The Current Squad:?

David Roscoe 17/07/2007 35comments  |  Jump to last
Are things as bad as people think?

It has been interesting to note how the focus of debate amongst Evertonians shifts over time.  Generally, the topic of the moment tends to reflect which aspect of our club is causing most anxiety at any particular time.  I remember that earlier this year, the team?s style of play was the main point of debate, particularly following the home defeat to Tottenham.  Gradually, the criticism died down as it became apparent that European qualification would be secured and we could reflect on what was a reasonably successful season.

The early part of the summer saw the stadium debate coming to the forefront of discussions and I fully appreciate the importance of this debate, as the club is about to make momentous decisions that will shape its future for some time to come.

However, the realisation that our relative inactivity in the transfer market seems to be continuing appears to have shifted the discussion to this aspect of the club.  Personally, of the above, I think the only issue that we can have any serious influence over is the stadium debate.  Team performance and transfer activity are basically entrusted to the guardians of our club (the Chairman, the Chief Executive and the Manager) and, as supporters, we can only voice our opinions on these matters.  Having said that, the range of viewpoints is amazing and it is always good to read the contributions of the fans, even if some differ markedly from my own.

Of course, that doesn?t stop me having my own view of the playing squad and transfer activity.  I have to be honest and say that I am relatively calm about the situation.  While it?s true a few more new faces wouldn?t go amiss, we should consider our position relative to the clubs we are competing against.  What has struck me most is that the majority of the big spending is being done by clubs which are going through major upheaval.  Consider the number of clubs in the Premier League who have changed their manager in the past 12 months.  The new managers at these clubs are now having their first real opportunity to mould their squads as they would like them to be.  To do this, they need to spend and (this summer, at least) spend big.  Look at some of the clubs we are supposedly competing with (discounting the Top 4 for the moment):

Newcastle, Fulham, Wigan, Manchester City ? new managers who are effectively overhauling the squad after very poor seasons

Aston Villa, West Ham, Middlesbrough - relatively new managers who are still undertaking major squad re-building exercises

Add in the three promoted clubs that will need to spend to survive (in terms of top quality players, they are probably starting from a low base) and you have half of the teams in the division that are trying to make major corrections to playing squads.  However, just because they are spending a lot on individual players, there is no guarantee that when they are thrown together, they make a team.

Then take a look at some of the teams who have been less than active in the market: Blackburn, Bolton, Everton, Reading.  Generally, this is because they have settled squads that have done well in recent seasons.  They also have fairly well established management structures (Bolton have changed their manager, but have promoted from within).  That leaves two more teams.  Tottenham are probably one side that buck this trend in that they have a stable, successful side and management, but have splashed out this summer.  Tottenham are also the side that Everton can most compare to at the moment, in terms of past tradition, current performance level and future aspiration.  So, in this case, it is understandable that some of our fans believe that we are being left behind.  In Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth have a manager who has always tended to indulge in the ?revolving door? style of transfer dealing.  Again though, in terms of the quality of the playing squad, I think Portsmouth are starting from a lower base point than Everton.

So what about Everton?s lack of activity in the transfer market? I get the impression that David Moyes is relatively happy with the make-up of his squad (as he should be, because it is definitely ?his? squad now).  He probably realises that major surgery is not necessary and that we are not desperate for a particular type of player and certainly not at the prices being quoted.  He is probably at the stage where he will bring players in if he believes that they will add to the squad in terms of both depth and quality.  He is not in the position, like some other managers, of having to bring in players for the sake of it.

Some of our manager?s transfer dealings may be questionable, but the more recent dealings probably fall into the ?successful? category.  Last summer, he appeared to have identified where the obvious shortcomings of the squad lay.  Once it became clear that Nigel Martyn?s career was coming to an end, he moved to secure a very good goalkeeper.  An ageing pool of centre-backs was supplemented by an excellent addition from the Championship.  Finally, although most of us had been aware of the problem for some time, the lack of a goal-scoring forward with pace was addressed when he bought Andrew Johnson.  Incidentally, if, as has been suggested, last summer?s transfer money was ?borrowed? from this year?s TV money, this now looks a decent strategy, given some of the transfer fees this summer.

