Rival Lines
I made contact with Toby Bryant when we both started writing articles for Shoots' fan blogger columns a couple of seasons ago. Things have moved on a bit since then and Shoot might not offer the platform it once did for writers, but Toby is still an Everton fanatic and he has some words of wisdom on what had been going wrong and how it might be put right at Goodison.
CC: Do you feel that the Europa League is damaging Everton's prospects in the Premier League?
TB: I think it’s too early in the season to decide for sure but a lot of teams do struggle with the extra matches. Sadly, at this point in time, I don’t think it’s fatigue affecting our results. Even without the extra European games our squad would still not be good enough to perform at the level expected by Everton fans. In fact, if anything, wins in the Europa League (if we manage them) could be a positive boost to the low morale.
CC: Did you expect a slow start to Everton's season having spent some £130m in the
summer?
TB: Yes and no. I was pleased with some of the signings, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane and Wayne Rooney, in particular. However, some, such as Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez looked dead ringers to be flops from the start. Not replacing the presence Lukaku had up front meant we were never going to challenge for the Top 6 but never did I think we’d be in the relegation zone at all this year.
CC: Does accommodating Rooney in the team have the detrimental effect of slowing Everton's game down?
TB: Not at all. I think Rooney is the last person that can be blamed for the lacklustre performances at the moment. Agreed, he is no longer the quickest, but the creative, attacking mind and reliability was the final thing that needed adding to the side. When we had Lukaku that is...
TB: Incredibly average.
CC: You played a lot of the big teams already so is there any need for Everton fans to be
worried?
TB: It has been the hardest of starts to the season in terms of fixtures, that is of sure. For me, the worrying thing is that a few years ago under Roberto Martinez we were still losing the games but at least there was a bit of class about our play. It isn’t the results that are infuriating fans now, it’s the performances. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Everton side look like they hate their jobs as much as this season and that’s why this season will be an uphill battle.
CC: Most of the goals in the last game against Man Utd came very late in the game so did you feel the team was playing better?
TB: We did have our moments such as when Rooney broke though and probably should have scored - so that was a relief. As soon as he went off the goals went in which shows just how much he is holding everyone together right now. That’s not healthy for the side so, if anything, the disastrous final 10 minutes was another nail in Koeman’s coffin.
CC: Who would you want if you could buy a £50m striker in the January window?
TB: The problem for us now is that everyone knows how desperate we are for a striker. That combined with this summer’s prices unfortunately means £50 million won’t buy us a lot. We need someone big and proven - no more players from small European leagues we have never heard of. There were mutterings of a Diego Costa loan in the summer which would obviously be fantastic, though I don’t see it happening [Ed- Indeed, he's got his move to Atletico Madrid]. Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud might be looking for ways out of Arsenal and I’d love either of them at Goodison.
CC: How do you expect Everton to line up against Bournemouth?
TB: Pickford - Jagielka - Keane - Williams - Marina - Schneiderin - Gueye - Baines - Sigurdsson - Rooney - Ramirez
CC: Thanks to Toby who really knows his stuff in Everton and doesn't hide his displeasure of one or two players who have not been at it yet. It maybe a bit early to pass judgement on Ramirez and Klaassen, but Koeman has made the signings and has to live with what he has until at least January. It could go from bad to worse for Everton quickly if they do start dropping points against teams like Bournemouth, who their fans might expect to roll over. But the Cherries will see how disjointed Everton are and, if they are, Koeman really has need to worry. A defeat for Koeman would make his Sunday none to positive with the journalists just waiting to pen to paper on Koeman's painful explanations.
Everton v AFCB
Match date: 23 September 2017
Match date: 23 September 2017
Blogger Interview: Everton fan
Twitter: @toby_bryant_
CC: Do you feel that the Europa League is damaging Everton's prospects in the Premier League?
TB: I think it’s too early in the season to decide for sure but a lot of teams do struggle with the extra matches. Sadly, at this point in time, I don’t think it’s fatigue affecting our results. Even without the extra European games our squad would still not be good enough to perform at the level expected by Everton fans. In fact, if anything, wins in the Europa League (if we manage them) could be a positive boost to the low morale.
