John Lundstram just got 3rd place for England Youth Player of the Year on ESPN. Give the lad a game!

And one of the girls from Everton youth won the award for England Youth Player of the Year. Not impressed though, she said "I'm waiting for Steven Gerrard to turn up." Cant have people like that playing for Everton surley!

Dennis, Bily wasn't awful from Day 1. I remember his debut were he got about 3 assists.

If we cant sign anyone we should bring in Toni Duggan from the ladies team, she has just won the womans England player of the year, she has a better shot on her than Osman and Pienaar. She can actually hit the target from more than 20 yards and get the ball off the floor.

Dennis, I was wondering what happend to Gosling. He must feel like the biggest tit in the world. It seemed like he was on the verge of becoming one of Moyes favourites and breaking into the 1st team and then foolishly chose money over football, what an idiot. He was one of the few youth player who was getting a chance and let it slip through his fingers.

I've tried to periodically track what's happened to Gosling and update his ToffeeWeb Profile as an ex-player. If he's really a cabbie then he's definitely moonlighting and Mr Pardew may want a word... after all, how much are they paying him??!

I know we're not supposed to give credit to the club heirachy (or Finch Farm mafia, as one user bizarrely calls them... why?) but I suspect they may have foreseen the problems his injuries would cause when they 'forgot' to give him a written offer back in 2010.

Hmm… Maybe the lessons learnt from Gosling halted our move for Fer. He may well end up as a cabbie once he sees out his contract at Newcastle.

Although I always felt he and Rodwell were very average, I always felt he was a handy squad player to have around. To me he always looked like he could nick a goal, certainly more than Rodwell. He seemed to love those late runs into the box.

As with most who leave Everton (Lescott, Rooney not included) they do not go on to better things. Certainly not in Moyes tenure as boss. Gosling is just one of many players who choose money over playing time but that's just the way it is nowadays.

I think we have a great squad, it just needs thickening out a bit. Another midfielder, 2 strikers, a centre back and a decent back up goalie would finish us off nicely. Getting them may be the hard part!

Ian 663

Gosling was so so slow his late runs were mostly from the last attack, a la the John Wark school of finishing. (John Wark once scored 27 goals for the RS but must have had about 227 chances – I think his face sent the keeper the wrong way in recoil for most of those.)

Gosling was/is pants, a couple of iconic goals notwithstanding.

Wish we had someone who could smack a ball like Bily.

Harold, we do, his name is Hitzlsperger. Problem is he doesn't get much game time because of Phil 'pointy finger floaty pass' Neville.

Obviously Baines can smash them but I know what you mean, if Osman and Pienaar could shoot harder than a 6-year-old girl, we would have an extra threat, particularly when struggling to break teams down.

Ian Allaker (#646), I think Bily's debut was in a 1 - 0 win over Portsmouth (Saha may have scored). Billy certainly didn't get 3 assists.

Dennis, Jo was only on loan, Mark Hughes wasted £18 million on him. Most people could see he wasn't even worth £500k.

Billy's debut was in Europe against a Greek side I think and he did set up 3 goals.

The success of any club depends on the quality of the manager. Teams like Everton need a manager who can spot talent that are less than the market price and create a quality team. This way Everton can compete. Basically, Moyes has done this to a certain degree except with the likes of Beattie, Yacubu and Bily, who unfortunately cost a lot and did not deliver while they were at Everton. Jelavic now has a question mark over his career at Everton if he continues not to deliver. Naismith's situation is much different, he cost nothing. And may improve but may have to move on. Some other players may want to move on such as Fellaini and Baines if CL is not secured.

Joe, fair enough, I seem to remember a european game were he was involved in a few goals, I think Distin scored a header from a corner.

Steavey, wouldn't there have been some sort of agents fee's in regards to Naismith?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we do have players who can come in and do a job e.g. Barkley, Vellios, Duffy, Oviedo etc....but if Moyes doesn't use them...

There are two reasons Gosling will not get a game at Toons: he is not very good and 'il ne parle pas français'.

Joe 704

I have to thank you, your post cracked me up."I think his face sent the keeper the wrong way in recoil" – absolute gold!

Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Pienaar, Fellaini, Gibson, Mirallas, Anichebe, Jelavic and Oviedo.

After that, I am struggling to find players that for me are good enough to mix it with the best teams in Europe.

Steavey, although I agree, Beattie failed to deliver & Bily had his moments, but not enough to qualify him as a success. Yakubu did, however score 20+ goals for us in a season (how we would love one of our strikers to do that now!), he had that awful achilles injury & was never the same when he came back from the injury. Great finisher on his day though.

