Nineteen Eighty Big Four

"There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always - do not forget this, Winston - always there will be the intoxication of power constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face...for ever."

Orwell's novel 1984 perfectly describes the Premier League Big Four and their choke hold on domestic honours, aided and abetted by Sky Sports and the horrific carousel that is Grand Slam Sunday - a phlegm projectile in the face of supposed  'random' fixture  lists. Whilst the four fat cats scoff away at the Champions League spots the Premier League cur dogs scrap for the right to play in the UEFA Cup, an obvious attempt at anaesthetising the proles' ambitions.

In the past six years only one team has broken the Big Four's collusive oligarchy - and this year Moyes' men finished just short of that target. In American sport-speak, second place is "first loser", in the Premier League that dubious accolade is reserved for fifth place. Everton have yet again punched above their weight, beating our previous best points tally in the Premier League, going on a strong UEFA Cup run in which we were only undone on penalties, and yet...there are still some people saying that Moyes has taken the club as far as he can - a mouth-frothingly crazed assertion.

Moyes, our Winston Smith, has turned Phil Jagielka into a possible England international, coaxed the best out of Yobo, Lescott, Carsley, Arteta, and Osman - and without his touch, these players could revert to their former selves. The Scotsman has been critiqued for his supposed tactical naivety, and is apparently to blame for several dropped points but the fact that we won our first penalty this season in the 82nd minute of the last game, tells you everything you need to know about our luck with referees - surely more worthy of Everton fans' vitriol. The fact remains that with modest funds we have achieved a trajectory that should have been mapped out by a Tottenham or Manchester City with their vast vats of cash.

The black dog of negativity is on Moyes' back; recently - after Everton's 1-0 defeat at the Emirates - a torrent of abuse flooded Toffeeweb, one of the largest Everton fan sites. The most melancholy Morrissey wail couldn't sum up the depressing dirge that this site has become, with many fans railing against Moyes and his apologists, who are seen to be too accepting of a mere fifth placed finish.

  Our motto - Nil Satis Nisi Optimum - roughly translated as Nothing But The Best Is Good Enough - has now become a weapon to attack Moyes. I have been very critical of Chelsea and their swift, money assisted ascent to success - but many Everton fans seem to have woken from a coma - I think many are under the impression that we are still in the 1980's. It is all too convenient for mealy mouthed spoilt gits to slide their yearning for instant glory behind the club's motto - this is a dangerous path and isn't right for my club.

This has been a great season for Everton, and while the stands rock with "if you know yer 'istory" - many are ironically forgetting the barren tundra that was the 90's (FA Cup win excepted) and most of the noughties too. Let's put this into perspective - we spent as much as Middlesbrough this season - we have lost Cahill, Vaughan, and most recently Arteta to injury, and yet still performed well. Everton have a paddling pool of a squad - at Old Trafford they have the Prawn Sandwich Brigade - but at Goodison there is a growing band of spoiled brats; the Veruca Salt Brigade who somehow think that fifth place, and a hearty run in the UEFA Cup is nothing.

And once the angry locals with their pitchforks and burning torches have had their way with David Moyes, they will turn to our Chairman Bill Kenwright, a "theatre impresario", two words that - amongst his detractors - paint a picture of a bumbling Max Bialystock figure - continuously chasing investment, and pursuing the super-flop at Kirby. The negative Toffees glumly sit in Goodison, looking to the heavens, and see Kenwright sitting there in the gods, and wonder why it has all gone to the dogs.

  It's strange how expectations warp like a Polaroid in the fires of crazed ambition; we would have gladly taken fifth place and a good run in the UEFA Cup at the beginning of the season, but now for some that isn't enough. Make no mistake, if we do break into the top four once again, soon that won't be enough - these knee jerk assassins will be the death of Moyes. We criticise Chairmen for  being too trigger happy, and mercenary players, but our fans need to stop acting like it is our right to succeed.

Everton Football Club, where - to some - success tastes like failure.

Ed Bottomley

Comments

[harry dean]

listen, don't go to that miserable website. They are only happy when they are moaning. One of the guys who runs it, i think his name is Michael, gets upset everytime someone disagrees with him.
I don't think he is an evertonian either. He's always banging on about arriving in the city not knowing which team to support in hi early 20's and picking Everton. To hear his rants and wails, it does make you wonder why he didn't pick the shite?
They protest too much.
It's like they own this little stick to hit anyuone with they don't like and if you take it off them they start crying.
Don't play their game
Harry Dean

[Comatosed City]

As a Manchester City supporter i believe this article has real intellectual merit and represents a brilliant analogy of the almost unbridgable gap/glass ceiling that has crystalised above 5th position in the Premier League. The top 4 are all massive world-wide brands and each day they are pulling further and further away and let's not kid ourselves this is only the beginning of the end. The untouchables will only get stronger and stronger and the gap will increase to embarrassing degrees.

