acquaintance with those on Merseyside received very little media coverage.
Amidst the more publicised financial crisis surrounding Lincoln City
Football Club, news on the connection had to settle for a back-seat.
However, now that the season is almost underway, City chairman Bradley gave
some reassurance that the Imps are in the process of re-establishing the
link.
"We need to re-establish the Everton link, and will do this in the next few
weeks/months," Bradley updated, being a little unsure as to how long that
procedure could take.
Bradley was keen to stress that the link-up between the two clubs had in no
way reached its expiry date and the long-term agreement is set to continue,
"We are hopeful that our friendship can be continued," said the chairman.
He was also quick to offer evidence as to why the link-up was waning in
close season. "Walter Smith, Alan Buckley, and Dick Chester all departed
their positions around the same time, and they were some of the main people
in the link," he testified.
While Walter Smith was in charge at Goodison Park, he expressed an eager
desire to form some sort of affiliation with a lower league club in order to
allow his younger players to gain experience. Likewise, former Imps manager,
Buckley, backed the idea. Dick Chester, formerly Chief Executive at Lincoln
City, was a key instigator of the informal deal between the two clubs.
However, those in charge of team affairs today - Keith Alexander (at
Lincoln) and David Moyes (at Everton) - like their predecessors, wish to
continue where things were left off. "Keith Alexander knows David Moyes
quite well," said Bradley.
Bradley continued, "In terms of players, the hope was that our youth set-up
could benefit and that they would get a foothold in this area through us,
and we would benefit with young players in our first team squad at no cost
with them getting competitive football to bring them on."
The fact that the Imps do not have to pay the wages of any Everton youngster
granted a spell at Sincil Bank, is ideal. It is foreseeable that if City
found themselves depleted in number because of injury then Keith Alexander
would make enquiries regarding certain youngsters from Everton.
It is not unknown that several of Everton's youngsters are crying out for a
bit more competitive action, as reported by Planet Imp in the season of
last. Leon Osman, and Kevin McLeod have both spoken publicly of their
yearning for first team football which as of yet has failed to arise.
Past attempts to prise one or two of these names away from Goodison have
proven somewhat difficult. Back in March, then-Imps-manager Alan Buckley
made an inquiry about striking starlet Nick Chadwick and influential
midfield man Keith Southern, but disappointingly, Everton did not let them
go. Reason: David Moyes had not yet weighed up whether to keep them on, or
let them go, as he had only recently arrived at Goodison. It was very much
the case of unfortunate timing.
Spokesman for Everton Football Club, Ian Ross, was a little in the dark
about the situation - "To be honest, I don't know" (if the link-up is still
operating). "I'm uncertain as to whether Everton manager, David Moyes, will
follow the lead set by Walter Smith.you may discover that before I do!"