The fact that your question is hypothetical is the very nub of the issue, though. Rapid or wholesale change to a team is only an option with money or an unusually prolific youth system. Everton have neither.

We've produced some good players from the Academy in recent years but not enough to supply all areas of the pitch and cash is as tight as it has ever been.

Newcastle were able to be bold because — though they didn't know it at the time — they hit the jackpot with the £35m sale of Andy Carroll. That was enough to bring in both Demba Ba and Papisse Cisse and add Yohan Cabaye which, rather than big changes, proved to be the targeted additions they needed to get into the top five.

Again, the "same faces" in the Everton side are there through necessity and, like Moyes himself, have provided a level of consistency and reliability that has kept us in the top half of the table for years on end now.

We have two options: emulate Newcastle and sell one of our crown jewels like Fellaini or Baines for big money and rebuild parts of the team that way; or usher in the rapid, bold change we really need at Board level.

I know which is both easier and more likely, though...

The squad age needs dropping,we lack players in key areas and we're in debt.We have no option but to competely change the squad over the next few season.

Bring the squad age down,reduce the wages bill,reduce the debt while somehow staying competitive.

How would anyone feel if we had brought in Brendan Rodgers? I like and admire him but I think he has made a huge mistake.

It's been said a thousand and one ways, if Moyes stays much longer, he HAS to send a few of his favourites out to either start coaching, or finish up in lower, further away leagues. It's kind of a damning point that of Moyes' "big four" favourites (Neville, Cahill, Osman and Hibbert), Neville is arguably the most valuable to the squad as it stands now.

Whether Coleman is a better defender than Hibbert at this point in time is irrelevant to me - Hibbert is about 6 years past his peak, and Coleman has some promise that can only be nutured properly with some game time.

Etc, etc...

Having said that, some of the old codgers in the team (Neville, Cahill and Distin) will need phasing out over the next 12 months - Cahill, is clearly not the same player he was 12 months ago and the excellent leadership skills of Neville can no longer be justification for inclusion in the team ? out of the three; Distin is not yet showing signs of a hard career in the game and has kept himself at the peak of fitness ? though, when the inevitable age related decline comes it is quite often rapid and very noticeable ? I've a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of Shane Duffy in 2012-13

As to Moyes ? has he gone stale? 'Dour... Defensive... Davey' ? Nope, I'm quite sure he hasn't; the evidence is plain as Phil Thompson's hooter, for those who choose to look ? but, if we keep on banging in the goals and playing the scintillating attacking football that lit up the second half of the season, some of the habitual moans and whines about 'hoofball' and 'defensive tactics' will look as stale as last week's Rathbone's Toastie.

If only we could get Pienaar and not have to sell to survive.

That bit is stale.

I think we're getting into something approaching Groundhog Seasons with Everton. I think most of the blame lies upstairs, but as Lyndon and others say, they ain't going anywhere soon, so it'll be back to the sell to survive.

That said, we are all going to be a little wiser next season. Rodgers has been touted on these pages as potentially our next manager, so too has Lambert.

No excuses for Moyes, Lambert, Pardew, or Rodgers next season: they are all with big clubs now and they all have to live with the expectations, the responsibility and expectations. Moyes will have the least to spend, but he will have the advantage of 10 years experience; it's as fair a fight as you will get in footy.

Stale or not, I bet our boy comes out on top.

On the playing field another two or three additions are needed just to freshen the squad up ? whether the board can stump up the money remains to be seen; it'll be a sell to buy policy once again. If that's the case, let's just hope there is plenty of time to get in some replacements.

That will generate some interest and add to the speculation.

Will we/won't we. Who's in/who's out.

Stale?

We storm the 1st 15 games unbeaten with Jela grabbing 15 in 15, sitting pretty in 1st place.

December comes, Jelavić gets injured and the hectic Christmas period takes its toll. We sink to 5th.

