Being Everton – A Personal Perspective & This Season

I grew up listening to tales of Dixie Dean, Warney Cresswell, Jock Thomson, Jimmy Dunn, and many many others. I was a couple of months short of 25 years old when I first tasted the success of a League Championship, and a couple of months short of my 28th birthday when I witnessed my first FA Cup Final victory.

My son is fortunate enough to have seen the teams of the eighties, but I'm afraid that my grandson, who has accompanied me as a fellow ticket holder since he was 6 years old, and now approaching 17, hasn't had the best of times. The only stand-out moments for him are a victory over Manchester United and a defeat at the hands of Chelsea, both of these at Wembley.

I keep telling him that his turn is yet to come. I just hope that I'm around when it does. I would urge all Evertonians to Keep the Faith.

I'm gonna have that framed. Danny's much-anticipated judgement on Carlo Ancelotti. All of a whole season in the making. ,"8. The manager has to take blame for the team selections and the tactics. It’s his job to get that right. He got it wrong too often."

I'm gonna have that framed. Danny's much-anticipated judgement on Carlo Ancelotti. All of a whole season in the making. ,,,1,21:29:47,,86.155.244.161,ok,175,05/25/2021 21:29:47,michael.kenrick@gmail.com,admin,,,no 1158367,40860,toffeeweb,25/05/2021,Jack Convery,johna.convey@hotmail.co.uk,"If our scouting system cannot identify better players than what we already have, why the fack to we employ them.

Kean and Holgate are our cash cows this transfer window. Aaons from Norwich with Holgate going the other way. The money for Kean should be enough to get us a right winger / midfielder, with a bit left over for the wages of an out of contract buy. If we are then not prepared or able to then spend £30m - £40m on Koulibaly why do we exist ?

My take on matters Everton is it's best to avoid analysis because it leads to self doubt and questions about ones mental equilibrium whereas hanging onto emotional rational removes all doubt.

We're all off our skull, mate

It does come down to the simple fact that we need better players. Also, those players need to be organised right, trained right and motivated right. I think there is room for improvement on all fronts.

It’s a big summer for the club for many reasons, I want Ancelotti to succeed but I think this may represent the biggest challenge he’s faced. Let’s hope the close season is more exiting than the open one just gone !

Nice article. I think it's interesting to hear about how Everton fits in with people's lives in general be it generational, circumstantial etc. I am not sure if it's good or bad that I feel less disappointed about the season than many. I always hope for the best, but since Roberto's last cup failure I've been in a "seeing is believing" glass has a little drop left in it kind of mode.

I would take issue with the statement on lack of desire for the team, to me it seemed like exhaustion. They honestly did not have it in the tank when they tanked. Some criticism on tactics and players out of position could be made but we won several games with those tricks on the other side of that. Overall, I accept your sanguine take bar one thing. we can always celebrate that we're Everton and not some pile of hammered dogshit. UTFT!

Just like you, I will never lose my faith in Everton, mate, and no matter how much pain they can sometimes give us, “ We Shall Not Be Moved”🙏

Having read you genuine and interesting article regarding your Everton origins and your constructive season analysis I felt compelled to post.

Now I am away again for the second time, before the transfer circus starts. Have a good Summer Danny, a True Blue.

Do they really care? I doubt it very much. Lose a game and they drive back to their mansions, get another tattoo, make posts on their social media accounts, check their bank balances and sleep easy in the fact that they have a big contract and a guaranteed, enormous income for a number of years. Very sad.

Thats just the 15 potential signings they have touted in the last week alone.

I always like reading your posts as they are collaborative and reflective - I could learn from them for sure. Your reflections are a fair summary - if they are not definitive enough for some then that is their problem. Reality is always nuanced rather than binary - worst ever/best ever/black/white.

For me, the best article posted on here in a while.

Thanks to all for the kind responses. I would love to respond to each and every one of you but that would end up being an entire new post.

However, couple of reflective points.

No matter how Everton finds you, once you are in you are part of the family and as much an Evertonian as any of us.

The passport is in date and waiting.

Thanks to the editorial team. Forums like this don't just happen.

On the pitch my gut feel is to rebuild the team with young players who aren't household names but have the desire and hunger to fight for the Community and the Club. Other clubs in the Premier League have shown that these qualities can make a difference and at worst the Club wouldn't be blowing money money who don't care for the badge. I think we could all get b behind a young Team with the necessary desire eg players in the mould of Godfrey

1) The away record

2) Killing dead some horrendous bogeys such as Anfield (the derby record too) winning at Arsenal and Spurs (with commendable wins at Leeds and Leicester worth mentioning)

3) Ben Godfrey showing he can be the new Joleon Lescott and hopefully it may encourage our manager that there are actually good players to be had from the Championship.

Low points.

1) Dismal home record.

2) Two Cup Quarter Final defeats both at Goodison in games we didn't do ourselves justice in again.

3) Being 4th in March and somehow finsihing 10th.

4) The football style not being any real upgrade on Fat Sam's three years ago.

