Martinez: “Money can't buy everything”

That is definitive ... clearest we have been.

At least he is showing some balls and integrity.

Jay - Let's hope the Board show the same balls and integrity.

Even better when Bobby just said Stones is not for sale.

Surely - added to what Woods said - then we CANNOT sell him!

Tell Chelsea and that morom José to do one.

Do not sell. At worst - this time next year he'll be worth £50m+.

If David Luis is worth 55m .....

On a related note can someone explain how a transfer request becomes public? I can't see why the club would would want to make it known that a player wants to leave? Admittedly the player could make it known, but I wondered is there a formal FA process whereby transfer requests are made public?

At half time he looked like he was going to throttle mcgeady and at full time I thought he was going to deck the interviewer. Carry on Roberto.

It reminded me a lot of when Lescott played after his transfer request and I think we conceded six against Arsenal, well tonight was nearly four or five conceded. It makes you question whether we should just accept he wants to leave, get £35 million, sign a quality replacement and wish the lad luck for the future.

The team as a whole is bigger than Stones and so is the club. It will be very interesting to see how he performs at Spurs on Saturday.

Great game tonight by the way, fortunately I only got back from work with 30 mins gone so got to see us win 5-1!

I celebrated his comments like a goal!

Both Stones and Jagielka are still massively suspect defensively in my opinion, don't get me wrong, Stones is class on the ball but his job is what it says on the tin, to defend, and he turns his back on too much for me and isn't really that commanding.

We definitely need defensive additions, and judging by Oviedo, who looked well off the pace, a left back now becomes a priority also.

The most odius fans of any club on planet earth. Arrogance personified. I wish them the very worst.

I thought Roberto handled the press/tv dudes really well. Top marks mate.

Mike (10) I think Roberto can do the walk, so I’ll bet you a quid that John Stones stays.

Give him a few days to get over his disappointment and he'll be fine.

I remember their attempt to undercut Roberto's tapping up comments by bringing up moments where Roberto, himself, made comments about other players who were not contracted to his team, and immediately called him a hypocrite. Their argument was cleverly shredded by our Royal Blue Mersey guys. It was an infuriating read and I never thought I would say I like Man U fans better, but...there you go. What I wouldn't give to see their fans humbled by some meltdown crisis. Like a Rangers FC type of thing.

Jim (21) He (John Stones) also has the small matter of a £40 million bid from Chelsea rambling round his head and I thought Roberto gave him a lot of credit for playing the game. PS. Do you think that Chelsea are prepared to pay a whopping great fee for him, should he have the basic deficcxiencies you've just put down?

By the way, although he doen't look anywhere near fit yet, Gerry looked class. Lets hope he really comes good. I like the lad for the way he wanted to come to Everton.

It reminded me of Robert De Niro in Heat, the coffee shop scene with Al Pacino (as Jose Mourinho): "What if you do got me boxed in?"

(Wrong outcome to the movie though.)

The point is that it is Everton's decision to make, no matter what the media and Chelsea think. Strangely, many on TW seem to have also fallen into that mindset which is odd when you consider the general vocal criticism of our board as being small time.

I've been critical of Bobby and the board but we're seeing genuinely leadership here. A strong, consistent message. Let's see if they can keep it up.

I'm sure this still won't stop the class-less Londoners and the gutter press from playing games all week though.

My one slight |(big!) worry, is the board will lose their bottle and give way. Up to now though, that is a Board member Jon Wood and our Manager,both saying he is not for sale.

Keep it up, Blues.

Ok so this might be getting a little deep, and I'm probably going to get slated for negativity, but I don't fully believe Martinez. From watching the interview clip a couple of times, Martinez shows traits in his response of him not telling the truth. A classic indicator of this is when he responds about him not being for sale, he turns his head away, and loses eye and facial contact with the interviewer.

It may of been done innocently as he didn't want to talk about it after that performance, but it hasn't filled me with full confidence.

We can't go after a centre back and expect a fair deal when the selling club knows we only have one experienced CB and a possible £35M in the kitty.

We can't expect a fair deal for any position with a possible £35M in the kitty.

So it's "Not for sale" and "Sorry mate, You're not going anywhere" till all our deals are done.

ToffeeWeb is now starting to analyze every body language hint including eye contact / or lack thereof.

Oh I can't wait to read the "Transfer Deadline Day" thread now in a few days time.

No wonder Johnny Stones is crying at a service station, if my every move was being critiqued from a distance I'd be a paranoid mess too.

Let's leave the poor kid alone, cheer him and the rest of the lads on Sunday v Spurs; and trust that the club will do the right things (yes, I'm being serious!) between now and September 1.

How he managed to get the team even vaguely focussed after the media circus is beyond me. Yet when we found ourselves two down away to a decent lower division side, in a competition in which we are perennially shite, he makes the changes necessary and turns around a deficit that has not been achieved by us In over 20 years! Then to top it all off he comes out and tells Chelsea to fuck off in a dignified manner, whilst also praising a young man who has (deservedly) come under flack from his own fans for his antics.

I know that some of the performances over the last 12 months have been dire but surely he's earned a little more vociferous backing for next time we play at Goodison?

A lot still to do; we're desperately short of players and his stance needs backing by the board but like him or loathe him tactically, I have honestly always felt that he feels honoured to be our manager and fully 'understands' this club in an era when we bemoan how few in the game do. Feel it even more now.

I’m not Roberto's biggest fan but he is handling this situation in a top-class way. He is constantly speaking about us as a club in a very positive manner which sometimes even clouds my judgement of him for a short period. I would much prefer Martinez was sacked if I am honest and today’s performance typified many of the reasons why.

We cannot defend, I don’t know what it is but we get opened up so easily time and time again it is almost untrue.

