Proposed Fer transfer collapses

, 30 January, 170comments  |  Jump to most recent
No compromise reached regarding restructured deal

Everton's deal to bring for Leroy Fer to the Premier League from FC Twente is off after the Dutch club rejected a modified payment structure for the 23 year-old midfielder. Everton were looking to make the bulk of the £8.6m fee dependent on appearances but Twente president Joop Munsterman refused to renegotiate the terms and the player will remain in the Eredivisie.

Everton's medical staff were worried about the potential long-term effects of the surgery that the player underwent to mend the damage to the meniscus in his knee sustained on international duty for the Netherlands last September.

In seeking to protect themselves from a future flare up of the injury, the Club sought restructured terms, with the bulk of the fee dependent on appearances.

Having been outbid for first-choice target Yann M'Vila, who joined Rubin Kazan for £9.6m and big wages last week, the collapse of the Fer deal comes as another setback in David Moyes's attempts to strengthen his squad before tomorrow's transfer deadline.

In confirming the news to Sky Sports, though, CEO Robert Elstone insisted that the Club will be moving on to other targets. "There will be plenty more activity at Goodison to see if we can succeed with those other options," he said.

Quotes or other material sourced from Everton FC



Reader Comments (170)

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Henry Enzio
1 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:48:00
Sensible if you ask me.
James Newcombe
2 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:49:13
Big shame, liked the look of this guy. Hopefully we can get some other faces in!
David Harrison
3 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:47:29
Everto. Bloody Hell! Only time will tell if this is a poisoned arrow avoided or another blunder in EFC history. My own feelings are that I had hardly heard of this guy before yesterday, was confident that Moyes had pulled off another coup but we can't afford another crock... Let's move on... quickly!!!
Paul Mackie
4 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:53:25
No doubt Moyes will get slaughtered on here for "dithering" but this seems prudent. If we suspect a player will be out injured a lot then why pay full price up front.
Sam Hoare
5 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:53:15
Watch QPR snap him up!

Onwards and upwards. Capoue from Toulouse could be next in line, similar type player.

I know some people like Diame though I heard today that his release clause is nearer 7m than 3.5m which isn't such a good deal for another strong but injury prone midfield destroyer.

Jim Harrison
7 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:59:26
Anybody remember the Alan Smith bid............
Mark Tanton
8 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:59:08
Hmmmm, very frustrating. If we started our business earlier, we'd be ok to look for an alternative. But now everyone knows we have money to spend and what we want, and we've boxed ourselves into a corner.

I wonder how busy tomorrow will be now...

David Barks
9 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:55:52
The previous injury he had was a meniscus injury, a relatively minor knee surgery. It's nothing like a torn ACL or MCL, it's minor. If you have your's repaired you would be back at work after a few days and be able to resume exercise after a couple of weeks, I did as did a few friends of mine. He's been playing regularly since coming back from that surgery, which was only a 2-6 week recovery time. I'm not buying this as just being prudent, I'm calling bullshit on our side of negotiating. It sounds like we tried to pull a last minute switch to lower the price thinking we had the leverage and FC Twente called out bluff.
Dan McKie
10 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:58:11
I'm still pissed off. Why announce the deal before the medical if he has had problems in the past? We are dreaming if we think this club will manage to bring in anyone decent by tomorrow, but we're Everton, we should just be grateful we haven't sold anyone, eh?
Tony J Williams
11 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:58:35
Ah well, no big loss. Many here didn't even know he existed until a couple of days ago, me included.

Sensible business by Everton, we have too many sick notes at the moment without another potential one coming on board.

Kristian Boyce
12 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:55:19
If there's doubts then I think we've done well to miss this one, due to the money involved. Could of been the new Danny Williamson.

But hopefully this isn't another Demba Ba type deal that I bet Stoke are cursing now.

Terry Myers
13 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:58:38
Time to move on, I think... what about Odidja-Ofoe? He hasn't had a mention this month. I just thought Moyes and the board couldn't afford the risk attached to Fer's knee.
I'll be gutted if we get no-one in though!
Kevin Day
14 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:01:10
You've got to ask yourselves, if twente we're confident about his knee they would have no problem regarding payment as he played.
Chris Bentham
15 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:01:40
We had to announce it as he was all over Dutch media saying how excited he was...

I'd rather us be over cautious than gamble like some on here want us to do.

£8million could surely get us a centre mid AND a striker. After all it's nearly what we paid for Jellyfish and super Kev.

Ian Hollingworth
16 Posted 30/01/2013 at 15:58:20
Abysmal PR exercise from the club.
Yes we can say it is right not to pursue if he failed a medical.

Surely the club knew about his knee injury so why announce anything prior to a medical. They did not need to, this one was not on any of the rumour sites etc until EFC announced it on the official website.

This transfer is over because the club tried to re-negotiate not because he failed a medical so why did they pursue? The club would have taken him if Twente would re-negotiate so presumably his medical was not that bad?

Why were they eager to announce it when all they have done is raised the expectations of the fanbase and let us down again!!
I for one am not surprised, it is Everton after all.

Keep applauding BK on the big screen but don't cry when the rollercoaster comes crashing off the rails.

Stuart Eaton
17 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:04:58
At least we know we have money to spend, now lets use it quickly before Bill changes his mind
John Shaw
18 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:03:53
Hold on a minute, it wasn't a serious knee injury at all, this is typical EFC spin, it was a minor knee injury (a tiny tear to the edge of his cartilage) which kept him out for 5 weeks, he has since played in every game in Nov, Dec and Jan, it was a less serious knee injury than the one Phil Neville has recently come back from!!

This smacks of EFC trying to pull a fast one and deservedly getting told where to go by Twente !!

Tony J Williams
19 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:07:27
It's ring fenced Stuart......argggghhhhhhhhhhh
Dave Roberts
20 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:04:28
On the face of it all very sensible I suppose.....but I do have one nagging doubt. Presumably these are the same medical staff who advised that taking Ba on loan with a view to buy was too risky.....and presumably the same staff who decided on two occasions that Mirallas was fit to play leading to further breakdowns.

Why am I not entirely confident about the 'Everton medical staff's' assessments?

I wonder!

