FAN ARTICLES
Sliding Doors
Comments (20) : What if we end up with the same squad we have now?
A) We struggle all season long and the small squad gets even smaller with the traditional injuries coupled with suspensions, leaving us with a seven strong substitute bench of kids. A brief flirtation with the lowers reaches of the division ends up with us scraping to safety and giving already greying supporters (Like myself), more snowy white hair producing follicles.
B) We adopt a siege mentality, the kids become sick of being called kids and step up to the plate, becoming men in the process and steer us to a (Amazing with the squad size) top ten finish.
I personally predict that, if we don't make any decent signings, then option A will be the more obvious outcome, however, please feel free to discuss this yourselves.
What if we manage (Despite all the doubters on here and the rumours about having no money at all) to complete 2-3 deals?
A) The team will gain confidence from having some more experienced senior players in the ranks and will start to believe they can reach the heights of last season. Football will start to be played on the deck as players will feel confident of retaining possession, thus winning games and showing the Prem that we are serious about breaking onto the top 4 AGAIN. Injured players will come back and have to fight for a place in the starting eleven, meaning that players will be scrapping every inch of the way in games in fear of being dropped for another quality player waiting in the wings on the bench.
B) Players may see the new signings as a theat and spit their dummies out (Beattie when Johnson joined, allegedly and Johnson when Yak took his place, allegedly) thus getting rid of any team spirit we may have in the camp. The youngsters lose faith in themselves and feel as though they have let themselves down when they have played.
I am gonna again go for the more obvious choice which is A.
And finally, What if David Moyes gets fed up of the lot of it and quits? >P> A) The club try strenuously to attract a big name manager, or at least one with some pedigree, however, with seemingly little money to part with, nobody wants the job (apart from Alladyce, Reid, Venables, Robson etc). We end up with one of those second rate names and our top players leave asap to join a more ambitious club.
B) We manage to scrape together funds to attract and up and coming manager (Names please?) who instills the basics back into our game (ie, how to pass a ball) and the players warms to his old fashioned and simple no-nonsense approach. Eveyone gets on with him as despite his simple approach, he is a peoples person and gets on with all the players. They relax and guide us to a respectable top ten to twelve finish.
I opt for A on this one, Moyes leaving would lead us to the merry go round we endured after Joe Royle left I think.
So, please feel free to add your own 'What ifs', as I think you lot could come up with dozens more....
Reader Comments (20)
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2 Posted 22/08/2008 at 01:45:31
I have been as avid supporter of Everton since I was 7 years old and living in Ireland. I am now 50 years old and still an avid supporter in Toronto. Believe it or not I have never seen Everton play a game or visit Goodison Park but Everton have always been a part of my life. Last season I thought finally we were like the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes and heading in the right direction back to one of Europes elite. I dont’ profess to know a lot about all the wheeling and dealing that goes on in the transfer market but I am absolutely baffled and confounded about our inability to sign any new players. We have history, the best supporters in the world and are in Europe!!. I am so frustrated. We seem to be totally in the dark about what is really going on.I think the fact that David Moyes has not renewed his contract speaks volumes. If there was no money available we should just have been told and that would have stopped all the summer agony. I just cannot believe that we let Lee Carsley and Andy Johnson go when we had no concrete replacements.
3 Posted 22/08/2008 at 04:32:28
Getting the true facts of Everton FC is like doing a jigsaw blindfolded, a million combinations and none of them quite right. But whichever way you want to cut it there is something quite wrong with the way the club has conducted its affairs (and still is for that matter)
Kirkby is not dead and it wouldn’t surprise me if we are subject to going down to the wire and a final decision no matter how long in the future that day is.
It would not surprise me if messers Green and Earl have given the directive that a bare minimum only can be spent until Kirkby is confirmed because if it isn’t then they will want out and monies owed returned immediately.
Richard Dodd on a recent post that went almost un noticed commented that the line of credit for Moyes had been restored last week. I would love to know from who? The bank? Earl & Green? and secondly, why was it stopped in the first place?
IF it was stopped when the call in was announced then it would go a long way towards explaining Moyes frustration, a lack of transfer action and the fact he had not signed his contract. Speculation I know, but it fits, all to well into facts.
Which leads back to the matter of BK (Watch this space) and actually who is pulling the strings at the club. I believe a previous poster said that BK should not be looking for investment, he should be looking to sell his shares or the controlling interest in them. We can only believe the facts that the Directors of the club did not invite investment because how could it be realistically acheived WTHOUT selling their shares?
