5 Reasons Everton Fans Are Optimistic

Make no mistake, Sunday was a disgrace.

An awful performance saw Everton outplayed, outworked and humbled by a second-string Liverpool with three debutants.

Evertonians can legislate for continual disappointment but we won’t accept shithousery through a lack of effort or conviction in any fixture – never mind a Merseyside Derby.

With that, understandably – fans have quite rightly been furious.

The media have been quick, perhaps too quick and too keen to fan the flames of discontent – discontent that is being used to fuel the foundations of a narrative of players vs Ancelotti/coaching staff, and fans vs club. Apparently, there’s a “potential crisis at Everton as angry fans descend on training to confront chief” and “Everton are in turmoil – ‘Fans and players clashing, Duncan Ferguson fuming and Marcel Brands facing up to angry supporters at the training ground… just 19 days after Carlo Ancelotti took over.”

Bollocks.

Let’s get it right – the discontent was concentrated solely to the lack of application and effort by a number of players in Sunday’s game.

A few crossed words in a dressing room that would happen at any club after a terrible performance and seven… count them, seven fans having a moan at a training ground and that’s a crisis?

Yesterday, GrandOldTeam ran polls in their forum and on Twitter asking fans how optimistic they were. Despite the raw timing after a Merseyside Derby defeat, the majority of the 4,260 votes said they were either optimistic (50.4%) or extremely optimistic (15.2%). 70% of fans also said they were more optimistic now, than they were before the season started.

Here are reasons why…

Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti is Everton’s new manager.

One of the most successful managers in world football, having won 20 trophies including league titles in four different countries and the Champions League three times – and he’s Everton’s manager. Genuine Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.

Ancelotti has forgot more about football than what most football managers in the game know.

Contrary to what the press would have you think, he hasn’t even been here for 3 weeks yet.

Ancelotti’s Everton contract runs until the end of the 2023/24 season.

League Revival

Since Everton sent Marco Silva and Luís Boa Morte packing, against the odds of a torrid fixture list, Everton have enjoyed a mini-revival, victories over Chelsea, Burnley and Newcastle and draws to Man Utd and Arsenal see Everton sit 3rd in the ‘form table’ (previous 6 games).

Sure, we’re 5 points from the relegation zone but we’re also 5 points from ‘high flying’ Wolves and a potential European place.

Now Ancelotti has time on a training pitch, rather than firefighting back-to-back games, there’s belief that the only way is up…

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Calvert-Lewin has been a big influence in helping Everton off to a strong start under Carlo Ancelotti.

He scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Burnley in the Italian’s first match in charge and he then netted both goals in a 2-1 triumph at Newcastle United in the following fixture.

The 22-year-old has took his game to another level in recent weeks – he has had 10 shots on target in the last six league games. By comparison, he managed only five in Everton’s opening 15 matches.

Whatever Carlo Ancelotti is saying to Calvert-Lewin, it’s working.

Farhad Moshiri (and hopefully Alisher Usmanov)

Farhad Moshiri has continually put his money where his mouth is.

Sure we have FFP restrictions but Farhad Moshiri’s ambitions show no signs of abating – as evidenced by the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti.

If the laws of the game allow us to spend, we’ll spend.

There’s also growing hope and anticipation that Moshiri could convince business partner Alisher Usmanov to get involved, with Usmanov last week again reaffirming his interest to invest in Everton with a potential equity stake or the naming rights to the club’s new stadium and the Financial Times claiming Usmanov brokered the deal to bring Carlo Ancelotti to Everton.