Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

A Giant Falls... A Lesson to Learn?

By Adam   Bennett  ::  27/06/2011   65 Comments (»Last) Last night, on a live internet stream, I watched a match involving one of the big clubs of Argentine football, River Plate. They where up against a team from Cordoba called Belgrano, in the 2nd leg of a two legged relegation play-off. Belgrano won the first leg 2-0 in their 28,000 capacity Estadio El Gigante de Alberdi, which meant the 2nd leg in the magnificent Monumental stadium, River?s home and the scene for Argentina?s World Cup triumph of 1978, River Plate had to win by two clear goals to avoid relegation.

They drew 1-1.

The most historic and successful club in Argentine football, with 33 league titles and 2 Libertadores titles to their name, have been relegated to National B for the first time in their 110 year history. To say this is a jaw-dropping moment in South American football would be an understatement, especially when you consider that the relegation system over there is set up to prevent this kind of thing.

The Argentine championship system is based on two short seasons, and relegation is based on a three-year cycle where the average points are calculated to determine who gets relegated. In other words, you have to have three bad years (or six seasons) on the trot to be relegated. Now, normally, one really bad year by one of the big clubs would result in them having two more years to sort themselves out and make sure it is not repeated. Something, somewhere, has been drastically wrong with River for three years straight, and beyond.

A quick look at some of their recent former players may provide a clue for this downfall. Ayala, D?Allessandro, Cambiasso, Demichelis, Saviola, Mascherano, Higuain, Falcao.

By the looks of it, these players have not been replaced adequately, and an ability to replace top players is a must for South American clubs due to the European clubs? power of money attracting players to fly across the Atlantic. The majority of these players went for big fees, yet the club has a reported debt of 280 million pesos (£68million), and will now loose their 23 million pesos a year TV deal, which is reduced to 3.5 million pesos. This shows mismanagement in the general running of the club as well. Also, this is on top of a potentially drastic reduction in the attendance figures at their 60,000 capacity stadium.

Basically, put bluntly, they are now well and truly right up the creek without a paddle. Their situation will not be helped by the Argentine FA?s efforts to expand football beyond the historically centralised set-up around Buenos Aries, which is exemplified in the list of venues for the upcoming Copa America where the capital?s only match is the final. More competition in the lower league will make it even harder for ?Los Millonarios? to come back.

Now what does this have to do with Everton? Well, I?m not going to suggest that we are close to being relegated as I think, barring an overnight disaster, we are past that stage of the mid- to late-90s, but, it is a warning to clubs like ours. Selling your best players, not replacing them properly and having people running your club the wrong way and you will find yourself in a whole lot of trouble. No matter how big a club you are.

This summer, the majority of Everton stories in the transfer gossip columns are about the possibility of players leaving: Baines to Manchester City; Jagielka to Arsenal; Fellaini to Chelsea; Rodwell to Manchester United. This has resulted in various posts and comments suggesting selling to strengthen other areas of the team. While I believe these suggestions have merits, I also believe if we are going to sell one or two of the players listed, we have to be very careful in how re-invest.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s we sold a number of our best players: Ferguson, Jeffers, Ball etc, and we had years under Walter Smith of hovering over the relegation places. Under Walter?s four-year reign, a three-year relegation cycle could well have seen us relegated! And we would have been relegated but for the loan signing of Kevin Campbell.

Now, thankfully, since David Moyes took charge there have only been two occasions when one of our best players has been sold: Rooney and Lescott ? the latter was arguably adequately replaced. However, how many sales would have to happen to make us struggle? Which of our better players can be replaced adequately with players who would come to us and not just an FM fantasy? Which players are a definite no-no, no matter how much money was thrown at us?

River?s relegation will send shockwaves around the footballing world. Everton ought to look in depth at how this was allowed happen to ?La Banda Roja? and learn the lessons of their mismanagement. Make sure that we don?t sell and not replace. Make sure that the running of the club off the pitch is done to a high standard (cough!).

And make sure this fate is never allowed to creep up on us.

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