David Moyes returns to Goodison Park with Sunderland on Saturday with his side under serious pressure to deliver a result. The Black Cats are currently rock bottom of the Premier League on 19 points, having picked up just two wins in their last ten matches. It's a dire situation but there is a slither of hope; just one win is required to haul then out of the relegation zone.

Goodison was once a fortress under Moyes and it'll likely be strange for him to return to Everton with a desperate need to conquer them on their own patch.

Moyes' career since leaving the Toffees hasn't exactly been a smooth ride, with the Scotsman not really working out at Man United or Real Sociedad when taking roles in their respective dugouts. That's caused a bit of revisionist history about his time at Everton, with people questioning whether he was really the great Evertonian force many thought he was at the time.

Despite only leaving the club four years ago, it feels like ancient history now and it's easy to forget what he did for the club.

Ahead of his return at the weekend here are FIVE things Everton fans may have forgotten to thank him for...

Saving them from relegation

Football - FA Barclaycard Premiership , Everton v Fulham , 16/3/02 
New Everton Manager David Moyes 
Mandatory Credit:Action Images / Richard Heathcote 
Digital

When David Moyes arrived at Everton in 2002, the club were in terrible shape and needed a rescue mission to keep them from sinking into the second-tier of English football. Level on points with the team in 18th and having not won a game in seven matches, it was quite the task.

Moyes managed to stabilise the club and win in his first match in charge against Fulham, his team taking just 30 seconds to get themselves ahead. It was a sign of things to come and the new Toffees boss guided them seven points clear of danger by the time the season ended.

A forgotten point by the time his reign at the club was up, he saved them from relegation and who knows how long it might have taken to recover from that body blow to the club?

 Their highest league finish since the 80s

Football - Everton v Newcastle United - FA Barclays Premiership - Goodison Park - 04/05 , 7/5/05 
Tim Cahill - Everton celebrates his goal for 2-0 
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Mick Walker 
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From that relegation threatened season Moyes pushed on and in three short seasons had guided Everton into the top four of the English top-flight for the first time since 1988. It's a feat that hasn't been repeated since and marked a real high point in the manager's time at the club.

Everything was clicking and falling into place and the club looked like they could go on to become a real force in English football. As every Toffees fan knows it didn't turn out quite like that for a whole variety of reasons but for one brief summer, Everton fans had a lot to shout about.

In the seasons after 2004/05, Everton would only finish lower than 8th once during David Moyes' time at the club.

 The incredible signings

Let's not forget that David Moyes made some incredible signings during his time at Everton, ranging from English-born grafters to the silkiest skills the continent had to offer, hidden gems bought cheaply to multi-million pound buys that delivered big.

There's the magical Mikel Arteta who for six seasons delighted Toffees fans, Seamus Coleman bought for a fee of just £50,000 from Sligo Rovers and still performing to a high standard in the first-team, Leighton Baines who signed from Wigan and is now an Everton icon, Phil Neville who revived his career at the club, even right up to John Stones who was David Moyes' last signing at the club and eventually moved on for a gargantuan fee.

The list goes on and on. Moyes had an eye for talent and on a budget for the majority of his time at the club too. It was one of his main strengths and undoubtedly gave supporters a lot of joy over the years.

Guiding them through financial turbulence

Everton may be able to weigh-in big on signings these days, this season buying the likes of Yannick Bolasie and Morgan Schneiderlin in huge deals, but that wasn't always the case. David Moyes had to endure plenty of years when the transfer budget was minuscule compared to some of his Premier League rivals.

Moyes always managed to maximise this budget to great effect, consistently delivering top half of the table finishes against all expectations. His reign as manager provided the platform for everything good about the club right now as it threatens to burst into a period of success under new owners and financial backing.

It's a service that should never be forgotten. Everton had relative success because of Moyes, not despite him, and if he had not been in charge who knows where they might've ended up?

The homegrown talent

Everton didn't exactly have a conveyor belt of talent coming through the club during Moyes' time at the club but the players he did put faith in usually came good. Victor Anichebe, Jack Rodwell and Leon Osman all went on to make more than 100 appearances for the club with the first two moving on for decent money.

Wayne Rooney won his professional debut under Moyes and although they famously didn't see eye to eye, Moyes still nurtured him into becoming a player ready to make to step up to the elite level of English football. The fee Everton received for the Man United legend was massive and Moyes played a big role in that.