00:02Well, you said that question very negatively, but I'll try and turn it round a little bit if you don't
00:06mind.
00:07Look, the game today was a very powerful opening part of the game.
00:13I think the players were full of it and pumped up for the game.
00:19But, you know, we know exactly what that feels like because we've been in the situation ourselves a little bit.
00:27But I thought we didn't play well in the first half.
00:30I thought we were resilient enough not to let Tottenham go any further ahead.
00:35It always meant that we were in the game right to the end and probably that we were the better
00:39team in the last 20 minutes.
00:40But not for the other part of the game, so I couldn't put my hand up and admit to that.
00:46But we made sure Tottenham didn't get too much, but we didn't have any opportunities really until 10-15 minutes
00:53ago
00:54when we brought on a couple of the younger boys who made a big difference, so we were pleased about
00:57that.
00:59Yeah, I'm disappointed in the last six or seven weeks.
01:02Well, probably for three quarters of the season we've been very good.
01:05The last six or seven weeks we've been really disappointed, but not always.
01:10And I'm saying it in every interview I do at the moment is you cannot forget the handball at West
01:16Ham or the penalty kick at Man City.
01:17If we were coming here with two points more, we'd have had a different mindset completely.
01:24We've got a group of players coming here, comfortable position in the league.
01:30We would have been coming here needing to get a win probably or a draw to be in Europe.
01:36So, there's been a lot of things that have played the part.
01:38Probably more so this season I've felt that than ever before, certainly from my point of view.
01:44Joe?
01:46David, as you said, you finished the season one point better off than last season.
01:49Do you think that's a fair reflection on the campaign?
01:53Probably not, but I think it's more of a reflection of what the Premier League's been like this year.
01:57I didn't think for a minute that Tottenham, West Ham or Nottingham Forest could go down.
02:01I thought their squads were too strong. I thought their teams were too good.
02:04I couldn't see how that could happen.
02:06But obviously, a couple of teams just dropped away a little bit.
02:10But I didn't see how any of those teams could be involved in it.
02:13I really didn't.
02:13So, for us not to be near it, and let's be fair, probably for most of the season,
02:19we've been talking about being in the top eight, nine.
02:24But you have to play all the games.
02:28And I remember when I first joined Everton 10 or 15 years ago,
02:34Everton used to always just get safe at Easter.
02:37Get safe at Easter and that was it.
02:42Hopefully, that's not the same with this group.
02:44Given the way the season has ended, there's some frustration and disappointment among the fans.
02:48Do you understand that?
02:50Well, it's you firing that question at me.
02:52I don't understand it, really.
02:53No.
02:54OK, fair enough.
02:55What does progress look like next season as you try and build on this?
02:58Well, we need to go again.
03:01We've made some small steps in good direction for long parts of the season.
03:06We've done pretty well.
03:10But you can see we've been sort of squeezed a little bit.
03:12Around January, we were squeezed a little bit.
03:15And also, not so much the running.
03:18We've had most of the players available in fit.
03:20You know, Jared Branthwaite obviously was a huge mistake when we just got him back.
03:24So, hopefully we're able to continue to build and go in the right direction.
03:30I don't think we're ever going to be able to go and spend £200 million and do that.
03:35But if we can make some extra steps and move on.
03:38But I hoped it would have been better than where we finished, that's for sure.
03:42Because I thought we were, for most of the season, we would have been in a stronger position.
03:46You kept a similar start in 11 to what you've had for the last few weeks.
03:50Were you tempted to make any changes?
03:51What was your full process?
03:52Yeah, I tempted you.
03:53But you decided not to for...
03:56No, I didn't.
03:57If I thought it was better, I'd have done it.
03:59Okay.
04:02Hi, David.
04:03Does there also have to be a bit of a reflection?
04:05First season, new stadium, big changes.
04:07And then, ultimately, maybe a few more bodies would have pushed you over the line at the end of the
04:11season?
04:11Yeah.
04:12When I reflect, hopefully I will do.
04:14You can imagine I'm just out of a game, I've just lost, and I'm absolutely pissed with it, as I
04:18should be.
04:19You wouldn't expect me to be anything different.
04:21If you want to be a football manager, you need to win.
04:24We've not won in the last five or six weeks, so it's nothing to do with just today I've got
04:28because I've not been over the line in the other weeks recently.
04:31But I think when we reflect back, we'll probably look at it and think that there's been some good things.
04:37But, obviously, we're showing signs that we know that good teams are getting relegated now.
04:42And if you're not on it right away and you've not got it sorted, you could find yourself in trouble.
04:47I have to say, there isn't a lot of people who believe you don't always get the appreciation you deserve.
04:53I don't know if it's in post, but seeing your former club, what's your thoughts on that going down West
04:57Ham?
04:59Disappointed for them because, you know, I think it's dead easy to talk about teams getting relegated,
05:05but you forget about what actually it feels like and what it is for the people behind the scenes.
05:10But I think what you probably need to do is take a dose of medicine and get back
05:15and West Ham will be back in the Premier League.
05:17Get them back as quick as they can and get them ready for when they come back and prepare them
05:24again.
05:25So that's all. The only positive I can think now, you need to just take your medicine and get on
05:31with it.
05:33Okay, folks, how are you?
05:34See you later.
05:35Okay, cheers.
05:36Thank you very much.
05:38Thank you very much.
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