The Rob Fox Column Full Circle, by Rob Fox
Well, who would have thought it – Everton in a
relegation battle. For the Millionaire Club, the School of Science, home
of Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton and Joe Mercer, this situation is unthinkable
and cannot be allowed to continue any longer. There’ll be many who agree
with that first paragraph, but just for a second imagine you are not an
Evertonian, or if you can’t imagine that, change the club, perhaps Aston
Villa or Newcastle would fit the bill, and throw in a few random
achievements from that club’s distant past and read it again. Then, be
honest, does the paragraph stand up to scrutiny? Or does it come across
as somebody stuck in the past with no grasp of how the game has
changed? Clearly we are in a mess at present and a relegation struggle
looks likely. I am beginning to look for three worse teams than us and it is
not easy. But of course we have been here before, several times in our
recent history, and every time the powers that be have vowed that it would
never happen again. Yet, every time we seem to have clambered clear of
the quicksand we get sucked back in. I read a comment in the
ToffeeWeb Mailbag
recently that stated that people still backing David Moyes were doing so
out of loyalty. Personally, I found this comment bizarre. Anyone still
backing David Moyes is doing so because either they feel the bulk of the
blame for our predicament lies elsewhere, is largely due to external
factors, or that any mistakes Moyes has made he is capable of learning
from and putting right. Perhaps a combination of all three is closest to
the mark. For the record, I don’t advocate sacking Moyes at present but I
can’t deny being very concerned about our current predicament. Before the
West Brom game I felt we were beginning to get on track, but it would be
impossible not to be shaken by that result and performance. However, if I
thought he was a good manager on Saturday morning, that view isn’t going to
change overnight, any more than a few good results will convince some
people he is anything other than somebody out of his depth I understand
the Peter principle, in principle at least, but I don’t see how it
explains a 7th place and a 4th place finish
completely against the grain of recent history. Beginner’s luck? Having
said that, obviously the cumulative effect of poor results can’t be
ignored forever and sometimes circumstances dictate a course of action. I can’t
fully explain why we are doing so badly, although I think to lay the blame
solely at the feet of the manager is simplistic. To be honest, I don’t
think anybody has ever satisfactorily explained our fluctuating fortunes
under Moyes. Looking elsewhere, are George Burley, Paul Jewell, Neil
Warnock and Glenn Hoddle good managers? If so, how do you explain their
fluctuating fortunes in their managerial careers? Is their performance
erratic, or do other factors come into play at times? Clearly, if you give
Moyes all the credit for our good spells, he must take all the blame for
our bad ones. Hard to fathom the changes in fortune in that simplistic
scenario, but in reality there is a collective responsibility amongst
players, board, supporters and manager, although obviously the manager is
the pivotal figure. I would argue that a manager can’t always prevent a
run of results in the short term, but obviously it is his responsibility
to address problems and rectify them. Often managers spend money to do
this, which of course is impossible at present. Of course, there are many
contributing factors to a team’s results on the pitch and all these affect
our fortunes at any one time. The simple fact is that poor form cannot
continue indefinitely without decisions being made. In truth, the board
at any club make a decision about the manager every day. Obviously it’s
usually an easy decision when things are going well, but not sacking a
manager when things are going badly is as big a decision as sacking him.
