The Mail Bag

Has it all gone a bit stale?

Now, before I start, this isn't a dig at Moyes or certain players. Many clubs are going through, or have been through changes in the last few seasons with managers and players.

It doesn't always work out, but sometimes it does, like Newcastle's gamble. I think we need some kind of bold action: it's the same faces year after year ? Cahill, Neville, Hibbert, Osman and of course David Moyes.

I know it's all hypothetical, but would anyone else like to see rapid change (which may or may not work) or carry on the same steady(-ish) year after year? Thoughts, please, lads and lasses.

Joe McMahon     Posted 31/05/2012 at 20:43:11   Comments (33)

So the cheque WAS in the post, after all!

After a delay of almost five months, Blue Bill's old friend Chris Samuelson has finally managed to complete his consortium's purchase of 51% of newly promoted Reading`s share`s from Sir John Madjeski.

The official reason for the long delay is given as the football authorities' concern over the source of the £25M involved in the deal. It now appears that all is in order and the Russian group's cheque is now nestling in Sir John's account. The publishing magnate is even moved to say "It's a deal made in heaven!"

So dear old Chris and his mate Zigaravich were for real after all! Perhaps our man just didn`t have enough faith... or patience. Perhaps, if only we had accepted his assertion that he was a lifelong Evertonian instead of laughing him out of that long ago AGM, our club would now be nestling in that state-of-the-art stadium on the waterfront?

But somehow, I think not. I have followed the Reading drama with great interest and I have to say that much of the verbiage attributed to Samuelson could have been taken straight from the pages of the Liverpool Echo of long ago.

But Sir John finally got his money. Somehow I suspect he will rue the day that cheque arrived. I still think we had a lucky escape!

Richard Dodd     Posted 29/05/2012 at 21:16:23   Comments (23)

Solution to the right-wing problem

Tranquilla Barnetta. Available on a free. Newcastle rumoured to be looking at him but surely a no-brainer for our right side? I've always been very impressed whenever I have seen him play.

Some cracking free transfers out there; no need to be blowing our meager stash on transfer fees. Pienaar on the Left. Fellaini pushed forward and Fernandes brought in. Simple! Bring on next August.
James Stewart     Posted 29/05/2012 at 14:09:03   Comments (23)

Strikers ? why?

Right, I know it's the closed season and the annual speculation fest is upon us but I'm getting a bit jittery regarding the amount of strikers we seem to have been linked to.

At the moment, we seem to be doing okay in that department ? though an injury to Jelavic would have Vellios, Anichebe or even Cahill as our second option (the days of two up front seem to be consigned to the pages of history at Everton).

I was thinking about this last night, wondering where Holt would fit in (a strong rumour doing the rounds up here is he's as good as signed for Everton) and suddenly I was struck by an awful thought...

What if Jelavic bangs in 7 or 8 in the Euro's and the big boys start leaving their calling cards and huge bids for his services... would Bill Kenwright resist a huge profit on Jelly?

Are they planning for this possibility now by speccing out the striker market?

In Jelavic, I think Everton have found the bargain of the season and, in my opinion, he's the best natural striker we've had since Gary Lineker. Surely Bill wouldn't be so daft as to cash in without the lad giving us a full season?

I'm not sure I'm going to sleep too soundly until the transfer window shuts!

Kevin Sparke     Posted 26/05/2012 at 09:47:48   Comments (56)

Manuel Fernandes back at Goodison Park

Manuel Fernandes is available on a free. Would you bring him to Everton? Given that we have released a number of players and we now should have some room on the wage bill. Would you like to see Manuel Fernandes back in blue shirt ?

Remember his goal against Man Utd? & How he took the piss out of the Arsenal midfield at Goodison
Lloyd Farrell     Posted 25/05/2012 at 23:57:15   Comments (115)

Pointless Polls

No, not ex-referee Graham.

Why, oh, why, oh, why must ToffeeWeb, after a hiatus of frig-knows-how-long, re-introduce the pointless polls?

The latest one being minimum fee for Baines?

I of course voted, for the lowest value, in protest.

If you're going to do it, do it properly. Options should include:

- payment over 12 years
- dependent on Man City not winning more trophies
- including some has been / yet to be player in the future they want off their books

'Sake Toffeeweb. You'll be starting a pets in colours corner next.
Matt Traynor     Posted 25/05/2012 at 23:02:26   Comments (23)

A Magnificent Seventh?

Early this morning, whilst perusing Google Sports News, I chanced upon a table published in today's Telegraph which correlated the results of the 20 years existence of the Premier League.

I was surprised and delighted to see that Everton were in seventh overall position-only below the Sky Four, Spurs and Villa.

Unfortunately, the table has disappeared from the site during the day, but our position cheered me immensely. It rather made me think that recently I have been prone to fall into the general 'slough of despond' over our Club`s achievements and that Kenwright ? in spite of all his shortcomings ? may not have been doing such a bad job after all.

Of course,the relatively successful second year under Royle and nine of the ten years under Moyes have had to compensate for all the dreadful season placements we suffered under those other managers.

Richard Dodd     Posted 24/05/2012 at 18:38:42   Comments (61)

The rehabilitation of Joey Barton

Although I have never met Joey Barton, all that I have read and heard about him makes me dislike him. He appears to be a thug and a bully. He is a decent enough player but not half as good as he thinks he is. His twitter musings demonstrate exactly why most footballers really shouldn't have access to it.

For many, his behaviour on the last day of the season was the final straw and should result in his sacking, banning for ever, etc. That surprises me because it's not the worst he's done. He left no-one with career threatening injuries and the reaction of the two City players must surely leave them feeling highly embarrassed.

For some time I believed that Barton was changing. I was particularly impressed with the restraint he showed when Mick McCarthy disgracefully instructed his Wolves team to take it in turns to kick him off the pitch. I think that anyone is capable of changing ? and that includes Joey Barton.

He probably has one more chance to save his career and I think that Everton could give him that chance. A reformed Barton could offer Everton a bit of steel and menace that has been missing for some time. His attitude to defeat reminds me a bit of Roy Keane. He will come much cheaper than he would have a few years ago.

David Moyes will tolerate no shit from any player. I believe we could come to a no-lose arrangement that could benefit Everton and Barton. Give him one more chance...

Andy Crooks     Posted 24/05/2012 at 18:01:07   Comments (74)

Rodwell

He's obviously never going to be the world class midfielder we'd all hoped, and subsequently nobody is likely to offer us the silly money we were all praying for. However, is it worth trying him as what he was originally billed to be, a centre half?

I remember Ian Snodin was a midfielder when we bought him (a position he stank at) but he became one of the best right backs we'd ever seen. Perhaps the same could happen with Jack Rodwell?

