Martinez plots January moves

And I really didn't realise!

Now then, here's a test. Do you trust Roberto?

Yes, he has made mistakes. Who hasn't! But he wears his Everton heart on his sleeve and bleeds Blue like the rest of us. I dread the day when Bill decides to sell off his shares to some monied conglomerate from Asia, Middle East, America or East Europe and we become known as Red Bull Everton playing in our new lucky 'red' strip.

Long may we have a true Blue Toffee heading our fantastic Club.

Be careful what you wish for ....etc etc

On the other hand we need to look for a quality striker to take over from Lukaku if we can't find a way to keep him and a large chunk of our budget will need to be invested there. An interesting challenge for Martinez.

He needs to know that he will have to sell Baines for £15 million, in order to receive £7.5 million to reinvest. Simple!

For fuck's sake — all the bullshit over the years and you still think he only has the best interests of OUR club?

By the way I have supported OUR GREAT CLUB for 50 years! Sir John Moores will be turning in his grave at the opportunities Blue Bill has "missed".

Also, this articulate moron reckoned he was "raped" in the conversation he had with his opponents — that is a repulsive comment. The guy is a disgrace and I for one can't wait for the day he is no longer in charge of OUR CLUB!!!

RM is very savvy and an unbelievably optimistic man, he even convinced me that England would escape from their World Cup group with Italy and Uruguay and I'm not even an England supporter.

It is a big disappointment that Kone and Gibson will miss the rest of the season and we now need cover in both those areas. Standby for quite a bit of movement in January and not all of it due to BK's nervous bowels.

I may be being too optimistic and I'm sure a fair bit of the incoming cash has disappeared on servicing the debts, but for once we should be in a position to strengthen the squad in January. If Martinez spends it wisely he could reinforce a team in a strong position to fight for a European place and that achievement could convince players that Everton are a team worth joining. This is a real opportunity to move up a level and I sincerely hope Kenwright sees this and backs his excellent new manager!

If Mandela can forgive, so can we blues as long as RM gets BK backing in January.

RM knows what he is doing - I don't take him for a fool in any way whatsoever and if BK doesn't back him then we have cause for complaint. But until then my fellow EFC supporters, think positive, sin miedo.

Now where's that fecking bottle.

But if the Everton Under-21s were doing their job properly, there should be a seamless transition to the Everton squad when need be. But as usual in the winter transfer window, the club has to look outside rather than the Everton Under-21s.

And harder still finding players who are available with premier league experience who can fit in straight away.

The Premier League rules
The Premier League rules relating to temporary loan transfers are contained in Section 5, Rule V5 to V10 of the Premier League Handbook. They restrict the number of loan players a Premier League team can have in one season to four and no more than one player can be loaned from a particular club. No more than two players can be registered at one time by a club (unless that player becomes permanent or is an emergency goalkeeper).

http://www.lawinsport.com/blog/joshua-kaye/item/the-international-loan-loophole-should-and-could-it-be-closed

So clearly the best solution is to just toss Chelsea £25m now for Lukaku and be done with it!

If we manage to get into Europe and Delboy continues to have a run in the team and improve as a player it would make sense that Barcelona would extend his loan deal for another season. I don't think he is ready for a starting spot for them yet and they will be keen to see him continue to develop whilst playing competative football, especially if that includes European competition.

Lukaku is the hardest call to make. He is clearly enjoying life at Goodison (scoring twice in a derby, being on the winning side at old Trafford etc...) and it looks like his relationship with Mourinho is souring. Chelsea are also likely to bring in a marquee signing in January in his position which will leave him in the same position. Lukaku has talked about the possibility of signing for us if we managed to qualify for the CL. Out of the three players its the longest shot, but I wouldn't say it was impossible we could sign him next summer. The odds will be long but you never know.

As for further loan signings, Dempsey could come in and give us the kind of boost Donovan has in the past as a time of the season where fatigue and injuries can start taking a toll. A short term loan could allow us to rest some players without dropping the quality of our starting eleven. Rodwell I'm not so sure about, but I could see a scenario where Man City would be willing to loan him to get first team action, so he could be useful for the same reasons.

