Season 2021-22 Opinion Talking Points

Change or No Change?

Travelling to Goodison Park for the match on Saturday, I pondered on change. A new manager, a new season. Change for the sake of it? Or change for the better?

The first change I didn't like is that my parking of choice in the car park of the Elm Tree was no longer available. Indeed, The Elm Tree was no longer available. A large hole in the ground where the pub once was, surrounded by steel fencing, made me scout around for alternatives. The garage next door was handy and so I parked there.

The usual £5 was paid but I was hemmed in after the game, and it took 30 minutes for the dozens of cars to move, allowing me to exit. To be fair, that was pretty much the experience with the Elm Tree car park, so no change there.

Making my way to The Brick, I discovered it completely packed, with 5 deep to get to the bar. Loud Everton-themed music and lots of banter. Friends I hadn't seen for a long time and many stories to tell and respond to. The big change here was the payment system. Last time I was in this pub, cash was king. Credit cards were rare. That had all changed.

There is a favourite story of Victoria Wood in which she recounts the tale of modern morals and attitudes by pointing out the many people thronging the counter of a convenience store on a Saturday night, shouting out orders for condoms: “Three packs of the Strawberry flavour” — whilst a chap in a dirty raincoat with his collar pulled up whispers “Twenty Benson & Hedges please.”

I felt like that chap at the bar. The barmaid was waving around a contactless terminal, and it appeared everyone was paying by card. The man next to me looked worried. “I don't have a card,” he said. “Will they take cash?” (They did.)

The price of a pint of Guinness seemed to be the same however at £3.50, so I ordered two. I wasn't going to stand in that queue again.

We watched the Mancs thrashing Leeds, with hopes being raised when Leeds equalised, only for them to be dashed. No change there.

My mate Paul and his lad had had difficulties getting their Everton season tickets on a card, so the club had asked them to get there early with ID to get paper replacements. They had arrived at 9:30 am but were seen immediately and were in the pub for 10. It was now 1:00 pm and they were talking broken biscuits. No change there.

Lots of talk about the missing isolators, but no mention whatsoever of the 31-year-old helping police with their enquiries... When the team came through, it was felt it was the best Rafa could field, and we must hope.

The queue to get in to Goodison Park at my Main Stand entrance was a hundred yards long but moved quickly enough. My season ticket was on my iPhone and, at the turnstiles, I showed it to the chap and despite pressing it down every which way, it wouldn't beep. He looked at the screen said, “Sod it!” and let me in. Everton with technical difficulties? No change.

Nice to see the couple who sit next to me; we chatted about everything except the pandemic itself. You don't like to, just in case... For the record, I hardly saw a mask in the whole stadium.

Rafa was announced to the crowd and — despite the Guardian writer referring to it as ‘polite applause' — he was received with a long, sustained ovation.

Everton started out well and the wingers had plenty of the ball but without any end product. Then Keane's cock-up. A fair amount of despair and head-in-the-hands moments from the faithful. Armstrong took his goal well and nearly had another a few minutes later, Pickford warming his hands for the first (and thankfully only) time in the match.

Whatever Rafa may do with his defence, only time will tell... but I'm clear on one thing. If Keane and Holgate are his defensive pairing of choice, I'll show my arse in Lewis's window.

There were a few boos at half-time and the talk was of what needed to be done. The last time Everton had won a match after being behind at half-time was six years ago. Change was coming...

Rafa did change things around, swapping Gray's and Richarlison's roles and (I think) swapping Holgate and Keane around. The big revelation for me was Doucouré. Last season he was a shadow of his Watford persona, clinging to the coattails of Allan with hardly an original thought in his head.

Today, he strode around the pitch like a latter-day Galloping Gourmet. Sharp, peppery tackles, simple side courses and a spread of passes like I've not seen for a long time. Then his pià¨ce de résistance. A magnificent turn and volley into the top corner. A goal to win Goal of the Season for this and many other seasons. Easily my Man of the Match.

Cross after cross produced near misses and of course goals, with Match of the Day pointing out that Everton had 17 crosses in this match against an average of 12 last season. Change there then.

Richarlison was moody and magnificent. When Rafa subbed him late on in the match (a good man-management decision), he made his way to the touchline in typical fashion, head down, shoulders hunched like a lovelorn pigeon, trudging off whilst milking every second of a thoroughly deserved ovation.

Iwobi, Mina and Gordon came on and did their bit, with Iwobi ignoring the snipers and putting in a decent shift, getting involved in two of the goals. He got applauded! Change there as well.

Let's all hope the changes are sustained for the next match.

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