But after "Agent Benitez's" tenure there, surely it is a poisoned chalice? The owner, Farhad Moshiri, has overseen a calamitous period at the club, going through a host of managers including, Big Sam Allardyce, Benitez, Roberto Martinez, Marco Silva and Ronnie Koeman. He has spent £600 million on players and even sacking his managers has cost him £50 million, yet he has nothing to show for his money. The Everton faithful must be pulling their hair out, yet the owner has taken another huge gamble by punting for Lampard, who failed at Chelsea, his only other EPL club.
Everton are a great British club, full of history and tradition, with loyal supporters and aspirations to get success to rival their fellow Liverpudlians across Stanley Park. But they haven't seen sustained success since the 80s when Howard Kendal led them to an FA cup win in 84 and First Division titles in 85 and 87.
Many Evertonians will point to the Moyes era as a success but he won nothing. I don't think qualifying for the UEFA cup is success and that is all Moyes achieved. He famously played weakened teams in the cup competitions, yet these were his best chance of winning something.
In the 80s Evertonians had a great relationship with their neighbours at Liverpool. Who can forget the solidarity shown after Hillsborough? But this accord seems a distant memory now and the relationship is at rock bottom. Made all the worse by Liverpool's success under Klopp and the rampant style of play which brought them a 19th league title. Derby matches now are bitter battles which Everton always lose.
So, a lot of pressure is on Moshiri to get the right man for the job. By all accounts the recruitment process was long and rigorous: multiple candidates were grilled and Lampard was the last man standing. He was an exceptional player in his time. His 177 EPL goals is remarkable considering he played in midfield and stands as the 5th best in history. His ability to arrive late into the box to finish off moves is legendary, but after failing at Chelsea can he find success at Everton?
So, a lot of pressure is on Moshiri to get the right man for the job. By all accounts the recruitment process was long and rigorous: multiple candidates were grilled and Lampard was the last man standing. He was an exceptional player in his time. His 177 EPL goals is remarkable considering he played in midfield and stands as the 5th best in history. His ability to arrive late into the box to finish off moves is legendary, but after failing at Chelsea can he find success at Everton?
I wish him all the best. I just fear that, like Man U, the problems at the club are structural. Recruitment has been awful and communication with the fans disgraceful. The cards seem stacked against Lampard. He will be hoping to get off on the front foot. First up is Brentford in the FA cup followed by three crucial league games against direct rivals Newcastle, Leeds and Southampton. Such is modern football that we will probably know his fate after those four games.
Everton's Bramley dock £ 500 mill stadium will be prone to flooding . Take a look @ the construction on Bramley Dock Drone - www.youtube.com # Water water everywhere
ReplyDeleteThe Everton teams that racked up 90 and 87 points ( 42 games ) when winning the lge were outstanding . Won the Cup winners cup in 1985 , would of gone far in the Euro cup , but for the ban on English teams .
ReplyDeleteThe last comments did not make it through. TPQ does not publish comments from "Unknown". It leads to too much confusion when there are multiple users posting as "Unknown". If your comment is for publication sign off on it.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to the Fozcast this morning and he pointed out that it is well known by all the other clubs that as soon as Everton appear to be on the back foot by the opposition then their own fans turn on them instantly. He even said this is factored into the team talks when they play Everton. It's bound to get in your head when your own fans are bagging you.
ReplyDeleteLampard won't have the immense pressure of managing Chelsea on his back so he'll probably feel he can be more adventurous, so I'm actually intrigued to see how he plays. Especially waiting to see if he can fix Delle Ali. Fuck knows what happened with him, he'd the world at his feet.
Steve R
ReplyDeleteI disagree, I think there is more pressure on him. If he fails at Everton he won't get another top club. It will be interesting to watch him and Gerrard, 2 legends of the EPL.
As for Dele Ali, neither Mou, Nuno nor Conte could get a tune out of him. I hope Lampard does.
Peter,
DeleteNah he's brought in because they are bloody awful at the minute, if it continues all he has to say it was like this already and the rot goes far deeper. All he has to do is sort the defence out to not make silly mistakes/lose concentration and close down in the zones closer they enemy gets to the box. The attack minded players he has need to be allowed to be more creative which is why I suspect Ali will be given free reign as a false 9. Still, I'd be ignoring the FA cup against Brentford and concentrating solely on PL survival.
Everton might bring in some American evangelist to perform one of their fraud miracles. They can convince the megafools in their megachurches that they have the power to heal so why not try their luck on the Everton fans? Even if the final result says Duffers 5 - Everton 0, the real result is in the mind of the Lord - Everton clear winners
ReplyDeleteAM,
DeleteThat's just cruel..
And spoken like a true Christian!