Nobody will mistake me for Richard Branson either, but I keep asking myself the same questions and if we are merely balancing the books in the transfer market why the hefty loans over the past few seasons ?

Guys,

Feel free to read the clubs financial reports. This takes the guesswork out of it:

http://www.evertonfc.com/assets/_files/documents/dec_06/efc__1165920924_EFC_Report_and_Accounts_2006.pdf

http://www.evertonfc.com/assets/_files/documents/jan_08/efc__1199722913_Report_and_Accounts.pdf

http://www.evertonfc.com/assets/_files/documents/dec_08/efc__1229522006_EFC_Report_and_Account_2008.pdf

I am the same as you, certainly no financial whizz kid either. My interpretation is that the club are operating right at the edge of the financial envelope. There is no doubt in my mind that we could secure more funds, due to the fact that we have our secure ’equity’ in the players values.

But unless those newly funded players guarantee increased revenue, then will you end up like Portsmouth, West Ham or in the worst case, Leeds. You have to sell players, to pay back the banks.

I believe this is the reason we are investing in youth, to try and make money. Not necessarily to build up the first team, but use it as an extra revenue source as we are on the limit of our financial capability. The same logic also applies for DK.

Year after year we end a season on a high, we then get how ’ we intend to not make the same mistakes as last year’,’watch this space’,’I am excited by our possible signings’and ’we have a decent transfer fund’ by all of them from Moyes to Carter, we then give them our early bird cash and then the truth comes out, it’s no big surprise but it still does not mean we have to be happy with it.
The lot of them are bullshitters and despite all this we intend to fund how many Millions for a spanking new ground, it’s like a fucking carry on film, you could not make it up and sooner or later the shit will hit the fan if something does not change soon.

When the cupboard is bare Bullshit Billy has to go cap in hand to his mates or the banks. His previous calamity of a CEO Fat Arse Wyness hocked everything he could so all the club have left is players’ contracts. BK’s idea of investment must be some form of personal fantasy "you give me hundreds of millions of pounds and I’ll give you sod all back", another one of his lies that just doesn’t wash anymore 24/7 my arse. The only thing we are investing in is players who nobody wants or has ever heard of who will play for two bob and a raft of empty promises.

The fact is that Hull can now offer more in the way of wages than Everton can. Hull FC - a team in the bottom tier of football not so long ago. So how can we compete in this league? The fact that we are "right on the edge" as you put it Dan, means Kenwright’s way of doing things is now totally unsustainable. His time must surely be running out now without finding some investment.

I have always understood that the Club budgeted to finish 10th,reach Quarter-Finals of Carling,Fifth Round of FA Cup and exit Europe (when competing) around Christmas.Of course,things may have changed under Elstone but that was certainly the conservative approach under his predecessor.As far as ’profits’ are concerned,Everton have only managed to make a surplus in one season in living memory!The fact is most of the cash ends up in the players’ pockets-whether we do well or not!

But Richard by premiership standards, our squad is small and so is our wage bill, if this is how it is when we exceed expectations on the pitch what happens if we fall short ?
If things really are this dire, then Pauls question becomes all the more pertinent, why are the club making promises, to the fans, they know they have no chance of keeping ?

Talk about biting the hand that feed you

Richard, Hull must have budgeted to have finished 17th yet they can outspend us and can offer more in wages. How so?

We have lost players from the squad and finished above 10th and progressed in the FA cup, so we’ve earnt more than what was budgeted for yet we are potless. How so?

If we can’t make profits finishing 5th, with a small squad and reaching the final of the cup then other clubs are running at a loss aswell so how come they can all outspend us? Bolton have a smaller capacity than us, make less from merchandise sales, have a similar wage structure to us and do not have a wealthy backer yet they have spent more money than us this summer. How come we’re so skint?

We have a heart warming transfer policy.....apparently we are looking for - "players who are cheap, don’t want much wages and will come here to improve us".


Anybody got a time machine?

Difference is that Hull have minimal debt whilst Everton have to finance loans of anything up to £80M depending on whose figures you choose to believe.There is currently the very important matter of ’setting aside’ for the projected move to Kirby.