This summer, the deficiencies are probably still evident but maybe less critical.  Decent creative midfield players are difficult to come by, but this is probably an area of the team you have to get right rather than settling for second best.  A good wide man is obviously also needed, but it is debatable how desperately the team needs this.

The argument about player valuations is also an interesting one.  Clubs competing to buy players will value them differently, based on how much money they have available to spend and based either on how desperately they need to fill the particular position in which the player operates or on how much the player represents an improvement on the existing squad.  So Wigan were prepared to pay £5.3M for Jason Koumas and Everton (reportedly) were not; Portsmouth were prepared to pay £6M for David Nugent and Everton (reportedly, again) were not.  It is for the manager to make this judgment and, if he was actually interested, Moyes clearly felt the valuation of these two players was too high, given the requirements of the squad and the funds available.  Had Moyes not signed Andrew Johnson last summer or if he faced the prospect of not having Johnson available this season through injury, he may well have been prepared to pay the asking price for Nugent.  As fans, we can then agree or disagree with his assessment, although actually I think the majority of opinion amongst Evertonians probably sides with the manger in the two cases mentioned.  Should Richardson move to Sunderland for £5.5M, I suspect that he will fall into the same category.

The lack of numbers in the squad is clearly a worry, particularly with a Uefa Cup campaign on the horizon.  It?s also clear that there is not a great deal of money available to boost the numbers.  Faced with this equation, a manager can take two courses of action.  He can go for more players at the cheaper end of the market, meaning that the team will probably finish in relative safety, but won?t progress much.  Or, he can concentrate the available cash on better quality players, in the hope that he will be lucky with injuries and suspensions.  In the latter case, if he is unlucky, he can jeopardise the status of the club, but if he is lucky, he can move the team forward.  It?s simply a matter of risk versus reward.  Particularly in the last couple of years, Moyes appears to have followed the approach of spreading the money across fewer, but better quality players, with the result that, overall, the team has probably moved forward.  Significantly though, he has also increasingly tended to draft in players who can, if required, fill more than one position.  We now seem to have quite a few who can fit this category (Lescott, Cahill, Neville, Jagielka?maybe even McFadden!).  While these players have varying levels of adaptability when they move from their favoured positions, this approach has the advantage of lowering the overall wage bill from what it might be.  It also potentially means that these players are match fit when they are drafted into their ?new? position rather than arriving from a spell on the bench.  On the flip side, of course, the disadvantages are that the team can become over-reliant on these players and their potential absence can be critical.

One final point on the playing staff? I don?t think we should underestimate the contribution that the team spirit of a close-knit squad can have on its ability to perform.  Ours is a young squad that seems to contain relatively level-headed individuals.  It is also, hopefully, a squad that will be allowed to grow and develop together, particularly if we can achieve some success before the ?Big 4? vultures begin to circle.

I know things are not perfect and we quite rightly won?t be happy until there is silverware back in trophy room and we are competing with the top European teams year-in-year-out.  However, overall, on the playing side at least, the club seems to be moving generally in the right direction.  I know it can be frustrating when we pick up the papers and see players moving to other clubs for massive transfer fees.  However, sometimes it is worth taking a step back, putting things in perspective and looking at where our team is compared to others.  Given the option, with how many teams would we swap our current situation?