Scott Edwards     Posted 24/05/2012 at 15:43:47   Comments (45)

Former Goalkeepers' Fortunes

I've found it mildly interesting to follow the differing fortunes of our relatively recent second and third choice goalkeepers, Iain Turner and John Ruddy.

Iain Turner, who, remember, was sent off after 9 minutes into his no-so-glorious Premier League debut with us, but who nonetheless went on to have some success with Sheffield Wednesday (on loan from us) and then Preston North End, has now fallen back upon hard times: he was loaned earlier this year to Dunfirmline (having lost his first team place at Preston as a result of injury), but sent back upon being injured again, and is now club-less having now been released by Preston.

John Ruddy, on the other hand, is Norwich's first choice keeper, was their Player of the Year this season, and now is in the England squad for the 2012 European Championships. One of the relatively few gems that David Moyes has let slip through the net. Not having seen much of his performances with Norwich this year, how do ToffeeWebbers presently rate him against Tim Howard?
Steve Carter     Posted 24/05/2012 at 04:48:12   Comments (35)

Hope

I always get very hopeful this time of year. Hopeful that next season might be the one. The one were we start the way we usually end a season and finally cofinally have waited since 88 for this year to come.

I think 2012-13 is going to be different because we have Jelavic. We have found the missing link. This boy is special. Before he came, we were the 17th highest scorers and ended as the 8th. We were top 4 from February and we have more hope in a few players.....

Johnny H looks a world beater now; Fellaini is starting to peak and believe he can dominate games. Imagine Man Utd with him. They wouldn't have lost the league.

Our squad has good balance and several prospects in Barkley, Garbutt, Vellios, Gueye, Green and players like Jagielka, Baines, Howard, Osman are at their peak.
The big worry is losing Pienaar. We have to get him back at any cost.

I believe with just two additional shrewd signings, we would be able to challenge the top 4. In 1983, buying Reid and Gray (two winners), we transformed a very good side into a great one.

I hope Moyes pulls his finger out this summer and grabs the final pieces of his jigsaw quickly.

I don't play Champ Manager, this is merely my opinion but my two would be:

Victor Moses. We need to get this boy if we can afford him.

Angel Rangel

With these two in the team I would certainly hear even more hope for next year:

Howard
Rangel
Baines
Jagielka
Heitinga
Fellaini
Gibson
Osman
Pienaar
Moses
Jelavic

Bench: Neville, Distin, Barkley, Cahill, Vellios, Gueye

Am I being too hopeful that this season is THE one?

Nick Edwards     Posted 22/05/2012 at 21:03:47   Comments (31)

Adrian 'Inchy' Heath

I came across my first ever matchday programme from Goodison the other day. It was from 1984 when we played Chelsea in the league (we lost 4-3).

I started reminiscing and recalled that at that time Adrian Heath was my favourite player. And I thought... why was that?

I was wondering if any fellow ToffeeWebbers with memories that stretch that far can share any memories or opinions on Inchy. Was he a scrapper? A great passer? A scorer of wonder goals?

I am just curious as to why he was my favourite player back then... or maybe there is no logic behind it at all.

Sean Smythe     Posted 22/05/2012 at 09:28:21   Comments (40)

The most underrated

I have about a 45-minute walk home from work. During that time, my mind wonders a bit. Ten years ago, maybe fifteen, my thoughts were divided between sex and Everton. Nowadays it's, well, Everton.

Today, as I faced the uphill march, I remembered a Mountfield goal against Aston Villa. Anyway, who's the most underrated Everton player ever? I mean a player who has had really few plaudits.

Keith Newton? Henry Newton? Tommy Wright? Even...... Billy Wright. For me it is Derek Mountfield. Scored the odd important goal. Pretty quick, good team man, could pass the ball out of defence better than anyone we've had in a while. And, in a different era, like today for example, would have been a consistent international footballer.

Andy Crooks     Posted 21/05/2012 at 23:03:16   Comments (121)

Europa League Qualification

Are Everton in the Europa League??

On the official Premier League website it says:

English winners of the UEFA Champions League who do not qualify through their domestic position go forward as Winners to the group stage, with the team finishing fourth dropping to the UEFA Europa League. In this case, the national association of the title-holder is entitled to one additional place in the UEFA Europa League.

Does this mean we are in? I thought so but am now very doubtful as there isn't any official news anywhere to say yes.

Graeme Dodd     Posted 20/05/2012 at 13:05:51   Comments (107)

Champions League and Pienaar

Just a quick reaction to tonight's result ? maybe it will help us to get Pienaar?

Somebody at Spurs must have been watching him play for us and seeing what he could do for them ? especially if they got into the Champions League. 'Arry might not have rated him but he's not completely blind, and he did buy him a year ago.

But now, they may not care; budgets will be curbed... maybe Pienaar will be surplus to requirements.

I hope!
Peter Hall     Posted 19/05/2012 at 23:18:27   Comments (18)

The value of goals

I remember an interview with Alex Ferguson and he commented along the lines of:

"I look at each player and know how many each one will score for me, and I know roughly how many we will concede. I can see us scoring 90 and conceding 35 and that's enough for the title most of the time."

Looking at our own Goal Difference this season a few things stood out: ours was +10; Spurs and Arsenal were +25; we scored 50 and conceded 40.

At the start of the season, we weren't scoring and we conceded a lot of sloppy goals until Heitinga came in for Jagielka.

If we carry on in a similar way to how we finished, is it reasonable to expect another 10 goals on top of that next season?

Also, we're very solid defensively now. Can we expect us to concede 10 less?

If that happened we would have a GD of +30. That would be second only to the septic tanks... Who knows where that could take us?

Is it pie in the sky or ? with a lucky run and few injuries ? could it happen?

Stephen Kenny     Posted 19/05/2012 at 13:43:45   Comments (49)

We are Everton

I am 59 and have been a Blue since I saw Alex Young in 1963. I live in America now (funny, I see more games over here on the TV, than if I lived over there ? think global!).

I just want to state that I am so proud of our team, with what happened to the RS this week (oh, by the way, they will fire their Boston Red Sox?s manager within the next two weeks over here, they could have done a twofer at the same time and saved time). I really don?t want to dance on Kenny Dalglish?s grave, but I think it is interesting what happened yesterday.

On this week 27 years ago, me and my best friend were in Rotterdam. Wow, am I old! I have lived through all the pain that we all have had to live through as supporters of this great team, but as I said to my long suffering wife of 38 years, I would not swap the pain for all the glory that other teams have had... because I just love Everton.

We are a special club and at this moment in time I love the way we have Moyes as our manager, Phil as our skipper (I know he is not our best player, but MY GOD did he play well at Manchester United this year and he is the best leader on the pitch) and ? am I maybe the first to say this on Toffeeweb ? I am so proud that Kenwright is our chairman. I will always be a Blue and, just so you know how misguided I am, I thought Hibbet/ or Gibson was my player(s) of the year in the later half of the season.