..oh and the best transfer news we’ve had this summer is about Stephen Hunt...

Not signing Stephen Hunt is like a new signing!


What the fúck were you thinking Moyes!

Richard, there has been no official announcement on Kirkby yet, do you or the club know the outcome then? Has the government unofficially informed Everton the project will go ahead? I’m interested about this "setting aside" because you’re the first person to say it’s happening with any certainty. It explains everything but are we going to watch the team disintegrate while the club build Kirkby?

Dave Wilson, you ask..

"Why are the club making promises, to the fans, they know they have no chance of keeping?"

Sorry mate but you’re making the mistake of applying logic to the decisions made by a bunch of people who simply don’t recognise the concept.

In my opinion, the ’comfort zone’ for those who run Everton is confusion, chaos, murky water, etc.

I really believe it is club policy to always keep things confused.

EG:

Moyes in May "We want to get everytone signed early!"

Carter in June: "I’m really excited about the potential new signings"

Us IN August: "Eh!?"

It seems EVERYTHING we do is done like this.

As I have stated (here) before, I would love it if Everton’s policy was say nothing...EVER, until it has happened.

Of course we might have a few saying that would be ’being ’kept in the dark’, but that has to be better than what we have right now - being kept in the dark..and poked with a sharp stick every hour.

being kept in the dark..and poked with a sharp stick every hour.
-----------------------


There’s something welcoming about a sharp stick it the eye...compared to this shit.

Alan, where are you getting your info from about Hull paying more in wages than us? This is their squad:

1. Boaz Myhill
2. Nathan Doyle
3. Andy Dawson
4. Ian Ashbee
5. Anthony Gardner
6. Michael Turner
7. Craig Fagan
8. Nick Barmby
9. Jozy Altidore
10. Deiberson Maurício Geovanni Gomez
11. Bryan Hughes
12. Matt Duke
14. Richard Garcia
15. Bernard Mendy
16. Péter Halmosi
17. Kevin Kilbane
18. Caleb Folan
19. Steven Mouyokolo
20. George Boateng
22. Dean Marney
24. Kamil Zayatte
25. Daniel Cousin
26. Tony Warner
27. Nicky Featherstone
31. Will Atkinson
33. Jimmy Bullard
35. Liam Cooper
36. Jamie Devitt
39. Steve Gardner
40. Ryan Kendall
44. Seyi Olofinjana
45. Tom Cairney

This ours:

1 Carlo Nash
12 Iain Turner
24 Tim Howard
2 Tony Hibbert
3 Leighton Baines
4 Joseph Yobo
5 Joleon Lescott
6 Phil Jagielka
26 Jack Rodwell
31 Seamus Coleman
10 Mikel Arteta
17 Tim Cahill
18 Phil Neville
20 Steven Pienaar
21 Leon Osman
25 Marouane Fellaini
19 Dan Gosling
38 James Wallace
8 Louis Saha
11 Jô
14 James Vaughan
22 Aiyegbeni Yakubu
28 Victor Anichebe
27 Lukas Jutkiewicz
35 Kieran Agard
37 Jose Baxter

I think its ridiculous to say that Hull can offer more than us. I’d bet that Yakubu, Arteta, Cahill, Jo, Yobo and Howard alone cost more in wages than their whole squad. They have about an extra 20 million to play with this year, due to the TV rights and Premiership final position money.

There is 21 days(including today) left in this transfer window and its’s inconceivable we will not sign any players.

There are two sides here. The frustrated and the eternal optimists. I can understand points from both sides.

I don’t want to bore everyone with the same old quotes but suffice to say we were led to believe we had enough money to go and get a few players in early doors. It’s August with less than a week to kick off and we’re still waiting!!! All this talk about waiting for the sky cheque to clear (if true) contradicts what we were told as the money isn’t received until August and if this is what the board intended to use as a transfer budget we have been blatantly lied to as August isn’t "getting them in early"

On the other side you have people saying trust the manager, players will be signed, we bid for Naughton so we must have some cash etc etc. I agree that players will be brought in and I do trust Moyes to make the right signings.

