Sky Sports pundit fears for Everton if seasons starts poorly after fan protests
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
If Everton start the new season poorly then fans are going to let owner Farhad Moshiri and the board know about it, says Kevin Campbell.
During the doomed Rafael Benitez era the atmosphere around the club was bad, and after the Spaniard was sacked the supporter fury turned towards the billionaire amid a bumbling new manager search, before the fast-sinking Toffees were eventually rescued by a galvanised fanbase who united around Frank Lampard’s side late in the season.
But amid a frustrating transfer market, confusion around a potential takeover of the club, and poor preseason results, there were new protests over around the stadium on Saturday (23 July) [Liverpool Echo], and Sky Sports pundit Campbell can imagine plenty more in that vein if results aren’t good when the new campaign officially kicks off.
“Could be,” he said on the subject of protests becoming a regular occurrence, speaking exclusively to Goodison News.
“I just think how Everton start is going to be really important for the season.
“Obviously the way they finished last season just kept their head above water and the fans played a massive part.
“But how they start the season’s going to be crucial.
“If they start poorly then you know the Evertonians are going to let their feelings be known to Moshiri and the board, that’s for sure.
“But if they start well I think there might be some leeway.”
Although the bond between the fans and the team became the driving force of a major upturn in form and results towards the conclusion of the 2021/22 season there hasn’t been much for supporters to cheer about since.
The free agent acquisition of James Tarkowski in isolation is strong, but it is more than offset by the rushed sale of talismanic forward Richarlison to Tottenham, and with the majority of the window now past and precisely zero further recruits arriving, despite some seeming obvious to complete, doubts are understandably creeping in.
With the summer playing out against a backdrop of constant reminders of the poor financial state the club has been led into, and the failed takeover by Peter Kenyon and his consortium, which itself became a farce at the end, Everton fans could be forgiven for not having an abundance of patience with the situation, and a strong start to the season may be more of a hope than an expectation at the moment.