I love way the club look after the kids and adults, both players and fans (I wasn?t there, but I would have given my right nut to be at Sunderland away in the cup), and the way the club go about their business. And believe me although I live in the USA, I never, ever, ever want U.S. owners.

I have seen Dalglish lose his job twice now because of EFC, the first time in '91. I rejoiced then, but not this time. This is all about money and investment and quick return of capital and because of greedy owners.

I hope one day we get the investment that City and Chelsea have received, but without the stuff that happened to the RS this week. Call me naive , but I love my club for not for buying bad overpriced players and sacking loyal servants. But for playing the game/ business of football the right way.

John Gorham     Posted 19/05/2012 at 01:28:12   Comments (48)

Pienaar

A thought occured to me the other day that if a club was going to take someone on loan with a view to buy, wouldn't you agree a fee on the proviso that it worked out with the club?

I would hazard a gues that the deal has already been agreed. What are your thoughts?
Michael Mcloughlin     Posted 17/05/2012 at 18:43:58   Comments (75)

So Jelavic has decided...

As the title says, and recent articles such as this one, Jelavic has told Davey Moyes that he would relish the opportunity of playing alongside his old strike partner.

Now I don't really know much about the quality of Jelly's former strike partners, and we all know that the SPL is a different animal to the EPL, however what are peoples thoughts on this possible move?

I have a personal reason for sanctioning the idea of a move like this, it was due to the fact that when I played at youth level there was one lad who I was thrilled to play alongside because we complimented each others game so much. We were separated by our team coach, him progressing through to the Cheshire squad whilst I ended up in the B-Team due to 'attitude reasons'.

Darren begged our coach to play me alongside him, we'd already formed a very fruitful partnership and had that understanding. Anyway injuries forced our coaches hand and we got our chance together. Six nil up against Northwich Vic's youth team inside 35 mins, Darren had Four, I had set them all up. I had scored the other two and cracked the bar and the post, him setting me up.

I guess my point being.....is it worth listening to a player when he says "Boss, you've got to let me loose alongside this fella, we're unplayable together"?

As I said, I have personal reasons for this post. What are everyone else's thoughts?
Luke Berry     Posted 17/05/2012 at 15:18:03   Comments (49)

Available for Nothing

The following players' contracts are about to run out and will potentially be available for nothing.

I know, I know - wages etc. But how many of these would improve our squad? Opinions welcome:

Craig Gordon

Dedryck Boyata
Paul Scharner

Michael Kightly
Martin Petrov
Danny Guthrie

Michael Owen
Andrew Johnson
Salomon Kalou
Ivan Klasnic
Hugo Rodallega

Thoughts?

International Quality

Let's imagine for a minute the whole Everton squad was English.

Who is good enough to be picked for the current England squad announced today for the Euros?

There are only two world class players in the current set-up for me ? Hart and Rooney ? so I reckon a few of our stars would get the call.
Kevin Tully     Posted 16/05/2012 at 16:24:23   Comments (16)

A case for keeping Yobo

There's been a lot of talk on ToffeeWeb about about whether or not we should sell two or three of our big name players or just the one. There's also been a lot of talk about which of the fringe or older players we should sell. One player who has been dismissed out of hand has been Joseph Yobo.

The idea of keeping Yobo and putting him back in the squad occurred to me when I was thinking about what would happen if we were suddenly to sell two or three of our biggest assets on the pitch. There are a couple of reasons why we all think this might happen. It could be the banks putting the squeeze on for cash over the summer. Players could also look to jump ship if offers start to come in for our better players. This is something that we have been dreading for a while and I would not be surprised to see offers come in for the likes of Baines, Jagielka, Felliani and Jelavic. The club, though unlikely, could decide to take some positive action, maintain control of who we sell and sell to cut the debts and stabilise the club.

For me in particular, if it came down to it, I would be okay to see Baines and Jagielka be sold as I think it is in defence that we have the best cover in depth. It is the one area that I think we could afford to lose players.

The key to this for me would be to hang on to Yobo as a senior player who may not have a huge cash value if we were to try and sell him but who would provide cover at the back ? a senior player with a lot of experience. I would go all out to keep Heitinga and Distin, leave Hibbert where he is, keep Yobo as cover, and bump up Duffy and Garbutt.

I think that Duffy has shown himself to be ready for first team games. Garbutt has been earning rave reviews all season, albeit in a lower league and I would not pitch him in straight away. Heitinga would be able to talk Duffy through games. Distin has also shown that he can play at left back. Have Garbutt as his understudy and give him game time over the course of the season. With Gibson as a holding player in front of the back four, this defence would be solid enough. A Moyes led team would also be well drilled defensively and this defensive unit would be well drilled during the summer.

The financial benefits of selling the likes of Baines and Jagielka would mean a reduction in our overall debt, some cash to strengthen in midfield and upfront with the ages of Baines and Jagielka there to cover this.

We would also see Duffy and Garbutt develop into first team players which means that next summer we could look to sell again without depleting the squad too much.

I know that this scenario would depend on where Yobo's head is at. He may not have any interest in coming back into the squad. Also, I have not seen him play over the last couple of seasons so I don't know how much of a liability he would be. I know to a huge extent it would also depend on the club being able to maintain some semblance of control on transfers out during the summer.
Kieran Fitzgerald     Posted 16/05/2012 at 10:30:05   Comments (35)

27 years ago

27 years ago tonight... I was there and am still here. Brian Clough said we were the best team in Europe.

THE best night in the club's history.

Got to go, bit weepy...
Ian Smitham     Posted 15/05/2012 at 23:32:09   Comments (23)

Summer and the Euros

International football and the whole England thing just never quite does it for me! I'll probably tune in to the Euros this summer just to break the boredom.

To be honest, I couldn't give a toss how England get on; I'll only be watching cos it's football and summer sports usually send me to sleep. During the season, international breaks just piss me right off, the papers are full of the same old predictable shite about England's over-hyped elite and what they should be doing to do to the rest of world football just because we invented the game.

This time around, I'm slightly intrigued to see who Woy once of the Weds picks in his squad and whether he has the balls to tell the old guard "Thanks but no thanks". In their prime, Terry, Ferdinand, Lampard and Gerrard have been central to the hopes of the gullable fans at numerous tournaments and managed to achieve what amounts to the square root of fuck all.

Gerrard's even being touted as captain when he can't even manage 2 games in a row for Liverpool. I still don't understand how Terry has the audacity to show his face after the mauling he took at the hands of an ageing Mirislav Kloser during the last debacle versus Germany, Ferdinand's just so obviously past it, and fat Frank is only half as effective as when in his prime.

