Will Sunderland setback bury Blues season?
Posted by Ian Marshall's Double in Everton, Sunderland | 5 April 2006
The human mind can bear plenty of reality but not too much intermittent gloom. Margaret Drabble
It’s been a tough couple of weeks hasn’t it? Two weeks ago we were basking in the sunshine of 2 impressive wins against Fulham and Villa and daring to hope the derby went well. As it turned out it did until their best player got sent off and then everything seemed to go tits up.
Spin on 7 days and we had a highly entertaining (to the non-existent neutral) but totally unsatisfying draw against doomed Sunderland. In fairness to the opposition, they got stuck in but a lack of ruthlessness and the absence of key players like Martyn, Arteta (until it was too late) and Valente, meant that our team was badly affected. The replacements are not good enough, at least at this moment in time, and we are simply not the same team. By the way, do you really try to like the players we sign? Is it getting tougher where Simon Davies is concerned? Thought so.
Just to make things worse, the transfer goss has started and it all seems detrimental. Do we actually bring some of this on ourselves? Are we so convinced that we are the world’s unlucky football club that we have a masochistic streak which means self destruction is the only option? Arguably our 3 best players, Cahill, Arteta and Yobo have all been linked with teams higher up in the table. These may all be true but rumours about Arteta being left out of the derby for any other reason than injury are just utter crap. Evertonians who repeat them without reminding people that it’s mischievous subterfuge are as bad as the idiots who start the rumours. One possible response is’ Alright then, mouth, why didn’t he start the Sunderland game. Is he on his way there as well?’ (clever things you think of after the event No.991)
Through the front door could be any of Howard, Kirkland, Dudek, Traore (again), Penant, Zamora and the next Wayne Rooney. Hard to know what to make of these, but Kirkland has always stood out as being either shit or unfit, and often both.
The one story which appears to ‘have legs’ is the Yobo one. Moyesy’s comments about his contract spell problems. Also, Joey looked pretty casual on Saturday and nowhere near his outstanding form pre-African Nations cup.
Saturday’s setback is the first slip for a while against a team we should be beating and the next 3 games against Charlton, Spurs and Chelsea are in danger on putting paid to any hopes of a top half place and Europe. 4 points is an absolute minimum requirement now, any less and we can forget it.
Normal, more positive, service will be resumed in the next couple of days. Real Life Blues will look ahead to Saturday’s game against the Addicks (it always sounds like addicts when people say it), and we’ll all take it from there eh?
Comments
Sorry, but I just cannot see Everton getting a European place this year.
No need to apologise, mystery man or woman. A point in the derby and 3 against Sunderland and the force would have been with us. Now a 2003/4-esque crawl to the end of the season is a real risk.
He should apologise. He's obviously a Kopite.
I never saw us getting a place to be fair. I was hoping for eighth though.
The way we played on Saturday we could end up being 15th. Let's not forget our traditional end of season dive when not in 'the fight'.
Speaking of trying to like a new signing. I tried very hard with Wrighty but now I want him tarred and feathered.
Point taken Beef.
The comment had all the incisive wit and drive associated with the RS, but I was prepared to believe it was someone being nice.
Wright just makes everyone nervous (even when he's getting stuff out of the loft)
IMD
