The Mail Bag
Top 4 Mentality
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I’m sure, at least I hope, David Moyes has now put thought to the next phase in Everton’s rise as to how we change our persona.
With a world class training facility, respect and even envy from our peers, we now need to change our club mentality. Too long in the shadow of the dark side of Merseyside and the last game on Match of The Day, how can we mastermind our reputation in the world of football to the likes of the Arsenal’s, Manchester United’s and dare I say Liverpool’s of this world?
It used to be a never-spoken-about feeling that we would probably not beat the Top 4 in a season; Liverpool would more than likely turn us over at Goodison with a dodgy decision here and there and we would be dealt some bad news such as a refusal of planning permission at Bellefield.
I feel the time has come to start stamping some authority and “make your own luck” as they say. The tide is turning and we have to capitalise now.
The question is.. How do we do it?
Andrew Fletcher, Posted 22/02/2010 at 09:08:56
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How is consistency achieved? It is easy to be consistently bad because you just have to BE bad and we know all about that over the last couple of decades don’t we? But how does a team get to be consistently good?
Is it confidence, knowing the plan, being browbeaten by the manager, squad depth, levels of skill around the squad. I suspect it is a little of all that and more and it is exactly what we seem to lack at the moment. But whatever it is I think it is mostly in the head (of the players) and therein lies a job for the manager.... so no more ’ I know we don’t have the best players... blah... blah...’ eh Davey?
Keep telling ’em they’re great!
Cracking result for us over the weekend that now makes the EPL table look interesting.
I guess we have all looked at the league table and to some extent the oncoming fixtures; which makes Sunday’s game against Spurs very interesting.
But for me you cannot knock form and that’s precisely what we have at the moment; we know it, which probably means that Moyes and the players know it too. We have gone behind against two of the top teams in Europe and come back and won the games – that is class and a sure sign of a team in great form.
We have the momentum to kick on and with the attacking capabilities available I’m sure something good is coming our way.
Duffy has pulled out of the Northern Ireland squad and joined up with the Republic and some sites calling for Ossie for England.
Duffy I think has what it takes to break through in the next 18months which will add to the centre back roster.
Anyway, CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY is the key! We need to be winning the games that we expect to win (no disrespect to Hull but we should never lose to them) and we shouldn’t be tying games/dropping points against the likes of Wolves / Sunderland / Stoke either. I know we can’t(?) win every game but if we’d beat Hull & Sunderland (A) and Wolves and Stoke (H) we would be FOURTH!! (I hope I got that right!)
But as bad as the pre-season & start of the season was & all the injuries we’ve had to realise that we are that close to achieving probably what we want above all else (top 4) it’s amazing... plus we have yet to play Spurs (big game on Sunday!) and Villa (another massive game) and City... we can hopefully not only gain more points but take points off them ....me thinks a rather exciting few months ahead!
Final comment: I was able to watch the game on Saturday live on the box over here with The Mrs - she supports Utd... she’s been very quiet since then, fantastic!!!!
Andrew - this period could be a real tipping point. Despite some usual wimperings about Everton success being down to opposition failings (Terry’s two ’errors’ when he had his mind on getting stuck into the French, and so on) there is also much more praise and recognition than I can remember.
Contrast the recognition that our friendly neighbourhood RS are getting now. Dire, dour, dirty. Six yellows yesterday - I saw 5, and they were all ’kicking’ fouls, possible reds for two, definitely one. If opinion turns against a club, refs (in my opinion) penalise them for things they used to get away with. And vice versa.
We are on the up, possibly on our way.
"Forget United: Saturday’s game at Goodison was really all about the style of Everton’s victory. This has been a transformation as comprehensive as Arsène Wenger’s refashioning of the lingering George Graham era: eight years ago in Moyes’s first game in charge he picked a midfield of Tony Hibbert, Lee Carsley, Scot Gemmill and Thomas Gravesen. On Saturday his midfield was made up entirely of neat, skilful ball-players, three of whom were 5ft 7in or under. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman and Mikel Arteta more than matched the visitors for invention. Add the injured Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill and Everton have arguably the best midfield in the country (perhaps behind only Chelsea)."
I like the idea that the 7 dwarfs can rule the world, but to mention height where it doesn’t really matter is to go along with ill-judged football analysis.
Leighon Baines, I think, is the shortest person on the team (possibly in the league) and he can be beaten in the air, as many a full-back can. But I’d take him over Bridge any day.
And ’Tiny Tim’ is a wonderful fiction for us. Above the average height of professional footballers, his ability is in his brain and his legs - the blue kangaroo indeed.
Bily will become a hero. The Duncan McKenzie we deserved all those years ago.
And another not so tall bloke who does quite well at the back - Heitinga - is on his way to hero status.
About to be joined by The Jag?
I hope they get along together.
’The best team in the top flight at the moment are Everton. If their injury problems hadn’t been so severe they would be challenging the top four’
I don’t think the press hates us, we just haven’t given them much too love for years. But now people are realising that this is not only one of the best squads in the Prem, we are also capable of the most exciting football.
Just don’t read the press if you are a red. But you’re not, thank god!
Frankly, since Christmas, the team has shown NO FEAR at all. That’s the key... they aren’t afraid of any team. There is enough international experience between P Nev, Peanut, Feli, Bily, Donovan & Howard... and enough grit and competence in the rest of the team to go a long long way.
Lastly, as for masterminding a reputation in the football world. Just win. It’s pretty simple. The rest will follow. Eventually the other sides will be fearing Everton, if they don’t already.
If we had won our "should win" games aswel as the United and Chelsea games, we’d be in 4th place now.
That was Liverpool’s problem last season and the main reason they failed to win the League; because they couldn’t beat the weaker teams.
That being said, I think we will get brought down to earth at Spurs on the weekend, its the Everton way; build you up and knock you down.
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1 Posted 22/02/2010 at 14:34:13
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Secondly we have to win bread and butter games against the likes of Hull & Wolves, which this season we have failed to do.
To get something out of Tottenham and turn Hull over would give me immense satisfaction as nothing haunts me more than losing 3-0 to Hull at half time this season (apart from the Redshite result).