This is what I keep telling myself. Maybe I’m naieve and mistaken but it will keep me sane until September 1st.

We have money to spend but how much is anybodys guess and I think the players we bring in will depend on their club accepting installments as opposed to cash up front. We don’t look for top players from the top clubs, we look at the best players at clubs from similar or worse positions than ourselves who we hope understand our financial plight and will accept spread payments, and that the player will see us as a progression in his career.

The first player we went for was an English forward thinking right back with obvious potential. A position we all know is imperative we strenghthen. We never signed him because Spurs have more money. It’s a pain in the arse, but it’s done, so we move on.

We spoke to Elm and Senderos and have heard nothing since. Arsenal are umming and arring over the fee apparently and Elm is still undecided.

I think both players will sign, but I think the reason we are still waiting is because DM is waiting on another player, an expensive signing. I honestly believe we will spend the best part of £10 million on one player (I am sober) Once he gets this player a couple of others will quickly follow. Who? Fuck knows. Add to these 3, a loan and a bosman and the squad suddenly looks stronger. Where is the money coming from? Debt. Same as everybody else. Not ideal but it’s our only option at the moment.

Soon we will have a decision on DK and the transfer window will be closed. Hands on hearts, nobody wants the stadium to get the go ahead and the board surely know this. So after last seasons moderate success are they going to spend a paltry couple of million and then tell us to pack our bags for Kirkby? I’d hate to think so.

It’s a massive season ahead on and off the pitch. They’ve let us down and lied to us on more occasions than I care to remember. Let’s hope they do the right thing and give him the money to have a go at taking that final step of winning a trophy and getting our hands on a top 4/ champions league group stage place and the money that comes with it. If not, we might not get a better chance and the best squad we have had in a long time that’s took years to assemble will dissolve quicker than an aspirin!

Alan, I’m pretty sure that Richard wasn’t implying that he has inside information that the Kirkby project will be going ahead.

The fact is though, that whatever our emotional attachments to Goodison, the current facilities are outdated and inadequate. That’s a situation that’s going to take a lot of money to remedy, regardless of whether the club relocate or redevelop. I don’t know whether they are or not, but it would hardly be surprising if the club was setting some money aside for that eventuality.

Richard
I thought the idea behind Kirkby was to generate more revenue to buy players, is that not what its all about ?
Surely you are not suggesting we using the money that would have been used to buy players to fund Kirkby ?

Its all making sense now. Kirkby will be paid for in less than 25 years after that we’ll have an extra FIVE million . . every single season

Dan, I was going off what Hull were offering Michael Owen in the way of wages. They offered more than our wage structure allows. They have also spent more than us on transfers this summer despite finishing 17th and having far less in the way of attendances and season ticket sales.

Aiden, we’ve debated and debated about facilities and ground moves. I don’t really want to get into all that again. I’m just asking whether Dodd knows something the rest of us don’t. If the club are ringfencing money then it would explain why Hull are outspending us this summer. Why do the club then fill our heads with bullshit about bringing players in early when they know full well they’re saving all their money for Kirkby. I still don’t get the logic of having a shit team in a good stadium (although if we go to Kirkby it will be a shit team in a shit stadium). Build a good team and surely the rest will follow. Cracking the top 4 would bring in more revenue for a stadium move and makes us far more attractive to an investor. As far as I know the decision on Kirkby will not be made until November so all profit should be given to Moyes to reinvest in the team.

Fuck me Peter, I got absolutely slated on here last week for suggesting Lescott wanted out! It turns out I was right.

I have mentioned it on at least 4 occasions before — the demise of Everton (if!!! it happens) will be due to the major problem we face with our salary levels compared to the Premiership’s Top 10.

Some work carried out by a Toon supporter last year highlighting Newcastle’s problem with their salary levels researched the Premier League salaries. Interesting reading .

