A good article by Lyndon, and quite fair. I’ve always thought Joleon was a very good CB and a decent guy but, given his desire to leave barely a year after signing a very good contract from Everton, I think he’s been a bit unfair on Moyes unless he’s been badly advised by the slick media gurus now surrounding ’Project City’. He still has many friends amongst the players at Finch Farm and labelling them "secondary" to City is sure to antagonise a few, especially as he knows that some of them have had their careers enhanced by Moyes, himself included.

The financial comment is almost laughable; Tevez, Adebayor, Bridge, Toure, Robinho and Barry would not have touched City with a bargepole without the cash inducement and I feel comfortable in including him in that list. I personally would have applauded him if he’d been honest enough to say ...... "yeah, I like Everton but £94k a week ........?" rather than the City spin all the new arrivals have repeated like a Buddhist mantra...

But he’s gone now; hopefully Moyesy can spend this windfall on improving the squad to the extent the tight knit camaraderie we had before this summer returns and we move forward again and confound the ’hacks’ and defeatists who have written us off after 2 games. Don’t forget, we never usually start playing well until October/November!

Lescott was one of my favourite players and we’re definately at loss without him. Defence plays a very fundamental part of our game as well as team spirit. But when another club can simply buy off a player’s long term contract and commitment, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.

We lost our chances to break into the top 4 on a regular basis by failing to build on season after season. Opportunity doesn’t come around that often and it’s time for Man City and Spurs to have a go.

Seeing Lescott hold up the Man City shirt simply knocks home this fact.

Personally I would have preferred if he said he had gone for the money. Instead, he has said Man City is a better club, the players are better, and they are more likely to win something than Everton. How can that not be an insult to the players of Everton!!

Let's top it off with "dickhead" Hughes claiming they are a bigger club just because some Arab comes in with a large stash of cash. These two need to go back and study their English a little more, so they can learn to read between the lines a little more. Maybe then they wouldn’t ruffle so many feathers.

Furthermore, having played rugby on many teams across this planet, one of the most satisfying tournament wins I had as a player was playing on an underdog team that won it all. Meaning, Joleon, you will never get the satisfaction playing for Big Bucks City that I got winning that little tournament in Savannah. : )

Well, I thought Lescott had a point. I think some of us are burying our heads in the sand if we think Man City have not strengthened their chances of breaking the top 4 with their spree.

Tottenham have certainly strengthened theirs. Villa have arguably weakened with the loss of Barry and Laursen (though he was injured for much of the last season), and we have too, defensively.

Money is obviously a factor, but do you not think Lescott looked at Tevez, Adebayor, Barry, Toure, Robihno and thought he would improve his chances of Champs league as well as his bank balance?

As pointed out above, the total lack of movement from Everton despite the rhetoric / bullshit emanating from the club probably tipped the balance. Don’t blame him - or Moyes. Think Moyes genuinely didn’t want to lose him, but painted himself into a bit of a corner, and then realised that the money was the only way he’d sign anyone.

Lescott went for the money!! End of story.

We could only strengthen within our budget. We could have bought in 4 or 5 players earlier, it would have made no difference to Lescott leaving.

He’s went partly because he thinks Citeh are going onto bigger things but if the move wasn’t motivated by money why didn’t Citeh only slightly improve the already generous terms Lesott had at Everton?

The move is motivated primarily by money, undoubtedly Citeh could be in a better position than Everton BUT I still think its a risky proposition.

Lescott may be correct that he now is in a better equipped team to break the top 4. I would only like someone to explain how the money men at Citteh expect to get their £216,000,000 PLUS wages back.

I believe that a line should be drawn under this now and we should move on. Who, in their right mind, would not be tempted by the chance to improve their lot especially money wise. I, personally, wish the lad well but also hope that once again we finish higher than City.

I’ve no problem with him going for the money, that’s the reality of life and professional sports after all. If someone offered to double my salary for doing the same job, I’d be gone in a flash.

But to come out and say money never played a part... how stupid does he think we are?

Granted, as pointed out in the main article, City definitely have a better chance of breaking into the top 4 than us. I mean, compare their signings to ours. So, if he thinks he’s got a better shot with City, then he’s probably right, at least based on their transfer policy anyway.

Unless things change, this fiasco could be repeated often in the future.

