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Mark A Jones

The Rats Desert A Sinking Ship, But Sinking Isn’t Sunk
9 July 2004

Radzinski: a rat?

My Grandfather was in the forces and he would overuse that phrase a lot, having seen it happen physically he also used it metaphorically.  I never really appreciated the term until now and it scares me with its accuracy when you look at the coming plight of the Blues we hold so dear to our hearts.   I know we have had dark times within our past, and everyone knows what and when they were, but the storm clouds are brewing darkly and we are looking at rough seas ahead once more.

Before I get to the reasons why I wrote this diatribe, I want to give my perspective of how a man should be and conduct himself.

A Man is shaped by both the dark and the light, and travels through life being moulded depending upon the good and the bad experiences that happen to him.  The true character of a Man can only be determined by the choices and actions he makes in the darkest hours of situations and times, what he decides to do when the dark closes in and starts to suffocate all around.  When there’s a choice between pain and battling through, or taking an easy option and quitting, a true Man gives his all until he can give no more.

Those people are the characters of life that we meet as we travail it; who we remember long after they have departed.  They appear in all walks of life and to a lesser degree in football on rare occasion.  I say a lesser degree because football is not life but, to paraphrase, “to many it may not be life but sometimes it can seem more important than it”.

Another attribute that shows a Man is true to himself and truly a Man is loyalty.  Loyalty cannot be bought, sold or traded; it cannot come and go; it may be ethereal in concept but if present it is pure, solid, and stays within one’s heart through life.

For a Man to fully appreciate society and his role within it, he must have ambition to a certain degree.  The willingness to better himself and pull himself up to greater heights and in turn be of greater benefit to those immediately around him — and through ripples to others that will never know him.  Ambition is a cog in the complex system that allows civilisation to evolve to better things.

Having said that, ambition should be fuelled by self-assessment and improvement, not by greed, as sadly it seems to be — especially in the money-rich playground that football has turned into.  Although money rich for everyone else, it seems as I see daily reports of new acquisitions by other Premiership clubs, while at Everton, we wait with bated breath to fill our depleted ranks.  Sadly I think my breath may run out before seeing anything substantial on that front, but hope springs eternal.

Of course, loyalty can be counter-balanced with ambition, and one player who had that balance last season was our would-be £7-million-pound purchase, Alan Smith.  Like him or loathe him, he showed loyalty to Leeds by playing his heart out, when a lot of those around him seemed to be going through the motions, just to pick up a pay-packet.  (Similar to a few players playing at, rather than for Everton FC.)  Some would say that Alan Smith should have stayed with Leeds in the First Division (I can’t call it by its stupid new name, no matter how hard I try), and helped them back into the good ship Premier, but this is where loyalty and ambition can be divided from each other.

I’m sure Alan Smith would dearly have loved to stay at Leeds but — looking at the club and the position it was in, the personnel around him that didn’t want to play for his beloved Leeds, and his wish to better himself on a higher stage — I think he did the only thing he could do, even though it probably wrenched his heart to do so.  If Leeds had stayed in the Premier, I truly believe he would have stayed, as he would have had the opportunity to better himself playing against top-class players and his loyalty to Leeds would have been assuaged.

There is a comparison to Master Rooney here, although when I started writing, it was for a different reason altogether.  Everyone and their dog has had their two-penneth worth, so here’s mine.  I think he will he stay.  If we are relegated next season — and I’m praying it won’t be so — then he can look at moving if he wishes; although we won’t be happy, I think we will all understand the reasons why.  While we are in the Premiership, he can play against the top players and further shape his talent.  To reiterate what the Everton Board and Manager have been saying, he is this good and he has been at Everton, so why shouldn’t that continue?

The England manager picked him even though we were nearly relegation fodder, and you can guarantee whatever happens to us this season, Mr Eriksson will pick him no matter what, so the worry about not being in the England team if he plays for Everton isn’t a factor.

