Misery Loves Company

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So... just 3 weeks into the new season and the outlook appears somewhat bleak to say the least.

There's a civil war in progress between board and fans, our financial worst fears have been confirmed, and one or more of our better players look likely to depart (possibly with very little cash to reinvest in return).

There's no respite on the park either as, even with most of our 'stars' fit and ready, our team looks demoralised, unbalanced and largely clueless against some of the league's weakest opposition (QPR and Blackburn both have to be relegation favourites).

Yet somehow, despite our woes, we're not the gloomiest fans on the block this weekend...

Spurs, one of the sides who appeared to storm past us in recent seasons as we were labouring in neutral, sit solid bottom of the table with nil points from two games and a -7 goal difference having been tonked by both halves of Manchester and are labouring amid some player strife of their own with Modric clearly wanting away.

Their rival North Londoners seem in even more dire straits, with just 1 point to show from 3 games, an even worse goal difference after an 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Man Utd, and a squad which has been decimated by the loss of their most creative midfield duo to rivals and over half of their first choice defensive line-up to bans and injuries.

Between them at the bottom, Woy's seemingly resurgent West Brom are looking fresh out of boing-boing with nothing to show from 3 games... just above a Blackburn side who are looking all too much like turkeys having failed to gobble a single point against Villa, Wolves and a very out of sorts Blues (despite 2 generous penalty gifts).

Even in mid-table, Sunderland and Fulham, sides suggested by some as likely to surpass the Blues this year and push Everton further out of the top 6 with their new appointments on the field and the touchline respectively, are looking decidedly uninspired with just draws on the board and negative goal differences.

So, if it's true that misery truly does love company and further adores those who are even worse off, fellow Blues must be feeling soothed and slightly less bitter in the knowledge that we're not the most hard-done-by this weekend.

In fact, despite the panto and the now familiar abject start to the season, when the dust settles our position isn't actually that bad and there are at least 5 reasons to be (relatively) cheerful:

i) We may not have deserved it, but we've won a game and have points on the board which is an improvement on last year and could be just the catalyst to boost confidence and give us something to build on.

ii) We've not been left for dead, indeed we're sat in mid-table with a game in hand that, should we manage to win it, would see us breathing down the necks of the CL spot.

iii) We now have a couple of weeks breathing space to settle any transfer business, calm the club down and get the players fit (Coleman/Gueye) and geed up ahead of two eminently winnable fixtures.

iv) We do have most of our senior players fit and available (barring transfers) and in Baines, Howard and Felliani at least they are starting to show some form.

v) Most crucially, in the shape of Ross Barkley we seem to have produced another genuine fresh talent, along with fellow youngsters Coleman, Gueye and Vellios/Baxter)

So then, whilst the blue glass may well be cracked, there's still a case to say that it's looking at least half-full. COYB!
Chris James, Beijing     Posted 28/08/2011 at 18:04:43

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