What get’s me though, is all the negativity toward Moyes from the papers. Nearly all of them have made him out to be the bad guy. Especially that twat Tony Cascarino. Why should we sell one of our best players for less than what we value him for? Just because he want’s to go? I don’t think so.

When Barry wanted out at Villa to move to the Shite, I may be wrong, but don’t recall this level of criticism towards O’ Neill.

I would like to see Lucas Neill at Everton as a replacement to Lescott!

Lyndon, make no mistake about it, Lescott went for the money, nothing else, and I can’t blame him. Please don’t let Everton’s transfer policy come into the equation — I doubt that whoever we could/should have signed woulpbr />I doubt your article was intended as a whinge about us not having any money until the Sky/Lescott money cleared in the bank but that's what it seemed to end up being.

"Though I don’t know what was said behind the scenes"
----------------------

The most pertinent words in the whole article.

I can’t wait for Hibbert memoirs!

City are far better equipped to finish in the top 4 than we are — it's a fact, whether we like it or not.

I am sick of hearing this, yea, but we're a bigger club than City.

All it comes down to is money and ambition and Everton have none of either; until that changes, players will move from Everton and we will never attract the top players.

He has chosen his bed, let him now lay in it.

We can only prove him wrong by performing on the pitch.

COYB.

Come on Lyndon — let's not credit Lescott with more than we need to. he went for the cash — period.

I don't know what went on behind the scenes either, and certainly not what went on on in Lescott’s head, but I’d bet that the prospect of doubling his wages didn't come after an analysis of who was most likely to get to the Champions Leage first.

My other bet would be that neither us or City will be in the Champions League next season. Sadly for us Evertonians, I fear we may be pipped for the Europa League by City/Spurs.

By the end of the season I reckon that we’ll have got more out of this saga than we’ve lost. Team spirit can and will be repaired by Moyes. We’ve got an astonishing price for a good (certainly not world class — witness his England displays) player.

Fair comments all round but I think the main reason for Lescott going comes down to greedy agents!

You only have to point to the fact that there was a delay in completing the deal due to the agents "haggling" over their payment!!

Lescot was liked by his team mates and although not brilliant he was more capable of doing a good job at either left back or in central defence. He was one of Moyes's favourites — which would go some way to explaining Davey’s extraodinary behavior — and an important brick in the wall.

Yes, we got a decent price, but I share Lyndon's fear. City have demonstrated that we can offer little or no resistance to a determined predator. Who’s to say Arteta, Jags and the Yak wouldn't have also been targeted if fit?

More to the point, what could we have done about it?

Time for those who champion this "proper club, run by a true blue" nonsense to smell the coffee. Our need for serious investment has never been more desperate.

It would have made no difference if Moyes had strenghend in the summer as players will play for anyone for more money. "How do I know this?" — you may ask; well it’s simple’s. 99% of footballers are from working class backgrounds like most of us. I’ve worked in some right dumps in this country and abroad for a few extra tonne a week when I could have been nice and cosy at home. I reckon he would have gone to Notts County if Sven would have asked to more than double his wages and also giving up his World Cup hopes. (All for the challenge and the project of course.)

Just look at Beckham playing with a bunch of European has-been’s and yankie wanabee’s when Milan are begging him to play for them.

Just remember footy-players are just like us but who can kick a bag of air around using a bit more control and they make decision’s based on hard cash like us, they're not mercenaries or greedy.

What does piss me off is when they try and bull-shit us by justifying the wages saying it’s a short career. That doesn’t mean they should earn more in a year than some do in a lifetime. I can understand them screwing the clubs because that works both ways but if they really wanted to help the fans out they could say to the clubs, "If you're willing to reduce the admission prices 50%, we’ll drop our wages 5% and this would probable cover the cost."

One part of managing a football club that seems to get little coverage is how the manager decides on contract terms for his players. I remember SAF talking about Moyes before the semi last year and saying what a good job he’d done on getting some of his better players to sign long-term contracts. Let’s face it, if Lescott had not been contracted in for a further 4 years last summer, chances are we would have received a lot less for him from City.

Credit to Moyes for buying him first, developing him as a player, contracting him long term and finally getting a very fat fee from City for him. Remember, players' careers are short and subject to injury and loss of form. It’s a real pity that Lescott’s career at Everton ended on a sour note. He seems a really nice guy and eventually had to force his move.