Top Payers
Chelsea - £114m
Man U - £85m
Arsenal - £83m
Liverpool - £69m
Newcastle - £52m
Spurs - £41m
Aston Villa - £39m
Everton - £37m
Man City - £34m
Blackburn - £34m

Not too bad when one looks at the total BUT see below

The real interesting facts -
(i) they listed the Top 70 earners and we have 1 player in that list in 58th place - Joleyn Lescott with a salary of £35k/wk
(ii) Top salary earners for the other Top 10 teams
Chelsea - £115k/wk
Man U - £115k/wk
Arsenal - £75k/wk
Liverpool - £115k/wk
Newcastle - £75k/wk
Spurs - £60k/wk
Aston Villa - £50k/wk
Everton - £35k/wk
Man City - £85k/wk
Blackburn - no player in Top 70


Portsmouth - £50k/wk
West Ham - £75k/wk
Sunderland - £50k/wk
Wigan - £30k/wk

What this tells us is that our excellent team spirit comes from the fact that we have a squad all being paid roughly the same, no prima donna’s being paid fortunes and not contributing. What it also tells us is that the biggest obstacle I believe Moyes is faced is that Top quality Premier League, CL players just wont come to us .

We rely on the born again Sahas, Pienaars , the lesser European players, Arteta, Fellainis and the Championship goodies, Lescott, Jags and hope to hell Moyes turns them into world beaters — which he’s pretty good at doing.

I’m not so sure about those figures Mike... was Owen not on £100k+ at Newcastle?

And I’d be very surprised if Lescott is our top earner... Where exactly did this info come from - I’d question it’s veracity.

Ciaran

I delibrately left Owen out as he was a complete one off — miles ahead of everyone else at Newcastle.

It was from

www.trophy4toon.co.uk/salaries.html

Well, this is really going to mess us up. Had Jagielka not been injured, then I think we could cope better. This REALLY fucks us up now. But why did he wait until 4 days before the start of the season before submitting his request the fucking tosser? He knew of City’s interest all summer. And he knows full well of our centre half situation.

Now it seems we are resigned to having to accept a bid we have already rejected, or we are stuck with a player that doesn’t want to be here. In any case, we have 4 days to find someone to play alongside Yobo. I do agree, we cant play him on Saturday. City hold all the aces now....

And where did this geordie genius get his info from? I’m pretty sure this information isn’t in the public domain.

His disclaimer on the site reads "no responsibility is accepted for inaccuracy."

I’m amazed by the amount of people who thought Lescott wanted to stay and chanted the greedy twat’s name at Goodison last Friday. All along he wanted out otherwise he’d have just said publicly he wanted to stay.

I hope we sell him and put all the money into the Kirkby project!

Ciaran, its not childish to call him a tosser, the decent thing Lescott could have done was to give us another year a la the biggest tosser of them all...Ronaldo.

Now that he has put his request in let him go, how could he possibly do this to the club and the fans knowing full well that we’re so short of cover for his position shows total disregard to all of us. He probably makes himself feel better thinking ’well they have made a stonking great profit on me’ mercenary git. I have no quams about him leaving next year after Moyes has been given the chance to find a replacement, but if he cared about any of the fans who cheered his every touch of the ball the other night he would have given us another year. Get the money Davey and do as you will.

There may be one shining light from this, Everton are a team that when facing a challenge tend to come together even more and this my improve our team spirit, not break it. COYB

People on here keep telling me I’d do the same if I was offered double my salary, so what’s the problem?

My main hope now is Lescott loses his world cup place but at least he’ll be able to spend his money on a nice holiday next summer instead. He’s probably not been able to afford one this year earning only 40K a week.

Can’t believe Im going to say this but I agree with Ciaran.

He’s an employee who wants to make the best for himself and sees City as a way of breaking into the top 4 and being paid bucket loads of cash trying to get there. Everton have bought no-one this summer, even after all the noise coming from BK at the begining of the window. So where’s the ambition. We are in no position to attract or keep our quality players if City come calling..

The only reason he hasn’t submitted a transfer request sooner, is because he’s not entitled to any of the Fee if he makes a request to be sold.
Good luck to him and we should use the money to strenghten with a right sided player and another right back.

I can’t honestly agree with Ciaran and Liam that its DM & the clubs fault for all of this.