5) The new signings starting like a house on fire at Spurs on the opening day but fading badly due to injury and lack of consistency as usual.

Dave #6, wonderful post.

Steve #20, ditto.

We need a new right side, that's a new right back to replace, yes replace, Seamus Coleman.

We need a dynamic quick right winger/midfielder.

We need a creative central midfielder with an eye for a forward pass and can get about the pitch.

We need a striker, there's no way we can sit here and rely on one centre forward all season again.

Finally but not necessarily a top priority, we need a central defender because for me our best one is missing too much, Yerry Mina.
If Koulibaly does happen then that would be great.

It's absolutely imperative that we start scoring more goals next season, we have fallen way way short in Ancelotti's 18 months here so far and he can't afford to have another profligate season with money at his disposal.

A brilliant article from you.
As articulate and passionate as always.
I look forward to reading many more of your posts.
In my opinion you are amongst the very best contributors on TW.

I would even class the central defender signing as a top priority too. Perreira right-wing or forward, Emerson right-back, Koulibaily in exchange for Mina, Buendia AM. Bare minimum of 4 signings can change the look and potency.

Whoever we sign we need to be playing a higher line and we need some goals, assists and threat from multiple sources.

4-2-3-1?

Pickford
Emerson Koulibaily Godfrey Digne
Allan Doucoure
Perreira Buendia Richarlison
Calvert-Lewin

I agree particularly that the final position in the English Premier League mostly reflects where a club is "at" in terms of ability on the pitch, but in Everton's case, the expenditure on players should put us between sixth and eighth positions, so on that metric, the players, the Director of Football, and manager have clearly under- performed ?

I am worried most of all by the apparent lethargy of most of our players, and the inability to raise their game when facing the likes of Leeds and Villa, middling clubs who play a vibrant, high intensity game? Something is wrong with their conditioning and the mindset, we seem to start games on the back foot and end up panicking when we fall behind. This was a clear failing under both Koeman and Silva also? The Ancellotti father and son team have not addressed this in my opinion and they have to pull this round.
Back to your reflections Danny, I cannot disagree with any of the points you make at the end of your piece and thanks to Michael and ToffeeWeb for seeing us through the last 15 months of a crazy, horrible pandemic !
Personally, I'm hoping for better from our team, but I'm expecting much of the same next season unless Mr Brands can clear the squad majority of the non-performers, and allow Carlo to bring in more like Ben Godfrey players who look as if they want the blue shirt. Look what focus, intensity and passion at club level has done for Ben?

Life’s good and every days good and it’s what we make of it.

Being an Evertonian, is special and fortunately we are born into.

Great memories, and hopefully very soon we can all be freed from the great memories of the past, to make new great memories as Everton will soon emerge from dormant slumber which is becoming Biblical in context.

Hope eternal and to a good summer in the transfer market, and all enjoy the preseason.

I got the feeling that Carlo lost his way, especially in the second half of the season. I don't know if the break-in affected him or the subsequent illness and death of his first wife, Davide's mum.

What we all need is a few good summer signings to bolster the squad and hopefully we can weed out the dross. I watched a bit of the Europa League Final last night as a fairly ordinary Villarreal beat a team that cost so much more. It shows that teams can be built, togetherness can be fostered and success is within reach.

I don't think that we will achieve anything hiring slightly faded Galacticos. Give me hungry players, whether they are young or old, guys willing to put in a shift, even if they won't (like us) die for the shirt.

Enjoy the summer.

I hope we all realise how lucky we are to have inherited Everton – me from my Liverpool born and bred father. In another life we could have supported poor old Bury FC. Or the closest league team to my home nowadays which is Bristol Rovers – never even a single season in the top flight and if you think Goodison is showing its age, try spending a couple of hours at The Mem.

Looking forward to watching a few games from the Lower Gwladys in 2021/22 with my elder son who’s our family’s third generation Blue.

I think it's now clear that whoever is the manager, whatever players we sign - things will not change. What changes a club is rebuilding from ground Zero so that belief, commitment, intensity and a system are ingrained. We have none of that - so God knows what happens at Finch Farm.

We are doomed to repeat the cycle time and time again. Until we - the fans - stop demanding an instant fix, stop blaming Kenwright for anything and everything, stop clinging onto dinosaurs employes for old times sake and stop accepting players who patently do not want to be here.

Clear out Finch Farm and build from the base. Or carry on as we are for another decade.

They’ve been gone for a while now, but it seemed like a good opportunity to get together!

My Mum tolerated footy, just, but my Grandad and Dad left us in doubt from a very early age who we would follow. And they made sure of it. And it has been passed down to my son and daughters, and my grandsons. Other grandchildren have been pulled towards Sheffield Utd, but that’s ok as their Dads go to the match at Bramall Lane. It’s how it is.

I have been frustrated by the calling to Goodison many times, more so in the last few years than ever before. But never have I wished I had been brought up to support another team.

I enjoy your posts, keep them coming. Best wishes to you and your family.