Christopher Brierley
21 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:05:57
Dont expect Capoue or Diame .QPR have bid 12M for him (we havent got a sniff at that) and Diame wont come here whilst Arsenal are showing a glancing interest. Im sure I read that we looked at Diame in the summer and we could have afforded to buy him but he wanted stupid wages (80k a week I think) I expect any signing to be an unheard of or a has been
Harold Matthews
22 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:04:50
Relief. Watched him play and thought £8 ml. was far too much.
Mike Hughes
23 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:07:44
Sensible.
I vaguely recall we got our fingers burned years ago with Danny Williamson and Slaven Bilic.
Too big a risk.
Jimmy Sørheim
24 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:00:09
I am sad to say I felt this was going to happen once they wanted to change the deal.

My question is this: Between Leroy Fer and Vadis Odidja-Ofoe, who gives us most value for money? I liked the fact that Fer has a good long shot in him, but I would like a new midfielder to be at least 6'-4" tall and quite strong in the air, plus a good long shooter. Generally I am excited by many Belgian Internationals, as they seem to have it all.

I do not know Vadis Odidja-Ofoe at all so the question becomes: Does Everton have time to find another midfielder or will they have to go for Vadis Odidja-Ofoe because of the time issue?

I fear the most that we will not get any midfielder in at all, and that would be crushing after the Fer deal went wrong at such a late time. Ideally we should have a striker and a midfielder by now, but it seems time is running out again.

John Shaw
25 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:08:16
Kevin (541) Or, Twente may be pissed off because EFC will have known about his injury, and they now see us as charlatans trying to move the goal posts, which we are.

Also, they had two players lined up to replace him and needed the money from us to finance those deals, but now pay later from EFC meant that they couldn't replace him as they wanted to.

Jonny Flynn
26 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:06:55
I'm not too worried. I'm sure we'll get at least two signings tomorrow. I've got a good feeling.

God knows the board need to pull a rabbitt out of the hat after this debacle. Vadis, get your suitcase packed... and a striker — maybe Gary Hooper!

Sam Hoare
28 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:10:44
Feeling a bit disappointed by this. 3 points tonight and a couple of players in by friday will cheer me up though.
Robin Cannon
29 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:06:12
I don't think anyone has done anything particularly wrong here, it's just frustrating because our hopes were raised about a dynamic young player filling in a definite need for the team.

Most clubs these days announce "x fee has been agreed, subject to terms and a medical". It's not unusual for that to occur. And it seems that the concern is about long term damage - maybe potential for degeneration - which both risks recurrence of the injury and also potential resale value. It's perfectly legitimate to renegotiate the terms at that point to have some more guarantees (and the suggestion doesn't appear to be that we tried to drop the fee, but rather that we wanted some of it to be dependent on appearances).

I don't buy the claim "but they knew about his injury, so why would they announce anything". Seems perfectly possible that they knew he'd been injured, were also under the assumption that he'd made a full recovery and were expecting the medical to be a relative formality until those tests highlighted a possible longer term issue.

The comparisons with Demba Ba are legitimate. He failed medicals at two clubs before going to Newcastle. Newcastle signed him as a calculated risk, knowing that he can't pass a medical. Chelsea did likewise. They're probably in better financial positions to take that kind of risk than us.

Of greater concern is that whether Fer was the right player or not, given those issues, we need a signing or two of that kind of potential quality to add depth to the team, address some issues, as well as provide a positive buzz for us fans.

Brian Waring
30 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:07:54
The thing is though Kevin, you probalby couldn't blame Twente for being pissed off, because we wanted to pay a small initial fee and the rest based on appearances and other factors. They would have been getting their money on the drip, drip. Maybe Twente are confident they can sell him on to someone else.

Also, say Twente did agree to our demands, he came to us and ended up being shite, so when it was coming up to X appearances and we were due to make a payment, what's to stop us keeping him on the bench to avoid making that payment?

James Stewart
31 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:10:21
@535 have to agree the whole thing stinks. It sounds to me like we were just trying to bring the price down. That injury is minor and unless its something else it would be an absolute joke to try and renegotiate based on that injury. Not surprised they told us where to go! My bet is now on some cheap obscure loan deals and the 8m is complete fantasy.
Jason Thomas
32 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:07:41
Well put Ian. But I don't know how much BK had to do with the announcement and how news like this gets cleared to be placed on OS. Who makes that decision?
Sean Lloyd
33 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:14:51
Since when have Everton been prudent on taking a chance on players based on dubious non-career-threatening injuries?

I recall a one Joleon Lescott who missed Wolves' entire lone season in the Premier League with a knee injury(ies?) having them allegedly capped after being caught fornicating with a naughty man's Missus...

Lescott went on to be an ever-present Everton back liner and Fer has been playing consistently for months. I think a bit if gloss has done the trick with Elstone. I do love a bit of Everton smoke and mirrors, it just manifests itself in different forms each window.

Stuart Mitchell
34 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:22:12
I think we should have gone for Ofoe in the first place, prefer him as a player.

I think thats our only chance of getting a CM this late in the window.

Stuart Eaton
35 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:17:59
Hopefully we are on the phone to Brugge to get Vadis deal on as I think he is the next best target and similar to this Fer.
Ben Jones
36 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:23:04
It is a bit annoying, but we didnt do much wrong. People think we did announce it, but all the site said was that he was arriving in for personal terms and a medical.

It ain't often problems occur in the medical, but if there were genuine long term problems with the knee, then what's the point? We've got enough injury prone players at the club!

I hope we don't see the conspiracy theorists back: "Kenwright is an idiot"... "He broke down the deal..."

Tom Evans
37 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:19:54
My theory about brinkmanship blown out of the water then!

I subscribe to the "nobody knew who he was until a few days ago" line, so all let's move on. Who knows what the real reason is or was. But given past occurrences, was it not possible to announce the signing once pen had been put to paper? Seems that shower across the park managed to successfully conclude their bit of business. FFS.

Paul Columb
38 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:22:39
My hunch is that this represents a negotiation strategy for a club without much to pay up front. Target a player with a known although non catastrophic injury, settle on a deal and then attempt to lower up front cost based on medical 'interpretation' of risk.

Maybe totally off base but if you know yer 'istory.........

Chris Morris
39 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:26:07
Well done Everton for not buying a player with injury issues. He may neer suffer a knee injury again and go on to become a world class talent, but with our limited funds and the amount of midfield players we already have, I think it was the sensible decision.

No doubt they'll have someone else in mind already.

Phil Bellis
40 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:24:03
I'm a bit Waltered but nowt we can do about it.

Just glad I keep to the "Echo... picture... shirt" protocol and never read "great buy" reports or view YouTube until then.

