The old saying that ‘a week is a long time in politics’ has often been used in football parlance and this week at Everton have, once again, proved it to be correct.
This time last week, following two home defeats, with a frustrating break in between due to no FA Cup involvement, it was all doom and gloom.
Criticism of everything from the manager and the players, to season ticket prices which haven’t even been announced yet. And, while I understand the concerns of a fanbase that has seen a lot of insecurity and disappointment in recent years, I do believe that we are witnessing change, we are seeing progression and we do have a lot to look forward to as a club.
What’s your message to Moyes after that win? 🤯
Have you ever seen anything like that?
Full time score between Newcastle United and Everton.
Credit: Getty Images/Stu Forster
Alan Myers urges fans to take a ‘step back’ and explains what David Moyes has ‘got right’
I’ve long held the view that during this season we will see the proverbial bumps in the road – things don’t get better by the flick of a switch.
What we have to do is take a step back, look at where we were and where we are now. 14 months ago the thought of challenging for Europe was something every Evertonian would’ve bitten your hand off for, and here we are.
To balance this, of course there is the argument that progression must be continuous and in today’s world of social expression, taking a step back approach isn’t always an option. However, there has to be some level of understanding of the job in hand. A culture is being changed, so much is changing, our environment, our matchday experience and so much more. It’s uncharted territory in many aspects for the club, and all of that has to be managed in parallel with winning games.
There’s been a particular scrutiny of David Moyes during the down times, which I find unfair in many cases. In the end it is he who stands on the touchline, it is he that picks the team and it is David Moyes who will ultimately be responsible for results, and for all the reasons I gave above, he’s got a lot right.
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I’m not sure how many conversations he has with Dan Friedkin, if any, but surely they must see that he has delivered what they tasked him with just over a year ago – namely making the club better.
We all agree the home form needs to improve, but I’m sure he does too. And we as fans can criticise team selection – sometimes with justification – but we don’t get to see the full picture, we don’t take training every day, he does.
Asking an Evertonian to be patient is borderline insulting in fairness, but I do believe that there needs to be an understanding of what is happening to the club right now. It can be too easy to throw around terms like “we’re in transition” but there is also the reality that a lot of things have and are still changing.
Is Moyes still underappreciated by Everton fans for the job he’s doing? 🤔
Everton manager David Moyes.
Jordan Pickford came up trumps for David Moyes and Everton once again
The terrific win at Newcastle had it all, skill, determination, creativity and of course that save from England’s number one goalkeeper.
You won’t see a better save, not only this season, but for seasons to come in my humble opinion. It also highlighted again how good Pickford is and has been for Everton – especially for those that peddle the “only good for England” nonsense.
The Everton keeper has been as valuable at his end of the pitch as any goalscorer at the other end for many years now, and that should be recognised more often.
The result in the North East now needs to be followed up with a victory at Hill Dickinson on Tuesday when Burnley come to town. This is one of those moments where the progression I talk about could be made explicit, and prove to any doubters that things are improving.
Finally, Pickford’s brilliance on Saturday was perfectly timed, as the question of whether the great Neville Southall should be immortalised at the new stadium was the subject of debate. For me there is no debate, and I totally get the desire for the same accolade for others worthy of commemoration.
In my opinion Southall transcends any arguments regarding his meritorious valuation, he was an elite player and an elite servant.
Neville is not palatable to all, he’s forthright and outspoken and his demands, it could be argued, are unrealistic in present day Evertonia. However, it was those same qualities which made him the best there was at that time and I will be first in the queue to get a photograph next to his statue at Hill Dickinson.
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