FAN ARTICLES

Then?.And Now

By Dave  Edwards :  02/09/2008 :  Comments (10) :

How Do We Stand After Our Summer Of Discontent?

Well, there you go?September 2nd finally dawns and after a frustratingly poor summer of club management and transfer dealings, an equally poor start to the season and finally a frantic, almost panic-driven deadline day, it?s a chance to consider where we now stand as a club — on the ptch at least. This post is as much cathartic therapy for me as much as another of my dubious post on ToffeeWeb, but I need to do it to get my head straight.

I gave up on deadline day at about 10pm as the Nash signing was announced and when it was clear that Moutinho wasn?t coming. My feelings towards our club?s leadership and future prospects were suitably muted. Yet this morning I would be lying if I didn?t admit that getting (albeit at quite a price) a midfielder like Felliani hasn?t half helped lighten up my mood. However, I feel the need to move away from the rollercoaster ride of the last few days and look (hopefully analytically) at where we were at the end of the season, and how we stand now.

At the end of the season, where we had generally performed gallantly and often played some great football, we were limping to the finishing line. I always felt that 4th might have been beyond us, especially after our brave UEFA Cup exit knocked the stuffing out of all of us for the weeks that followed, but having to scrap for 5th with Villa and Pompey showed us all that we would need to improve our squad for next season if we were to even maintain our position, let alone improve upon it and take that ?next step?.

As I saw it, our real need was in midfield, specifically a creative dynamo in an attacking midfield role, to create more of a spark and provide more service for our front line (specifically the Yak). Not only would it take some of the pressure off Arteta, but it would help broaden our play across the park (I was happy with the options a fit Peanuts was giving us on the left-hand-side) and help cover up our deficiencies when Cahill wasn?t available (which was becoming a long-term issue to our stability).

I knew Arshavin would have been perfect there for us, but after the UEFA Cup Final (even before Euro 2008) I also knew he was going to not only price himself out, and look to (dare I say) more glamorous clubs. Still, I was sure that our scouts and management would have identified other alternatives on the continent and even at home.

I felt a long-term replacement for Carsley was needed despite the sterling work he?d put in during the season. Fernandes was being mooted as a possible replacement by many of the forums in that defensive midfield role, and while I saw him as a less effective ?stopper?, I thought his creativity (which was just starting to show again) would more than make up for that. There were also domestic alternatives which need not cost the earth as well (I?d been impressed by Bullard towards the end of the season, to name just one).

Finally, I felt a new attack-minded Right Back would enhance our team as well. Hibbert was a hard grafting stopper who could ?do a job? on many a creative wide-man, but lacked attacking and distribution skills. Given Davey?s obvious admiration of his captain (I also don?t question his dressing room type sprirt), I preferred Neville to be there rather than in midfield (playing him and Carsley always gave us a solid defensive fortress in front of the back 4, but little attacking flair). However, even his attacking ability and distribution down that flank didn?t really do it for me.

I had no issues with our goalkeeper (Howard was competent enough) and our trio of Yobo, Lescott and Jags provided us with more than enough defensive options. I was actually quite happy with Lescott on the left, knowing that Baines was an option (even if we have yet to see his full potential for many reasons). In attack, whilst recognizing AJ still wasn?t the ideal foil to the Yak within a 4-4-2, or at his best on his own in 4-5-1 (when the Yak was unavailable), I was happy enough to have him there for another season. Unlike some on the forums, I have long-term doubts over Vic and Vaughan (the latter over his fitness record), but saw them as work-in-progress and alternative options in the event of injuries, cup games and fresh legs from the bench.

So, not too demanding a wish-list, although I thought it would still need at least £20M of fresh money to secure it. Despite the spectre of DK over us all, everyone seemed up-beat and with the promise of transfer funds (independent of new ground decisions, so we were told), steady, if not particularly spectacular, growth looked the order of the day. I expected Blue Bill and the board to recognize the possibilities to build on last season (avoid our Boom-Bust tendencies in previous pairs of consecutive seasons) and ?seize the day? as it were.

The frustration, incompetence and un-truths that were the theme of this summer did a lot to shake my confidence in many people. The lack of activity, the resignation of Wyness, back-room shenanigans, the PR disasters, the saga of Davey?s contract signings, our inability to seemingly identify targets and bring them onboard in good time for the start of the season etc. did us all in.

Seeing Carsley leave was sad, but understandable but I assumed we could fill that void fairly promptly, albeit at a cost. Well we got that wrong, and like many, I pin our poor start to our lack of quality there in front of our defence (no disrespect to Jags, who shouldn?t be asked to play there).

Seeing AJ leave was a disappointment, but thought we did a bit of solid business on getting a return on a good, but not great attacker. Again I thought an alternative option would arrive shortly after — if only to provide cover or an alternative to the Yak — possibly even someone at ease in the ?hole? behind the Yak between midfield and attack (not a million miles away from Cahill?s role, perhaps). When it started to dawn on me that no such capture was on the cards and the sale of AJ was either funding our debt or providing the transfer kitty we thought we already had, I was suitably disillusioned!

