Season › 2016-17 › News
Everton is no stepping stone for Koeman
For one reason or another, the ambitious Dutchman has yet to remain in one managerial post for more than three years and his decision to leave Southampton with 12 months remaining on his contract to take up the post at Goodison Park was seen as further evidence of his desire to take another step up in his career.
Managing his former club, Barça has been assumed to be his ultimate goal — he stated earlier this week that he would like to eventually manage the Netherlands' national side as well — but, in an interview with the press as part of the Kick It With Help anti-smoking campaign, Koeman says he has learned that you can't plan your career to that degree.
Having explained to Gary Lineker in another interview his reasons for leaving St Mary's Stadium last June — ostensibly it was about a disagreement over the terms of a new deal with the Saints but there were also rumours of a difference of opinion over methods with head of recruitment and development, Les Reed — Koeman was adamant when King asked him if Everton was merely a stepping stone on his journey to the Nou Camp.
"No, no, no, no. No. I don't think so. No," he replied. "[T]hey always speak about Koeman and Barcelona. Everyone knows I have a relationship with Barcelona. Everyone says, 'One day Koeman will be the coach in Barcelona.'
"I had a little bit in my mind that when I went to Valencia it was maybe a good step to do the next step to Barcelona but now I'm more experienced.
"You cannot plan what is going to happen. You cannot plan your life. In life everything is possible. In football everything is possible.
"You can't say, 'I go to Everton [and] in one or two years, I go to Barcelona.' No, no, no. Why? Maybe Everton will be bigger than it is now. Maybe Luis Enrique is doing fantastic for the next three years and they don't need a coach. No! The best thing is to believe in the project: how Everton is.
"You know football. Maybe today the sun shines, maybe tomorrow it rains. I'm in love with Barcelona. Life there is fantastic. It was my best period playing. But Everton? I'm happy here."
Reader Comments (40)
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2 Posted 18/11/2016 at 02:52:57
3 Posted 18/11/2016 at 03:40:00
Classic. Sounds like that bloke off the Vicar of Dibley.
4 Posted 18/11/2016 at 05:13:16
Stage One of Moshiri's plan is to get us into the Champions League within 3 years. If Koeman manages it. he is well worth his ٤m pa.
Koemans plan is to manage Barcelona one day and to really prove his credentials he needs to get us in playing with the the big boys so Champions League it is, as soon as possible.
Stage 2 will be keeping us there and hopefully packing out an iconic waterside stadium.
Stage 3 will hopefully be seriously challenging for top honours.
All in all, probably a 10-year plan. An unrealistic one, maybe, but at least it's a long term plan and if Koeman achieves Stage One of that plan alone – which is what Moshiri is paying him ٤m pa to do -– I think we, he and Moshiri will see that as 'job done' for everyone concerned and we can see where we go from there.
They both, after all, have only really just got their feet under the table. Give them a chance.
5 Posted 18/11/2016 at 07:39:22
Why would any manager with ambition, and no connection to the club, feel that they had reached the managerial summit when they landed a job at Everton? Maybe that will change in time, but for an ambitious manager to stay, he'll need to see improvement and backing at the club from top to bottom.
It's going to take a lot of work from everyone to convince the likes of Lukaku and Koeman that they can fulfill their ambitions with us... but it's not impossible.
6 Posted 18/11/2016 at 07:53:07
Much rather see him doing his talking on the field with his team, and a win against Swansea would be welcome as a starter.
7 Posted 18/11/2016 at 07:58:49
If we get into the Europa League the next 2 seasons and then the Champions League in his third and we have a new riverside stadium, doesn't that make us a 'big' team?
Problem is to get there we need to sign 'big' players and 'big' players won't sign unless we are there.
8 Posted 18/11/2016 at 08:32:05
I also think we need to be more proud of our past success as in 9 league titles. I think that puts us ahead of Chelsea and Man City combined. If they can become the talk of the town then so can we. It's all about standing tall, sticking your chest out and saying we're going to be successful because nothing but the best is good enough.
