One step from greatness?

As a younger Evertonian I have seen mainly gloomy times at Goodison. I was there when Gareth Farrelly scored against Coventry to keep us up on goal difference, and when Kevin Campbell almost single-handedly kept us up on his own. So I find it hard to see us challenging for honours as I missed out on the glory days of Lineker and Sharp in the 80s. But I am still of the opinion that David Moyes only needs a couple of big signings, and to jig a couple of things about to make us a real threat to the top four?s thrown.

In Bill Kenwright we have a fantastic chairman, who is prepared to back Moyes to the hilt, and has done so on numerous occasions in recent years, notably with the signings of the YAK, AJ and Lescott. I am sure Kenwright will continue to place his trust in Moyes?s ability in the transfer market this summer. His record is second to none, Cahill for £2M, Arteta for £3.5M, Howard for £3M, all fantastic buys.... and what about Joleon Lescott? A risky buy what with his injury problems and no Premiership experience, but he has turned out to be one of the best defenders in the league this term. Especially with his versatility as a left back as well as a centre back.

Kenwright and Moyes need to go all out this summer to ensure our progression doesn?t falter. First job; keep Manny Fernandes this time, we mustn?t let him escape again. The boy oozes quality and would get in to most teams' starting eleven. Yes he has had his faults recently, but I am putting that down to a lack of match sharpness, given the rarity of his outings under Ronald Koeman at Valencia.

I genuinely feel this Everton side are two or three quality signings away from being top four material. I think we need to bring in a world-class right back, to complete the back line of Yobo, Jags and Lescott. Someone with real quality going forward, something that Phil Neville sadly lacks. I also think if we can keep hold of Manny, it will just take a quality winger and possibly a holding midfielder to replace the ageing Lee Carsley to make our side formidable. I would suggest an Ashley Young for the flank perhaps, and possibly a Tom Huddlestone or a Scott Parker to sit behind Cahill and Manny in the middle of the park, if they can be enticed away from London.

If we can spend big (but sensibly) in the summer, and keep hold of the squad that Moyesey has assembled so well, then why can?t we be challenging the top four for honours and European glory? The pessimist among us would say that the blue bubble is set to burst, and our season will petter out into mediocrity, as has been the case on a number of occasions. But look at the squad we have at our disposal now. I would point to three reasons that suggest we are onto a winner:

• The firepower we now have: A four-prong strike force with Yak, AJ, Victor and Vaughany, complemented by Timmy Cahill when playing a five-man midfield.
• The quality and creativity: The additions of players with real quality on the ball, such as Stevie Pienaar and Manny Fernandes, complemented by Mikel Arteta give us an added depth we have lacked for a while.
• The squad and togetherness: How many players do you see leaving Goodison? I haven?t been heartbroken by the sale of a player since you know who jumped ship to Old Trafford. The togetherness of the squad has shone through during difficult circumstances, ties against Metalist Kharkiv (home and away), and Chelsea away spring to mind.

This summer is going to be a vital one in the progression of what is a fantastic opportunity for a sleeping giant to be woken up once and for all. In five years time we could have it all; the fantastic state-of-the-art new stadium, David Moyes continuing his Alex Ferguson style dynasty, and a side challenging for honours both at home and in Europe.

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