The most depressing thing is that even if one of City, Everton or Spurs out-performed let's say Arsenal (seemingly the only club in there that could possibly slide if the big investor doesn't materialise) in one particular season and then qualified for the Champions League. People may rejoice and think finally somebody has broken the hegemony - there's a chance for us all. No we are fooling ourselves, the chances are we wouldn't have the resources to commit successfully to the champions League and the Premiership and fall away after the first group or next round and as a result the league form would slip, injuries would be incurred and then the club we displaced would be firmly back rooted in the place they believe they belong.

Short term fixes won't solve the problem but seemingly the task is virtually impossible even if a long-term strategy is put in place as ultimately mega-money is the only language of football today. The UEFA Cup is a cancer, most teams actually lose money on it or just about break even, even the winners only get a pittance prob. less than the top 4 get from just one game in the CL. The UEFA prevents teams from bridging the gap because it taxes their player resources and so its the perfect carve up for the top 4; they must laugh when they see the likes of Everton and Spurs going balls out to try and do something in the UEFA and then playing in the Prem only days later with about half the squad in quality and depth that they have.

The way it is going you could quite possibly see the English top 4 becoming and staying Europe's top 4 before long and with it monopolising the CL's latter stages. Whereas it was looking like a English team might only win the CL every 10 years or so looking at the finalists and winners in the last 3 years indicates what is about to come. I predict rather starkly that it will be become the norm for one of the top 4 to win the CL now and that i'll be surprised if there's not an English winner in at least 1 in 3 of the finals to come in the next 10 years for starters.

The dream for millions of football fans across the country is over, forever, let's face it. The only way it could be overturned is if someone with billions of pounds created another Chelsea - even then it would take a while as Chelsea had a top four squad before Abramovich and the top 4 are miles ahead in every sense without even mentioning the football played on the pitch, and so they would all take some catching. And would you actually want your club turned into this losing what identity it had just to become one of the ugliest commodities. It's a thankless task to get there you need billions and if you get the billions ala Chelsea it doesn't feel special or right, and nobody really respects your "achievements" and will just say you've bought it - which of course is more or less what every other team in the top four has done one way or another particularly in recent years. The game is over - we are "also rans". Yes you, us can get fifth and get a commendable pat on the back and be respected as the best of the rest, but the top 4 meanwhile just cream more and more of the milk and are laughing their neverregions off at all us mugs or give condescending remarks like "your doing alright" or might ask with vacant interest which Polish side your playing in a half empty Stadium in Krakow this Thurday night to be aired on Channel 5!

The top four's prole fans do not care for obvious reasons, but we must ask whether the other 88 clubs "supporters"/proles care enough to make their feeling count. Protesting would probably not work but there has never been a mass collective demonstration or pettition against it and it you don't try to change the "natural order" of things the chances are they never will. "If there is hope it is in the Proles". Substitute that to If there is hope it is in the supporters. The death knell of English football is sounding, but does anyone really care? Most have not even noticed.

Matthew Coyne 22.05.2008

[Gerard Madden]

Excellent article Ed!

I tend to agree that Toffeeweb is very very poor and dirge-like and doesnt reflect the views of the wider fanbase, I find Bluekipper is much better - good balanced news and articles and an editorial stance that doesnt force itself on anyone.

The attacks that Toffeeweb have dished out on the Moyesiah and the club are disgraceful, outside of the world of TW (and NSNO!) the club and Moyes are viewed as stable and successful by blues and non-blues alike.

[Roy]

Ed this is an excellent piece.To be honest I couldn't tell you why i visit toffeeweb these days - the negativity is mindnumbing. It is good to be reminded that it is not a universal view!!Certainly I have faith in Moyes this summer and beyond - He clearly knows what hes doing. I just worry if anything that Celtic may become the prospect that tempts him away from us - if he can't take us into the top 4, then his only route to the top would be champions league experience and trophies at Celtic and then follow Ferguson at United when he retires after overhauling Liverpool in the number of titles. I shall be watching Gordon Strachan's progress with interest this summer...

[Robert Jones]

Gav - ''There is not one Evertonian who isn't incredibly grateful for what David Moyes has done for our club''

Oh yes there is, his names Tony Marsh put his name in Google, he loves David Moyes nearly as much as I love liverpool.

