The Premier League ‘B’ clubs seem to have gone into hiding before a ball has even been kicked, so today TheChelseaBlog picks up its series of interviews with Everton and a chat with Thomas over at Royal Blue Mersey.
TCB: Have any of the transfers surprised you over the summer?
RBM: I was actually surpised Joe Cole singed for Liverpool. To be honest I was surprised he even left Chelsea, he was onto a good thing there. It seems like he was keen to make some money out of a bosman move and Liverpool offered him the longest contract on the most money, I think that says it all.
Everton-wise the Dan Gosling trasnfer is a surprise. Another player who was doing fine but his agent has seen the pound signs and enginreered a move away. No doubt the agent earned a nice bonus out of the move too.
TCB: Money talks eh Thomas? So, if you had enough of that, are there any players you’d have fancied signing?
RBM: Ha! Yes lots! We have virtually no money at all though so we were never in the market for players. The only big-money player we looked like signing was Landon Donovan. He impressed during his loan spell and became a fans favourite, he just seemed to settle into the club ethos and quickly built up a realtionship with the fans and team-mates. Sadly his successful World Cup probably worked against us as it only increased the MLS’s resolve to keep him in the US, so we were quickly priced out of a move.
TCB: Have to agree with you on Donovan. So, onto the new season then, which club are you looking forward to playing most? And least?
RBM: Liverpool on both counts. I love Merseyside derbies because of the rivalry and passion, plus it is great when you win. However, it is also horrible when you lose (I will get endless abuse from my Red mates) so I usually spend the entire 90 minutes a nervous wreck. Other than that I don’t think we have reason to fear anyone as on our day we can compete with the best as showed last season. Keep an eye out for the Man City games though, there is a greater rivalry between the clubs now after the Joleon Lescott saga last summer.
TCB: Who can you see finishing in the top four and who’ll be possible relegation fodder?
RBM: I think Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United will make the top three in that order. Fourth place is probably a scrap between Liverpool, Spurs, us, City and Villa, though I think City will eventually finish there.
TCB: I’m amongst those who can see Everton having a good season but which club could you see being the Premier League’s dark horse?
RBM: In terms of the title Man City (though you would argue with their spending they are not that much of a dark horse!) They have signed some quality players while the rest of the top 4 haven’t spent big, a good start and they will be right up there.
TCB: How do you think you did last season and what are you hoping for this time round?
RBM: Last year was a season of two halves. Woeful in the first, fantastic in the second (we showed top 3 form from January onwards). If we can keep the likes of Pienaar, Arteta, Jagielka and Rodwell fit then we have a real chance of cracking the top four, especially as we aren’t in Europe this year. Another injury crisis like last year though and we will struggle as we have such a small squad.
TCB: Moyes has done a really good job at Everton, but aside from him, which manager impresses you most?
RBM: I’m looking forward to seeing how Ian Hollway copes in the Premier League season. He did a fantastic job last year with Blackpool and he deserves a chance in the top flight. They will almost certainly go down but I’m hoping for some entertaining games and some fuuny Holloway quotes along the way!
TCB: If you could have any of our players in your squad, who would you go for and why?
RBM: There are several, but I would probably say either Frank Lampard or Didier Drogba. They are both outstanding players who lead by example and inspire their team-mates. When things are going badly they are the sort of player who drag the side through tough games.
TCB: Which player do you think will stand out for you?
RBM: The obvious ones are Pienaar and Arteta but I also think this is the year for Jack Rodwell. He improves with every game and is certainly an future England captain in the making, It won’t be long before he gets a first cap that’s for sure. He signed a new 5 year deal in the summer so hopefully he will still be wearing an Everton shirt when he does.
TCB: How do you think you’ll do when you play us?
RBM: Our two results against you last year showed we can compete with the best in the division so we should approach both games confident in our ability. They will be tough matches though of course! We haven’t won at Stamford Bridge for years so the best we can hope for is probably a draw, at Goodison though I’m sure we can give you guys a good game!
Cheers Thomas, all the best for the season.
Blue is the colour
