Good Timing And Bad Times

 In light of yesterday’s news about Harry Redknapp leaving Tottenham I think we have to say well done to our owners for the speed with which they dealt with our managerial change. There were precious few candidates out there when we were looking for a new boss and securing the most promising young manager around was important. I’ve no doubt we would have faced competition for his services from Spurs and while I’d like to think he would have chosen us over Tottenham it’s still good to have acquired the right man without complications.

 It will be very interesting to see who Spurs go for now to replace Redknapp, with the bookies instantly favouring David Moyes. I’m not sure on this one myself, I just have a feeling that he’s been at Everton so long he’s lost his ambition and is happy to stay where he is comfortable and not in danger of falling too low or rising too high. He also has previous experience of being at a club hovering around the 4^th/5^th places in the table at Everton and was unable to kick on from there so Spurs may look at that and go for someone else. But the bookies aren’t often wrong and there is a real possibility our neighbours may be looking for a new manager.

 I have to admit I’m not particularly keen for Moyes to move on from Everton. He’s a good rival, someone you dislike enough to make it pleasurable beating them but not hateable enough to make him losing more important than your own team winning. Also there are a few certainties when the season starts, Manchester clubs will be near the top, we won’t win the title, and Everton won’t win anything. And there’s only one of those I want to remain the same, and it’s well within Moyes’ power to make that happen.

 If Everton do lose their manager to Spurs it’s very hard to see who they would turn to as a replacement, there are no obvious candidates for the post. I think it wouldn’t be too long before a blue somewhere begins to suggest they should turn to their old enemy Rafa Benitez but I doubt he’d be up for it, especially if he’s not been interested in the Villa job. The only person I can think of who would maybe want the job is the departing Spurs man himself, Harry Redknapp. Before he took over at White Hart Lane he spent a career floating around clubs like West Ham, Portsmouth and Southampton so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him turn up at Goodison for a final payday before retirement.

 With a few key Everton players being strongly linked with moves away and now their manager being touted to abandon ship too it could be a long summer for our neighbours. After it started so well for them with the joy of seeing Kenny Dalglish losing his job it could now be time for them to begin focussing on their own club’s issues during a close season that could turn out to be far worse than they imagined.