The Mail Bag
Summer focus
Comments (18)
What we have achieved this season so far has been brilliant. The way we have been hit by injuries and tiredness though has meant that a lack of strength in depth could really cost us come the season's end. Because of this I really hope that the focus of the club over the summer is on building up the squad.
I know that something like the whole stadium issue isn't going to go away. Nor, quite rightly, can it be ignored. Neither can we ignore developing our finances and revenue streams. But we are really close to developing a top quality squad, one that can really carry us forward. And unless the team is doing the business everything else counts for nothing. If we blow this chance with the squad we currently have, it could take us years to ever get this close again. And God knows how much ground we will lose to Villa, Spurs, Liverpool and Portsmouth.
Now I'm aware that with the European Championships being this summer, the transfer window is even more complicated and precarious than ever. I know it couldn't have come at a worse time considering our lack of money compared to others and the fact that the finals will inflate prices to a ridiculous level. But we must not lose sight of how close success is, and we must make every effort over the summer to continue next season where we left off at the end of this one.
Kieran Fitzgerald, Posted 04/04/2008 at 15:16:07
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Connor Rohrer
2 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:04:55
2 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:04:55
We should be lucking to get stuck in early. Don’t mess about like we did at the start of this season because you miss out on key targets. If Bill’s got the money then Moyes should get it straight away.
I think the priority should be Steven Pienaar, Manuel Fernandes, a quick wide player and a defensive midfielder. A right back would be nice also but it isn’t going to happen. I expect Neville to hold his place in the team for another 2 seasons atleast.
I personally would love to see both Pienaar and Fernandes at the club next season. Pienaar shown what he’s about and I’ve seen enough of a fitter Fernandes in his first spell hear to tell me he’s what where looking for. Hopefully the latter will get a run of games to prove himself with all the injuries.
I think other priorities would be defensive midfield and a quick winger. A midfielder with height and Energy to get around the pitch. The winger must have pace. We have creative wide players like Pienaar, Arteta and Osman so we need a player with a more direct style. He doesn’t have to be a big name just someone who can come on, doesn’t demand a starting place in the team and can change the game and give us another dimension.
Giles Barnes anyone? I know he hasn’t been that good for Derby but the boy has alot of talent, we’d get him for a reasonable price and he can occupy two or three different roles. He’s also 6ft which would give us a bit more height in our small midfield. He’s not the finished article by any means but he has alot of attributes to make it at this level and he could develop well hear. Just an option really. I’m sure there’s alot of others out there.
That would do for me. The one bonus is hopefully having a fully fit James Vaughan back and firing. If he can get a proper pre-season under his belt he could be like a new signing for us and I seriously could see him breaking into the starting eleven like he did last season. Fingers crossed he gets a full pre-season and stays injury free because the boy has a big future ahead of him.
I think the Yak and Vaughan have the styles and attributes to make a good partnership together.
I think the priority should be Steven Pienaar, Manuel Fernandes, a quick wide player and a defensive midfielder. A right back would be nice also but it isn’t going to happen. I expect Neville to hold his place in the team for another 2 seasons atleast.
I personally would love to see both Pienaar and Fernandes at the club next season. Pienaar shown what he’s about and I’ve seen enough of a fitter Fernandes in his first spell hear to tell me he’s what where looking for. Hopefully the latter will get a run of games to prove himself with all the injuries.
I think other priorities would be defensive midfield and a quick winger. A midfielder with height and Energy to get around the pitch. The winger must have pace. We have creative wide players like Pienaar, Arteta and Osman so we need a player with a more direct style. He doesn’t have to be a big name just someone who can come on, doesn’t demand a starting place in the team and can change the game and give us another dimension.
Giles Barnes anyone? I know he hasn’t been that good for Derby but the boy has alot of talent, we’d get him for a reasonable price and he can occupy two or three different roles. He’s also 6ft which would give us a bit more height in our small midfield. He’s not the finished article by any means but he has alot of attributes to make it at this level and he could develop well hear. Just an option really. I’m sure there’s alot of others out there.
That would do for me. The one bonus is hopefully having a fully fit James Vaughan back and firing. If he can get a proper pre-season under his belt he could be like a new signing for us and I seriously could see him breaking into the starting eleven like he did last season. Fingers crossed he gets a full pre-season and stays injury free because the boy has a big future ahead of him.