Mirallas's performance was another frustrating issue. He, for me, is one of our top performers; he works harder than any of our attacking players, constantly showing for the ball and running at defenders, but for some reason he is not a favourite with Martinez.

MGeady is a total joke and Naisy is nowhere near good enough if we want top four, but somehow they find a way onto the pitch and into a blue kit.

Joel Robles is another player who is way below Premier League level, he should have been moved on (or equally never brought to the club as Martinez had the opportunity to work with him previously.)

Howard is not the keeper he was but will probably be better than Robles if he had both arms chopped off.

The above issues should have been rectified through pre season with players being brought in to find ways of getting the best out of Miralas, Lukaku and Ross.

A decent keeper should have been bought in to enable one of the two senior keepers to be moved on.

And dead wood from the squad should have made way to free up wages for frees or loan deals if not permanent transfers.

Oh and Stones was awful today along with most of the defence including the goal keeper.

I also feel Pennington was very unlucky to be hauled off as I feel he did well.

My biggest hope after us buying some decent cover in a few areas is that Chelsea fail to buy anyone and are left with an ageing John Terry, and Kurt Zouma who looks like an accident waiting to happen. They have 26 players out on loan now, 26! An outrage if you ask me, and I wish them to fail miserably almost as much as the RS. And that's saying something.

Good on Martinez for standing firm, and good on Everton for backing Stones & not caving in.

And no I have not mellowed toward Martinez. But thats what an Everton win does. Buys him more time to maybe get things right. Maybe.

Unless our owners are in even more callous they we think already, no way they'd let Roberto speak out in such a "Case closed!!" way to the press. Not provide ample funding for new players? Sure, same as they did to Moyes.

However, I cannot seeing them hanging the manager out to dry in public like that.

Stones has to be staying.

By the way, someone on Twitter saw Stones weeping at a gas station?
Oh brother.

Well, as an Everton fan of some years, I can totally understand the sentiment! But for the first time this window, I actually believe Stones will stay.

At least till January. Deffo gone next Summer.
Unless Bill and Co have all built Caribbean homes and are going to do a last minute sale and moonlight flit.

Everton fan for 40+ years, can you tell?

James Marshall very important point about loans from Chelsea. Been thinking that no players should be allowed to be loaned out within 2 years of buying them. Chelsea have a model of buying very good talent, never spending any time developing and selling for big money e.g. Lukaku and De Bruyn...By limiting the option to loan on it allows these players to either move to a club that wants them now, or let them continue developing in clubs that provide them with the right environment at this stage of their lives.

If we hold on, I'm very impressed by our club! Very impressed!

All we are watching is the dance.

Because they have spent no money and the Stones saga this week has taken that fact off the radar somewhat!

We need to sign players before Tuesday..

The RS held firm for a year with ratboy and then squeezed barca for 76m. We should do the same. However, RM should not be naive to think Stones will see out his contract for his 'project'. If he's not gone this week it will likely be next summer.

Let's try and get 40-50m and use the money to sort out the stadium. We're not winning anything or getting relegated in the near term as it is. We'll also get a further 40m a year in TV money next year!

Harold's view Re keeping down the cost of Incoming players has a air of Relpolitik about it.

The wheel's still in spin and the fat lady hasn't even phoned for a taxi yet.

I am very concerned at rumours of how upset JS appears to have been as a result of abuse from Everton (so called) fans. This may or may not be true.
The lad is only 21 FFS - 2 months older than my youngest son - so still very,very impressionable. So I say to you vociferous critics of Stones, and I have read some pretty puerile and harsh things on here over the last couple of days, and anyone responsible (if it's true) for any abuse dished out - you are simply driving him away. He should feel supported and appreciated by us 100% - every touch cheered and fully understand he is part of a big and supportive family at Everton.
He still has much to learn (who hasn't at 21) and plenty of time to do it hopefully with EFC. We all want him to stay and I really hope he does so please, as supporters of this club let's not be publicly vilifying him for being ambitious but encourage him to achieve those ambitions at least in the short/mid term with Everton.
With his help could even be the long term.
And respect to RM - good to see some steel and passion.
He's becoming an Evertonian

All utter bollocks. Stick to our guns, support the lad, support Roberto, support the board....Sorry lost it at the last point.. .

I don't know who has seen the the Brian McBride video on ToffeeWeb's front page, but McBride feels very strongly that John should stay at Everton. He also says something very interesting in that he was surprised John put in a Transfer Request. Brian felt that John's performances have been very professional despite all the rumors surrounding him and that this TR was, for him, literally out of the blue and out of character. Brian suggested that this was not necessarily a move made by John, but that this was an agent move; convincing him this was the right thing at this time. Stonesy seems like a really great kid; somebody that doesn't want to disappoint anyone. Maybe there's some conflict going on with him about all of this?

If these rumors about his emotional outburst are true, then this is NOT the right thing for him at this time. To go to a perennial EPL and Champions League contender, in a dressing room full of alpha males, with one of the most highly demanding and unforgiving managers in the game. Anybody think John Terry or Jose Mourinho will be so empathetic if they find Stones having a cry in the dressing room? Let's not forget the pressure of playing under a microscope in the beating heart of the English sports and tabloid press. Maybe Roberto knows more than any us - that John Stones needs to be protected until he's ready. Hopefully one day (if he stays past Sept.1) he'll say that he is ready...to be the captain of Everton Football Club

He's a human being and has served us well and we're trying to create reasons for him to stay - not leave us

What nasty idiots. So disappointed to leave of this. Ruins the euphoria of last nights win

It's so refreshing to see our own Don Quixote fighting the good fight for honesty and decency. At the same time so sad to see Wolfsburg and Juventus weakening before the petrodollars.

This polite, warm and friendly man confirmed that he has a steely spine and we need that. It also encourages me that he has visibly evolved. That also strongly indicates that other aspects of our manager have changed. Good.

God help chavski on 12th September, because the "Old Lady" will be giving them pure hell.

Stones is still a relatively young man who's every move on the pitch is watched and criticised and he is now under unimaginable pressure. Gobshites following him home and calling him a rat will only make him dislike Everton and really want to go. And if he isn't sold, would you try and work your bollocks off for fans like those who called him a rat?

He's not in a good place right now.

If Everton have done exactly the right thing by John Stones so far (and I 100% believe that they have), then a couple of morons spouting abuse in his face could well have fucked that up. Fortunately Naisy was on hand and there is no-one better equipped or tougher to be on Stonesy's side.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/Everton-transfer-news-john-stones-3493737

I think last night was a bit of sea-change moment in the relationship between Evertonians and Martinez. After eleven years of Moyes it was never going to happen over night (despite the first season of fantasy football).

After last night, and the way he has repeatedly been the only senior member of the club showing up, he's earned new respect. Martinez is playing CEO, Chairman and manager in the absence of boardroom leadership.

Bobby's one of us now.

And if you honestly believe that a Premier League club stopped off at a service station on the M62 last night then you are welcome to your conspiracy theories.

"Hey driver next service station for a piss stop. Naisey wants some Red Bull and a Ginsters and Rom’s touching cloth".

Priceless.

24. Howard

23. Coleman
6. Jagielka
5. Stones
8. Oviedo

19. Deulofeu
15. Cleverley
16. McCarthy
20. Barkley

11. Mirallas
10. Lukaku

If Stones goes he goes and we make sure we bend Chelsea and Mourinho over as far as we can and rip them off for 10 extra million.

If he stays fine but we can't pretend it's been some sort of successful transfer window, it has not, it's been a major letdown and the board have failed to back the manager in any way shape or form.

Anyway I digress, most of us want him to stay, it's now up to Kenwrightand his adviser, Green, I think it has gone too far and he will go, these fans are not helping.

Naismith defended Stones apparently, "it's not his fault, he's got to go" was the words he used, but that is a reported conversation,I never heard it.

Anyway I digress, most of us want him to stay, it's now up to Kenwrightand his adviser, Green, I think it has gone too far and he will go, these fans are not helping.

Naismith defended Stones apparently, "it's not his fault, he's got to go" was the words he used, but that is a reported conversation,I never heard it.

Of course it is the processes involved and the correct channels to operate in that annoy us fans.
If the club want to sell then fine( we wanted the Rooney money) and if the sellers have time to use the money to strengthen, then the club may decide it is good business.
Unfortunately many of these protracted approaches are designed to unsettle rival clubs, and upset their dressingrooms, alerting greedy agents to agitate for a move, or otherwise, greatly improved contracts.

The eventual deals done on deadline night often leave the weaker selling club with no time to reinvest, and so have no replacement and money that can't make a difference until the next window.
I admire our manager for his stance, he is a tough nut, and we know he can be stubborn. Well he has gone up in my estimation.
Let's hope this episode is one that can glue us all together, instead of tearing us apart, and a "seige mentality" can be used to galvanise us for the season ahead, including the imminent Chelski visit.
I hope they feel our hatred and that prat Mourinho gets his ears burnt.

Whilst 40 to 50 million would be handy for a player like John Stones - I think standing up and taking a stand against the clubs with money is more important for the next 2 transfer windows anyway.

Loved the chants at the match last night of 'F... off Mourinho'. Also noticed in the first half that everytime John Stones got the ball he was clapped. If that was the Everton fans then we all have to be proud of them.

If John stays this window, then all in all a good night for the club.

Bit about the game. A few in the Live Forum mentioned John's performance was a bit off and he was affected by the game. Personally I think it was a typical Everton defensive performance. Whoever we have on the starting line up I feel our defensive unit is frail. Always a mistake or two in there. But then I think Martinez has indicated in the past as long as we score more than the opposition then hey what's the problem. Of course until we get players able to create more chances up front etc, this strategy doesn't work too well. We know we can score 3 against Chelsea. But we also know we can concede 6. Which brings me back to 40-50 million is alot to spend on a few players!

We gave good players at the club. Not quite there yet as a good team. This idea that teams are in transition is always a good one. How long do transition stages last before you enter the next one.

I would suggest that with everything that has gone on in the past week or two and with this game being televised and back at his old club, with John Stones every movement analysed, perhaps he was a bit nervous and feeling the pressure.

If he does go it will be a board decision, RM rightly wants him to stay.

Will the board turn 40M down??

I hope so but I don't really trust Mr K and his bunch of bandits...One bit.

I said a few days ago that I thought he would be staying because to let him go would mean the end of Roberto. He's essentially given his word on the matter several times over now and it would be hard to regain the trust of an already doubting fanbase looking for another reason to cast a stone...

Hopefully the lad deals with it well and shows that he's worth the sums being bandied about. Does make me think that if our defence is that porous with a £40m CB then what might it look like with a £5m one?! We have played best in the last decade when riled up and backs against the wall so hopefully this whole episode serves as the rocket fuel we need to galvanise the team and turn this decent start to the season into a good one. Think alot of people might even take beating Chelsea over the RS this year!

I like the general tenor of what he said last night (money can't buy everything etc) but can't quite understand that statement. If he's saying that publicly in an interview, them isn't John going to know before the next day?

Anyway, well done Roberto.

It could well be that Roberto has already verbally informed John that his written request will be declined, but that the clubs official written confirmation (from our legal dept) to John and the agency representing him would be happening today (Thursday). (But I'm supposing and don't know for sure).

I assume there is a formal process to be followed when rejecting transfer requests, for example, contacting the BBC, Sky and the media in general to seek their permission to reject such requests.

It seems fair that we should do that first as they seem to be the ones who have been angling for the move to happen!

But my main point, and as a type I'm digging a trench and putting the tin helmet on, but I ask the question how good is Stones as a DEFENDER. Yes he moves like a gazelle and we're not use to seeing ball playing CB; in fact I the time I've been watching football the UK has produced less than 10.

But call me old fashioned, but I want my defenders to defend, a d even allowing for his tender years, he's all over the place with little positional sense and/or tactical awareness. The amount of times he runs out of position leaving gaping holes in the defensive wall is alarming.

Compare and contrast that with Kompany (ok he's fully formed) or John Terry, even in his early 20's Terry, who has never been fast but his positional awareness was 1st class, and he saw his primary objective as to stop the opposition forwards scoring and to be a right nasty bastard; top marks in both. Plus he chipped in with a few goals.

I mentioned those 2 because they are up there with the best but there are countless other examples; Ryan 'Rugby League' Shawcross for instance. Primary function, make the CF realise he's in a game.

Maybe Stones will develop into an outstanding CB but from what I'm watching, if you take away the easy on the eye appeal, he's still potential.

What are the "values" that are making us say "no" at this point? I think they are purely market values.

As for gazelle. I see Stones more as a giraffe. Tony Adams though was seen as a donkey. Not sure how I would describe John Terry. Thoroughly decent honest bloke perhaps.

Let's hope this has been Roberto's break of luck ...

And this from a man defiled by Swansea fans for chastising his then players for requesting transfers and then walked out on them as soon as Broken Leg Bill offered him his first Premier job !

Smoke and mirrors as they say.......... or Wikapedia if you want a wry smile !

£40m is A LOT of money. At what point are we cutting off our nose to spite our face here ? £40m for Stones, plus an additional £20m (our assumed transfer kitty) can do a lot for Everton. This is IF all of the money went to RM, and that's the key point for me. I'd rather keep him than lose him and half the money disappear, but I'm thinking £60m spent on players is more beneficial to us than one John Stones. If you say these words slowly they seem to hit the spot...

Thirty....Seven...Million...Pounds...Profit.

Apparently we at Everton are hypocrites. We nabbed him from Barnsley and now Chelsea can rightfully nab him from us.

Is it any wonder football is in tatters when idiots like him have a public platform?!

What Cundy fails to grasp is the way Everton and Barnsley conducted themselves. Both agreed a fair fee at a time that was suitable for both parties. That is worlds apart from what is going on here between Everton and Chelsea.

Also, Stones has a contract to honor. He can submit a transfer request and we can look at letting him go when we are good and ready. In the meantime he should go about his job in a professional manner - which I get the impression he will do.

I don't know why I'm so wound up about Cundy's comments...I'm just staggered that a human being could truly be so stupid.

Cundy is a typical Chelsea fan who has no self awareness whatsoever, he has forgot his team were once insignificant, he is a hypocrite who is stealing valuable oxygen.

Cundy and his ilk think it's acceptable for a footballer to break that contract as and when he sees fit with no recriminations?

Mind you, Cundy broke his contract whenever he took to the pitch, impersonating a footballer...

Seriously though the PFA (not the FA, for once they're relatively innocent) need to modernise their approach in light of mega salaries. Of course they won't, as their £3.5m / year Chairman is as big a dinosaur as Blatter.

To compare Everton's situation with Barnsley is insulting. We aren't a League 1 side happy to get a million quid for a prospect. We are a big team with a huge history and big ambition. One day we might be in a position where we can afford to sell Stones, but right now it would be disastrous for our season and we have every right to say no. We haven't said he can never leave us, just that he is under contract and he's not going anywhere right now. I fail to see where EFC has been in any way hypocritical here!

Hahahaha

Can you imagine if he was playing now? I sure he would walk into that Chelsea side...

Oscar Wilde would have called them people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. As far as they are concerned Roberto could have been talking Martian.

They just don't get it, so don't waste your time agonising about it folks. Sit calmly on the moral high ground, stick to your values and regard them with the contempt they deserve.

Nothing is forever.

Everton have done their business honourably with Stones and Holgate. Clearly Chelsea haven't and quite frankly, given how upset Stones has been made by all this then they should hang their heads in shame. Jose won't be bothered, he probably chuckled into his glass of red wine hearing that Stones was upset. Terry will be really glad Stones isn't going. I don't believe for one second that he is at all happy at being subbed, the only thing I can think is that Chelsea have offered him a role following retirement as all he is bothered about is himself. You only have to look at his parents to understand why he has no regard for anyone but himself.

Everton should report them to the FA and the PFA. It is about time the authorities cleaned this spotr up. Agents should only be paid by the people they represent - the players. There is no need for clubs to pay them and it should be illiegal. Players shouldn't be receiving anything from a transfer fee.

JOHN STONES, IS TO ME, AN ABSOLUTE CREDIT.

The only thing that Martinez, never said when talking about money not being able to buy you everything, was especially when your fucking skint.

It should be made into a big banner for the Chelsea game if Stones does stay, that quote though.....

MONEY MIGHT BUY YOU MINDERS FOR YOUR MASTER, BUT IT WILL NEVER BUY YOU CLASS!

This is definitely not a cutting nose of to spite our face, for a number of reasons.

1. The lad is class, and barring injury, will be worth more following this than what is being offered by Chelsea.

2. Look at the Premier League, and across Europe. There are not lots of defenders that we could pick up for less than what we would receive, that would not lessen our team. Martinez’s mantra is we need to be stronger at the end of each shut down window. So forget we could use the money to get a defender, number 10 etc. We would need to spend the majority on a like for like defender. Otherwise we are in the Liverpool, Spurs position and replacing class with mediocrity.

3. We need to make a stance, like WBA are with Berahino. The hope of this is for me that clubs will know that they can not deal with Everton in the way Chelsea have. And deal in a proper manner moving forward.