January brings our usual late Christmas present and, after a successful start to the season we do what we do best. Finish the season in 3rd place form.

We finish either in the automatic qualifying place (3rd) or at 4th for the Champions League with Jelavić winning the golden boot (29 prem goals, 37 total).

We look forward to the following season with Blue Bill spending some serious cash in between to challenge for the Prem and Champions League.

Stale.... I think not :)

You heard it here first ;)

'Hibbert is about 6 years past his peak'

I thought he had his best season for a while last year based on improved delivery, which I've always thought was pretty decent anyway, unlike some on here.

As for Moyes' so called 'big four' I think you are just jumping on a hobby horse here and actually his big four are more like Howard, Heitinga, Fellaini and Jelavic now.

Maybe they are your 'big four' and you need to move on.

A positive and plausible post and with enough conceivable incidental detail to make it feel real.

My biggest worry is the lack of cover but that's a lottery and if we could just get through a year unscathed we might make it.

Ironically, out of contract Louis Saha could come back and sit on the bench and give us a month's cover for injury on a pay as you play deal. I wouldn't want him to be our main man but if he had the same impact on the team he had on Spurs he could do a job.. maybe not.

"We look forward to the following season with Blue Bill spending some serious cash"

Even after finishing 4th the above didn't happen because "Blue Bill" is the biggest shithead to ever be in charge of a football club. Just a bit of strengthening before the VillaReal game was all that was needed, instead we went into it with a squad which was just not good enough :(

Newcastle Have signed Cabaye (£4.8m), Santon (£5m), Cisse (£9m), Tiote (£3.5m) and Ben Arfa (£2m). That's around £25 mill in transfers and if you include people like Bah and Gosling, must be around £30-35m in wagers too ? agreed? Would you agree they have spent £55-60m?

By shifting Barton and Nolan they may have gotten them off the wage bill but Nolan went for a mere £3m and if memory serves me right, they got nothing at all for Barton.

Nothing stale there.

Where did you get your 'happy' pills?

Why play Anichebe who I personally have never heard of one Evertonian that thinks is any good but he still getting paid The Mcfadden fiasco was bad management Drenthe a gamble that never paid off

If Everton our to move up a place or two and that is not easy we know get Pienarr back but not at a high price if to expensive look somwhere else that is what Moyes gets paid for.

So it all depends on who we bring in. We are resigned to the fact we are a selling club now - who will be the sacrificial lamb though ?

I would like to see another striker,Jelavic can't carry the team all season, he will have dip in form at some point, especially if playing up front on his own. We already have a tiny squad, so I think we have no option but to include the youngsters this season, even as sub's.

Midly optimistic for next season, mainly because of Jelavic.

On the "Moyes' big four", sure, Fellaini, Howard, Jelavic and Heitinga seem to also be favourites of Moyes'. The difference is, though, that those four are actually exceptional footballers (or in Howard's case, the best we've got. I still think he's a better 'keeper than most in the EPL).

I've harped on about it, but when Moyes said that Hibbo and Osman would have a job as long as he was manager, you could smell the rot from across the pond. Stale ain't got shit on the stink that comment gave off.

I know that Osman is a bit of a wind up merchant and obviously a local lad who knows what it means to the fans. He's also a very decent player.

As for Hibbo, I've never seen him fein injury, shirk a challenge, complain to the ref or an opponent or do any of the other things that those players you love to hate are guilty of, in fact, I've just decided I'm going to get his name on the back of my new black shirt.

Moyes is in fact making wonders every now and then, things I believe other managers would struggle to pull off. And with the economy we have, I believe we should be glad Moyes is with us. Because I as so many are dreaming of new owners and a shitload of money... I am so curious about what Moyes could achieve for us if he had money available to bring in the right men.

So, all in all, there are often times I want to see DM disappear, but at the end we should be happy to have him around just for a while longer til the big money comes in... Yes, I am sure we will somehow get the money someday.