As for Hibbert, that guy gets critisized more than anyone else. He can't cross the ball that well. Really? A defender not being great at attacking? IMAGINE THAT! Hibbert is another player that will put in a hard shift for the benefit of the team. He'll always get up, dust himself off and try again. I've never once seen his head go down.

Loyalty is a two-way street. Thanks Davey for showing some loyalty to the water-carriers and thanks lads for showing that you believe in the club. You should both wear 'once a blue...' T-shirts when you next play Manure at the Old Lady.

When I think of people like Sandy Brown and Kevin Richardson the club needs and has benefited from loyal squad players who will play where the manager wants them and do their best, who don't hold the club to ransom every few years at contract time. I for one am glad that Leon and Hibbert have commited their futures to the club and they are a credit for doing so. Pienaar on the other hand is a mercenary.

First one. While this discussion is not about Bill, for all his faults I would take him any day over the Glaziers, Hicks, Gilette and the all the other morons who have wrecked West Ham, Portsmouth, Leeds etc.

Second point, "fan and love Everton" you generally get a pass to be shit at your job ? is not only an insult to current players Howard, Baines, Jags, Neville and Cahill who have all expressed affection and shown loyalty to the club, but to former greats like Bally, Labone, Sharp, Big Dunc etc who were fans and loved the club but were not SHIT at their jobs.

Also delighted that Hibbert is staying, he is also a fan.

Oh no, though ? everyone would rather see Marouane "I've played a handful of good games in my entire Everton career" Fellaini. All his passionless lacklustre displays are forgotten in a second because everyone has some delusion that one spin on Bellamy makes him world class. He marked Gerrard out of one game one time that wasn't even for us.

Osman has good games and tries harder (and usually plays better) than most players yet him and Hibbert are always the first criticized. After Heitinga's atrocious display against Spurs, Osman should be back in the line-up in centre mid. We would pass teams off the park that way.

Everyone conveniently seems to have forgotten Fiorentina, Arsenal away, Man Utd at home when Osman was sensational in centre mid. No coincidence that these are some of our best recent wins. How about a compilation of Osman's goals compared to a compilation of Heitinga and Fellaini's, there would be no comparison. But yes lets let a true blue who will actually nails his colours to the mast, let's let him go and not give him a new deal just because the newspapers aren't all over him.

[Editor's Note: There's a problem with some of the messages below that I can't fix, and it's blocking subsequent comments from showing up on this thread, so I am closing this thread to any further comments until we can fix the problem. ]