Good luck, Joleon. Hope you’re wrong on City’s prospects but you served us well and left us with the ammunition to freshen up a squad that needs new faces and energy.

It doesn’t make sense to say "he went for the money, end of". It's a gross oversimplification of the situation. Of course he went for the money, but would he have joined a League 2 side for the same amount of money? I doubt it.

Would he have joined Man City if no-one else had joined them this summer? I don’t know.

The fact is the money is more far reaching than how much Lescott will earn. He’s gone to a club capable of signing large numbers of world class players, and they’ve already signed quite a few. Man City, with Toure, Barry, Tevez, Adebayor and an expensive reserve in Santa Cruz, not to mention the decent players they already had, have far more quality in depth than we do. This makes them more likely than us to win something or qualify for the Champions League. Any player moving to City, ’trotting out the mantra’ as someone above put it, is merely stating the obvious.

Would Lescott have moved if we’d signed four top class players in the positions we needed them by July? Maybe, but I don’t think he’d have been quite so desperate.

Firstly, lets get something straight. When a player is introduced to their new club at a press conference their main objective is to appease their new fans. You can therefore take a lot of things with a pinch of salt.

Do people honestly expect any new signing to say "I’m only here for the money"? Has that ever happened? — no. That's really going to make a good impression at this new club isn’t it? For people to start whinging about that is pathetic.

Secondly, he at no point said City were a bigger club or had better players. He said they were better equiped to reach the top 4, which is completely true. They have millions and millions of pounds to spend and have spent nearly £200 mill this summer. They may not get there this season but a betting man will have them there (and staying there) before we are.

From my take on the press conference, Lescott sounds as if he’s planning to come back at Moyes at some point in the near future regarding the "attitude" problem. The City PR machine are probably trying to tout it out to the highest tabloid bidder in order to raise some cash for the poor lad... don’t forget he handed in a transfer request, so that means he loses all his wages and bonuses from his 5 year deal in March.

His attitude was wrong, he asked not to be played, and when he did play, he played like a child sulking. Look at the Fabregas second goal, Lescott can be seen entering the penalty area as the ball hits the back of the net. Best Premiership defender? Sulky bastard going through the motions!

I’d have a lot more respect for the man if he came clean and said "I came to City because they put an offer on the table I just couldn’t refuse... and Everton couldn’t afford to match that offer." Rooney went to United for the money, and to win trophies. It worked, and I believe now that it was the right move for him, and the right move for Everton. End of.

But Lescott didn’t come clean, he spouted that City were in a better position to make the Top 4. Financially they are yes, but as a team? They’ve a long way to go before they can call themselves a team in the same way Everton are a team. Yes they look good on paper, but I watched them on Saturday against Wolves, and Wolves were unlucky. If the tide turns against City at some point, as it surely will for a spell in any Premiership season, then we’ll see how well they develop as a team... and I can’t see it happening this season. Cracks will emerge, players will splinter off into cliques, and it remains to be seen how well their manager brings them back into line and bonds them back together a la Moyes.

I completely doubt any movement in the transfer market earlier in close season by Everton would have stopped this transfer from happening. We’d have spent £10 million on 1 maybe 2 players, but his head would still have been turned by the riches on offer up the East Lancs road, and he’d still have gone.

At the end of the day we were a good enough club with ambitions in the right place in March when he signed a significantly improved 5 year deal. Yet 5 months later, after finished 5th and getting to the Cup Final, those ambitions have shifted? I don’t think so.

Finally, Mark Hughes. I once had huge respect for this man, even before he signed for us. But listening to him for the past 4 weeks, and the utter bullshit he spouts... slowly of course, and trying to pick as many intelligent words as he can, in case anybody works out he’s as thick as pigshit, has just turned my stomach.

He believes that City have conducted themselves properly in all dealings? Well they haven’t! They faxed two offers to Everton, both faxes replied to with a firm "NO" - he didn’t make the call to Moyes enquiring about Lescott, he did his dealings in the press - just as Ferguson has done time and time again in the past. He tapped up the player in the press, affected his attitude towards his current club, and somehow informed Lescott just what kind of package was on the table waiting for him should he choose to move.

Mark Hughes is a gobshite, he tapped the player up, and I hope he and City get their come-uppance sooner rather than later for exactly that reason. His spouting that City are a big club infers that Everton are not, and that irks me big time. They live in a rented stadium, the last time they won the league was 1968, the FA Cup in 1969. While we were winning everything in sight in the mid 1980s, they won the Full Members Cup!

