Social Items

TPQ
Showing posts with label Everton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everton. Show all posts
Peter Anderson ⚽ This week saw the announcement that Everton will be deducted 10 points in the EPL, effectively dropping them into the relegation zone for a breach of the “Break-even Laws”. 

UEFA and the EPL set up their own Financial Fair Play (FFP) laws after the shambles that was Leeds United and Deportivo La Coruña in the early noughties. Both clubs got into massive debt problems which saw them relegated and desperate to sell off top players at bargain prices to ward off the debt collectors. This intervention was all more than welcome.

Too many unscrupulous investors got into football for money and glory, borrowed a small fortune and lost it all and more. The outcome is always that the real supporters suffer the most. Everton have over spent by £19m in the last 3 year period and so have to take their punishment. If ever there was a good year to lose 10 points it is this one, as there are 3 awful clubs in the league who will almost certainly finish as the bottom three.

As soon as the Everton news broke, the pundits were anticipating the punishment that Man City will get, if and when they are found guilty of their alleged breach of FFP rules. Liverpool, Man U and Arsenal all want City relegated, as they say any fine would be meaningless and point deductions would not cause any jeopardy.

But City’s case highlights the flaw at the heart of FFP which makes it such a dubious set of rules. The world and his wife knows that FFP was waved through as it helped to preserve the domination of the “big clubs”. Essentially Real, Bayern and Man U were worried about the rise of PSG and Chelsea then City. We can argue all day long about whether Abu Dhabi are fit and proper owners of an EPL team, or who precisely should be able to own a British football team, but what can not be argued about is their commitment to City and to the community in East Manchester in general. They have invested heavily in Man City, created unparalleled facilities and opportunities for kids’ and women’s football in the area. They have not mortgaged the club and let the stadium rot like our neighbours. City have reported revenue of £713m for last year, the biggest ever in the EPL.

I staunchly believe that clubs should not be able to borrow beyond their means, and that fit and proper persons laws should be strict and powerful, but tell me please, how exactly what City has done is bad for football or for East Manchester? City haven’t gambled borrowed money nor mortgaged the club to line their own pockets, just taken league titles off Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal. Maybe City have broken the law, but the law’s an ass in this case.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports

Financial Fair Play

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ The past few seasons with the close run title race between Liverpool and Manchester City invariably meant that, come the final day of the campaign, the focus was on what was happening at the top of the table. 

Today it was different. While Liverpool were never contenders, for long enough the title battle was anything but a one horse race. Prior to shooting themselves in both feet the Gunners looked well placed to repeat Leicester's surprise smash and grab of seven years ago. With nothing left in the arsenal to reload, the Londoners could only gaze north and watch City cruise to their third title in succession. With matters settled at the top, the periscope was pulled and all eyes this afternoon were averted to the bottom of the table clashes, where three clubs were fighting for survival, only one of which could avoid the drop. 

Our game of choice was the decider at Goodison. Whatever happened with Leeds or Leicester, the Toffees held the fate of all three relegation rooters in their hands. Ensconced within a Liverpool hoodie, alongside my son I watched the game hoping Everton would stay up. He is always incredibly well informed about players and stats so I am constantly in receipt of a live feed when viewing a game with him. 

While an avid Liverpool supporter who hates to see the blue side of the city triumph over the red, when it comes to the wider city, on this occasion I very much wanted to see the Evertonians get their victory. The people of Liverpool deserve it. The one city that has told the monarchy where to go and has persistently been a bane to the establishment is welcome to a respite from the opprobrium thrown its way by officialdom.

Liverpool FC’s derby rivals, Everton are the second longest side in the topflight of English soccer, only Arsenal with a longer pedigree. On occasion they have almost let go of the safety rail but somehow managed to stay up. Today’s side is a long way off from the great team of the 1980s. Always in the shadow of their illustrious rivals, it has struggled to do the city proud. But today, it came good when in that formidable Scouse determination the blue side of Liverpool brought out its sticky toffee attribute and glued itself to the Premiership for at least another season, courtesy of a super strike by Abdoulaye Doucoure. It was almost as good as Graeme Sharpe's goal of the season against Liverpool in 1984. 

Had today's match been played mid season it would have seemed pedestrian. But the final game of the season with everything hanging on it, it was even more highly charged than many cup finals. With ten minutes added time, even my wife's fine Mexican cuisine could not tempt us away from the screen to the table she had laid out in the back garden.

While rooting for Everton to stay up it was with a tinge of sadness that I saw Leeds United go down. Their performances this season left them unworthy of Premiership status. It is not that they did not have enough time to steady the ship and guide it through choppy waters. Once Bielsa got the chop Leeds' destiny always looked to be the drop. Although as Barry Gilheany reminded me. Bielsa sealed his own fate with his exciting but wayward brand of soccer, leaving the club with little option but to look elsewhere for the leadership that would have put the brake on its rapid descent.  

A new season beckons the other side of July. Everton have come perilously close to being relegated in their last two outings. The ominous thought of three strikes and you are out must be hovering like a bad smell at this evening's victory banquet. 

Still for now, a glass shall be raised to my old friend Kevin Keogh, a very relieved blue.

⏩Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.


Toffee Time

Peter Anderson ⚽ Who would want the Everton job? Frank Lampard apparently.

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? 

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. 

I hope for the best but fear the worst.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

Poisoned Chalice

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)