So what are you going to do Charles? Are you going to set up a 'Sons of Shankly' style group or go shouting your mouth off to anyone who'll listen like that tit Jay McKenna at LFC? Or are you going to write angry articles on a website which only Evertonians read?

So many Evertonians write well written and well meaning articles on web sites just like this, but none ever do anything else. I'm no different.

I'll give the Kopites some credit - if someone rides roughshod over their club, they fucking well do something about it. The trouble is, LFC's well documented demise, happened publicly and more importanly, very quickly.

At Everton, we have been slowly rotting from the inside-out, since 1987, perhaps even before that. The supporters have slowly been desensitised and have come to 'expect the worst'. I fear that expecting the worst is now accepting the worst.

Very few of the big money takeovers seem to have worked. Villa have a rich owner but are going nowhere fast, a bit like us. City are an exception and I still find it hard to understand that they were a better bet than EFC to buy, even with that almost for nothing stadium. But even my Kenwright-Moyes loyalty is being tested now which is surprising given I stuck with them throughout the Kirkby mess and got pathetic abuse for so doing.

But now I do see the signs of real problems on the field, a squad meant to be very "together" but simply playing poorly together and being unified about it ain't enough! Moyes got caught out this year and he knows it. His squad has little balance, all defence and midfield with a strike force so poor it's not true. Beckford was a gamble that Moyes now suspects has failed yet you do wonder if there is a chance the lad might come good next year in different circumstances?

As for Moyes, well he's done incredibly well at this club but, after 9 years, I suspect he too feels its time to go, yet where? Utd maybe, he's very like Fergie but with less flair. Arsenal? Possibly, if Wenger ever leaves. Somehow I don't think he's a Chelsea type of manager, but Spurs is a good bet if Harry ends up managing England.

All very depressing and, though not "de-sensitised", I am feeling a bit helpless about what to say about our meandering team and club? I think a panic sale will be disasterous, a la Pompey. And in truth, I'm not impressed by the so-called big money takeovers... but you know what: I think our nightmare is that we are somewhere in-between a big money deal and something more modest ? just enough to give us £20M a year for two, maybe three, players ? yet even that seems a pipe dream...

#1 Charles, things are not right, but I do feel you have exaggerated things to a large degree, mainly due to the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Steady Premier League progress for a number of years, culminating in a first Cup Final for 14 years and tantalisingly close to winning a much sought after trophy came shuddering to a halt when the Sheik-backed Manchester City started flexing their financial muscles.

The Lescott debacle led to last season's poor start, which ultimately led to the 8th place/non-European football qualifying finish. Buoyed by expectations of top 5 greatness or better in the summer, we did everything right ? retained our best players this time round and even signed a lot of them up on long-term deals ? everything right, except the important thing... spending money on new players, quality additions to the squad.

We were happy with what we had; we were good enough,so we thought, and we had reasons to back up this thought process. However, sometimes new faces are needed simply to raise complacent games, and the poor form of his key players was not something Moyes banked on happening ? to be fair, no manager does.

Moyes has made several mistakes this season: stubborn tactics, unflinching undeserved loyalty to certain underperformers, and ultimately not strong enough leadership when it comes to contract rebels/talkative wantawayers. No player, no matter how good he is, should be allowed to leave Everton Football Club for nothing. Not in this day and age, not with Bosman and not with the club having no money at all. Pienaar should have been sold last summer. He should have been given an ultimatum:: "Sign or go, but you're not going on a free." Letting him stay, getting one more year out of him.... that is small-time behaviour. It leaves a cloud of uncertainty over the club for the entire season, and also suggests no long-term planning.

Ultimately, Moyes's woes boil down to a lack of money; money to kick on, money to change things, money to move players on, even to wheel and deal. 'Redknapp money' if you like. City have surpassed; they are gone and we will not be competitive with them again over a season until we get a Sheik of our own.

Spurs have surpassed us; to a lesser degree than City, but clearly they have money. In the wider context of things, Liverpool have dropped down to our level, and the Randy Lerner-backed Aston Villa are arguably worse off than we are, in total disarray. You may say, "We only care about Everton, not other clubs!" but it is important to place our situation into a wider context.

Our biggest problem remains Bill Kenwright's inability to generate funds for the manager. End of story. Why creative thinking has not come into place... why a share rights issue, for example, has not been suggested to bring in more money? Why build a new megastore/museum/cafe on the Park End site (of which work started today, December 29th, spade/digger in the ground and everything) when an extension to the Park End Stand and another tier, boosting capacity, would have been more ambitious and raised more money in the long run?

