Column The Real Deal Kevin Hudson 25/02/2008 11comments | Jump to last After watching Everton's calm and efficiently executed victory over an apparent rival in City, that league double, coupled with the memorable highlights of a fantastic season so far, has got me sooo proud! Thinking of the transformation and renaissance of our august club, careering back to the scale of reputation we have nearly always held, it is astonishing to think back to Walter Smith's last game in charge. A 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough live on TV in the FA Cup [Think his last game was a 1-0 shocker at Upton Park a few days later ?Ed], where I distinctly heard 3,000 Evertonians singing passionately " We Love You Everton.." despite their abject misery at full time ? which by the way, tells you everyhing you need to know about this club ?to where we are now... is absolutely staggering!! Sure the media may criminally (and deliberately) continue to downplay our achievements, but those with half a football brain know what extaordinary strides we've taken. And you know what? We've done it the honourable, traditional way. We've not been aboard the Champions League money-spinning gravy train, we have not relied on some eccentric sugar daddy, we've done it through graft, endeavour, ideas and hunger. Football Science, people! David Moyes has rediscovered Everton's traditional soul and default ethos! The dark days of being a mid-table non-entity are gone; we are once again staring at the business end of English League Football and we should continue to gradually reach for the stars! I watched the game with two Cockneys (West Ham, and a very happy Spur) a Wolves nut, and the unfortunate butt of all jokes tonight, a Geordie. Listening to them speak amoungst themselves about Everton was a truly epiphanous moment: the level of respect, mystery and awe in what they said about us was life-affirming! "How are they doing this? It's not as though they've done a Chelsea, or Man City, spending loads: who the hell's Osman? They're a proper team; committed, smart, pragmatic... Hats Off " We are a special club, we've always known it. Again it's official... So Proud. Reader Comments Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Sonny Phillips 1 Posted 27/02/2008 at 19:25:19 Report abuse Ed:I?m sure the one-nil shocker at West Ham preceded the three-nil Boro shocker which resulted in Walter Smith being sacked. Lyndon Lloyd Editorial Team 2 Posted 27/02/2008 at 20:47:43 Report abuse Oops! Right you are, Sonny. Seems so long ago, now! Terry Smith 3 Posted 27/02/2008 at 20:48:20 Report abuse I think I can answer all of them other supporters' questions. It's simple: The Board have backed Moyes through the good & bad times. ie they didnt get itchy feet and listen to the fans. Alex Ferguson had a shite couple of years at the beginning and look what happened there. The main ingredient in a succesfull team is a team spirit; mix that with a little skill and passion and you're on to a winner Stefan Tosev 4 Posted 27/02/2008 at 21:30:08 Report abuse Lyndon, Lyndon and to think I just voted for you as the best columnistShame on you :)))))))) Jason Broome 5 Posted 27/02/2008 at 22:17:36 Report abuse Liverpool supporters think that we are a flash in the pan. Some go as far as to call it luck! Others are saying we’re arrogant. The truth is we’re none of the above. Our fortunes are based on a traditional English spirit before the foreign chairman and the Sky money! Predicated upon patience, persistant planning, humbleness, honesty, hardwork, determination and hunger... all of the qualities you would associate with one man... Moyes. We are the Real Deal, because he is! Santosh Benjamin 6 Posted 28/02/2008 at 01:12:30 Report abuse I live in India and have been a fan for just over 20 years now.... I have endured some terrible abuse from fans who jumped on the bandwagon of Man U/Liverpool/Chelsea.I have always respected the hard work and honesty that we have shown as a team and can't express how happy I am that it's paid off. We have added flair to it but the foundation that our club stands on is one of humility, hard work and tremendous team spirit. Each time we score, the way that we celebrate and acknowledge the pass/assist and all converge makes the hair on the end of my neck stand up... coz thats how I think football should be played.I have always said that David Moyes was the right man for us... yes, he has made his share of mistakes but he learns from them. He never goes overboard with praise for any particular player and at the same time keeps the morale up when its needed. We may not win the Uefa Cup or clinch 3rd spot this year but we have a real buzz around us which refuses to go away. COYB Jason Lam 7 Posted 28/02/2008 at 01:39:44 Report abuse Kevin, you’ve really