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Many heated words have appeared on the site regarding the Manny transfer saga.
I have no facts or information of any sort to explain what has happened but the whole thing has left me with a couple of worries.
Firstly, I am extremely worried for the image of football itself when a player can be 'owned' by someone. Having a reputable agent to look after the affairs of talented young men who find themselves elevated into the millionaire classes is fine by me.
BUT, when a player is 'owned' by someone it smackes of slavery to me and I believe our FA and EPL should be urging FIFA to look closely into this seemingly current trend. Surely the authorities have a duty of care toward these young men and should protect them from the possibility of manipulation.
Secondly, as an Evertonian who is looking to a good season I thought the strenghthening already done had left only the signing of a top class creative centre midfielder and striker plus possibly an experienced wide man would give us that very good chance to have a good season. It seemed to be going to plan until Manny,at the eleventh hour,is whisked away to Spain which has left us all rather disappointed.
What is maddening me though is the thought that his 'owner'has made the decision for his own gains and robbed us of the time to fill,in my mind,a crucial position for team strenghtening.
Player ownership has dire effects not only for the player being hawked about and for clubs trying to do team building business,but also for the fans who seeing players come and go at their 'owners'behest with the club having little say may well become fed up with the whole thing and vote with their feet.
Something seems rotten throughout football as long as this is allowed to continue hence my plea for intervention from the authoroties.
UP THE BLUES
Ken Buckley, Posted 27/08/2007 at 20:28:50
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Dave McClelland
2 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:28:30
2 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:28:30
Lifted from another forum. Make of this what you will;
Manny was offered to West Ham, Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Villareal, Valencia, Sevillia and others while they waited for Everton to sort things out, and all at varying prices and deals it seemed his agents just wanted whatever they could get and kept changing the goalposts with Everton saying such and such were interested and that unless Everton acted now and paid now he would go elsewhere.. On friday we agreed a deal where we would pay £2M each year over the length of his contract to the third party, and pay £6M to Benfica, the FA Agreed to this and we believed everything was fine.. On saturday morning they were told two other teams had come in both willing to pay £12M for just the 50% share.. Everton would need to come up £24M straight away to own him outright (12 to Benfica, 12 to the third party) obviously we werent going to Pay that and Kenwright tried to talk Manny into making a stand against the third party to get them to stick to the deal agreed friday, Manny said he was powerless and he had friends at Valencia so it would be a good move for him.. We made a final offer of £10M to Benfica and £8M straight to the third party but it was rejected and Manny flew out to Valencia, I think we still had some belief that maybe just maybe things fight fall thru or he might have a change of heart.. neither happened.. and so we move on..
I have that from a very good source and I don’t doubt it one bit.. In the end we got gazumped, the third party got dollar signs in there eyes and we couldn’t compete.. If the FA hadn’t changed things around wanting to ratify everything first we could have had the thing signed sealed and delivered and he’d be ours and they couldn’t have kept changing the demands as it was we were between a rock and a hard place, yes the board didn’t muscle and moan and whine and get things done but then that’s not our way..
Manny was offered to West Ham, Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Villareal, Valencia, Sevillia and others while they waited for Everton to sort things out, and all at varying prices and deals it seemed his agents just wanted whatever they could get and kept changing the goalposts with Everton saying such and such were interested and that unless Everton acted now and paid now he would go elsewhere.. On friday we agreed a deal where we would pay £2M each year over the length of his contract to the third party, and pay £6M to Benfica, the FA Agreed to this and we believed everything was fine.. On saturday morning they were told two other teams had come in both willing to pay £12M for just the 50% share.. Everton would need to come up £24M straight away to own him outright (12 to Benfica, 12 to the third party) obviously we werent going to Pay that and Kenwright tried to talk Manny into making a stand against the third party to get them to stick to the deal agreed friday, Manny said he was powerless and he had friends at Valencia so it would be a good move for him.. We made a final offer of £10M to Benfica and £8M straight to the third party but it was rejected and Manny flew out to Valencia, I think we still had some belief that maybe just maybe things fight fall thru or he might have a change of heart.. neither happened.. and so we move on..
