Kirsty McHale
Bio: – Kirsty is a 23-year-old Scouser, and somehow survived a rough upbringing of growing up in Anfield and watching Walter Smith teams. She was sucked in by Everton as an 8-year-old after Daniel Amokachi’s one-man show in the 1995 FA Cup semi-final. She went to her first game the following season, and to the detriment of her bank account (and in recent years, her liver) she hasn’t looked back.
Q1. Why Everton?
I was chosen! My dad’s a massive blue, as is the entire side of his family, so I literally didn’t have a say in the matter.
Q2. I remember standing amongst a glum chain gang of fans at Kirkdale train station in the late 90′s, we’d just been beaten at Goodison, the rain was pissing on us, and some cheeky Liverpool fans were laughing and mooning us from the top of the stairs. That was the lowest I felt as an Everton fan. What is your all time high/low as a fan?
All-time low… God, where do I start!? There are so many “obvious” candidates, but one moment that I always think of is losing to Aston Villa on Boxing Day in 2005. We were having a shocker of a season after the highs of finishing 4th, and this was our third 4-0 defeat in as many weeks. I remember watching it on TV, and when Villa went 2-0 up I switched it off. I could see what was coming a mile off. It had all become too predictable and depressing. That night, I genuinely thought we were going down. It still scares me to think what would’ve happened to us is Cahill hadn’t popped up at Sunderland on New Year’s Eve to turn our season around.
All-time high, it has to be the 2009 FA Cup semi-final. When Jags scored his pen, and Z Cars came on… regardless of what happened in the final, I’ll treasure that moment for the rest of my life. It almost made sitting through 14 years of crap worth it. Although I’d rather not wait another 14 years for it to happen again!
Q3. January is coming soon, who should we try and sign?
Landon Donovan. I know it’ll probably never happen, but signing him permanently would make such a difference to the squad; he slotted into the team seamlessly, and he loved it here, which always helps. I think it’d give the players and fans a lift, and commercially we’d make a fortune in the US!
Obviously we’re in dire need of a quality striker, but I don’t know who we could realistically get. Now that James Vaughan’s loan has ended, I’d like to see us keep him for the rest of the season to see what he can do. We also need a replacement for Pienaar, who’s going to be a massive loss to us. I’d be happy to take Nico Krancjar if the rumoured swap deal is true, always been a fan of him.
Q4. What do you think of terracing at Goodison? And what of those who still fear a repeat of the Hillsborough disaster?
I went to Wolfsburg in pre-season and was in the standing section of the away end. The stand was excellent, and proved that terracing can be completely safe when implemented properly. It had designated rows separated by barriers, so it was impossible to cause a crush, and there was still plenty of personal space. I’d love to see safe terracing in England, but I understand why campaign groups are still opposed to it. I’d be very surprised if it was introduced, especially in this city. It’s just too close to home.
Q5. What do you think of Jermaine Beckford and Moyes’ handling of him so far?
I really like him, I could tell in pre-season that he’s a quality finisher. He’s missed a few sitters, but I think he’s just guilty of panicking. He’s too eager to make an impact, he doesn’t realise that sometimes he has the time to think and take a touch instead of lashing at a shot. This composure will (hopefully) come with time. He’s being used as a “super sub” at the minute, and I think that’s the ideal way to bed him into the team in his first season in the Premiership. Moyes has admitted that he’s thrown Beckford in too soon, but sometimes he’s had no choice. I think everyone would be happier with Beckford’s role as a super sub if we didn’t have such a striker crisis. Yak/Saha misfiring means there’s more pressure to start Beckford. We know he can finish, but right now I think it’s better to throw him on in the second half against tiring defences, rather than play him from the start.
Q6. What’s your favourite part of Goodison to watch a game from?
Lower Gwladys, every time. Rubbish view (especially for a midget like me) but it’s where I’ve always sat, and I couldn’t bring myself to sit anywhere else. Nothing beats the pandemonium of the Lower Gwladys when an important goal goes in. My seat is still broken from the Gosling Derby!
Q7. Where does our new lurid pink away kit rank in the historical list of Everton kit atrocities?
It’s a shocker, no doubt about it. Should be swapped with the third kit, in my opinion. Not that we even needed a third kit in the first place; there surely isn’t a team in the land that BRIGHT PINK clashes with!?
Q8. What are your thoughts on a ground share with Liverpool?
My head knows it would probably be our best financially-viable option, but my heart is too proud to admit it. Of course, if it happened then I would obviously accept and support it; I support Everton, not Goodison Park. But if I had a choice, I’d rather not.
Q9. Our form this season has been strange; we’ve been dominating games, but somehow we’ve been unable to put teams to the sword. Why do you think this is?
Lack of quality strikers. It’s a broken record, and it’s starting to sound more like an excuse than a reason, but it’s true. The performances are there, we just haven’t got the goals (or the points) to show for it. Think of all of the chances we’ve created (and missed) this season. If even half of those chances had gone in, we’d be in a very different position. I don’t massively agree with the constant calls for 442; with Cahill playing, it’s more like a 442 than a 451 anyway. We all know Cahill is less effective playing in a 442, and since he’s the only one in our team who’s scoring at the minute, I have no problem with playing the set-up that best suits him. There’s opportunity to try a “proper” 442 once Cahill’s at the Asia Cup anyway…
All I know is, when we finally get our act together, someone’s getting battered.
Q10. Is money necessary to compete at the highest level, and if so – should Kenwright step aside?
I think it’s becoming more and more evident that it is. When you look at what we’ve achieved with next to nothing, it’s hard not to think of what we COULD achieve with even a little bit of investment. But by the same token, when you look around at how many clubs have been taken to the brink of disaster by overzealous owners, you can’t help but be grateful that we at least have a sense of stability. I don’t buy into most of the anti-Kenwright propaganda; why would a lifelong blue purposely hold back the club he loves? Maybe that’s just me being naive. I’m sure if a viable offer was made he’d step aside, but to businessmen, we’re just not as attractive an investment as we like to think we are.
Q11. And finally, where do you see Everton in 10 years time?
I’m struggling to see where Everton will be in 10 DAYS, never mind 10 years! Football’s such an unpredictable game; I’m sure if you spoke to Chelsea fans 10 years ago you wouldn’t have found many who thought they’d be where they are now. Would Spurs fans 10 years ago have foreseen their team in the Champions League? All I ask is that we’re in a stable position, competing at the right end of the table, with a few trophies under our belt.
