The Mail Bag
Yak 'agrees' to sign for the Hammers
Comments (73)
I know it's only a journo's article but it does seem to be gathering pace and Yak is one of those players who divides opinion so, as an alternative to Pienaar bashing and Tater speculation, what is our opinion of potential departure for the Yak?
For what it's worth, I believe he is one of the most natural goalscorers we've seen since Latchford, I hate the potential disruption to the squad and our strikers are asked to do a very lonely job.
On the other hand, he had a very serious injury and may not ever recover his best form and the money generated could maybe buy us a younger more lively forward.
Jay Harris, Posted 26/05/2010 at 15:15:14
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I imagine its just hack nonsense anyway. If we were to sell, we'd need £10M+ to get any kind of decent replacement, and I can't see many clubs offering more than £6M or £7M.
I think we should definitely give him a full pre-season and see him back on the goal trail 2010-11. At the top of his game there's not many strikers can match him imo.
COYBs
If we can get a good price for him, we should bite the hand off whoever is offering!! He's never going to be the same player after his injury. I'll have that he wasn't match fit but what was the reason for being so pyhsically unfit??? He was meant to be training since August yet, by the end of the season, was still overweight and out of shape.
We'd be mad to keep him if we can get a decent price.
Anyway, who are we going to replace him with with the money we are likely to get?
I think though unless Moyes has a good replacement lined up, we should keep the Yak for one more year and see how he goes after a full pre-season.
Despite this, I would keep him.
The Yak is Hex(28)
That's what's caused the confusion.
Everyone does understand what a blown Achilles tendon is right? When I came on as a fan and saw him running around like he was, I was shocked to find out he'd suffered that injury. I mean shocked! In the states, that injury means, "So, what are you doing with the rest of your life now that your athletic career is over".
Keep him. He'll start putting it back in the net. This is a big season coming up. I'm not understanding this willingness to break up the team. We're heading up the top of the Table this season and need Yak.
I think we need to keep freshening the team up. I would be amazed that after next season we will be offered anything close to the £7M being touted around.
What am I saying? It's no doubt just another bit of dreadful journalism from a rubbish website.
I used to enjoy summer speculation.
We would be better off with somebody who can hold the ball up and bring the attacking midfielders into the game. Sadly that's not Yak's game, he's been tried with it time and time again. I would let him go if we receive a good offer for him and if Moyes can bring in a target man for the right price.
(1) the manager doesn’t think Yak can cut it any more; and/or
(2) the player’s head has been turned by the prospects somewhere else (Yak has never been a long stay inmate anywhere); and/or
(3) the potential transfer fee is of a size that it represents a good deal for Everton given what else we could get for the money.
I think we should trust the manager on this one.
In such circumstsnces our pre-season once again could decend into total chaos if we are not careful and i'm sure non of us want to go thro another silly season like the last one!
I don't think he'll lose the knack for scoring, even after such a major injury. He was never the quickest anyway, so it shouldn't have a massive impact on his game if he loses a bit of pace.
With Everton's record in signing strikers, we'd be nuts to let a player go who has proven himself capable of scoring in our team.
We need to learn from Gary Lineker's 40 goals in a season and finishing 2nd but then winning the league without him and the rest of the team chipping in.
I'd keep the Yak for another season and see if he regains top form and look to move him on next summer if he doesn't.
Does this make sense?? Fundamentally, he has a good initial burst but just isn't fit enough to carry a full game, and particularly when you consider the wages that he's on. Let him go, let's move on....
I don't think DM's fondness for 5-4-1 helps either. Let's give him a chance for goodness sake.
Mucha
Scharner
Baines
Upson
Ogbonna
Marin
Moutinho
Veloso
Petrov
Keane
Beckford
Great this daily fix of speculation. Yakubu looked 48 against Hull away.
The trouble with "wait and see" is that if our manager already knows that we won't be getting the old Yak back, then in a year Yak'll be worth about as much as Tom Hicks' Texas Rangers (had to get that sad story in somehow.)
You say the Yak is too old (27) and suggest replacing him with Bell-end-amy, who is 30?
