It’s an opinion rammed down football fans throats by the media: ‘the football is dour’ ‘dinosaur football’ ‘% football’. As though anything played in the air is awful whilst only tiki takes in slippers on a carpet is entertainment.
We played quite a few long balls against West Ham. At no point did I find it boring though, is it wrong to say I actually enjoyed it? Mainly because Calvert Lewin was battling for all of them. We also played some great stuff on the deck for the second goal. The Goodison crowd loves effort, a big tackle, a whipped cross onto a towering header, god forbid a striker clattering a centreback and winning a flick on to a midfielder making the run.
Under Martinez even when we played well in that first season we always seemed to lack a little bit of that fighting spirit that seems to get the Goodison crowd off their seat. Sure there were some great moves and entertaining games but were there really loads of those ‘come on Everton’ moments when the whole ground is surging behind the team battling in Royal Blue?
If you watch back clips of the 80s teams they would mix up the long ball with short intricate stuff and crosses. The complete team who could play any way they wanted.
So my question is. If we are winning, if the atmosphere is crackling again, if the players are responding to it, are you that bothered if Sam introduces a little more of the ‘long ball’? Personally i’ll take all the patronising kopite media put downs in the world if going the match starts feeling more like Wednesday night than the last 4 and a half seasons.