Cuff’s Column – Let’s All Calm Down
Marco Silva isn’t going to be sacked anytime soon, so pipe down.
Possibly a tad aggressive from the off, but there’s only so much stupidity you can take with Everton’s fanbase. Welcome to my column.
So, the West Ham game happened. Everton lost their first game of the season, having gone unbeaten for the opening four Premier League fixtures and the EFL Cup tie against Rotherham.
Performances have been mixed so far this season, with a number of players either failing to consistently hit their required standards or players grossly out-performing fan expectation.
As I touched on two weeks ago, Everton’s unavailable list is an unfortunate issue. While Richarlison is now back available to play, the Toffees’ list of injured squad members has continued growing across the recent international break, and now predicting Everton’s line-up has become increasingly difficult.
However, there are certainly bright points, and all hope is not yet lost.
Oh, you weren’t thinking that? You weren’t anticipating a grave slump until the club fell into obscurity? Then congratulations, you’re a sane person.
I’m speaking in jest, but the point rings true. While some fans would have you believe that a single loss against a Premier League side, albeit a fairly poor side, is a sign of the end times, the forthcoming apocalypse that will finally put us out of our misery… they are, of course, mistaken.
So far this season, Everton have looked solid. I’m hesitant to consider the current crop that of world-beaters in the making, but they’re certainly able to aptly carry the club forward.
Unfortunately, to do so, the club first need to do a lot of ground work. Too many damaging regimes have worked to compound Everton’s underlying issues, and it takes more than five games and a pre-season run to unearth and remove all of those roots.
But, not everyone has the patience to let the club work out their flaws.
Admittedly, Everton were especially poor against the Hammers. While the club have put in several non-flashy but solid performances this season, that wasn’t what we saw against the London-based side, which made several glaring problems stand out ever more.
Cenk Tosun’s barren goalscoring run, without his usually supportive hold up play and excellent movement, became a real issue. Lucas Digne and Mason Holgate suffered disappointing performances too, and there wasn’t the squad depth available to ease the pressure on them.
One bright spark was Bernard, who despite not starting the game as many believed he would, was a live-wire following his second-half introduction. With Theo Walcott and Richarlison both fit and readily available, Everton would possess a very solid wing trio – quartet, should Ademola Lookman rise to his previous level.
But frustration usually begins on the pitch, and carries over to the bleachers, and then on to social media. Everton fans have been beaten into submission in recent years, and the club having money has seemingly convinced fans that it is good to have an itchy trigger finger.
David Moyes was Everton manager for 11 years, through the rough times and the up-lifting. While the club now possesses better resources, better finances and boasts stronger ambitions, fans should remember that it was faith and trust that helped us through tough spells.
Marco Silva could well be the wrong man for the job. We can’t possible foresee how his tenure will play out. What we do know though, is that after just five league games, Silva’s Everton story hasn’t even concluded it’s prologue.