I think the Yak and Vaughan have the styles and attributes to make a good partnership together.
Gavin Ramejkis
3 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:20:10
3 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:20:10
Read the latest from DM and don’t expect anything new at all, unless some of the kids are finally to see the light of day I think this smacks of church mouse time again, the cupboard is bare, the only fortunate thing is we have fewer OAPs on the books needing replacement.
Glen Strachan
4 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:24:43
4 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:24:43
Summer should be interesting but perhaps we should also be asking who we will be selling before we can buy.
Interesting suggestion that EFC should break its transfer spending record to take a punt on Fernandes. Does he really look like our ?most valuable player? ?Obviously we can only guess about the current state of the club?s finances as, for instance, we have no idea what has happened to the ?McFadden money?.
There are still rumours that the club will be moved to Kirkby and that Tesco might pay for part of that but again it is speculation and it seems that nobody on our board has any more idea of Everton?s likely future than the rest of us.
Interesting times ahead !!!
Interesting suggestion that EFC should break its transfer spending record to take a punt on Fernandes. Does he really look like our ?most valuable player? ?Obviously we can only guess about the current state of the club?s finances as, for instance, we have no idea what has happened to the ?McFadden money?.
There are still rumours that the club will be moved to Kirkby and that Tesco might pay for part of that but again it is speculation and it seems that nobody on our board has any more idea of Everton?s likely future than the rest of us.
Interesting times ahead !!!
Connor Rohrer
5 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:38:17
5 Posted 04/04/2008 at 19:38:17
Glen Strachan, I very much doubt Manny will cost 12 million. That was the price when he was part owned at Benfica but Valencia bought him fully. Then there’s the Koeman factor. Koeman hates him and if Koeman’s there next season Fernandes aswell as alot of other Valencia players will be out the door as soon as possible.
I’ve got a feeling it’ll be around the 6-9 million mark and I think thats a perfectly acceptable price for someone of his ability and talent. As much as I rate Manny I wouldn’t splash 12 million on him unless we where desperate.
I’ve got a feeling Moyes could splash the cash on him. He was going to spend 12 million on him in the summer so he obviously must rate him. I doubt you’d take a player back twice and not rate him.
As you said it will be interesting. I think Moyes should be looking to spend 25-30 million in the summer. We have to if we want to keep up with the rich boys. Hopefully BK comes up with the goods.
I’ve got a feeling it’ll be around the 6-9 million mark and I think thats a perfectly acceptable price for someone of his ability and talent. As much as I rate Manny I wouldn’t splash 12 million on him unless we where desperate.
I’ve got a feeling Moyes could splash the cash on him. He was going to spend 12 million on him in the summer so he obviously must rate him. I doubt you’d take a player back twice and not rate him.
As you said it will be interesting. I think Moyes should be looking to spend 25-30 million in the summer. We have to if we want to keep up with the rich boys. Hopefully BK comes up with the goods.
Dennis Male
6 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:13:25
6 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:13:25
Anything over £5M for Fernandes would be profligate. Every team is always ?three players short of being a good side? so don?t kid yourselves it only needs a quick fix. Moyes has done great on limited resources but don?t bank on that continuing. Everton still need a revolution in the Boardroom to make real progress.
Steve Williams
7 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:26:33
7 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:26:33
Did anyone see Arshavin take Leverkusen apart last night? Top quality player. Best player on the park at GP earlier this season. If we could scrape together the £12m its rumoured that is needed to get him, I’d take him in a flash.
Someone will get an absolute diamond - just hope its us.
Someone will get an absolute diamond - just hope its us.
Keith Glazzard
8 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:11:19
8 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:11:19
I’ve just read what DM said about squad size. And if Tommy was the player he used to be, and Andy van could play, we would probably have a few more points than we have now.
Moyes has to work within a budget, we know, but beyond that I don’t think he wants to be in charge of a Chelski situation where very big purchases sit and watch game after game. Even brain-dead Raffles has realised that ’rotation’ loses games and points.
Connor - £25-30 m this summer? It doesn’t sound like us, or do you know different?
ps - did we all notice Kuynt denying that the Dutch ref - Vink - did him nor the shite any favours against the Arse. "I do know the referee. I played in Holland lots of times when he was the ref., .... he comes from the place I grew up, but it would be wrong to say he did me a favour because he knows me." (from today’s Guardian - some words omitted).