I just can’t wait to see his face at the end of the season, when City go on to finish 6th behind us, and he watches their European exploits as a Channel 5 commentator. The twat will be sacked, if not by Christmas, certainly by the end of the season! I can only dream!

Brian Lawlor..

Spot on..

All these people expecting Lescott to turn up at a new club and tell them he’s only there for the money are being ridiculous.

So do you prefer him to insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise then?

Why the fuck does he feel the need to say anything?

Stephen Upshon wrote:
Personally I would have preferred if he said he had gone for the money.

Truth is Stephen, players NEVER say that. They must think we’re dumb. It would be so refreshinbg to hear one admit it was the money. But you fear the divvies in the press would use it to take umbrage, rather than praise some honesty for a change.

Well said Lloyd.

If we’d bought 27 new players at £10 million each, he’d still have gone for the money on offer every week. Blaming our stalling transfer dealings isn’t the reason he left.

Plus, it’s important to note that the new contract was signed a matter of months ago.

Oh and Joleon, asking not to play for the team that has helped you launch an international career, and which you are under contract to, is the very definition of a bad attitude.

And finally, we’ve already finished 4th. Not long after City were scrapping past Gillingham in the League 1 play off final. And all without 2 takeovers, and well over £200 million spent.

Let’s be honest - Lescott, for all of his skills, certainly wasn’t worth what we got for him. We should move on, not look back and spend wisely - we need to build a "team" and have some work to do if this season isn’t destined to be a disaster.

So Lescott, our second best defender, has finally gone. Good luck to the fella, that's what I say — £22-24 million was good business.

But one has to ask what would have happened to our squad if Yakubu was fit, Jagielka was fit and Arteta was fit? I'm sure Jagielka and Arteta would have been on many shopping lists this summer if they weren't recovering from serious injuries.

So thank god for injuries. Coupled with the exit of Lescott, this summer could have otherwise seen the heart and spine ripped out of Everton FC.

If we have an average season, I think Jags and Arteta will get itchy feet and also leave.

’So do you prefer him to insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise then?’
-----------------------------

What Lescott says has got nothing to do with us anymore. It doesn’t insult my intelligence, in fact it doesn’t even register.

Ciarán

You are contributing to the article so it must register.

I dont expect Lescott to come out and say, he moved to double his salary, nor do I blame him for doing it

But I cant agree with you and Brian, when he makes statements to the press he is speaking to all football fans, I feel kinda insulted when he claims money had nothing to do with the move.

Dave Wilson - you feel insulted? Do you really mean that? For god’s sake you’re an sensitive soul aren’t you?

No player in the history of the game has ever sat in their press conference and said it was all about the money. You’d be naive to expect a player to do that.

Dave,

His comments are directed at city fans - not Evertonians..

Therefore I see them for what they are - words of obsequious servitude to his new paymasters!

After that Burnley display I’m more concerned about us - to actually care what Lescott says...

In my opinion we robbed city and that’s the end of the matter...if you’re looking for solace in the words of a footballer then good luck...

It might be easy to say this now and I might sound a tad bitter, but I thought Jagielka carried him for the last two seasons, take his goals away and he was just an average centre half worth 5 million at best not 24 mill by a long way. He was poor at the start of the last two seasons and only when Jags went alongside him did he excel.

I’d love Jagielka to come back strong from injury and pip him to a place in the world cup squad to prove the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Brian

Read the post, I dont for one minute expect him - or any other player - to say they moved for financial reasons.

But when he’s just recieved a 50k salary increase, he’s laughing at you when he makes a point of telling you it wasnt

Haha...Now that Lescott’s gone..Jags is god..

Jags is a decent defender with no pace and a terrible penchant for hoofball.

I’d have bit city’s hand of for 24mill for him as well!

[waits for onslaught]

Dave -he’s laughing at me? What a totally bizarre post.

Still disagree

His comments were not directed at anyone, they were answers to questions he knew he would be asked weeks ago.

