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How about it’s the hope that kills you? If ever there’s a club motto that has been more inappropriate over the past 30 odd years that’s it. So here we are – if you are 40 you may just recall the last time Evertonians had their hearts filled with joy. Even then it was a campaign of misery until the very end and an unlikely FA Cup final victory over Manchester United. There’s been a few false dawns, none moreso than when we threatened to jump into the Champions League but then blew it with an extraordinary diabolical end to last season. Everton that. Oh for a Kevin Brock moment, for older readers he was the Oxford United player whose gifted back pass gave Everton a draw in a cup tie in 1984 when they were about to hit their lowest point. It was the catalyst for the club’s golden years of the mid 80s, yep Everton were generally acknowledged as the best side in Europe maybe the world. Hard to believe. A West Brom fan once asked the question “what is the point of Everton?” decent enough query, sometimes you do feel it’s like having a car but never intending to go anywhere in it. Anyway the responses were predictable. Abuse and … History!!! But time has run out on that riposte. It’s gone, we can’t keep living in the past pointing to ancient title successes and it’s hard to see a brighter future. The only heart pumping experiences fans have had over the years produced palpitations while escaping the drop. Look around the Premier League, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Sunderland…. all have risen and become stable while Everton just sell tickets for a roller coaster ride. New stadium, same old story (I’m still chortling having lost a 3-1 lead to Man City with minutes to go). Speechless. So where does it end? League Cup success would be a start. But it’s going to get harder not easier to break the mould. The squad is currently weaker and smaller than last season, we are shopping in Home Bargains for replacements. Truth is we are a fallen giant and no amount of history can change where we are. Hill Dickinson was a reset for a decent home (I grew to hate Goodison by the end). Now it needs to be matched on the field. I’m looking forward to the start of the season with the enthusiasm of root canal treatment. I’m not alone. It’s hard to see David Moyes turning our fortunes around. But you never know in football, stranger things can happen. I just pray it isn’t the little hope I have that kills me.