Who would be happier than Everton

[Christiffa25]

No, course it doesn't, and you're bang on about Spurs, Arsenal etc... I'm just saying, we're entitled to expect a wee bit more than what this season delivered.

I don't think we're entitled to expect more than what we have achieved this season or any season in general speaking terms...

However based on how the cup draw was working in our favour this season the yes we should of been expecting a trip to wembley
and the cheap back door into Europe.

We would of lost to city in the final mind.

 

[ijjysmith]

The thing is I think the fa cup was our priority.

I don't think when Moyes played neville he thought he was weakening our team. He is actually that mad.

Totally agree.

 

[Allezfan]

We would of lost to city in the final mind.

I would have been interested to see it.

We do have quite a record against them.

 

[Walken]

I would have been interested to see it.

We do have quite a record against them.

The one top team he consistently motivates them for, which just makes him more infuriating

 

[Titus Bramble]

I think satisfaction of our final league position depends on how long you've been following Everton. Being 22, 6th (assuming that's where we finish) is the 3rd highest place I've seen us finish, therefore I think we've had a pretty good season league wise and we're unfortunate it won't qualify us in Europe.

But the Wigan game was and still is a huge disappointment and has cast a big shadow over our season. If we'd made Wembley the general mood would be so much better. It's a shame just 1 game has ruined our season.

 

[throughthewindandthedrain]

I don't trust Moyes to change, tbh. If he's still here come august I have no hopes for next season.

If we have another manager (and not some loser like Marttinez or Hughes or Megson) maybe. But I expect us to lose a few players in the summer.

We're in the awful position of having played well enough that our players look attractive but not so well that we can give them incentives to stay.

I really think part of the reason we are playing as well as we are is that a lot of players with the right attitude are at the club and I think nearly all will be here as long as we want them. You not gonna get an argument about Moyes with me, I have never been as big a fan as most blues, but cant argue with most of what has been achieved. Yeah, I would be more optimistic if I felt he had grown some, and I would still deep down like to see someone who can come in and put his arm around Barkley and tell him how good he could be. but that is the difference between where we are and where we could be and it doesn't feel like a big change to happen

 

[Christiffa25]

I would have been interested to see it.

We do have quite a record against them.

Yeah u just know tho that in the final of a cup we'd have our worst ever performance against city and get a 4-0 thumping or something!

 

[Eggs]

....very good thread and subject. I think a brilliant benchmark to any season is the Premiership Handicap mark that bookies give each team at the beginning. This seasom Man City started with 0 points, Man Utd with +3, right down to the liikes of Norwich on 40+ points. At the end of the season actual points are added to handicap mark.
At this point in time, Man Utd have just gone top ahead of West Brom. It looks like they will remain 1st and 2nd which represents a good season for each. The Blues will be in the upper reaches indicating better than expected whilst the Deludeds have finished around the bottom for the last few seasons.

 

[Librarian]

My neighbours wife is ugly and it doesn't make me happy

 

[ijjysmith]

My neighbours wife is ugly and it doesn't make me happy

Played.

 

[ijjysmith]

....very good thread and subject. I think a brilliant benchmark to any season is the Premiership Handicap mark that bookies give each team at the beginning. This seasom Man City started with 0 points, Man Utd with +3, right down to the liikes of Norwich on 40+ points. At the end of the season actual points are added to handicap mark.
At this point in time, Man Utd have just gone top ahead of West Brom. It looks like they will remain 1st and 2nd which represents a good season for each. The Blues will be in the upper reaches indicating better than expected whilst the Deludeds have finished around the bottom for the last few seasons.

What? Really?

 

[Seamus Colemole]

Yeah u just know tho that in the final of a cup we'd have our worst ever performance against city and get a 4-0 thumping or something!

And the "how did we stand a chance against City considering the money they've spent, they had Rodwell on the bench who cost £12 million ffs" excuses would have been trotted out.

 

[throughthewindandthedrain]

so if I am right some 'regulars' don't want to discuss the idea its been a good season because its just wrong to compare ourselves to other teams or our own reasonable expectations. not exactly sure how that pans out in a sport based around how you do compared to others. the comparison with how other supporters are feeling may not even be the best way to point out that you can miss out on glory and still be proud of the club. happy if people disagree but some points of view seem to amount to walking into a pub full of strangers who are talking about coronation street and telling them you don't want to talk about it so they cant. not really an opinion more a form of insecurity about being disagreed with. anyone thinks we have been sh it then fair play, put your point of view, but don't tell people they cant discuss it because you care about the club and to prove it you wont accept them not winning anything. I have walked away from more games feeling like the world has ended than most. if we finish sixth or worse for the next forty years then I will keep coming back for more, but with a few reservations I am coming back next season feeling more optimistic than I reckon most fans of other clubs are.

