FAN ARTICLES
Ways to win a Premier League
By
Tim Veitch : 29/06/2007 :
Comments (10) :
I think most of us can sit around a table and agree an ultimate vision for the club. Something along the lines of being: THE GREATEST CLUB IN ENGLAND
Greatest may or may not mean winning the Premier League every year. It may mean different things to different people. To me, it is a combination of history, honour, loyalty, playing a pulsating, exciting brand of football, and of course, WINNING!
There are two major difficulties in achieving this vision:
Firstly, every other club in England shares the same ambition. If we are going to succeed where all others fail, we need to do a lot of things better than everyone else.
Secondly, 'winning games' is both an end and a means. 'Success breeds success'. Do we go all out for success in the short term, hoping it will breed long term success? We may succeed, but we may not. It is a strategy laced with tempting rewards, but also high risks (read Leeds).
As you may have guessed, I'm not in favour of trying to simply "buy" short-term success. There are so many others doing it, and that makes the chances of success poor. The alternative is to take a 'smarter' approach, improving the club on all levels in a sustainable way.
We need to:
- Buy smarter than other clubs ? players who are young, cost-effective, and with a point to prove, players like Arteta, Cahill, Johnson, Lescott, Yobo.
- Build a world-class academy to develop players like Rooney, Vaughan, Anichebe.
- Build a team and club with amazing team spirit.
- Have a work ethic superior to all other clubs.
- Mould good players into great players.
- Make Everton a successful, and sustainable business... focus on increasing existing revenue streams, and developing new ones (of course the stadium issue needs to be addressed here). We need to minimise costs wherever we can. We need strong sponsorship deals. We need good publicity.
- And of course, we need best supporters in the league!
Interestingly, not many of those things require huge money. While money helps, we can do a lot to help ourselves by being smarter and more efficient. Also, interestingly, all of those things will help to encourage short-term success (6th isn't bad considering where we were a few years ago!).
My last point is that I'd love to be sitting here in 5 or 10 years, full to the brim with pride, knowing that we won the Premier Leaague fair and square... with players who have grown up with the club, and share our love of the club. Winning the Premier League the "Chelsea way" would not even compare.
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Posted
30/06/2007 at
09:34:26
Good article Tim - you add to the considerable body of intelligent discourse on all things EFC. That said, your ?angle? still follows a slightly flawed line of comment evident in discourse on all things EFC - you fail to target the real architect(s) of our pain.
I think I can say that we generally agree where we want to go, and how this ought to be achieved along practical, rational and sustainable lines - notwithstanding the odd quibble or two.
We know who and what we are - brand strong, tradition rich, ethos unsurpassable. Everton FC as a concept and model for life (never mind football) is divine.
The real problem - of GARGANTUAN proportions - is that we as fans don?t know WHERE we are (along practical, rational, sustainable lines). Everton FC has a very poor (and I mean THE worst) communication/PR/consultation machine imaginable. It?s so bad it makes an Austin Allegro look Aston Martin-like. The outcome is predictable - fans are left to speculate, counter-speculate and retort with further conjecture on all issues relating to the club. Vis-a-vis transfers I am more than comfortable with speculation and media frenzy; however, on other club/strategic issues I am not.
So, to Ian Ross and the rest of the machine operators masquerading as a professional, viable and ultimately accounatable interface I say this...
You are losing me... I love this club so much more than you know, and believe in its ethics and ethos so deeply that your methods are eating me alive..
Here?s to a revamped, professional, insightful, inclusive, media-savvy PR outfit...
Posted
30/06/2007 at
10:48:01
I'm off to Magaluf tonight, and I know for a fact the first player we sign this season will be done whilst I?m on my hols.
Posted
30/06/2007 at
16:02:47
Good article, this one. Just happen to think that the present regime at Everton tick all the above boxes or are striving so to do.
Posted
30/06/2007 at
18:47:26
Very good article and well written. Very rational. And I also would not like to win it the Chelsea way.
Posted
30/06/2007 at
23:22:40
I?ve got a Master?s degree in Mass Communications and I?d love to come work for Everton and help them with PR....
Posted
01/07/2007 at
08:14:40
Brother... I can?t believe you wrote to ToffeeWeb. You are more dedicated to Everton than I thought. Get a life!
ps: Mum wants your washing.
Posted
04/07/2007 at
18:02:39
I agree with both this article and Richard Dodd’s comments. We tick 6 of the 7 boxes better than any other team in the prem (in fact you give examples in your column). But I will argue that money has a huge impact on todays game and without millions and millions Everton will not be winning and championships for many years to come. I just hope we can squeeze into the champions league a few times in the years to come - like we did the other year - and make our money honsetly that way.
Posted
04/07/2007 at
22:21:48
I can?t understand why the arab guy who wanted to buy Liverpool and got refused, hasn?t tried to buy Everton. That would have given them a kick in the teeth, especially if we won the Premiership before them. Bring back a realistic maximum wage. We?d still get plenty of good players but maybe not the greedy ones.
Posted
06/07/2007 at
16:50:54
Alright, enough back slapping here! (well written, good points etc etc) you make you bullet points then go on to say ?it wouldnt cost much money?!!!! A staduim, academy, players, coaches for these youngsters!!! How much do you think all that would cost. In respect to buying smarter & moulding players....what do you think Moyesy & the academy coaches have been trying to do!! Dont get me wrong, the points are good points but every single one of them is what the club is trying to do anyway!! Its only the bashers (Kenwright scum/Moyes out brigade) that cant see that. Its hard, we?ve got no money, the council are not interested, no suitable investors. As always we have to do things the harsh way, what I call the Everton Way!!
Posted
11/07/2007 at
11:56:32
Good comment John - I agree we are ticking pretty much all the boxes, which is why I’m positive about the overall direction of the club. I also agree that all things will require money...but not huge money compared to trying to buy "pre-made" great players for 20 million pound.
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1 Posted 30/06/2007 at 09:34:26
I think I can say that we generally agree where we want to go, and how this ought to be achieved along practical, rational and sustainable lines - notwithstanding the odd quibble or two.
We know who and what we are - brand strong, tradition rich, ethos unsurpassable. Everton FC as a concept and model for life (never mind football) is divine.
The real problem - of GARGANTUAN proportions - is that we as fans don?t know WHERE we are (along practical, rational, sustainable lines). Everton FC has a very poor (and I mean THE worst) communication/PR/consultation machine imaginable. It?s so bad it makes an Austin Allegro look Aston Martin-like. The outcome is predictable - fans are left to speculate, counter-speculate and retort with further conjecture on all issues relating to the club. Vis-a-vis transfers I am more than comfortable with speculation and media frenzy; however, on other club/strategic issues I am not.
So, to Ian Ross and the rest of the machine operators masquerading as a professional, viable and ultimately accounatable interface I say this...
You are losing me... I love this club so much more than you know, and believe in its ethics and ethos so deeply that your methods are eating me alive..
Here?s to a revamped, professional, insightful, inclusive, media-savvy PR outfit...