Not sure whether Cundy does things like this on purpose to wind people up. But he said the same about Sterling, with Liverpool calling them hypocrites. Seem to remember that some red nose came on, and asked if QPR had complained about the way business was done, was it done through the media etc. The first time we knew about Stones was when he was announced.

But if he is still our player next Wednesday, we'll need a large spoonful of sugar help his 'medicine' go down.

I'd much rather have the player than the money and think our club 'taking a stand' would be good for our standing in the game (and for football generally).

But if the choice is £40m or Kevin The Teenager on our hands..

So obviously, the way forward wouldn't be - "You signed a 5 year deal, you're going fucking nowhere you long streak of piss."

I hope Martinez can sit him down quietly and really get through to him that we honestly understand he's in a very difficult position and that there is incredible pressure from agents, Chelsea and the media.

And we understand that he's being offered fortunes of money and CL, glory etc.

Let him know we understand absolutely how flattering it is and how tempting it must seem.

But..BUT that he should keep in mind a couple of things.

Here, he is a first choice, first-team player in the PL.

There however, he could find that after one iffy performance, he's out of the side and slagged in the press by his unhinged lollipop-headed manager ("kkkif I need drop player, not problem, kkkif I need buy replacement, not problem")

And that he wouldn't be given time there - that when you have limitless cash and can buy trophies, development of players is of no importance, 'Not good enough? Buy another!'

Point to Rodwell and Lecott - big players for us, capped for England while with us, left for the big money, became bit-part players for their new teams (and England)

We should explain to him that a settled 15/16 season of first team football, with him getting regular games, is what will almost certainly guarantee his inclusion in the Euros next summer if he stays injury free

After that, we can look at things again.

He (unlike many footballers) seems to have half a brain and a maturity beyond his years so he might just be able to see something other than the solid gold carrot on a stick, currently being waved in front of his nose by the disgusting, classless twats that are Chelsea F.C

I suppose you could claim that they made the bid public to unsettle the player but I'm not sure that's that rare.

The media are driving it for sure and I'm glad Everton are standing firm but I'm not sure Chelsea are doing that much wrong.

I mean Kiev could well claim that Everton leaked the bid for Yarmolenko and that they don't want to sell him.

I have been one of RMs critics and probably am still far from convinced he is the right man to be in charge. But I take my hat off to him for his stand on Stones, I honestly thought it was all bluster at first just to get Chelsea to up their offers.

But after last night my admiration for him as a man has gone through the roof, but if somehow Stones is sold then RM will have no choice but to walk and the board would then be exposed to the anger of the fans. Should this happen then our fans would make Newcastle's fans hatred of Ashley seem like a tea party to what would happen at Goodison for the Chelsea game if Stones was sold.

I hope that RM and the board have said to Stones look if the interest from other clubs is there in January when the window reopens and if our valuation is met then we will let you go.

They are trying anything and everything.

You might be right, but with everything we've seen recently, it makes me curious as to whether the was an actual bid.

I deffo saw plenty online and in the meeja that said we were 'linked with' 'linked to' 'close to a deal' 'a step closer' etc, but did anyone from Everton say 'we have put in X million a bid for Yarmalenko' (and been KB'd)?

Not saying we didn't, but with all the bullshit, spin and weasel words, it's almost impossible to find out what was and wasn't actually said.

I'd like us to keep him AND invested £40m in the team but that isn't going to happen. This is another matter to be taken up with with BK and the board.

The truth is no one really knows if turning down £40m will be a good or bad thing. Only time will tell.

I find it amusing that some people go mental saying "typical Everton not getting the job done" when there may not have been a job at all.

The game last night was good craic. I recorded it and didn't finish watching it til after midnight. A nice break from the rumour mill. But I'm right back at it this morning what with being at work and all.

Whatever will be, will be> Finally, from me anyway, good luck lad whatever you decide; have a good future. Fuck football when it gets to the abuse he’s had to face from his own.

Move and all that is at risk, but he would be well paid for sitting on the bench!!

Stones is no longer an unknown 19 year old. He's an England international who starts every week for the Toffee's. We have made our position abundantly clear from the start. We are not a cash strapped League 1 team who needs to sell to balance the books. I fail to see any similarities in these two situations.

The more of these comments I read (the fair and balanced comments are few and far between) the more I hope we keep him, just to stick two fingers up at the media 'experts' and these self entitled Chelski fans.

After that, 2-0 down, everybody was so incredulous that they lost interest in him until we went mad for Del, Lukaku and Mirallas.

I think most fans didn't know how to react and neither did he as certainly the first half was the worst I've ever seen him, perhaps it was the stress, the emotion of returning to his home town club or just a bad day. Abused he certainly was not, unlike Mr Mourinho.

I’m expecting the crowd to be lively to say the least, but there is a limit to what is acceptable. Some people behave in a way at football matches that would not be tolerated pretty much anywhere else.

The condescending and entitled attitude Chelsea supporters had, far more than supporters of any other London club, and the abuse given to anyone who disagreed with them was a sight to behold.

His statement can also be seen as a veiled threat to BK. Let me build my team or I'm gone. If BK takes the likely 40m that Chelsea will offer this week, I can see RM saying stuff it I'm off.

I really think he has been hung out to dry by the board by their continued silence, especially as they knew that Martinez was going to be bombarded with questions last night.

It would of been nice to have had an official statement from the club so that Roberto didn’t have to face the flak on his own. Credit where credit's due.

We offered to make him our highest ever paid player (£50k a week). He signed on for Man U for near double that, and is now on anything between £250k and £300k a week - basic - before commercial income.

I won’t draw a parallel with our commercial income as it’s not funny.

