Fans Comment
Paul Houghton

Mental Health Therapy
22 December 2005

I have started writing this with a very heavy heart.  This is the first time I have been moved to write in to any of our blue websites, but after the defeat against Bolton (I say defeat but wasn’t it more like a surrender?)  I can keep silent no more. 

I read week in week out how the Moyesiah is above reproach and that its Billy Liar this and Blue Bill that and Wyness this etc etc who is the root of all our problems but I’m afraid enough is enough.  Before I go on let me state that I am not one of those that have had their feet entrenched in either camp I have both feet firmly entrenched in the Everton Football Club camp and have neither the need nor the inclination to stick up for one side or the other.  Only Everton matters to me and I’m sure that 99% of those reading this have the same feelings.

I have always been a supporter of giving the manager the tools that he requires to do the job, when Moyes came into the job he had very few of those tools at his disposal.  The team was ageing, had very little quality, and was devoid of any footballing nouse in his first 6 months at the club, as has been written a number of times, he performed a minor miracle by keeping us riding the gravy train that is the Premier league.  After 3½ years in charge, we are now in the fortunate position of having a much younger squad which has far greater quality than when he came.  Unfortunately that is where the changes end and we still have a team which is unable to play football and I have to say that at times has performed as poorly as some of those provided under the previous managers office tenant — good old Walter “disappointed” Smith — and just how bad was he?

When Moyes came into the manager's position at Everton, I really thought that we had got the man for the job and until about 6 months ago I still thought we had.  But as the summer and the transfer window grew ever shorter, it became apparent (to me anyway) that here was a man who was now afraid to take a risk.  Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think we should ever let ourselves be taken for a ride as we have done in the past (Nyarko or Bilic anyone?) but there comes a time when a manager has to slacken some principles he has stood by, I am speaking mainly of the lack of firepower that this team has.

Let's face it, we have strengthened certain areas of the team that last season hadn’t done at all badly, and, for some reason which is beyond me, left alone the one area which was woefully lacking last season… scoring goals.  We haven’t all of a sudden stopped scoring goals; we haven’t been scoring goals for a couple of seasons so its not like this has just crept up on us unnoticed.  This above all shows the manager is lacking in one aspect which is the most important quality a manager needs: the realisation of his teams failings and the inclination and ability to correct them.

In past years, Moyes could have hidden behind the lack of funds for team building but he has received and spent a lot of cash this summer.  If it was true and we did bid £10M for Dirk Kuyt, that well known film star come goal scorer, and were told we had to bid £11M to get him... then why didn’t we?  We seem to be able to waste over £5M on a defender who hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for the club despite some really woeful defensive performances (and I’m not just talking here about David Weir — I’m talking more about his partner in crime Joseph Yobo; yes he has some brilliant games but he also has some astoundingly poor ones, sorry but that just isn’t good enough). Why wasn’t a portion of this money spent on getting in the much needed striker first rather than a central defender we aren’t prepared to use?

I am honestly really sad that I have felt the need to go into writing about this; however, I like a number of Evertonians cannot keep my frustration in any longer.  For the sake of my mental and emotional health and nerves, David Moyes must go... to be replaced by …. who knows?  I don’t pretend to have all the answers, his replacement is for someone else to decide.  The list of people mentioned during the last couple of months have ranged from the possible to the deranged but whoever it is I’m sure that he will be able to pinpoint the major deficiency in the Everton side when he looks at the league table and sees the Goals For column reading just 9 in 17 games.  At least if change happens the Board wont be vilified for letting this great club sleepwalk into the Championship.

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Evertonians everywhere; let's hope it is at about 10 o clock on the 28th!!!!

Paul Houghton

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