Do yourself a favour Woy, get shut of the "I wanna be captain" quartet and pick some hungry younger players.

You might still be watching the latter stages in your lounge but if your going to rely on these wankers you definitely will.

Roll on August, COYB
Mark Roberts     Posted 15/05/2012 at 02:15:34   Comments (90)

Gate Receipts and Revenue - Is Elstone Telling the Truth?

Recently, the CEO of Everton has been doing the rounds saying that money is tight and going back to his Blog on the 13 January 2012 Where the Money goes, his own stats say that we are losing £1.5M on reduced gate revenue for the year, well it?s the end of the season and I thought I'd do a little research;

The Accounts and the official site clearly show the following attendances and gate receipts for the last two seasons (09-10 & 10-11);

Season 09-10

19 League Games
Total Attendance: 697,775
Average Attendance: 36,725

7 Cup Games
Total Attendance: 193,414
Average Attendance: 27,631

Season Total Attendance: 891,189
Season Average Attendance: 34,277

Accounts Shown Income: £19,206,000
Income per person per match: £21.55

Season 10-11

19 League Games
Total Attendance: 684,738
Average Attendance: 36,039

3 Cup Games
Total Attendance: 87,253
Average Attendance: 29,084

Season Total Attendance: 771,991
Season Average Attendance: 29,692

Accounts Shown Income: £17,480,000
Income per person per match: £22.64

Then taking the 10-11 season income per person per match, and applying it to this season's attendance, excluding Wembley (as it?s at a neutral venue) suggests the opposite to Mr Elstone?s comments:

Season 11-12

19 League Games
Total Attendance: 631,333
Average Attendance: 33,288

7 Cup Games
Total Attendance: 188,076
Average Attendance: 26,868

Season Total Attendance: 819,409
Season Average Attendance: 31,516

Projected Accounts Income: £18,554,000
Income per person per match: £22.64

If we then include Wembley with a conservative average ticket price of £35 this adds;
1 Wembley Visit 30000 £1,050,000
Total (Inc Wembley) £19,604,000

In fact I?d be disappointed if the accounts are not showing a £2million increase in gate revenue on the season 10-11, thus putting our CEO in a very difficult position on where the money goes.

Don?t get me started on transfers?

Alastair Bates     Posted 14/05/2012 at 13:46:57   Comments (12)

How far away are we?

Since I gave up my season ticket last year, I've had to reign in my opinions this season because I don't feel I can argue with much conviction if I'm only watching 3 minutes of highlights at the end of Match of the Day.

I went yesterday and we played some sublime stuff. We absolutely trampled over Newcastle and instead of those nervous-watching-the-clock-tick-down-while-we-hold-on-for-a-1-0-win moments we're so familiar with under Moyes, I honestly didn't want the game to end.

There's that old sense of deja vu, having finished the season so well again. I'm sure many others feel the same though, if we can hold on to what we've got, buy Pienaar and pick up a handy right winger, surely we could launch an assault on the top 4 next year?!!

I'm interested to hear from some of the regular match goers about where we need to strengthen. Are we really that far away from Arsenal or Tottenham?

As much as I've enjoyed our 2nd half of the season form, I'm still left shitting myself that the manager's and team's hard work will be completely undermined again this summer...

Alan Clarke     Posted 14/05/2012 at 09:09:52   Comments (54)

The Death of the 4-4-2

I spotted this interesting article on the "think football" website.

http://thinkfootball.co.uk/the-decline-of-the-4-4-2/

It's a fairly thoughtful piece on the decline of the 4-4-2 formation, and as a consequence the end of strike partnerships. We still get many toffeewebbers criticising Moyes for being defensive (often correctly) and linking this to his stubborn persistence in using 4-5-1.

The article helps explode this myth. 4-5-1 is not necessarily defensive. It simply is a better formation than 4-4-2 given modern fitness levels and the ability of full backs to play the attacking flanking role. Most teams now use this formation. Moyes was one of the first to adopt it ? out of necessity as we only had one striker at the time ? take a bow Marcus Bent who set us on the way to Champions League qualification. Things got worse when we signed a second striker ? James Beattie ? who could not make the transition to the 4-5-1 formation.

I wonder just how much of Everton being the strikers graveyard has to do with this transition from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1? Strikers who can play in a partnership up front are not always able to play the solo role. AJ and Beattie both fall into this category and maybe it just took us a while to work out which strikers can fit in with the new formations.

Other strikers have faded before their time during this tactical transition, eg, Michael Owen.

David Ellis     Posted 14/05/2012 at 04:34:03   Comments (13)

Everton In Europe

No matter what happens today Everton will be in Europe next season. The Everton fans that is.

As you all know I have been taking photographs at every Home Games this season ? you can see them on Facebook at The Dark House Blues.
They are great.

I think it is a FANtastic record of how wonderful our support is, how great The Dark House is and that Blue Boys are something special and just how handsome and lovely we all are (well some of us).

The great news is that I have convinced an Art Gallery in Koln, Germany to show several of the photos as an Exhibtion of real football fans ? that?s us.

The details are:

Ausstellung der Fotografien von George McKane mit Motiven von Fans des Liverpooler ?Fußballklubs FC Everton in der Fußballkneipe
?The Dark House?

Naturfreundehaus Höhenhaus, Honschaftsstraße 330 26. September bis 15. November 2012 ?Eröffnung: 26. September, 19.30 Uhr

So, if you would like to get on some of the photos, today is your last chance at The Barlow Arms (Barlows Lane) ? known affectionately as The Dark House. See you there.

George McKane     Posted 13/05/2012 at 08:40:11   Comments (4)

That Day!

Just clicked on the "Joy of Six" link to The Guardian which led me to another link back here and I ended up reading how TW members recalled the day we beat Wimbledon to stay up.

Every emotion spilled out. It's an absolute must-read for all Evertonians.

I'm not sure how old the thread is, but the relegation issue crops up again tomorrow, it would be a great time to reopen it.
Dave Wilson     Posted 12/05/2012 at 08:05:57   Comments (42)

Who would you sell to raise transfer funds?

If you believe the tabloids, the usual suspects that play for us will be transfer targets for the wealthy this summer. Without investment from somewhere, David Moyes will be trading to gain funds, hopefully to bring back Pienaar and some much needed quality for right midfield, plus a bit of genuine pace up front.

There are fringe players at EFC picking up a wage for very little in return: Silva, Vellios, Anichebe, McFadden, Gueye and maybe Coleman but I doubt the sale of all these players would generate enough funds to buy Pienaar alone.

So, if someone comes in with a £15m to £20m million bid for say Baines (probably our most wanted player), will it be enough to replace him as well as buy Pienaar and find the right midfielder and striker we need?

