Cena
Player Valuation: £70m
I'm, like most of you, awaiting the pre-season fixtures with excitement. I'm bored without Everton. I feel bad for suggesting, when we were gash mid-season, that it felt like a chore going to the game. It's never a chore, it's a pleasure, even if the football on show is garbage.
There is semi-optimism around, we're made up with the way we played at the back end of the season, I honestly think we could of played anyone at home in those last 5 or 6 games and won, we were playing that well. However it is the summer and I have no doubts, bleach could be passed around at some point what with transfer rumours and dare I say, 'meltdowns'.
The thing is though, even with the possible ins/outs this summer, I think there is reason to be quietly optimistic, ok, it's the same pre-season optimism everyone has, but so what, we have reason to be.
In 2005 when we finished 4th, it was magnificent. Moyes came out in the press and said we were 'Kings of Merseyside'. A week later Liverpool won the Champions League. This year we finished above Liverpool for the 2nd time in 24 years, yet no-one reached the highs of achieving the same feat in 2005. I'll accept the disappointment of the semi-final defeat may have played it's part, but as a fan-base, certainly amongst my mates there was no great celebration of finishing above them, which is the yard-stick, usually, if you finish above them, you have had a great season.
Moyes though hasn't been vocal about this at all, no 'Kings of Merseyside', no real congratulations to players on a 7th place finish. The post match Newcastle interview, when a reporter suggested that it was great for supporters that we have finished above Liverpool, Moyes simply shrugged this off.
I have given Moyes stick, I will never forgive him for that derby, and I can forget, but perhaps not quite yet forgive him and the players for the semi-final. I have said that as brilliant a job he has done, he doesn't get us through the big games, or games we should win. I still can't see us winning a trophy with him unless, A, he gets a little bit more adventurous or, B, he gets a significant transfer kitty to use.
What I will say though is that, the playing down of finishing above Liverpool, the belief in the squad I saw, particularly after Jelavic slotted for fun, the ability of players we have in our squad, (we really do have some fabulous players when they play well) I think Moyes is quietly going about his summer, keeping his head down.
I'm not going to tempt fate by saying this is going to be the season where we start well and be consistent for a season, but, with rumours of us having a tougher pre-season in terms of opposition, a settled squad and no 'best squad i've ever had at Everton' quotes, Moyes seems to be focused.
Yes Baines, Felliani or whoever could be sold, and it will be devastating, but as long as there are 'outs' at Everton, there will be 'ins' as well and when has Everton ever not reacted well such situations (Rooney, Lescott, Pienaar, etc)
Let the media and footballing public fap about Eden Hazard, Liverpool & Chelsea managers, City & United signings, I like that at the end of the season and at least at the minute, we haven't given it the big one. Certainly not like in 2005 or 2010.
Enjoy your summer, enjoy the Euro's, Olympics, festivals, bank holidays, girls wearing next to nothing on hot days, cider in beer gardens, BBQ's and all the other summer cliches. Me, I already miss a cold, rainy day in November at L4 4EL.
Come on you Blues!
There is semi-optimism around, we're made up with the way we played at the back end of the season, I honestly think we could of played anyone at home in those last 5 or 6 games and won, we were playing that well. However it is the summer and I have no doubts, bleach could be passed around at some point what with transfer rumours and dare I say, 'meltdowns'.
The thing is though, even with the possible ins/outs this summer, I think there is reason to be quietly optimistic, ok, it's the same pre-season optimism everyone has, but so what, we have reason to be.
In 2005 when we finished 4th, it was magnificent. Moyes came out in the press and said we were 'Kings of Merseyside'. A week later Liverpool won the Champions League. This year we finished above Liverpool for the 2nd time in 24 years, yet no-one reached the highs of achieving the same feat in 2005. I'll accept the disappointment of the semi-final defeat may have played it's part, but as a fan-base, certainly amongst my mates there was no great celebration of finishing above them, which is the yard-stick, usually, if you finish above them, you have had a great season.
Moyes though hasn't been vocal about this at all, no 'Kings of Merseyside', no real congratulations to players on a 7th place finish. The post match Newcastle interview, when a reporter suggested that it was great for supporters that we have finished above Liverpool, Moyes simply shrugged this off.
I have given Moyes stick, I will never forgive him for that derby, and I can forget, but perhaps not quite yet forgive him and the players for the semi-final. I have said that as brilliant a job he has done, he doesn't get us through the big games, or games we should win. I still can't see us winning a trophy with him unless, A, he gets a little bit more adventurous or, B, he gets a significant transfer kitty to use.
What I will say though is that, the playing down of finishing above Liverpool, the belief in the squad I saw, particularly after Jelavic slotted for fun, the ability of players we have in our squad, (we really do have some fabulous players when they play well) I think Moyes is quietly going about his summer, keeping his head down.
I'm not going to tempt fate by saying this is going to be the season where we start well and be consistent for a season, but, with rumours of us having a tougher pre-season in terms of opposition, a settled squad and no 'best squad i've ever had at Everton' quotes, Moyes seems to be focused.
Yes Baines, Felliani or whoever could be sold, and it will be devastating, but as long as there are 'outs' at Everton, there will be 'ins' as well and when has Everton ever not reacted well such situations (Rooney, Lescott, Pienaar, etc)
Let the media and footballing public fap about Eden Hazard, Liverpool & Chelsea managers, City & United signings, I like that at the end of the season and at least at the minute, we haven't given it the big one. Certainly not like in 2005 or 2010.
Enjoy your summer, enjoy the Euro's, Olympics, festivals, bank holidays, girls wearing next to nothing on hot days, cider in beer gardens, BBQ's and all the other summer cliches. Me, I already miss a cold, rainy day in November at L4 4EL.
Come on you Blues!