Whatever the reasons and circumstances, only Everton, eh?

Sean Lloyd
41 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:26:44
Maybe we can conjur up the following:

1) A fishing rod
2) Deck chair
3) Four pack of Tenants

Should be enough to coerce Gazza out of retirement.

Tom Evans
42 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:27:58
Sean #562.

Another era, I accept... but, to reinforce your arguement, a hole in the heart didn't stop us signing Asa Hartford all those years back.

Craig Mcmahon
43 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:28:49
I agree. Vadis looks a much better proposition to me anyway. What's our chances of getting him this time?
Chris Morris
44 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:30:34
Craig McMahon 574

My mate just rang and said Vadis is in Starbucks in Liverpool One and he's with Riquelme and Casillas.

Robin Cannon
45 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:31:22
Yeah - I'm kinda curious about why Vadis doesn't seem to have been a target at all during this transfer window.
Brian Waring
46 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:26:23
It's a really strange one in regards to Vadis, last time we looked really keen to get him in on loan with a view to buying at the end of the loan period. It makes you think though, if Moyes was really that keen in the first place.
Andrew Ellams
47 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:33:04
If he goes somewhere else and does well and we end up with nobody we are terminally fucked.
Phil Rodgers
48 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:24:31
My dad has just told me that Everton actually rang 5 live to correct them that the fee was 8 million not 7. Explain that?
Sean Lloyd
49 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:32:49
Tom #573

Indeed!

I think the hole in Bills pocket was the result of the financial medical.

Steve Sweeney
50 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:29:19
Okay, if we have some money to spend, go get Butland and Diame, that's £7m. Oh, I forgot we can only pay in theatre vouchers.

I will repeat again, the only chance we will sign anyone is on loan. We Have No Money and the useless Directors refuse to put any money into the Club.

But, as Ian above said, carry on cheering Bill... after all he is looking 24/7 for funds, the Wanker.

Chris Corn
51 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:35:53
Chris Morris, you're full of shit. They're with me in the new KFC on the Strand tucking into a bargain bucket !!
Pat Waine
52 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:35:16
I just wish we had moved earlier which would leave us time to improve the squad. The way things are, Everton need to add someone. Mirallas injured... Coleman out... and no sign of Gibson. We need to move Neville on and replace him. My prediction is that if we do not add to the squad the Shite will be playing us in a few weeks with a chance of going ahead of us then. The next 3/4 games are vital and we are getting too predictable without Mirallas.
Steavey Buckley
53 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:33:27
On 31 January at 11:59 pm, Moyes declares he has signed 3 players on loan. Only to receive a phone next morning, the deals have been scuppered by Fifa for being too late. Because in Swizerland were Fifa reside their time when the loan deals were finalised was at 00:59 – 1hr ahead of UK time.
John Ford
54 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:31:01
Assumptions about this blokes injury, and of course ,critically, the future prospects with such an injury are speculative and are not based on anything substantial. These comments are academic.

Philip Bellis is right, echo....picture....shirt. The club only ever said he was coming for a medical, not that it was a done deal, and it's standard practice to declare this

Dissapointing but it sounds like there are other options being looked at. It could still become very interesting.

Anthony Flack
55 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:39:40
It might happen — if Twente now sweat and realise we were not bluffing, they might come back to the table.

Tony J Williams
56 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:36:53
I have always thought that Fer bloke was shite........just saying like!
Eugene Ruane
57 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:33:04
Disappointing... but I wouldn't describe my feelings as gutted or anything close.

Better this than pay £8.5m and have the feller's knee turn to powder after the first stiff challenge.

Trevor Thompson
58 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:35:31
There won't be any signings this transfer window. I think Everton tried to pull a fast one on FC Twente knowing full well Fer had an injury and wanted to give Twente a small fee and base it on appearances making the payment spread over a significantly long time. Crafty but Twente weren't falling for it.

We've left it very late and I doubt we were looking at other prospects or we would have started negotiations much earlier. It's disappointing as he seemed like the type of dynamic player we need. If he looked crud I doubt we / I would be that bothered about it.

Sam Morrison
59 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:42:26
Until the day I die I will believe he's the best player in the whole world ever and Everton deliberately fucked up because they like wasting everyones time.
Terry Maher
60 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:38:03
A shame the deal didn't get done but I am sure Everton will still get a midfielder.
Karl Meighan
62 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:30:42
Surely Everton would protect themselves with insurance, he has played games this season so how can he be anymore of a injury risk than any player? Every time a player plays a game there is a chance of injury.

If he was currently sidelined with a knee injury then fair enough but he will probably turn out this weekend for Twente if it's off . Fucking typical Everton... probably counted up and realised they had overspent. We will end up with no one. Probably start playing Jageilka centre midfield. It's not the first time things have gone tits up and it won't be the last.

Chris Morris
63 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:44:32
Liverpool got Coutinho for £8m and I've heard of him
Trevor Thompson
64 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:46:46
I personally hope he has a really dodgy knee and never becomes a cracking footballer.
Chris Morris
65 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:48:00
Maybe Everton would have taken the risk on another day, but seeing Mirallas, Gibson & Coleman seemingly almost injured, then they may have decided that 4 first team players who are injury prone wasn't worth the risk???
Michael Brooks
66 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:45:30
I am not conspiracy theorists but honestly did anyone really believe this would happen?


Hand on heart who believes old bullshit bill understudy Elstone, I would very surprise if any more than a loan or two happens tomorrow.

Tony Marsh
67 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:43:18
It was Dr Parkinson from Murrayfield Hospital, Wirral, who picked up on the injury during the medical yesterday. Dr Parkinson is the knee specialist we always use for these things. From what I hear, it wasn't a really bad one but needed pointing out. It may never've troubled the lad but as usual Everton FC try their best to mess things up.

Personally, I would've paid the money and took a chance on Leeroy. It's not as if Fer has been sidelined this season. He is an ever-present in the Twente side. I bet Elstone and Bill were buzzing at the news of a possible Get out of Jail card.

The new Frank Rijaard is what he has been called in Holland... guess we will never know now.

Dean Adams
68 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:43:08
Hoping for a transfer to materialise at Everton is like waking up on Christmas day hoping for snow and loads of presents. Has'nt happened once in my lifetime, but I always live in hope (diminishing rapidly like my eyesight these days).
Rob Rutherford
69 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:50:24
Why not try to get Odjidja-Ofoe and Butland for the same money? We won't get a decent keeper as cheap in the summer.
Jamie Barlow
70 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:46:37
If yer names not down, you're not coming in!!
Ray Jacques
71 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:44:42
Oh well, not really surprised! Late night tomorrow awaiting signings at midnight and then knackered in work on Friday morning.