[David Jones]

Ed, I remember reading that comment about Yakubu from you when you posted it originally on Toffeeweb and it sounds as ridiculous now as it did then. Surely making comments like that, albeit about a player and not the manager, make you as misguided and 'knee jerk' as anyone?? I knew Yakubu was a quality player searching for real match fitness and I got behind him and supported him...and we have all seen the benefits of his addition with a 21 goal return. You,on the other hand, showing a shockingly shallow understanding of the game and what actually makes a QUALITY footballer(something, it appears Moyes is only just grasping himself), decided to tear the lad to bits and call him 'a slug on ketamine'!!! Whiff of contradiciton there IMO. Live and let live I say. Toffeeweb is a good site and, unlike some, they are happy to air everyones views irrelevant of their own personal viewpoint. What the people say is what the people feel and I don't see why that should be censored. I am sure Moyes is thick skinned and intelligent enough to realise what football ans are like...at all clubs. The whole ground sung his name last Sunday, I doubt he'll lose much sleep over what is posted on Toffeeweb. Take a valium and put your feet up!

[magicjuan]

what a surprise that so many reds join in as, while there is unrest at EFC (allegedly), it masks over the difficulties that the present red side have in living up to their supporters sky4 demands of instant glory. Don't like it? Well it's just an opinion and when an opinion is picked up and used in this manner it can become the focal point for a piece in a blog.

[Gav]

There is not one Evertonian who isn't incredibly grateful for what David Moyes has done for our club, and 35,000 singing his name at the Newcastle game was a real show of support for him with his current contract issues. But Toffeeweb is a fantastic site that allows Evertonians to get their opinions across, however deluded you think they are - surely you realise that Moyes is far from perfect and has deserved criticism at times this season?

Everyone needs to stop dwelling on the fact that 'a few years ago we were rubbish' because the point is that now we are not, we spend 11 million on strikers and qualify for Europe regularly. Of course we owe this to Moyes but Man United aren't about to offer Giggs a five year deal for what he's done for them in the past. I have no doubt that with Kenwright's backing which he MUST get then Moyes is the man to take us forward.

I couldn't be more happy to have David Moyes as manager as Everton but he must take us forward otherwise what's the point? I'm not happy finishing 5th every year, I feel a trophy however Mickey Mouse other teams see it would be the perfect answer to those that criticise Moyes, whether you think they're right or wrong to do so.

[Maccabill]

Eric T - Kirkby revenue streams!!! Ha! Ha! (etc.) I'll file under 'a little bit of humour to lighten the tone of a fractious discussion'. Wave to me when you go - I'll be in a pub in the city centre watching on telly and saving a fortune. (Shh! don't tell the missus!)

[Dan Murphy]

Toffeeweb disgraced themselves this season with all the moaning and whining at any setbacks.
Under Moyes Everton overachieved this season.
The margins against the Sky 4 clubs were very slim: Clattenbirk's refereeing, last minute goals in both United games. With improvement and a bit of luck we'll pick up some points against these next season. That's if Moyes and some of the players don't tire of playing for a bunch of ingrates who throw the toys out of the pram when they don't get things their own way.
With all that demanding instant gratification and scapegoating of people who still have a positive role to play for the club these glass-half-emptyists resemble nothing so much as...reds.
P.S. Agree the running of the club is piss poor.

[Flav]

An excellent article there Ed. I'm a Spurs fan and can draw massive comparison to the way Jol was treated towards the end of his tenure. Spurs fans are rightly regarded as the most fickle on the planet and it is for this reason that I detest most of them. I go the White Hart Lane and listen to the moaning between breaths without taking time to sing and support the team while getting behind the manager. While there will be thousands of real fans that support their club regardless of position and form there are as many plums who decipher every missed pass and blame it on the manager. Jol was tactically lacking, but he had the players willing to sweat blood for him and that's what took us to successive 5th places.

It's a shame to read that there's similar antics going on at Goodison, but with a bit of luck effect the amazing performances that Everton have put out this season and see the mighty Spurs rise above - and hopefully get at least a draw at the Lane next season.

[Steve]

Are those transfer expenditures gross or net? Just this past year ManU dispatched only 20mil (Heinze, Kieran, Smith) while bringing in Tevez, Hargreaves, Nani, and Anderson for close to 75. Torres, Yossi, Babel, and Lucas cost 20 mil more than the club's sales, and that's with new ownership making an impression.

Let's not forget wages. Ballack may have cost Chelsea 'nothing,' but he's still the highest-paid player on the team.

[Darren]

Lets not go too far, there are fools demanding miracles at Goodison but i along with thousands around me at every game do nothing but worship Moyes. We will talk about naive mistakes but he's still learning and learning fast.

So please dont make out that we are all ungrateful idiots because the majority of us know and understand that we are watching the beginning of greatness and patience will be our will be our biggest asset.

[Paul]

Ryan
When did basing opinions on facts become belligerence?
Paul

[ryan matthews]

for andrew who knows nothing of football, second half of the season jags has been argueably our player of the season, and didnt cost 10mill like kuyt, idiot. and yes pav the gap is the same between us an u, and u and utd bt we were ahead of lpool 4 a long time, lpool were out of the title race (as usual) by christmas. As for Paul, grow up and comment on your own underacheiving, "well challenge for the league NEXT season", foreign legion fan bearing, single competition challenging side, you belligerent dope.