9 Posted 18/11/2016 at 08:50:22
10 Posted 18/11/2016 at 08:55:42
12 Posted 18/11/2016 at 09:50:16
Everton fans talk about loyalty but as fans we would rather see good players in our team than loyal ones.
13 Posted 18/11/2016 at 09:53:18
Now, clearly someone is reading our opinions and concerns on this website and others and management is putting out statements 'from the horses mouth' to address those concerns on a regular basis – more than weekly recently it seems. The club is listening and is responding – and is gradually getting better at it too.
So now we have moaners that they never shut up. Perhaps once we string a few wins together everyone will be happy?
14 Posted 18/11/2016 at 10:11:53
I still think this fella will be living from a hotel in a year's time, talking about "Everton" not "we". But let's see what he can do with the next transfer window.
16 Posted 18/11/2016 at 10:33:10
For some Evertonians they are only happy when we are winning and, other than that, everything appears to be in chaos. If Koeman says he's here for the long term project they snigger and say "you're a liar". If he says " I like Barcelona as a club, I used to play for them" the same people call him a Judas fly-by-night.
As soon as I saw his photo and the strapline "Everton is no stepping stone" I predicted having to read moan after moan, ridiculing him and quotes such as " what load of bollocks".
I'm not quoting anyone per se because they are all entitled to their opinion but don't they get bored writing the same negative guff. Why can't they be proud he's our manager, the mans a legend in Football. He may go on to become a world class manager. He's the Everton manager, just get behind the man. Perhaps these people want a different man. I'd like to see them pluck a name from the hat of jobless managers.
One things for sure, if Moshiri backs him and the stadium build begins in earnest and we get into the Champions League, we will be a different prospect for Koeman and other suitors. It's easy to slag him whilst he's trying to build a team ethic. It's harder to support a team in flux but that is precisely what the club needs right now. They need our full support. It's as simple as that.
17 Posted 18/11/2016 at 10:35:37
Bigger profile = more fans = more merchandise sold = more leeway within FFP rules = success on the pitch.
18 Posted 18/11/2016 at 10:50:13
19 Posted 18/11/2016 at 10:52:10
Goes the other way with no Champions League and still at Goodison or some other abstract waste, land then he will be a poor Mike Walker.
20 Posted 18/11/2016 at 11:12:03
However, Barcelona is at present the biggest job in football so who could blame him for taking the opportunity if/when it arises.
If he is good enough for that job, then he will have done a hell of a job for us!
21 Posted 18/11/2016 at 11:14:56
We're already higher profile because Koeman's our manager. If he improves us, our profile will continue to grow.
He doesn't seem like someone who doesn't know what he wants, and how to get it. That can only benefit "us."
Oh, and by the way, how can we expect him to be totally in love with Everton when he's only just got his feet under the table? Martinez "got" Everton and look what he did to us, ffs!
22 Posted 18/11/2016 at 11:30:33
He seems to rate Lukaku very highly and has made him feel like he's really wanted/needed at the club and I think Rom has improved this season because of that.
I think we all need to not react so much to what Koeman says as he seems to put his foot in it a bit by saying the truth too bluntly.
23 Posted 18/11/2016 at 11:52:35
However, I was a bit peeved with what he said about Lukaku, he has come out and explained it, so the benefit of the doubt there!
But what he said about Liverpool, no matter how distasteful to some, imo was correct. Even though they are our neighbors I think many Evertonians need to get over their sensitiveness here and concentrate on things Everton!
Overall, he has been here 2 minutes. The team was lamentable for large parts of last season. The club is still restructuring and I think Koeman's signings have all been decent! People talk about Bolasie's inconsistencies, which are true to a certain extent, but overall he has been our most consistent winger and our main attacking threat outside of Lukaku!
So, yes, Koeman being ambitious can only help Everton. Does he seem a little distant? Yes! How much of that is down to his command of the English language? Really we can't be sure! But so far, despite that awful display at Stamford Bridge, we are going in the right direction!
