Megan Durham

BIO: Megan is a 24-year-old Yank who fell in love with the beautiful game at the tender age of seven. A newcomer to Everton, she’s helplessly become ingrained in the club over the past two years. She runs her own blog about her life as a soccer fan at www.pinkawaykit.org, and is a regular host of the US Soccer podcast The Girls in the Cheap Seats at girlsinthecheapseats.blogspot.com.

Q1.Why Everton?

I’ve thought about this a lot, and I’m not really sure what attracted me to Everton. There was just a point in 2009 when I decided that I was going to start following the Premier League and I needed to a team, and Everton and Fulham seemed to be the obvious choices for me, as a Yank, because they had the biggest American connections. In the end, it was Everton who pulled me in, and I don’t know exactly what it was. I think, though, it’s because Everton possesses a lot of attributes that were similar to other sports teams I follow here in the states — that is, a focus on work ethic rather than star power, and there’s a certain humility about them in that they aren’t all that well-known in the US but it’s still a big club with top players. That, and the unity and togetherness of the squad and supporters really drew me in.

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?

Being a new fan (2010/11 was my first full season as an Evertonian), my high and low were both pretty recent. Of course, they happened within 10 days of each other. The high was the FA Cup replay at Stamford Bridge. I went through every possible emotion in that game. When Lampard scored in extra time, my heart dropped. We’d already used our subs and were playing for penalties at that point. Really then all we were doing was sending up prayers, playing the long ball and hoping that we’d get lucky. I remember at one point Leighton Baines screamed at someone (Bilyaletdinov, I believe) about a lack of movement in the final third — I’d never heard Bainesy scream like that. When we got the free kick toward the end of the game, and I saw Bainesy spot it, I just had this feeling. I swear I knew he was going to score as soon as he picked up the ball. I couldn’t help but yell when it did go in; I hope none of my neighbors were asleep! Of course, I also knew that he would miss his penalty, and at that point I conceded defeat for the second time. When Ashley Cole missed his to set up Phil Neville’s, I couldn’t watch. I covered my eyes and listened to the crowd and commentator. And then, when I was assured that he did score, I don’t think I made a sound. I felt tears coming and I just lied down right there on the floor and took it all in.

So, of course, my low moment as an Everton fan was Reading. I had a bad feeling about the match when I woke up that morning. Jermaine Beckford getting caught in traffic and showing up late didn’t help matters, and the fact that it seemed we couldn’t buy a goal in the early going painted a bleak picture. When Matt Mills scored for Reading, I tried to calm myself down — there was still plenty of time left, after all. But I couldn’t escape that awful forboding. I was so angry at them, angrier than I ever had been. I wished that Baines hadn’t equalized against Chelsea and that we had lost in a hard fought match at the Bridge. I could have swallowed that. Now, I’ve come to grips with it; the first time I was able to watch highlights of the Chelsea match again and smile after that loss was a sign that I had moved on. Still, that’s one that will hurt for a while, I think.

Q3. What player from the past would you sign for our current team?

hmmm… That’s a really tough question for me, as a new fan. I’ve tried to learn about the history of the team through whatever means I can: books, dvds, old articles, etc… I suppose that Dixie Dean, Alan Ball and Duncan Ferguson are the players I’ve learned the most about (well, and Wayne Rooney, but that’s another story). I would love to be able to see them, just to be a part of that history.

I will say that I’ve often regretted not following Everton earlier in life, so I would have seen Duncan Ferguson like other supporters my age. It’s part of building a connection with a club, sharing a history, and being new, I don’t have a lot of “Everton Memories” so to speak, and seeing and hearing other Evertonians talk about him, I get kind of longing and think about how I wish I had been there. If I could only have on player from the past on this team, it would be him (and, also, having a player capable of supplying goals would be good, as well).

Q4. Who is your favourite all time player?

See, I’m not sure yet. I don’t know if I’m exactly qualified to answer that question, as I haven’t had enough time as a fan to have a favorite “all-time” player. My favorite current player is Leighton Baines, but things like that are bound to change.

