Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Three Conundrums

Still reeling from the events at Wembley, I have been mulling over three things in particular.

1. Why we cannot beat Liverpool when it matters
2. The manager
3. Investment at the club

I realize that all three are closely interlinked but will attempt to unravel them all to some extent.

Looking firstly at our inability to beat our neighbours in big games, I am now firmly of the belief that it is a psychological grip they seem to have over our manager which then cascades onto our players. Liverpool seem to have a belief that they will win whilst we seem to go into the games hoping for the best. In the run up to the semi, I looked at the whole thing objectively from a recent form point of view and could only see one winner.

I saw the way we swarmed all over Sunderland away and fully expected to see the same approach in the semi. I looked at our consecutive home ties earlier in the competition against beatable opposition and said to myself that we would never have a better chance to win against a team down to their 3rd choice keeper.

All the signs were there, but we let them back into it, confidence visibly crumbling even when we were still one nil up. Is it that we want it so much that the thought of winning against them actually affects our game as we get nearer to that elusive opportunity? Answers on a postcard please.

Looking next at our manager, I really am in two minds over this. Is it scenario 1, where we have an absolutely fantastic bloke in charge who has moved us away from those horrific last day matches against Wimbledon and Coventry, cemented our position in the league and who will, given adequate funding, take us back to the mid 80s glory days?

On the other hand, is it scenario 2. where we have an absolutely fantastic bloke in charge who, given adequate funding, is still unable to take us the next level, where massive games do not appear to phase us and where we attract and retain world class players on a regular basis, allowing us to properly compete in and win major competitions. Is that not where we all want to be?

Do we stick or take the risk and twist? Do we persevere with stability and the prospect of occasional semis and even more elusive finals, or do we take a deep breath and do something different? Tough call.

Lastly, the thorny question of investment at our club. Where on earth is this to come from? There is absolutely no doubt what an injection of cash could bring to us. How depressing is it, season after season, to see how little we have to spend? Yes we have team spirit and yes that team spirit gets us through many games but imagine what a boost we would have seeing 4 or 5 high quality players join us who, correctly managed, guided and motivated, could only enhance that team spirit further. Where are the investors queuing up to buy us? What is it that puts them off and what should Everton be doing differently to make it happen?

3 conundrums there which need some answers if we are to get back up there winning things on a regular basis. Anyone else satisfied with finishing in the top ten without a trophy year on year? You already know the answer to that one.

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