Season 2011-12 Fan Articles
Another One Bites The Dust
By Mike Hughes :: 14/04/2012
11 Comments (ğLast)
It?s 4pm Saturday and I?m just thinking of a reason to write this. I?m 45 years old, live in a house called ?Goodison?, have a dog called Dixie and, having started my own business as a result of redundancy 18 months ago, have a company logo in blue, white and amber.
Anyone who knows me, even remotely, knows I?m Blue through and through. I?ve spent the week, like many of us, building my hopes up but wary of the many disappointments Everton have inflicted on us over the years. This time would be different. We?ve been in form as opposed to the reds. This time is our time I believed. It?s the hope that kills you.
I did not go to the match, considering myself a Wembley jinx from two finals I attended in the 80s. I did not go to the pub as the sight of reds in numbers of 2 or more really rubs me up the wrong way. I got a link via TW and watched it at home ? armchair style I?m afraid.
My nerves were wound up tight. Even when Jelavic scored I sensed something wasn?t right. It was not comfortable viewing. No rhythm to our play, not the approach I expected. I really thought we?d get at them ? if not Dogs Of War then at least Sunderland Away. Even at half-time, a blood pressure cuff on my arm would not have provided reassurance. I?d been taking deep breaths to try and relax, almost hyperventilating with the anxiety and definitely not enjoying the experience.
Alex Ferguson stated that teams mirror their manager?s personality. Going for the throat has hardly been our style under David Moyes but, given that he and the players had something of a ?no interview? policy over the past week or so, I expected it was with a cunning Blackadder-style plan in mind. Sadly, it was Baldrick who I recall had the cunning plans.
We played unimaginative, uninspired, flaccid football. Watching it was like eating cold porridge with all the relish that it contained something unpleasantly red somewhere down the line. There were no 20 yard shots to test a third choice keeper, no crisp passing or link up play down the wings. Crosses and corners were poor.
The truth is there were no Clive Thomas moments to blame for the defeat. Nor can we blame a lack of resources compared to our spendthrift neighbours despite the names on the score sheet. Everton were the cause of their own downfall today. We choked. They were there for the taking and we bottled it. This was a great opportunity for silverware but another season bites the dust.
So what was the point of writing this? It was partly cathartic, partly to try and put into words the huge disappointment I?m feeling. A couple of years ago I wrote a Mailbag article, The Psychology of Everton FC, highlighting how I felt we were a long way from Nil Satis Nisi Optimum and had tempered our ambitions from what they had been in the 60s, 70s and 80s. We are no closer today.
I don?t know what the answer is. I?m afraid of the potential consequences if Moyes leaves. But I?m sure we?d all prefer a full season rather than half a season from our team (as has become the norm). And glorious defeat with a bold plan and balls of steel is preferable to this gutless, meek approach.
I take my hat off to the Evertonians who travel home and away and spend a lot more money than I do these days. You may be feeling worse than I am right now.
Once a Blue, always a Blue but on days like this ? boy ? do they test our loyalty.
Reader Comments (11)
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2 Posted 14/04/2012 at 18:32:41
De Niro in Copland looks at the downbeat Everton fan Stallone and shouts "You had your chance. And you blew it!"
I've seen so many red replica kits today in the pub I've refused to go out tonight. I've bought a pack in cigarettes as I do when times are crap and I'm lamely hovering round Toffeeweb looking for someone to give a plausible reason for this shite state of affairs.
Moyes is not a manager for the occasion... the question mark looms as large over his head as ever.
3 Posted 14/04/2012 at 18:44:14
I reckon that in a past life I must have been a mass murderer cos life is just one big pile of rancid shit at the moment, never mind!!! NSNO
4 Posted 14/04/2012 at 18:54:03
The eighties finals were bad but not like this, not quite the same yearning for success - we were a good team then, but now we'll take anything.
Moyes is a good manager. Over a season he proves himself better than most, but Nick is right, he just isnt the manager for THE occasion. He'll win a higher percentage and will always bring us credit, but is this all there really is? Is this it? We keep doing better than anyone except the rich, so where is there to go?
Is football generally fucked, or is it Everton?
Noone wins anything anymore, we make up the numbers. The big day comes and we dont show up. Bitter bitter.
6 Posted 14/04/2012 at 19:23:31
In my mind he compounded the problem with the press remarks afterwards suggesting he was right to do what he did, and then after the replay win over Sunderland suggesting he should've rested more and got through first time.
Either way, he has been in post long enough to know that no matter how much we spend in relation to them, the derby is important to people here. Having played for Celtic, and no doubt expecting to one day manage them he would never dare adopt such defeatist tones.
But up there the competition in the league really is within the city boundaries.
Today he picked what I thought was the strongest XI available. The bench was weak, and is a sign of the paupers we've become (but at least our Chairman's a True Blue).
His post-match comments betray his anger at the individual mistakes, but they also betray him and his tactics as much as anything. To be honest I can't believe the post match stats showing we had 5 shots on target compared to their 7! We really were poor when we did have possession.
Ultimately all 3 goals were mistakes, and we made 2 to their 1. For all the optimism of some prior to the game, a lot of us 'arl arses' have seen it all before, and too often under Moyes we've never had the confidence prior to a derby, no matter what the pundits or league table says.
8 Posted 14/04/2012 at 20:27:12
For the life of me I don't see how some can see this as the final straw in their support of Moyes. We lost a poor game against a poor side who spent loads more than us. For me Moyes should have been out the door a long time ago.
9 Posted 14/04/2012 at 20:30:30
I have long ago been forced to admit he was absolutely correct. Not only that but Moyes entire coaching panel of ex defenders are clones of himself and do not have an original attacking idea between the bunch of em'.
Think back on hundreds of games over the past ten years and you can count on one hand the few that are truly memorable.
I did not join in the Hyena like slavering over the RS yet to be dead body because in my bones I had this awful premonition that Moyes would revert to type and so he did.
He selected a well known big game bottler for a key midfield role. He deployed his usual rear guard pinch a point tactics. His substitutions were mystifying and badly timed.
I hate saying it but Dalglish is just the latest in a long line of managers to expose Moyes for being tactically and motivational ly inept.
10 Posted 14/04/2012 at 21:09:12
11 Posted 14/04/2012 at 21:08:13
Feel free to respond accordingly .
12 Posted 14/04/2012 at 22:10:17
I think you'll find most of us are already undergoing counselling, are borderline psychotics, manic depressives, completely deluded or have lost all hope.
(delete as appropriate)
13 Posted 15/04/2012 at 11:00:53
I was look enough to be in Elland Road on the Easter Sunday morning back in 1995 when we beat Spurs 4 - 1 with the dogs of war team. We gave a performance to be proud of that day.
The last 3 Wembly appearances have been no shows and include the semi victory on penalties to Man U reserves.
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1 Posted 14/04/2012 at 18:38:32