Down to a slip of the tongue?

Feb 6 2007

by Tony Cottee, Liverpool Echo

I’D like to think that Rafa Benitez didn’t deliberately intend to insult Everton on Saturday. I’d really like to think that. When you have a foreign manager it’s very difficult for them to conduct press conferences and get across exactly what they mean. The nuances of the language can be difficult to grasp and foreign managers may be unaware of how their words can be perceived. I’d like to think that perhaps Rafa was talking about the size of Everton’s ambition on Saturday rather than the stature of the football club. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT Maybe his ‘small’ club jibe hinted at a defensive mindset rather than the scale of their achievements down the years. But if Rafa really did intend to refer to Everton as a ‘small’ club it is a clear insult to both the club and its fans. I don’t need to go into explanations here about why Everton is a big club. Anyone with a passing interest in English football will know that Everton is one of the most historic institutions in the game, with a heritage and a tradition matched by very few. Everton have played more matches and won more points than any other club and despite the lean years of the Premiership era, their trophy haul is still bettered only by Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

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