FAN ARTICLES
How Skint Are We?
My conclusion is we are absolutely flat broke and skint. Even more skint than we all suspected. With the new levels of TV revenue anticipated and the prize money from last year (which was ahead of budget projections) it is mind boggling we have only managed to purchase Jagielka for a net £3m (taking into account Naysmith). Never mind the current inflation in transfer fees, that is the market so we have to live with it. We can't afford £1m Real Betis are asking for Vogel, we are attempting to structure a £5-6m 5 year hire purchase agreement for Baines which, lets be honest is subject to Beattie leaving & we have no other serious targets on the radar. The bloddy league begins next weekend! It also states on Sky that Nugent only cost Portsmouth £4.5m not £6m. Hopefully a typo.
All other teams at or below our level of last year have strengthened considerably, Portsmouth, West Ham, Spurs, Villa, Wigan, Birmingham, Fulham, Blackburn.
I admit it is not all doom & gloom. We have a very good 1st XI when everyone is fit which did fantastically well last year but we urgently need strength in depth if we are to compete in Europe and domestically. We are going to get injuries and some players will inevitably suffer loss of form. If we have no other forward / midfield targets besides Smith, I hate to say it, but we must keep Beattie and pray he finds his striking mojo. I also fear that this paltry squad will not be able to compete on all fronts. Yet again we have an opportunity to push on like we did the season after we finished 4th and got into the Champions League. We should have learned from that and really pushed on this year, improved the squad and get rid of driftwood in the squad. Can any true blue still believe van der Meyde is still at the club for example? There was a good player there 3 stone & half a brewery of ale ago. He's not fit to wear the shirt (assuming there's one to fit him).
I do still trust Moyes but I do not trust the pathetic board of apologists and bullshitters. What has Robert Earl brought to the club since his much lauded arrival? What has Wyness done to earn the gross salary he currently steals from Everton? Answer on both fronts is a big fat zero.
I seriously hope there are some prospects coming through the Reserves but as far as I can determine there are none ready to step up immediately. Looks like we will find out pretty soon as they will be needed this season should we not add anyone to the squad.
Would spending £10m in the transfer market now (Smith + Baines - Beattie) really bankrupt us or put our future in jeapordy? The real answer probably depends on the vote for the location of the new or revamped stadium. I reckon our future is so mortgaged to Tescos we are all being backed into a corner.
Please grow some ambition Board! Please aspire to be great! Please do not miss another opportunity to move this great club to the next level?
Reader Comments (48)
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2 Posted 02/08/2007 at 15:10:09
3 Posted 02/08/2007 at 15:11:34
However, again we are not moving forward either because of a board that is failing to support the manager or (and I hate to say it because I am a big Moyes fan) a manager who is again showing us signs of transfer dithering.
WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN AND WE NEED TO DO IT NOW!! Baines would be an excellent investment and Smith would be a perfect stand in for Cahill - a combative player who can mix it in the middle and put the ball in the back of the net. When Cahill is back fit, Smith would make an excellent strike partner for AJ.
The squad was one of the smallest last year and currently is smaller still (Out: Wright, Naysmith, Pistone. In: Jagielka, Pienaar). Please bear in mind that we will have extra games to play this year and that at the end of the new season, Stubbs and Cars will not be offered new deals as they will be drawing their pensions! So in summary, minus one player compared to an already tiny squad from last year, two more expected to leave at the end of next season and clearly no money to do anything about it! Blue Bill and Fat Keith please, for the good of this club, leave now!
5 Posted 02/08/2007 at 15:50:22
Your entire article is based on the assumption that the Baines deal is reliant on Beattie leaving and Newcastle have already bought Smith neither of which are substantiated. In fact the BBC says completely contradicts you saying instead that our matching Newcastle’s accepted bid for Smith (not purchase) is conditional on Beattie’s sale. The Baines situtation seems completely disconnected to the Smith one. Where you’ve pulled a 5yr hire purchase deal for Baines from I don’t know.
