Cutting through the positive spin - where are the positives?

Last Monday evening's draw - disappointing, enraging, exacerbating.
You name it. 2 vital points slipped by. 


We could analyse and re-analyse the long-term and short-term issues, as well as what actually did and didn't happen against Crystal Palace. 

You've probably heard a few reviews of the game by now. 


What I'd like to focus on more are not necessarily problems that we're accustomed to, 
but why the late season run-in should still have us grasping cautious, yet realistic optimism. 

The Leeds Utd win at the ETIHAD - a man down for half the game - may in some ways owe a lot to Man City players taking their eye off the 2nd most important trophy this season, to them, at least. 

It also emphasizes just how brutal the congested fixture list really is now to players and clubs.  Not even the most in-depth quality roster is immune to freak results, which in respect to the west Yorkshiremen, that 1-2 win very much is in that category. 

Snookers are going to play a big part in everyone's destiny between now and June.  Injuries in 21st Century sports are going to become more-and-more common as all commercial demands on athletes simply cannot be reconciled with the ever-increasing level of participant performances. 

This means the duty of players, coaches, fitness/physical/medical/welfare personnel and financial employers 
to protect and preserve athletes' durability through the hectic run of games will never have been under greater demand and examination. 

Throw-in "Euro 2020", the rescheduled Olympics and other tournaments; partners to athletes are only going to be constantly messaged "go easy [blah-blah-blah]". You get the picture. 

So those who, whether knowing it or not, are now staring the exit door, have a big chance to either prove to the global transfer market that they're worthy of new employers of note, or simply have enough in themselves as professional competitors to walk away on a high. I'm not going to name names, for I really shouldn't have to. 

The fact is that these final nine games represent the chance to take something into next season that didn't exist this: Europe. 

Many of our players have been very tolerant for the fact that we haven't as much as played a European club fixture at all since 2017.

It's got to change - IF we're serious about adding to the squad of players we somehow have, instead of replacing them. 


WE - the fans - simply must get behind our players in this push for 6th, 
as regardless to the horror performances prior to Ancelotti's arrival, and even some very disappointing outcomes of late, 
there's nothing we can do - other than see them over the finishing line as united a club as any of our own competitors. 

We've struggled away to Brighton many times since the Sussex Seagulls were promoted to the Premier League. 
However, our Everton Women put no less than FIVE past them in late March. 

More from Everton Women - more from all of us. 


James Rodriguez simply cannot go 90 minutes very often now.  Real Madrid didn't let him go for free for no reason. 
The workload has to not only be shared, but be honoured and hungered for in the goal of team achievement we so desperately must accomplish. 

This is going to be a strange end to the season.  It'll also be very exciting - even if we can't claim all three points on the south coast tonight. 

These may be changing times.  Enjoy them for what they are: a defining time of our future destiny...