Moyes has to work within a budget, we know, but beyond that I don’t think he wants to be in charge of a Chelski situation where very big purchases sit and watch game after game. Even brain-dead Raffles has realised that ’rotation’ loses games and points.
Connor - £25-30 m this summer? It doesn’t sound like us, or do you know different?
ps - did we all notice Kuynt denying that the Dutch ref - Vink - did him nor the shite any favours against the Arse. "I do know the referee. I played in Holland lots of times when he was the ref., .... he comes from the place I grew up, but it would be wrong to say he did me a favour because he knows me." (from today’s Guardian - some words omitted).
Steve Booker
9 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:58:08
9 Posted 04/04/2008 at 20:58:08
I’d have to agree with Connor, that magic 30m figure is really the type of money Everton have to be spending this summer if we do have any ambition of breaking into that top 4. A lack of personel & invention was clearly apparant last weekend against in all honesty probably the weakest of the top 4 sides. I understand that 30m is not something that our board can make available easily, but the new contract that Moyes will surely sign should be rewarded with the kind of funds he requires for the next step. Balls in your court Mr Kenwright.
Karl Masters
10 Posted 04/04/2008 at 21:58:07
10 Posted 04/04/2008 at 21:58:07
There’s no way we’ll be spending £25-30m this Summer even if we make the Champions League.
And as we all know spending big guarantees nothing anyway. Just ask Newcastle, Liverpool or West Ham. For £30m you could have bought Darren Bent, and Michael Owen. You’d have very little to show for it apart from a massive wage bill and lots of disappointment. Spurs spunked £50m last Summer and another £20m in January and dropped 6 places in the League and had a very similar set of Cup results to us ( although I’ll give you that they won something! :) )
Moyes needs maybe one big purchase ( personally I’d be looking for a powerful Argentine or similar in midfield ) balanced with replacing the likes of Gravesen & VDM with some up and coming young talent who have age and a hunger to succeed and improve themselves in the tried and trusted Moyes mould - like Cahill, Lescott, Arteta, Jagielka, a quartet who cost us £13m combined.
The key word is QUALITY, not quantity. A £10m purchase plus another 3 at around £3-4m each balanced by the McFadden money and losing the wages of people like VDM & Gravesen would be great in my eyes. It’s a poilcy he’s used in the last 2 Summers and it’s got us this far. If it aint broke don’t mend it.The trend is up... remember we’re not at the top of this ride yet!
And as we all know spending big guarantees nothing anyway. Just ask Newcastle, Liverpool or West Ham. For £30m you could have bought Darren Bent, and Michael Owen. You’d have very little to show for it apart from a massive wage bill and lots of disappointment. Spurs spunked £50m last Summer and another £20m in January and dropped 6 places in the League and had a very similar set of Cup results to us ( although I’ll give you that they won something! :) )
Moyes needs maybe one big purchase ( personally I’d be looking for a powerful Argentine or similar in midfield ) balanced with replacing the likes of Gravesen & VDM with some up and coming young talent who have age and a hunger to succeed and improve themselves in the tried and trusted Moyes mould - like Cahill, Lescott, Arteta, Jagielka, a quartet who cost us £13m combined.
The key word is QUALITY, not quantity. A £10m purchase plus another 3 at around £3-4m each balanced by the McFadden money and losing the wages of people like VDM & Gravesen would be great in my eyes. It’s a poilcy he’s used in the last 2 Summers and it’s got us this far. If it aint broke don’t mend it.The trend is up... remember we’re not at the top of this ride yet!
Micky Norman
11 Posted 04/04/2008 at 22:18:08
11 Posted 04/04/2008 at 22:18:08
My guess is that he’ll do a similar job to last year in that we’ll get one big signing plus a couple of young Brits from the Championship. Arshavin would be a good player for us in the Moyes midfield mould. Whittingham from Cardiff would be another good prospect. But there’s one who I’m going to have a sneaky fiver on joining us this Summer. (cue drum roll).....
Peter Crouch (ducks as a meat pie flies past earhole!). He must have had enough of the waiter by now and I think Moyes would be tempted by a reasonable fee.