We need to stop sitting on our hands and waiting. Waiting for the billionaire saviour to arrive. Waiting for others to falter. Waiting for third-party assistance. We need to be proactive and think outside the box. Things aren't totally bleak. On the field, across the board, this has been a strange old season for many clubs. Solutions are out there, but Moyes and particularly Kenwright need to change their way of thinking from the past few years and that is a hard thing to see happening at the moment.

I agree that the side Moyes picked last night was very very defensive and again his selection of no strikers to play with Cahill until The "I couldn't give a fuck" Yak came on is baffling to say the least.

Arteta was completley outclassed by Parker, and it's little wonder we are where we are playing like this. Simply awful stuff to watch and players heads are down.

The buck stops with Moyes for team selection, and Kenwright should stop the bullshit and tell us the fans the full story, which I suspect will have a lot to do with that arsehole P Green.

We the fans do need to show our anger at this situation at Goodison and leave manager and chairman in no doubt that a "change is going to come".

Another over reaction. Any meaningful response to this has been said a million times before.

Bottom line, last night was far too negative, and the blame for that lies squarely at the feet of David Moyes and his decisions. It doesn't really go beyond that, other than that Moyes is beginning to regress as a manager having looked capable of producing a team to play good attacking football at times over the last two years.

A new manager would give most fans the illusion that all that is wrong at Everton is the management of the team.

While Kenwright and the backroom beauts like Elstone and Bowen are there, we'll always be going nowhere.

One more thing I neglected to mention.

Regarding last night's team selection ? if David Moyes benched all 3 strikers last night because he clearly didn't think they were good enough/in-form enough to make a difference (and ignoring any claptrap about it being tactical), and in the next breath he's saying he has no money to spend in January, then why on earth doesn't he just bite the bullet and SELL ONE OR MORE of them in January?

They aren't prized scared commodities. There wouldn't be any fan anger if they went. Sell one or more, get what you can, wheel and deal and shake things up. Take a chance for once, Davey. It certainly can't be any worse than the alternative of doing nothing.

Mark ? do you really think that Spurs, United or Arsenal ? three teams who play free-flowing football, where their aim is to go out and try to win games from the off ? are going to employ a negative manager like Moyes?

Moyes for Spurs makes me laugh. At any other club he would have been sacked years ago.

Mark Wilson @ 2

You must be out of your mind of you think Moyes would have a chance of a job at Man U or Arsenal, or I suspect Spurs even... Jesus, if I was fan of those clubs, I would be praying that this couldn't happen, but they need not worry... because it won't!

To a manager that has won sweet FA ? when he leaves, it will be Celtic... just wait and see.

OTT... but I must partly agree that we are becoming as flat as an out-of-date pint of mild... we do not seem to have any real inspiration and some of the players look as if they are not enjoying their game.

There is nothing to inspire excitement or anticipation and I for one am losing interest. I played football semi-pro for Southport and Buxton and gladly paid my admission fee to watch players who could do things that I couldn't...

BUT, I watched a very poor set of players on both sides who lacked ball control making very elementary mistakes, having no cohesion or real ambition, passing sideways and backwards just to keep possession with no attacking intent at all. No one seems to want to dribble with the ball except Pienaar. What happened to Arteta???

No-one took on the West Ham full backs ? just watch the running off the ball (there is none). I will not just blame Moyes, the players do play tactically BUT... if they cannot trap a ball or pass, that is not Moyes's fault.

I totally agree with everything you've said, Charles, just who is running our Club, who is actually on the board? Do they meet regularly? What is their ongoing strategy to move the Club on to the next level?

At our home games there are a lot of suits with their partners and family enjoying executive hospitality and the best seats in the Main Stand but who are these people and what if anything do they contribute to the coffers of EFC? Are they receiving executive pay? If so, for what? Just who is taking what out of the Club and what wages are they getting paid?

It's just not good enough to say that no-one has come in with any offers to take over ? that is no excuse for such inertia. The fans, in my opinion ,are starting to become totally dissillusioned with the Club and apathy is setting in. This season has got to be a watershed, it's time for a change from top to bottom, it'll be painful but we must cull board members, coaching staff and players and turn the Club in a totally new direction or face oblivion.

I would like to see the Club run on the Dutch model with technically gifted players rather than the mundane rigid Moyes model; the game has moved on since Moyes dragged us from the bottom half of the table; players and team shape need to be more flexible and fluid; pace is a must... So, in my opinion, we must change or die.

Happy New Year... I don't think so!

Before Moyes came, we were finishing in 16th, 15th, 14th position every season, so he has done a good job but, as has been posted before, it's gone stale. Moyes needs to wheel and deal. Last night, the game was there for the taking but Moyes was too cautious. People were calling for Yak to play but he couldn't be arsed. We need to bite the bullett ? Yak, Saha & Heitinga must go to generate some funds.