24 Posted 18/11/2016 at 11:54:10
25 Posted 18/11/2016 at 13:00:30
26 Posted 18/11/2016 at 14:33:20
27 Posted 18/11/2016 at 15:16:56
Exactly!
28 Posted 18/11/2016 at 15:44:30
To misquote the member in the audience at Mike and Bernie Winters show, "Fuck, there's two of me!"
😳
29 Posted 18/11/2016 at 16:26:06
30 Posted 18/11/2016 at 16:40:44
"Unfortunately this manager is in danger of becoming a rent-a-quote, and we have had one of those!"
Not defending Koeman here, just stating what is. Koeman has been a rent-a-quote for decades. He was one of the best in his time, won everything there was to win, and he is not known to keep his opinions to himself. The media tend to ask these kind of people about everything. I am genuinely surprised that Koeman did not comment on the Trump election yet.
It's that you are an Evertonian and never paid much attention to Koeman that you didn't know this yet. I'm sorry if this sounds patronizing, I just want to prepare you... Media will keep asking Koeman questions and he will keep answering them.
32 Posted 18/11/2016 at 17:15:58
Not a difficult achievement with some financial backing, and if by then we have a new stadium at the docks, we will all be happy. Will it happen? For all true Blues, I hope so.
Barry (#23), Sorry, but as a language teacher you have misinterpreted the language of true Evertonians. No Everton supporter wants those overly lorded, jammy, evil, bastards to win anything, especially the Premier League.
Koeman shouldn't have even given a reply to the idiot reporter who asked him the question. You would think that putting one's foot in it once would make you be sure you wouldn't step in it again.
33 Posted 18/11/2016 at 17:23:30
Name me a Manager who doesn't want to manage in the Champions League.
34 Posted 18/11/2016 at 17:31:08
35 Posted 18/11/2016 at 18:10:33
Paul, get your sentiment but I don't recall him saying he "wanted" them to win the league (unless something was lost in translation!!). He said that from what they've shown so far they could be contenders. He also went on to say that having played Man City and Chelsea, they could be contenders too (no shit!!). I'm not liking the "can't do wrong" episode currently going on across the park anymore than the next Evertonian but there's a difference between "want to" and "think they could".
Let's hope it's an Arsenal style demonstration of early season promise.
More important, let's focus on Everton.
36 Posted 18/11/2016 at 19:23:05
The only thing I ask is for the coach to be honest about it. Also, he should never tell our players they should improve themselves here so they can go play elsewhere. Instead, he should tell them that they should improve themselves here because that is what they are getting paid for. In fact, he should be telling other players on other teams that they should improve themselves so that they can come to Everton and play for him.
37 Posted 18/11/2016 at 20:11:42
Even as an English speaker, you have misinterpreted fellow Evertonians! Who that is attached to Everton (supporter or employee), and I await a response, has said they wanted Liverpool to win anything?
See how easy it is to be misinterpreted!!??
38 Posted 18/11/2016 at 20:27:28
39 Posted 18/11/2016 at 21:47:40
40 Posted 19/11/2016 at 02:55:07
Fair enough, mate, I am not excusing him for it as he just stated a fact as far as I can see, and I wouldn't have a go at someone for having a different opinion than me.
My point was, if he was a native English speaker, he may have expressed it differently, whether or not that would be to the dislike of supporters or not. Many Evertonians have been offended by his comment, so in future he may be a little more well versed as to what not to say! Anyways, I guess we can agree that we both want a result this weekend!
41 Posted 19/11/2016 at 03:31:21
42 Posted 19/11/2016 at 14:09:20
We have a lot of badge-kissing mercenaries on and off the field who would change clubs tomorrow if the money was better.
That's why we pay our hard-earned coppers to watch millionaires every week. The only personnel who can be called loyal are the supporters who have invested heart and soul in the clubs they support.
43 Posted 19/11/2016 at 16:33:26
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1 Posted 18/11/2016 at 01:47:33