Everton’s impressive comeback victory against a Tony Pulis-managed West Bromwich Albion should have raised a few eyebrows. They moved up to fifth in the table, four points off the top to within three points of Manchester City and one point behind Arsenal. Yet Everton are consistently patronised as a team, as a club and as a philosophy.
You only need to hear the pundits on Match of the Day praise what Roberto Martinez ‘has done with the club’, how they have a ‘great spirit’ and are constantly ‘overachieving’ for such a ‘likeable’ club.
Last season was the first time Everton had finished outside of the top ten since 2005-06. They are no overachievers but perennial European challengers.
Roberto Martinez Makes a Everton into a Model to be Admired not Sneered At
All of this has been achieved on a shoe-string budget firstly with David Moyes and now with Roberto Martinez. When you look at how teams like Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle have spent then the contrast is even more staggering. Over the past five seasons, Everton’s net spend is seventeenth in the league. Only Swansea, Watford and Tottenham (due to the sale of Bale) are lower. Newcastle – who constantly complain about their spending – lie seventh in the table.
Newcastle are always vaulted, somehow, as a sleeping giant ready to regain their seat at the top table once the evil Mike Ashley has disappeared, whereas Everton will return to relegation battles. Yet even with their spending power they struggle.
Why are Everton portrayed as a comparatively ‘small’ club? It is in no small part due to the Liverpool-leaning media (looking at you messrs Hansen and Lawrenson), whilst Alan Shearer is never shy of a thing or two to say about Newcastle.
Another result of Everton’s limited spending power is their penchant for bringing through academy players and young Englishmen. John Stones (albeit originally from Barnsley), Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley: all household names that have been nurtured at Everton whilst Brendan Galloway looks set to be the next ‘hot’ talent at Goodison Park.
Many will point to the £28 million Everton spent on Romelu Lukaku as disproving their minimal spending. However, in their team against West Brom there were youngsters (Galloway, Gerard Deulofeu and Tyias Browning) and cast-offs (Tim Howard, Darron Gibson and Gareth Barry, Aaron Lennon) throughout all bought on frees or for small price tags. The team has been cobbled together, you could say, yet it is full of talent. Five of the starting eleven are eligible to play for England.
While the media obsess over Liverpool’s underachievement under Rodgers – a club that has only finished once in the top four since 2008-09 – perhaps they might do better to commend and draw attention to a club that is doing things in the right way.
Patience in managers, patience in players and bringing through youth: the Everton model may be against a modern culture of short-termism and the quick win, but it isn’t failing. Other clubs and fans may be advised to take note. Everton fans may want to look around, too, before they start believing the grass is greener on the other side.
