Fans Comment
Dave Moore

The Rant.
11/12/04

What I don’t understand is this; why do you support a club that will charge you half the price of a season ticket at your local club for just a poor seated ticket at home to the likes of Chester City (no offence Chester)?  It just seems a waste of time really, just to be able to say I am a Chelsea fan or whatever when you don’t care about that club, you are just interested in glory.  Maybe this is why that most of my enemies are either Liverpool fans or glory-hunters, I cannot stand these people.  If I was born in Motherwell and moved to Glasgow, I would still support Motherwell — it is where I was born.  Personally I don’t see myself as English or British or whatever — I see myself as a Northerner, a North-Westerner or a Scouser.

I myself am an avid Everton fan but I also own a season ticket at Plymouth Argyle as I feel the need to see football games and due to lack of funds I cannot travel to see Everton every home game as it would cost far too much for me.  To be honest the thrill of seeing Plymouth play at home is nothing compared to seeing the Toffees simply because people have no real interest in their local club unless they are doing well.  Selling Rooney just before I went back to school was the icing on the cake for the hecklers as that provided them with the chance to just chant ROONEY, ROONEY etc.

Of course you could imagine my delight when I turned on the television to see Everton away to Plymouth Argyle and I immediately jumped for joy.  Then — a couple of hours later — it sunk in; what if we lost?  I would be tortured at school by all of these Argyle supporters who have supported them since they got promoted in May.  I have since re-assured myself by looking at Everton’s away form and looking at the position Plymouth are in at the moment.

Our away form is happy reading at the moment.  One defeat in a game we should have got a point out of, but it was against the heirs to Arsenal’s Premiership crown.  Two draws against two very difficult teams to beat — Manchester United and Newcastle United — and then of course the incredible 5 wins.  We have overcome perhaps not the most difficult of opposition but at least we beat Man City 1-0 unlike Chelsea.  Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Birmingham have succumbed to our tactics away from home.  Just 5 goals conceded away from Goodison, 1 against Chelsea, 2 against Norwich, 1 against Newcastle and 1 against Crystal Palace.  That really puts things in perspective for you.

Our defence is rock solid; no doubt about it, over a third of the goals we have conceded overall came from drubbing from the champions Arsenal on the opener of the season — lest we forget!

Home form has been rather strange this season; should a team lose just one away from home you would expect that to be matched at the very most but alas not.  We have lost just twice at home but the defeat against Spurs really was daylight robbery.  We should have buried them but we didn’t — perhaps an omen that we need a new striker in the transfer window?

The thing that gets me is this: we finished 7th two seasons ago — seems a life time away doesn’t it?  Well why on earth didn’t we do that last season?  It is as if we perform best when everyone is saying how we are going to struggle etc.  I mean admittedly there might have been complacency from the players in the first few games of last season after 2002-03’s rollercoaster but I mean surely Moyes would have kicked them up the backside and business would have been resumed but that wasn’t the case was it?  [You seem to forget, that is exactly what he tried to do and it failed completely; it was the softer more human approach that paid off in the end — Ed]

We were just 6 points off the bottom.  6 points is two wins and the bottom three were winning a few games towards the end of the season; I was extremely worried we would implode and fall into the category of Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon.  I look back on 7 May 1994, I see it as a triumph for Everton but at the time it must have been the biggest sigh of relief when Horne and Stuart became our saviours for the day. 

February 2004 was a drastic time for us: we lost in the FA Cup AET against Fulham, and we tragically lost out against Man United then got knocked from pillar to post by Birmingham.  We led 3-1 against Southampton before losing our heads and drawing 3-3.  Salvation came against Aston Villa when we beat them 2-0.  But why focus on the lows of last season when we have the highs of this season?  We are sitting pretty in second place, so who cares? I don’t for one; I am delighted with our position as I am sure most mentally stable Everton fans are.  The work-rate of the team this season has been second to none, sure the skill hasn’t always been supplied but when you consider the way we have conducted.

Gravesen has been the linchpin this season, without him we would have no real force in midfield, no-one to mix things up he is the poor man’s version of Patrick Viera or the better version of Steven Gerrard (had to say it).  And somehow Cahill and Carsley are popping up from no-where to supply us with crucial goals — Carsley’s most recent screamers have been against Newcastle and Liverpool. Cahill has been leaping in with goals in the earlier part of the season, most notably against Manchester City where he was so controversially dismissed for raising his shirt over his head.

Gravesen aside we have no player that stands out, the team come together like Magnet & Steele (good old Max & Paddy) and crikey don’t they do it well?  Pistone and Hibbert are fantastic on the flanks of either creating or defending attacks.  Stubbs and Weir aren’t doing that bad either quietly silencing anyone who dares to challenge their mightiness.  You may ask why I have written this alleged article; I have written this simply because I have too much too say on football, far too much.  Also I was buoyed by the fact that my e.mail made it onto the site so quickly, a small but sentimental bit of pride for me.

I thank you.

ps:  If you feel like berating my opinion then please feel free to contact me at famousdaveyc@hotmail.com

Dave  Moore

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