Elsewhere, I had no issues with Gravesen going (unfortunately his time was up) and whilst I thought Wessels was a perfectly acceptable back-up to Howard, I assumed existing cover, or a cheap, youthful alternative was being lined-up. Gardner I can?t really comment on, other than the fact that when our squad numbers are so low, any youthful loss needs careful consideration.

I was in a quandary regarding Fernandes. Another year?s loan would have been ideal, but I also thought an outright purchase from Valencia wouldn?t have been a bad move, if the price dropped to a more realistic figure (well below £10M). I saw progress in the last few games of the season, but if Davey hadn?t seen enough to justify Fernandes at the club for another season, I wasn?t necessarily going to shed too many tears provided we had suitable alternatives in that price bracket.

So? on this sunny September 2nd morning, how do we stand. If I put aside the undignified deadline dash and panic, the sulking, the broken promises, the unrealistic offers, the wide rumours etc. what?s the end result?

Nash: I don?t know if he?s bringing more to the party than Wessels did, and leaving it till the last few hours was pretty naff, but if it?s a nod to the future and puts Howard on his toes the next year or two, then I?ll live with that one.

Jacobsen: Well, I wanted a Right Back and I got one, so I can?t complain. Whether he?s the calibre of player I think we need, only time will tell. He didn?t actually seem in demand, so the one-year deal looks a cheap stop-gap rather than one to push us on further. We shall see?

Castillo: We needed bodies in midfield and the loan-deal looks like frugal business. Another less known entity again and apparently more defensive midfield-minded, but I?m willing to be convinced given a run in the team.

Saha: Given the no-fee upfront nature of the deal, and the undoubted quality of the Frenchman, you can?t really have any issues with this. Like that no-lose £64,000 question on ?Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? — if it works out right for Moyes and he gets fully fit, it?ll be a great deal. If it goes wrong, not too much is lost (other than weekly wages!) However, even with AJ?s recent injury record, Saha can?t be considered an adequate replacement at present, and it really needs Vic and Vaughan to step up to the plate over the next few months. I dread Yak getting injured in the near future, though.

Fellaini: A big rabbit out of the bag was needed yesterday (as much for Blue Bill and the board than anyone else!) and it would be churlish not to welcome the purchase (and breaking the transfer record), even if the sum appears high and there it definitely has the aura of ?panic-buy? about it. Based on what I?ve heard and seen (even before his recent games against the RS) I think he has the making of a good Carsley replacement ? which wasn?t a must at the end of last season, but has definitely been one when he decided to move on and we saw what life without him was like.

Are we any stronger as a team as we were at the end of last season — I?d probably say just about, although there are many unknowns about the newcomers that will need answering in the months to come, including how Davey utilizes them (his tactics/selections have been questionable of late). If anything, from a defensive midfield perspective we may have too many bodies given the arrival of Castillo and Fellaini, and the presence of Neville (if or when he?s shifted from Right Back). I know labelling midfielders as defensive or attacking is not always advisable and if they show the creativity and multi-skills they hopefully have, that attacking spark to complement Arteta and the likes of Tim/Peanuts and Ossie (injuries excepted) might be there and we can give the diet that Yak desperately needs (and allow him to stay up more often rather than having to come back and pick up scraps from deep).

Missing out on Obinna was unfortunate (were we hard done by or were we naïve?), and I do think M?Bia would have been an asset (did we push that deal enough?). However, despite my more positive demeanor, I can?t help but think my expectations of this summer have not been fulfilled. If we had got someone of the likes of Moutinho to light up our midfield, I would be so much more positive about the forthcoming season. In the end, if the manager and board have tabled realistic bids and offered attractive enough personal terms and he still didn?t come — then sadly it just highlights that Everton are perceived as relative also-rans by the top European players/agents.

In the light of the transformation of Man City over the last few days (incidentally I?d have loved SWP to have joined us) and the obvious penny-pinching still being shown by the club (let?s face it, Fellaini was bought by the proceeds of AJ and McFadden ? so let?s not get too taken in by the transfer record and our board?s generosity), we still remain in the chasing group behind the Sky 4, and with Villa, Spurs and Portsmouth looking like having fuller coffers come January, we are likely to remain the over-achieving but relatively poor club of recent years. It?s a cliché to state that if our injury list clears up it?ll be like having a lot of new signings, but I think Tiny and Peanuts can help us out as much as the new boys in kick-starting the season.

This summer has been a dreadful one, and while I acknowledge the silver lining of the last few days (including the hope that Davey might just have gained enough to sign his contract), we have enough clouds over us to question the ability of Bill and the existing leadership to lead us into the future competently and financially. I won?t add Kirkby to this already excessive post, but starting with the EGM tomorrow, a fresh approach to ground options, new investment opportunities (don?t tell me you wouldn?t like to have a Royal Arab family behind us righty now!) and how we conduct business, both on and off the field is needed if our club is to continue in the EPL in the decades to come.