I doubt there is anything in the transfer kitty so sell-to-buy will have to be the way this summer! Putting to one side the Bill Kenwright and Moyes Out shouts, which way would my fellow ToffeeWebbers go with this summers "horse trading"?

Mark Roberts     Posted 09/05/2012 at 16:08:13   Comments (89)

Earlybird Season tickets

Why is it getting earlier and earlier every year for fans renewing season tickets?

20 April for the earlybird prices. I am sure it was June last year, while corporate seats get till 13 May. It's as if we are the fans with the ready money available...

I sent two e.mails to the club and got a reply after the second one. This was the reply:

Corporate members are given until the 13th May to renew lounge membership as there is no direct debit option available to them.

Season ticket holders can pay for their season ticket in monthly direct debit instalments, the early bird offer was available to purchase over 5 months, 4 months, 3 months or 2 months.

Although the early bird deadline has passed the option to purchase a season ticket over direct debit is still available, if you would like more information regarding this then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards.

Blue to Red?

Here's one to worry traditionalists...

Cardiff City ? known as the 'Bluebirds' for as long as I can remember ? are being pressured by their Malaysian investors to change their home kit to red.

So, folks, if the price of new ownership at Everton was we play in red and perhaps call ourselves 'Liverpool City' and play at 'New Anfield' ? is it a price you'd be willing to pay for financial stability and a crack at the Champs League?

My own opinion is, if the day ever comes when an owner dictates changes of this magnitude to our identity and tradition ? that'll be the day I retire from active participation in supporting Everton to spend more time in the alehouse developing my alcoholism and game of pool...

Kevin Sparke     Posted 09/05/2012 at 11:15:52   Comments (53)

Get Stracq!

I think Everton should get Denis Stracqualursi if they can afford to this summer. I know the first target should be Steven Pienaar; that?s a given, so save your breath.

  I also know some will say we can?t afford anyone; however, I think if we release some of the players who are running out of contract this year, we should certainly have room on the wage bill.

  I gather Moyes and Round have been trawling the Eredivisie, Bundesliga and classifieds in the Echo to try and find a ?Number 10? to compliment Jelavic but having just reviewed the YouTube video of Denis?s best bits from Argentina again...

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOxVS4_8U2I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

  ...I think Denis is just that man.

  Granted he?s not a tricky, Tevez or Silva type but frankly we can?t afford one of those. If you bother your arse to watch the video, you?ll see that at least half of it is Denis receiving the ball in the box and laying it on for his mate to score.

  I know what some people will say ? it?s Argentina and it?s a lower standard ? but the skills he performs in the video are transferable regardless of opposition.

  Go on... watch it, I dare you.

Denis basically gets the ball, sticks out his arse and wrestles some long-haired Steve Bould to the deck and then puts it on a plate for his mate to slot. I?ve seen Denis in action against Man City and others and he?s done the same thing here. The man?s a brut and with Jelavic alongside he could be the perfect focus of our attacks.

  Furthermore, he?s got the lungs of a Grand National winner and the heart of a lion and he never lets us down. In fact, I think he?s one of the most inspiring players I?ve seen to pull on the shirt in terms of his commitment to the cause.

  I would love to see a throwback Everton team like the one from the 80s chucking crosses in to the box from everywhere for Fellaini, Stracq and Jelavic to fight for ? it would be Gray and Sharp all over again... Exciting AND affordable.

Drew O'Neall     Posted 08/05/2012 at 23:50:45   Comments (80)

Well that's that then...

A little over 30 minutes into Liverpool v Chelsea and the reds are three up, one point behind and equal goal difference to us.

There will now only be one conclusion to our season. We'll screw it up somehow and drop below even Fulham. It will be a typical spawny clean sweep of the bragging rights for Liverpool.

To make me more annoyed I just heard Alan (insert insult for fun) Green be completely nonchalant about Liverpool finishing above Everton, and 'its only something Everton fans go on about'. Git.

7th would make me happy for the summer, but I've a feeling we'll be 9th and £1.6m down. Shankly's pact with the Devil continues.

Nick Entwistle     Posted 08/05/2012 at 20:33:55   Comments (156)

The West Ham problem

I spoke to a friend today who is a West Ham season ticket holder. As he lives in Ireland, the trips to London cost him an amount that he can barely afford. He was appalled at the appointment of Allardyce and said today that he'd take good football in the Championship rather than a Premier League struggle with the shite that big Sam serves up.

At Everton, we don't have the perennial West Ham dilemma. We play occasional good football, quite a bit of shite but (and he's done it again) we get survival every year.

Some of the supporters of David Moyes on this site seem to equate good football with Blackpool. They see Swansea as relegation ready to happen. The choice appears to be dirge and safety or football and a flirtation with relegation.

I believe that next season is our chance to solve the West Ham problem. We have shown that Jelavic gives us the option to attack. Moyes has shown that he is capable of sending out an aggressive attacking line up as at Old Trafford. He must not start the season by keeping it tight and nicking a goal.

We are better than Blackpool and we are better than Swansea. At Christmas I thought that I was wrong about Moyes and that the squad were not good enough. Obviously the squad has been strengthened but the players under performing before Christmas have come good. The spring has suggested that our players are good enough. It is my view that the coach isn't. Suspend any contract negotiations and see where we are in November.

Good football and relegation... or shite and safety? Everton do not need to make that choice.

Andy Crooks     Posted 07/05/2012 at 19:03:09   Comments (50)

Why not Everton for Qataris?

The Mail on Sunday reports that "Newcastle and Fulham are to be `scoped out` by intermediaries working for senior members of the Qatari Royal Family as potential takeover targets."

Now I can understand why they would be interested in the Barcodes ? fine stadium, pressing for ECL place, and 50,000 disciples ? but Fulham is another matter altogether!

About all they have going for them is that they`re in a posh part of London but that`s mitigated by a crap ground and a debt mountain that makes Everton`s look inconsequential.

So if the ruling Al-Thani clan is really really exploring options to expand their football portfolio, why the hell aren`t they looking at Everton as a home for their spare readies?

And don't give me "Kenwright wouldn`t sell"!

Richard Dodd     Posted 07/05/2012 at 09:56:52   Comments (65)

What would you do

Next week is the last game of the season and, depending on results, we will either finish 7th or 9th.

So you are asked to be the interim chairman till a new owner is found. The question is: What decisions do you make? The manager has said he wants to do his transfer business early and he doesn't want to sell any of his first-team squad.

Seeing as the banks won't lend the club any money and the other directors don't intend putting any money into the club, what do you do?

Oh and just to compound your problem, we have Pienaar on loan from Spurs; if you don't sign him, the fans will be in revolt.

So... any ideas how you would deal with the situation?

Brian Harrison     Posted 07/05/2012 at 09:31:39   Comments (37)

Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack!

