flirtation. Moyes guided the club to fourth place in 04/05 and consecutive fifth place finishes in 07/08 and 08/09. But since those days, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have bloated the Big Four into a Super Six by spending like bankers on bonus day, albeit with wildly different amounts. Modestly-run clubs can really only hope for mid-table stability and the occasional cup run. Many clubs thus unable to bring in talented players install a revolving door in their manager’s office; as evidenced by the 11 prem gaffers that have only been with their clubs since 2010. All the more reason to take a moment and celebrate Moyes’ landmark win and admirable career.