Live in hope it will end up like last January's window but wont hold my breath.

Peter Leslie
72 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:25:21
Fed up with this shite - never believe transfers till the photo in the shirt at Goodison Park.

EFC haven't got a ton of money, and our business model (Ha!) is predicated on "player trading" – so, to shell big bucks on a 23-year-old, they have to be as sure as they can be of a good few years use out of him and a profit once he's sold. Even a 1% chance of blowing all our dough on a potential crock is out of the question.

As for Ba, having failed two medicals, the word was he was "uninsurable" which is what turned off a lot of clubs; imagine we bought a possible crock and his knee DID go — you think the insurance would pay up?? We'd be fucked.

Those slagging the decision to back out need to ask if they'd pay top dollar for a low mileage sports car that just had major engine work, after the AA inspector told you to think twice? Would you fuck.

On the other hand: in terms of PR and business savvy, our top men are evidently a gang of completely useless cunts, so I do support the sentiment.

Fact is, if Plan B is not in place and is not duly delivered, those Laurel and Hardy pair of twats Elstone and Kenwright should be dragged out of their offices and kicked all up and down Goodison Road.

However, if Plan B is delivered, I will be the first to shut the fuck up and be happy.

COYB !!

Chris Morris
73 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:52:28
Wonder who Roberto Martinez will sign for us in the Summer when he becomes our new manager?
Chris Corn
74 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:35:53
Karl 594, I would suggest like all insurers premiums would be much higher for players with injuries or indeed have caveats regarding non liability should he suffer with the declared injury. Also the banks would also want assurances of the future of the player before they released funds.

I don't think it's as simple as just taking a chance. Contrary to an earlier post we did the same with Lescott and the deal took longer to sort out.

Roman Sidey
75 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:38:09
I'm willing to give probably my final benefit of the doubt to the club, but a few points have been raised on here that haven't had enough air time.

1. Just how good is our medical team in the first place? I haven't trusted them in a long time, and have always thought that Basil Rathbone left under strange circumstances.

2. The club has now shown intent to spend, so no excuses not to have a last ditch try at someone before tomorrow. I know last minute business is not ideal, but they've made their bed with this one - sorry for the figurative language. I suspect they never had the money in the first place and that this was nothing but a ruse, but we will know for sure if the club now does nothing.

Brent Stephens
76 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:51:57
Amazing how people who don't know this lad, don't know his knee, don't know EFC actions (in terms of when EFC started watching him or anybody else; when they first made an approach; when they first knew he had a potentially significant knee problem; what were the conditions of our initial bid; what the medical actually showed; what the conditions of any revised bid was, etc etc, yawn, yawn) can come on here I talk as if they actually know (all this perhaps they do! tell us!) and can criticise the club on that basis.

Yes, we're disappointed (or maybe not!) we didn't sign a guy we hadn't heard of. But we sound like kids who didn't get what they want for xmas so have got to have a tantrum and kick somebody.

Andy Meighan
77 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:01:20
Peter 604. If the manager hasn't got a Plan B I'm sure as fuck them two liars Kenwright and Elstone won't have one.
Si Cooper
78 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:40:11
Chris (#570) - not sure I agree with that for two reasons.

1) We need to gamble somehow to get better quality players than we already have without paying above £10 milliion (I don't consider £8 million for a Dutch international midfielder to be outrageously expensive). That means those with some doubts about injuries / temperament or raw talent needing development have to be considered. We haven't been overly successful with the youngsters we have brought in, nor the mavericks we have tried to tame, so that increasingly leaves those with question marks against their medical history.

2) I definitely don't agree that we have a surfeit of central midfielders either currently of the required quality or robustness. We would be greatly improved by a player with qualities similar to either Viera or Essien in their heyday, so I am hopeful we are still looking for someone of that calibre.

Brian Waring
79 Posted 30/01/2013 at 16:58:52
Peter, thats the thing, the lad never had major knee surgery and the only other injury he has had was a slight thigh strain, so hardly a crock. Also, since the injury, he has played 17 games, scored 9 goals with 2 assists and has been Twente's top player.

Because of Mirallas's reccuring injury would he be a huge gamble if someone wanted to buy him?

Tony McNulty
80 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:06:47
Possibly five pieces of good news out of this:

- it appears there is some money available
- the next 28 hours or so might be interesting
- we seem to be managing our risks
- 'Arry might now come in and buy him
- no more horse jokes on here

Kevin Tully
82 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:05:11
Elstone just said " The transfer didn't go smoothly, there were some issues."

No fucking mention of failed medicals, because he knows he can be called out on that one in the future.

" Some issues" can mean absolutely anything. If his knee was goosed, just fucking tell us. Something stinks.

Nick West
83 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:11:32
No-one on here knows the details.

If Moyesy doesn't want to take the risk, that should be good enough for us. His signings track record speaks for itself. If he thought it was worth a punt (like Lescott), no doubt he'd have done it.

Si Cooper
84 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:05:46
How many people on this site have got money on Butland coming to Everton?

Putting aside whether we actually urgently need a new keeper (I am solidly with Neville Southall on that one) why Butland?

I don't understand the desperation. Why do so many see him as the dogs bollocks?

Brian Waring
85 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:17:02
Butland would never happen even if we did go in for him Si, I imagine he is going to want first team football.
Douglas Turner
86 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:01:09
Trevor #596 don't go wishing bad shit on the player it's not the Everton way!!! Besides Fer wanted the move to happen and spoke nothing but good things about our club! He'll be as gutted as we are if not more! As you said earlier, it was Billy Bullshit (AS USUAL!) who pissed in our pockets and told us it was raining! He does it every year and we should know better by know! Whay pisses me off is, the team usually plays shit after he pulls "Amateur Dramatic" Stunts like that! Up to us to get behind the boys tonight! COYB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karl Meighan
87 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:06:53
Ye thats right Brent@608 as a big Club like us shouldn't have a wafer thin squad in the first place and we shouldn't have to put up with centre backs or full backs trying to play as a central midfield player or relying on free agents that other Clubs don't want.

There cannot be another Club in the world that can turn transfer chases into the circus that Everton do for thousands of reasons.