Amid all the schadenfreude over that thoroughly enjoyable Liverpool loss at Wembley, it's easy to overlook the fact that Arsenal vs Norwich earlier in the day was one of the most entertaining games I have watched all season.

I don't often get into games Everton aren't playing in but this was two teams absolutely committed to attack and you just couldn't look away. Absorbing, entertaining.... just magic.

When will managers learn that the primary focus should be to entertain the public with attacking play? We go to matches to enjoy the football. We go seeking catharsis. Yes we want our side to win but we also want to see drama and action and spectacle.

I wish I could sit Moyes down in front of that match and force him to watch two sides who wanted nothing more that to score goals and to win. If every team committed to attack like that stadiums would be full every week and the TV audience would double.

Jack Molloy     Posted 05/05/2012 at 19:23:58   Comments (54)

Drenthe: The Rumours

Well, it looks like Royston Drenthe will never pull on an Everton shirt again, and to be honest I am not that arsed.

An absolutely terrible attitude off the pitch but he has given us some great goals and, for the first time for a few seasons, we have seen a player who could actually shoot and had phenomenal pace.

If there is one thing you have to admire Davey for, he does not take any shit. So maybe bringing Drenthe here was not a good decision in hindsight... but maybe at the time he was worth the gamble.

He has been a colourful character this season and given us all something to write about. But rumours have been flying about his behaviour; here are a couple I have heard:

The first thing he had built in his house when he got here was... A DISCO!!

He arrived late for the bus to Wembley, and told Moyes his car had broken down. As the bus drove away, his car was spotted parked around the corner!

Anybody else heard a good one?

Tony Cheek     Posted 05/05/2012 at 07:46:14   Comments (103)

What price a new stadium??

Quite a shock that LFC are writing off the cost of a stadium that never happened as £50 million!

Not one spade entered the earth.

Kind of puts those who claim we can have a new stadium for £150 million in perspective doesn't it?

How much did our Board of Directors write off? About £5 million over 3 years over Kirkby? Maybe they are not THAT useless...

Thomas Lennon     Posted 04/05/2012 at 14:38:48   Comments (30)

I can see the light, can anyone else?

I am not a great lover of Davey Moyes; personally, I wanted him to go and have for a long time. In saying that, I can also understand why people support him: limited budget,etc. Don't get me wrong, when he first came here and said all the right things, People's Club etc, I was made up. Had we found are very own Shankly? ? I wondered and hoped, but to me I couldn't see it.

Anyway I digress, I write this not to bash him, but in the hope he has seen the light. The light? ? you may ask, that is Fellaini...

Over the years under Davey, we have had the odd performance against the likes of Man City to name but one, and indeed at times played joined-up football. But a lot of it has been dour shite... Well, since the Swansea game, we have adopted a different system: Jelavic up front chases everything, giving the centre halves no time on the ball. (Saha, take note!)

Pienaar wide and Gueye or whoever on the other wing, apply pressure on the fullbacks and behind this in the hole or whatever you want to call it... Fellaini pulling the strings, his vision so high up the pitch it is awsome. He gathers it, trades it, passes and brings everyone into the game... and when he's in the box with the ball at his feet, he terrifies the opposition. Gibson and another behind Felli, in front of the back four, push up, as do our central defenders, Johnny and Distin/Jagielka. We are actualy playing football further up the pitch.

This to me started against Swansea, and we haven't looked back, save for the Wembley capitulation; I believe it's a winner and the way to go from now on.

In the past, I have mentioned we needed three big agressive midfielders; at the time, I suggested Johnny, Rodders and Fellaini. Now we have Gibson and Neville, behind Fellaini, with Johnny in defence. For me, I think Rodwell and Gibson behind Fellaini will be our best formation, though I don't mind, so long as Fellaini is kept behind the striker. Johnny and Gibbo, could do the job,or Nev... it makes no difference,

When Fellaini is in that position, Jelavic gets loads of chances and, as we know, will convert them. So I'm hoping that our manager has seen this as our way forward: attacking football, high up the pitch, with Fellaini majestic as he strides around the turf.

Come on, Davey, prove me wrong: stay in the light, be the man I hoped you were... please!

Robby Daniels     Posted 04/05/2012 at 13:23:42   Comments (38)

7th Place guaranteed finish if...

With 2 more games to go, EFC are sitting pretty on 7th with 52 points with a +8 goal difference.

If we beat Wolves on Sunday by a 2- to 3-goal margin, it should guarantee us a 7th place finish.

Although I?d love to beat the Skunks on the last day of the season, there won?t be any pressure from the boys as we would have already cemented the 7th place spot.

Even if the RS or the Cottagers win their last 2 games, I don?t think they will be able to displace us.

COYB!!!
Wally Melwani     Posted 04/05/2012 at 12:48:45   Comments (33)

Why the low home attendances?

This season, our home attendances have been the lowest I can remember during Moyes and his time here. Just last season, we had good attendances, just as we have had before.

The state of Goodison Park is one possible reason, but I think the product served to fans is the main reason. Bad starts to the season are starting to take effect. While big profile players such as Arteta leaving is another.

This team lacks big names, huge fan favourites. We used to have at least one player in the team that caught the eye of people. I remember Gravesen being one, Rooney another. Arteta was our last jewel to sell shirts and keep people coming.

The overly defensive style by David Moyes is also a putdown that does not help. Some might say we had a new jewel coming up from the youth ranks, but Barkley was soon forgotten because Moyes decided to "protect" him. Yet, even as our bad first half of the season has turned around, some of the fans has stayed away.

On top of the £5 million loss we have each year, we now have a bigger loss due to falling attendances which is going to have an effect on whether we can buy Pienaar. I think that Moyes's decision to not play Barkley has had a negative effect on attendances, as he was the only real crowd magnet we had or still have.

Barkley is a local player and there was much excitement around him. Jelavic has done well but in terms of being a crowd magnet, he is still not quite there; for that to happen, he needs to have a whole season with us and he will need to score around 20 goals. In times where money is tight it is even more important to have a "jewel" who sells shirts and attracts fans.

This season has been a testing one. Losing Arteta has had an effect on people, fans are staying away from Goodison until another jewel enters the field. Can Kenwright and Moyes succeed in bringing the fans back? Pienaar needs to be signed and Barkley needs to play a much bigger part than what he has done this season.

I know that Cahill cannot fill the shoes of the "jewel" and I think Moyes needs to realise that if he plans to keep the attendances from dropping further.

J A Hansen     Posted 04/05/2012 at 00:28:25   Comments (38)

Stand Together

I saw this article on The Mersey Juror website and thought it should be shared for all to read. I for one whole-heartedly agree with what the writer is saying about the hierachy of OUR club.

Do You Care About EFC?
Let's Stand Together

On Tuesday 24th April 2012, at the Everton supporters club end-of-season awards, CEO Robert Elstone was asked if there were any interested parties.