I do often wonder who this player will be, though, 10, 20, 50 years in the future. Sometimes I wonder who my first “Everton legend” will be. I know that I will shed more than a few tears when Tim Cahill moves on. I wonder how I will think about players I adore now: players like Cahill, Baines, Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta… I wonder about young players, players in the academy, which ones will come through and spend their careers here and become legends of their own.

Q5. What’s your take on our motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum?

As far as building your identity around it, it’s not different than other clubs. “Mas que un club” for Barcelona, for example. Things like that give us, as a club, a sense of connection, of purpose. It establishes that there is a mission at hand. That said, I don’t think the full meaning behind the words has ever been made clear. What does NSNO mean for us?

It’s important to clarify this, because I think a lot of people take it to mean that everything about the club must be absolutely perfect or else it’s not good enough. I don’t think that’s a very healthy attitude to hold for anything — be it sports or anything else in life. Perfectionism is a perfect way to make us miserable as fans. We’re not going to be perfect; the club, the players, and the fans are going to make mistakes, because in the end, we are all human.

There neither a player nor a team in the world, nor has there ever been, who has not had their share of bad games, and who has not, on occasion, encountered a slump of form. I can live with an occasional bad game; what I can’t live with is a lack of effort. NSNO means being willing to sweat and bleed for the team when it counts. Against Manchester City last year (2010) right before Christmas, we were down a man and holding on to a 2-1 lead. City was dominating, throwing everything they had plus the kitchen sink at us, and despite how desperate they were for that goal, we wanted to keep them out even more. Our play itself wasn’t “the best” but our hearts could not have been greater. It was disheartening, then, to see us play Bolton at the Reebok just a couple of months later, where we looked completely disinterested in getting any kind of result.

But it isn’t just about the players, or the managers, or the higher ups or the chairman or the staff. It’s for the fans as well. For example, when, earlier in the season, Evertonians booed Victor Anichebe as he came on to the field — did that exemplify NSNO? As fans, if we’re going to hold our team to this motto, we should hold ourselves to it, as well, whether we win or lose. I remember when, down 1-0 against Reading, there were five minutes of added time announced, and the crowd grew the loudest it had been all game. The team hadn’t looked like scoring for 90 minutes, but in that moment it was like the crowd was trying to will the equalizer out of them. It didn’t come, of course, but I remember that. I also remember, after the game, several fans clapped the Reading team off the field; it was a classy gesture and that is the kind of conduct that this motto calls for.

Q6. Do you think this summer will be a positive one for Everton in terms of buying players?

Depends on what you would define as “positive” but I think most people would say no. I don’t have a lot of expectations for this transfer window, so it wouldn’t be hard to surpass them. I honestly think there are one or two key areas where we are desperate at the moment, so it isn’t like we need a complete overhaul. Whether or not we’ll get what we need in those areas (mainly at striker) remains to be seen. I think it can be positive not in the amount of money we spend, but in how we spend it, which is really the most important thing.

Q7. The press are awash with rumours about bids for Everton players like Rodwell and Baines. What are your thoughts on selling some of our bigger names?

I’m going to talk about Jack Rodwell, since that’s the one I seem to have the strongest and most controversial opinion about at the moment. That is this: I don’t think it makes sense to sell him right now if at all. I think a lot of fans are growing impatient with Rodwell and are forgetting that he’s still young and he’s been hampered with injuries all season, which has hurt him. In what I’ve seen from him, I’m convinced that he has “it.” He has an understanding of his teammates, of his role on the team, of how the manager wants him to play and of all the little things: what runs to make, when to make them, where to be at what time, all of that.

I think there was a lot of expectation placed upon him at the beginning of the season and that wasn’t fair to him. I’m not saying he couldn’t handle or that he shouldn’t be able to handle it: I’m just saying that that put him in a bad spot as far as the time fans would be willing to give him to develop further. It didn’t help that Jack Wilshere had a breakthrough season as a lot of fans were thinking that was going to be Rodwell.

I have heard some people say that Rodwell will develop better at Manchester United, that he doesn’t fit in as well with Everton’s style of play (because Everton prefers to play wide). But having good wide play doesn’t diminish the factors in the center of the park; in fact, it enhances that part of the game, because having a good wide game will open things up in the center by stretching the defense. Likewise, wide play benefits by having a potent combination in the middle as that draws the defense in, opening up the flanks.