Reader Comments

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer


sevron
1   Posted 17/07/2007 at 07:13:42

Report abuse

Sense at last. Everyone remembers Leeds throwing money at players and getting nowhere, but for some reason that doesn’t sink in. So what about Real Madrid, yes the real Real. Think of the money they have spent on players like becks, zidane, ronaldo et al. and yet it wasn’t until his last game for the club that Becks finally saw some siverwear.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. Patience is the key, let DM develop and build his squad and we will have long term success. Buy it and we will collapse.
Mwila
2   Posted 17/07/2007 at 07:22:51

Report abuse

Good article.Everton should not pay over the odds for players especially those with questionable attitudes. Imagine the scenario if we had bought someone like Bellamy who shows little or no loyalty!

We should also not underestimate the impact of the many young players waiting in the wings..cant wait for the season to start!
Tom Griffiths
3   Posted 17/07/2007 at 07:47:24

Report abuse

Thank goodness someone else out there has a brain and something to do with their time other than complain about Moyes. I for one am glad that we passed on Koumas, Nugent and Richardson, especially for those prices. I don’t think any of them would have added anything, and while I’m disappointed Nugent didn’t arrive at Goodison, we have more than enough young talent up front with Vaughan, Anichebe, Lucas, Spencer and even the reserve lads who look promising (Agard). Let’s remember that (at this stage) Valente is fit to play, allowing Lescott to play centre-back, Jagielka can cover lots of spots, Cahill is fit after missing most of last season, and AJ is coming back to full fitness after struggling with injury for the last couple of months. Same for McFadden (although I personally don’t think much of him). But seeing the money spent on average players, isn’t 10mil for Fernandes reasonable? If Koumas is worth 5.3? Anyway, have some patience and some faith.
pietro
4   Posted 17/07/2007 at 07:56:02

Report abuse

I agree but the fact is that we are not able to attract players (top or not top is the same...) and the most important fact is that we are not able to face the season with this narrow team. We are leading to the same direction as two years ago and everybody knows how it went.......
I’m concerned...very concerned...
john foat
5   Posted 17/07/2007 at 07:50:00

Report abuse

yes david well put, but with all the games ahead of us the squad is just to small,if we are to compete this season we need more bodies on the payroll.
Ray Hughes
6   Posted 17/07/2007 at 07:50:51

Report abuse

I get the point what your saying but is the current Everton squad ever going to be good enough to win silverwear again?. Or is it down to the manager not being good enough?. Moyes has been here for long enough now to have established some sort of cup run but there has been no sign of anything, not even a quarter final. Look at the clubs who have reached finals of the League and FA cups since we last got there?. Moyes objective once he had steadied the ship and brought in his own players must have been to win a trophy and I admit the most and only likely one he would win was the League ( Carling ) cup.. Any normal manager wants silverwear but for some reason I just really cant see this happening under Moyes just as I couldnt under Walter Smith although we reached two quarter finals,but thats not enough either really is it?. As a club our size ( on history anyway ) we have to have the ambition of winning something again..Now I understand that the league is your bread and butter and it comes first but it does seem that doing well in the cups seems no longer on the agenda for Everton..Take Blackburn at home last season for example?.There was no fight or effort there and to lose 4-1 at home to a mid table club in that manner was a shambles. We have to get that pride back in the cup competitions as we done in the league..We have won one trophy since 1987.. That for a club like Everton is not really good enough is it?. The source of ambition now seems to be just finishing in a good league position like when we finished fourth and we had Bill Kenwright out bullshitting and all the "Champions League we’re havin a laugh merchandise" For goodness sake we had not even reached the Champions League had we?. We had to play a qualifier to get there. Thats just what I am saying.. Because E.F.C had been shite for so long we now celebrate winning nothing.. The time has come..Its Moyes team now and he has been here past five years thats long enough to get it right and in many ways he has but we have to one day attempt to lift another trophy again otherwise we may accept the only way to do it is to BUY success.. ouch!!
DannyMackay
7   Posted 17/07/2007 at 08:04:53

Report abuse

As a Spurs fan who has written about the prospects of Everton and Spurs making up a big six in the years ahead I couldn’t agree more with this article.

The key thing for Everton was keeping the squad together. Had Arteta gone (for example) Moyes would have a very different job to do this summer. Things are looking good up there and some clever signings might yet happen.

