ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Player Power?

Has anyone noticed the recent article of the EFC website titled "Stadium was Factor for Mikel"? Given that this is the close season, and that there is not a lot of public activity going on in the transfer market I can understand that Everton do not have a lot to say to the fans - but for them to resort to using Mikel Arteta as a support to their proposed stadium move is utterly disgraceful. Is this the level to which the club has sunk?

The article predominantly concerns the ambitions of the club for trophies and players as opposed to the stadium but who would guess that from the title?

This is pathetic and shameful, EFC.
Rupert Sullivan, Bristol Posted 27/07/2007 at 20:59:25

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Roy coyne
1 Posted 27/07/2007 at 23:02:41

Do you not think its a coincidence that Mikel should worry about our ground and long for Kirky no neither do I its billy bullshit and the fat sporran distorting things in there favour again

Sarah-Lou
2 Posted 28/07/2007 at 00:44:12

I totally agree mikel doesn’t care where he plays as long as its for everton he said in the evertonian once he is upset to be leaving bellefield because of the character it holds so i think this is "the everton way" to make fans go along with them. It should be irrelevant to the players whether they play on a school field, local park or a state of the art stadium as long as they are playin infront of their fans and playing for the club.

D
3 Posted 28/07/2007 at 19:11:55

The story was a direct quote from an interview with Mikel, answering a question why did he decide to sign his future to efc? because the the club are moving in the right direction - new training facilities - new stadium on the horizen. If I was a player I would be excited by the prospect of a new stadium, would you not? The stadium WAS a factor for Mikel otherwise he wouldn’t have said it, would he!

Lee Spargo
4 Posted 28/07/2007 at 19:41:09

People really should stop accusing players and club officials of lying or of pure spin when they have no proof either way.

I wouldn’t be suprised if Arteta did say that. Nor would I be suprised if he really meant it. A clubs ambitions are usually cited as a factor when a star player signs a new contract. There nothing more ambitious, in my book, than building a new training facility, a new stadium, and a squad full of young promising players.

Could he not have really meant it?

Brian Waring
5 Posted 28/07/2007 at 21:18:39

I’m not being funny lads.But,when he was asked the questions in the interview,he was hardly going to say,the new stadium was shite,I don’t want to move to Kirkby,we are a shite team.Was he?Don’t you think it was just to much of a co-incidence that he was doing this interview in the run up to the most important vote in our history?

Erik Dols
6 Posted 28/07/2007 at 22:06:41

Some of you are seeing ghosts. I have no reason to doubt Mikel said that. Only thing that is really annoying is that it was a smaal unimportant part of the interview, but is singled out at the title and the hyperlink leading to it. What’s next, if we defeat Wigan it will be "New stadium inspires team to victory"?

But it’s just standard propaganda, which was to be expected and actually is quite logical these days.

Sarah-Lou
7 Posted 28/07/2007 at 23:00:09

i am not disputing the fact that Arteta said he was looking forward to a stadium move but to make out STADIUM WAS FACTOR FOR MIKEL is pathetic because it was a simple thing he said that has been highlighted by everton & is being used to make fans vote in favor simply because we have no plan B its move to kirkby or nothing. So i dont doubt Mikel said it but i do doubt it was a major factor in his decision to stay.

Si
8 Posted 29/07/2007 at 10:52:37

when he said he is excited about playing in a new stadium, he didn’t actually say ’where?’ we all know we are needin a new stadium and although Kirby is the chosen location at the moment, it doesn’t change the fact that we are planning a stadium move, which may be away from Goodison but not Kirby. He is plainly happy to see the ambition of a new stadium