Interview/ David Moyes: In five years, Everton manager David Moyes has lifted the Merseyside club to promising heights and raised the expectations of fans. He tells Dominic Fifieldhe isn't finished yet.

David Moyes flinched at the memory. Lost en route to Bellefield, befuddled by the maze of streets off Queen's Drive, he eventually arrived at the club's training complex distinctly flustered and was confronted by a cohort of senior players, none of whom appeared overly impressed.

"Your first day in the job is daunting enough, but I walked in late to be faced by David Ginola, Paul Gascoigne and Duncan Ferguson," he recalled with a shiver. "I was young and clearly had to earn my stripes quickly. It was tough, but a challenge from which I gained a lot of strength."

Everton have benefited from that uncomfortable baptism. It is five years since Moyes was prised away from Preston to take over what he dubbed "the people's club" at his first press conference.

The Scot was charged initially with propelling an ailing side away from the relegation places and, ultimately, back into the upper echelons of the Premiership. They scored 27 seconds into his reign, though life has rarely been that simple since. Yet, given that Everton had finished only once in the top 10 in the 1990s, the Moyes era can be considered one of recovery with grounds for real optimism ahead.

Goodison Park will toast his anniversary against Arsenal tomorrow, the 43-year-old has Everton beginning the weekend in a relatively buoyant sixth place. They have finished higher under Moyes and broke the monopoly enjoyed by the "big four" two years ago to secure a qualifying game for the Champions League. There is now expectation instead of frustration. The set-up is far removed from the days when Ginola and Gascoigne, former greats but past their sell-by date when Moyes arrived, were mainstays of the side.

"That first day was my biggest in the job," he conceded. "The first thing I had was Gazza coming up to me saying he didn't want to stay, and that he'd agreed to sign for Burnley. I regret not working with him, but I had big decisions to make. I came here because of the stature of the club but that standard had dropped. For many seasons just avoiding relegation had come to be seen as a success. The mentality had to be changed and, since then, we've raised expectations to the extent that people hope Everton can compete despite not having the funds of the top four.

"Breaking into that top four should be seen as an achievement, but it mustn't be a one-off, like Everton winning the FA Cup in 1995. I don't want a situation where we could be a Coventry who reach the FA Cup final and then drop away, or a Leeds that gets into the semi-finals of the Champions League, then get relegated. We haven't been able to replicate the way it was in the 80s, but we have an emerging side of real promise."

Some 70 players have come and gone during his reign, but Moyes considers the current squad his most impressive, even if this season has arguably been the most volatile. There was disaffection among fans after the recent defeat by Tottenham.

"I can't deny that criticism hurts, but maybe, sometimes, the fans can get bored. Still, I'd hope the majority would say we are moving forward. I have to believe we can establish this club amongst the elite.

"When I took the job people told me that it couldn't be done, that football had moved on and left Everton behind. Sometimes, maybe in my darkest moments, I have wondered whether bringing success back is possible, but generally I'm quite stubborn and was intent upon proving the doubters wrong. I am not going to let it drift and I'd hope my youthfulness, intensity and eagerness to be successful helps me. Outside the top four, why can't it be Everton who do something?"

Five years on and his vision that Everton can be re-established as a force remains. He has seen Wayne Rooney rise through the ranks and fly the nest, broken the club's transfer record twice and dismissed offers to depart Goodison Park.

"I still think Everton represent my best opportunity to be successful," he added. "People have asked what we can achieve without cash, but we've been making progress. It's been done in a way that a lot of clubs would like to copy if they were in a similar position to us five years ago. I want people to say: 'That's the way to change a club around. They've dragged themselves up by their bootlaces.' And, personally, I think staying at a club for five years is a success these days when you see how quick managers are hired and fired."

Memories of Gazza at Goodison will fade with Moyes preparing his own legacy.

• Guardian Service

David Moyes: Five achievements in five years

1 Moved on Everton's highest earners and considerably reduced the average age of the squad.

2 Gave Wayne Rooney his first chance at senior level at 16 and shielded him from the spotlight until Manchester United brought him to Old Trafford for £28 million.

3 Riled Merseyside rivals Liverpool with his "people's club" comment on his appointment and then finished above them two seasons ago, the first time in 17 years Everton had done that.

4 Broke the club's transfer record twice, first to sign James Beattie from Southampton for £6 million, then Andrew Johnson from Crystal Palace for £8.6 million.

5 Twice claimed the manager of the year award, in 2002-'03 after his first full season in charge and again in 2004-'05, when Everton were fourth.