I have that from a very good source and I don’t doubt it one bit.. In the end we got gazumped, the third party got dollar signs in there eyes and we couldn’t compete.. If the FA hadn’t changed things around wanting to ratify everything first we could have had the thing signed sealed and delivered and he’d be ours and they couldn’t have kept changing the demands as it was we were between a rock and a hard place, yes the board didn’t muscle and moan and whine and get things done but then that’s not our way..
Alan Humphreys
3 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:34:24
3 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:34:24
Dave that makes very interesting reading as did Ken’s original piece, which your reply supports.
It also adds some meat to the story regarding BK talking to Manny for an hour on Saturday.
Interesting, but like Ken says, something’s rotten in football...
It also adds some meat to the story regarding BK talking to Manny for an hour on Saturday.
Interesting, but like Ken says, something’s rotten in football...
Steve Sweeney
4 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:36:11
4 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:36:11
Why oh Why am I not surprised, The management of this club are a joke, not only have they messed up this transfer but also I bet they don’t get a work permit for Yakubu either.
The quicker Kenwright goes from this club the better and if that means a stadium in Kirkby so be it.
You all fell for his spin and false promisses again.
The quicker Kenwright goes from this club the better and if that means a stadium in Kirkby so be it.
You all fell for his spin and false promisses again.
robert carney
5 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:27:20
5 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:27:20
Very well put Ken;
the question will remain the same for one reason and one reason alone. Blatter , the fifa president has already washed his hands of the affair.He has said it is up to the member countries and football associations to deal with the issue.
If nothing else, the despicable actions of West Ham under the previous owners as forced our own authoritys to deal with the issue. I personally believe ownership of a footballers career is against the human rights bill.
Is this the next Bosman style issue before the European courts of justice?
On your second point, the last week did leave us with optimism on the football field. But once again we have bee kicked in the lower regions.
the question will remain the same for one reason and one reason alone. Blatter , the fifa president has already washed his hands of the affair.He has said it is up to the member countries and football associations to deal with the issue.
If nothing else, the despicable actions of West Ham under the previous owners as forced our own authoritys to deal with the issue. I personally believe ownership of a footballers career is against the human rights bill.
Is this the next Bosman style issue before the European courts of justice?
On your second point, the last week did leave us with optimism on the football field. But once again we have bee kicked in the lower regions.
mickmac
6 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:35:16
6 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:35:16
I dont doubt your source for one minute. What I do doubt is that we would ever have been able to get him. I beleive we have been used a s a foil to get other parties interested. At the end of the day. Transfer dealings is a dirty business and unless your willing to grease palms, then things like this will always hppen to our club. DOnt get me wrong, I am proud to be associated with a club as honset and forthright in theirn dealing. BUt I agree with anothe post. that FIFA need to do something before the gameis completely owned by these snakes
Mark Pendleton
7 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:39:56
7 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:39:56
Steve - how the hell did you turn that round against Kenwright exactly?
Neil Pearse
8 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:39:36
8 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:39:36
Steve - Dave’s very plausible account of what happened above comprehensively contradicts what you are saying. It looks like we made a very genuine effort to buy Manny, and in the end offered a lot of money (more than I think he’s worth) to try to get him.
Maybe we could have sorted it a little faster, but any reasonable person would see the major problem as being with Manny’s owner who was hawking him around for whatever he could get. I agree with Ken that this third party ownership thing has to be stopped.
Maybe we could have sorted it a little faster, but any reasonable person would see the major problem as being with Manny’s owner who was hawking him around for whatever he could get. I agree with Ken that this third party ownership thing has to be stopped.
Stan Mullin
9 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:41:09
9 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:41:09
Whilst Manny is a good player, who will get better, at this present time he is not worth what we were being forced to pay. Offering £18million smacks of desperation. I feel now that we have this sort of money we can be taken look at some proper players. Shame its all happened so late......
