Season 2011-12 Fan Articles
If only the season had started in January
By Peter Laing :: 18/02/2012
26 Comments (»Last)
"If only the season had started in January...." ? it is a familiar lament for Blues fans; one that can regularly be heard on the terraces of Goodison Park come the end of the Premier League campaign.
When David Moyes gets his side into a rhythm, they are a formidable unit and a match for any team in the top flight. But more often than not, poor starts to the season undermine Everton's progress and leave fans rueing their team's sluggish start to the campaign when May arrives.
David Moyes has recently admitted Everton were so poor in the first half of the season that he would not have paid to watch them. ?I don?t think we were offering enough to the public or playing well enough," Moyes told the Times.
"The crowds were down - I?d not have come to watch because what I was giving the supporters wasn?t enough.
?I needed to find another solution but that has to come with an understanding of who we?re playing, what tactics we have to use.
"So I had to do it for that reason and in the main we have found a way of winning. I knew that in the summer but I was unable to do so. I said it was going to be a real tough year for us, and it is still.?
This piece is not intended to deflate the spirit, recently acquired morale and winning mentality that appears now to be coursing through the Club but to try to find the answers as to why our season seems to receive a kick started once the January sales are over. There is no doubt that the shrewd transfer business conducted by Moyes with the acquisition of Pienaar on loan, the signing of Jelavic, the brief cameo from Donovan, and the unlikely cult status that Big Denis has become with his exemplary attitude and leading of the forward line has provided the spring board and impetus for new found confidence.
It?s not just David Moyes but also the likes of Phil Neville and Tim Cahill who have assessed our recent upturn in fortunes and quite rightly reflected that we are now back to the Everton of old. The January transfer window coupled with the wins over Manchester City and Chelsea and the prospect of a decent FA Cup run has undoubtedly lifted the manager?s and player?s spirits but also serves to cast the spotlight on the schism of the annual poor start to the season which seems to dog Everton on a perennial basis.
Without wanting to open up the whole lack of investment debate further would it be safe to assume that rather than the promise of a pre-season training camp or trip to the USA that it would be more prudent to aim to hit the ground running in early August with David Moyes provided with a plan and the backing of the board during the early pre-season preparations. I'm hoping that this season ends with a silver lining but hope that come May we are not once again discussing what might have been and ruing the apparent lack of luxury of what a whole season of stability may have brought with it.
For any prospective investor or buyer surely what appears to be Everton?s present Achilles heel is that David Moyes is being hampered by a lack of support when he needs it most to ready the Club for the challenges of a new campaign and it takes a Herculaneum effort on the part of the Manager to steady the ship and provide the man-management skills he undoubtedly possesses to turn in a run of form post Christmas that would equate to European Champions league qualification if replicated over an entire season.
The next Blue Union protest is planned for the forthcoming evening kick off against Spurs, it will be interesting to gauge the opinion of supporters in respect of their aims given the new found hope and optimism that is very much welcome around Goodison Park. My analysis of the situation is that their objectives remain the same, support the manager, support the team and oppose stagnation.
The dark days of autumn and winter are hopefully behind us and the prospect of entering the spring with renewed determination of finishing on a high is palpable. David Moyes ? and we as long suffering fans ? deserve the chance to taste success; the message to the custodians remains the same: nil satis nisi optimum.
Reader Comments (26)
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3 Posted 19/02/2012 at 12:19:10
4 Posted 19/02/2012 at 12:23:41
5 Posted 19/02/2012 at 18:22:08
David and James my missus looked over my shoulder and wanted to know what the hell I was looking at. However, think Michael and Lyndon should ignore our more prudish contributors and get the best revenue they can to keep this site as good as it is. Maybe some of the regulars could enter the spirit and post some pics of themselves!!
6 Posted 19/02/2012 at 19:21:28
7 Posted 19/02/2012 at 19:35:30
He stumbles into a good second half because of injuries from the busy Christmas period. He only has a few players available and that's when he's at his best.