Ian Edwards
88 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:16:51
This deal collapsed as we have no money. Fer wanted to come and turned down Napoli and Benfica and Everton used that as a tactic to try and persuade Twente to accept a large fee in low instalments... Twente rightly told us to fuck off. Any signings will be loans or the Barnsley right back for about £1m.
James Marshall
89 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:17:26
Its very straightforward - we offered them £8m for their player and they accepted, thus we get the green light to speak to him. He comes over, we see his slightly iffy knee (probably not that bad) and then go back to Twente and say, we'd like to pay in installments because of his knee. They say no.

We only ever 'agreed' to pay them £8m, we didn't say how much and when. The knee was likely the excuse to stagger the payments once we knew they were happy with £8m. Twente needed the cash upfront to buy a player themselves, so they pulled the plug.

We didn't pull out as the papers are saying - from where I'm sitting, they pulled out. We simply don't have £8m up front.

Stephen Graham
90 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:10:33
Just a thought ... there's still 30 hours or so left for them to SELL someone ...
Si Cooper
91 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:15:25
"'Arry might now come in and buy him" - why is that necessarily good news? If he did and the lad did turn out to be the next Viera it would make it even more galling.

Dislike the comments about not knowing who the lad was until 2 days ago as if that has any bearing on whether we should be disappointed that the deal fell through.

I can't be the only one to have run to google for the majority of our signings in the last 5 years or so. It is simply a consequence of having to look to unearth gems in a potentially worldwide pool of talent.

Brian Waring
92 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:18:58
Now the deal is dead and buried, why couldn't Elstone just say it as it was, instead of just saying "There were some issues"
Dan McKie
93 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:16:16
We all know we will end up with fuckall. I bet Bill was shitting himself and was on the phone to Elstone saying 'this story is getting a bit too believable, Bobby, you've got me thinking we are actually going to sign this c*nt! Well done, but get that plug pulled pronto'.
Roman Sidey
94 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:18:58
To be fair, Doug, I think Trevor probably meant he wanted that so that we wouldn't totally regret missing out on him. Imagine if he signs with Spurs or someone tomorrow and goes on to be a Ballon D'Or. That would hurt.
Si Cooper
95 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:22:47
Seriously James (#623) - you think that's how it works? Are you Robert Elstone in disguise?
Trevor Thompson
97 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:15:32
Si Cooper: Probably desperate because we could do with someone like him as our midfield is bare. I think Neville, as a person, appears to be a decent guy but I really would rather not have him in midfield. I do feel uncomfortable when he's on the ball. If, and I know it's an if, Fer is a Viera type player then that's exactly the type of dynamic midfielder we could do with. We'll now never know as we were unwilling to pay the amount (in my view). If nothing materializes (I'm sure nothing will) then it's disappointing. To be fair, I wasn't expecting any signings then he comes along and I get excited only to be disappointed...again.
Tim Lampshire
98 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:23:40
What an absolute fucking embarrassment. The club obviously still wanted him otherwise they wouldn't have been attempting to renegotiate the terms, therefore his knee probably isn't that bad. I know we can't afford to piss money away on crocks, but why are we so pathetically skint that we can't take a gamble in the market ever.
What happened to Vadis? Rationally that deal should've been tied up on the first day of this window as it failed in the eleventh hour of the last.
If we don't get a decent central midfielder in before the end of this window then bang goes another excellent opportunity to make the top four.
James Marshall
99 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:29:25
Si (629) It's as good a possibility as any of the other fanciful explanations on here today!
Dennis Shaw
100 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:28:13
Amateur Board sack the lot of them!
Trevor Thompson
101 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:29:27
Douglas, 619. It's the only way I will feel justified we did the right thing and not lose out on a gem of a player. Ha ha.
Colin Wainwright
102 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:32:09
"What happened to Vadis? Rationally that deal should've been tied up on the first day of this window as it failed in the eleventh hour of the last."

I'd like to know the answer to that one too Tim. (632)

Antony Matthews
103 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:21:53
Lets face it. We seem to have a lot of trouble with Dutch players. Maybe its a good thing. Defour anyone?
John Crook
104 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:24:32
I'm setting off to the pub before the match very shortly. I really can't wait to sample the negativity in the ground tonight because of this collapsed transfer. It's like everyone thought this guy Fer (who none of you had ever heard of until Monday afternoon) was the final piece of the jigsaw.

So the transfer is not going to happen! So man up and move on and get behind the team. I for one am glad we have a board that don't take massive £8 million gambles on a could-be crock. The risk factor for any business... £8m is too much and the idea of staged payments was perfectly reasonable after the results of the medical.

Yes, it's frustrating that we haven't signed anyone as yet and we need more quality but I urge you to forget this deal and get behind the team and not let negativity transmit from the stands to the pitch. COYB!!!!!!

Matthew Mackey
105 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:32:19
You know what? There is plenty of time between now and the deadline tomorrow night. I'll bet you a pound to a pinch of shit that their management team come back sometime tomorrow and offer him on Evertons conditions because FC Twente are desparate to off load this guy to enable further signings of their own. Wouldn't surprise me at all.
David Israel
106 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:34:07
I'm no doctor or physio, but knee cartilage injuries have long ago seized to be serious stuff.

It is really disappointing the deal has fallen through. Moyes did say over the weekend, though, that we might bring in a couple of players before the deadline, so let's hope there's somebody else in the offing.

But now we've shown people we have money to spend - or at least a willingness to commit to spending - as mentioned elsewhere on this thread, and that will make bargaining more difficult.

Stuart Eaton
107 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:36:54
More importantly 3 points tonight and 3 on Saturday if we can.
Si Cooper
108 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:36:59
Trevor (#631) - I asked why people seem so desperate for Butland?
Denis Richardson
109 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:26:43
Disappointing that this didnt go through in the end. If we get someone in come midnight tomorrow then all is still ok(ish).

Question is, is there enough time to get someone else decent in? Presumably Fer was our 2nd or even 3rd choice transfer target (if not lower), who is there left on the list? Will tehy even want to come to us etc..

24 hrs Davey and a game in between for distraction - fingers crossed but am not too hopeful right now.

If Gibson better stay injury free until the end of the season!

FFS!!!

Brent Stephens
110 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:38:04
It's the Chairman! It's the Board! It's the Manager! It's the medical staff! It's Fer. It's the Dutch!
Wayne Smyth
111 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:32:36
Tim, your logic is completely wrong.

