Like many of you, I read this site on a regular basis in the hope of being informed, challenged and hopefully amused. Let’s face it – Evertonians certainly need a sense of humour, now more than ever.
As I read the comments to so many of the articles, my natural inclination is to wince on behalf of any potential newcomer. Most contributions proposing, eg, "Mr X" as the new manager are met with astonishment, ridicule and the advice to seek immediate psychiatric assistance (which, given some suggestions, I might actually support myself).
We are clearly at a major crossroads – if not a precipice – and I find it pretty frightening.
Any new manager will fail in the eyes of 90% of ToffeeWeb readers unless we win something – or get into the Champions League positions within, say, 3 seasons of his investiture.
Without the board putting up the new TV revenue cash in order to purchase players, the new guy already has a rope around his neck and the chair he’s perched on is wobbling like Sammy Lee’s chins at a hog roast.
No one said that life is fair but Mr X is already on Death Row before he has signed on. Would any of you leave a nice comfortable job for this scenario?
Remember, any serious newcomer won’t be a dyed-in-the-wool Blue but a pragmatic football man looking to advance their career and reputation. He might be naive enough to think that our fans have "realistic" expectations. Watch out, Mr X.
It is obvious that we’ll all harbour personal preferences in who best suits our club’s needs. Some want a quick fix, sexier names whilst others look at at a longer-term candidate and nod sagely to themselves that they have the right answer.
What it actually means though is that the majority will not end up with the "X" that they backed. So, what happens then? The Moyes lovers and Moyes haters at last unite – but only to all spout off on TW about the gormlessness of the "X" lovers. And off we go go again ... the use of block capitals, profound outrage, and a stock market run on exclamation marks.
My point – yes there is one – is that it is inevitable that our choice won’t be THE choice. When this happens, can we please take a deep breath .... exhale slowly .... and attempt to occupy this poor sod’s shoes for a while. Pretty daunting. Old ground. Older players. No money. The majority of non-Evertonians all think the club has been exceeding expectations for many years. Crap board. Etc,etc.
"Er... Bill, I might have been a bit hasty mate ..."
If this guy doesn’t get our backing then what chance does he possibly have? Can we be the "classy fans" we purport to be unless we give him every chance possible to make a success of it?
Let’s get behind whoever the new manager turns out to be – not to form a queue to stab him in the back on Day One. Don’t make his first acquisition have to be a kevlar jacket but actually do what we are here for – support him.
Let’s try it.