Why not wait until the transfer window closes and then judge what took place rather than trying to second guess it?
If, and I accept it’s an if, we sign Vogel, Baines and Smith which remains a distinct possibility then I would actually consider the transfer window a distinct success. This may be an optimist’s view and I don’t necessarily believe we will but it’s an every bit as verifiable possibility as your pessimist’s outlook.
6 Posted 02/08/2007 at 15:59:19
7 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:05:07
whether you believe it or not, we are skint or we’re banking money in anticipation of the Kirkby move.
We did not invest prior to our last European adventure and look what happened then.
There are undoubtedly a lot of positives in the current Everton squad but let’s be honest with ourselves............the squad is simply too small (even with two or three additions)
8 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:13:28
If we could get Smith, Baines and Vogel, coupled with ags and Pienaar. Then I would be please with our summer.
In terms of quality, it would far better Fulham, Villa, Pompey, Wigan, Birmingham, Blackburn and Villa.
But, at the moment.... this remains an if!
I think Baines is as good as ours, fuck knows whats going on with Vogel and I still think there is more twists in the SMITH saga!
Come board, for fucks sake!
9 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:21:46
If we want to give our opinions we will, we are not being negative, we are showing frustration because we love the club so much and wnat the best and this summer has been typical Everton!Smith is going to Newcastle that much is evident, we are not stupid.
Ok, Maybe Baines is not on the HP (well maybe a little bit) but the stark reality is that we are very short of money due to the Kirkby move and we are going to miss the boat if we do not get another quality striker.
Even if Vaughan was fit I would still say we need someone else up front, like has been said, injuries, suspension, dips in form and I am sorry but to me AJ iks not a true centre forward, he comes too deep and wide too much to be one, McFadden is hit and miss and Victor is way off the great player he looks to be.
I hope we get some quality in soon or we will struggle in the uefa and the league as other teams have more quality than last season and i believe we will need to score 30% more goals this season to do well.
10 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:37:46
I just hope that is not it!
11 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:51:43
I just hope that this is not it!
12 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:08:47
13 Posted 02/08/2007 at 17:33:50
14 Posted 02/08/2007 at 17:46:50
Davy,Bill WE ARE THERE!!!!!
Now sort it out or we will be a championchip side in Kirby.
15 Posted 02/08/2007 at 18:48:25
16 Posted 02/08/2007 at 19:23:48
Baines is another matter though - this deal needs to be wrapped up right away before United or the Shite get involved and turn his head...
In terms of a striker, surely there are some better (and much cheaper options abroad). Though I’d sooner have Fernandes back!
17 Posted 02/08/2007 at 20:13:40
18 Posted 02/08/2007 at 20:10:00
19 Posted 02/08/2007 at 20:47:21
If Moyes did leave we would be hard pressed to get a better manager.
20 Posted 02/08/2007 at 22:14:41
For those people who don’t think we are skint please take your heads out of the sand and read Joe Beardwood’s article on our finances. We are 45million in debt, have sold off all of our assets apart from Goodison Park. On the business side you can only come to the conclusion that we are extremely badly managed and unfortunately the manager is suffering as a result.
21 Posted 02/08/2007 at 22:28:05
Guess to answer the original post. we must be f*cking skint and becoming a joke.
And on the stadium front. because of how sint we are etc, wouldnt sacrificing the past to secure our future be the way forward?
22 Posted 02/08/2007 at 22:28:05
Guess to answer the original post. we must be f*cking skint and becoming a joke.
And on the stadium front. because of how sint we are etc, wouldnt sacrificing the past to secure our future be the way forward?
23 Posted 02/08/2007 at 22:26:16
They build up our expectations and then consistently fail to deliver; not only that, they use the well worn excuse that they have valuations of players and won’t go beyond this valuation, but have never explained the process of how they established this valuation in the first place. I suspect that is based in a lack of funds for transfers rather than any responsible economic management model.