He answered ?At the minute it?s very quiet. If you?d have asked me 4 or 5 months ago, then there were 12 interested parties who all came to meet us in London.?

He was then asked if David Moyes will have funds available this summer?

?Funds are very tight at the minute. We?re 3000 tickets down each game, which is costing us around £1.5million. We have been down, around 7 TV games this season, which cost us a lot of money. So I think we will be looking at trading players, which in the past we have done very well at. We have a great deal on at the moment, £95 for an Under-11′s season ticket. So I think if each supporters club could help by buying 5 under-11′s season tickets at a small cost of £500 and finding and bringing 5 under-11s to bring to Goodison every other week.?

One of the last questions asked, was if he thought David Moyes would stay? ?I hope his relationship with the Chairman keeps him here.?

12 interested parties, all disappear quicker than The Liverpool Echo printing a groveling apology. There could be several reasons why all 12 interested parties scarpered. For now, I?ll touch on two.

There is a cancer eating away at the organs of our club, evident by the grim financial figures that forced Robert Elstone to make up the 85 pence in £1 spin.

A quick scan through the Everton finances will tell you that, wages apart, Finch Farm is costing £38,000 a day. Bellefield and Netherton were costing £8,000, which is the same amount it costs Liverpool to run their academy.

I can honestly state that Robert Elstone is a liar. How do I know? He told me to my face. In the summer of 2011, The Peoples Group began raising media awareness on a national scale, letting people know that things are far from rosey in the Everton garden.

I?m sure you know by now, that Derek Hatton arranged for myself, Mark Jones and Barry Jones to meet with Robert Elstone. Here are a few things we discussed:

Is it true Jagielka needs must be sold to Arsenal to appease the banks?

(He was worth around £15mil at that time.) His answer was ?The banks need to see some money, but nowhere near on that scale.? LIE! That summer we sold Yakubu, Vaughan, Beckford and Arteta. Yobo was loaned out and Dan Gosling jumped ship. Despite The Echo apologising for stating that the money went to the banks, David Moyes confirmed this to be the case. It?s also worth noting that in January of the same year, we sold Pienaar and Bellefield.

When the Kirkby move was alive, Bill claimed that very soon, Goodison Park would not pass its safety certificate.

(We were worried that this could still be an issue.) Robert laughed and said ?I doubt very much that Bill said anything of the sort.? He was then informed the video of the interview was on YouTube then said ?Well look, we all said things we didn?t necessarily mean because we were desperate to make the move happen.? In other words, WE LIED!

Derek Hatton was asked, "Does Phillip Green control the club?"

?No! I wouldn?t be surprised if he has lent Bill money though.? So it may be the case that these interested parties refuse to buy the club, because we are actually in a pretty poor state. Hence the constant lies and spin from the top. Another reason could be because the club insist on associating with useless idiots such as Keith Harris and Chris Potts, who works for corporate estate agent Savills. Incidentally, these two have been involved with the club since 2001.

The following event was relayed to me on the authority of a man representing a firm of developers, sent to meet with Everton officials including Robert Elstone, by a Liverpool City counsellor with regards to a development project at Stonebridge Cross. It was Potts who did all the talking then announced ?£10million needs to be paid up-front to Everton to use their name for your development.? There wasn?t even a development in place, it was an initial meeting, a fact finding mission if you will, to see ?if? there was scope for a development. Needless to say, they headed for the exits quicker than John Thompson can edit an anti-Kenwright article.

The men present did not care much for Potts?s tone either. Chris Potts's fingerprints are all over the Kings Dock, Destination Kirkby and Bellefield fiascoes. He is a bad smell we can?t get rid of. The club will attempt to tell you his CV speaks for itself. It is utter tosh. A lad by ours called 18 months (he has an ear and a half) can boast he was involved in the development of Wembley stadium. He was: he done the tiling in the toilets. Quite simply, Chris Potts is a little weasel.

Bill Kenwright and his friends in the media are forever telling us, he has Everton?s best interests at heart. NO HE DOES NOT!! The Kings Dock arena was the biggest missed opportunity in the club's history but it didn?t have to be. Paul Gregg offered to make the dream happen if Kenwright relinquished power. Kenwright refused the offer.

Fenway Sports have recently declared Liverpool Football Club?s stadium plans are on hold until the economic climate improves. Well, did you know that, if a similar statement from Everton had come all them years ago, The Echo Arena would not exist? The funding would have been reserved for Everton to eventually build the Kings Dock arena.

What happened though, was Bill Kenwright pulled the plug. I ask you this: Is that the action of a man with Everton?s best interests at heart? I would argue it?s the action of a very spiteful man with his own interests at heart.

The Oldham Echo and the mainstream press quite rightly tore chunks out of Tom Hicks and George Gillett for their ownership of Liverpool Football Club. Compare this:

Hicks and Gillett:

1. Lied about having money to build the club.

2. Lied about piling debts on the club.

3. Lied about threat of administration.

4. Described upset fans as noise they?re dealing with

Kenwright:

1. Lied twice: The ?ring-fenced? money for Kings Dock, and Tesco paying £52 million towards Kirkby.

2. Bill lied about debt. Vibrac loans are a disgrace and £1.1 million a year for 50 years, just to pay for Finch Farm is ridiculous.

3. Bill lied about administration and the leaked emails prove it.

4. Bill has said that The Blue Union have ?betrayed the club.?

When The Blue Union first began with their ?Support the team. Oppose stagnation? message, a large number of journos were quick to pour scorn over it. They insisted Everton had not stagnated and had become a victim of their own success.

However, ?success? is a word used very loosely, especially when it comes to plucky little Everton. League positions over recent years are 6th, 5th, 5th, 8th and 7th. This season you would imagine we will finish 7th/8th. So last year we finished 7th, didn?t win a trophy and had no money. This year we could finish 7th, have won no trophy and are still skint. When you consider that a lot of our players have their best days behind them, with no sale value, stagnation becomes quite appealing because sooner or later, the proverbial will well and truly hit the fan.

If we cast our minds back to the start of the season, we understand that Everton operates on a £5 million loss per year. The aforementioned Mr Elstone tells us that around £1.5 million is being lost on ticket sales and fewer TV games are costing a lot of money. For argument's sake, let's say a reasonable figure of £3.5mil. That means we now must find £10 million just to break even, so the eternal optimists in our ranks need to wake up. Steven Pienaar, the man who has transformed our season since January, is highly un-likely to sign.

This brand of lazy journalism which paints Kenwright as a man of truth and integrity, is just not good enough. It really is about time that some of you investigated what exactly is happening at our club.

