As part of our guest contributor slots we have an article from Jamie Davies who runs the Tower On The Hill Blog, which is a specialist blog dedicated to the mighty Everton.  Have a read of part 1 below and make sure you give him a follow on twitter @JDavies1878

From Dour to Dreaming Again (Part 1 – by @JDavies1878)

It was day after the January transfer window. That January transfer window. I remember opening the paper only to find that my worries had been confirmed – no incomings. As an Evertonian, perhaps I should have known better, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think one player would arrive before the clock struck to bring the shutters down on another transfer window. At least one loanee, perhaps an exotic/slightly underwhelming free agent in the mould of the Straq or maybe – just maybe – a late rabbit out the hat trick a la Fellaini. Alas… nothing.

I tell this story as this was, in my case anyhow, the first legitimate iron clad nail in the tartan lined coffin so to speak. As a regular fan who isn’t privy to the intricate runnings of our club behind closed doors, I was left totally deflated, almost defeated. Who knows, perhaps Moyes had his hands tied; perhaps funds were simply not available or had simply vanished (or should I say spent on ‘operating costs’?) Either way, I felt utterly let down & firmly believe Moyes was, at least to a degree, at fault and had almost settled for a comfortable top 7/8 finish before the window opened. At a time when every supporter with a pulse could see the team were screaming out for extra bodies and energy, it almost felt like the club had simply went in to hibernation for the month, with the standard ‘We’ll go with what we’ve got’ line ready to emerge from its burrow at the first sign of February. To me, the remainder of that season looked bleak. Ultimately, it was far from a disaster but I believe it could have been so much more…

The final proverbial nail in the now tired looking coffin was that Wigan game. As a season ticket holder, the mood had most definitely changed amongst a large section of fans; no longer was Moyes a ‘messiah’, no longer was it acceptable to simply want to survive. A lot, myself included, were now growing tired of seeing the next striker off the conveyor belt stripped of his deadly prowess in exchange of running the channels and completing their ‘defensive duties’, the ludicrous comments about getting out of Old Trafford alive, the ridiculous substitutions consisting of dross like Heitinga replacing an attacker – at home at 1 – 0! Then there’s Ross Barkley… Enough said. The murmurs were growing louder as our ambition grew. Perhaps Moyes was limited. The performance that night against Wigan slapped me across the face and fully convinced me that it was Moyes’ time to go. I appreciate what he did for Everton totally but, looking back, he wasn’t as Everton as he needed to be to try and push us on that extra step. The opposing manager, however…

Although I had personally felt change was now needed, there were some who were, understandably, wary. Initially I was; Moyes had, admittedly, done unbelievable considering the financial restrictions and it was the fear of the unknown that worried a lot. However, no matter how many times the media and Moyes try to tell you that we’re merely a poor club in the shadows of the neighbours and how we miraculously ‘punch above our weight’ every year, the truth is we are Everton FC, 9 x League Champions, 5 x FA Cup Winners, home to some of the greatest footballers in history – the greatest in fact. How many times must an act happen for it to be dismissed as a miracle? We deserve a chance of success again. Hope, belief, dreams. Fortunately, unbeknown to blues afar, a new era had in fact already begun…

I refer to the day that Manchester City pipped United to the title by the skin of their gold plated teeth. Ferguson was a couple of minutes away from retiring, ending with a flourish – yet another title. However, that Sergio Aguero goal postponed the party & in turn resulted in Ferguson staying another year. A year in which Evertonians slowly woke up & realised that perhaps the limit of our ambitionwas 5th and we wanted more. And a year in which a certain catalan lifted the FA Cup. Who knows, if Ferguson had left the previous year would Bill have chosen Roberto to take the reigns? Perhaps that FA Cup was an essential bullet point on a otherwise seemingly ‘standard’ CV? Perhaps the ‘trending’ manager at the time may have been selected? It’s impossible to say, but in my own mind I like to think there was a certain amount of fate involved. Who knows how important that Aguero goal may prove to the future success of Everton FC under our mercurial Spaniard?

Part 2 coming soon………..

In the meantime please check out Jamie’s blog at http://toweronthehill.wordpress.com/ or follow him on twitter @JDavies1878