ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Next year's fortunes

Now then... I know that this is looking far ahead seeing as though the season hasn't finished yet and we are still (mathematically) in with a chance of 4th place, but are there any Evertonians out there like me that are concerned about next season?

I have just got this gut feeling that the likes of Villa, Portsmouth and quite possibly Newcastle are going to steam roller us next year due to these clubs taking risks and us sitting back on what we have.

Please fellow fans — tell me this is not going to be the case!
Chris Marston, Canterbury Posted 16/04/2008 at 14:35:55

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Lyndon Lloyd

It always looks that way, Chris, but only a couple of clubs ever end up mounting a serious top-six challenge. Of the three you mention, only Villa scare me but Tottenham could be the ones to watch next season seeing as they have the money and a good manager at the helm.

If, and it's a potentially big "if", Moyes gets the money he wants to make some key signings, we'll be there or thereabouts again next year, scrapping for the chance to break the top four.

Jason Lam
1 Posted 17/04/2008 at 03:30:59

It’s probably good to start contemplating next season as we won’t be seeing any remaining football from Everton sorry to say. We’ll get the usual sprint-start club like Man City this season, only to taper off and realize it’s a marathon, not a sprint. In terms of consistency this is something Everton generally has more than the other also-rans (though it’s definately takings it’s toll now).

I would look over the shoulder at what Martin O’Neill is doing at Villa though, slow building process like Everton, and a decent pair of young wingers too. But they’re more consistent than Spurs or Newcastle, if only to consistently lose to the top4 like us! But it’s the points against lower clubs that add up at the end.

Mark Pendleton
2 Posted 17/04/2008 at 08:23:39

It’s still worth remembering that a good couple of quality additions could well make the difference at Everton. In my mind we need 3 players and to lose Tommy G and AvdM. Carsley has come in for some unfair stick recently as we’ve been having to play 4-4-2 and we know he’s not at his best there. 5 in midfield and he’s one of the best still at protecting the defence. One or two decent strong midfield options will give us the personnel to more effectively play 4-4-2 and hopefully also mean that when the likes of particularly Cahill are unavailable we can still play 4-1-3-1-1 effectively. I think in the latter Fernandes is the man to replace Cars long term.

Howard

Neville Yobo Lescott Baines

Cars/Manny

Arteta Ossie Pienaar

Cahill

Yak

Alisdair Denny
3 Posted 17/04/2008 at 09:09:48

We hear the same thing every pre-season. ???? are a team to watch, ???? have got loads of money, ????? have a great manager, ????? have a real chance of breaking into the top 4 and Everton will be lucky to finish in the top half.

I suppose if it gets said every season, it will eventually be correct, then we can all say "I told you so"

Mark Pendleton
4 Posted 17/04/2008 at 09:18:30

I agree Alisdair, as per my post above. I prefer to concentrate on the few additions that will improve our squad and help address the issue of losing the likes of Cahill, Arteta and Pienaar due to injury or suspension.

We can’t worry about what other teams will do. Many of them in comparison to Everton are "quick fixes". Teams hastily thrown together. Look at Man City and how they have tailed off this season. Spurs were knocking on the door of the so called elite under Martin Jol - then what happened?

Erik Dols
5 Posted 17/04/2008 at 09:21:24

Quit it with taking Newcastle so seriously. They spend vast amounts of cash on injured and overrated players each year and KK was a good manager 10 of 15 years ago but hasn’t shown much since then.

They’ll bound to make the right signings sooner or later and have a decent season, but to predict so every season is ridiculous.

Seamus Murphy
6 Posted 17/04/2008 at 11:21:37

If I had a tenner for every time I heard "Next season Newcastle will be a big threat".
All I can say is worry about next season then! There?s no point in worrying about it now before we have made any signings or got rid of anyone.
Worry about tonight!!

Andy Ellams
7 Posted 17/04/2008 at 11:58:24

Why does everybody think that this guy at Spurs is so great. He has been there for three quarters of the season and they still look like fininshing in the bottom half

Andy Callan
8 Posted 17/04/2008 at 13:02:29

The reality of the situation is that unless we start spending cash and speading it well, we are gunna end up going backwards aren’t we?

I wonder if all those who think Everton are making progress and are happy at the moment will continue to be happy if it all goes tits up (again) next year.

While I think we have made progress (to a certain extent) I feel that we need LOTS of cash to keep progressing.

Nobby Logan
9 Posted 17/04/2008 at 08:33:39

Just read the comments about how happy he is in England! Nowhere here does he say he's happy at Everton! He goes on about how Great Hernando Torres is??

He is hardly doing a Barmby... is he?

Gareth Lewis
10 Posted 17/04/2008 at 13:41:12

It’s natural to look forward with worry.

Well it seems to be if you’re an Evertonian anyway!

Next year, as always, will be tough. There are several teams all who will seemingly spend big and send us plummeting back down the table.

This was supposed to happen this year. City would be great, as they have Sven. Villa would be great, they’ve got O’Neill,
West Ham would be great, they’ve bought loads of injury prone players......

The point being people may have loads of money, it’s how they use it. The chances of them all getting it right are virtually zero.

Luckily, we already have a very solid team that even in it’s current run of, admittedly awful, form still has only let in 4 goals in 5 games.

We don’t have to spend big to completely change our team round and hope that the 6 or 7 signings gel. We need 2 or 3 to help us avoid, or at least pull us through periods like the one we are in now.

If we were 10th I’d be worried about all the other teams spending.

Yes we have to keep an eye on teams otherwise there is a chance that you stand still, but I’m not going to start worrying about who Keegan is going to buy. And certainly not before the end of this season!

Of course if we don’t get the money we need for our 2 or 3 players........

....... Over to you Bill?

Erik Dols
11 Posted 17/04/2008 at 12:47:06

Stephen Carr is being linked with us. He is a right back and Neville and Hibbert get their fair share of stick very often. So in that it seems Moyes is agreeing with that and looking for another option. I don't know about Carr. He is not good enough for the barcodes first team right now. He was very prone to injuries last years. About five or six years ago I would have considered him a very good signing, but I have doubts that he will add much here other than being a squad player.

He's apparantely available on a free, so that's an advantage, other than his wages we have little to lose. Final thought: Suppose Carr would come and found his old form, where would that leave Captain Pip? Back in midfield again?...

Andy Callan
12 Posted 17/04/2008 at 16:58:16

Listen right; if you want Everton to progress and actually by some fukin miracle break in to the top 4, we need to aviod clowns like Stephen fukin Carr.

Why don’t we just get Samson and Dixon to play fullback instead.

Sod Carr....