ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Players` greed the barrier

Most Evertonians are naturally disappointed that the manager`s intense summer transfer activity has not yet borne the fruit we (and he) hoped for. Contrary to much that appears in these columns, I have reason to believe that Everton have not `frequently been out-bid` for players they have targeted. The real barrier in converting `done deals` to completed signings usually revolves around the quite ludicrous wage demands from players and their agents!

As David Moyes has continually stressed, the Board have total faith in his judgement and have backed him on every recommended target he has put forward. But, and it is a big but, too many of these targets see Everton as a soft touch and set out to ante-up their wage demands just as the deal is struck. In one case, I understand a Man Utd player has saught to DOUBLE his take home from the Premier Champions!

Now you can talk of Scottish prudence all you like,but only a fool (or Sam Allardyce)would give into demands like that. Just think of the repercusions for the club`s overall wage policy! So before you go slagging off our Chairman, just give a thought to the real reason these deals don`t go through..... even if every player we hear mentioned seems to claim he is an Evertonian at heart!
Richard Dodd, Formby Posted 02/08/2007 at 15:08:11

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Jeremy Benson
1 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:06:39

I dont think anyone would argue that players wages are overinflated. However, given the same scenario in our own jobs, wouldnt you be trying to play prospective employers off against each other and increase your salary? Thats the main reason most poeople seek new employment.

Allan
2 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:09:50

I think people seek new employment for a plethora of reasons. Money is only one of them, but I agree with you in the sense that we always try to get as much as we can out of an employer - why wouldn’t we?

There are other factors that people always forget, not just footballing ones. Location must be a very important consideration; I mean say you’re a bloke with a family, you have kids/schooling to consider, family & friends that you may have to move away from. We often forget that these people are human beings before they’re footballers. I mean would you want to upsticks and move to the other end of the country or another country entirely merely because an employer wanted you to?

I always get the impression people think of footballers as robots with nothing going on in their lives beyond what the fans want/think is right for the team they support. The wider issue is never taken into account and I think its wrong of people not to do that.

Brian Waring
3 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:09:32

Richard,I think I am right in you stating before that we shouldn’t pay inflated transfer fees for players?So how are we going to get these quality players if we are not ging to match their valuations,and not be prepared to pay the wages they want?I know Arteta was a total steal at what we paid for him(deal of the century if you ask me)but,with the new contract he has just signed I bet you he is on a huge wage each week, so he would stay(worth every penny).Thing is,if we don’t want to be left behind,we have to be prepared to pay the going rate that the market is dictating.

mark-chester
4 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:08:48

Just heard that smith is going to newcastle, i cannot help feel a little bit gutted as i really thought we would get him and we really really need another quality striker with the season we have. I understand Smith wanted big wages, so maybe we should not give in to those demands but trust me with vaughan out, if we do not get another striker then we will be a shambles in the uefa and i am not so sure about the league as there are a few clubs who have strengthened up front compared to last season. Remember Victor and james are young and still need to learn a lot and if biffa goes (fingers crossed) we have Victor and aj to start. Not bad i hear you say, but with a few injuries we are up shit creek. We have mcfadden but you cannot rely on him all the time. We could end up missing the boat because of the kirby move!!!!

PATTY BLUE
5 Posted 02/08/2007 at 16:41:26

Thought it was only Jug Ears Jeffers we could sing "One greedy bastard" to.... heard that he demanded double the wages he was getting at Man Utd. These players don’t seem to care who they play for as long as they pocket the loot.

Imagine Smith, Joey Barton and Lee Bowyer all in one team - Newcastle will have more red cards against their name than any other team - good luck to them!!
[Being sarcastic here!!]

John Patrick McFarlane JUNIOR
6 Posted 02/08/2007 at 17:10:58

This is the reason that the players we have at the club at this moment in time should get all the support that we can give them. They may not be the greatest players but they seem to like the club (most of them do anyway) and more than a couple could have taken the easy option and left for more money, but they haven’t. Some supporters may not like the Board , the ground move or even the Manager. But the players deserve our total support, regardless of ability throughout what is probably one of our most critical seasons in many a year.
Remember the previous times when the supporters and the team have been as one, it can result in awesome performances and memorable games. COYB

Matt green
7 Posted 02/08/2007 at 18:22:50

Bollocks. Premier league clubs receive a MINIMUM of £35m this season thus the market value of assets rise - and EFC have spent net £0, taking into account the Davies fee. Where has this money gone Richard? With Vaughan and Cahill (probably) out for 3 months and BT likely to leave, we are left up front with AJ,Vic and Jimmy Mac. With respect Richard, you are either unbelievably naive or employed by BK to say that players asking for £40,£50 or £60k a week is over inflated when other a dozen other clubs will pay it? The true answer is Everton pay UNDER inflated wages and transfer fees. Spurs’ salary cap is £40k a week and look at their strikers!! This close season really is the final straw for me, watching this wonderful,historic and (former)trendsetting club be reduced to an embarrassment. It really, really hurts. There needs to be answers, (legally if needs be) to this because somewhere along the line there has been monetary cover up of grand proportions and it stinks of shit

