Everton FC - The View From My Seat
The Inconsistent View From My Seat
I started my blog all about Everton Football Club with thoughts of positive articles written throughout the season, mirroring a positive campaign for the Toffees. In reality the only consistency I can see in my writing is the inconsistency of my feelings to how our season is panning out.
I'm 29-years-old so for me Everton battling relegation, selling on their best players and generally relying on underdog spirited performances to see the season through is normal. An FA Cup win in 1995 and a 4th place finish in 2004/05 are the only real highlights I've witnessed. As a born Evertonian of course I know all the history, League wins, European triumphs and Cup honours, but all of that is now well in the past.... Over 30 years in the past!!
I'm hearing a lot of negativity this season...A LOT! I like to think I'm a positive person with a positive outlook but I'm also a big fan of facts and reality. David Moyes love him or hate him did prove that with next to no budget, hard work, determination, an eye for a top bargain and a solid foundation that you can be consistently in the hunt for European football. I know we didn't get much of it but finishing in the top 7 most of his time at Goodison now looks even more impressive when you think back to transfer budget allowed to him. I'm not saying I want Moyes back but Martinez is now in season 3, spent more money than Moyes could ever have dreamed about spending at Everton in the same time period and are we really looking like a consistent football team?
As the title suggests, my views are becoming as inconsistent as our on the field performances. Some weeks I watch us and we look absolutely frightening. In the positive sense, attacking with purpose, Geri looks a world beater, Lukaku smashing in goals whenever he wants and Barkley running the show. Other weeks I watch us and again, we look frightening.... Frightening in the sense that once the opposition get hold of the ball and cross the halfway line I'm already head in hands wondering how many we are going to concede that day! We go from Barcelona to BarcaSundayLeague in the blink of an eye.
Knee jerk decisions is the term branded around for when you sack your manager without giving them a decent amount of time. What is a decent amount of time? 1 year, 2 years or 3? Personally I think 3 full seasons is an adequate amount of time to have brought in the right players for your vision, to have implemented your philosophy and to be showing signs of how your vision is taking effect. So just over 2 and a half years in we've been treated to what now seems a shock one-off 5th place finish, a terrible one to forget 11th place finish and currently we're starring mid-table in the face once again!
So if Martinez was replaced after just over 2 and a half years with the team still largely inconsistent and sitting in 11th, 12 points off the top 4, could this be classed as a knee jerk decision? I don't think so. At the same time is it the right time to be sacking our manager anyway? I think I'd give him the rest of the season.
What I do think is happening at the club however which is the one single biggest issue that is holding us back.... The takeover! How can we be making decisions about Roberto Martinez's future when we have no idea what the future of the club is??!! Are these Americans taking over? If so will they have new ideas on who they want to manage the team? Do they have cash to throw at the team which will attract bigger name managers? Who knows??
Sat reading this article back I'm asking myself "What have we discussed today exactly? What have we resolved?" This is exactly my point, nothing really because the entire football club at the moment is in a state of uncertainty. We have potentially the best squad of players in the last 30-40 years yet the results show we are bang average. We've been led down so many garden paths regarding a takeover. We have a manager that show so much attacking potential it's exciting, yet so much defensive naivety it scares us to death when we give the ball away. We can't decide any future until the club has sorted itself out at the very top! Bill Kenwright has taken the club as far as he can go, the time is now for a big takeover and a plan for the future to be put in place to allow everyone to focus 100% on what happens on the pitch.
More of a little rant than a well thought out article today but needed to get this written so I can try to get on with my life. . . :)
Thanks as always for reading, I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ etc...
Also now on breadandbutterfootball.co.uk and NewsNow.com
No comments:
Post a Comment