Toffees Come Unstuck: Where Did Everton’s Season Go off the Rails?

In the last few weeks the wheels have well and truly come off Everton’s exciting season. A string of poor results has left them trailing in their Merseyside rivals wake. The home defeat to Chelsea on Thursday night even saw the players booed from the pitch by the Goodison Park faithful. Whilst Champions League football was the club’s target a few weeks ago, the loss of momentum could see David Moyes’ team end the season without even Uefa Cup qualification to show for their exploits.

 Fatigue, Injury or Broken Hearts?

A number of theories have been banded about concerning the Toffees recent lack of form. Some have blamed fatigue, whilst others have laid the blame on injuries to key players. Of course all these factors have played a part in the Blues demise. However, I personally believe that the overriding factor can be traced back to March 12th, the night Everton were cruelly beaten by Fiorentina in the Uefa Cup.

Toffees Dreams Crushed by Fiorentina

The critics had written the Toffees hopes of overturning a 2-goal first leg deficit against the Italians on that Wednesday night in March. However, David Moyes’ team produced a heroic performance to claw themselves back into the tie only to lose heartbreakingly on penalties. In my opinion this was the watershed for Everton’s season as momentum and belief were lost. Everton were enjoying a sensational 9-match unbeaten League run of form which included 7 wins. In this period the Blues kept seven clean-sheets and showed no signs of slowing down as they fought head to head with Liverpool for the final Champions League qualifying spot. However, since that fateful night the Toffees have picked up just 5 points from the last 18 available and have slipped 5 points behind their Merseyside rivals despite playing a game more. The expectation around the club has been replaced by disappointment as a season that promised so much a month ago, looks destined for failure.

Reasons to be Cheerful

However, can this season really be seen as a failure if as is likely Everton fail to qualify for the Champions League? The answer should be an emphatic no; the Toffees have established themselves as a top 6 club for the second season running and have strengthened a relatively small squad whilst spending far less than most of the sides around them. They have maintained their hard working ethic whilst blending it with a touch of class in the midfield with Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill. The acquisition of Yakubu has strengthened their goal threat whilst reducing the burden on Andrew Johnson. Their defence is one of the best in the Premier League with only Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool possessing better defensive records. Tim Howard has proven himself an excellent goalkeeper whilst Phil Jagielka has formed a solid central defensive partnership with Joseph Yobo. Then there’s Joleon Lescott who has not only performed consistently but also weighed in with a number of goals. If Moyes is backed in the transfer market then his side can only improve further next season. The majority of their star names are secured on long-term contracts and their consistency will make them a far brighter prospect for transfer targets than they would have been a few seasons ago. If Everton can strengthen their midfield with 1 or 2 flair players to build on their solidity, they may yet compete with the big 4 in seasons to come.

Blue Pride on Merseyside

It’s understandable that Evertonian’s would be disappointed by their recent Premier League capitulation. However, after a season when they’ve reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, the last 16 of the Uefa Cup and should finish in the top 6, this should be regarded as a relatively successful season. After occupying one of the top 5 Premier League positions since January 12th it would be heartbreaking for Everton to be pipped at the post by Portsmouth or Villa in the final weeks of the season. As a neutral it’s been refreshing to see the Toffees challenging for a place in the big 4 whilst upsetting the Premier League status quo. So whilst disappointment at the team’s failure to qualify for Europe’s most prestigious club competition is understandable, I urge Toffees fans to stick by both their manager and their players and be proud of their achievements and improvements this season.

Toffees Still ‘Paying the Penalty’

If Evertonian’s need reminding of just how well they’ve done this season, they only need to take a look at the 2 clubs who finished either side of them in the last campaign. Tottenham are languishing in 11th position despite a huge investment in players whilst Bolton look set for relegation. All supporters can make cases for ‘ifs and buts’ for their club’s showing in a season and there’s no doubt that the Toffees have been on the wrong end of a number of bad refereeing decisions such as their disallowed goal at Blackburn or their failure to be awarded a penalty in the first Merseyside derby. I accept these incidents harmed Moyes’ team’s chances of a top 4 finish though the fact is they still remained in a strong position despite them. In my opinion the unfortunate turning point for Everton’s season came in their Uefa Cup 2nd leg match against Fiorentina. It would seem the Toffees are still paying the ‘penalty’ for their failure from 12-yards against the Italians on a Wednesday night in March.

 Written by Christian Goodbrand

Tags: Champions League, Everton, Premier League, Toffees, Uefa Cup

This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 18:09 and is filed under Features, Home Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.