In many ways it will be interesting to see what Stones decides. If his father is in fact his agent, it may be best all round to sever the business tie and retain the familial tie or risk losing the lot down the line (and that has happened in multiple sports). If Stones decides to stick it out and develop further under Everton and Martinez’s tutelage, then it’ll be remarkable as he’s neither local nor a supporter.

Stones is being lauded as the best English centre half since forever so wherever he plays, he now has to prove it. Guess, just guess, he'd find it easier to do that at Chelsea but, in my book, he'll have to step up his game a great deal to justify all this hokum we are suffering on his account.

If you were on the TW forum last evening there were several who were calling him all sorts of names and those were regular contributors to TW.

Perhaps there is a recording of the forum available for all to see those involved.

Somehow many people seem to think that his Dad is also his agent. This isn’t true, his agent is Paul Martin who is agent to a lot of Everton players past and present including Cahill, Arteta, Barkley and one or two of the younger ones including Dowell and Connolly.

He is one of the most respected agents in the game and has a very good relationship with the club due to the number of Everton employees that he represents.

I know all this as I am a relative of one of the younger professionals that Paul Martin represents.

Ok, selling does send out the wrong messages to us fans and the players I know, but he will probably leave at the next window anyway!

Yet you can see the very next story and its slamming De Gea for having the audacity to want to move to Real Madrid. How dare he! What's wrong with the modern footballer??!! He is being completely unprofessional for wanting to move to a new club.

It's just too damn funny. And De Gea only has one year on his contract I believe. Stones has 4 years to go! When it was being said that Yaya Toure was wanting to move from City they blasted him. When Suarez wanted to move from LFC they blasted him. But if Everton have the audacity to say one of our players is under contract and will not be sold? How dare Everton block a players move!!!!!

Classless bastards us Evertonians, calling Stones a rat. if they showed the much bigger picture though, it wouldn't fit in, with, the way they've been pushing this story for the past few weeks.

Sure it’s not nice but every kid gets a lot worse stick in high school never mind a 21-year-old grown man earning £30k a week. Get over it.

And some people think that behaviour may tip the balance on whether he stays or not. If you believe that then you’re thick as fuck. Sorry if I’ve offended anybody but grow up.

In the not too distant future a big club could come in for Lukaku, Barkley or whoever else. We don’t want to be seen as a club who denies players big moves, that would make players think twice about joining. At the same time we do not want to bend over and be cherrypicked from every year.

Name a price and if Chelsea want to pay it then thats that. If they don’t he stays simple as. Same as Liverpool did with Suarez and Sterling.

Let’s face it, this saga, has gone on for way too long, and it’s also forced most people to take their eye off the fact that our team still needs strengthening.

I’ve read a couple of articles,going on about us needing a new ground. Again is this for people to think that we must be saving our money to carry out this plan?

Bill Kenwright might or might not be sick (I wish him well if he his), but most Evertonians, are SICK WITH WORRY, every transfer window. The deafening silence, definitely fuels speculation, but it’s all gone very quiet on the transfer front, YET AGAIN.

In all seriousness, I could easily see a much more mature -- and defensively savvy -- Stones as a long-term replacement for Piqué. And, were I RM, I'd tell him so, and tell him I'm just the man to help him get there: The Catalan Connection.

All this talk of Stones staying is distracting fans from the clubs net spend. Maybe I'm just sceptical?

Come the close of the window, we will be told the board have shown great ambition in keeping JS. The lack of spending won't be mentioned.

I know beggars can't be choosers but I would still like one £10million+ rated player in AND to keep JS.

The question no one seems to be able to answer is how much of £40m would be reinvested in the team? IF he's sold the board must say ALL the money goes to RM.

Don't worry too much about Stones crying himself to sleep at night. He either ends up with £60k per week or £100k per week, so I doubt he's about to go off with stress because some scrote called him a rat.

Meanwhile our fabled three signings, if we can mange them; look like a couple of bargain basement South Americans and an ex-Swansea midfielder on loan.

Clap clap clap.....

We are one of the wealthiest clubs in the world (top 30) and yet we are performing like a non league club in the bidding stakes. If Stones is not transferred does that mean we do not get a top Number 10 ?

With our current squad half of which are unfit we will struggle to keep in the top half never mind challenging for Europe. That is the question I want answering.

Mori may not get a work permit.Where is the Number 10 midfield maestro? Where is the full back and centre back cover ?

Keeping Stones may yet backfire on us if we do not keep our promises regarding reinforcements. We need to dump the likes of McGeady and Gibson who are not worth paying. We need to replace Hibbert, Pienaar and perhaps Osman who have all been fine clubmen but either through injury or age need replacing. Howard and Barry are each nearing the end.

A lot of our youngsters are not up to Premier League standard. Holgate IMO has shown ability and confidence and is probably the best of the youngsters we have. This lad will make the grade and be worth money down the line. Garbutt is the best of the bunch with Galloway the only other one who might come good (but not yet).

This board need to supply Roberto with a proper transfer budget and use it much earlier than we do at present. This brinkmanship and last minute panic buying is ridiculous.

Just gotta laugh sometimes..

Apart from that, we will get a hugely inflated asking price on every player we try to get, as the world knows we just fetched £45 mil for our player. Just look at how the other lot fared when they sold Suarez. Or Tottenham when they sold Bale.

You cannot get the same quality in and you pay far over the odds for the transfers you do make happen. I said it before and I’ll say it again: Everton has nothing to gain by selling Stones now.

Stones is potential and maybe... maybe... saves us a few goals. Suarez and Bale were scoring 20-30 goals a season, and setting up many more. I do not believe it’s a fair comparison. We finished 5th with Jags and Distin. Didn’t see any £40m bids coming in for them. The money (spent correctly) could be of huge benefit to the club.

Even look at the Dark Side: Suarez or the players they bought from his sale? I’d suggest they might take Suarez.

