BLUE WATCH: Strange feeling of anti-climax

May 8 2008 By Mark O'Brien

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IN the weeks preceding the game no-one really pinned much hope on Everton taking anything from the game at the Emirates Stadium, but nevertheless the defeat on Sunday really did look like a missed opportunity given the weakened state of the side that Arsene Wenger sent out to contest what ultimately felt like a pre-season friendly.

It would be churlish to criticise the Everton line-up as we’ve often looked at our best with the five-man midfield while the pairing of Andy Johnson and Ayegbeni Yakubu has hardly been terrorising opposing defences in the last month or so.

David Moyes knew we had to try and stifle Arsenal, and that was achieved for the most part, but on the whole we struggled to build many meaningful attacks of our own, and that was the biggest disappointment on a day when a point would have been enough to seal UEFA Cup qualification and allow us a carefree final day of the season at Goodison this Sunday.

Perhaps the way in which Arsenal managed to win a game that meant nothing to them simply underlined what Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan said on Monday night – that the top four are simply miles ahead of the rest of the clubs in the top flight and it is virtually impossible for anyone else to break their hold on the Champions League places.

In fairness to Keegan, he is only saying what most people know deep down. Obviously his words have caused a bit of a stir because it’s really in the interests of most clubs to try and maintain the illusion that they ultimately have a plan to keep building year on year until they win the league.

If they don’t do that then the fear is that many fans will ultimately think ‘what’s the point?’ and begin to drift away. On the other hand though, by trying to constantly tease supporters along with hints and promises of bigger and better things to come, the clubs raise expectations and make rods for their own backs when they fail to meet them.

Even at Everton, a season that should hopefully see us finish above everyone but the Champions League-enriched top four has the feeling of anti-climax about it. There have even been the usual murmurs from Blues wondering whether a different manager might take us ‘to the next level’.

That ignores completely of course the fact that the last manager to temporarily break the monopoly at the top of the table is in fact the one currently in charge at Goodison.

But then it’s difficult to gauge just exactly how managers are judged nowadays, especially if you listen to Chelsea fans and their comments regarding Avram Grant.

By any reasonable standards the Israeli looks to have done a sterling job at Stamford Bridge in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s departure.

They’re still in with a shout for the league, and they have reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history. Apparently Grant doesn’t smile enough though.

It’s all a bit reminiscent of when some Evertonians started accusing Walter Smith of not being demonstrative enough on the touchline – when there where far more legitimate criticisms to aim at him – and in response he markedly started to show his agitation when things went against his side. Which was most of time.

Anyway, there do seem to be a lot of odd opinions being aired at the moment.

Maybe everyone in football, the players, managers and the fans, are simply overdue a bit of a break for the summer.

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