He’s simply chasing the money. The club don’t want him to go, otherwise we’d be reading about Everton "reluctantly accepting Lescott’s request" on the OS.

I think even the most ardent supporters will concede that our finances are somewhat mysterious. Burt I don’t think it’s difficult to work out why our debt appears to be increasing.

When all’s said & done our income is way less than many of our competitors. If we were left to rely on income outside of Sky then we’d be dead. Our attendances are 9th or 10th highest, our season tickets and admission prices are roughly the same, at best, our match-day spend is low and there’s no waiting list for anything at Goodison.

What we have done in recent years is consolidate the gems that we do have (Arteta, Lescott, Howard, Neville, etc) on longer and more lucrative contracts. This has pushed our financial resources to the brink.

The reality os there’s a food chain. Decades back we used to live near the front of it. Not any more. Perversely the biggest challenge for a club like Everton, who excel in taking players with potential or something to prove and adding great value to them, is that every player who develops really well becomes an instant target for clubs with more cash to spare.

Arsenal and Man Utd are the only wealthy clubs in the EPL that operate as businesses. Chelsea, City and Villa all receive benefits from owners that override their "real" income. Personally I think this should be outlawed in the interests of sport and spectators. Clearly fans of clubs with spare cash may disagree.

But hard as it is to swallow, we are now merely a middle-sized football club, and one with legacy debt stretching back many years, and therefore at te mercy of those further up the food/gravy/money chain.

It’s deeply sad that Lescott has handed in a written request at this point, after Kenwright made it clear he is not for sale. This puts Everton in a dreadful position. I’d hoped he might knuckle down and crack on, but in truth I don’t blame him. FAct is Mark Hughes is pulling Lescott’s strings as can easily be seen from his most recent comments, "we’ll see" etc. He clearly doesn’t give a fuck that Everton’s chairman read the riot act to City last week.

City are grotesque. They represent the obscene one-track philosophy that has insidiously eaten away at our sport for years now. I hope they eat themselves and vomit on the consequences.

As for Lescott, if it were left to me I’d tell City it will take £30m, but already line up a deal for Michael Turner at Hull for £8 - 10m. Then use the rest to get Moutinho or Defour for about £15m and another good squad player for £5m.

Shit happens, we move on.

I don’t think it’s just about the money Duncan, as they are building up a very useful squad over there. If they are not challenging in the run up to Xmas, Hughes will be gone and a big name will be installed, who will probably spend as much again over that window.
The question Lescott should be asking is, will he stay in the team if he has a few dodgy games like he did for us last season. I doubt it and Capello may look elsewhere.
Now that would be an irony.

Comparing us with Hull is just plain daft. They are a desperate club with a very odd manager who will need to pay big wages to get anyone half decent to come and play for them. And the point is, they will face relegation unless they spend big. And a drop from the Premier League is financially calamatous.

Our need is very different. We want to break into the top four next season. If we don’t there is no immediate financial penalty, as we have a wage structure designed for lower finishes. Consequently, the club would need to break its wage structure to bring in players of CL quality, and we know the owners of the club will not take the risk. Yes, it represents a lack of ambition. But it is a lack of ambition borne out by the absence of investment from the club’s owners.

Is anyone really serious about Stephen Hunt? When people were raving about him in January I watched a couple of games and he reminded me of a head-less chicken. He may be a marginal improvement over Ossie but he is not anywhere in the same league as Arteta, Pienaar and Fellaini. So Hull are welcome to him.

Some people may disagree, and think its fine for our players to submit a transfer request 4 days before the start of a season, and leave us in shit street.

I expect any player that plays for our club to show some respect to the fans at least. You know, those people that pay his wages. I don’t for one second think that Moyes is making him stay just to be a control freak. The simple fact is, we have only one other fit centre half. To leave us in this situation considering it was this club that made him the star he is, makes him a tosser in my book. I couldnt give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks. I care about Everton, and Everton players who respect and feel honoured to play for this club.

"I can’t honestly agree with Ciaran and Liam that its DM & the clubs fault for all of this."
----------------------------------

Duncan,

That’s not even close to what I said.

