Everton and their supporters celebrate the 2-0 win over Liverpool in the last Merseyside Derby on April 24, 2024
Everton and their supporters celebrate the 2-0 win over Liverpool in the last Merseyside Derby on April 24, 2024
That fighting spirit that saved Everton over the last three seasons, it feels like that’s gone. Now it’s all one-paced, huff and puff, and if we don’t get the breaks, we’re not going to score goals, the majority of games this season, especially the last few, have proven that.
Do we lack that fight? The fire, the burn to try and play for the shirt, the badge, the manager? Has that gone? It looks like it’s gone to me, it looks like it’s not there at all.
That’s concerning and my question mark moving forwards is ‘what’s the solution?’ These players don’t look like they’re playing for the badge, they don’t look like they’re playing for the manager, they don’t look like they’re playing for themselves, and they’re certainly not playing for the fans.
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Some of those fans gave up against Manchester United. They knew what was happening. The only way around this in my eyes, and the fans might not like it, and I don’t like it, is to offer the players bonuses. They should have fire in their bellies anyway, but unfortunately they don’t seem to.
Years ago, I remember that Everton’s win bonuses were the same as Manchester United’s but while they might only win eight-to-ten matches, United would win the league. It’s not a nice solution, but I’m wondering what it’s going to take for these players to start showing some accountability and the desire that the fans demand every week.
We’ve got a huge week coming up with two massive home games, but we’ve only won one Premier League game at Goodison Park all season. What’s going to give them this drive because it seems to me that they’re not listening to the manager, and that showed just 30 seconds into the second half at Old Trafford.
If it was up to the fans, they’d want to fine them but from a legal point of view, you can’t do that. Sean Dyche’s attempted solutions aren’t working.
Wolverhampton Wanderers at home was one of the fixtures you looked at in the summer when you thought ‘where are the boys going to pick up points?’ We’ve not got as many points as we would have expected from the fixtures we’ve already had, so now it’s ‘ouch’ with a tough December and this needs to be our first three points.
However, with what we’ve witnessed this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if we got turned over again. Wolves are scoring goals, they’re creating opportunities and we aren’t.
It’s the start of December, and already it’s a ‘six-pointer.’ It’s embarrassing that we’ve got to think that way while our arch-rivals are flying high at the top of the league.
It feels like the club is frozen right now, like it’s paralysed. The mismatch board can’t do anything and the wantaway owner is nowhere to be seen.
Does Dyche realise that he wouldn’t still be at the football club if we were run correctly and had ambition? We’re waiting for the new owners to come in but with us going through such a poor period on the pitch, that feels like it’s dragging on.
Everyone is waiting for some kind of magical change to happen. It reminds me of the situation when Benitez was Everton manager, there was a poor run of results and we thought: ‘the derby is coming up soon,’ wondering whether he’d be able to get one over his old team, but our hearts were ruling our heads.
We knew it would be tough but we got destroyed 4-1 and I’ve got a similar feeling now. Something this week needs to lift the club and it’s got to be a win against Wolves before Liverpool come to Goodison Park.
I feel it’s the best derby in the Premier League and you don’t want to be embarrassed. It took the club over a month after that loss to Liverpool for Benitez to be relieved of his duties.
As Evertonians, we just wanted to get this season over and done with without any more dramas, and get into the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. However, it feels like it’s going to be another long, tough campaign, especially this month.