ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Frustration Continues

This summer couldn't have been easier for Moyes and Kenwright to strengthen the team as the players needed actually wanted to come to Everton. Simple wasn't it? Oh no, not for the two jokers.

Koumas, Richardson and Nugent all wanted to come here and if we had sold Beattie I would really have been looking forward to the start of this season. Overpriced or not, these players would have been good signings. Koumas has a good touch on the ball and with Arteta's influence would have become an even better player.

Richardson will improve (as Keane knows) and would have been ideal for left midfield therefore releasing Arteta to play in his preferred position of central midfield. And Nugent would have been a massive improvement on Beattie and with Vaughan now injured ideal to play with Johnson. They wouldn't have cost that much and if Moyes had sold Beattie for £2.5M to Blackburn this would have helped to offset money spent. Instead we are desperately trying to get £4M for a player from a club he doesn't want to go to. Moyes complained about overpriced transfers and then wants £4M for a player who was awful all last season. Well done Davey !

Here we are again on the eve of a new season: the management have blown another great opportunity and realists like me know things aren't right ? just like two years ago. We now definitely need a striker (Smith would like to come here but will go to Newcastle) and the midfield still looks weak but hey Moyes is willing to spend £4M for a defender (Baines).

And to talk about shaping a team to have a good balance, blend and character is pointless with Moyes in charge. The frustration continues. Still we have the ground move fiasco to keep our minds off the team.
Ged Dwyer, Liverpool Posted 01/08/2007 at 11:15:47

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Colm

Personally speaking, of the players we've been linked with over the past couple of months, not too many of them would prove to have been inspirational buys. Richardson? Think we've had a close escape with that big time charlie. Not for one minute trying to go on automatic pilot defending the Club for their lack of purchasing over the summer but there's been very little value in the market, most players who've moved have done so for very inflated prices. As we'll see in the months ahead. Anyhow, we need every shilling we can get to add to the increase in "long-term debt" if we're to be shunted out to Kirkby!

Declan Critchley
1 Posted 01/08/2007 at 11:50:25

I gotta agree with Colm, spending 5million on Richardson would be enough to have me reaching for the bottle!
As for Nugent, he looks handy but he is unproven - only time will tell on that one but yeah I would have liked to sign Koumas, he is a classy footballer. However we do need a left back to cover for/replace Valente and we cant keep putting Lescott there when Yobo goes to the African Nations Cup

Andy
2 Posted 01/08/2007 at 11:53:53

I think you only have to look at the fact that Koumas, Richardson & Nugent have joined Wigan, Sunderland & Pompey to realise that these aren’t the players to take us onto the next level otherwise they would have been picked of by ’bigger’ clubs. I think the only exception to these is Barton and he comes with more baggage than a boeing 747 as well as getting 60k a week from Newcastle. I think missing out on Fernandes is far worse as he could become a world class player.
As for Beattie if the sticking point with Sheff Utd is his £40k a week demands - would it be worth offering to supplement it by giving him £5k a week to get our hands on that £4m? Otherwise I fear he’ll be sold v.cheap in one of the next two transfer windows

MARTIN B
3 Posted 01/08/2007 at 11:41:50

Ged with the three players you have mentioned, also mentioned by the press but not by Everton as being possible targets. The press knew very little about our intentions apart from the Jagielka deal, but as we know speculation heightens excitment and sells papers.The Pienaar and hopefully Vogel deals on a try before you buy and freeby respectively, nobody outside the club knew about them and isnt that good, try to do discreet business and trump the opposition without showing your hand, if other clubs had been in on it then there would have been problems for us. I would like to think with our boss being a Scot that he is showing that canny instinct. Of course we need more signings but the ones we have got are far better than the two midfielders mentioned. As for a striker, well if we can get Beattie to go to Sheff Utd for 4 mill then thats the deal of the century, KW take note, and for sure Smudger will getting his first red card for the blues sooner than you think,a great partner for AJ i think, wheresas I think Nugents a bit tame and may find his first season in the EPLheavy going. As for Baines, well one of the best left backs in the country, still only 22, I know we have Valente and JL to cover their,but remember Baines used to play left wing before reverting to full back, maybe Davy iis being canny again and thinking "options". Like you Ged i am anxious for new signings and if nothing new happens then i can assure you my letter will vent my feelings in Bills mailbag

