Dushku
Player Valuation: £1m
I know some of these points have been raised in previous forums. But, there's no denying, at this very moment in time..we are the "In-form" team in the league. There maybe a 10 point differential between us and Arsenal and the teams fighting it out for European placings, as things stand , we are the 'Best of the Rest'.
Now this is where things become muddied. Do we count our blessings and feel a huge sense of pride that we've dragged ourselves up by the proverbial boot straps and gone toe to toe with the likes of Manchester City ,United,Chelsea and Tottenham and even reached a semi final, all on our shoestring budget and threadbare squad ? Or do we kick ourselves in the shins and ask "Why didn't we play like this ,all season, why leave it so late,again ?!!".
There's no denying the introduction of Penauts and Jelavic has stimulated the team beyond recognition. Felli's , once lumbering and confused positional play has been reinvigorated so much so, he's now our most potent weapon behind that of Jelavic ! Two years ago, we introduced Landon Donovan upon the Premier League. A savant of football, amongst a myriad of kick and stand still merchants. We all saw the effect he had upon the team. Much like a child who watched Disneyland adverts all through the winter and finally his parents said "We're gong there in June, are you excited ?". Donovan was a whirlwind, his positional play was exceptional and his work rate was an inspiration. Even on his second coming, he was our leading ' goal-assist' . But the addition of Peanuts and Jelavic has once again given the kick up the arse we needed. Even the shock of seeing Gibson on our team sheet, seemed to galvanise a sometime jittery midfield. But why does it take until then for Everton to kick start their season. Now the players have bedded in, does this mean we'll go through the entire process again in August if Jelavic is injured and the Peanuts deal falls through ? Even if they are here, will the sudden impact and 'second season' syndrome take hold, much like it has with Hernandez over at Manchester United ?
Seasons back , we used to play in the Umbro Tournament, against both foreign and home grown teams, we even managed to crock Shearer out for a season during one of them. Everton need to shake things up pre-season, give them an impetus to win. A competitive trophy is an ideal way to start a season, rather than playing Preston North End. Win a trophy, no matter how frivolous would be a stepping stone to go on to win something poignant and real. Lose a tournament to some like Athletic Bilbao, would give you the grit and determination to go out and prove to yourselves, that you can do better ! A small yet needed stimulus is what our team needs, not a pre season playing some random team in Nevada in 110 degree heat, that will do more physical harm than good !
If we had the proper start and belief running through our squad from the get go, no matter how small, it would go along way to giving us that start to the season we've been craving for so long and we know they are capable of !
Now this is where things become muddied. Do we count our blessings and feel a huge sense of pride that we've dragged ourselves up by the proverbial boot straps and gone toe to toe with the likes of Manchester City ,United,Chelsea and Tottenham and even reached a semi final, all on our shoestring budget and threadbare squad ? Or do we kick ourselves in the shins and ask "Why didn't we play like this ,all season, why leave it so late,again ?!!".
There's no denying the introduction of Penauts and Jelavic has stimulated the team beyond recognition. Felli's , once lumbering and confused positional play has been reinvigorated so much so, he's now our most potent weapon behind that of Jelavic ! Two years ago, we introduced Landon Donovan upon the Premier League. A savant of football, amongst a myriad of kick and stand still merchants. We all saw the effect he had upon the team. Much like a child who watched Disneyland adverts all through the winter and finally his parents said "We're gong there in June, are you excited ?". Donovan was a whirlwind, his positional play was exceptional and his work rate was an inspiration. Even on his second coming, he was our leading ' goal-assist' . But the addition of Peanuts and Jelavic has once again given the kick up the arse we needed. Even the shock of seeing Gibson on our team sheet, seemed to galvanise a sometime jittery midfield. But why does it take until then for Everton to kick start their season. Now the players have bedded in, does this mean we'll go through the entire process again in August if Jelavic is injured and the Peanuts deal falls through ? Even if they are here, will the sudden impact and 'second season' syndrome take hold, much like it has with Hernandez over at Manchester United ?
Seasons back , we used to play in the Umbro Tournament, against both foreign and home grown teams, we even managed to crock Shearer out for a season during one of them. Everton need to shake things up pre-season, give them an impetus to win. A competitive trophy is an ideal way to start a season, rather than playing Preston North End. Win a trophy, no matter how frivolous would be a stepping stone to go on to win something poignant and real. Lose a tournament to some like Athletic Bilbao, would give you the grit and determination to go out and prove to yourselves, that you can do better ! A small yet needed stimulus is what our team needs, not a pre season playing some random team in Nevada in 110 degree heat, that will do more physical harm than good !
If we had the proper start and belief running through our squad from the get go, no matter how small, it would go along way to giving us that start to the season we've been craving for so long and we know they are capable of !
