TYPICALLY the vast majority of football fans are optimistic about their team’s chances as we wait for the main event to kick off today.

Everton supporters can justifiably feel more excited and confident than most. A terrific second half to last season has been backed up with an almost perfect summer for David Moyes.

The only blemishes have been a disappointing defeat in Wolfsburg and the lack of a resolution to the Steven Pienaar saga.

Other than that, six wins from seven is an impressive run.

Saying that, pre-season form is a notoriously poor indicator as to how a team will fare when the real action starts. But every player, manager and supporter would prefer to go into the campaign on the back of a good pre-season and Everton, by and large, have looked good.

Last season our main problem was a crippling injury list. David Moyes and his players did magnificently just to compete during that period.

If we have a little luck in terms of injuries this season then I see no reason why our optimism should not be realised.

David Moyes has been very astute in the transfer market.

Everton are now in the fortunate position of not having to rely on any of the new signings to do anything extraordinary this season.

We’ve signed a very experienced goalkeeper in Jan Mucha and three youngsters with great potential.

Magaye Gueye, Joao Silva and Jermaine Beckford can all be viewed in the developmental stage of their careers.

If they come in and do well as and when they get their chance in the first team, it will be seen as a bonus.

Other teams have been signing players most of whom will be expected to come straight in and do well.

As we saw last season, Everton’s squad is already strong enough to compete when everyone is fit. In that sense, there is no extra pressure on the new players.

In particular, Jermaine Beckford excites me. I’ve seen him playing for Leeds and he is a player with raw talent and ability. People have questioned his attitude and consistency but one of the great strengths of Everton is that David Moyes has instilled a great squad mentality in the dressing room that brings out the best in people.

Beckford could turn out to be a really, really good signing for Everton but, if not – because of his reputation as a natural goalscorer – he will always make money for the club because he arrived on a free.

It was a shrewd piece of business by the manager but also a move that highlighted the players’s determination to come to Goodison ahead of a host of other clubs interested in him.