Hmmm
Natural goalscorer and although he looked like a Pub player till about March last season, he scored enough goals towards the end to suggest he is not a spent force yet.
Would £7m get us a decent replacement?
I would give him away just to free up the wage bill and not have that embarrassment turning out in a blue shirt again.
The Yak is a proven goalscorer, simple as. If our style of play doesn't suit him, we need to find a way to accommodate him. I personally don't want another Marcus Bent or Andy Johnson. I think it's down to Moyes to find a way to accommodate a striker, and take a step backwards by encouraging the long ball by signing a striker willing to run all day long.
It's a fact he was way off any level of fitness since his return from injury. Moyes was not happy with the fact he came back heavier than he went away from the African Nations Cup. His total lack of mobility on the pitch proved this; it's far more to do with his lack of fitness than his torn calf as to why he didn't look good enough.
Unfortunately I believe that he will go. I say unfortunately because £7 million will not buy a replacement. He seems the type of player who runs his course at a club and maybe his time is done here.
Also, this whole 20 goals in a season pisses me off. It wasn't 20 Premier League goals. He scored against some woeful European opposition that season. Even I could have scored against that Norweigen outfit in the game he scored a hat-trick.
£7 million is an unbelievable deal for us, we should bite their hands off.
I remember the season he got 20 goals, there was talk of Chelsea's interest. I don't expect him to run his heart out as that's not his game, he is a player you want in the box when need be.
I think he will go for two reasons:
1) Moyes doesn't think he will recapture his previous form;
2) The continuing worry about his age is a major factor.
Remember ,when saying you cant buy a replacement for £7 million.....
1) Loans
2) Rejuvanating somebody's promising career, ie Arteta, Pienaar...
3) Good scouting — Championship players, unknown players that only Moyes will know about... ie not us fans who think we know everything.
Moyes is the one who sees him everyday on the training pitch, not us 'knowledgeable' fans. If he's not cutting it on the park then there's reasons for this because he is A PROVEN PREMIER LEAGUE QUALITY striker.
IN MOYES 'I' TRUST
We are not in a position to purchase a replacement and there`s no guarantee Saha will play often enough, so it's Rabbit out of the Hat time again...
I`d like to see us take a punt on Charlie Austin, a big strong lad who scores goals and has a first touch that suggests he can make the leap.
Moyes hinted during the season that Yak was less than game-fit because he'd been unable to put the work in, not unwilling. It's just not possible to run all those conditioning miles after this injury. If we sell him, it's because Moyes saw that he would not be able to come all the way back.
As to who should replace him, that's another question altogether. Saha/Anichebe/Vaughan is definitely not a sufficient strike force. I rate Beckford higher than others here, but we'll definitely need to add a quality goalscorer -- whether Yak stays or not.
I believe it is time to sell him. He will get 10-15 goals still, I think he showed that this season. In the small amount of game-time he had, he actually got a few goals, and I think a move at £7 or so million is good for all concerned.
While 10-15 goals is a good return for a team aiming for a mid-table finish, it isn't quite enough for our needs. We need a 20-goal striker; along with the 10 or so goals we will get from Louis we could challenge at the top.
We drew too many games last season, in part due to a leaky defense, but also due to a lack of clinical finishing.
However, we must only sell if we have a replacement lined up. If not, he's worth keeping.
Beckford (if he is indeed an Everton player) will not get more than 10 league goals, and that's if he's a success.
I do think Anichebe will improve, but I see him remaining out wide for a couple of seasons first.
Saha is good for 65 minutes in 25 games, any more and his body can't take it.
Bellamy is an excellent player, and his pace would be welcome. At 30 though, he has no sell-on value... but, as I believe this coming season is our most important in many years, these issues are not important; we need players who can perform at a high level this coming season.
Pavlyuchenko has a decent record considering his lack of game time (this season, a record of 1 in 2), would also be a decent shout.
If Pienaar's off as well, that'd be an instant £18M or so for a replacement.
Huntelaar, Guiseppe Rossi & Podolski are the sorts we should be chasing.
Not Keane, Bellamy & Beckford.
It is wishful thinking that his lack of goals is a temporary blip. "15 Nigerian youth squad members were withdrawn after bone scans revealed they were overage" — would cast some doubt on the true age of any player from that part of the world.