Obviously the manager’s day-to-day performance should come under
closer scrutiny and the manager should be asked to justify the course of
action he is taking. Information gleaned from such scrutiny should have a
greater bearing on deciding the manager’s future than results on the
pitch, at least in the short term. In case you haven’t worked it out, the
first set of numbers at the top of the article are our league positions
since we won the league in 1970, with managerial changes in brackets. The
second set are the final league placings achieved by Moyes in his
managerial career (the one in brackets is Preston’s final position, which
dipped after he left, in the season he came to Everton). Bear in mind he
took over both clubs when they were near the relegation zone in their
respective divisions and with limited resources. Now being truly
objective for a moment, which set are the most impressive? Looking at
those statistics objectively, would you say it is more likely for Everton
to attract a top manager, or Moyes to get another top job? Taking
managers individually, it is important to take note of placings prior to a
manager’s arrival. It may surprise some to see how well Billy Bingham’s
placings stand up, given the last three league placings under the ailing
Catterick, whilst Harvey’s decent positions need to be viewed in the
context of what he inherited from Howard Kendall. Here then, is the point of what
I am trying to say. Most of Moyes’s detractors use two arguments to berate
him. Firstly, they compare our current brand of football to the great
Everton teams of the past. Secondly, they say that to use Moyes’s previous
good record to defend him is irrelevant. Surely these two arguments are
contradictory. Either the past is relevant or it isn’t, and surely the
recent past is far more relevant than the distant past. In fact, every
time I see the phrase ‘School of Science’ in an attack on Moyes I can’t
help but laugh. I’ve gotten past wanting to smash things in
frustration. Now, I’m prone to wallowing in our past as much as anybody,
but even I can see that waxing lyrical about Dixie Dean or Kevin Sheedy
has no bearing on our current situation. And they think they are the
realists…… Still, if last season counts for nothing, it will make
selecting a new manager very simple. In England, it has be Paul Jewell,
as he is currently the most successful manager who we might be able
to attract. I do rate Jewell, ever since his work at Bradford, but he has
had his failures too. Of course, they don’t matter, any more than any
relative success Moyes has had. We’d best move for him now, because Wigan
might go through a dip and then somebody else will be flavour of the
month, just like Mike Walker once was. In case you’re unsure, that last
paragraph is meant to be sarcastic. Being a good manager is only part of
the equation. Timing, circumstances and the size and expectation level
surrounding a club are all important. Sam Allardyce, for example, has a
record that stands up to almost everybody in recent seasons, yet somehow
it is hard to imagine him at a big club. There are times when Moyes and
Everton fit like a glove, and few could deny it, but obviously when things
are going badly doubts will surface. Whether Moyes has been worn down
by the challenge, is out of his depth, is a temporary victim of
circumstances or we are simply going through a transitional phase on his
learning curve is a matter for debate and opinion. We all want to see us
playing well and winning, but first and foremost I think we would all
settle for winning. Most of our games this season have been tight and it
is not too much of a stretch to say that a couple of new players could
make a huge difference. Our opponents this weekend are testimony of
this. Not so long ago we’d have relished a home game against Newcastle,
now we are fearful of the likes of Parker, Emre and Owen. To say that
Moyes is at fault for not bringing at least two of those players here is a
valid argument, and if not Owen as well then another top quality
striker. Equally, it is also valid to argue that to compare Everton’s
finances to Newcastle’s is unfair and hence our ability to bring in top
class players. When push comes to shove, the main sticking point over
Moyes with most fans is his record in the transfer market. Given that
many Evertonians don’t believe any official comments coming from Kenwright
or Wyness and there is once again debate as to how financially solvent we
really are, it is fair to say that anybody criticising Moyes for not
paying above his valuations to secure better players is not in possession
of the full facts to back up their argument. In short, if we had agreed
to Parker’s, Davids' or Emre’s demands, who can be certain it would not
have put huge, and dangerous, pressure on our finances? Further, those
who argue that Moyes only signs workhorses and is anti-flair, then explain
Arteta and Van der Meyde. Did I imagine us trying to sign Davids, Keane,
Parker, Emre and other ‘quality’ players? Krøldrup, Ferrari, Valente,
Arteta, Davies and Van der Meyde are, by reputation at least, technically
better players than those we already had. So far it has not worked out
