Up for the Cup

I should probably have waited until after next week?s cup game at Upton Park before penning this missive, so I hope in so doing that I don?t jinx the outcome of that game. It has to be said that, amidst the angst that continues to surround our ground move (which seems increasingly in the balance as far as Kirkby is concerned), the team itself is probably the best I have seen playing at Goodison since the Mid Eighties.

It?s old ground, but it?s worth repeating, Everton as a club and as a team were pretty much a basket case in the Nineties and early Noughties; even Joe Royle?s team (much as I loved them) was a flame which flickered but never really caught light in terms of the football played.

However, I genuinely believe that we have a team now which is actually capable of winning trophies and doing so with some style. The 7-1 mawling of Sunderland was underplayed outside (and to some extent within) Everton ranks; with various media organs focussing more on a poor Sunderland rather than, at times, a sublime performance from Everton (Osman?s goal was my favourite). It was after that game that I really started to think we might achieve more than just a decent league placing this season.

Our outstanding form in Europe has confirmed it for me; don?t underestimate the achievement of being Group winners with a game to spare, or beating the Russian Champions (who?ll be playing in the CL next year).

Everyone will have their own ?First Eleven? when it comes to playing at Football Manager, but I find increasingly that there is a real consensus over who the majority of that team should be. There is a real spine to the team and that core of players are complemented by others who we are comfortable and can be interchanged to suit the tactics required on the day.

We know now that the team and formation to play Man Utd. or Arsenal will not be the same as that which turns out against Fulham; but whatever the team the core will be the same, creating a real continuity from game to game. It?s this continuity of personnel that virtually guarantees great team spirit and greater consistency on the pitch.

Moyes has taken his time to get here, but he has reached a major staging post in the plan to put Everton back amongst the top four in the Premier League. We all know he has done so (until recently) with his hands tied financially and I am sure he has been as frustrated as the supporters; that it has taken five years to put out a team which now plays increasingly attractive football, but can ?mix it? too when needed.

The one thing Moyes has always been able to do (9 times out of 10) is get the absolute maximum return from his players? abilities. CL qualification and subsequent top half placings have been down to this quality in the manager, combined with an immense team spirit. What I believe we are seeing this season, with the recruitment of players such as Pienaar and Yakubu, is the next step; where maximising player potential, a work ethic and team spirit are complemented by players capable of playing with real skill.

Of course, it?s not perfect. At times we still fall back into old habits; but I go to games now and watch Pienaar, Arteta, Yakubu, Yobo, Lescott, Cahill, Baines, Osman passing and dribbling with aplomb. Regardless of the result, I can always look back at the game and remember pieces of sublime skill from some if not all of these players. Moreover, this eulogy to the latter players is not meant to dismiss the tireless Johnson, the precocious talents of McFadden, the raw energy of Vaughan, the muscular Anichebe, the excellent goalkeeping of Howard or the commitment of Neville and Carsley.

That?s just the point, I suppose, when you actually list out the players (and I?ve not mentioned some of the other members of the squad who impress) and you look at the progress this represents from five years ago and beyond, you have to be optimistic that a few cup finals are not too far away. Of course the very nature of such competitions ensures that ?a bad day at the office? can lead to an unwanted exit and luck also plays its part.

Moreover, domestic cups are notoriously difficult to win if you are not one of the ?Big Four? and it?s historically the exception not the rule when a team outside of these four wins either cup (which makes me think the Uefa Cup might actually be a better bet). However, putting lady luck to one side, we know we can mix it with the best in the Division now and have the squad depth to have a proper go, so ?why not? ?

Outside of cup competitions, I believe regular top six finishes should now be a reasonable expectation from this team and a few more additions next summer could see us into the top four; after that, who knows ?; as success breeds success.

Reader Comments

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer