ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Not 26 Million Pound Strikers, Eh?

Yes this is David Moyes's latest quote. I am afraid that this is exactly what is needed if we are to challenge the top four. We can only go so far buying cheap players who turn out to be above average players. World Class talent is spotted from a young age and if you aren't lucky enough to have it in your youth system then 20-odd million plus is exactly what you are going to have to spend to get it.

Look at the difference between us and the top four. Who in our squad would you say is worth plus fifteen million? That's right guys, no-one and its the same for the rest of the also rans of this sadly now uncompetitive division.

Look at the top four now and they have a mighty fine sprinkling of players in that bracket. Man United have Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Hargreaves, Ferdinand and in a few seasons Nani and Anderson.

Chelsea have Drogba, Lampard, Cole, SWP to name but a few.

Liverpool are sitting in fourth and as you would expect have slightly less. Only Gerrard and Torres would I place in that bracket.

Perhaps Arsenal are the exception to the rule. They don't splash silly money but scout players who arent exactly cheap but soon explode over the 15 million pound mark. This is down to a manager with an eye for talent and a world class scouting system, something we clearly dont have. They also have better prestige to attract the cream of the worlds youth talent.

It's a sad state of affairs, but Lyndon hit the nail on the head. We have hit the glass ceiling now. In my opinion the only way the club can smash the ceiling is to get a very wealthy investor. The board have done really well to steady the club and build such a solid foundation. I think it is all time for us to realise, and I think David Moyes already has, that we are living in a dream world if we think we can compete like this.

Bill Kenwright I salute you for your efforts but its time for the next stage of our revival and time for you to stand down. Find us an investor that you trust and sell the club. If we make it to the big time, you will be remembered in history as the man who made Everton great again.
Paul Coleman, Kettering Posted 18/04/2008 at 22:28:33

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Comments

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Gaz Daniels
1 Posted 19/04/2008 at 16:49:59

We should aim for a squad were every player is worth at least £5 million first then we would be doing a lot better.
Carsley, Neville, Hibbert, VDM... replace these with three £5-8 million pound players then i really think we could be winning things (cups not league).
So for £20-25 million we will be challenging for a Champions League spot.
Will Moyes get £5 million never mind £20 million in the summer?

OR

Git rid of Moyes, admitting that we would never be great again, and bring in a manager that would at least give us entertaining fooball. Maybe Mowbray at WBA. At least then we can entertained while not changing the fact we would never win anything again.

Steve Wolfe
2 Posted 19/04/2008 at 17:01:49

Why would you salute BK?? The debt has grown since he took over, we have sold nearly all our assets, he wants to take us out of the city, and he has told numerous lies ... that's not the kind of steadying influence we need is it? The reason we have improved over the lasy 6 years is in spite of BK ? not because of him!

Ian Tunny
3 Posted 19/04/2008 at 17:15:01

You forgot that Liverpool paid £18M for Mascherano and Man U £18M for Carrick. This is the position Moyes needs to be looking at for next season but dont think we?ll be paying out £18M for a defensive midfielder.

Nic Connor
4 Posted 19/04/2008 at 19:47:58

OK, I?m mainly an armchair fan these days but why does everyone slate Carsley? I thought him playing behind a combination of Arteta, Pienaar, Osman and Cahill worked great.

Ian Tunny
5 Posted 19/04/2008 at 19:52:48

It does but with Arteta Osman and Cahill all injured it doesn't work so great.

Jay Harris
6 Posted 19/04/2008 at 20:33:16

I think Carsley?s main problem is he?s knocking on the door of the knacker?s yard mainly through the hoof and give it away then try to win it back style of play that we have resorted back to in the absence of all our absent first choice players.

The poor lad has been working his bollocks off challenging and covering "Captain Marvel".

Kenada Bloomington
7 Posted 19/04/2008 at 21:07:14

Minus selling players, these are the totals Chelsea and Man Utd paid for players -

Ferdinand - £31 million
Rooney - £23 million
Hargreaves - £17 millions
Ronaldo - £12 million
Nani - £14 million
Anderson - £17 million

£114 million

Drogba - £24 million
Lampard - £11 million
SWP - £21 million
Scvenchenko - £30 million
Joe Cole - £6 million
Anelka - £11 million
Essien - 24 million

£121 million

For a club like Everton, anything over £10 million is a massive gamble.

I do agree we need to scout some class youth, but we?ve done that before and always missed out because the top clubs with money will pay that bit extra to get them.

The only option is to sell the club, but who?s interested? You hear more stories about take overs at Birmingham or Derby than ours.

Things take time. But I think what Moyes has proved is that you don't need to pay stupid prices for players to create a team. You need players who fit and work well in the team, and depth with equal quality.

Look at our national team. World class talant outshone by Croatia last year. Why? Because, as old boy Slaven said, "you might have the better players, but I have the better team"

Paul Gladwell
8 Posted 20/04/2008 at 11:14:18

I would say Lescott is easily worth £15M and when you look at the Cahill effect this season, when he was in and out, coincided with our two only bad runs and a 14 game unbeaten run, add this to his goalscoring talent and the fact he is the only one to do it against the top four ,then I would say he is not too far off that bracket too, saying that we will probably sell him to the mancs for £6M with a free holiday to Sir Alex each tear for ten years.