Stan Mullin
10 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:47:58
10 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:47:58
Please exuse my poor grammer!
Peter Singer
11 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:56:48
11 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:56:48
Interesting explanation and even if in this particular case it’s not true, things like that happen all the time.
Even "ordinary" agents have too much power over the now-not-so-beautiful game, but the power these slavers wield exceeds our wildest dreams.
And it’s even more frightening if you ask the classic question: qui prodest? Who are these inflated transfer fees good for? Certainly not for the clubs that want to buy the players. And they aren’t even that good for seller clubs because they have to pay silly money for replacements themselves.
Only agents and shady "feeder" clubs are reaping the profits and that means the more time authorities delay their action, the less chance of success.
Even "ordinary" agents have too much power over the now-not-so-beautiful game, but the power these slavers wield exceeds our wildest dreams.
And it’s even more frightening if you ask the classic question: qui prodest? Who are these inflated transfer fees good for? Certainly not for the clubs that want to buy the players. And they aren’t even that good for seller clubs because they have to pay silly money for replacements themselves.
Only agents and shady "feeder" clubs are reaping the profits and that means the more time authorities delay their action, the less chance of success.
andymac
12 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:05:13
12 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:05:13
There is something in the air, tonight, it smells like S***e Fernandes. You were nearly there for EFC, for you and me, Fernandes. Though we would have made you one of us, there?s no regrets: Agent reps like yours are Scum, my friend, f**k off to Spain, Fernandes
James Elworthy
13 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:06:48
13 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:06:48
Now that a statement has been made I would like to make the following observations:
1) The FA like to be squeaky clean and eventually Everton came up with the necessary paperwork and deal to satisfy them. Unlike corrupt FA’s such as Portuguese, Spanish, Belgium Italian & Greek who allow 3rd party ownership and players
from South American & African countries to obtain EC passports
with very little formality,
Anderson Da Silva being one and
numerous Arsenal players from the
Ivory Coast via Belgium-.
2)
Fernandes is not worth anything close to the money paid for him. Good player yes but nowhere close to the amount of money touted. Fernandes is obviously greedy and not a man of his word not having the patience to wait for formalties to be ratified which Tevez did.
3) Let us hope we can now secure the midfielder we need to go with Yakubu on Wednesday. There must be one or two names that Moyses has in mind. He needs to move fast and ensure that the signing can go through smoothly without the usual snags associated with this club
1) The FA like to be squeaky clean and eventually Everton came up with the necessary paperwork and deal to satisfy them. Unlike corrupt FA’s such as Portuguese, Spanish, Belgium Italian & Greek who allow 3rd party ownership and players
from South American & African countries to obtain EC passports
with very little formality,
Anderson Da Silva being one and
numerous Arsenal players from the
Ivory Coast via Belgium-.
2)
Fernandes is not worth anything close to the money paid for him. Good player yes but nowhere close to the amount of money touted. Fernandes is obviously greedy and not a man of his word not having the patience to wait for formalties to be ratified which Tevez did.
3) Let us hope we can now secure the midfielder we need to go with Yakubu on Wednesday. There must be one or two names that Moyses has in mind. He needs to move fast and ensure that the signing can go through smoothly without the usual snags associated with this club
nick harris
14 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:21:52
14 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:21:52
i would now like the fa to complain to fifa about third party ownership and how its making transfers in europe unfair , how it is raising player prices to unrealistic levels , and how third party ownerships are sucking money out of the game of football.
i would also like the fa to organise an agreement with all english clubs to not deal in any way shape or form with third party owned players and groups like msi.
i would also like the fa to organise an agreement with all english clubs to not deal in any way shape or form with third party owned players and groups like msi.
mark-chester
15 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:14:54
15 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:14:54
What’s done is done, i am pissed off about the whole saga, but we now must turn our attentions to getting an alternative to fernandes.
We have four days left to find a dominent figure in midfield who is creative and will set up goals on a plate for AJ and dare i say it the Yak.
If we don’t we will struggle in the uefa and mayb e finish top 8 in the league.