summed it all for me. I’m surrounded by fans of the Manure, Arse, RS, Chavskis. Our style of football and management is simply incomprehensible to these lemmings. All they think of is which superstar to buy in the transfer window, "that Ronaldinho could play in our team. That Kaka would be handy. Shevchenko would surely score 30 goals a season!" Poor sods!Which is why Evertonians are born, and not manufactured. Sean Condon 8 Posted 28/02/2008 at 05:16:11 Report abuse ...I knew it was Boro because I was in rehab and had to phone my sister to get the score. Didn?t exactly help matters... Dave Wilson 9 Posted 28/02/2008 at 05:55:19 Report abuse Great post, Kevin I?m constantly in touch with collegues (fans) all over the country, I?ve hated the fact that the chat, calls, emails have always been about Manure, Chelsea, Arsenal, Rs etc, Never about us, whenever I?ve tried to bring Everton into it they just weren't interested. We were percieved as yesterday's club, but that has started to change this year and since the City game you?d think there was only one team in the prem, "How much did he cost" "Where did you get him from" "I?d love Everton to break through with no money to prove it can be done"We?re the talk of the fucking country, The press are only now grudgingly giving us credit, but for the ordinary fan, we are already front page I feel so proud, I think my hearts going to burst out of my chest Ajay Gopal 10 Posted 28/02/2008 at 07:46:30 Report abuse This post was such a pleasant reading. After all these years, I am so glad that I supported Everton FC. If we were to continue in the same way and lift the trophy in the next few years, it would probably rank as one of the great sporting achievements of the modern times ! Richard Parker 11 Posted 28/02/2008 at 09:29:21 Report abuse Ever since our first full season under Moyes there has been a different outlook for our club. There have been ups and down, a few dodgy signings and the dissapointment of Rooney. But after 3 full seasons, we’d been up there in contention for Europe twice, including the finish in 4th spot.There was the yo-yo effect, which brought it’s disappointments. But christ, after what came before I was happy to have one good season in 2!Our 4th place finish raised expectations and the season that followed fell as short of those expectations as it could have. But we got through it, Moyes stayed and built. The season after we had got rid of some (more) dead wood, brought in Howard, AJ and Lescott and got a UEFA spot.Now with Yak, Pienaar and Jags... not forgetting Baines as well, we have some team. Not the greatest depth to the squad, but much better than we have had for many a year. It is a huge testament to the board, whatever you may think about their other actions, that they stuck with Moyes during those poor seasons and gave him time to get us here.It’s great to see people sitting up and taking notice of us, but the talk of a return trip to The City of Manchester stadium is a bit premature. I’m not being negative, but I’m not going to be getting my hopes up until we get past Fiorentina. I think they’re a hugely different prospect to every other team we’ve played in Europe this season. In the meantime, I’m going to carry on enjoying this season, one game at a time and hoping that we can keep it up right to the finish line. A win against Pompey will go a long way!It’s a great time to be Evertonian!! Eddie Honda 12 Posted 28/02/2008 at 10:45:42 Report abuse Oh look, if it isn’t the deluded blueshite talking a good game yet again, you lot are the best at telling everyone what you’re gonna do, without actually doing anything. You’d easily win the ’GONNA’ League and the ’IF IT WASN’T FOR’ Cup, but that’s about it. Keep telling us all how ’EVERTON ARE BACK’ though you woolyback whoppers, although I still don’t understand how you can be ’back’ to winning fuck all, you’ve never been anywhere else! 13 years and counting now ..... Eddie Honda 13 Posted 28/02/2008 at 10:45:42 Report abuse If little everton win a trophy (arf) during the next few years it would rank as one of the greatest sporting achievements of modern times? Oh dear, I think this line sums up perfectly the delusion suffered by the vast majority of you bitter blueshite. I agree it would be highly unlikely that a club of your size and stature will win a trophy, but other clubs of similair size, such as West Ham, Boro, Wigan, Southampton and even the likes of Tranmere and Leicester City, have all been to finals in the past 10 years, some even winning the cup. Why would little everton winning a trophy be seen as a greater achievement than say, Middlesborough? Not to mention the hundreds of greater achievements in other sports. You lot really do live in your own little fantasy world, the delusion is staggering. © ToffeeWeb