I’d have to agree in part with Dan Brierley. To leave it til so close to the start of the season is just plain disrespectful to the club, the manager, the fans and his fellow players.... some of whom I was under the impression were his ’bezzie mates’! (Going off some of the "Blues Brothers" interviews in last season’s matchday programs it seems Lescott, Baines, Ossie & Jags were inseparable). The arguments about money and ambition I can totally understand but if he was adamant he wanted to leave then he could have force the issue sooner and given the club time to replace him then at least we wouldn’t be left in the proverbial shit with one fit centre back for the opening game.

Ok Ciaran your right Lescot is merely an employee, but why should he be different from anyone else who switches jobs.
If you opt for the better wages, one of the prices you pay is the company you have left in the lurch will probably call you a disloyal tosser.


If Lescot is merely an employer then he shouldnt be excempt from the usual flack aimed at ship jumpers.
It may occasionally break his concentration when he counts his wages . . .but I’m sure he’ll soldier on

Amit, I’m not comparing us with Hull, I’m making the point that they are able to offer more wages and have spent more than us. That doesn’t add up does it? The team that finishes 17th has more money to spend than the team placed 5th and reached the cup final.

Kirwin, you’re right, this whole Lescott transfer is so fucking depressing. Again, it just highlights how ruined football is when our top player puts in a transfer request to go to Man City. Man City used to be the grave yard club where all our old players went once we’d had their best years.

Dave,

Would that same company have the right to call him a ’disloyal tosser’ if they were undervaluing and underpaying him - according to the market conditions?

Effectively Lescott’s worth is now beyond what we can afford to pay him. That’s the bottom line...People can call him a tosser all they like for merely looking to exercise his options- it’s their prerogative - it’s also my prerogative to state how childish it is...it’s is akin to spitting one’s dummy out of the proverbial pram.

On a lighter note...I’d also like to know how many people have been called a ’disloyal tosser’ by former employers!

Man City is the only club that has made any major additions to their squad. Man U and Liverpool signed players to replace the ones who left, Chelsea and Spurs made a couple of new players; Arsenal lost players... the smaller clubs signed a handful of unknowns.

So what’s the depression about?

Ciaran - "Effectively LescottÕs worth is now beyond what we can afford to pay him"

That defines the problem herein. If Man City didn’t have Goldfinger behind the scenes underwriting everything, as opposed to living within their means like Man Utd, Arsenal etc, then chances are this whole episode may not have happened.

Sure, there will always be a food chain, but situations like the one at City are a grotesque distortion of everything. It’s Harlem Globetrotters. I may be old fashioned in this sense, but I yearn for some semblance of a level playing field where clubs have to operate within sensible (and sporting) limits.

The level of greed within football is killing the game as a competitive sport. To quantify that, look in Germany where they have the biggest attendances of all major leagues, often averaging over 50,000 per weekend, and where in the past 2 seasons 7 different teams have filled the top 4 places. OK, they’re not doing much in the CL at present, but their football is exciting & the fans have voted where it counts.

I have no time for the greed & hypocrisy that runs our game. That’s why I prefer new rules in the interests of the game, rather than simply a billionaire for Everton. Maybe I can’t beat them, but I have no desire whatsoever to join them.

That said, our strategy now should be exactly as you outlined. Get bids in & accepted for a new CB and RB, RM. One assumes, and hopes, that Messrs Moyes, Kenwroght and Elstone do not have all eggs in one basket and plan B is gathering pace behind scenes.

I think the timing is purely down to Moyes personally. If you were Lescott and had very little emotional attachment to the club other than a certain amount of gratitude to the manager and loyalty to your team mates (supporters are a long way down the list), you would try and do what the agent has no doubt told him to and play the system.

Lescott and his agent were never going to stay put and they have been keeping quiet in the hope of Moyes caving in and thus keeping their signing on fee/loyalty bonus etc. Moyes has been stubborn so in the end Lescott and his agent have thought ’stuff it’ we will have to force the issue and forgoe the extra dosh.

Moyes could have made life slightly easier for himself and let him go for £20-25mill and given him more time to find a replacement. Instead hes gonna either have a pissed off player on his hands (remember how shit lescott was when he was forced to play left back last season) and we will probably end up buying Davie Wier back as a stop gap.