I think its likely the club will find 3 players but not maybe of the calibre we really need and its likely the kids will be forced into use more than expected, I for one believe it would not be a huge problem IF we had more experience. Thats the key.
4 Posted 22/08/2008 at 07:40:45
5 Posted 22/08/2008 at 08:05:13
"breaking into the top four"
Tragic really isn?t it.
6 Posted 22/08/2008 at 09:42:58
Because Yak, Arteta, Lescott, Cahill, Pienaar, Howard will all be gone to whichever clubs do qualify.
Well done Bill you fat prick!
7 Posted 22/08/2008 at 10:01:18
You could have said ’fattish’ PRICK, or a slightly overweight PRICK.
8 Posted 22/08/2008 at 13:44:05
9 Posted 22/08/2008 at 14:13:30
10 Posted 22/08/2008 at 16:39:04
11 Posted 22/08/2008 at 16:18:34
How different this discussion would have been had Baxter’s header hit the target and taken back the lead. But, as has been said, that might have disguised underlying problems which are probably more important.
"Kirkby not dead" - who knows? All I know is that there will never be another vote (unless the owners really are absolute buffoons).
And "breaking into the top four" wasn’t a problem in the 80’s when clubs were owned by butchers and bakers rather than by international gangsters. I think the real tragedy involved dead Italians, but we could talk about that all night.
12 Posted 22/08/2008 at 17:02:22
?But I never said I didn?t want to stay at Rennes. If they give me the wages I want there?s no problem.?This kind of offer from Everton can?t be refused. Everton are a springboard. It can permit me settle in the English championship and then why not joining another great club in the future?
The guy has no commitment other than to his wallet. I just wish we didn’t need him as much as we do.
13 Posted 22/08/2008 at 18:49:52
The fans do not deserve to be treated the way we have been this year summer and the rest!!
Moyes in my opinion has now dug a hole for himself with all these contradictory statements regards money, contracts,targets etc etc etc..
Lessons have not been learned..I for one can not wait for EGM when i hope we the fans will get some straight answers.
14 Posted 22/08/2008 at 19:48:50
You can’t be seriouly suggesting that our beloved chairman Big Bill the Enforcer is about to change his spots and completely lays it all on the table at the EGM.
Get real !
I don’t know of anyone at Everton who hasn’t made contradictory statements during this summer of unrest, YES even as you suggest, this includes Moysey. So don’t expect the arc lights to suddenly come on and all will be revealed. It will be the biggest PR spin since the debacle in Iraq. Besides, the reasons for the EGM centred on the DK farce and that will need to be addressed first. Its likely ’any other business’ will be snow ploughed out of the way.
If anyone possesses a polygraph I would keep it clear of the EGM as it’s likely to disintergrate due to it’s misuse.
15 Posted 22/08/2008 at 20:32:22
Honestly - grovelling before the likes of Tiago (never lit any fires at Chelski), M?Bia (who is he after all?) and Moutinho (had anyone heard of him before Euro 2008?).
I naively perhaps assumed that Davie has a shopping list - built up over months/years... and that the names on the list are players who are not quite the finished article, who are hungry for success and who represent good value for money... none of the 3 above fulfil these criteria...
On the other hand, Kevin Doyle and Steven Hunt were/are available. Appiah is another type of player but has class and experience... James Milner is another.
Question is: do we have any money? Have we shot ourselves in the foot by selling ourselves as a club in crisis? The next 10 days will be very interesting.
Where are the rosary beads?..
16 Posted 22/08/2008 at 21:32:56
17 Posted 22/08/2008 at 21:38:01
18 Posted 22/08/2008 at 21:54:12
19 Posted 23/08/2008 at 00:15:01
as always I agree with your point re ot being worthless money wise but it does motivate the players,is a good chance for a trophy and raises our international profile.
I would much rather finish 4th or higher but can you see the bunch of clowns running the club faciliating that.
20 Posted 23/08/2008 at 17:02:11
I admire Moyes and I have tolearated Kenwright but I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that one or both of them is in over their heads. I sincerely hope that they realize it is in the club’s best long term interests to come clean about the disaster that this summer has been and to move on from there. No more contradictory interviews--just the truth on the club’s finances, the chances of doing any deals by 31 Aug and whether or not we have a back up plan for the January transfer window. Oh yeah, almost forgot--just how critical was getting the Kirby deal done to bringing in new players?
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1 Posted 22/08/2008 at 00:19:25
as you’re an 80’s guy the biggest fear I have is if we dont qualify for Europe this season and right now that looks highly likely not only wont we attract the Mouthinos of the world next year but our best players will do what the others did in the 80’s and leave for a "European" club.