The club wanting him doesn't mean his knee isn't "that bad". The club obviously want him if fit, but they want to ensure that if his knee has issues in future then our losses are limited.

Seems entirely sensible and rational, especially in our situation where we can't afford to spend the best part of £9M on someone who may have future fitness issues that we picked up on in his medical.

You can guarantee that if we had signed him, and his knee had fucked up in the next 6 months the same people calling for him to be signed now, would be calling the club incompetents for either signing him in the first place, or failing to add a suitable clause in the sale contract.

Michael Kenrick
112 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:43:17
"Knee cartilage injuries have long ago seized to be serious stuff" — will there be no end to these hilarious puns??!?
David Barks
113 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:42:12
I'm not buying it at all. But what I do know is that we will now be paying attention to this guy's career, and if he gets some major injury. If no injury occurs and he goes on to improve and become a big player, we will know who screwed up. All I know is that his prior injury was a meniscus repair which is very minor. There is no way that should have halted the transfer or raised concerns.
Alan McGuffog
114 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:44:38
Fernando Amorebieta. Who he ?
Trevor Thompson
115 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:43:26
Si, my apologies.

I have no clue. I'm not that bothered about a GK at the moment. That can wait until summer as it does need addressing, though.

Dan McKie
116 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:43:49
If we have had over £8 million burning hole in our pockets, then why has nothing come out before now? We have been desperate for new faces all month. Wait for the 'we ran out of time' excuse. There is still time for some late paperwork to be filed also. The other teams fault though, obviously!
Si Cooper
117 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:39:44
James (#633) - I think the idea that we tried to turn a small concern over a medical problem into a major bargaining tool makes far more sense than two clubs agreeing a fee and the player being allowed to talk to the buying club without a structure for the transfer payment being discussed.

I think we pissed off FC Brugge and have now pissed off FC Twente, so I don't see either this deal or the one for Odjidja-Ofoe being resurrected, though I hope I am wrong.

Mike Rourke
118 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:29:41
Even though I didn't have a clue who he was before, the fact that he was a Dutch international, nicknamed 'The Bouncer' that the club considered worth paying over £8million for made it a pretty exciting transfer...but if he's got a dodgy knee then he's got a dodgy knee.

Perhaps it will be revived by Friday - stranger things have happened.

More troubling is that now everyone knows we've got 8 million quid burning a hole in our skyrocket we can't play the poverty card anymore.

"Ah so NOW you want Vadis do you?" *sounds of air being sucked through teeth and hands rubbed together*

Brent Stephens
119 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:48:56
MK. Ha! Just spotted it!
Daniel A Johnson
120 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:46:26
Manuel Fernandes.........on a plane right now.......

Riquelme been seen at Finch Farm........

Moutinho spotted at Goodison......

Still hope yet folks........In Bill Kenwright I trust

Brian Waring
121 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:48:19
Think that was the biggest shock of all for me Dan, we went from being skint, to bidding £8.6m for a player.
David Israel
122 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:46:03
Michael Kenrick # 646, come on, I am dead serious and find your comment over the top. I'm close to 60 and I remember the days when careers could be ended by knee cartilage problems. That has been dealt with for good. These days a player usually gets back from such an injury/operation in less than 2 months, without any major long-term consequences. I am not talking about cruciate ligaments or any of that, in case you may have got that impression.

John Keating
123 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:49:32
Could be a blessing in disguise as we can use the 8 mill to sign John Paul Kissock and Jose Baxter
Patrick Murphy
124 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:37:49
Maybe the issues that Elstone refers to aren't medical issues, perhaps the rumoured court case is a cause for concern. Obviously if this is the real problem with the transfer, somebody didn't do their homework.
David Israel
125 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:51:31
David Barks # 647, what you say about the fellow's injury is apparently a "hilarious pun".
Mark Jensen
126 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:49:03
Good job we only sign players who play week in, week out like Gibson, Mirallas, etc. I just don't trust anything EFC say anymore. Elstone has cried wolf too many times.
Colin Potter
127 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:25:50
The whole business stinks of a Kenwright-initiated con to me.

Si Cooper, have you seen Rene Adler who plays for Hamburg in the Bundesliga? He would do for me instead of Butland.

Brian Waring
128 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:53:29
Thinking about it, maybe the reason Elstone is not disclosing the full sp, is because there's a chance the deal could still be resurrected.
Phil Davies
129 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:50:57
I don't think the fact we've got over £8m to spend will be something that stops the club from making any transfers because other clubs know we have money, it'll be a lot worse because now we as fans now the club have over £8m and I get the feeling most want to see £8m spent especially considering we all though we we're skint.

Any thoughts on Wanyama of celtic? same type of player as fer but a bit less technical.

Daniel A Johnson
130 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:56:15
Imagine Xmas at Kenwright's house..... "Sorry kids, the Playstation 3 is faulty we had to send it back but don't worry... here, have a fucking tangerine and a brazil nut instead."
Ayman Ghanam
131 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:56:56
Oh well... you can't miss what you never had
Anthony Lamb
132 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:55:33
Oh Everton, Everton. With the whole of the British Isles, Europe...the world to scour and suddenly having £8 million to spend they fasten onto a player with a problematical knee! Does the incompetence of the scouting/management of this club actually have NO boundaries?
James Davies
133 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:53:27
Shame, but if he's had a serious injury then it's sensible to want insurance via staggered payments.

More worryingly, it doesn't actually say on the OS who cancelled the deal. Davey? The board? Hopefully it was Moyes decision, otherwise we'll be looking for a new manager before the season is out.

Tim Lampshire
134 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:53:41
Wayne (645) I don't doubt my logic can be questioned at times, it won't be the first time and it certainly won't be the last!
Say we'd agreed to the original payment terms and his knee had turned out to be screwed, why does an £8m transfer to Everton mean the difference between financial ruin or not? That's one of the things that troubles me.
I think I'm trying to express my disappointment that once again we are sat on the edge of the transfer window, desperate for central midfield cover (or regular starter) in the continued absence of Gibson. Neville in central midfield just isn't up to the task (in my "twisted" logic)
Daniel Heaton
135 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:48:20
We have a game tonight...judging by the posts on here, most of the fans at Goodison are going to be well pissed off. If this mood transfers itself down to the team we could be in for a long evening.

Lets just stuff the shit out of the Baggies and worry about transfers later.

