View from down South
Chris Peers provides some long-distance thoughts from down south

14 November 2003

I’m an exiled Evertonian living near London but distance doesn’t inoculate me from the feeling of crisis amongst the fans who see games week in week out.  I’ll be clear upfront: my concern isn’t about relegation, as I don’t think we’ll go down this season.  My concern is about the way the club appears to be being managed at Board level and the way it communicates with the media, club staff (including manager and players) and the fans.

Firstly the confusion about whether there is money to spend.  Like everyone else, I would love there to be money to spend on strengthening the squad, but that is actually not the primary problem I think needs addressing.  The problem is a lack of a consistent message from the top to the manager, players and fans on this issue.  As widely reported, we’ve heard Board members allegedly saying yes there is, no there isn’t, maybe there is money available!

This confusion sows seeds of doubt into everyone’s mind about what’s happening at the club and isn’t helpful at a difficult time.  They need to get their act together and tell David Moyes what the situation is, if they haven’t already done so.  They then need to tell the rest of us what the situation is.  I think we all know the likely message but I for one would like to hear it delivered by a Board singing from the same hymn sheet.

The issue of contracts for players is another problem the Board seem to have created out of nothing.  I think they way they’ve treated David Unsworth is disgraceful.  Many fans think he’s had his best days and is at best a squad member.  That’s a view I share.  However, it doesn’t justify treating a loyal servant of the club the way he’s been treated: offered only a one-year contract (with a pay cut) and then I believe, being publicly insulted by Michael Dunford. 

It was wrong to pick out one player and use him to highlight the `realism coming into the game’, as Dunford did when quoted on bbc.co.uk.  Even if Unsworth escalated the disagreement by speaking to the media out of turn, it doesn’t warrant the public response it got.  The perception I was left with was that Unsworth was told, take it or leave it and loyalty means nothing.  If that’s the management style, then it must get other players talking and thinking negatively about the club.

Add to the Unsworth saga, a situation where Everton are apparently looking to tie Rooney to an even better contract and I get the distinct feeling there’s one rule for Wayne and one rule for everyone else.  Maybe we can see the root cause of the alleged squad discontent in the way Unsworth and Rooney are being publicly treated?

The ground situation is another issue that seems to have spun out into a welter of misunderstanding, rumour and speculation.  What is going on?  It seems every week there is another twist or another option.  Why is there an impression of uncertainty at the club on this very important issue?

Draw these three examples together and one has a perception of a Board struggling to set a clear agenda, managing staff badly and out-of-touch with the fans, all brought to a head by poor performances on the pitch and the pressure that a looming relegation dog fight puts everyone under.  I sincerely hope this is not the reality.

So what should the Board do?  In my view they need to drastically improve their communication because we’re getting mixed messages and the perceptions I have of the club are shared by others and it isn’t healthy.  They need to re-emphasise the strategy they have for the club.  This seemed so clear last season but it’s got lost somewhere.  And they need to show solidarity with each other, the manager, players, all their other staff and fans.  We face a difficult season and I’d like to do so feeling the Board know where they’re taking our club.

That’s the view down south.  Maybe it looks different on Merseyside?

Chris Peers

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