I was thinking back to our very recent brushes with relegation, and the discussions we were all having around the reasons for our plight. We were worried about the managers we had during those few years, but most fingers were pointed at the quality of players we had available and the lack of recruitment in key positions.
I don’t recall a lot of discussion about the players not caring and lacking fight, or the manager losing the dressing room. It was more about the fact that the players were just not good enough for the Prem and they lacked confidence.
In contrast, Spurs has a team of players that were successful in Europe and should be challenging for top 8. They have a striker on the bench, (Richarlison), who would walk into our first team.
Another major difference is the attitude of the fans. Ours got behind the players in a major way. The team knew they were supported and our fans would make Goodison Park a hostile environment for visiting sides. Our away fans were often louder than our hosts fans. They were magnificent in their unconditional support of Everton.
Spurs fans are rightly disgusted with their players and their manager and board, and it is clear they are not giving the team the level of support they need to get out of this situation.
The saying goes that what counts is not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog. On current form, West Ham and Forest are showing their dogs are up for the fight. I can’t say that about Spurs.
www.theguardian.com