Gavin Ramejkis
8 Posted 02/08/2007 at 18:36:39

Dicky good to see you are back but have to say "intense summer transfer activity" phrase is melodramatic even for you, all the supporters have heard is a prolonged chase for one player Jagielka whilst other teams signed numerous admittedly overpriced players but would not call single chase intense and then virtual silence beyond a few token "I rate this player" which we get every transfer window but very very rarely gets beyond that phrase; can wee honestly not pursue more than one target at a time given DM should have had his target list months ago? I have to agree that the players’ demands are obscene but it’s what happens when your market place becomes festoon with massive amounts of money in this case from Sky, as daft as some players are they too read and watch the same TV and newspapers talking about massive new Sky TV deals for the club and demand their bag of thirty pieces accordingly as they actually do the job. Market forces are beyond the club’s control and despite good intentions we are being left behind a damning epitaph of Chairman Bill’s growing failure to find any meaningful investment in the club, the same who currently has one of the lowest of all characters "staying" at his house at the moment, he should concentrate on the club or sell up hoping he doesn’t wake up face down in his swimming pool.

Rich GloucesterBlue
9 Posted 02/08/2007 at 18:53:22

Patty, Bowyer isn’t a Newcastle player - he left for West Ham in summer 2006.

Neil Millichip
10 Posted 02/08/2007 at 18:23:09

I’m getting a real feeling that we are going to be scrapping the barrel to make the numbers up. Nearly everyone has improved their squads. Manny F has gone and we must be down on physical numbers from last season (2 in 3 out).25 in the squad which include Lukas Jutkiewicz, Bjarni Vidarsson, Patrick Boyle and John Ruddy. I know there is still 9 days to go until the opening game , but whats going on? It looks as if we can’t compete with the likes of Reading, wigan, Fulham, Blackburn, etc for loan players. The Baines transfer (if it happens ) is taking for ever and just about everything else is reliant on Beattie going to Sheff Utd. Why do Everton always have long protracted transfers? Are we that SKINT?

John Charles
11 Posted 02/08/2007 at 19:15:58

Matt Green: 20 grand a week = 1m per year.

Thats were the 30m sky money goes every season. Think it through chaps.

Last season we probably made a marginal operating loss, we finished 6th though so our prize money was 7m ish rather than the buggetted 4m ish.

Since then we have spent 2m on the 2nd installment (final main installment) on Joleon Lescott. We have also made a payment -speculative figure but would seem about right- of 3m for Tim Howard, further we have paid in effect 3m for Jagielka if you include Naysmith. I’d also bet mybottom dollar we didnt pay 8.6m upfront for AJ last season and we’ve forked out at least 1m of that fee to Palarse this month ish.

Make sense no where all the money goes??

John Charless
12 Posted 02/08/2007 at 19:36:01

Gosh John - how did we survive before sky then?

You seem to be ignoring the gate receipts, merchandising, and advertising that makes up a very large chunk of club income.

Fact: This season we will have received more money than any other in the clubs history

Fact: This closed season we’ve spent very little in the way of transfer fees.

Lets deal in facts, not fiction.

Jeremy Benson
13 Posted 02/08/2007 at 19:41:51

Why it put me down as John Charless, only the webmasters know...

John Maynard
14 Posted 02/08/2007 at 21:02:31

Tell me,Richard,does the Everton press office send you a script for this Kenwright apologist crap or do they just post it under your name straight on to this -and other websites?
In reality it fools no one.You are being used ,mate,big time!

matt green
15 Posted 02/08/2007 at 21:26:47

So J.Charles, are you saying we have 30 players on £20k a week in the squad this year? or that we were spending money we didnt have on AJ,Joleon,Howard? That just aint a valid point is it? S.Davies probably covered the Howard fee,It simply CANNOT be ignored that following a 200% increase in TV revenue we have spent only £3m this summer,plus we have to play extra games in Europe - its not 9 days til the season and we have 3 proper fit forwards, one is 18 and one hasnt played competitively for 4 months. I will repeat again, why do people think the money has gone? As long as we keep premiership status! We will get another £30 next season. Do you think splashing £6 on smith, £8m on Manny and £6 on Baines would be THAT much of a gamble? Fair enough thats a massive outlay by our standards but where would that put us squad wise compared to last year and 6th place?

Rupert Sullivan
16 Posted 02/08/2007 at 22:24:58

Matt - I agree with you on the Manny and Baines front - even at £12 million I would risk it on Manny. However I did read a good point by someone else about how a lot of people fancied us to go for Forsell a couple of seasons ago, and Parker, and Emre, and look at them now.

Maybe Moyes does know what he is doing...

Gavin Ramejkis
17 Posted 02/08/2007 at 22:36:49

Rupert I think the reluctance on Fernandes would be his dodgy dual ownership something that didnt stop the RS with their West Ham reject or West Ham with Tevez, oh and the fact we haven’t got a pot to piss in. Fernandes would undoubtedly rise in value if he played for a few seasons in the Premiership, he’s got years in him, don’t forget that diving cheat at Man U wasn’t half the player he is now when he first came over.

Brian Waring
18 Posted 03/08/2007 at 08:50:36

Rupert,how do you know those players you mention, wouldn’t have made it with us?Look at Beattie,great with Southampton,fucking woeful with us.