Colm's
Corner Once
more unto the
breach...
This coming
Sunday, we
return to a
ground where
recent history
indicates we’ll
traipse home
back down the
East Lancs
with little to
show for our
collective
effort.
Since the
advent of
BSkyB and The
Premiership we’ve
not enjoyed
too many days
and nights at
Old
Trafford.
One solitary
night, with
the Stretford
End resembling
a building
site, our own
dancing
minstrel, Bob
The Pole –
Robert
Warzycha —
running riot
is all we
really have to
show, over the
years.
Hardly the
theatre of
dreams some
would have you
believe.
It is an
Evertonian’s
graveyard.
I remember
a few seasons
back, it may
have been
Davey Moyes’
first trek
there as
Everton boss
– a Monday
night
fixture.
I don’t
think any
Evertonian
expected much
to be honest
but the effort
of a
workmanlike,
game, Everton
eleven that
night deserved
better than
what they
got. The
clock ticking,
ourselves
holding United
scoreless, I
had the missus
locked away in
the kitchen
(she professes
to being a
lifelong
United fan but
I suspect she’s
waning these
days in favour
of those
Goodison
Blues!) as I
tried
everything
possible to
influence the
final score
from the
comfort of my
living
room.
Standing up,
legs crossed,
drinking with
the left hand,
drinking with
the right hand…….if
it worked
before and was
working now
why vary from
the tried and
trusted?
0-0, minutes
to go, in she
comes from the
kitchen, to
catch the last
few
minutes.
Bang bang
bang, 3-0 home
win for
United.
Gutted.
“If looks
could kill,
they probably
will…..”
No shit, Peter
Gabriel!
Being
denied the
services of
Mikel Arteta
and Tim Cahill
doesn’t help
what is
already an
uphill task
for Everton on
Sunday.
Chuck in the
absence of
Nigel Martyn
for good
measure and
the recipe is
set for
another horror
show — live
and exclusive
on Sky.
West Brom
revisited?
Shit, I hope
not! To
be honest, I
believe WBA
was simply one
of those
evenings when
anything that
could have
gone wrong did
go
wrong.
The fact that
it was a
televised game
added to our
pain and fears
that The End
Is Nigh.
I’ll not
name the two
fine Blues who
were present
at The
Hawthorns that
evening who
availed of the
opportunity at
the recent AGM
to stand
before Mr
Moyes and air
their genuine
fears for
Everton
Football
Club.
Both believe
Everton are
going down
this
season.
Aye, this is
the same set
of overpaid
shysters
wearing Royal
Blue shirts
who have won
four of their
last five
games.
Relegation
form
indeed!
Funny arl game…
Remember
the
corresponding
fixture last
season?
Life, for
Evertonians,
could not have
been more
horrible going
into that
game, entering
the lion’s
den at Old
Trafford.
Bill was
fighting with
Paul.
Paul was
fighting with
Bill.
Everton, both
on and off the
field of play,
were neck deep
in
shite.
On the pitch,
we’d not
secured even
one point
there since
1996 and on
this day we
would be
without the
presence of
both Thomas
Gravesen and
Joseph
Yobo.
Wayne Rooney
was also
absent,
injured, and
due to sign
for United
before the
transfer
deadline
closed.
I doubt even
the most
tanked up
Evertonian
walking into
Old Trafford
expected a
result.
We got
one.
Against the
odds. We
won 0-0!
One
solitary point
– but it
spoke volumes
back then for
a squad who
believed in
themselves
even if no one
outside
did.
They would say
it again and
again over the
course of the
season and
still no one
truly believed
this squad
capable of
achievement.
That they did
achieve
relative
success
(fourth, and a
Champions
League
qualifier) was
a testament to
their
self-belief.
With the early
season
capitulation
now giving way
to a sense of
“let’s
roll up the
sleeves and
dig out a few
results”, I
see no reason
why this
season’s
side cannot go
some way to
once again
muscling in on
those with
visions of
grandeur and
potential
European
campaigns
again next
season.
It’s worth
noting that
right now we
lie ten points
off a UEFA Cup
place.
That’s not
out of
sight.
Yet.
I think I’m
right in
recognising
then that this
Sunday will be
Wayne Rooney’s
first game
against us, at
Old
Trafford.