Also - While spurs seem to be an exception because of the big fees involved - we have only signed three new players so far, and one is only a back up central defender.
John Kelly
8   Posted 17/07/2007 at 09:17:43

Report abuse

I believe that the reason Everton have not signed anymore players this season is the lack of funds. it has been reported that Everton took a £14 million loan out and £4million went on Jaguilka, so where is the rest! I believe and have heard it on many a website that we have signed Riquelme for £10 million! that would be reason for not signing anyone, and moyes saying one more big signing to be made, and the reason we have no squad member wearing the number 10 shirt, and good reason for this weeks trip to America!
Steve Mc
9   Posted 17/07/2007 at 08:34:33

Report abuse

I’m fed up of hearing Leeds Utd used as an excuse for lack of spending. Leeds bought a lot of expensive players in a very short time and paid them wages that even by today’s standards were high, they were still paying towards those wages while they were playing for other clubs. This does not compare to sensible manageable debt. The club’s position has improved on the pitch and revenue is increasing, not to mention TV money and a higher than budgeted league position, but we seem unable to support DM with the funds to bring in quality if not numbers.
It’s not about what other clubs are doing it is about EFC striving to improve on the previous season, something that every business and individual should always be trying to do.
Colin Evans
10   Posted 17/07/2007 at 09:18:03

Report abuse

Agreed the argument you put forward makes a great deal of sense.

One other point which I beleive critical is relative to wages - you cannot think about signings just on the basis of transfer fees; but also on the impact on the overall wage bill and player moral by bringing in a signing on wages which destablise team spirit.

Finally, Our sucess will be measured by finishing 5th or 6th in the next season, and making a creditable campaign in the UEFA cup. That should make us proud! We cannot compete with the big-4 end of story; We need to outperfom our ’real’ rivals - Spurs, Newcastle, Villa, Bolton etc. and I am confident we will in 07-08 season.
COYB
Richard Parker
11   Posted 17/07/2007 at 08:49:37

Report abuse

Good article, which I more or less agree with.

Nugent, Richardson and Koumas are not good enough for the price, end-of-story. Anything in the region of £5-6M needs to be an improvement on the 1st XI. Those players are not.

It is sure that we need 2 more players as an absolute, bare, hope-to-christ-that-we-don’t-get-injuries minimum.

I’d honestly be happy to bring in 3 promising youngsters at 1-2M and give it a go. Rather than bring in a 1-in-3 Championship striker, an average Premiership winger and a 27-year-old Championship veteran for more than £5M a pop.

I am sure that Moyes is doing his utmost with what he has to improve the team. And I for one see the non-signings of Nugent, Richardson and Koumas as an extremely positive thing. With limited funds comes a responsibility to spend wisely and Mr Moyes, in my humble opinion, is improving all the time in this respect.
Mr P Hall
12   Posted 17/07/2007 at 09:33:13

Report abuse

In Moyes we trust, you can not put a time scale on success look at Newcastle massive club with nothing but 55,000 supporters?.
Come on Blue fans Get behind not stab the club/chairman/manager/players in the back.
V.Good article
Richard Parker
13   Posted 17/07/2007 at 09:55:24

Report abuse

Don’t agree with Colin Evans, that "we can’t compete with the top-4".

We already did it once and we weren’t THAT far behind Arsenal last season. I can agree that it is unlikely that we’ll cause them major problems, I’m not daft.

But statements like that are of no use to any true supporter or club. We have to be aiming to be in the top-4, year after year, or why turn up?

You can be bloody well sure that right now DM and the squad will be aiming for the top-4 this season and rightly so.

Last season, we got 4 points off the scum and Arsenal, they both got 1 off us. We also came close to getting points off United at home (I know, I know!) and we managed a draw with Chelsea. A little more consistency against lower teams and we’d have been right up there. How different is that to what we were used to not so long ago?

