Everton's season ticket frenzy music to Moyesy's ears!

We are often told if wish to compete in a league without an Abramovich-type to benefactor our glorious club needs to create it's own resources. Many Evertonians like myself see this as the better way. Rather than being handed success on a plate, our club has worked hard from supporter to management to get where we are and head where we want to be. This is doubly difficult when as the saying goes "Evertonians are born, not manufactured"! A new generation of fans is coming through who know their history, and many can see just how close to the tipping point EFC actually are. These are the fans who are likely to be the nudge the club needs - they are the ones screaming from the stands, buying the scarves the shirts and following the club morning noon and night.

An increase in those willing to part with hard earned cash for tickets, particularly given wider credit-crunch issues is rather remarkable . It shows the diffusion of what Everton is about is getting back into the communities in Liverpool, around the north west and even globally far and above that we've seen in the last decade.
Is this an indicator that the days of the Toffees making an impact in football nationally and in Europe are back again and here to stay?

I say yes.

Why?

I can smell it on match day, I can taste it - that something fundamentally is changing in the wider supporter community. People are getting energised, particularly given some of the improvements in the play on the field we've seen this past season that has suprised even our own. This enthusiasm is like an avalanche effect. One can only imagine how things would be had we done better against the "big teams" this season, most of which was down to injuries and down right poor luck in the run up and during games.

As Evertonians know, our recent history has been tied into respectable although lower than desirable attendances as we've gone through some bad times times to say the least and now come out the other side. We even then had higher attendances than other clubs in similar positions and many clubs in better positions who just can't get the support the Toffees have.
Under Moyes (both now and hopefully in my opinion for the foreseeable future) we are now are well into the process of both rebuilding and building a club and team for the future under a manager who has consistently performed and who's player development record I would put as probably one of three or four best in the league.

We all know the pre-Moyes era. We know that if Moyes just has that bit more added to his tool kit in manpower and quality - he will deliver, and if he doesn't there will be a genuine reason that is apparent for all to see (as in our missing Cahill late into this season).

Its been all apparent that the problems this season have been small things added together that have cost us at the wrong times. Things like this happen, and even then look at how the season has panned out.
Its all still to play for. As we shall see against Villa on Sunday 27th April 2008.

I predict this to be a time when we will see the new and older generations of bluenoses in the crowd rising to the occasion. This game will bring new meaning to the words "crunch game". It's about who are the leading challengers for Europe next season. And we all know Everton are just getting started there.

First step this summer is to get Moyes signed on and get him what he needs whilst building for the future. The signs are there. We just need to follow them.

Mark is a life-long Evertonian, all opinions in this post are the author's own and may not be reflective of other individuals or organisations related to www.evertonbanter.co.uk