No doubt the
travelling
Evertonians
will cop an
earful from
the rank and
file Manc
brigade.
Be sure to
remind them of
their untimely
demise in
Europe this
term. We
share their
pain, the
Champions
League being
anything but a
laugh.
Having said
that, I feel
for our
chairman and
his pet CEO,
Mr Wyness who
may have
viewed United’s
demise in
Benfica with
tears in their
eyes.
There goes
another chance
of a potential
£1M windfall
for this
season.
Two down,
lads, three
seasons to go,
in order to
trigger that
clause
inserted into
Rooney’s
contract.
Worth a laugh,
I suppose, at
this point in
time to go
once again
over that
small print:
Manchester
United,
European
Champions
League
Winners -
£1.0M Now
– I ain’t
Bill
Kenwright,
or the
incredibly
successful
Philip Green
for that
matter, but
nowhere
above do I
see a clause
inserted
stating
Everton
secure even
£5.50 if
and when
Manchester
United lift
the Carling
Cup.
Europe’s
gone for
this year
(the curse
of being
tenuously
linked to
Everton FC’s
financial
well-being?!),
United may
now lick
their wounds
and for
once, as a
member of
G14, be
forced to
acknowledge
the domestic
game!
On the
England
front, for
those
monitoring
the
situation,
Rooney has
thus far
played in
seven
competitive
games for
his country
since his
transfer to
United.
As an Irish
Evertonian,
I’d almost
wish England
well in
their
pursuit of
World Cup
glory next
summer –
the sooner
Rooney edges
nearer to
gaining
those 20
competitive
caps the
better it is
for
us. We’ll
have half a
million
quid!
What say
you?
New tent for
the Park
End?!
All humour
aside, we do
have the
possible
safety net:
We
can only
hope that
the Glazer
family and
Paul
Stretford
resist all
temptation
to cash in
the chips
and pack off
the Wayne
and Colleen
Circus to
the land of Hello!
magazine and
a mansion
next door to
the Beckham’s.
Mentioning
our esteemed
CEO above,
it amazes me
that two
weeks now
since the
AGM, not one
article
anywhere
across the
media has
made
reference to
the fact
that Mr
Wyness, when
asked at the
AGM, was
forced to
confirm that
he has
touted
potential
investors in
Everton
Football
Club to
support his
private
business
initiative(s).
Furthermore
– and this
is the beaut
– it’s
apparently
in his
contract!
His words,
not mine, at
the
AGM.
It
transpires
that Mr
Wyness has a
vision of
family fun,
which could
“benefit
Evertonians”
no less,
this being a
separate
scheme
outside his
remit as CEO
of Everton
Football
Club.
We have a
CEO earning,
one
suspects, a
rather nice
wedge for
his days at
Goodison
Park,
touting
would-be
investors
(be they
singular or
plural is
irrelevant)
to get the
ball rolling
on matters
away from
Everton
business.
I’m
fairly sure
that those
people who
have been
directly
affected
this past
year by some
of Mr Wyness’s
decisions
raised an
eyebrow or
two.
His facial
expression
was
priceless
when faced
with this
revelation
at the
AGM.
However,
with the era
we now live
in, it was
hardly
surprising
to note how
the
Liverpool
Echo failed
to even
mention this
little
snippet from
the
AGM.
Of course,
with David
Moyes
present,
suited and
booted,
seated at
the top
table, the
next morning’s
back pages
were already
written.
Think about
it.
Everton hold
an AGM and
the next day’s
paper’s
concentrate
on Moyes’s
team
selections
and transfer
policy!
Mission
accomplished,
another
potentially
embarrassing
night in
front of
shareholders
averted for
another
year.
A cynic
might offer
that the Echo
refused to
air this
revelation
due to the
fact that
they’re
bidding for
the contract
to print the
matchday
programme
next season….
Finally,
if you’ve
got this far
and have a
spare
million or
ten, feel
free to
invest it in
Everton
FC!
Give the
Club a
call.
What odds on
a Mr D
Ferguson or
even a Mr W
Rooney
knocking on
the door in
time to
come?!
Perhaps not…
maybe they’ll
get a call
from Mr
Wyness and
invest in
some family
fun “for
all
Evertonians….”
Meanwhile,
the same old
problems
remain –
“once more
unto the
breach, dear
Evertonians,
once more…”
Colm Kavanagh
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