[Ed Bottomley]

Paul, that was a criticism of Yakubu, who had just signed for us - and not a criticism of Moyes who has just got us fifth. In that same article I also wrote: "Moyes is still intoxicated with the barnstorming goal that Yakubu scored for Portsmouth against us... Collecting the ball from a header he charged through several Everton defenders with such strength it was as if Jonah Lomu had switched footballing codes and then slapped the ball through the back of the goal... If only he could come up with something like that on Saturday, then all will be forgiven!" Hardly a negative ending to the article...You'll also find a piece on Toffeeweb, poking fun at Moyes back in '07 - but it is the twisted kicking of Moyes, not when he is down - but when he is up - that I find perverse...

[Paul]

Re comparing transfer spending.
A spreadsheet containing an astonishing lack of detail, cobbled together from four different sources. That clinches the debate without a doubt!
Everton C- If you want to call a defeat a draw then go ahead, I couln't care less.
By the way, I have only mentioned Liverpool in relation to transfer fees paid but you, along with other Everton fans, have referred to them throughout the debate.
For the record, when Liverpool won the UEFA cup in 2000/01, they defeated teams including Olympiakos, Roma,Porto and Barcelona along the way. By the end of the 2005/06 season three of those, including Liverpool, had gone on to win the European Cup. Where were the clubs of that calibre in this season's competition?
The fact is the useless idiots at UEFA have practically destroyed their own tournament. Zenit St Petrsburg can celebrate their victory till the cows come home. I say good luck to them but it doesn't alter the fact that the tournament has become second rate and needs a radical overhaul if it's not to go the same way as the Cup winner's cup.
One last thing. I wouldn't trust sky sport to tell me the date.
They have a near monopoly on football, yet their coverage of the game is stale, repetative dross.

[Paul]

"Yakubu, so far, in my mind at least, has been a royal waste of money. Two flat-track bully goals, and the general contribution of a slug on ketamine, coupled with better, harder-working youngsters breathing down his very large neck, like Anichebe and Vaughan."

Positive comments? ... don't think so. Published where? ToffeeWeb, of course.

Written by whom? Why none other than Ed Bottomley! Sounds like you are part of the problem, Ed. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

[Eric T]

I think your correspondent overstates the case somewhat.

Whilst there is no doubt that there are a self-serving minority of supporters (mostly internet-based, I might add) who are growing impatient with Moyes and the Everton board, the vast majority of the supporter base realise that Mr. Moyes and the board are doing the best that they can in adverse circumstances, and indeed that the club are punching well above their weight in terms of success.

With the proposed ground move to Kirkby, the club are sure to secure revenue streams far in advance of anything available now, and once this money begins to flow into the club I'm sure that we shall once again see Everton re-established as one of the pre-eminnent forces in English football, and the doubters will be silenced.

What do others think?

[EZY]

Im a clueless dolt like most of the peoples forum all I ever do is whihne and complain about Moyes

Why you ask because im a idiot that doesnt go to the match and doesnt have a grasp on reality just like the peoples forum collective

What sort of manager doesnt play andy van de meyde a clueless one thats what.

[DixieDean]

Criticising David Moyes is ludicrous. We haven't all forgottem Mike Walker, Walter Smith and at the end Joe Royle. I praise god for the best pound for pound manager in the Premiership

[Mark]

Davey Moyes, Davey Moyes. davey davey moyes he got red hair but we dont care davey davey moyes!!!!!!! Moyes = Legend

[Everton Carter]

RE Jamie | May 15, 2008 at 02:48 AM

As far as I'm concerned Liverpool haven't got anything to do with it, however if you READ all of the comments you'll see Liverpool fans attempting to belittle Everton's UEFA cup run, and the UEFA as a whole, THAT is why I mentioned them. IT was a draw, BY definition if you lose on penalties it is because the tie was a DRAW.
therwise there is no need for penalties in the 1st place. AWAY Fio 2 Eve 0 HOME EVE 2 Fio ), 2-0 that's a win 2-2 on agg that is a DRAW. the 10 year fgures are from sky sports, the reason i can't give a 5 year figure (as requested by another poster (again helps to READ) is because I haven't seen one. If you think I made the figures up go check them yourself, Ask Sky sports they'll confirm them for you.

More than one poster has made reference to Everton's achievements / relative to Liverpool. The question you should ask is what do those alleged Liverpool fans care about how Everton do?

[WolvesSupporter]

Can we have Lescott back? .........please

[Jamie]

FAO Paul, Re: Transfer Spending

http://www.purelymancity.com/wp-content/5yearspendingcomparison.jpg

and for the record, that's BEFORE the £18m for Mascherano...