I think Our Kid has loyalty — after all, he is one of us and blue blood flows through his veins.  He has ambition, hopefully not influenced by those profit-making oily whisperers who advise him, and he can achieve that ambition with Everton.  I’m hoping that he has that something extra that faces adversity and screams into the dark, “Come on, do your worst!” and ultimately battles through.  I pray that it is so, and he does it with us.

Once • A • Blue • Always • A • Blue

Now for the reason of my writing: Radzinski’s rejection of the new contract offered to him.

He may think that now his place is at stake from Marcus Bent; he may have had his ear turned by other clubs with other promises; he may want more money because Rooney will have WHEN he signs his new contract...

He said he rejected the initial offer because it put him in the same position next year as this.  That reason is understandable in a way, but if he had any regard for Everton FC, he should have seen that it was in Everton’s best financial interests at the moment to offer only a 2-year deal.  Of course, I don’t expect any player in this day and age to be so selfless, but who’s to say we wouldn’t have given him another extension if he did well for us next season?  Carrots, sticks and all that...  But give him his due, that was his reason and he stuck to it.

So, rather than offloading, early on, we offered him what he said he wanted, only to have it thrown back in our faces.  Why the charade of making us the bad guys to the media, in saying that we didn’t give him a long enough deal, when he was going to ultimately reject what he said he wanted?  Why not have the balls before negotiations to say “look I’ve been thinking all this time, and I think my future is away from Goodison”.  It wastes everybody’s time, and makes Evertonians despair.

He spat his dummy out before coming to us, so why should he be any different now?  In my equation for the character of a true Man, he doesn’t even come close.  Take your little speedy legs off and collect your pieces of silver, Tommy.  Come to think of it, Amokachi was fast as well, and he couldn’t hit a barn door either.  Both will never be missed.

The Gravedigger’s agent is no better, but then what would you expect from such soulless, honourless, leeches.

What worries me is that Our Kid and potential targets may look at these rats deserting and think “Why should I stay (or join) as well, Everton were woeful last season and, with fewer key players, it can only get worse”.

Sadly, I think that is so near the bone it is scary and possibly fatal.

However, being an eternal optimist — otherwise how would we get through a season? — one spark of hope makes me think the rats may be leaving before we’ve actually come asunder.  That is our manager.

I hope that the rumours of 10 games to get it right are not true, as I would dearly love to see a team of Moyes’s own players slogging their guts out, playing with flair for the manager, and — more importantly — for the bastion that is Everton.

I look at the players Moyes has brought in, and can see the foundations of what he wants to build.  We as Evertonians, appreciate work ethic and skill; that is why we were the School of Science — even if the players and previous managers have forgotten that, we have not!  Every one of his signings shows me that is what the future under Moyes can be.  I see aspects of true character in both the manager and the players he is bringing in.

If the mouth of Hell opened and hordes of demons spewed forth, I wouldn’t mind Moyes fighting by my side, although to be honest we could probably just send in Big Dunc to sort it out!  Duncan is another man I equate with loyalty, if sadly not to the Manager, at least to Everton and Evertonians.

I understand Mr Moyes will have faults, and the lack of man-management skills in a softly-softly approach may be one of them, but I think with a team of his own, with respect shown both ways, something formidable will start to evolve.  Unfortunately, we are at the nadir of our journey with no money, and disinterested players still in the squad, undermining from within.  I feel we are at the most important crossroads in our history, and we have a history that puts us up there with the best. 

Although history only shows were we have been and gives no indication to where we are going.  We could fall into the abyss or slowly pull ourselves up and higher.  If we can ride this storm, the future looks full of promise; I just hope we are all there together, Moyes, Rooney, Evertonians and Everton.

"Evertonians are born not manufactured,
we did not choose we are chosen,
Those who understand need no explanation,
those that don’t, don’t matter"

Mark A Jones
Evertonian

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