Perhaps he over-reached with aiming for Europe after seeing the way we ended last season. But its good to show some ambition and he had to throw us a bone, especially after the positivity surrounding the summer signings and the way we started the season.
We have some very average players, but I don't accept that as a collective unit they are as bad as what we are seeing every week. We don't have an identity, we don't looked drilled, we don't look fit.
We are standing still at best but may have to go backwards to go forwards. Whoever the manager is, I'd appreciate if they told us, and it came from the club generally, what we are trying to do and achieve. I don't mean just a generic "Europe" in that sense. That's why we need a distinctive model and way of playing. We should not be a home for players on the way down in their careers.
I'd have liked, or would like us to become one of the natural homes in English football for young and emerging talent, from wherever we can source those players. Putting a team like that together takes time and requires a very methodical approach but you can offer progressive improvement with players who are hungry and eager to prove their worth. I want everything at Everton, but I'd settle for basic levels of good attitude, commitment, team shape, organisation, and fitness at present. It's galling to say we don't have near enough of those things.
I hope Ancelotti has realised at least this season that the current approach isn't working and won't work. Whatever grandfatherly or favourite uncle persona he adopts at clubs isn't going to work here either. I'm not suggesting he arrives a FF with a pitchfork but the Mr. Nice Guy routine gets him nowhere here. If he can't break the code at Everton this summer he isn't going to do it at all.