Vijay. Don't know about mixing it with the best in Europe but you're right. We do look a little light......and with the wage bill already too high, no-0ne will be coming in until others have been shifted out. Not even on loan.

As for the rest of the squad. Who knows. Vellios and Duffy are 3rd or 4th choice backup, Barkley may one day reach his potential and the others are a complete mystery .

Sorry Vijay but apart from Baines and Fellaini I don't think any of those are on the CL teams' shopping lists.
They are all good players but not as good as we think they are - otherwise with 12 CL quality players in our squad we'd be a lot higher up the table!
(Although I look forward, more in blue tinted hope than expectation, to a fully firing Jelovic and Mirallas adding to my list)

Surprised to see we have only 6 home games left, barring any Cup ties being at home.

If you take that into consideration, I really can't see Moyes staying, unless we do get into the C.L.

Whatever happens, you couldn't blame the guy. I am no great fan, but he is being held back by this board.

Mark 044

I don't believe that all the players I listed are Champions League standard, merely that they could at least do a job if and when we qualify for Champions League football.

However, I do believe, aside from Baines and Fellaini, Mirallas has shown glimpses of being a real quality player and Pienaar and Gibson, when fit, are both players with real ability.

Kevin. Thanks for the info. Came as quite a shock to find we have only 6 home games left. The better pitch conditions away from Goodison will be welcomed by several of our players but the home crowd roar is always worth a goal.

When it comes to business and money matters I have to hold up my hand and admit that I don't have a clue. So when you stated that DM is being held back by the board I guess you are suggesting that the very rich guys up top should start putting a few quid into the club. A great thing for Everton and the fans if it were to happen, but the majority of Toffee Webbers think it never will.

Also, the board will say that they have backed the fans and DM to the hilt by bringing in and keeping quality players despite being forced to pay them the kind of daft money that has pushed the wage bill through the roof. A wage bill, with the lack of loan signings as a guide, they are determined to cut.

For me it is all a bit confusing. Maybe DM now considers the squad to be sufficient for what lies ahead, especially with Mirallis and Gibson getting fitter with each game, big Vic showing unexpected form and Ovieda proving he is well up to standard. Coleman and Hibbert must surely be on the mend so,who knows, even with the large amount of away fixtures we may put a good run together.

Kevin/Harold, Moyes is a dead man walking as far as EFC is concerned. He has made his mind up not to negotiate another contract. Alan Stubbs as good as said so in the interview detailed on ToffeeWeb.

Also, driving home from the match on Saturday, the post match interview with Moyes came on the radio and the interviewer asked him was there a possibility of EFC going back for Fer in the summer. Moyes replied curtly "I couldn't tell you". When I thought about this Saturday evening I realised it was coz he won't be there.

Harold#149,

When I say I consider Moyes has been held back by the Board, I should have mentioned it was in comparison to the likes of Liverpool, Spurs or Arsenal - clubs we are competing with for that 4th spot.

Some may consider Moyes has been backed because he does receive a huge amount for wages relative to income, as you mention.

Holy Cow, Clive... Food for thought without a doubt. I think I'll put the kettle on. After that bombshell I need a cup of tea and a fag.

Okay, Kevin. I understand where you are coming from. We are expected to compete on a far from level playing field.... and it will get worse. The clubs you've mentioned are already planning big for the next window including Villa to Arsenal and Ashley Williams to Liverpool. The latter is probably the best centre back in the Premier League.

Harold, Also the interviewer didn't ask if Moyes was going to go back for Fer, he said 'the club' or 'Everton' – as if he also knew something. Could do with the Mentalist.

As a complete aside, can someone tell me what the deal with the shirt sponsorship was last week?

I'm sure it has already been discussed but I must have missed it.

Chang agreed to let Everton FC use the space on the shirts against Aston Villa, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of 'Everton in the community' project. Unless there is something else, I believe that's the answer you might have been looking for.

I wouldn't dream of defending this board. I do, however, think that on that dark day in 2008 when they agreed to pay him more in a week than most of us earn in a year, it was accompanied by, "Take the money and shut the fuck up."

Moyes saw the figures, and decided to sell the fans out, never kicking up enough of a stink to force the board's hand in putting some cash onto the field. I hope he does go to a bigger club with a bigger squad and bigger transfer budget. It will be an absolute pisser watching him dither over signing Zlatan, then playing someone like Rio Ferdinand in CM "because he's and experienced head" and is "great".