Honestly, there has been a few occasions this season I thought we were gone. That November - January period was evil. How Lampard survived the Bournemouth Massacres was bad enough, but it was so obvious we were going to lose the key games to Wolves and Southampton. Even when Brighton destroyed us he stayed. I’ve got no doubt at all in my mind that in January we were the worst team in the division. I thought we were on to finish bottom.
Dyche came in and I wasn’t punching the air with that appointment, then the club hamstrung him by that absolutely disgraceful January transfer window, an act of self-sabotage if ever there was one. It was like playing a Playstation game and putting it on the very hardest mode, I can remember how angry we all felt when the window closed and every single club had strengthened and we hadn’t. I thought we were gone.
Beating Arsenal was huge, it reminded me of the wins against Man U and Chelsea last season, absolutely desperate wins against excellent sides. Something only Goodison can conjure.
The Fulham game was so bad, and on the same day Bournemouth got themselves safe beating Spurs away, it felt like we had ran out of whatever steam we had. Newcastle dismantling us was another occasion I just thought, “nope, we are gone.” But in the midst of that we were getting late goals and late points, Simms at Chelsea, Keane v Spurs, Mina at Wolves, we were still in there scrapping.
Yesterday, the release of tension was beautiful. But the fact remains we came one goal away from relegation, or one Pope save last week, or one Pickford penalty save v Leicester.
This cannot happen again. No club on the planet has played as many seasons in a top flight as Everton. What is it now, 121 years? I honestly think it doesn’t take that much to turn us into a lower mid table side for next season, and then onwards from there. We all know we need changes at the club, but thank God we are not doing it as a Championship club, but were we belong, in the top flight.
