IT'S SEASON BACK ON FOR EVERTON F.C.

By Greg O Keeffe on Sep 24, 09 12:24 PM

WHAT A DIFFERENCE a few weeks make.
We've gone from fearing for the season after the sapping Fulham defeat, to being optimistic again and dreaming of cup finals and top five finishes.

Well, I have at least. If there's one thing these Super Blues always underline it's the fickleness of my footy moods.

Even though I told myself we had a slow start last season and then turned it around in style, I just couldn't see it happening again.

Spurs were too strong. City were flying. Us? Top ten at best, I thought.

But then you see us finally achieving something resembling a strong squad with quality competition for ever place and things change (granted, we're no Chelsea or United but our squad isn't miles off Liverpool's).

The main thing is we'll have some first team when Jags and Arteta are back. It was excellent, in unsurprising, to see the yak back amongst the goals at Hull last night.

Heitinga is easing his way into the team and his arrival seems to have re-energised Hibbert who will fight for his jersey all season.

Similarly, Billy has already notched up an impressive number of assists and there looks to be much more to come from him.

Even the much maligned Leon Osman seems to be playing with the air of someone desperate not to miss out.

Unfortunately for Ossie I think centre-mid cameos in the Carling Cup may be a bigger part of his future, but you never know.

If he can play as consistently well as he did last seasons against Fulham (and Hull last night) he deserves to figure.

The capture of Lucas Neill will prove wise when injuries inevitably bite further into the campaign and he will bring a bit more of that Aussie winning mentality with which Cahill invigorates the dressing room.

It may be because we won convincingly last night, but the Carling Cup seems our most realistic stab at silverware this season.

Even though I think we'll ease through the Europa group stages, we're bound to draw the best of the Champion's League drop-outs and we're yet to beat a big European side under Moyes (Villareal, Standard and Fiorentina all proved too much).

But let's enjoy things for now and hope this glut of goals and defensive shut outs, helped by the ever-impressive Tim Howard, continues.