But your right, we’re turning this into a bit of a saga, we have more pressing matters.
We have a major problem at the center of our defence, Rodwell isnt ready yet and Neville never was. Cahill is my preferred choice and I think we could get him . . . . .provided we are prepared to pay half of what we got for JL

Brian

not you personally

INTERVIEWER: So Mr Bilyaletdinov, what was it that made you sign for Everton? Was it that you wanted to play for a man who has been voted manager of the year for three seasons running? Was it the chance to play for a club steeped in history? Or was it the challenge of getting Everton into the Champions League and to play with great players such as Arteta, Yakubu, Jagielka and Tony Hibbert?

Bilyaletdinov: Nah, I’m not arsed about any of that crap. I’m only here because Everton are paying me twice as much as i was on in Russia. Who’s Tony Hibbert?

Now I don’t think that would go down well with quite a few of you chaps would it? You can’t go to a new club and say you joined for the money. It's complete bollocks. Ps Only joking Tony.

Jamie - totally right.

If Bilyaletdinov had said that he’d be crucified by us just like Lescott would be by the city fans.

With Lescott, some people just want to give him stick whatever he does or says because he had the nerve for wanting to leave our club.

Time to move on. The memory of Lescott will be easier to wipe than the 6-1 slaughter. We need to buy and the cash is handy - if anything Moyes was endangering our season by being stubborn and proud...... if it was just an act to get the price up then he’s up for the Oscar as well as manager of the year. Either way, let’s worry about how we avoid relegation this year (yes.. say it out loud.. the R word..... are we bigger than Newcastle ?.. let’s focus!). After the shambles I saw on day 1 .. and yes I was one of the few who stayed til the end... we have a very long way to go. Top 5 .. don’t make me laugh.

Fair play to Lescott.

He gave us 3 good years of service and got us a massive transfer fee which we can use to either strengthen the squad or service debt.

You can’t blame him for going, he’s gone for money of course but also ambition. City have got a far greater chance than us of getting to the top 4. What would we do for a strike force of Adebayor, Tevez, Robinho and Santa Cruz? Not to mention SWP and Bellamy.

Regarding his attitude - if you wanted to leave your current job for what you saw as a better opportunity and your boss wouldn’t let you go, your attitude would drop too.

Er, Toffeeweb; great site and all that, but I just saw Joleon Lescott’s image at the head of the page on a Wigan game thread (today). Let’s cut it! Phew! I’ve really had enough of all the Lescott talk. He’s gone, let’s move on!

And I’d so like to do them (City), and I think we could in a few weeks, once recruits are bedded in. When is the re-arranged game due?

Belyaletdinov Knows we know he came for more money, he isnt treatng us like mugs by claiming he isnt.
Lescot is, the difference seems lost on some of you

Put in a nutshell & expressed in terms of percentages, his move was based on ..... 85% MONEY & 15% POSSIBLE SUCESS

Joleon don’t kid yourself, and, don’t think we Evertonians are idiots, you went for MONEY.

Hope he didn’t have the nerve to collect his last weeks wages - it should have been donated to charity.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/everton-fc/everton-fc-news/2009/08/27/i-understand-moyes-reaction-lescott-100252-24545145/

Can’t half wait for our game with City!

He left for the money end of and please no prick spout that stuff about how we wouldn’t turn down a better paid job. We are not pampered up multi millionaires. The modern day footballer is an insult to the likes of Dixie Dean, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney- Real footballing greats. As far as I am concerned they make my blood boil.

I haven't seen anybody comment yet about Joleon's big game temperament.... Chelsea Carling cup semi final own goal.... Drogba's goal in the cup final.... anyone seen a good game for England???

He has moved to Man City to play in big games (definitely not for the money !?!?) but that is when he is at his weakest. Jag covered him so many times last year... we used to say the same about Yobo's pace covering Weir/Stubbs> And his goals are not really consistent: two the first season and two last season.

So Silvain Distin comes in and can cover two position: Distin and £19m for Lescott.... the bank must be very pleased!

I don’t often post on here because I don’t feel the need to, most of the things I read cover my opinions and interests quite admirably however I do have something to say on the whole "I don’t want to play boss" issue:

I know from an extremely reputable source, and please don’t ask me to divulge who because I never will, that Lescott’s outburst occurred during Moyes’s teamtalk only 10 minutes before kick off.

I also know that Moyes exploded in rage at Lescott’s attitude and that the whole dressing room was completely stunned.

I had the utmost respect for Joleon prior to being told this but it goes a long way towards explaining the shambles we saw on the pitch that day.

