Everton Fan View: Ronald Koeman could pay the price for the Bale effect

When you have a flood of money like Everton had, you often feel as though it can be the catalyst for better times ahead, it must have been what Ronald Koeman was thinking. That’s the silver lining that Spurs fans thought they had when they sold Gareth Bale in 2013, and the same with Liverpool in 2014 when they sold Suarez.

As the famous quote by George Santayana goes “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat It.” Everton have repeated those mistakes of the past.

Andre Villas-Boas was sacked shortly after Bale’s departure, Brendan Rodgers endured a difficult season before being sacked the following October.

If he’s not careful, Koeman could be the next victim of a manager failing to control his side after selling the clubs best player.

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The Everton side at the moment look like strangers playing without any heart or desire. If there is anything Everton fans can’t stand, it’s their players showing no passion on the football pitch.

The game vs Atalanta saw a shift in the fan mentality. The team not having time to gel problem has turned into a Ronald Koeman problem.

People are starting to question whether he is the right man to lead the club forward. It’s tough for a manager, but he quickly has to work out a way of getting his players to work for him.

Blessing in disguise

David Moyes may have lamented his lack of funds at the club, but it was also a bit of a blessing. The lack of rotation in the squad enabled the core group to always stay together and keep up the exceptionally high team spirit. Koeman obliterated the squad in the summer, and it’s obliterated the team spirit.

Being a football manager is so much more than player selection and tactics. Koeman needs to rebuild a team spirit very quickly, and needs to instil a drive and desire in his players. Spurs looked lost after Bale, Liverpool looked lost after Suarez, Everton look lost after Lukaku.

We have a talented group of players who can’t currently play together. If Koeman doesn’t solve that problem, it’ll be someone else’s problem to solve. Spurs recovered after the sale of Bale, and Liverpool did last year. In both instances it took a couple of years, and cost the manager their job.

If Koeman wants to avoid the same fate, he needs to find a solution soon. With Man United coming up next, the sale of Lukaku could come to haunt Koeman in more ways than one. He needs to find a way to overcome the Bale effect, if he can’t, he won’t be at Everton for much longer.