Just replacing Moyes wouldn't solve the problem. The whole Club is rotten from the very top down: Bullshit Bill, Scarlett Pimpernel Woods, Don't Pay Tax Green, Casino Earl, Gobshite Ross and Going Backward Moyes... we need rid of the lot of them!

A once proud club is a bankrupt poorly run joke ? and it's happened before our very eyes! How very, very sad...

Well said Oliver Molloy,
but you should do something about that terrible stutter!

Good article. Evertonians are good at being furious. I hope the spark is imminent.

Leeds, Newcastle etc are not justifiable comparisons. There's nothing to be scared of, now.

I agree with David Holdroyd (15): If we haven't got any money (and that's a whole debate on its own) then we need our manager to be able to sell players on ? even ones he may want to keep ? and wheel and deal in the transfer market to freshen things up.

A club in our financial position simply cannot afford passengers and two of our more saleable assets, Bily and Heitinga, should be sold so we can buy players in other areas. If we can pick up fees for the likes of Saha, Yak and Anichebe, then let's do so.

I also believe it's been a mistake to let Pienaar leave for nothing if that happens ? we should have sold him on as soon as he rejected our best offer. Moyes has got to move away from his 'I can live with little or no money to spend as long as I don't have to sell' approach. It sounded laudible once but it has actually now left us with a woefully imbalanced squad and we are now just standing still as a team and club.

Bowen???

I had to look that one up. Alan Bowen: Head of Stadium Operations... Hmmm ? not keen on lagging pipes, perhaps?

Here's a full list of Business Contacts at Everton Football Club.

Ian Ross: Conspicuous by his absence from that list...

It's only going to get worse because that lying shithouse cunt of a chairman would rather us get relegated than give up control of EFC. It's his trainset and we will never let go.

I despise Kenwright and wish he would just fuck off.

The day he leaves EFC will be one of the best days of our history.

#19 Michael - I think he meant Mark ROWAN (Head of Media & Communications at the club).

http://www.evertonfc.com/club/club-directors.html

Clearly many Evertonians are not happy. Worried more like it. I can imagine the discussions last night in pubs and living rooms, via txt and email and telephone conversations across the globe. Many come on to TW; less actually post comments; and some suggest what to do about this situation we find ourselves in.

I get the feeling we are heading for monumental changes at EFC, depending on results of course, as this is the business we're in.

If we go on a great run, I bet all will be forgiven, but 1 point from the next 6 will not lead to a comfortable start to the year for those responsible for the current custodianship of EFC on and off the pitch.

Is there anything a global fanbase can do about it? Or can we not be arsed any more?

That list of business contacts must be nonsense ? apparently we have 4 people in a marketing team.

#22 I think you're right Tony, and the only thing I can foresee if this continues is Moyes jacking it in.

That will spell doom for our club; we will be picking up the pieces 10 years from now if that happens.

Never has the adage 'Be careful what you wish for...' been more appropriate.

Unfortunately, unless we make as much noise about our 'owners' and Manager as the RS did about their owners, we will talk about this until the cows come home and fuck all will happen.

We never see that useless twat of a chairman unless he can get some milage out of it, like the Cup FInal (I almost puked watching him on telly).

Both BK and DM have done their job; if either of them really loves the club, they should sod off now... but they won't. It's very, very depressing.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlWZZSD4irM&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Sent from my iPhone. We are ants. Puny little ants, ineffective alone, but cannot be ignored if acting as one - Evertonians!

So Simon (#24) are we all to just shut the fuck up, just in case it upsets Moyes, and he decides to jack in?

This excuse for a board at our club are fucking useless. They offer nothing to this club. And that includes the self-styled "world's greatest Evertonian" Bungling Billy Bullshit.

We need to clear the lot of them out. It's a joke some fans still defend Kenwright.

Also that beaut Ian Ross needs to collect his P45 for that disgusting comment about the anti-Kirkby Blues the other day. How this waste of a wage can link a postponement with the most disgraceful episode in the club's long history is beyond belief.

I have to disagree with Trevor Lynes who complained that nobody took on the West Ham full backs.

Seamus Coleman went for it every time he could. I watched the game from a West Ham corporate seat ( don't ask! ) and after the game in the 66 Lounge a certain George Cohen, right back in England's world cup winning team, was raving about Coleman and how he was always prepared to run straight at the West Ham defence.

That said, I also have to concur with the general view that we were far too weak willed in front of goal and that Moyes baffles me with many of his decisions.

