Fans Comment
Kevin Latham

Evertonians in the Trenches
21 September 2005

Moyes: he's made mistakes but that's no grounds for sacking him so early in the new season

I’m not denying that we’re going through a piss-poor run right now and I’m not suggesting for a moment that we shouldn’t be concerned; but for Christ’s sake get a grip!  This is, after all, the same side who only recently would have beaten maybe the best side we’ve played this season but for Collina; the same side who showed (at least for a half) that they could compete with Man United; the same side who turned Bolton over on their own ground.  Let’s also remember that even after going behind to a spawny goal against Villarreal we then took the game to them and had them on the ropes.

I mention all this to remind us all that despite everything, we have seen some signs this season that there is something to look forward to.  Of course some will laugh at this suggestion and point to the surrender against Dinamo Bucharest as well as the Portsmouth & Fulham results.  (The Arsenal result doesn’t count; they always tonk us anyway).  So we’ve hit a bad spell – doesn’t every team?  Should we throw the towel in on the strength of 3 bad results?  I can’t believe people e.mailing the site telling us that it’s the end of the road for them, but who wants that type of “support” anyway?  Who will they now follow?  I’ve followed the Blues for 46 years and in that time I’ve seen far more shite than good times.  Show me a long-time fan of any club anywhere who can say any different.  That’s football, lads.  Feeling shite comes as standard.

And yes, we have been shite lately.  It may be just coincidence, but so has Tim Cahill.  That’s no fault of Tim’s, of course, but we all know that the lad urgently needs a rest.  I may be in the minority but I think that he makes an awful lot of things happen when he’s on song, and part of our current problem is down to Tim’s tiredness.  I say ‘part’ of the problem because there are other considerations, of course, not least of which is the fact that Moysie hasn’t been able to field his strongest side all season.  I don’t believe for one minute that out of choice he’d have gone for the 4-1-4-1 lone striker option, especially since Marcus Bent can’t do it up front.  In some ways I’m loathe to criticize Bent as he tries hard, but let’s face it, you need to be a bit more than a trier in the Premiership.  A good touch would be a start.  And in the cold light of day, a forward that can’t score goals is about as much use as Stephen Hawking in a Mexican wave.

For all the stick Beattie gets, I for one can’t wait to see him back.  It goes without saying that he’s not had the best of times since he’s been at Goodison but if we’re honest we have to admit we’ve been too quick to get on his back.  He needs a settled run in the side to build his confidence, together with someone to run off him, whoever that may be (Robbie Keane where are you?).  Maybe Kilbane as a stop-gap?  Just a wild thought.

As for the middle of the park, we’ve every reason to believe that Andy van der Meyde will do the business when he’s fit. We’ve not had a decent wide man to speak of for some time and Van der Man could be what we’ve been waiting for — and he can play either flank.  Arteta is class and a clever player who could work well with Van der Meyde.

Phil Neville in the holding role impresses me, in fact I think he should take over as skipper given the fact that he seems to be the only one who shows any leadership qualities on the park.  And to me, the lack of players who’ll show any of those qualities is worrying at present.

Although I haven’t seen enough of Kroldrup (how do you type that Danish ‘o’ with a slash through by the way?) [Like this: ø — Ed] to form a decent opinion, other people’s wisdom would have it that when he’s fit then it’s him and Joey holding the back line.

So let’s look at the empty-headed calls for a taxi for the manager.  Could it be possible, as many contributors seem to suggest, that Moyesie has turned into a crap manager so soon?  Here is a manager who hasn’t had anything like his first choice side out this season, in fact it’s been the case in some games that whoever was fit had a decent chance to play.  I’m not saying that he hasn’t made mistakes, of course he has – not signing a striker before the deadline was a BIG one as we know, and Simon Davies has got to do a lot more to convince me he’s class.  (Before we add Nuno Valente to the list, I don’t think it’s fair to judge him only on the two games he’s had, shite though he was).  Is there a manager out there who hasn’t made mistakes?  Where is that man, I want to shake his hand.  If people didn’t get things wrong sometimes then there‘d be no need for rubbers on the ends of pencils.  But the trick is to learn from the mistakes you’ve made – remember Moyes and the famous 2004 pre-season USA tour?

Yes, Moyes has made mistakes, and some biggies, but calls to sack him, for fuck’s sake?  Who are we, Everton or Newcastle?  And to all those who think he should go, who exactly would we replace him with?  Ron Atkinson’s free, what about him?  Or John Bond? (ask your Dad if you don’t know).  Come on lads, float back to reality, we’ve 33 games to go.  If we’re still in the bottom 3 come Christmas then I may have to reassess my opinion, but that won’t happen.  When Moyes can pick his best 11 then things will change, of that I’m sure; and come the transfer window I’m sure he’ll sign a partner for Beattie.

Good players don’t turn into bad ones overnight, and neither do good managers.  Moyes got us to 4th place when everybody thought we’d go down.  He hasn’t suddenly turned into a crock of shit.  Why are football fans so fickle – look at Charlton and West Ham.  How long ago was it that their fans wanted to sack Curbishley and Pardew?  Now they’re great managers.  If (and probably when) they slide then the fans will want to hang them again.