I am fed up of this hoof ball tactics, we need a creative inspiration in midfield, some we need to find it in 4 days.
We have four days left to find a dominent figure in midfield who is creative and will set up goals on a plate for AJ and dare i say it the Yak.
If we don’t we will struggle in the uefa and mayb e finish top 8 in the league.
I am fed up of this hoof ball tactics, we need a creative inspiration in midfield, some we need to find it in 4 days.
Steve Sweeney
16 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:31:16
16 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:31:16
Mark-Sorry mate but I am totally against the chairmanship of Mr Kenwright.
He is a master of propaganda, he is never around to tell us bad news and if he had any backbone he should have outed Fernandes on Saturday night when he knew he was off to Valencia.
My views on this man are well known, as an old Indian once said "Whiteman speak with forked tongue"
I liken him to a son who inherites the familly silver but can only fund his lifestyle by selling them off, which by the way he has done to nearly all of the familly silver belonging to Everton football club.
He is a master of propaganda, he is never around to tell us bad news and if he had any backbone he should have outed Fernandes on Saturday night when he knew he was off to Valencia.
My views on this man are well known, as an old Indian once said "Whiteman speak with forked tongue"
I liken him to a son who inherites the familly silver but can only fund his lifestyle by selling them off, which by the way he has done to nearly all of the familly silver belonging to Everton football club.
colin malone
17 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:39:08
17 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:39:08
I agree Ken. This sort of ownership puts players in a vulnerable position. These people can make him an offer they can,t refuse, if you know what i mean. Then we have a major problem.
Alan Clarke
18 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:40:30
18 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:40:30
The fact is though, that Everton declared him as signed in "the next 24 hours". If all this crap was going on with his agent, then he was obviously nowhere near signed for us. The fantastic "24 hours" comment was used to help swing the vote in favour of Kirkby. I believe the board DID have every intention of signing him but they jumped the gun by declaring him pretty much signed when they knew the deal was far from completion.
I am glad we’re not involved in another dodgy deal after the "gentlemen’s agrrement" with Man U last season over Howard but I feel we, the fans, have been manipulated. The whole saga has left a very very sour taste.
I am glad we’re not involved in another dodgy deal after the "gentlemen’s agrrement" with Man U last season over Howard but I feel we, the fans, have been manipulated. The whole saga has left a very very sour taste.
James Elworthy
19 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:46:06
19 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:46:06
Mr Kenwright is an actor by profession. There he is good at make believe and pretending. He has duped the fans for too long, Fortress in particular was a massive hoax. The Kings Dock fiasco, the failed signings, he does not have the personal funds to run a Premier League club. My grandma said never trust a man with bushy eyebrows
Karl Masters
20 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:48:30
20 Posted 27/08/2007 at 22:48:30
£12m was too much. £18m?!! Now that is ridiculous. We must be able to find someone with the necessary credentials for half that. Of course, we don’t do Plan B’s so Moyes will have to be quick.
One other thing: Where the f**k has all this money suddenly come from?! Seriously. Does anybody have any ideas?
One other thing: Where the f**k has all this money suddenly come from?! Seriously. Does anybody have any ideas?
Mark Pendleton
21 Posted 27/08/2007 at 23:10:31
21 Posted 27/08/2007 at 23:10:31
I thought that Robert Earl had come up with the funding arrangement?
Steve - give Kenwright a break for goodness sake. Shit happens and as much as we say it’s always our club that’s only because we follow all the goings on at our club with a passion. It goes on everywhere. Would you be that much happier if BK had come out on Saturday evening slagging Manny off in the press? He worked hard to set up a deal in his usual manner - with trust and integrity. It didn’t come off in the end because the very nature of Manny’s ownership lacks those principles. These are the same ways that have allowed us to sign the likes of Cahill, Lescott, AJ, Baines, Jagielka etc. If they don’t work then it’s a sign that there’s a bad player or arrangement for the club. I’ve spoken to BK, i have heard of people who’ve spoken to him and nothing has come from any of those conversations to doubt him. Moyes would not have been around anywhere near as long as he has if any of the criticisms of BK were true.
