Summer of Discontent

Letter to Keith Wyness CEO Keith Wyness Chief Exec
Everton Football Club
Goodison Park
Liverpool
L4 4EL

Re: Summer of discontent.

Dear Chief Exec

As a season ticket holder, I am writing to voice my concerns at the apparent lack of transfer activity at the club on the verge of the greatest opportunity this club has seen for decades.  If you were a true Evertonian you would feel as exasperated as I at this present moment.  The only news that emanates from Goodison at the moment is bad news.

Ok, so I’ve bought the season ticket, ordered the kit and am now waiting an age for the publication of details regarding the club travel packages to Villarreal.  So, I am doing my bit.  What are you doing to give the manager the much-needed resources he requires to secure this club’s future?  I see no communication from you or the manager regarding the critical need to bolster this threadbare squad.  One or two injuries and we will be subject to the dire football that has been so evident since the late 90s at Goodison Park – you, unlike me, will not have witnessed these dark days.

So, you are a man of alleged reputation and Kenwright has placed so much faith in you… it is now time to deliver.  I have continued to read on evertonfc.com that we have ‘already’ purchased Davies, Krøldrup, Arteta and even John Ruddy gets mentioned as a ‘major’ signing – I’ll be pleasantly surprised if I see Ruddy in a first team appearance in the next three years – so hardly the signing we have been waiting for.

Let me spell it out.  If you do not get your finger out it will not only be Europe where we will embarrass ourselves it will be the bread and butter of the Premiership.  We did exceed every expectation last year but miracles rarely occur twice in a row. Let’s capitalise on our good fortune. Instead of re-signing the deadwood (Weir, Naysmith and Pistone) and playing the likes of Richard Wright (what the manager sees in this guy is beyond me – he has nothing to offer our great club – look at his goals per game ratio, he couldn’t catch a cold).  If the manager continues along this route he’ll lose all credibility. Have a quiet word please.

Now, before you go into a counter defensive rant suggesting that the manager knows best and it’s his decision who he picks etc, etc please rest assured that there are several thousand others of us who know our stuff or, at least, are decent judges of players and you should never underestimate that.  Don’t forget, we’ve been watching this team and these players a damn site longer than you and your present management team.

So, wake up and smell the opportunity.  Lift the fans from this summer of discontent and deliver to us a quality signing, one that will make us proud and give us renewed confidence going into the new season.  If you don’t get your finger out and increase the squad numbers and introduce the much needed quality, then the results like Arsenal and Fenerbahçe will be all too commonplace next season and you can expect an almighty backlash on the terraces and at your next AGM.  It’ll be in the club’s coffers in subsequent seasons where you’ll feel it most, trust me.

Here is a list of players for you to consider in no particular order who, in a humble fan's opinion, would ‘enhance’ our squad.  You’ll find in the list below something old, something new, something worth borrowing but all potential good quality royal blue. One thing you will find in abundance below is that magic attribute that our team is crying out for… PACE!

Please consider one or several of these as you seem unable to identify any quality yourselves, or at least that’s what the manager believes (quotes attributed to him have suggested this is how he feels anyway).  However, I beg to differ but I have only been watching first class football for over 30 years so who am I to comment?:-

• Tuncay – Fenerbahçe
• Owen – Real Madrid
• Keane – Spurs
• Davis - Spurs
• Soares – Palace
• Borrowdale – Palace
• Ward – Palace
• Boyce – Palace
• Hall – Palace
• Leigertwood – Palace
• Brown – Tottenham
• Tongue – Sheff Utd
• Jagielka – Sheff Utd
• Baros – Liverpool
• P Neville – Man U
• Butt – Newcastle
• Huckerby – Norwich
• Ashton – Norwich
• Francis – Norwich
• Green - Norwich
• Pahars – Southampton
• Delap – Southampton
• Prutton – Southampton
• Bernard – Southampton
• Niemi – Southampton
• Sidwell – Reading
• Livermore - Millwall

Look, I could be here all day.  It’s taken me a few minutes to put a list of a few players who could give us much needed backup and quality. So you’ve been hard at it this summer?  Prove it… you might have done a hell of a lot behind the scenes but we will judge you with what we see out on the pitch…yes you as well.

What you waiting for?  Get on with it.

Steve Callaghan