The facts. At the end of last season Moyes in one interview stated that he needed to add "at least 6 players to his current squad" to be truly competitive. Blue Bill then came out and said "There will be money in the summer. I always believe that if you put someone in charge then you must support them." It was comments like these that underpinned our hopes for this season and raised our expectations.
Well, Moyes has yet again dithered (the Baines and Smith cases) and Blue Bill obviously hasn’t made the funds available and, between them, we will probably lose the two targets Moyes had settled on. Smith will be going the Newcastle and, whilst he may not be an out and out striker, his experience and his professionalism and determination on the park would have made him an invaluable asset for us. And four hours ago, I heard via radio that Man City have seriously entered the battle for Baines by lodging a better cash bid than us for the lad. What are you going to say if we lose both targets John? Will you, like many other apologists for the current management team, simply offer some rationalisation of this situation? The fact is EFC are now widely regarded as amateurs in their transfer dealings and, therefore, not a serious threat. It saddens me (a 52 year supporter of EFC) to see our club in hands of such fools. And frankly, whilst the current regime remain in place, I don’t see much hope for the future simply because we cannot continue to run with a threadbare squad where any injury becomes a major catastrophe (a la Vaughan and Cahill). Nor can we, as evidenced by their repeated behaviour, trust in what this regime tell us. We need funds and we need decisiveness from those representing us in the transfer market.
We are not getting either at the moment.
24 Posted 03/08/2007 at 00:03:48
However, what I won’t do is pass judgement before the things have happened. Yes it looks increasingly likely that Smith is going to Newcastle which is certainly unfortunate but irrespective of ’dithering’ and lack of funds we could never have realistically outbid whatever ridiculous wages Newcastle have offered him like they offer countless other players in the past who have failed. I’m sure he’ll enjoy sitting on the bench for a team not even in Europe. Does he really think he’ll get in ahead of Martins and Owen?
As for Baines, Wigan can’t sell him to City if he doesn’t want to go. I suspect this one has far from run it’s course.
My point though remains, there’s little point judging Moyes and deciding that we will only spend £3m and that we’re all going to hell in a handcart until the time has come. There’s a difference between questioning something and making deterministic statements of unsubstantiated fact.
25 Posted 03/08/2007 at 09:07:15
26 Posted 03/08/2007 at 09:21:04
The craic about Baines on a hire purchase agreement was a poor attempt at irony to demonstrate my belief that is how far we have sunk in our transfer dealings. Bill will be paying for him in installments over the next 5 years because we are flat broke. Maybe he’ll pull out the Black Amex card and stick him on that.
John I seriously hope you are right and we will see bodies in by the end of August however this Toffee seriously doubts the boards ability & willingness until they have Kirkby green lighted.
Forever Blue.....
27 Posted 03/08/2007 at 10:23:02
Just another weapon in Bill and Keith’s propaganda armoury?
28 Posted 03/08/2007 at 09:51:13
Don’t even get me started on all the other ’bids’ for players in the past Alan Smith before he signed for Man Utd. We ’bid’ 7 million for him apparently (probably at a quid a week like) then all of a sudden there was no money when he signed for Man U. It’s happened again this year, apparently according to the Echo he was angling for a move to us and am pretty sure Ferguson and even Rooney would have told him to come to us but this hinges on Beattie going and we cant get rid of him until his Dad returns from Benidorm, I find this a convenient excuse personally surely ’Beats’ Dad must have a Nokia 120 on him? Can that not be sorted over the phone, can he not get a flight back to sort it then Fuck off back? Smith has got fed up of waiting pure and simple and who can blame the lad. Who who can forget the token Alan Shearer bid, ok Johnson might have been in charge then but as long as Kenwright stays in charge we are gonna stand still and continue to live in the past. This fella and all is cronies have made us a laughing stock. Wigan who nearly went down last year are outbidding us for players. Fulham, Birmingham, Derby have all spent more. We’ve spent 3 million this summer as we sold Naysmith for a million. Am sure we only signed Jagielka because he can play in 8 different positions. I for one have had enough. Its the best opportunity we’ve had in years to progress yet we are still a selling club ... Fact. Moyes hands are tied. In a funny way I wish he’d walk because ’Blue Bill’ would have to come up with some serious explanations then maybe we would finally get to know the truth about how much debt we are seriously in. Why can’t they just come out and say there is no money instead of lying to us year after year?
