BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 01: Romelu Lukaku of Everton celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Everton at Villa Park on March 1, 2016 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Romelu Lukaku of Everton celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Barclays Premier League match at Aston Villa on March 1, 2016
The mood in the away end was delirious. The contrast between the two clubs could not be greater. As Everton romped to a 3-1 win at Aston Villa on March 1 2016, the trajectory of the Premier League rivals looked set in stone.
Villa supporters staged a 74th-minute walkout during the game in protest against their owner Randy Lerner as relegation loomed. Meanwhile, Everton supporters chanted 'we're f***ing rich' in the concourses and in the stands; just two days earlier it was confirmed that Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri had bought a 49.9 per cent stake in the club.
In almost nine years since, those trajectories that looked so entrenched have changed significantly.
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While Villa went down, came back again and have rebuilt into a force on the European stage, Everton have found themselves stuck in steady decline under Moshiri. The tenure of the billionaire has been riddled with surreal moments, financial mismanagement and a string of catastrophic footballing decisions.
Thankfully, Everton have clung on to their Premier League status at least. And thankfully, ahead of this weekend's game with Chelsea at Goodison Park, a chance at a fresh start looms. The Friedkin Group, all being well, should complete a takeover of the club this week. Moshiri's wild and reckless stint at the helm of the Blues will be over.
When the news does come, it is unlikely to spark scenes similar to those that were on show in the Midlands almost nine years ago.
Everton, perhaps not too dissimilar to Villa under Lerner, have found themselves in a constant state of crisis in recent years. The mood will likely be one of relief as a result. After all, this takeover is not about giving the club an extra nudge to make them a challenger domestically or in Europe. This is about the existential state of Everton.
"This is the most critical time in our history," said Moshiri on the search for investment in January 2023. "It is almost an existential point"
And given there have been so many near misses in terms of takeovers and investment since those remarks - 777 Partners, MSP Capital and the Friedkins themselves have all seemingly been at the front of the queue without getting a deal done - getting this over the line will be accompanied by the deepest of deep breaths.
The eventual takeover announcement is not expected to come with much pomp and ceremony. There will be statements of course, but press conferences and interviews are unlikely to follow immediately.
Based on how the Friedkins have gone about matters at Roma, a media charm offensive similar to the one Moshiri engaged in in his early years as Everton owner looks unlikely. Statements on Notes to Jim White are surely a thing of the past.
As a result, there may be potential for the handing over to feel a little underwhelming after years of anticipation. But with the circus set to leave down, perhaps quiet circumspection is no bad thing?
If the deal is done before Sunday's game, the impact on the atmosphere can only be positive. The players in blue and the faces in the dugout will be the same, but perhaps everyone inside the stadium can take their seats with a little bit of weight off their shoulders.
That can only be a good thing for a Goodison atmosphere that has become edgy in recent months. That in itself is understandable. At times, relegation has not been the only worry for beleaguered Blues who have had to familiarise themselves with PSR jargon and make themselves football-finance-literate.
Still any crowing songs about being newly monied are unlikely. In 2016, after coming close to silverware under David Moyes and then Roberto Martinez, those boasts and that belief was understandable. It felt like at times all Everton needed to take that last step was more money. Moshiri was embraced so warmly as a result.
Nine years on, that theory has been dismantled. And as the Friedkin Group look to steer Everton into a more stable and sustainable future, the Moshiri era may well take time for all to shake off.
'We're f***ing rich'? Well, not anymore. But perhaps, for the time being at least, it's not that important anyway.