Fans Comment
Chris Jones

Time Out ...
18/09/2005

Ok guys, that's enough now ...... we've all bitched and blamed and that's understandable in the circumstances.  All those who are passionate about Everton have a right to vent their anger and state their opinion.  Days after the event the blood still boils with the pain of the memory ... But what nobody has asked is "What do we do now, how can we fix this?  What can we do to change this sequence of events?"

For as sure as we're going through a bad patch at the moment, at some point we MUST hit a good patch.  The issue is — depending on how long the good patch/bad patch lasts will have a direct bearing on how our season unfolds.

Ideally we need to end this bad patch as soon as possible; some of our expectations (mine included) have been tempered by the success of last season and the perceived ability to be able to invest in better-quality players.  In it's most basic element, the assumption was that the spirit, determination and will to win would continue into the new season and combined with the new faces would escalate us to continued success.  I agree that a 15-20-goal-a-season striker would have been a godsend, but the reality is that at least until Christmas we will need to survive without this facility.

David Moyes will obviously need to re-motivate all his players and staff and to help us re-establish our confidence it would be advantageous for us to meet one or two teams going through a similar lack of form to ourselves.

So back to the question — what do we do now ?

Personally, I thinks we need to get a couple of games under our belt where we draw 1-1 or nil-nil.  Before the football purists shoot me down in flames, let me explain:

Confidence is at an all-time low at the moment; we are leaking goals and don't appear to be able to score many at the other end of the park.  So, in the short term, we need to turn ourselves into a team who are hard to beat and score against.  If we can pick up a few points in hard-fought draws, hopefully this will help us to start to regain our confidence.  From there we will be able to build and — more importantly — relax a little.  During the Dinamo game, even in the first half, we looked jittery and nervy and in the second half resembled a bridge waiting to collapse.

For those who consider this policy naive and too simplistic in the real world, let me assure you it really is that simple.  Think back to West Brom last season; they salvaged a few good performances in January against the better teams and their confidence grew dramatically.

All I'm saying is let's take some time out from the bitching and blame, let's remember how far we've come from 5 years ago.  None of us are satisfied or happy with our current form, and those who spend substantial amounts following the blues at home and abroad have the right to be angry.  But what are we achieving with all of this other than venting anger and blame ?

Undoubtedly the players must stand up and accept responsibility for their recent lack of conviction.  These individuals are privileged to make their living from their hobby, the huge salaries earned mean that they will probably find it hard to relate to the average fan on the street.  They are largely worshipped as heroes but must also have the dignity and respect to acknowledge when they have fallen below the standards demanded by their manager, themselves and the fans.

Supporters are not fools, and cannot be deceived, cheated or patronised by any amount of badge kissing.  If every member of the team had burst major arteries trying to win the game but had still been beaten 5-1 by Brazillian type footballing magic, then every single Everton supporter would have respected and applauded our efforts and reluctantly accepted that the opponents were at a much higher level than ourselves.

There is no shame in losing, providing it is done with grit, valour and respect.  Over the next few weeks, the players need to re-kindle that respect, both for themselves, their team mates and for the loyal following who escalate them to the level of greatness.

Each great journey starts with a small step, the time to start this journey is now ...

Chris Jones

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