Why Huntelaar, Rossi or Podolski? Because they've got fancy foreign names?
None of these have been particularly fantastic. Huntelaar has been dumped by Real and Milan. With his massive wages, plus the fact he's a bit slow for the Prem, wouldn't he be a bit of an expensive risk?
Podolski has how many goals this season? 2 in 27 games, in a weaker German league. I'd rather not, cheers.
Rossi, while looking talented got 10 goals last season in 43 games. Once again, average at best.
Bellamy isn't prolific either, but his pace is electric and he has been playing out wide for City. If played centrally he would score more.
Exactly, youth players. This does happen, quite often with 'youth' players. An average 25-year-old can be turned into a promising 18-year-old. Agents can then get a fee for a contract. What happens with these players is that they decline, or remain average and the clubs get shot. They do not become Premier League and international quality strikers.
The very reason is that they were average. Why would Yakubu have to wait until he's older to gain a contract, he obviously would have had the ability when he was 18, so no need to lie.
Yakubu is 27.
Personally, I think Yak is a far better goalscorer, but Moyes wants a good link man as his lone striker, and Yak has not done that at all (pre- or post-injury). So, if he is not getting 20+ a season and he is not linking play well, maybe it's time to call it a day and replace him with someone who will provide a similar goal return (7-12) and provide far more assists for our bank of goalscoring midfielders.
If Ossie, Arteta, Bily, Peanuts (or replacement), Felli and Cahill all add two goals each to their totals as a result of having a good link man up top, it is worth sacrificing 8 goals worth of output from the target man???!!!
₤7million doesn't get too far when buying strikers and I wouldn't want to replace him with either of the ex-RS strikers as they're both too old and would be throwing money away as you would get fuck all for them in a season or two.
I would prefer to take a punt on a younger player, as Dave Wilson post 35 suggests, Charlie Austin or someone along those lines who knows how to score, has the attributes needed, and could actually contribute for seasons to come. Surely our scouts must have found someone somewhere they are excited about??!
End of it, Moyes is in the best position to see Yak's condition and to make a decision. He may want to see if his hunger is back at the World Cup before making his decision.
Watch him excel in the WC and cash in.
£7M not going to attract much, and certainly not anyyone seeking top European football... Adrian Mutu's back in October, so I wonder how long until we're linked with him?!
Maybe it's time to give younger players a chance — after all, it's a well known fact nobody wins anything with kids.
Other than knowing that it's a horrendous injury and snippets of what I've read, I really don't know if the Yak can come back, but I think the point about the system is the best reason for parting company, if that's what is going to happen.
Leaves us with the money to spend on a quality winger... No I wouldn't want Kevin Doyle. Good mid-table striker and that's all he is.
I also wouldn't like the idea of someone from lower divisions or someone with potential. We need someone who will deliver now, from Game 1 next season.
IMO this is the season we need to do something. City have their money, Spurs have theirs, Liverpool will eventually get theirs and a good manager. While at Everton, Arteta will be getting older, Cahill older, Fellaini ambitious, Rodwell ambitious.
We need 4th this season, or I feel we will slowly decline and 8th will remain our true position. For that reason, next season we need a striker who will score, I do not care if he doesn't have any sell-on value.
What I would add and we don't talk about enough is what happens if we settle into that 6-8th place team most years. No relegation worries, entertaining, well-managed, yet spinning our wheels. Moyes will leave. Then what?
The owners have to suck it up financially right now, even if it includes raising Pienaar's wages for his final season. We have all these good players. The owners have to take a chance on going for the Trophy. We lift it, money will follow.
We don't? Well then, back to the old sell to buy routine. And start the count-down to the end of the Moyes era. He must be more ambitious than still middle-of-the-pack year 3-4 years from now.
Not to mention all the owners of teams above us who've watched him for years building EFC on a shoestring and wondering why their man needs £100s of millions.
I can't wait til next year just for the fun of it. We're good and have a real shot at the Top. But I also think this off-season's moves will determine the Moyes era at EFC.