"Trolls are out ranting at my friend & sports journo @LukeKerrDineen for suggesting Stones would be better off at Chelsea - the truth hurts"

Well, maybe Luke should have written an smarter article, Peter Knight. Where do I go to meet these people so I can smack some sense into them.

Only a Chelsea fan declares that EVERTON have been childish. And would these journalists quit talking about John Terry like he's Bobby Moore for God's sake? The only thing John Stones would learn from John Terry is to not leave his girlfriend alone with John Terry.

Just because we are paranoid, doesn't mean they are not out to get us.

For those of you who are close to JS and his family you will already know that John doesn’t want to leave Everton and is happy here. Unfortunately, John’s worse decision was to work with SMS Ltd (and you’ll notice that most English players will not go near this organisation).

I won’t say anything slanderous about them, but you lot are clever enough to know how this story goes and how when it comes to money, fees and bonuses, people will dip their toes into the lowest realms of hell to make a quick buck, no matter how their merchandise is affected. I hope JS can keep his head when all around him....etc,etc.

I just typed "tapping up in football" into Google and the first article that comes up is, surprise, surprise:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-350661/Guilty-hit-hard-tapping-row.html

For all I know, such an amount may pass through your bank account every day but to us mere mortals (including BK), it would be an unbelievable sum to receive for a player still serving his Premier League apprenticeship.

However, if the deal is spurned, it does indicate that Everton are no longer in dire straits financially and that we should hear a lot less about the relative pauper status of our chairman and board. No more houses will need to be mortgaged and we might now be able to pay on time for all the whitewash at Finch Farm.

The Rooney deal saved the club from the banks and the same is said of more recent multi million sales. It's good to know we now live in different times.

Every PL club outside of the rich 4 should be applauding RM and Everton for the stand they are taking regarding Stones. If the clubs outside the rich 4 want to break the stranglehold they have on the top 4 league places and cup competitions then they have to stop taking the cash no matter how tempting the offer is. Enforce contracts and hold on to their best players.

If they are not prepared to do this then they can forget about winning anything ever again and they'll only get into Europe as gallant LOSERS to one of the rich 4 in cup finals and through the fair play league. Football will just become a procession as the rich 4 win everything every season and the rest are just the also rans.

One is a news story, one is something that happens every week accross the globe.

Even if (and that’s a big if) we shipped an extra 5 goals, I’d expect Yarmolenko and Austin to get 25 goals between them if they played every week. By my calculations that would make us 20 goals a season better off, and several places higher up the league.

Stones has played every game so far and we’ve shipped 7 goals including 2 at home to Watford and 3 to the mighty Barnsley. We’re hardly watertight are we?

I did, asking him when is a contract not a contract and pointing out that Everton were not Perennial relegation strugglers in 2004 and "If you know your history", which he clearly doesn't, Chelsea had won next to fuck all before the Russian Roubles came along.

I am still waiting for a reply.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/Everton-should-stop-being-childish-and-let-john-stones-join-chelsea?

Would it be possible for your contact with his agent to find out who actually writes or requests the official transfer request for John to hand in. Is it all John's work or his agent's hand? Or, heaven forbid, a suggestion from the club requiring his services.

It would be really interesting to know how these things work. It may even stop total idiots from heaping all the blame on John.

It's not as though he is a 30-goals-a-season goalscoring sensation is it? He's a rather promising centre-half, that's all! The real truth is that the manager has dropped the club right in the shit by failing to do anything about replacing the two defenders he got rid of in May.

He was happy to start the season with a below strength squad and then had the temerity to say the window should have been slammed shut. You may be a happy bunny but I bet BK ain't too chuffed with him at the moment!

The simple fact is that this joke of a board do not supply the manager with the tools that the other 19 appear to do so.

So we won’t sell; the masses and the media will praise Kenwright and Co for the way we are run when the simple fact is we haven’t sold because we’d only have one first team centre-back in a Premier League squad. Farce.

The reason he hasn't been sold is that we won't be able to put two centre halves out if he leaves. RM hasn't got anyone lined up to replace him because he won't be given access to any funds.

And where are the two South American lads? It's almost a week since they flew over.

If they see their colleagues continually move on year after year it basically sends out the message that all we are is a stepping stone to bigger things.

Let’s show some "big club" mentality for a change and not admit defeat to the so-called Sky4.

No I don't but we have to start somewhere. You're right he's not a 30 goal a season scoring sensation but Lukaku might be. So if he has a great season do we sell him to the highest bidder? What about Delboy? Looked good last night. If he reaches his potential is he the next out the door?

As I stated there is no chance for us or anyone else to improve if we simply keep letting our best young players leave. Especially when we know perfectly well they'll just come back to haunt us. Weakening ourselves while letting clubs that are already stronger than us get even stronger is not a good idea in the long run.

The curious thing is, that all American sports are basically rubbish copies of ours - apart from basketball where the sole talent is being freakishly tall and where a big event is someone not scoring - but that the Yanks have recognised that if the same teams always win, then interest will flag, and the sport (and associated revenue) will die.

American football ought to be dominated by a few teams from New York, Los Angeles and, perhaps, Chicago or Houston. But the draft system, the limits on pay and transfers and so on mean that there is a succession of winning teams, often based around a talented quarterback, but sometimes a good defence. When I first used to travel to the country, the Pittsburg Steelers were hugely successful, but since then we have seen teams from Dallas, New England, Denver, San Francisco, New York, Oakland and on and on win Superbowls.

There is a very conscious desire to keep the sport competitive, which the miserable Premier League most certainly is not. The teams which get into the dreadful Champions League get so much more than the rest that, apart from the very odd case (Everton being one, once), the same lot dominate the domestic game and monopolize the cash which comes both from TV and European play.