that way, and Neville and Beattie can’t be classed as ‘flair’ players, but
Moyes is yet to have a fully fit squad to choose from. As Duncan Lennard
highlighted in his recent article, the balance in our team has fluctuated between defence and attack
periodically. In many ways, this gets right to the heart of our
fluctuating fortunes under Moyes. To my mind, the transfer window is key
in this. A major overhaul was required when Moyes arrived, and I think
most supporters would have been happy to give him 4 or 5 years to turn us
into a consistent top 6/8 side. Exacerbated by the necessary financial
juggling and departures of key players at inopportune times, each transfer
window has seen us with a lot of gaps to plug. Like buying houses, a lot
of chains are often involved in transfers. Clubs don’t want to sell
without a replacement, sometimes clubs are waiting on a number of
transfers to go through before deciding on others, agents try to drag as
many clubs as possible into a bidding war and a lot of chicanery takes
place. How many transfers go through quickly these days? Throughout
Moyes’s time there have been a lot of areas to strengthen in the squad, and
you can’t always sign players in the order you want, or within a given
time span. Some criticise Moyes for bringing in three defenders and no
strikers. Given the current criticism of Weir, imagine the stick if we
were scoring freely but conceding more with Stubbs and Weir being run
ragged. Whether you blame Moyes for bringing in foreign defenders who
need time to adjust and for their injuries is up to you. He is on record
as saying he would have liked to buy more British players, but has had to
compromise. In fairness, it is clear that Moyes is only part way
through his planned team-building, and may or may not get the chance to
complete his plans, or the money to get the players he wants. He seemed
to have set a large chunk of money aside for a powerful midfielder and a
strike partner for Beattie, but couldn’t bring in the players he
wanted. Apportion blame as you see fit. Let’s just say the jury is out
on Moyes’s signings, but it does take time for new signings to gel and at
present we seem caught between two stools. The ‘workhorses’ who fought
and scrapped their way to 4th place are being blended with the
‘fancy dans’ we have brought in. Charlton were flying at the start of
this season and Dennis Rommedahl was at the fore. Not so long ago he was
an expensive flop and Charlton fans were calling for Curbishley’s
head. So whilst I have no idea what is going on at present with
Krøldrup,
I am aware that he was signed for 4 years, not 4 months. I seem to
remember Yobo couldn’t cope with the training when he first
arrived…..allegedly. That is obviously simplifying things, but certainly
there is a contrast of styles within the team. We are not a team of
scrappers any more, and we don’t have enough quality to play teams off the
park. Moyes clearly hasn’t been able to complete his team
building. Whether that is down to ‘dithering’ or simply the side-effects
of a seemingly nonsensical transfer window is open to debate. Certainly
other teams, some richer and more high profile than us and also in this
city, didn’t strengthen as they wanted to, and of course when things are
going badly and you are unable to sign a player to make a difference
things can seem hopeless. Moyes has been castigated for defending the
players recently, but he was equally castigated for slating them two years
ago. Maybe he has learnt from past mistakes…. What matters now is
whether Moyes is capable of making the necessary changes to get us back on
track. In between transfer windows, Moyes has simply had to cut his cloth
accordingly and try to find a style of play that suits the players we have
at that time. At present it isn’t working, and seemingly January will be
the time to put things right. Not the easiest time of year to get quality
players, but there you go. Tick, tock. I chose 1970-71 as a starting
point with the statistics, partly as it was the first full season since I
was born and also seemed to mark the beginning of the end of the
Millionaire Club era, just as Altamont is used to symbolise the death of
the summer of love. It is unfortunate for us that our finances began to
decline as we have gradually moved into an era where money is all
consuming in football, but that’s life. The financial gap is bigger than
ever between us and the top clubs but the expectations don’t seem to
change. I was 18 when we last won the league and I thought it would last
forever. The day Peter Beagrie made his debut at Villa Park was the day I
realised the glory days were over. Since then I have watched no end of
shite under a succession of managers and we have been mostly skint. I
have watched the likes of Derby County, Leicester City, and Wigan bloody
Athletic periodically overtake us and gone home to console myself with
videos of the 80’s. Whether Wigan will be a flash in the pan we don’t yet
know, but at present it is a source of embarrassment and unacceptable to
some to be below them. Better sack all the managers from 3rd