 

[Allezfan]

so if I am right some 'regulars' don't want to discuss the idea its been a good season because its just wrong to compare ourselves to other teams or our own reasonable expectations. not exactly sure how that pans out in a sport based around how you do compared to others. the comparison with how other supporters are feeling may not even be the best way to point out that you can miss out on glory and still be proud of the club. happy if people disagree but some points of view seem to amount to walking into a pub full of strangers who are talking about coronation street and telling them you don't want to talk about it so they cant. not really an opinion more a form of insecurity about being disagreed with. anyone thinks we have been sh it then fair play, put your point of view, but don't tell people they cant discuss it because you care about the club and to prove it you wont accept them not winning anything. I have walked away from more games feeling like the world has ended than most. if we finish sixth or worse for the next forty years then I will keep coming back for more, but with a few reservations I am coming back next season feeling more optimistic than I reckon most fans of other clubs are.

I wrote a thing elsewhere that I have basically four tiers of expectations.

There's the very top tier which is the goals that I don't expect us to reach but if reached make it an "excellent season". The sort you'll look back on and tell stories about. Which is mostly trophies, though reaching three finals and finishing 2nd or having a player break dixie's record even if we come 7th would also count.

Then there's the second tier, the sort of thing that it isn't good enough to be an end in itself, but gives you hope for the future. Qualifying for europe (especially the CL), competing for trophies, bringing in or producing world class players or managers. Achieving anything like that, would make me happy and hopeful and looking forward to next year and for me it's the minimum needed for a good year.

Then there's the third tier of aims. Which is basically if you haven't won a trophy and you haven't made it to europe and you know it's going to be a middling failiure of a season. There's still a whole bunch of aims that can make it into a fun year rather than bad one. Style of football, derby results, finishing above the RS, playing well at home, picking up a decent points total, having some cup runs, new buyes or kids who look exciting. I think we all know that some 7th placed seasons feel better than others.

And I think that's what you're getting at that it's not a good season but it's a good midtable season. But for me it's too early to say, yet. We've played some nice stuff, won a lot of games but we've also stifled our kids, not won a derby yet and had two really embarassing cup defeats to inferior teams. It's not as good a bad season for me as the fiorentina or cup final years were and if we let liverpool catch us it could be quite a bad bad season.

The fourth tier of aims is just the stuff you want to stop you killing yourself. Liverpool to not win any big trophies, not to lose both derbies, not to get in a relegation fight, not to lose your best players, not to get relegated etc. Avoiding them won't save your season but it'll stop it being completly disastrous.

 

[throughthewindandthedrain]

I wrote a thing elsewhere that I have basically four tiers of expectations.

There's the very top tier which is the goals that I don't expect us to reach but if reached make it an "excellent season". The sort you'll look back on and tell stories about. Which is mostly trophies, though reaching three finals and finishing 2nd or having a player break dixie's record even if we come 7th would also count.

Then there's the second tier, the sort of thing that it isn't good enough to be an end in itself, but gives you hope for the future. Qualifying for europe (especially the CL), competing for trophies, bringing in or producing world class players or managers. Achieving anything like that, would make me happy and hopeful and looking forward to next year and for me it's the minimum needed for a good year.

Then there's the third tier of aims. Which is basically if you haven't won a trophy and you haven't made it to europe and you know it's going to be a middling failiure of a season. There's still a whole bunch of aims that can make it into a fun year rather than bad one. Style of football, derby results, finishing above the RS, playing well at home, picking up a decent points total, having some cup runs, new buyes or kids who look exciting. I think we all know that some 7th placed seasons feel better than others.

And I think that's what you're getting at that it's not a good season but it's a good midtable season. But for me it's too early to say, yet. We've played some nice stuff, won a lot of games but we've also stifled our kids, not won a derby yet and had two really embarassing cup defeats to inferior teams. It's not as good a bad season for me as the fiorentina or cup final years were and if we let liverpool catch us it could be quite a bad bad season.

The fourth tier of aims is just the stuff you want to stop you killing yourself. Liverpool to not win any big trophies, not to lose both derbies, not to get in a relegation fight, not to lose your best players, not to get relegated etc. Avoiding them won't save your season but it'll stop it being completly disastrous.

yeah depending on how the rest of the day went I drift between the second and third tier. stifling the kids is the big scary thing I am afraid of. Just at the moment I feel like Moyes will see sense or we will get someone in who will. I think I may have given up on Moyes when I saw Osman and Pienaar on team sheet ahead of Barkley. willing to be proved wrong about that but just don't want to wonder what if...