Peter Crouch (ducks as a meat pie flies past earhole!). He must have had enough of the waiter by now and I think Moyes would be tempted by a reasonable fee.
Ian McAvoy
12 Posted 04/04/2008 at 22:43:52
12 Posted 04/04/2008 at 22:43:52
Expected success from a long season on the home front and in Europe almost calls for enough "quality" players to field two teams that could handle the pace of the Premier League and the technical quality of the Champions League. Look at the top 4, isn?t that the model they use? ;-)
Pete Toney
13 Posted 05/04/2008 at 09:37:14
13 Posted 05/04/2008 at 09:37:14
Does anyone know what this Fellaini guy is like? I've only seen a few clips of him and he looks like the giant midfielder were looking for. Real box to box. And he is only in his early 20s.
Gavin Ramejkis
14 Posted 05/04/2008 at 09:39:15
14 Posted 05/04/2008 at 09:39:15
Micky Norman you are having a laugh if you think Plug from the Bash St kids fits the bill at Everton, maybe for Phil Chuckle Brother’s 70 yd hit and hope grenade hoofball but nothing else. As many have already pointed out the key player should be midfield who can hold the ball and pass to another player in the same coloured shirt.
Connor Rohrer
15 Posted 05/04/2008 at 10:12:34
15 Posted 05/04/2008 at 10:12:34
Keith Glazzard- I agree it doesn’t sound like us but we should be looking at spending at least 20-30 million if we are going to atleast try and move to the next level.
There’s only so many gems Moyes can pull off before we have to be looking to invest big money on the odd player hear and there. Not a 20 million player like because thats going over the top but someone around the price of Yakubu. As Yakubu has proved if you pay the money you get the player who delivers the odds.
We spent around 20 million on Yakubu, Baines and Jagielka in the summer aswell as loans for Wessels, Gravesen, Fernandes and Pienaar and whilst thats alot for us its not alot compared to the likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Spurs etc who are spending the big money. Hell even Fulham spent 25 million in the summer.
Hopefully Bill will do the right thing and back Moyes. We need to give ourself a chance against the big guns instead of always being the nearly men.
There’s only so many gems Moyes can pull off before we have to be looking to invest big money on the odd player hear and there. Not a 20 million player like because thats going over the top but someone around the price of Yakubu. As Yakubu has proved if you pay the money you get the player who delivers the odds.
We spent around 20 million on Yakubu, Baines and Jagielka in the summer aswell as loans for Wessels, Gravesen, Fernandes and Pienaar and whilst thats alot for us its not alot compared to the likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Spurs etc who are spending the big money. Hell even Fulham spent 25 million in the summer.
Hopefully Bill will do the right thing and back Moyes. We need to give ourself a chance against the big guns instead of always being the nearly men.
John Murphy
16 Posted 05/04/2008 at 14:54:07
16 Posted 05/04/2008 at 14:54:07
Riquelme anyone?
Matt Bone
17 Posted 05/04/2008 at 23:42:40
17 Posted 05/04/2008 at 23:42:40
I dont know much about this Arshavin or Kallstrom, but if we were looking closer to home at younger players with perhaps a little still to prove, I would be tempted by Valencia of Wigan and Barnes of Derby. They would give options to Moyes from the bench, competition for places and both have looked good agaisnt us this year.
Rob Chan
18 Posted 07/04/2008 at 11:47:15
18 Posted 07/04/2008 at 11:47:15
West Ham, Everton and Aston Villa battle it out for £6m Rangers ace
Kris Boyd is a goalscoring phenomenon, 72 starts and 66 goals, but perhaps more phenomenally he isn?t getting a regular first team place at table topping Rangers. And it appears it might be beginning to affect the former Killie hitman. There is a long queue of clubs interested in the 24 year old striker. With Birmingham, West Ham, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Everton all supposedly keeping tabs on the Scottish international.
Kris Boyd is a goalscoring phenomenon, 72 starts and 66 goals, but perhaps more phenomenally he isn?t getting a regular first team place at table topping Rangers. And it appears it might be beginning to affect the former Killie hitman. There is a long queue of clubs interested in the 24 year old striker. With Birmingham, West Ham, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Everton all supposedly keeping tabs on the Scottish international.
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1 Posted 04/04/2008 at 18:41:50