downwards then…. It doesn’t make the pain any easier, but being a
realist I accept each situation and have seen my desire of returning to
successful times recede from expectation to hope to a distant
dream. Harking back to better days and players sometimes helps, but
sometimes it makes things worse. The fact that Moyes has twice now raised
our hopes only makes the come-down even more painful. 3½ years ago
David Moyes inherited a squad performing dreadfully and filled with
players who were happy to see out their contracts, bleed us dry and leave
for nothing. Our only hope was the King’s Dock. Soon, we realised we had
a young manager full of energy, drive and determination and seemingly the
required acumen to take us forward Whether Moyes is still that man is
unclear, but it does make you wonder if we will ever bridge the gap and
get back to where we think we belong. If the man we thought was the
Messiah turns out to be a false prophet, it will be hard for many to take
and explains why some fans feel anaesthetised to our current
predicament. Now, it seems, we are back where we where when Moyes
arrived. Perhaps we are no better off, or perhaps the situation is
retrievable, but let’s assume that Moyes will soon be sacked as result of
current results. Ignoring the fact that a club still not out of the
woods financially, with a reputation for selling their best players, and
with hugely demanding supporters may not attract a queue of good managers
around the block to take over, I’ll by-pass that possibility and assume
that we get a replacement with a good reputation and record. If that
happens, what exactly would the new manager’s remit be? It was widely
thought that Smith’s squad was underachieving and had some quality. The
same applies now. What would be a realistic target for a new
manager? Champions League football on limited funds, unless you can raise
your own revenue by selling your best players? What sort of timescale
would you put on getting us back into the top 4 regularly, and then
winning the Premiership? Or is that unrealistic in the current
climate? How would a new manager go about things? Let’s see, we have a
fairly small, seemingly underachieving squad with a fair number of
technically limited players and uncertainty as to how much money is
available to strengthen. Short-term, how would you stabilise
things? Make us well-organised, hard to beat, and gradually bring in
better players? Haven’t we been here before? Maybe we do actually have
a few good quality players and just need to be patient in letting them gel
and for the manager to find the right balance in the team, then add to the
quality in key areas in January and next Summer. Maybe then we won’t have
to give Kilbane a game when he is clearly way out of form. When David
Moyes took over, all we wanted was mid-table mediocrity for a few years
while we sorted out some investment to allow us to compete at the top end
of the market. Do we have that investment yet? Given the current debate,
once again, over the true state of our finances only one thing is
clear. That is that nobody, apart from a select few at the club, knows
exactly what is going on. To me, it seems unfair for supporters who have
no real idea what Moyes's financial restraints are to be berating him for
not going the extra mile to secure better players. Similarly, nobody
can really explain how 7th became 17th, then 4th,
now 18th. There are lots of potential factors and the truth is
it is undoubtedly a combination of those that have contributed. Some are
within Moyes’s control, some not, and it is impossible for us outsiders to
truly ascertain which are which. My view at present, for what it’s
worth, is that Moyes has indeed tried to bring in better quality and
although some of his signings have been compromises they have been overall
technically better players. Neville, for example, was far from his first
choice for a holding role but Moyes clearly felt it was a necessity and
compromised. Of course, Everton should be able to snap their fingers and
players will walk over broken glass to play for us, but for some reason
it’s not happening. Maybe Moyes puts them off, or maybe those statistics
at the top have something to do with it. With time and money limited,
Moyes has been able to bring in some of the players he wanted but not
all. But of course, some of you lot know far more about the complexities
of dealing in the transfer market than me and feel you have enough
evidence to solely blame Moyes for not signing everybody we went
for. Whether it is all Moyes’s fault or not, the end result seems to be
half a team of honest triers, and half a team of technicians, with one or
two positions yet to be suitably filled. As a result we don’t seem
quite sure how we want to play. Things can change quickly of course, and
a couple of good signings can make a huge difference. Newcastle are an
example of this. Is Souness now a bad manager turned good? Or will
things not last there? Whether Moyes will, or should, be given the chance
to put things right is open to debate. All I can say for sure is that
the issue is far from clear-cut. Going back to the league placings, what
