Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Crossing the Rubicon

By Dave   Arrow  ::  15/04/2012   38 Comments (»Last) I?ve taken 24 hours to reflect on Saturday?s abject capitulation; however, my opinion hasn?t changed from the one I expressed to mates immediately after the game ? and was roundly derided as having a jerky knee...

Most of the lads I go with haven?t missed a home or away game this season and I?ve clocked up 12 aways so we are all hopefully well placed to provide an objective opinion on what the consequences of this result should be. I now find myself at odds with mates whose opinions I value highly; the Rubicon that has been crossed is David Moyes.

I have been in the pro-Moyes camp for 10 years but the good-will and tolerance has run out after Saturday. For me, going into the game, his debit column was greater than his credits this season and the only way he would reverse this in my mind was winning the FA Cup.

After the dire first half of the season and his Indiana Jones ?knife at a gunfight? quote, he had a good January window and something clicked. We built some momentum and were getting stronger until he decided to throw the Castle Grey Skull derby. This decision proved two things to me about David Moyes:

1. Firstly, even after 10 years, he doesn?t understand what it means to us;
2. Secondly, he is just too comfortable in the job. He might only have a knife but he does have a bulletproof vest as far as Kenwright is concerned.

Then out of nowhere we produced performances at Swansea, the best quality I?ve seen in many a year and Sunderland, the most tenacious. Followed up by some really attractive performances, consequently I went in to the semi-final not forgiving the derby surrender but prepared to forget.

Having followed Everton for 45 years, I should have known better than to go into a derby with confidence but I did. It just felt like it was going to be our day, providing we went into it with a positive attitude and concentrated on our strengths rather than trying to nullify theirs.

We went into the game on a crest and had nothing to fear but fear itself. Before the game, we all picked the same starting 11 so no complaints there... but what unfolded was horrendous and wasn?t acceptable on any level.

Let?s not kid ourselves, we were fortunate to go ahead but, when we did, we should have pressed the advantage home. The second half was the worst I have ever endured against them and we have no-one to blame this time but ourselves. Apart from Jelavic and Fellaini, the rest should hang their heads.

No bottle and no pride and we made an average team look good. Yes, we made two fatal mistakes but they had 3 or 4 other clear cut opportunities that they didn?t take whilst their 3rd choice keeper could have got his deckchair out.

You could smell our fear and we stunk the place out. When Distin, the French Yobo, self-combusted, how many Evertonians really believed we would go on and win the game? The players certainly didn?t.

?I thought we would see it out? gave away what the half-time team talk was and speaks volumes about David Moyes?s philosophy ? and it is this approach that has finally broken me.

In all my time following Everton, through occasional thick but mainly thin, I?ve never booed the players or called for the manager to be sacked and I don?t intend to start now. But I do think that David Moyes should call it quits after the Newcastle game. We all know that Kenwright won?t sack him so, as a man of immense integrity, he should look deep into his soul and not his bank balance and walk away.

Yes, I know all the well-rehearsed arguments about retaining the status quo? "Be careful what you wish for"? "We?ll go in to free fall without him holding us together..." but now is the time to recognise that we should be given the opportunity to take this calculated risk. It will only happen though if David Moyes deems that it will happen. And, no if it does happen, I don?t know who we?ll get to take over... but I know we?ll have plenty to choose from.

During his 10 years, David Moyes gave us our pride back but progressively this season he has taken it away from us again and I can?t see him changing. Saturday encapsulated it for me: he had the chance to right some wrongs but reverted to type and we got what we deserved.

Do I think change will happen? On balance no and all this article will do is get me the dog?s abuse from mates who have kept the faith.

The paradox is that I?ll be renewing mine and my daughter?s season tickets later this week and will still do my share of aways next season because I follow Everton, whoever plays for us or manages us.

Stay or go, nothing will take away the taint following the disgrace that Saturday represented, and there is only one man responsible for that. Which is why this particular Evertonian has crossed the Rubicon and is now looking at things from the other side of the river bank.

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