So thanks for all the ’promises’ coming to frutition again Mr Kenwright and Wyness. Get the team sorted before we get a stadium and thanks for keeping us informed on everything Bill. Fuck off back to Corrie and quick.
29 Posted 03/08/2007 at 10:47:49
At the end of last season when we qualified for Europe (with one of the best footballing midfielders seen in a long time in a blue shirt, aka Fernandes)
Did any of you honestly believe we would be stting here with one week to go before the season, with a smaller and possibly weaker squad?
It beggers belief and all we want is somebody to tell us why.
We are in danger of having one of our famous yo yo seasons
30 Posted 03/08/2007 at 11:28:07
31 Posted 03/08/2007 at 12:19:16
...Can’t see it but we will see.
32 Posted 03/08/2007 at 13:25:46
33 Posted 03/08/2007 at 13:34:06
Watch in anguish as we make a holy mess of this one.
£20000 as week at everton, whatever you want a Newcastle
34 Posted 03/08/2007 at 13:25:13
I know why... because I love the club, unfortunately the people who run it dont appear to share my sentiments.
What I am about to say has been said by many others but issues like this need ramming home and who knows... maybe the teletubbies (aka Bill and Whining Wyness) will read this and sort this situation out.
I have a theory... I think that we announce our interest in players in order to appease the fans. I think the board states an interest so’s to look like they are trying to buy players but in reality they have no intention of buying such players.
I can name countless players that have moved clubs this summer who I think we could and maybe should have made true bids for, i.e. - David Healy (cost 1.5 mil i think... is that not cheap?), Nugent, Smith, Santa Cruz (are Blackburn really a more attractive proposition than us?), Steve Davies, Quedrue, Wilhemsson... etc etc. The list goes on and on and the fact is these players are not big money signings.
Promises promises promises... thats all we hear but they never materialise. I think the board are too focused on the move when they should be concentrating on the immediate future... i.e. the premiership and UEFA cup.
We need... 1 top quality striker who can bag you 20 a season. (money should not be an issue, this is an essential part to any team). We also need... a left back (Baines?) and more midfield cover.
Ive heard on the grapevine we have three targets... Claus Thomson, Mitch Ward and Mikel Madar... HA HA. Id even be happy to see them at the moment.
Please board and dithery Dave... sort this farce out!!!
John McK - true blue
35 Posted 03/08/2007 at 13:56:00
Now that Cahills injured you look on the squad in a whole different way and it frightens the life out of me to think "well waht if Arteta was to pick up an injury on day one". It would be massively unlucky, but it could happen and lets face it, we are not the luckiest of clubs! If we want to improve, we need to have done and be doing far more in the transfer market. Jags is a good solid signing and I’m sure he will come in handy, but I’m sure any truthful Evertonian would agree that they will be hugely dissapointed if he turns out to be our major buy of the summer!! Baines...another good buy (if it happens, but I’m just waiting for dithering david to leave it so long that another more ambitious club snatches him from under our noses). We are in Europe this season. With a good run we will need depth in the squad to cope with the extra games which will bring with it extra fatigue, injuries etc.. which will have a knock-on effect in every competition we enter. At the moment our first injury free eleven looks good, but at some stage most or all of our first eleven will at some stage pick up an injury or a suspension or two or will suffer from fatigue and will need resting. If our team is to have a realistic chance of moving forward, we must learn from our previous mistakes!
I feel this ground move thing is also taking a very unhealthy priority with the club! Sod the ground move. Lets sort out a squad worthy of playing there first.
36 Posted 03/08/2007 at 14:26:39
Smith gone to the mags,and a Baines bid by them is "imminent".