Good form over the last month is down to playing players in their proper positions ? i.e., not Neville and Heitinga in midfield (the opposition was very weak yesterday).
8 Posted 19/02/2012 at 19:52:04
I don't know how much money we get for going or is it another jolly for the team. I went the first year they played over there and couldn't be arsed going again... the ale is shit.
9 Posted 19/02/2012 at 23:09:57
The American tour cannot go ahead this season. Surely there has to be a more effective way to get the team firing, and playing MLS sides is less productive than playing billiards against a bloke with no thumbs.
10 Posted 20/02/2012 at 02:31:19
11 Posted 20/02/2012 at 03:52:05
12 Posted 20/02/2012 at 03:53:51
Just my luck they'll come when I'm on holiday.
13 Posted 20/02/2012 at 11:21:04
Nothing wrong with averts on the site im stuck offshore so there fine by me haha.
14 Posted 20/02/2012 at 11:32:00
Some of the kipper's on them arl'ones makes my morning. Please leave well alone.
15 Posted 20/02/2012 at 11:50:31
Here`s a solution ;
If Davey boy isnt going to start work until January why doesnt Kenwright only start paying him then.
Bet we`d be out of the traps a bit sharper next time
16 Posted 20/02/2012 at 12:14:26
I reckon it's because the physical grind of the game and the cold weather takes it's toll on players. I also reckon that players experience a motivational lull, because the excitement of a new season is over, and the fear of being releaged or not qulaifying for the Champions' League hasn't kicked in yet. Maybe even the lack of sun demotivates some players?
I think Moyes signs and plays players who he trusts to work hard more often than not. He also might have a talent in spotting mentally tough players. I am sure he can also put a rocket up their arses when required.
This makes more sense to me than the hocus-pocus of where we go for pre-season and the credentials of Steve Round. Well, it's a thought anyway.
17 Posted 20/02/2012 at 15:18:33
18 Posted 23/02/2012 at 09:15:10
19 Posted 23/02/2012 at 21:04:12
When squads were smaller, the likes of Liverpool and Nottingham Forest used to start slowly and pick the other teams eg Leeds off after Christmas ? hence their success in Europe as well. Squads are bigger and training techniques have changed especially in the stamina v power training category, but Moyes starts his players only partly fit.
FA Cup? Maybe, injuries aside they are looking pretty fresh.
20 Posted 27/02/2012 at 05:33:14
21 Posted 27/02/2012 at 06:05:05
22 Posted 27/02/2012 at 06:37:00
A couple of weeks later, David Beckham and Real Madrid came to play the National Team and the Stadium was mobbed by at least 50,000. The rush at the end was so bad, the traffic was in gridlock for hours and I had to walk home to Silom, it took hours.
23 Posted 27/02/2012 at 06:42:34
24 Posted 27/02/2012 at 06:44:54
25 Posted 27/02/2012 at 07:56:01
I remember when Everton were here before, but again I missed it as I was on holiday outside Thailand (the other team was Bolton wasn't it?)
I'm due a holiday the last 2 weeks of this July so am hoping they will be here earlier.
26 Posted 27/02/2012 at 08:32:14
27 Posted 27/02/2012 at 13:05:58
Just in case though..
Likes - Fench cinema, long walks in the country, American literature and ?pulling the stomach out of meself?.
Dislikes - Kenny Dalglish, Bill Kenwright, BA Robertson and 99% of all vegetables (or any food containing vitamins)
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2 Posted 19/02/2012 at 12:02:31
Just look at Donovan; if 2 years ago the club moved heaven & earth to get him, how much better would we have been? we could have seen a Coleman/Donovan right hand side. IMO this could've been acheived by shrewd business ie maximising Donovans poster boy image, selling Bily earlier etc.as opposed to spending 20-30 million.
But to go back to the 'why do we start so slow', no idea but it is the strangest phenomena I've witnessed at GP; if we solve it, it's got to be worth a minimum of 10 points, which would put us in pole position for 4th-best league in the world? my arse