Allan Hobbs
4 Posted 01/08/2007 at 12:21:38

Oh what could have been....can I just ask why we’re still talking about transfers that might have happened? Surely its time to talk about something else, like who we might still sign, or when we’re next going to win the league and when we’ll win the Champions league etc...

I blame that bald ref meself...

Greg Callaghan
5 Posted 01/08/2007 at 12:45:44

More guff from Dom King in tonight’s Echo re Baines the "Boyhood Blue". Do your research Dom. Hey? http://tinyurl.com/2ty55s

Nigel Gregson
6 Posted 01/08/2007 at 12:43:05

Lots of hypotheticals here mate. What you say might be true or these players that you talk about could all flop and then we would be the joke of the premiership. Fact is that any new signing is a "risk". Moyes is trying to manage that risk and spending club’s money as if it were his own. I have no problems with his approach.

Especially the loan based - try before you buy approach, which has already given us lots of successes.

We shouldn’t be seen as looking around with a begging bowl trying to sign every tom dick and harry player who ’wants’ to play for us. We should be picking and choosing players that will actually help us progress and then convince them that Everton is the right destination for them.

Allan Hobbs
7 Posted 01/08/2007 at 13:09:12

I agree with Nigel, Moyes does a good job at the end of the day, we’ve been 4th/6th etc and done well in recent seasons with bugger all money and a shitty old statium in the North of England where nobody really wants to play cos its not glamorous enough (like it or not its true).

David Barks
8 Posted 01/08/2007 at 14:03:12

Where are you coming from? Moyes is trying desperately to get 4 Millin for Beattie? We have agreed a deal with Shef. United for 4 Million and Beattie is discussing personal terms. BBC is also reporting that we will complete the Baines signing for 6 Million. So that would see us adding Jagielka, Baines, Pienaar, and Lucas, resigning Arteta, Cahill, Vaughan, Anichebe to long term contracts, and being rid of Wright, Pistone, Naysmith. Also, maybe you haven’t noticed but Arteta is much better playing on the left or right than in center midfield. It allows him more space and time on the ball, and more chances to get a cross into the middle.

Matt
9 Posted 01/08/2007 at 14:12:46

Its far from all doom and gloom but every toffee wanted at least a couple more signings.

I think the best we can hope for now is Leighton Baines, Alan Simth (only if Shef Utd take Beattie) And the Vogal deal coming good.

As David said what Moyes has done so far ain’t really too bad.

Ged
10 Posted 01/08/2007 at 14:23:59

I agree with what you say Colm but Koumas, Richardson and Nugent are better players than some that are already here (Carsley, Osman and especially Beattie. Also Neville if he’s used as a midfield player as he can’t pass!) and would have improved the team/squad. You either want a player or you don’t and if you want him you pay the going rate. Time will tell how good these players are but my moneys on Nugent to do very well and he would have run through a brick wall for the blues. And I think Koumas could have surprised everyone.

Allan Hobbs
11 Posted 01/08/2007 at 14:34:07

Some people are never happy, I’m pretty pleased with the way things have gone/are going and theres another month until the transfer window closes anyway.

Relax maaaaan....

Brian Waring
12 Posted 01/08/2007 at 16:57:36

The only problem with a loan deal is that it is a gamble.Say Pienaar has a humdinger of a season for us,what is being touted is that we could buy him at the end of the loan deal for £2.5m.But,him having a great season,other clubs come sniffing round and then you can turn £2.5m into 5,6,7million.I think it would have been worth forking the money out now, and takng the gamble.