However, I don't believe the problems lie in away games ( most Clubs would be delighted being unbeaten away for 4 months and taking 4 points from trips to Man City and West Ham ), BUT AT GOODISON WHERE OUR RECORD THIS SEASON HAS BEEN A DISGRACE.

That is what needs sorting out and fast.

Ste Traverse

EFC is a business. A business that does not have vast reserves of cash. A business surviving from hand to mouth, from week to week. A postponed game markedly reduces last week's income, perhaps by just enough to make paying the players' wages difficult.

As for the most disgraceful episode in the club's history... bollocks! That was selling Alan Ball. DK was an attempt to provide the club with the new stadium it surely needs. Just because you didn't like it doesn't make it disgraceful.

Grow up.

You're the one that needs to grow up, Mr Roberts.

DK was a total disaster waiting to happen from the start,and was shown up for what it was at the public inquiry... a complete SHAM.

Dave, please do not suggest that dk ws the long term answer to the problems facing EFC. Please don't.

Over reaction. Again. Snooze. A point away to West Ham is hardly the apocolypse.

Sam, ever heard of all the bits of straw landing on the camels back before the final one finally broke it?we all hope it never comes to this, but only by seeing what could happen will it be avoided. Don't forget who we are playing last game of this season. Gasp!!!!!

Over the top. Have people had their memories surgically removed. Its a thin line between success and failure. We're the wrong side of it, but we're just a decent striker away from being a premier force again.

The problem is Kenwright/lack of money, not Moyes.

#26 Brian - No, but target the right people, who are to blame the most.

Moyes isn't the one stopping Everton from being 'a force'. I'll leave you to decide who is ultimately to blame.

Tony, if it even comes down to the last day of the season then I will be the first one over-reacting!!

As it is, we reach the half-way stage around mid-table and I still firmly believe we will be heading upwards rather than down.

Karl ? I agree fully with your comments about our home form... but I have said for quite a while that our tactics are honed for playing away... We are much better when we are spoiling and strangling opposition than we are when we are expected to attack them.

We are expected to take the initiative at home and really we do not look comfortable as generally our play lacks real guile and is one dimensional and predictable. When we are away from home we can break and scramble goals then shut up shop !! When did we last win by three clear goals in a Premier League match???

The only consolation at the moment is that Liverpool are more clueless than we are after watching Wolves beat them at Anfield.....I must admit though that Wolves do not play like relegation candidates...

Like I've said here before, I agree that Moyes is past sell-by date but one should not press for his sacking, because he's not the main culprit and his sacking would only let you-know-who off the hook.

Even though, as I've also stated here, I am sceptical of any take-over from Arabs, Russians or Yanks, I just can't believe that no good offers from credible people have ever been made to BK. Not when even clubs like Derby , Blackburn and Birmingham have found new owners.

I'm all for sacking Kenwright but how is it his fault how the team sets up? Why is it Bill's fault we play so defensively? Does he select the team? Does he select the 4-6-0 formation? Does he leave three strikers on the bench?

Kenwright has his failings which are slowly ruining our club but our current plight is down to one man alone: Moyes.

One decent striker from being a Premiership force again? When have we ever been a Premiership force?

Something else which has'nt been referred to in this saga is the fact that the Premiership has changed markedly this season and it has changed to a model which I suspect all of us would prefer. It's no longer a case of Sky 4 + the Also Rans. It now consists of 3 or 4 teams who regularly have bad runs of form interspersed with exhilarating displays and about 12/13 others who achieve surprise results occasionally and the usual 2/3 suspects who you just feel are merely biding their time before they slip into the Championship. Things are more equal though not entirely and the odd few million quid here and there can make a great deal of difference. The tragedy is that had we started this season as we finished last season we might easily have been one of that magic 3 or 4 leading clubs. Surely everything we see that is wrong cannot be missed by DM and at least some of the coaching staff ?

Spot on Charles! What annoys me is Moyes always goes on about how we are a top four team and have all this quality. So then why on earth does he play so negatively, no strikers against West Ham? If we're as good as he says then why not go and attack teams from the off like all other good teams do?

It's the same old crap game after game. I read it like a book against West Ham, we will go 1-0 down or be drawing and then he will wait and bring a striker on at the end and then finally go 2 upfront when it's too late (bringing Beckford on with a minute to go). We've seen it so many times, look at the majority of our draws this season and it's been a matter of running out of time.

Funnily enough, when we do go attacking at the end of games, we have more shots, chances and look more likely to score than for the rest of the whole game. Maybe Moyes should try being positive, it's unbelievable that he's still in a job after continually poor tactics and results.