To say we can’t compete with the top-4 is nothing but excuses and the attitude of losers. It will be extremely difficult, but we can do it.

COYB indeed!!
Jon.
14   Posted 17/07/2007 at 10:00:03

Report abuse

in reply to John Kelly’s post, i hope to christ this comes true! he is a sensational player
Mark Pendleton
15   Posted 17/07/2007 at 10:30:57

Report abuse

I agree completely with this article. In response to a couple of comments made in other responses though - why is Riquelme suddenly such an awesome player. Looked like an annoying, whinging little s*** capable of turning his skill on when he liked to me. I’d rather we didn’t go there. And as for us not attracting players - Nugent and Koumas to name but two would have jumped at the chance to join. I don’t think either would have been a good move though and that’s before the over-inflated fees. Yobo and Arteta were signings that moreorless came out of nowhere. I’m hoping and i guess expecting one or two of the same before the summer’s out.
Danielle Campion
16   Posted 17/07/2007 at 11:01:52

Report abuse

We at spurs are lucky, we have had the financial support to move up a level, whilst like most fans you dont want to waste money on players with over inflated prices there does come a point where you have to spend or risk being left behind even with the crasy prices that are going around. But surely Everton must have money to spend from the new TV deal ???
Kjetil Moen
17   Posted 17/07/2007 at 10:58:43

Report abuse

Very good article, David. Well done!

It is simply not true that we don’t attract players: at least Smith, Koumas and Nugetn stated they would love to play for Everton, but when their clubs didn’t accept our bids, there was little they could do.
Ben Jones
18   Posted 17/07/2007 at 11:41:54

Report abuse

I think the article is very good.. it certainly puts a lot of faith from me into Everton anyway. But we do need a left winger.. and that’s where I disagree with the article.. I think we desperately need a left winger in. It’s a bit too much pressure on Osman, which I dont think it’s his natural position to be honest. N’Zogbia is a good winger though and not for that much too, and he said he’s unhappy at Newcastle, I say GET HIM!!
Tony Rice
19   Posted 17/07/2007 at 11:17:23

Report abuse

Agree a sensible article but the key to sucess is real quality in the Atrtete mode and I think we will regret baulking at the price tag for Fernandes who now, given the numbers being paid this year, is frankly looking good value. We rarely get a look-in for players of this quality and his potential was there for all to see. I have no doubt his approach, attitude or whatever it was that upset Moyes would have changed in his second and third seasons. Just look how Artete has matured into his position. I was at Chelsea for the last game of the season and more than one Chelsea fan was heard to remark how he looked the best footballer on the pitch - and he was (although the "man v boy" tag was never better used in the manner in which Lescott dealt with Wright-Phillips!). Fernandes would have added real ball retention and distribution skills to our midfield so that less reliance was placed on Artete for the slide rule ball slipped inside a defence which players like Johnson feed on.

Nugent would have been nice to have too given his passion for the club and the fact he can play a bit but there was a marked lack of interest from other leading clubs which worried me slightly. Koumas was the best player on the park by a mile at the playoff final and I think I would have risked £5m on him.

Either way, I do think we need a few more key players for the squad and I am concerned. I just hope DM has something up his sleeve in the next few weeks so I can go on holiday without worrying too much!
Karl Masters
20   Posted 17/07/2007 at 11:39:07

Report abuse

Totally agree. Very good article.

It is frustrating, and the Stadium thing may have some money earmarked for it, but I know we will buy a couple more at least before long. I would like to see Fernandes plus 2 ’squad’ players to bolster the squad for Europe. That, with Jagielka, would represent a good close season for me, but if it’s not possible it’s not possible and we do seem good at finding young players don’t we.