Despite all the badge kissing and clenched fists, footballers dont give a toss about the clubs they play for and I dont know why anyone is surprised at the situation. A club as deep in debt as Everton is cannot hope to keep decent players because we simply cannot afford the wages.

Does anybody really beleive that when Lescott leaves we’ll get all the money to spend on players ?
We need 4 players bringing in if Lescott goes.
2 CB’s, 1 Central midfielder & 1 right midfielder.
I expect 1 possibly 2 if Moyes can be bothered to do more than 1 deal at a time.
BK and the board have failed the fans once again. If we dont sign anybody of significance this will be my last year as a season ticket holder, i certainly wont be taking up the early bird offer next season.

I cant accept JL isnt getting paid what he’s worth, it seems only yesterday that he couldnt get his contract signed quick enough, he certainly believed he was getting a good deal then, so what has happened ? is he suddenly twice the player ? of course not . . and if he was so underpaid how comes nobody else came along and offered him more ?

City havent just altered the dynamics of the league they have created a new one, one in which only they can operate, its the Lescots and the Toure’s today, but if that doesnt work, it will be the Ferdinands and the Gerrards tomorrow

I’m desperately unhappy with the financial situation at Everton, but to my mind our club is completely blameless here,

A kirwin is rig . . is righ . .is corre. . .
Alan Kirwin isnt wrong this time, what Lescot is worth and what City are prepared to pay are two entirely different things

Disloyal Tosser stories LOL

I once told my boss - a notorious hard man -I was going to work for a rival company.
He completely lost it, and made a lunge for me, I ran out and jumped on me bike and thought I’d got away, but the bastard had given chase, he caught me by surprise on Stanley Rd at Bank Hall station, he decided me and the bike were going over the fucken wall, luckily enough I got free but he still threw my bike over, he was gasping for air but still seething "you ungrateful little bastard" he growled.
What seemed like about 10 minutes later we heard the bike smash to the floor. I took off like a bat out of hell

He came around to me Mams house about a week later, but I was out, he left me a new - newer - bike, and the wages he owed me.

Wonder if the current employment laws cover that sort of thing ?

Lescot doesnt know he’s born

Dave,

It may be a cliche, but it’s also a truism...Lescott is worth what someone’s prepared to pay for him at any given time. I don’t think that can be disputed.


Great story though....should’ve sent him a letter instead.

Ciaran

These Arabs no nothing about football , they would have paid 1/4 of a million quid a week for J Terry, does that mean he is worth that ?
And what if that deal went through, but in two months time, Terry decided he was unhappy and asked to move on , will he still be worth 1/4 of a mill a week ? he would be very lucky to get the 100 grand a week
His value will have doubled and then halved again in the space of 2 months.

City are playing Monopoly, I cant agree the amount of money they are prepared to pay a player represents his "true worth"

Dave,

I agree with the point you’re making - that prices are clearly inflated for certain targets....but at the end of the day that’s still the price they’re willing to pay..

And I think you misunderstood me, if yu think I blame the club or all this...the only ones to blame for initiating this saga are city...

However, I’m simply of the opinion that we could have acquitted ourselves better...and I’m also worried that Moyes is going to dig his heels in our this - which could be completely counterproductive. The time for principles was over as soon as he handed in that transfer request.

Yep

I’ve said on another thread that I think Moyes has painted himself into a corner here.
It would be interesting to get the facts here. Did he hand in his request yesterday ?. If he handed it in before then, why have the club chosen to make it public now ?

Incredible

Birmingham City are in the process of being taken over by a Hong Kong consortium. Come on, Kenwright, there is investment out there... why are they not looking at us even if they are not suitable why not tell us, a bit more openness would go a long way in keeping us all happy.

We need investment so how come these money people aren't interested in EFC. It's getting very close to D-Day for you and your board BK, if you want to keep the little support you have, you need to start being a lot more open and honest with the people who love our club as much as you say you do. Not that BK or any one from the club will read this or even care if they do.