2 - 0 my prediction.
Douglas Turner
136 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:02:05
Carry on Everton at its best! Oooh Matron! Was it the knee again? No, it was that fcuking joke of a Chairman you've got! Now lie back and think of Everton!
Colin Wainwright
137 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:01:21
We haven't got £8M! FFS everyone get a grip please.
Patrick Murphy
138 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:07:21
If we repay Wonga.com the money we borrowed on Monday, how much interest have we had to pay and are there any penalties?

Chris Morris
139 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:01:33
My main concern now is the last minute deals that get done and hurried through mainly get done with a medical pending. So again we could have nobody.

We seriously do need a new GK. I know Howard is good but we need someone better than good

Ayman Ghanam
140 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:56:56
Oh well... you can't miss what you never had.
Jeremy Benson
141 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:43:52
I can't believe some of the moans on here about the club and how they've handled this. All they've done is exercise some good business sense when it comes to investing what is a large quantity of cash. They have the real info about the deal, everything else is just speculation.

How many of those same people have been moaning about Mirallas and his injuries and blaming that on the club too? They can't win, can they?

I am not a particular fanboy of the management or the ownership of the club, but it does beggar belief sometimes. I wonder why they bother. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Liam Reilly
142 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:59:47
"the fact we've got over £8m to spend will be something that stops the club from making any transfers because other clubs know we have money"

I doubt we have anything like £8m to spend. This would have been an instalments deal.

Fact is, there are too many in the treatment room at the moment and the club need players who are fit and unlikely to break down any time soon.

Fail to see anything wrong here, sounds like due dilligence to me.

Jamie Tulacz
143 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:12:52
We'll probably never know the rights + wrongs of this, just different versions from each club. Suspect though that the medical probably revealed more damage than we'd found out through the medical reports. Doesn't change my opinion of the board as a bunch of incompetent fools though! Time to move on though- let's hope that we have someone else up our sleeves as we've been looking desperately short in centre mid recently for a Fer type of player so would have been an ideal signing- plus as we know we can't really rely on Gibson's fitness. 5-0 tonight then we sign Messi tomorrow (must lay off that homemade Hooch!)
Douglas Turner
144 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:16:26
Shit Patrick #672, FFS don't go giving Kenright any ideas!
Robbie Muldoon
145 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:18:21
This is definitely a case where the club should have put emphasis on the phrase 'subject to a medical' rather than plastering it all over the media that the deal for Fer was done.

I and Kopites I work with where singing the praises of the club yesterday, all agreeing it's much better to just get a deal done behind the scenes and then announce it when its done. It's classy, and you don't look like a tit talking about Snjneider or Tom Ince for weeks.

So it's now fell through and I am entitled to feel a bit pissed off at how the club handled it. Only time will tell if it was a fuck up.

Lee Smith
146 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:11:26
Peter Leslie @ 604. Word for word that's how I see it! Now, go and wash your mouth out with soap you naughty boy!
Wayne Smyth
147 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:16:53
Tim(668), Its wouldn't spell financial ruin, but the club need to be as sure as possible when spending that kind of money that he has the best chance possible of remaining fit, especially given that we've got enough players on the treatment table as it is.

I'm in complete agreement that we do need a proper midfielder, but that doesn't warrant a knee-jerk(sorry) reaction to buy the first player whose club accept our offer. If the club can't find anyone suitable during this transfer window, I'd rather we waited till the summer.

Brian Waring
148 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:21:16
Can see it now at the medical if we do go in for someone else.

BK "So what's the diagnosis doc"

Doc "Just noticed Bill and thought I better let you know, this lad had a splinter in his finger about 10 mths ago"

BK rubs hand and says "Hey Bobby, get on the phone mate and tell them we want to make payments based on appearances, because we're a bit worried about this splinter injury the lads had"

Christopher Kelly
149 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:20:46
Paul #569,

Agree completely. It's like putting a house into escrow only to come back and ask for reductions in price. Very cheeky move and frankly a move that reeks of desperation and gamesmanship.

Pretty pathetic stuff if you ask me.

As I said on another post, this board does not in any way deserve anyone's benefit of the doubt on anything anymore. It's a sick joke that gets worse and worse each time.

Dave Lynch
150 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:37:51
We haven't got 8million and tried to fuck them over with the deal on the drip.

Quote fromTwente " We don't play those type of games".

Brian Waring
151 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:46:18
For me, this is where the club fuck - up, instead of "There were some issues" Spouted by Elstone, they should come out and give a full statement as to why the plug was pulled, that way it could stop all the grief and negative comment they are getting.
Si Cooper
152 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:44:06
David Israel - I think they thought you had used 'seized' instead of 'ceased' as a deliberate play on similar sounding words.

From your response it was simply a mistake.

James Macdonald
153 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:44:44
Whether or not we have dodged a bullet, and whether or not this is classic brinkmanship with FC Twente, what appears to have been established by this saga is that we have something like £4 million available to spend now with a similar amount available in the summer potentially. It may seem outrageous and unlikely by why not seek to get Kaka on loan for the rest of this season and perhaps for the following season as well. He is obviously desperate to get out of Madrid, his move to AC Milan has fallen through and he is cup tied for the Champions League (ie he won't be able to play in the Champions League anyway this season so presumably playing for a champions league team this season is not a priority). He is going to be motivated as hell wanting to make the Brazil squad for summer 2014 and having had to kick his heels on the bench for so long now. I have seen him play twice for Madrid against Ajax in the Champions League this season and while he has certainly lost some explosive pace, he would transform our side without a doubt. While expensive, I would have thought £4 million would cover his wages and any loan fee for this season and he a player who potentially pays for himself in terms of shirt sales and wide commercial marketability etc. Why not David Moyes? Give Jose a call? tick tock tick...
Jonathan Ford
154 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:54:25
I really do not like those who call BK or any of our supporters direct insults. He is really trying his best for our great club.
Richard Reeves
155 Posted 30/01/2013 at 18:37:31
Because Moyes looked so enthusiastic when saying the lad is a really good player, I started to believe, just a little bit... but after a scan showed slight damage to the knee, I reckon Kenwright or some of the board saw this as an opportunity to get the price lowered and leave themselves with a little extra money for another player. It backfired, so now we'll probably be going for a few loans.

That could be completely wrong but you couldn't blame any supporter for thinking that way considering the way this club has been run. I did think that Fer does look a decent player but no better than Capoue. I would be happy with that signing or even Vadis. Whoever comes in needs to be a top quality defensive midfielder.