Ultimately, this is a recipe for the death of the game – it’s like putting me up against Usain Bolt, charging for admission and having a weekly race. People would come to see Bolt for a while, just for the sake of seeing this very fast runner, but after a while (not very long) they’d get fed up with the same result every time, and not even a semblance of competition.

If Stones stays does he count as the Centerback we were promised and does his value count in RM's transfer kitty? My only cooncern is this stance is being used by Everton to make a last minute deal to sell the player and keep him on a one year loan.

I just thought I'd point out we’ve conceded 7 goals in 4 games, and City could have had a bagful.

I would say conservatively 22 of the 32 teams in the NFL believe they can win the Super Bowl. And there are mechanisms in place to help teams that don't do as well to regain competitive status in the ways you've mentioned. Teams generally don't do transfer though; usually player for player trades.

But the biggest difference in most American sports is the salary cap. Sure you can sign the best players, but you can't exceed the league salary limits. If you want a specific player and he wants a specific salary, then you may have to renegotiate some existing contracts to make room, or you have to trade players away to accommodate the new player's salary. Conversely you also have to spend a minimum amount to avoid pocketing the television money. This does help to keep a more level playing field, but despite all of this, there are still perennial powers in the league like New England, Denver, Dallas, not Los Angeles because there is no LA team...yet.

However, Major League baseball operates very much like the EPL. Generally teams with the most money DO get the best players available. And this is why you usually see strong teams in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Although it is very interesting, because the last couple of years teams like the NY Yankees and the Boston Red Sox haven't been as dominant as they have been in the past. The teams doing very well the last couple of seasons are Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Houston (with all the love of baseball in Texas, the Houston Astros have been a constant doormat). These smaller market teams have rebuilt themselves by drafting young talent and keeping them together, as well as having a strong farm system or reserve team. These teams play in lower league competitions, develop their players, and then promote them to "The Show" when they're ready. If these teams lose a player to free-agency or a trade; they just wheel in the next guy.

If you concede knocking on 2 goals a game deep shit beckons. This is how we started last season.

You wont be happy for long if the defending carries on like this Frank. Football just doesn't work like that.

One thing is certain: the lad hasn’t had a good start to the season, the Southampton game apart. I personally think Chelsea will come back with a silly bid and Everton will be left with no choice but to grant him his wish.

I will say this, though, if he does stay, those saying they can’t wait until the Chelsea game, the atmosphere will be electric. Last season, they slaughtered us; it looks like we’re going to more or less field the same side so why would anyone think we’d be more confident? It baffles me.

Say what you want about Mourinho, and I can’t stomach the clown, but he knows how to set a team up... unlike a certain Everton manager.

I’m not privy to how this works from a practical point of view but I would have thought that the agent would have drafted a letter formally requesting a transfer and JS would have signed it.

I know this is fairly obvious but they would have preferred to avoid going down this formal route as these players have clauses in their contracts whereby they get a loyalty bonus if the club agrees to sell a player whereas, if the player requests a transfer, they would then lose that bonus if they are sold.

I think a similar scenario played out with Rooney.

John Stones is no longer represented by SMS. That agreement changed around the time of his new contract with Everton, it was this change which delayed his new contract with Everton being signed.

Sadly, I have quoted you and this fact on other threads on TW before I thoroughly checked this matter.

He wouldn’t have wanted to hand in a transfer request in this situation because of how he feels about the club. I would imagine that he may well have been told by the club that it would be rejected, but that his advisors told him to do it anyway as they have obviously become desperate.

He was probably aware that he was making a mistake, but has been very badly advised.

The Board and Manager at OUR club are doing exactly what they’ve said for some time, we will not sell Stones. We are building something here. Why do you have to still find a negative?

How many multimillion or million pound deals have you guys ever managed? Ones that would seriously impact the stability of your organisation if managed badly or rushed? Do you really think these deals are easy? What the hell do you know about managing huge business that you can publicly ask for the boards sacking?

If it’s true that a defensive judge, like Mouriniho, was prepared to pay £38 Million for a novice. Isn’t it quite feasible that Stones could be worth more, in the not to distant future?

A true Evertonian, not even born anywhere near here. It’s a belief and an attitutude – not a place of birth.

What next? Young player kidnapped by club? Chelsea target found drugged and bound on Everton team bus? Blue starlet sexually abused by team mates? Player admits to being abducted by aliens after Barnsley game?

Just how far and how low are the media prepared to go on this one? Court injunction anyone?

Thank goodness being on the other side of the world insulates me from the English tabloid crap. How on earth the people who write the shite they write in those 'newspapers' look themselves in the mirror in the morning is beyond my comprehension.

Having made the right call about Stones was to his credit; now he has to get the best out of the lad and the team, otherwise the whole saga will of been a complete waste of time.

I doubt that it will happen, but if it did, I think we would sell for £80mil, so... money can buy anything.

A major sea-change in my opinion and what is equally significant is that he forced Kenwright to back him over Stones. That took real force of will and long may it continue.

The same rag also claims that our resolve might crack over Stonesy if the chavs offer us £40m plus either John Obi Kenobe of Loic (another fucker who followed the money) Remy, or any other cast off we might be interested in.

I say we should buy a journo (easy as they come cheap) and start a rumour saying we will accept £60m for JS plus Courtois and £50m for Seamus plus Lewandowski or Ibrahimovic.

I expect it has it's own thread somewhere, but good on ya lads for those at the game yesterday - I hope to hear Goodison singing this in unison on Sept 12th!

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/601751/Chelsea-Transfer-News-Everton-U-turn-over-Stones-Spurs-steal-Witsel-deal-Abdennour-blow

How can they be alllowed to state these lies as facts? Should the club not make a formal complaint to the Press Commission or whatever it's called? About time we hit back

Unless....nah!

You’d think after the phone hacking scandals that there would be ’checks and balances’ in place but when it comes to football it still appears to be the Wild West as far as they are concerned.