I wonder will people be giving Distin the same treatment as Lescott - after all - he did hand in a transfer request....

It continues to surprise me how naive some grown men are when it comes to modern day football. How they expect somehow that Lescott has the cheek to want to go and earn much more money and join a club really trying to break the top 4. People need to be realistic, City are more ambitious than us because they are fortunate enough to have sh*t loads of money> look at the state of our summer again, letting players go and signing no one (until this week).

"Belyaletdinov Knows we know he came for more money, he isnt treatng us like mugs by claiming he isnt." - that is the statement of the day and typical of someone wearing blue blinkers. Thats ok then if he knows that we know that he came for the money. Ridiculous.

As for the suggestion that he’s already a millionnaire so why would he want to more than double his wages. That again is unbelievabely naive. To expect him to turn it down because he already is on a great wage. Few players would. In fact in any profession. Yes even millionaires are always striving to earn more and make their money work for them more.


He’s gone now, we got great money for him which we should have agreed weeks ago. He was only ever an employee of Everton. Thats modern day football football now. it’s all about money. It’s changed for the worse yet some people still cling on that hope that players are loyal and genuinely ove the clubs they play at.

99% of big money transfers involve the player getting a higher salary, we all know money is the primary reason for the player moving on.
So why deny it ?
I dont see where anyone has criticised Lescott for wanting more dosh, but it staggers me that people are mug enough to believe him when he says money has nothing to do with it.

You can bring as many players as you want into the argument, but "Billy" or Distin dont even mention money. It was Lescott who took you for fools with his idiotic claims.


And what treatment has Lescott recieved ? the guy has only ever recieved warm applause at GP, he’s moved on, end of story, lets not make a martyr of him

We all know that money was a big driver in his move yet I don’t expect him to admit it. To throw your dummy out of the pram because he hasn’t admitted it in his press conference is totaly pathetic.
No player has every admitted money being a motive for moving for why do you expect Lescott to? To suggest you feel insulted and you’re being taken for a mug is really childish>

. On a seperate issue, it’s not like he’s joined Notts County where a move there would be 100% money. City have got a better chance than us of breaking the top 4. No one can deny that.

Brian

show me the part were I objected to him not admitting it ?
You will not be able to, do you know why ? because I didnt, you made that bit up.

I dont object to him not admitting it, but I do object to him making a point of denying it, the difference between which looks like being lost on you forever.

I dont feel a mug, I think people who believe him are the mugs

I haven’t made anything up.

FFS talk about splitting hairs.

Not admitting it and denying it. Much of a muchness.

As explained on more than one occassion, a player is never going to admit it’s about money.

He didn’t come out and make the point. He was asked a direct question about money and he nor any other footballer are going to say they have come for the money.
Why are you so upset and so surpised? It’s totally unrealistic to expect him to say "Oh yeah I came for the money">


You’re super sensitive and are throwing a strop about it.
No one believes it. You’re a mug to really believe he’s going to admit it’s about money.

Haha, Dave... your getting all righteous mate... when the battles already well and truly lost...

I’m not a mug because I didnt believe he was going to admit he moved for the money - you made that bit up

Nor am I upset or surprised that he didnt admit it - you made that bit up too.



I’m not super sensitive or in a strop either.
I’m pissing myself laughing because you are now claiming I’m splitting hairs because you have been shown up for making things up.

A little tip : when you try to invent things other posters are supposed to have said, remember one thing, everyone reading this can scroll back.

There’s only one mug here mate

Ciaran

Another one who doesnt know the difference between not admiting something and denying it ?

Oh yes, its splitting hairs isnt it, even when its the whole point of the argument

I did get one thing wrong though - theres more than one mug here

You’re a child davey boy.

You should be embarrassed to be like you are when you’re a grown man .

"But when he’s just recieved a 50k salary increase, he’s laughing at you when he makes a point of telling you it wasnt "

"Belyaletdinov Knows we know he came for more money, he isnt treatng us like mugs by claiming he isnt."

Those above 2 comments clearly suggest you ’re not happy Lescott hasn’t admitted his move is about money. Wheres the invention?
End of.

Dave,

Whether he denied it, or failed to admit is is irrelevant.

It’s PR towards a new set of fans - that’s all...

Ciaran - spot on mate. Thats all it is.