Steve - give Kenwright a break for goodness sake. Shit happens and as much as we say it’s always our club that’s only because we follow all the goings on at our club with a passion. It goes on everywhere. Would you be that much happier if BK had come out on Saturday evening slagging Manny off in the press? He worked hard to set up a deal in his usual manner - with trust and integrity. It didn’t come off in the end because the very nature of Manny’s ownership lacks those principles. These are the same ways that have allowed us to sign the likes of Cahill, Lescott, AJ, Baines, Jagielka etc. If they don’t work then it’s a sign that there’s a bad player or arrangement for the club. I’ve spoken to BK, i have heard of people who’ve spoken to him and nothing has come from any of those conversations to doubt him. Moyes would not have been around anywhere near as long as he has if any of the criticisms of BK were true.
Gary Mortimer
22 Posted 27/08/2007 at 23:27:05
22 Posted 27/08/2007 at 23:27:05
I am gutted that Manny is not coming, but it appears to be a simple case of Benfica and the 3rd party accepting a larger offer from Valencia. The FA haven’t helped by taking their time in scrutinising the paperwork, but at the end of the day we lost out to a bigger offer. I don’t think we can blame our board that much, they offered what appeared to be a fair price for a promising player, but the rotten underbelly of football has been exposed to our cost.
Some chaps are complaining that the club should not have declared that the deal was almost done. I seem to remember reading the complaints earlier in the summer about no transfer news coming from the club. I guess some people just like to complain.
Hopefully we will recover from this blow in the same way as we recovered when we sold Rooney. Us against the World I say!
Some chaps are complaining that the club should not have declared that the deal was almost done. I seem to remember reading the complaints earlier in the summer about no transfer news coming from the club. I guess some people just like to complain.
Hopefully we will recover from this blow in the same way as we recovered when we sold Rooney. Us against the World I say!
Brendan McLaughlin
23 Posted 27/08/2007 at 23:57:04
23 Posted 27/08/2007 at 23:57:04
Spot on as usual Ken but I would have to take issue with you on one point. The failure to sign Fernandes left us ’rather dissappointed’. Over the top Ken. Please keep everything in perspective.
John Holmes
24 Posted 28/08/2007 at 08:34:01
24 Posted 28/08/2007 at 08:34:01
Ken,
Thank God someone else can see that, ON THIS OCCASION, the blame mostly does not lie with the board but the businessmen leeching off Fernandes. I too think this is a dangerous practice for the game. Sadly I suspect it has been going on for years and only come to the attention of the British leagues who had steered clear previously because West Ham chose to break the rules.
Thank God someone else can see that, ON THIS OCCASION, the blame mostly does not lie with the board but the businessmen leeching off Fernandes. I too think this is a dangerous practice for the game. Sadly I suspect it has been going on for years and only come to the attention of the British leagues who had steered clear previously because West Ham chose to break the rules.
Mike Homfray
25 Posted 28/08/2007 at 11:31:51
25 Posted 28/08/2007 at 11:31:51
I also think that the British authorities have got it right - I think that these third-party agreements are unacceptable.
And no way is he worth the money talked about. OK, he has potential, but he was patchy last year at best.
And no way is he worth the money talked about. OK, he has potential, but he was patchy last year at best.
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1 Posted 27/08/2007 at 21:27:21
Everton Football Club feels it should clarify the situation with regards to Manuel Fernandes.
We worked hard all last week on what was a very difficult and complex three-party agreement.
Everton staff worked through the night on Thursday, finally reaching agreement with the English footballing authorities on Friday afternoon.
A similar night’s work on Friday left us satisfied that we had both addressed and agreed all issues with the other involved parties.
However, on Saturday we were informed that another club had come in with a rival bid and despite sustained efforts over the remainder of the weekend the player today joined Valencia.
David Moyes and his coaching staff are continuing to seek the extra addition to our squad, which they feel they require for this season.