is clear is that Bingham, Lee, Harvey and Royle all started well and
tailed off, while Smith tailed on and off. Arguably, you could add
Catterick and Kendall, over his three spells, to that list of managers who
faded after a good period, although of course ill health was a factor with
the former and perhaps the latter. Oh yeah, and Mike Walker….. All of
which begs the question as to whether Moyes is simply the latest in a long
line of bad managers, the latest in a long line of decent managers swamped
by the demands of the job, or do we just need more patience and
understanding when we go through a bad patch? Was Billy Bingham harshly
treated, or was the time right for him to go? Yes, a new manager may do
enough to keep us up, like Royle and Moyes did, but then what? Sack him
when we have a bad patch? Maybe Gordon Lee’s claim that his blooding of
young players led to his sacking but planted the seeds of Kendall’s
success are Houillier-esque, or maybe there is a grain of truth. Maybe he
should have been given more time, or maybe managers have a natural
life-span of usefulness and Lee had made his contribution. We will never
know; perhaps the same will happen with Moyes. As usual, some people are
dreaming of fantasy managers – Hitzfeld, Van Gaal, Hiddink. The grass is
always greener but there is no guarantee they would do any better than
Moyes. All I will say is that before you swing the axe take another look
at the stats up top – objectively – and then remember the last time we
‘mutually consented’ a semi-successful manager in Royle that we didn’t
exactly get the successor we were promised, or expected. Maybe the yo-yo
effect at Everton is nothing new, and exists at other clubs also, and
maybe to solely blame Moyes is simplistic and overly subjective. If the
time has come for him to go, so be it, but I have a funny feeling we will
be back here again in a few years time. Maybe, looking to the dim and
distant past is unhelpful and maybe we, as supporters, need to be more
realistic. When things are going badly, changing the manager is often
seen as the answer, and it is certainly the easy decision to
make. History, not just at Everton, shows that changing the manager every
few years rarely has the desired effect, and if Moyes has lost his way
maybe we should be looking a little more deeply into the reasons why, other
than just to blithely say ‘he is not good enough’. Whether the club needs
an entire overhaul in terms of approach; whether Moyes needs somebody to
take some elements of the workload away or simply needs more time is
unclear. What is clear is that change is not necessarily for the better
in the long run. Time will tell or maybe we will just come full circle
again. Rob Fox 1st Mate: 'We're going down, Rob.' Rob: 'Don't be ridiculous, it's just a blip. Stop panicking, the Captain knows what he's doing. He got us out of Southampton safely, didn't he? He's won 'Skipper of the Year' twice, he can't suddenly be a bad Captain.' 1st Mate: 'He hit the bloody pier buffers at Dublin.' Rob: 'Yeah, but since then he's sailed us a thousand miles across the Atlantic. Tell me that's a bad performance.' 1st Mate: 'It's now I'm worried about. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing. The crew are refusing to work for him, and the passengers shout insults at him every time he walks past, especially the steerage crowd on the ToffeeWeb Deck. If we weren't in the middle of the Atlantic, half of the passengers would have gone home by now. Most of them won't turn up for the next cruise, mark my words.' Rob: 'Look, we can't get a new Captain at this point in the voyage, it wouldn't make sense – and who would do a better job, anyway?' 1st Mate: 'Just about anybody, I would think.' Rob: 'You're deluded and disloyal, you mutinous dog, go and flagellate yourself, and take that stoker fella Tony Marsh with you. The Captain is doing a grand job. He didn't change course because this heading has worked for us in the past. How could he know a fucking great iceberg was going to jump out in front of us.' 1st Mate: 'Well, everybody else saw it coming, including that blind bloke on the top deck, who shouted at least twenty seven times, "We need a striker."' Rob: 'He didn't say anything of the sort. He shouted, "We're going to strike it."' 1st Mate: 'This here filthy water lapping around me ankles is either chronic rising damp, or we're sinking fast.' Rob: 'I know it looks bad, but we have to give it until Christmas – maybe we can then recruit some new crew members who can plug the holes. Take this message to the Captain – it's just to tell him how much I love him. It's only twenty thousand words.' Some time later in the lifeboats: 1st Mate: 'Where are the paddles, Rob?' Rob: 'We haven’t got any.' 1st Mate: 'Where are we headed?' Rob: 'According to this chart the first stop is Southampton. Then we move on to Southend, Gillingham, Watford, Millwall… what was that splash? Hello, where's everybody gone? Hello? Hello? Oh well, I may as well write another fifty thousand words about how right we were to stick with the Captain… 'Once upon a time…' Rob Hamilton, Liverpool (26/11/05)
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