I honestly think fans are just worried that he’ll never turn into the kind of player he’s touted to be, but selling him, to me, would just reek of a panic move. Moyes has said he doesn’t want to, that he wants to build a team around Rodwell, and I’m with him on this. I just don’t think we should sell our most promising young talent as a rule; that should be an exception for when the player’s not happy (like Rooney). Selling our best players so we can buy players doesn’t make much sense to me, and carries with it a fair bit of risk.

I think that before any such move is made — whether for Rodwell, or Baines, or Jags, or whoever — we should be clear on how much money we’ve got from other sales we make (Vaughan, Yobo, Mucha, Yakubu) and see just what we have to work with. If we still need funds, then consider selling a player like Bily or Heitinga. I admit to not wanting any player to leave, but some players are more irreplaceable than others and I don’t think we need a billion pounds to have a really good team.

Q8. What are your thoughts on a sharing a stadium with Liverpool?

I don’t think supporters of either side will be too happy with the possibility, but if it came down to it, I think most would understand that there weren’t a whole lot of alternatives. I definitely don’t think it would work as a permanent thing; there would be too many conflicts and disagreements and problems created. As a temporary solution, I wouldn’t be against it as long as it was clear that we were moving forward to separate quickly. In the US, it’s common for teams to share stadiums with other teams, even in different sports, but the upkeep needed for a professional pitch is a bit different than say, American football or baseball, and some of the pitches doubling as American football fields in MLS are in pretty bad shape. I think having twice as many matches per season on a single pitch would create hazards of its own, and maintenance would be that much more difficult.

Q9. Where do you think the majority of Evertonians lie, with “Moyes Out”, “In Moyes We Trust” or somewhere in the middle??

I think in the middle, leaning more toward In Moyes We Trust. My personal thing is while I don’t think Moyes is without fault, I do think he’s one of the best managers in England and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. And yes, he makes mistakes but he doesn’t always have much to work with. He may not always know best, but he certainly knows more than me as far as managing goes, and that’s why I tend not to question his tactics so often. A lot of the time, people confuse tactics with just how the team is playing. I don’t think Moyes told the team to sit back and try for a draw at Old Trafford, for example, at least not to the extent that some fans believe so, but I think at OT it’s a given that almost all teams are not going to see a lot of the ball and that they will do a lot of defending. That’s not totally tactical, though, that’s just the fact that Manchester United is such a good team, especially at home.

Anyway, I think the majority of fans see Moyes as a godsend, from what I’ve seen, and criticism is to be expected, as with any manager or player. I think most would not like to think about where Everton would be headed if he were to leave. I can’t answer that. I hope with all my heart that he stays much, much longer, or at least until we are in better straits financially than we are now.

Q10. Is money necessary to compete at the highest level, and if so – should Bill Kenwright step aside?

Is money needed? Yes, of course. How much is needed depends on the acumen of the manager; with Moyes, I don’t think we need as much as some would think. Should Kenwright step aside? That depends. Step aside for what? Or who? I’m very wary of any kind of takeover; I think it’s a huge risk for the club, with the potential for either great rewards or epic disaster. And with Everton, I’m not so sure who is going to come in and be able to take the club to the level we want to be at.

The main thing is finding money. If we get funds to Moyes, he’ll do the rest. As far as I know, he has a big say in who comes into the club, at least to the first team, and I think it’s important to have a chairman or an ownership group who trusts Moyes enough to allow him that freedom.

Q11. Where do you see Everton in ten years time?

That’s a good question. In my wildest fantasy, I’d imagine setting off to Goodison Park to see Leighton Baines’ testimonial a week after winning the Premier League. Apostolos Vellios would be our top scorer and Seamus Coleman would be our engine and Jack Rodwell would be our captain. We’d be getting set for a Champions League final and a chance to end Barca’s streak of 10 straight. Yeah, let the good times roll.

Tags: baines, duncan ferguson, Leighton Baines, pink away kit, rodwell