It hurts me in a way that I have come to realise to others its probably considered irrational how much Everton - and by this, I mean Everton’s Current Board, Previous Boards, Current Owners, Past Owners, Managers and in many ways, players, Media, the wider football world - of their acceptance and general agreement to the inconsequence that our Club as a major force in this country has become. Nine times league champions, multiple breakers of transfer fee records for players, a ground befitting of a World Cup semi-final.
We are rightly proud of our history but for a generation, we have been sleep walking into insignificance. Shame on many for that. No doubt football has changed since the Premiership was formed. A move we instigated let’s not forget. What has played out since is nothing short of criminal. Acceptance of our place in the Top Division is not the standard by which this club should measure itself, but our decline has been so dramatic that we have had to accept the ignominy of celebrating this on final day season game cliffhangers. The reasons why and blame culture that persists has to be resigned to the past. We are playing catch up on a level we’re the gap has never been wider. Our progress has been too slow for many - I agree - but there is progress and we have seen recent investment of a level that has been unprecedented since the sixties, but in my view has done no more than keep us relevant, yet way short of what is really needed. It’ll take time and perhaps not in my lifetime there is future success to come - but as it stands the club is at a crossroads and the decisions and delivery this Board makes in the next five years will be the most defining of a generation.