It’s a funny old game, to coin a phrase.  I like many can recall the “Kendall Out” brigade of 1983.  Then look what happened.  Moyesie may not do what Howard the Great did but if the fans had got their way then, where would we be now?  And some of those 1983-84 “journeyman” players whom the press regarded as mediocre — you know, the likes of Peter Reid, Andy Gray, Sharpy, Trevor Steven and the rest — turned out to be just a touch better than mediocre when they later dominated all before them.  Yes, a funny old game.

So keep your nerve, fellow Blues, now more than ever.  We may have a right to have a go at the team, but we also know that we’ll get behind those Blue shirts no matter what; players and managers come and go, true fans have the club in their blood.  Whether we’re good, bad or really shite, we’re still daft enough to follow our club.

If football fans were not like this, ask yourself who’d follow the likes of Lincoln or Doncaster.  You probably think by now that I’m a hopeless case, but if you look around, there are lots of hopeless cases like me.  Come On You Blues!

So, would you be worth standing next to in the trenches?

Kevin  Latham

Kevin, Your article was very submissive of the problems we have at Everton.

Firstly, every point you make angles towards the "look on the bright side" notion. I am afraid in the foreseeable future, and I am talking about May next year, I don't see them as you do.

What makes you think Beattie will "come good"? He hasn't shown any desire, he doesn't run and he doesn't create anything. Moyes bought him knowing he wasn't fit and he had had his injury problems. He was a panic buy. Davey should shoulder the blame on the one, nobody else. I would like to bet you that Beattie DOESN'T in fact come good. He has had 9 months already, which would represent almost 20% of his contractual obligation. I am not looking forward to the other 80%.

On the issue of form, even your narrow mind must concede that since January, we have witnessed some shocking performances. In between there has been the odd battling display. The record in the last 22 games speaks for itself. It's appalling. Monstrously bad for a team which 'earned' 4th place last year. Who was the last team to finish 4th with a negative goal difference? We were lucky and you know it.

Transfer dealings, one or two decent. One or two the jury is still out.4 or 5 just do not cut the mustard my friend. Tell me how on earth we are to attract the type of striker needed in January, when we will probably be languishing in the wrong half of the table, if we couldn't attract one in the summer with the promise of European football and a 'big' season ahead?

I am a season ticket holder and I love this club. But this is not the same Everton I grew up watching in the 80's. Listening to some of the older supporters, it's not the same Everton of the 50's and 60's either. The sheer lack of effort is a huge concern to me. That's what I don't like Kevin. It costs me 10-20% of my yearly salary to follow Everton. Do you think your Kilbanes and Cahills and Pistones would happily fork out 10-20% of their salaries to watch the dross I do? I think not.

This team has had, and still gets monstrously good support through thick and thin. No effort and no idea is the one thing that is not acceptable. No-body is saying let's abandon ship, that won't do anyone any good. A change of Captain is sometimes needed however. It's about time that our players took some blame for their displays. I refer you to an act of goodwill from a certain Faustino Asprilla some years ago. Refused to take wages from Newcastle until he hit form and scored goals. He stood by his word. I fear its too much to ask of any of our overpaid, overrated Championship players to give something back is it?

Kev, you have a right to your views. But good support is more then papering over the cracks.

Phil Burkert, Liverpool (21/9/05)

This is a response in kind to the letter by Kevin Latham. In the letter is describes the form that we have shown this year and the results we've gained, standing out for me was his, and to be fair everyone's comment about the Arsenal game.

In the article it was basically said that the Arsenal game didn't matter and that we always get tonked there anyway.

This shows how far our standards have fallen...

Perhaps then Everton should just play 35 league games a year and not bother turning up when we encounter the top three away, or maybe we should have a go when we play them instead of the abject surrender we witnessed the other night, in which EVERY player appeared beaten before we started and offered little in the way of a fightback at anytime, manager included (let's be honest why did we bother making those changes so late on?).

Perhaps it's because I haven't lived through the glory years that I find this all so difficult to accept; however, perhaps we are after all just an average team in this league... if we take four points from the next three games then it'll all be okay.

That said there is a lot of the season to go, Everton must climb towards respectability and attempt to make up where they went wrong in the summer, by building a team (perhaps starting with a striker) and playing some attractive football (....we were great at Villa...  — that was over half a year ago!!!) because we are utterly boring.

The foundations are still there Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Ferrari, Krøldrup, Cahill, Arteta and Van der Meyde to name a few....hopefully if we turn things round we are still in two cups (we're out of Europe!).

However in order to move forwards then perhaps so should the standards of everyone, why should we settle for mediocrity and please, lets not blame Kenwright, he's given us enough to spend this time!

Moyes is still the man, but soon we must start asking what he has achieved.  After all, the Everton managers of the past have been judged on what they have won (look at Harvey's record, given the way he was treated); why now should we change?
Paul Hennessey, Worcester, 22/09/2005

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