Everything in football brings with it an element of risk. Whether it be a new signing, a manager with great pedigree or an unknown looking to make his mark. For example, Jose Mourinho’s appointment at Manchester United. On paper, they captured one of the best managers in world football, when in reality he was just another name added to the list of failed Sir Alex Ferguson successors.
Reputation is often the selling point for most players and managers, but not all reputations are built upon a reliable source. We as fans cast opinions on every aspect of the sport, using platforms such as YouTube or a glance at his record on Wikipedia, but these never tell the true story.
And though we are no experts, scouts and managers are no strangers to casting their own wrong opinions. An unordinary comparison, but I see similarities to online romances in a club’s new manager, and with every new online romance, a catfish could be on the other end. A catfish is defined by leading someone into a relationship by means of a fictional persona; a persona that attracts interest from another.
Essentially a Catfish creates a trap, something Everton fell into on the 31st of May 2018, after Marco Silva was appointed as manager. But how did this come about?
Largely unknown to the Premier League, he caught the eye of many during a five-month stint at Hull City. Rooted to the bottom of the league after twenty games, with only three wins all season, no one gave the club a chance for survival. However, after accumulating a total of twenty-one points from a possible fifty-four, he came close to defying the odds but unfortunately was unable to save the Yorkshire club.
A reputation and attraction started to form, a promising young manager who caught the interest of Watford, a club who are yet to find a true love in the Premier League. Unfortunately, the appealing Portuguese manager was just another love interest that went sour. A lower win percentage than that of his time at Hull City, he was soon sacked after only eight months in charge despite a good start.
You can argue the Hornets uncovered the identity of the so-called Catfish, even without the help of Nev or Max. Whereas Everton looked past the warnings and fell for attraction we all first perceived.
His first season in charge of Everton can be argued as acceptable. Though failing with the club’s overall aim to make a push into the top six, he mirrored the achievements of the previous year and gave the club no serious questions to ask.
However, doubts started to emerge and questions started to arise. Spending close to £200m in 18 months, the Toffees currently find themselves 14th in the league only thanks to their win against Chelsea last time out. They are technically still in a relegation battle and for a team unrivaled in terms of time spent in the country’s top flight, it’s safe to say they fell for the Catfish hook, line and sinker, pun intended.
It’s no secret the club has had its fair share of dubious VAR decisions and enough injuries to recast an episode of Casualty, but these are issues every team has to face. Marco Silva’s problems fell upon his own inept ability to spend the money available. The poor investment proved costly, an ambitious team with wealthy owners in his corner, there is a trend that can be noticed with his transfer history.
Targeting players that Danny Rose doesn’t have to Google, they deal with players the big clubs no longer want, and there’s often a reason why they’re available. This summer for example, spending over £50m on Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean. On paper, we have two young players with top-level experience, whose most noticeable contributions so far has been keeping the kit man busy.
However, this money could have been best spent on finally finding a replacement for Romelu Lukaku. Everton have struggled for goals this season and have been without a natural goalscorer since the departure of the Belgian. Moise Kean may have been added to the squad, but still unproven in front of goal, they could have utilised this £25m on a more prolific striker. Could this money have been better spent to entice Lazio to sell Ciro Immobile, who has scored seventeen goals this season?
A club with big ambitions, Marco Silva was not the man to change the small club mentality. He had the tools and money available to succeed in this job, but just as with a Catfish, you’re ultimately let down in the end.
Ironically, Marco Silva has left scars in his other relationships. Watford are currently rock bottom of the Premier League and I’d be surprised if another top-flight club takes a chance anytime soon now that the Catfish has finally been revealed.
After only eighteen months in charge, Marco Silva is no longer with the club and the Toffees are now free to pursue their next romance. Hopefully this time not blind-sighted by another false attraction.