Why we cant just bid,then talk ,then sign him I do not Know.
Tobe honest a lot of the players who have gone to other clubs were not my choice of player ,apart from smith...and I do like the look of Baines...I have a sneaky feeling that Beattie will stay now..as I cant thinkof any other strikers for sale who are up to the job...my pre-season optimism is on the wane..but was impressed by the way we made the Germans look so ordinary..and they were Uefa semi finalists....hmmmm
37 Posted 03/08/2007 at 16:46:04
38 Posted 03/08/2007 at 17:31:20
39 Posted 03/08/2007 at 16:59:17
With a week left before the start of the season, we have a smaller squad with 2 key injuries. Combined, Cahill and Vaughn scored 11 of our 55 goals accounting for 20% of our goal tally (and the percentage would probably have been higher had they not sustained injuries). So who is going to pick up the slack? By the time they return and get fit, we may already be out of Europe and sitting close to the foot of the table.
On another note, is anybody else worried about our goalie situation? No one has mentioned that we need a backup keeper in addition to the other positions. The thought of Turner playing scares me half to death. The vision of him dropping the cross vs manure is embedded in my memory. I will cringe everytime he goes up for a cross.
As far as the lack of transfer funds, I have a ridiculous idea... Maybe we the fans should start a campaign and have every Evertonian pitch in $20. With our fan support worldwide, that should give us an enourmous transfer kitty. I bet Blue Bill would love that idea. In fact he would probably give himself a raise!
I hope the board comes through and we sign a few more players. But with our history in the tranfer maket, I remain pessimistic. PROVE ME WRONG BK AND THE SMURFS! What ever happend to our motto: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. Does it not mean anything anymore???
40 Posted 03/08/2007 at 19:15:09
41 Posted 03/08/2007 at 19:20:59
Instead of having a whip around for billy liar lets have a collection to get rid of him and his stiffs!!!who comes in i dont know!! cant do any worse surely!!? what i do know! we have gone/are joint bottom with Reading for transfer activity this summer!! 2 players in 8 out from this time last summer!!
weres all the money gone!!!!plz tell us!
42 Posted 03/08/2007 at 20:05:21
43 Posted 03/08/2007 at 20:08:49
44 Posted 03/08/2007 at 20:39:37
45 Posted 03/08/2007 at 22:34:16
46 Posted 03/08/2007 at 22:58:13
We do not have all the info to hand and yes, alot of our opinions are based on hear say, BUT the one thing we do have which nearly always proves us right is a footballing sense of reality, as an example john holmes took the sensible and pragmatic view about the Smith saga, BUT we new different, we are he realists and we know for the most part how targets will unfold, the majority deep down knew smith was barcodes bound, it a sense we have built into us from footballing knowledge, past dissapointments and we know BK all too well!
47 Posted 04/08/2007 at 00:29:06
48 Posted 04/08/2007 at 16:47:47
No htere have been no mass protests regarding BK and his hanling of the club. I have a feeling things are coming to a head though and unless we do start splashing the cash, it won’t be long before BK is under severe pressure! As always the fans are split. Some don’t have a bad word to say about him and others can’t wait to see the back of him. He tends to go into hiding when he feels the pressure building. Haven’t seen his sickly all smiles face on sky sports for a while. You watch though, as soon as something good happens, he’ll be all over the TV and radio!
This stadium thing is rumbling on aswell and this is all the club seem to be focusing on at the mo which is a big mistake!
If we don’t bring in a few more quality players and if we were to have a bad start this season, I don’t think it would be too long before the fans really start to make there feelings known!
49 Posted 04/08/2007 at 21:12:02
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1 Posted 02/08/2007 at 15:03:16
Moyes has always made no secret of the fact were after players, I believe the article on evertonfc.com stating we want more is stil live.
I believe the best we can hope for now is Leighton signing and possibly Vogal coming good.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think the silly season would turn out to be this for us.
Two words describe it ’Fucking Joke’