FAN ARTICLES

Are things really that bad?

By Viv Sharma :  13/02/2011 :  Comments (18) :

No strikers in the squad, no money in the bank, not enough points on the board... No hope?

We were all disgusted a few years back when Benitez called us a small club, but the fact is that finacially, this is the case. In fact, it's an understatement. We have a negative manager who sets out his team to 'hopefully not lose by more than 3 or 4' and occasionally get an amazing incredible draw.

BK has been shaping our club for the last decade and this is where we find ourselves. It is a fucking disgrace because although we have become a financial minnow as a result of all the BULLSHIT (from the Fortress Sports Fund lies to "Watch this space...") showering on down from above, we STILL have a solid and passionate worldwide fanbase that the club should be more than capable of capitalising on and making us a genuine Premier League team again.

I know that my article will be easily dismissed as "typically negative TW" but I believe that TW genuinely reflects the current status of the club from the point of the more genuinely passionate and informed fans. (Believe it or not, when things are going well, we are happy to give praise when praise is due, it's just been a long long time since this has been the case, week-in and week-out.)

What really worries me is the long term. It's going to take a huge push to keep us up this year playing the way we are with only one decent striker who is not allowed more than 20 minutes pitch time per game and if, and when we do go down, we will have to sell our key (and only) assets such as Felli, Baines, Arteta and the likes, and being on the back foot, we certainly are NOT going to get top dollar for them when we do.

So, the ability to re-invest is therefore nullified and, with our squad as small as it is, we are going to genuinely struggle to come straight back up.

Yes, we are all very proud of our history but that doesn't count for shit in the modern game. Look at Portsmouth: recent FA Cup Winners and they couldn't avoid a disaster on a Leeds United scale. The general view from outside of our club these days is that we are a scrappy little club punching above our weight.

So, what can WE do?

Obviously, I don't have a genuine answer, simply because, for us regular fans, there isn't one. The supporters trust that has been mooted is a good idea but unless we sell our souls to a Saudi King, I can't see how we can continue in this ridiculous league. Boycotting will not help as our trouble is financial and we simply can't afford to hit the board where it hurts because ultimately it will just hurt the club.

To be fair, the way that money has overtaken passion in world football is not BK's fault and I even empathise with him for trying to keep our heart and soul, but clearly this isn't going to be possible.

I genuinely fear for the future of our club to the point where I almost couldn't bring myself to watch today against Bolton because I'm just so disallusioned with the whole thing these days.

The last straw was watching Anichebe today. Sulking over a new contract, so we sign him up and then he spends the day strolling around the pitch without a care in the world. If I was DM, I would have hauled him off after 10 minutes and honestly called for his contract to be terminated IMMEDIATELY. I'm more disgusted with his effort today than I usually am watching Gerrard.

Where we once had a passionate and diehard commitment to making this work until we got the money to grow, it is clear now that the malaise and terminal apathy that has infected our club has even reached the players; they too know that there is no future for us in the big leagues under the current regime and ultimately any effort on the pitch is futile and postponing the inevitable. They should still not be excused for not caring, but I see where it comes from.

I will, through thick or thin or thinner, always be a Toffee... but, right now, I wish I could just turn it off and walk away.

You will (I hope) read this as an extremely overly negative piece and things will work out ok in the end, but this is honestly how I see the state of our once great club.

I could very much do with someone putting together a reasonable and realistic argument to the contrary to give me a lift and help me regain my optimism because right now, BK has sucked the life out of all the joy I used to get from EFC.

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