Harold Matthews
156 Posted 30/01/2013 at 17:18:23
Si. Howards early deason flapping blunders were glossed over because we were scoring goals. Whereas recent cases of misjudgement have caught the eye.

(1) Against Wigan he stood next to the near post when the ball was crossed in from their left wing, about 5 feet high. Kone was trying to get on the end of it. there was no-one else in sight. What happened next defied belief. Instead of just leaning out and taking the ball, Howard leapt behind Kones' head,did a forward roll and came up looking like Norman Wisdom with his mouth open in shock. In the meantime Kone, without needing to jump, nodded the ball into the net via the space vacated by flying Tim.

(2)The own goal from the Fulham freekick. His head was only six inches from the ball yet he kept his arms bent and made no attempt to straighten them out and make a save.

(3} Sunderland. This didn't cost us because we scored 2 goals but it was probably the worst of the lot .You'll need to view it from behind the goal in order to fully appreciate the magnitude of his misjudgement.

The ball suddenly looped over high from their left wing and was heading for somewhere around the penalty spot. With Osman half asleep Johnson whipped round and readied himself for a left footed half volley....here we go again. what happened next ? Did Howard,who was standing on the centre of the goal line, make straight for Johnson and the ball.? Well, no he didn't. For some inexplicable reason his first three steps were at a 45 degree angle away from the action. Realising his mistake, he tried to recover but Johnson just rolled the ball into the unguarded net.

(4) The last minute Norwich fiasco.

Yes, he is a very good shot-stopper, but thats all. When he has time to think I shut my eyes and pray.


Julian Wait
157 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:03:34
James #696 - I like it ... think big! Kaka sure would have an impact here ... and make Everton better known in Latin America for sure. And he'd certainly feel the Goodison love.

(Cue snarky comments i.e. "can he track back", "will he be happy on the bench" etc)

Realistically however, he's going to take the money in Ukraine, Russia etc

James Macdonald
158 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:10:21
Julian #710 - Liverpool have signed Coutinho (a very poor man's Kaka), so signing the real thing would be keeping up with the Jones and then some!
Brian Waring
159 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:11:59
Funny thing is Julian, him working hard would be a requisite for a Moyes signing.
David Israel
160 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:09:41
Michael Kenrick # 646, I`m sorry, I was the one who was over the top!:-) Of course I meant "ceased" (I did go to grammar school and have a few A levels!).

Many thanks, Si Cooper # 695
for calling my attention!

Si Cooper
162 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:42:17
Harold (#708) - I think Tim Howard is along way from perfect but I agree with Neville Howard; he is as good as most and you don't gain a great deal from having two top class keepers as they tend to be self-driven.

I see a lot of mistakes from goalkeepers in general these days and I am not convinced it would be easy to replace / supplement Howard from the ranks of the available and inexpensive.

Si Cooper
163 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:52:39
Should have been Neville Southall in 732 - shouldn't try to type whilst I am listening to the radio.
Andy Crooks
164 Posted 30/01/2013 at 19:54:56
This transfer was handled in the Everton way; designed with perfection to make us look like a club with money to spend who have been prudent and meticulous. I suspect the reality is somewhat different.
David Israel
165 Posted 30/01/2013 at 20:19:48
Si Cooper, # 733, I go back to the days of Gordon West (and David Lawson...), who was not too bad, but Neville Southall definitely tops the bill! I also agree there'sno point in having two top-notch keepers, but, watching John Ruddy playing for Norwich, I think we let a good one get away...
Tim Lampshire
166 Posted 30/01/2013 at 20:40:22
Wayne (686) I get what you're saying, I really do, but it's the waiting until the summer which is wrong, now is the time we've got a real chance of Champions League money and building.
But hey, it's a game of opinions after all.
David Israel
167 Posted 30/01/2013 at 20:19:48
Si Cooper, # 733, I go back to the days of Gordon West (and David Lawson...), who was not too bad, but Neville Southall definitely tops the bill! I also agree there'sno point in having two top-notch keepers, but, watching John Ruddy playing for Norwich, I think we let a good one get away...
Tim Lampshire
168 Posted 30/01/2013 at 21:44:00
Oh and just to show I'm not all doom and gloom, great results tonight, our win and Spurs, RS and Arsenal all drawing.
Now let's get a decent centre mid in before the deadline and push on!
COYB.
Colin Glassar
169 Posted 30/01/2013 at 22:19:51
Is this a deffo no-no then?
Andrew Wilson
170 Posted 30/01/2013 at 22:17:00
I've just seen Moyes's post-match interview with SSN. He stated that any signings were more unlikely than likely now. Fingers crossed that something will happen tomorrow, but Moyes didn't exactly fill me with confidence.
Sam Hoare
171 Posted 30/01/2013 at 23:01:06
That new lad at reading looks good. Two assists tonight vs Chelsea. Think he's got a cool name too. Hope Akpan...
Peter Knight
172 Posted 31/01/2013 at 00:23:18
I could not understand why we let Holtby get way if we had £8 million to spend on Fer... surely we could have given £1 million to Schalke and matched his wages at Spurs. I just hope he does not score against us when we play them to win the game which is a huge game for us.
Anthony Jaras
173 Posted 31/01/2013 at 09:14:09
Fer speaks;


Here's European football expert Andy Brassell with reaction from Twente's Leroy Fer, speaking after his move to Everton broke down on Wednesday. because of a problem with the 23-year-old's knee.
The midfielder is "deeply disappointed", he told the website of his representatives Sport Promotion, but is hopeful a deal to take him to Goodison Park can be resurrected in the summer.
"Everyone has done everything to make this transfer happen,'' lamented Fer. "I was even prepared to financially brainstorm to get around the problem, but nothing helped.'' The 23-year-old, who is now preparing for Twente's Eredivisie match against Utrecht on Sunday instead of the Toffees' game with Aston Villa, said he understood Everton's position.
"I was approved by the doctors in England," he said. "The meniscus is firmly back in order, but the wound is still fresh, although I can play back smoothly. Everton then decided to change the method of payment - slightly more for their security than directly because of the medical results. I can understand that, especially when you're talking about this kind of money.''

John Ford
174 Posted 31/01/2013 at 09:15:48
He sounds a very reasonable chap.
Eugene Ruane
175 Posted 31/01/2013 at 09:31:37
Well said Jonathan Ford (698). You have put your case brilliantly. I defy anyone to find a weak point in this argument.
Martin Mason
176 Posted 31/01/2013 at 09:58:24
And I will second that.

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