Obviously there are some absolute head the balls, who can?t see the woods through the trees. Andy Dunn, Oliver Holt, Dominic King, Dave Maddocks, Martin Samuel and of course, old big undies himself Mike Parry. To them, Bill Kenwright is the white Martin Luther King.

Like anything in life, it takes just one to make a stand and get things moving. For me it has to be Dave Prentice. Dave, you have to start realising your own importance to The Echo. You won't be sacked, you?re the main man there and they know it. From one Evertonian to another, Please, do the right thing. Evertonians now need to make a stand and let the men in power at OUR club realise we are no longer willing to accept it.

A lot of people argue that the Blue Union and The People's Group aren?t doing enough and I agree. However, Evertonians as a whole are not doing enough. There is no point sitting behind a keyboard on forums moaning. Every Evertonian who is worried must now, really stand together.

Seventh Heaven

It's definitely been a season of "what ifs"!

? What if we would have started the season well?
? What if Distin would have booted the ball into the stands?
? What if Jelavic and Gibson would have been with us since the start of the season?

However, leaving those questions for others to answer, we have been the 7th best team in the league and deserve nothing better and deserve nothing worse!
We have:

♦ the 7th most amount of wins in the league
♦ the 7th least amount of losses
♦ the 7th most goals scored
♦ the 4th (but along with 3 other teams... so 4 + 3 = 7) least goals conceded
♦ the 7th most wins at home
♦ the 7th best GD at home and away

We will finish 7th now, Fulham have Spurs last game and LFC have Chelsea plus our better GD will help us even if we struggle to pick up points.

To be 7th behind 6 teams who have all spent a lot more money than EFC is not a bad effort and to finish above Liverpool and Fulham who have spent considerably more is not bad either. I try to stay away from the "What ifs" so I for one am looking forward to a good season next year and hopefully we can fight with the big spenders as we have proved we can in the second half of the season.

Andrew Fair     Posted 02/05/2012 at 10:18:20   Comments (37)

Players' wages

Top average salaries per player, per annum and per week, 2009/10

	League		Club			Avg p/a		Avg p/w
1	La Liga		Barcelona		$7,910,737	$152,130
2	La Liga		Real Madrid		$7,356,632	$141,474
3	EPL		Chelsea			$6,020,741	$115,783
4	Serie A		Inter Milan		$5,999,643	$115,378
5	EPL		Man City		$5,863,585	$112,761
6	Bundesliga	Bayern Munich		$5,780,358	$111,161
7	Serie A		AC Milan		$5,647,633	$108,608
8	EPL		Man United		$5,106,214	$98,196
9	EPL		Liverpool		$4,935,847	$94,920
10	EPL		Arsenal			$4,758,252	$91,505
11	Serie A		Juventus		$4,127,666	$79,378
12	EPL		Aston Villa		$3,848,229	$74,004
13	Bundesliga	Schalke 04		$3,525,614	$67,800
14	Serie A		AS Roma			$3,383,783	$65,073
15	EPL		Newcastle Utd		$3,370,667	$64,821
16	La Liga		Valencia		$2,927,719	$56,302
17	EPL		Portsmouth		$2,875,947	$55,307
18	Bundesliga	Werder Bremen		$2,807,018	$53,981
19	Bundesliga	Stuttgart		$2,666,667	$51,282
20	Bundesliga	Borussia Dort		$2,649,825	$50,958
21	La Liga		Atletico Madrid		$2,589,754	$49,803
22	EPL		West Ham Utd		$2,517,851	$48,420
23	La Liga		Sevilla			$2,428,632	$46,704
24	Bundesliga	Hamburg			$2,385,965	$45,884
25	EPL		Tottenham 		$2,364,778	$45,476
26	EPL		Everton			$2,224,538	$42,780
27	EPL		Sunderland		$2,091,947	$40,230
28	EPL		Blackburn Rov		$2,086,298	$40,121
29	Serie A		Fiorentina		$2,071,877	$39,844
30	EPL		Fulham			$2,036,977	$39,173
31	Bundesliga	Wolfsburg		$1,964,912	$37,787
32	Serie A		Genoa			$1,959,883	$37,690
33	EPL		Bolton W		$1,863,573	$35,838
34	EPL		Wigan Athletic		$1,857,161	$35,715
35	Bundesliga	Hertha Berlin		$1,796,491	$34,548
36	Bundesliga	FC Cologne		$1,796,098	$34,540
37	Bundesliga	Borussia M'bach		$1,628,070	$31,309
38	Serie A		Napoli			$1,623,903	$31,229
39	La Liga		Villarreal		$1,619,088	$31,136
40	SPL		Celtic			$1,607,449	$30,912
41	Bundesliga	Bayer Leverk		$1,571,930	$30,229
42	Serie A		Palermo			$1,567,907	$30,152
43	Serie A		Lazio			$1,511,910	$29,075
44	La Liga		Athletic Bilbao		$1,493,333	$28,718
45	Bundesliga	Hoffenheim		$1,459,649	$28,070
46	EPL		Hull City		$1,403,299	$26,987
47	Serie A		Torino			$1,399,917	$26,921
48	Eng (D2)	Middlesbrough		$1,376,640	$26,474
49	Bundesliga	Hannover 96		$1,372,632	$26,397
50	EPL		Stoke City		$1,367,627	$26,301
51	Bundesliga	Eintracht Fr		$1,362,526	$26,202
52	SPL		Rangers			$1,271,905	$24,460
53	La Liga		Real Betis		$1,265,404	$24,335
54	Serie A		Cagliari		$1,231,927	$23,691
55	EPL		West Bromwich		$1,209,335	$23,256
56	La Liga		Espanyol		$1,198,596	$23,050
57	Serie A		Sampdoria		$1,175,930	$22,614
58	Serie A		Catania			$1,119,933	$21,537
59	Serie A		Bologna			$1,063,937	$20,460
60	La Liga		Mallorca		$1,045,333	$20,103
61	Ger (D2)	Karlsruher FC		$1,042,627	$20,051
62	Serie A		Siena			$1,035,938	$19,922
63	Serie A		Lecce			$1,007,940	$19,383
64	La Liga		Osasuna			$986,386	$18,969
65	La Liga		Racing Sant		$954,947	$18,364
66	La Liga		Deportivo LC		$915,649	$17,609

The Enemy of Football

So the Mrs of 3 months has finally had enough of playing 3rd fiddle to Everton and Golf. Having told her this morning I'd just bought a ticket for tonight's game, so wouldn't see her till about 11pm, she said:

"Right, this isn't for me anymore, I was going to tell you tonight but you can know now".

If it was a bluff, its a pretty daft call ? 32 years vs 3 months, love vs lust. Those who don't understand don't matter.

So, see you tonight. Cant bloody wait!!

James Cadwaladr     Posted 01/05/2012 at 09:27:20   Comments (28)