One final point - for all those who call Moyes cautious. You could argue that his recent strategy of shrinking the squad in numbers, but raising its quality is extremely risky if we have a bad year with injuries. But better quality players is the only way we will ever win anything again. As someone who witnessed the gradual replacement of quality with mediocrity post 1987 I fully support Moyes’ strategy.It’s risky, but the rewards are greater... as pointed out in David’s article.
Joe Carroll
21   Posted 17/07/2007 at 12:38:56

Report abuse

Absolutely right.I have to agree with everything said in the article. It really annoys me how some Evertonians can moan at Moyes? tactics in the transfer market. Nugent (unproven from the Championship)-not worth 6 mill, Richardson (someone I do not even have the time of day to rate)not worth 4-5 mill, Koumas (who I dont think would even improve our squad) not worth 4 mill.
Our squad is in a much healthier state than all the other teams outside the big 4 (bar Spurs) so what we want, as was rightly stated in the article, is quality over quantity.Would we not rather take the risk than remain a mediocre, mid-table club?
A little faith in Moyes would do no harm at all.COYB
David Bromwell
22   Posted 17/07/2007 at 13:46:37

Report abuse

Thank you David for an excellent article, and it is good to read so many other sensible and realistic views. Lets hope someone in the club has time to take a read through.I would also like to support the younger players at the club and hope that they will be given very opportunity to so their potential.
Thommo Bigpond
23   Posted 17/07/2007 at 15:27:26

Report abuse

The thing that I find worrying is that in the main we seem to be buying/signing players of a defensive style. In saying that I have to admit that I haven?t seen a lot of some of them and I don?t know how Moyes intends playing them, but the likes of Anderson da Silva, Jagielka, Phil Neville and may be this bloke Vogel all seem to be the same sort of player. My first thought is that in the main they will be vying for the Carsley role while being able to cover other positions. I would like to see, at least, a creative midfielder and a winger to round the squad and Fernandes would certainly fill one of those roles. But then, I tend to suffer from the 1970?s Brazil tendency of worrying less about defence if your forte is attacking, attractive football that continually outscores the opposition regardless of how many they score.

Kieran Fitzgerald
24   Posted 17/07/2007 at 16:06:31

Report abuse

There seems to be a higher than usual number of young players getting contracts this summer. True, we have a smaller than usual number of senior pros but but we do have at least one to cover every position on the pitch with utility players like Neville and Jagielka to back it up. Two or three more senior players in before the start of the season would be comforting though.But if only three of the young players achieve what Vaughan and Anichebe did last season then it will have been a risk worth taking

The problem I have though is the reason why such a risk appears to have been taken. I can accept money being put aside for a stadium. I can happily accept a glut of extra cash being used to clear debts quicker than budgeted for. The risk being taken because we are skint would worry me alot.

Still though, Jagielka is a very useful addition. Vogel could be a very useful signing if signed. One or two more of these types of players in, without having lost any of the quality already there, and maybe we could have a good season.
Dylan Morgan
25   Posted 17/07/2007 at 16:14:21

Report abuse

It is worrying, especially with the extra EUFA games (hopefully).
The stadium debate has overshadowed things up until now where it has become panicky.
I would like to believe that we have enough depth in the squad but if we get a few injuries we may be shafted.
I have a sneaky feeling that Van der Meyde for one, is going to "come good", don’t ask me why!!
Chris Gough
26   Posted 17/07/2007 at 17:06:46

Report abuse

I agree with the article. I would be far more concerned if we were being bought by some far eastern billionaire who is wanted for fraud in his own country. To me alot of clubs are being attracted by the Las Vegas lights of rich foreign investors and I don’t think it will last. They are buying teams for one aim - to make money and not because they were born with footballing blood. Once the harsh reality of the Premiership sinks in(its a big cash burning exercise), you’ll see them exiting as fast as they came. It will be teams like Everton that will capitalise on this short term thinking and perhaps will make us a strong proposition for years to come as we can capitalise on the fallout that will inevitably ensue. You never know there may be a cheap ground up for grabs in Stanley park in a couple of years......?
Margret Robinson
27   Posted 17/07/2007 at 17:40:44

Report abuse

Spot on but we need cover for Spud
or we be up that creek with out a
paddle please splash the cash on
Fernandes.

