Sona
Player Valuation: £8m
What is going wrong at Everton?
The squad. No connection & no affinity.
During the majority of the 1990’s and 2000’s, on the whole, the Everton squad was admittedly lacking in ability; but at least then the fans felt an affinity towards the players and the club. The “Dogs of War” and “People’s Club” featured players who gave their all for the shirt and, every now & then, produced some memorable moments of quality.
Fast forward to the present day and this latest group are the most unlikeable, abject and downright horrendous players we’ve ever seen together at any one time.
Pickford’s panicking when balls come into the box is annoying, Digne gesticulating after losing a throw in call is annoying, Keane failing miserably at defending 1v1’s is annoying, Holgate chewing gum as he receives his marching orders is annoying, Allan being two yards behind the opposition to loose balls is annoying, Richarlison constantly sulking and throwing himself to the ground is annoying, Rondon offering nothing whatsoever up top is annoying, and my word; let’s not get started on Alex Iwobi.
Essentially, even those that are decent (Digne, Richarlison & maybe Pickford on his day) are unlikeable, but then coupled with half the squad being below par in terms of ability, it is quite simply soul destroying.
Looking at the squad, we either have players who are:
But the fact remains: the current squad is a disjointed and incoherent mess in dire need of major surgery.
Club Culture & backroom staff.
27 years is a long time without a trophy. There is a deep-seated, rotten, losing mentality at the heart of the football club, seemingly embedded within those that have been in situ for decades.
As per the preceding section, the recruitment policy has been absurd, and fingers were very reasonably pointed at Marcel Brands, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
However, it is also the “old boys club” feel of coaching appointments at both youth and senior level that are bothering. Unsworth hasn’t produced a first team player from the U23’s in ages and the sum total of Ferguson’s coaching in the club-posted content is enthusiastically counting passes in a rondo / ball retention game.
In the case of the latter, Dunc is very well liked by the fanbase and it’s clear that the club is banking on him absorbing enough from the likes of Ancelotti & Koeman to eventually become manager. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good coach; let alone should he be coaching the first team of a Premier League football club. Watching the training videos, you can see players making basic errors: off the ball positioning, receiving with incorrect body position, quality / choice of pass is wrong. But rather than actually coaching it and improving the players, Dunc is too busy counting passes.
So what is the answer?
Step one: stay in the division this season, by hook or by crook.
Step two: mass clear out. Players, coaching staff, certain board members.
Step three: establish an identity of what an Everton team should look like, in terms of both playing style & personnel. Something that the fanbase can relate to and get behind.
Step four: adopt a proper recruitment strategy for both players and coaches; what profile of player are we looking at? What type of coach do we want?
Step five: Establish a proper development pathway from Academy to the first team.
Using Connor Gallagher (Chelsea) as an example; he was first sent on loan to Charlton (lower Championship) then recalled to go to Swansea (upper Championship), then sent out to West Brom (lower Premier League at the time) and now to Crystal Palace (mid Premier League). As a result, Chelsea have a player who has been coached well through the academy, given the appropriate senior football experience at the right time, and is now ready for good Premier League first teams. If they keep him, he’ll do well; if they sell him, they can command a good fee. Reinvest, rinse and repeat.
Summary
Are we going to win now? No. Should we keep throwing money at the problem and hope it comes good? No. Should we as fans accept the current squad and staff in terms of their ability & work ethic? No.
We need a huge reset which will then essentially drop the counter back down to zero. But as long as there is a clear plan and strategy in place, I’m sure that we are willing to wait for it to come good. One thing is for sure; we can’t keep repeating the same errors and expecting things to work out.
The squad. No connection & no affinity.
During the majority of the 1990’s and 2000’s, on the whole, the Everton squad was admittedly lacking in ability; but at least then the fans felt an affinity towards the players and the club. The “Dogs of War” and “People’s Club” featured players who gave their all for the shirt and, every now & then, produced some memorable moments of quality.
Fast forward to the present day and this latest group are the most unlikeable, abject and downright horrendous players we’ve ever seen together at any one time.
Pickford’s panicking when balls come into the box is annoying, Digne gesticulating after losing a throw in call is annoying, Keane failing miserably at defending 1v1’s is annoying, Holgate chewing gum as he receives his marching orders is annoying, Allan being two yards behind the opposition to loose balls is annoying, Richarlison constantly sulking and throwing himself to the ground is annoying, Rondon offering nothing whatsoever up top is annoying, and my word; let’s not get started on Alex Iwobi.
Essentially, even those that are decent (Digne, Richarlison & maybe Pickford on his day) are unlikeable, but then coupled with half the squad being below par in terms of ability, it is quite simply soul destroying.
Looking at the squad, we either have players who are:
- past their peak (Begovic, Lonergan, Coleman, Allan);
- injury prone (Mina, Delph, Gbamin); or,
- not good enough (Kenny, Keane, Holgate, Davies, Gomes, Iwobi, Tosun, Rondon)
But the fact remains: the current squad is a disjointed and incoherent mess in dire need of major surgery.
Club Culture & backroom staff.
27 years is a long time without a trophy. There is a deep-seated, rotten, losing mentality at the heart of the football club, seemingly embedded within those that have been in situ for decades.
As per the preceding section, the recruitment policy has been absurd, and fingers were very reasonably pointed at Marcel Brands, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
However, it is also the “old boys club” feel of coaching appointments at both youth and senior level that are bothering. Unsworth hasn’t produced a first team player from the U23’s in ages and the sum total of Ferguson’s coaching in the club-posted content is enthusiastically counting passes in a rondo / ball retention game.
In the case of the latter, Dunc is very well liked by the fanbase and it’s clear that the club is banking on him absorbing enough from the likes of Ancelotti & Koeman to eventually become manager. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good coach; let alone should he be coaching the first team of a Premier League football club. Watching the training videos, you can see players making basic errors: off the ball positioning, receiving with incorrect body position, quality / choice of pass is wrong. But rather than actually coaching it and improving the players, Dunc is too busy counting passes.
So what is the answer?
Step one: stay in the division this season, by hook or by crook.
Step two: mass clear out. Players, coaching staff, certain board members.
Step three: establish an identity of what an Everton team should look like, in terms of both playing style & personnel. Something that the fanbase can relate to and get behind.
Step four: adopt a proper recruitment strategy for both players and coaches; what profile of player are we looking at? What type of coach do we want?
Step five: Establish a proper development pathway from Academy to the first team.
Using Connor Gallagher (Chelsea) as an example; he was first sent on loan to Charlton (lower Championship) then recalled to go to Swansea (upper Championship), then sent out to West Brom (lower Premier League at the time) and now to Crystal Palace (mid Premier League). As a result, Chelsea have a player who has been coached well through the academy, given the appropriate senior football experience at the right time, and is now ready for good Premier League first teams. If they keep him, he’ll do well; if they sell him, they can command a good fee. Reinvest, rinse and repeat.
Summary
Are we going to win now? No. Should we keep throwing money at the problem and hope it comes good? No. Should we as fans accept the current squad and staff in terms of their ability & work ethic? No.
We need a huge reset which will then essentially drop the counter back down to zero. But as long as there is a clear plan and strategy in place, I’m sure that we are willing to wait for it to come good. One thing is for sure; we can’t keep repeating the same errors and expecting things to work out.