CC: Did you expect a slow start to Everton's season having spent some £130m in the
summer?
TB: Yes and no. I was pleased with some of the signings, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane and Wayne Rooney, in particular. However, some, such as Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez looked dead ringers to be flops from the start. Not replacing the presence Lukaku had up front meant we were never going to challenge for the Top 6 but never did I think we’d be in the relegation zone at all this year.
CC: Does accommodating Rooney in the team have the detrimental effect of slowing Everton's game down?
TB: Not at all. I think Rooney is the last person that can be blamed for the lacklustre performances at the moment. Agreed, he is no longer the quickest, but the creative, attacking mind and reliability was the final thing that needed adding to the side. When we had Lukaku that is...
CC: Is Jordan Pickford the best keeper Everton have had since Neville Southall?
TB: It certainly looks like it could go that way. I’m a huge fan of Tim Howard who was a great servant to us and I think Pickford has a way to go to win over Everton hearts like the American did. He’s started the right way though and is one of very few positives so far this year.
TB: It certainly looks like it could go that way. I’m a huge fan of Tim Howard who was a great servant to us and I think Pickford has a way to go to win over Everton hearts like the American did. He’s started the right way though and is one of very few positives so far this year.
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CC: Would you like to see Ross Barkley back in the starting line up?
TB: I think all Everton fans have mixed feelings about Ross. We love a home-grown player and he is a star when in form. For me, at first, the most exciting thing about Rooney arriving at Goodison Park was that Barkley could learn a lot from him and really progress his career, which had flatlined at the time. He then made it quite clear he wanted to leave which was infuriating. At the end of the day, if he doesn’t want to pull on the shirt then we don’t want him too either. Then again, if he’s going to win us some points that is clearly the priority right now.
CC: What have you made of Klaassen since his arrival?
CC: What have you made of Klaassen since his arrival?
TB: Incredibly average.
CC: You played a lot of the big teams already so is there any need for Everton fans to be
worried?
TB: It has been the hardest of starts to the season in terms of fixtures, that is of sure. For me, the worrying thing is that a few years ago under Roberto Martinez we were still losing the games but at least there was a bit of class about our play. It isn’t the results that are infuriating fans now, it’s the performances. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Everton side look like they hate their jobs as much as this season and that’s why this season will be an uphill battle.
CC: Most of the goals in the last game against Man Utd came very late in the game so did you feel the team was playing better?
TB: We did have our moments such as when Rooney broke though and probably should have scored - so that was a relief. As soon as he went off the goals went in which shows just how much he is holding everyone together right now. That’s not healthy for the side so, if anything, the disastrous final 10 minutes was another nail in Koeman’s coffin.
CC: Who would you want if you could buy a £50m striker in the January window?
TB: The problem for us now is that everyone knows how desperate we are for a striker. That combined with this summer’s prices unfortunately means £50 million won’t buy us a lot. We need someone big and proven - no more players from small European leagues we have never heard of. There were mutterings of a Diego Costa loan in the summer which would obviously be fantastic, though I don’t see it happening [Ed- Indeed, he's got his move to Atletico Madrid]. Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud might be looking for ways out of Arsenal and I’d love either of them at Goodison.
CC: How do you expect Everton to line up against Bournemouth?
TB: Pickford - Jagielka - Keane - Williams - Marina - Schneiderin - Gueye - Baines - Sigurdsson - Rooney - Ramirez
CC: Thanks to Toby who really knows his stuff in Everton and doesn't hide his displeasure of one or two players who have not been at it yet. It maybe a bit early to pass judgement on Ramirez and Klaassen, but Koeman has made the signings and has to live with what he has until at least January. It could go from bad to worse for Everton quickly if they do start dropping points against teams like Bournemouth, who their fans might expect to roll over. But the Cherries will see how disjointed Everton are and, if they are, Koeman really has need to worry. A defeat for Koeman would make his Sunday none to positive with the journalists just waiting to pen to paper on Koeman's painful explanations.
class??bournemouth???in the same sentence????
ReplyDeleteThey must have some as they finished 9 th last season.
ReplyDelete