Alan Hampson
28   Posted 17/07/2007 at 22:14:25

Report abuse

I really hate it when people say spend spend spend, at the end of the day DM has done a fantastic job since he became Manager and in him I trust. There is still 6-7 weeks to go till the end of the summer and we will bring in at least 1-2 new faces in that time. Riquelme I believe would be a great asset to the club, if Beatie goes to Blackburn for £4m and Riquelme to GP for £9-10m then we have only spent £5-6m... think DM has got it spot on with the spending.
Alan Hampson
29   Posted 17/07/2007 at 22:37:14

Report abuse

I really hate it when people say spend spend spend, at the end of the day DM has done a fantastic job since he became Manager and in him I trust. There is still 6-7 weeks to go till the end of the summer and we will bring in at least 1-2 new faces in that time. Riquelme I believe would be a great asset to the club, if Beatie goes to Blackburn for £4m and Riquelme to GP for £9-10m then we have only spent £5-6m... think DM has got it spot on with the spending.
Jason Broome
30   Posted 18/07/2007 at 01:39:31

Report abuse

David, one of the best articles that I have read for awhile.

Ray you have a very short memory.

We used to moan about poverty & relegation, now we moan about a new world class stadium, and whether we can add more class to our squad for European Football!

Can someone add a bit more flavour to this Riquelme rumour, as I have heard nor seen nothing yet.

Riquelme would do for us what Cantona did for Man Utd & Leeds.
He is still, without a doubt one of the best players in the world.
John Coyne
31   Posted 18/07/2007 at 12:38:08

Report abuse

A very sound article David. Most, if not all of your points hit the nail on the head.
Stuart Smith
32   Posted 18/07/2007 at 13:02:35

Report abuse

I think the artical David wrote was very well consdered piece.
But i do agree, being an Everton follower over recent years has been frustrating.(i started in 1968)
i do wonder sometime at the ambition and drive of the Board at our great club.
Ged Simpson
33   Posted 18/07/2007 at 17:04:57

Report abuse

Shocker.

The first time I?ve read an article on here I agree with fully.

Well done for bringing some balance.

For the rest, theres always Newcastle.
Les Riding
34   Posted 18/07/2007 at 18:45:37

Report abuse

Fantastic article. Every single bit true. Just goes to show Evertonians worldwide know their stuff, unlike that shower across the park....anyway, let?s all get behind OUR team and bring long awaited silverware back to the greatest team ever to grace the beautiful game. Regards Les. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.
Phil Livingstone
35   Posted 19/07/2007 at 10:36:41

Report abuse

Lovin the general atmosphere that seems to have been created over the last 2 or 3 years in our squad. Hardworking - ambitious - determined & no excuses. We’ve got continuity too with all are good players happy to stay with the club because they genuily enjoy being Everton players. Great young players coming through who seem to have genuine respect for the fact they are lucky enough to play for Everton and some much needed experience typified by the likes of Neville who seems to be trying to instil the same values he was taught at united (and look where it got them)! I agree with Moyes in his transfer dealings so far (although it is frustrating) we cant mismanage the clubs finances and pay way over the odds as we all know where that got us not so long ago and he’s making sure that we don’t just get good players BUT good individuals who will add to the attitude and spirit of our side which is a huge part of our moderate success last year (hence the reason Moysey wasn’t going to splash out on the likes of Barton!!!!)Good times are on the horizon for the blue boys (looking forward to the UEFA cup run and hoping we land Piennar as he looks good enough to get us up out of seats!!)
Sack the Juggler
36   Posted 19/07/2007 at 16:45:36

Report abuse

Great article and puts a lot of issues into perspective. Well done, it's tremendous to see the consistenet high quality of articles posted on this site.


© ToffeeWeb