Davey Boy is trying to wriggle out of him being upset and feeling like a mug about Lescott

Brian / Ciarán

Suggestion : Try to forget what you think I said, what you think I meant, what you hoped I’d said and what you made up I said,. . . . Look at what I actually said

if it wasnt factual I’ll sell up and come and live in lala crank land with you two

Gullible Mugs

Just having a retrospective moment I thought I'd share. I think many of us would agree that the spine of our team comprises our currently injured trio of Jagielka, Arteta and the Yak (just coming back). Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that they all got injured around the same time and over the pre-season.

I dread to think what we would do if Mr Hughes had decided to try and sign these three guys on top of Mr Lescott...

Davey boy - your post is truly ironic.

Anyway, I hope you get over the Lescott saga soon. All the best!

Haha Dave,

I thought that stock response was for Kirwin!

Chill man.

Anyone with half a brain cell would have realised before the kick off against Arsenal that Lescott did not want to be on the pitch and had already decided his future lay elsewhere.

Picture the scene. Following the friendly pre-match hasndshake, all the Everton players turn and run towards the Glwadys Street end to accept the rapturous applause of the fans.

Where was Lescott? If you rerun the sequence he doesn’t even manage a trot, but skulks his way around. Never acknowleging the fans who desperately wanted him to stay.

His body language then, told it all. He didn’t want to play and his performance mirrored that.

Lets put it to bed. We now have a new centre half and I know before Sunday what his welcome will be like.

Goodbye and good riddance Lescott. David Moyes and his Everton team mates made Lescott the player he is today.

He should never forget that. Lets close this chapter and save it Joleon ’till your memoir. To raise a bit more money.

Brian

I’ll take that as a failure on your part then . . . funny things these facts arent they ? catch you little tinkers arguing against things you THINK you’ve read every time. All the best to you too. I’ll do me best to get over Lescott . . . not gonna be easy though

Ciarán
Stock response ? you wound me

I think this is a classic situation of a player being overrated. Some players are truly world class; others are well picked for their certain qualities. You’re more likely to hear “He did a good job for us”, as opposed to “he won us the game” in Lescott’s case. Apart from a few years difference, Moyes has already replaced him for ALOT less. OK, he might need time to bed in but if we had kept Lescott after the dressing room bust up it would surely have started the rot.
Instead we have a new player, ticks all the right boxes in terms of position and experience. At 5 million, why weren’t City in for him? We had competition to sign Distin and he chose us over others hopefully because he could see the right things happening. City had no competition for Lescott. Surely if he was truly the best CB in the PL for years to come, Madrid, Chelsea and a host of Italian clubs would have been knocking at the door too. The player himself even suggests he feels a bit taken back by the comments and hopes he can prove them right, clearly a case of a good servant instead of world class. His goals have been credited to him, the majority are scrappy tap-ins and largely down to where he positions himself at set pieces. Lescott does his job well and thats why Moyes likes him because he can do what he is told.
As for his decision, I think he would have had the opinion of “I might never get an offer like this again”, hardly a mark of a player who is third best CB in the PL, add to that his record in big games. My guess is he will eventually become a bench warmer for City, just like he is for England. Another manager will replace Hughes, seek him out for what he is and buy someone better. In all I believe Lescott will not move onto better things than City, it was his only option of a big deal and I think he knows it.
After that, I agree with Brian Baker
“He has chosen his bed, let him now lay in it.
We can only prove him wrong by performing on the pitch.”

Well said!

Do you think he is the best Defender in England?

I dont think he was even the best defender in Everton, that goes to jags - Pat Nevin

£24m for the second best defender at the club - well done Moyes - you’re a class act and an excellent manager.

COYB and FTRS

Seems that Moyes has tied up a few decent signings within a week and there could possibly be a couple more. Begs the question, couldn't this have been done during pre-season? Why wait now? How come all the other targets we were after took so long to come to a deal that they were snatched under our noses or just didn't materialise.

I wonder if the whole Lescott affair was a ruse by Moyes, as he knew that he had know money and wanted to squeeze every penny he could get from Man City? Just seems strange that these signings appear so quickly after the Lescott deal.

Thanks for putting me straight Steve.

The people at Jameson will be pleased - a customer for the next 70 years

Lyndon,

This one really is not rocket science but you have delivered an accurate account — very good summary — good man.