He had a terrible injury and is naturally a big boy anyway so won't have had an easy time not ballooning out to 18 stone. A fit Yak is a real bonus for the current Everton team.
That argument really works, as Bellamy is 3 years older than Yak, and has his fair share of injuries with his "McGrath" knees...
I think that, being a club on a budget, we need to realize that we might not be able to keep the Yak.
First question, when did Moyes get a job with the Daily Mail, or does he run his transfer policy past the sports desk first? Is this the paper (just like all the rest of them) that told us that Saha to Arsenal was a done deal, and that all that was missing in the Rodwell to Man U was a picture of him holding up a shirt with his name on it next to Whiskynose?
Of course there's going to be speculation about some of the players but that just shows how good they are... To paraphrase GB Shaw: There's only one thing worse than another team wanting your players, and that's another team not wanting your players.
Right, i'm off to play Football Manager now.
If they agreed that deal, I'd take it in a flash. The only issue is, knowing how West Ham previously paid players, Cole is probably on £70k a week or something ridiculous.
The words 'frying pan' and 'fire' spring to mind...
Let alone throwing Yobo in as well.
I've heard it all now.
In the season Yakubu scored 20 goals he scored less Premier League goals than Saha did last season. If you also remember that Uefa cup run, it was Yakubu's arrogant penalty effort that got us knocked out against Fiorentina. Moyes said himself at the end of the season he needs more quality up front. Moyes must be an arrogant tosser too then.
Do we not realise that there's usually very little truth in ANY of the rumours the British gutter press throw out during close season?
I think some of us have been dragged in and infected by the shite put out by a lot of the rags!
Let's take things with a pinch of salt until you read it on the OS, and more importantly, if WE know how important this close season is for one reason or another, I'm sure David Moyes does too... do we trust him?
I do!
ps: Read a report stating that the Ladyboy has fallen out with the FSW and has always admired Mr Moyes... bid expected any day, which could, with add-ons, rise to £300 over three years.
As regards our failure in the penalty shoot-out, of course that was all down to Yak. He must also have been at fault for the goals that we conceded in the first leg as well.
He is one of 4 players who at the start of the 2009-10 season had "long-term" injuries. In the majority of cases of these types of injuries, I think you will find that players take time to get back to full fitness/performance levels that they were at. Arteta was really the only one of the 4 who was back to his very best form.
You found my previous response a bit harsh... well, if you don't like it then don't dish it out. If you've never rated the guy then at least have the decency to say so. Personally, I have very little time for so-called fans like you — you may not rate Yak, but he has scored goals. Scoring goals is what he was brought to Everton to do; his scoring record is pretty good. Give the bloke some credit.
You remind me of a bloke who used to have a season ticket next to my Dad in the Upper Bullens. He was forever slagging Latchford off. Even when he scored 4 at QPR he said he "He should have scored 10".
If Yak was to score 30 goals next season, you would find some reason to be critical.
You were paraphrasing Oscar Wilde.
Two words....
ANDY GRAY!
And when we got him we were further from the top than we are now, Sheedy and Reid were perennial sick notes.
(In croaky menacing voice)... It is all coming together as I have forseen. The historical imperitive of the 24-year rule will not be denied... ha ha ha HA HA HAHAHAHA
Goes for lie down until august in a darkened room.
[Editor's note: I'm letting a lot go on these idiotic threads arguing about classic silly season nonsense, but this ticks a few unwanted boxes. The stupid fan-as-player thing is one. And the abusive content. Final warning.]
Saha: played 33 scored 13
Yakubu: played 31 scored 15
Get your facts right.
There was a pdf document leaked from West Ham doing the rounds a few weeks back.
Their four top earners are on £70k - Dyer, Parker, Upson and ..... Luis Boa Morte!
Anyway - I don't think he is an improvement on Yakubu. We need someone who can hold the ball up, work hard and score goals. Like Drogba, but at 1/5 the price, less of a cheat and younger!
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1 Posted 26/05/2010 at 15:32:26
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If it happens we'll struggle to replace him for £7mill...Anybody relying on Beckford to do anything will be sadly dissappointed...
With injuries to Saha we could be back to a 6-man midfield in the coming season...