ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

Catch-22

Among other things, Catch-22 is a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase "Catch-22" is common idiomatic usage meaning "a no-win situation" or "a double bind" of any type. Within the book, "Catch-22" is a military rule, the self-contradictory circular logic that, for example, prevents anyone from avoiding combat missions.

Everton really are in our own Catch-22 Situation. Because the Big 4/ Top4 is impossible to get into and we are therefore unable to break into where the real money is ie, the Champions' League, the best we can do is the own brand Europa League. Most fans would want us to play in Europe but is it worth it? There is seemingly hardly any money to be made and by playing in this Mickey Mouse tournament that few people seem to care about we end up getting more of our threadbare squad injured and our league form is thrashed because we are disadvantaged through having to play so many more games than most of the other teams in the Premier League.

Being forced to play 48 hours after the Bolton game cost us possibly our place in the League Cup and already our involvement in the Europa League is going to cost us dearly in the Premier League.

So this really is Catch-22. Not to worry as I don't think we are going to be troubling Europe next season.
Jonathan Tasker, London Posted 06/11/2009 at 06:37:59

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Nick Entwistle
1 Posted 06/11/2009 at 14:28:49

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So what was Catch 22 specifically?

You’re let off flying sourtees if the you’re mad, but due to how dangerous the sourtees are, you know you’ll be mad to go flying, so technically you’re not mad as any mad man does not have this self realisation... so you’re sane and have to go flying.

I don’t think that applies literally to our situation, but its a closed shop.
As with our qualification in ’05 it would need to go hand in hand with a dismal season from a top four team.

Hola Rafa...

Carl Rutherford
2 Posted 06/11/2009 at 14:39:51

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We need European competion to raise the profile of the club and attract the sort of players who can add quality to our squad.

We came very close to winning something last year (which in my opinion is the intermediate step before breaking into the top 4). If we achieve that goal and we hold onto the current squad of players we might just be able to make the one or two significant signings that would allow us to compete. However as Nick says we do need a bit of a stumble from other teams.

You seem to be advocating giving up because there is no point as its impossible. Looking at it more optimistically most of the clubs who win the UEFA cup (Europa League) have gone on to play in the Champions League. There are leagues in European where the differences in finances of the top clubs are more extreme than ours, yet there is not a monopoly of champions league places among the rich.

Howard Don
3 Posted 06/11/2009 at 14:59:18

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Don’t want to be pedantic here Nick, but I thought Catch 22 was the fact that they set a maximum number of missions pilots could fly on a tour of duty, then as soon as anyone got near the total they raised the number of missions. Hence no-one ever ended their tour of duty. It’s a long time since I read the book mind.

Ciarán McGlone
4 Posted 06/11/2009 at 15:05:14

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Howard,

Nick hit the nail on the head...a circular regression on the application of logic..

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t...

Stephen Graham
5 Posted 06/11/2009 at 15:15:00

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@Ciarán: Know it well - damned when I watch Everton recently, and damned if I don’t.

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