Roberto has earned an extended honeymoon period and, like his predecessor, has soon developed 'a close working relationship' with the man who appointed him. No doubt come January, we shall again be hearing that 'the Chairman has pushed the envelope as far as he can' to get in a couple of low cost benchwarmers or even more loanees.

And, of course, so long as the Club's ambition remains in 'the best of the rest category', that will do fine. But only a fool can believe that Everton is any longer 'a big club' so long as it relies on borrowing players and shopping in Poundland - and we can't blame Roberto for that, can we?

It now seems fashionable to live in a dream. A dream that indicates that because we are in fifth going towards Christmas - and won at OT - we are nailed on for a Champions League finish. The reality, of course, is that we shall, as ever, finish sixth or seventhish which is precisely where Old Miseryguts left us. Now I wonder who will get blamed for that - the manager or 'the man who backed him all the way'?

Nothing really changes does it?

Whilst there is the obvious fact that a player bought is an asset on one hand with (hopefully) some resale value, the full economics aren't always so clearcut - for every profitable Baines, Fellaini, Jags, etc there's the spectre of a loss-making Billy, Kolrdrup, Yakubu et al waiting in the wings.

It's not like 'owning' a player buys any extra loyalty or application either, if anything it seems increasingly to be quite the opposite with players often resenting the 'shackles' of a contract when they fancy a payday elsewhere (see the shenanigans with the likes of Rooney, Suarez, Tevez and Balotelli elsewhere and on a lesser extent our own Fellaini and, dare I say it, even possibly Baines?)

Obviously there needs to be a mix, clubs in our financial position who want to try and better themselves need to bring through saleable assets that can bolster incomes from elsewhere. Rightly or wrongly I think selling a £10-20M player at least every 2 seasons is a pretty essential part of the plan - fortunately we seem to be able to have produced/nurtured them so far in the shape of Jeffers, Rooney, Johnson, Lescott, Arteta, Rodwell and Fellaini and have Baines, Jags, Barkley, McCarthy and Mirallas in that level currently (plus the likes of Coleman, Oviedo and Stones looking capable of achieving similar value and further promise in the ranks with the likes of McAleney, Green, Lundstram, Garbutt and Hope).

Ultimately however, I think the most telling question is are you happier to have more affordable players like injury prone Gibson and Akone and off-form Jelavic and Heitinga sat in the reserves seeing out contracts or Barry, Delboy and Yakubu playing out of their skins on loan?

I don't underrate the loan system's value to clubs in our straits but BIG clubs don't use loanees to keep them in the Top Four, do they?

But we knows our place!

Years ago, clubs like Real Madrid used to "park" players - sign them on free transfers, and then look to move them on for a big fee after 1-2 seasons. They tried it with McManaman, who refused to move. In this day and age of huge contracts, and players willing to get paid for doing nothing, that trick has gone.

(Tin hat on!) I think Milner might be a decent shout? WC year and all that.

We only need a couple of players, too many and it may upset the balance of the squad. I can see Heitinga going out and a central defender, may Martins Indi coming in and a striker to cover Kone.

To get back to this status we need several things to happen. 1) Success on the pitch, either a champions league finish or a cup, both of which are still a possibility this season. 2) Investment and a new stadium. This is the more difficult part to achieve,

In the meantime we have to work with the resources we have and getting fantastic loan signings in is a good way to do a lot with a little. If it helps us achieve our goals then I can't see any reason to turn our noses up at the option based on a misplaced sense of our clubs standing. Nowadays many players hop from team to team every season or two, so I see no reason why having a player on loan for a season or two is a negative thing. We get the benefits without the risks of a massive fee.

I'm going to wait and see what happens in the January window before I make any judgements on the clubs ambition.

Only I'm not sure we'll even get £15m for Baines now that it looks very unlikely OFM will, for any number of reasons, be in for him.

Best case is RM can pick up another quality loan (rather than a benchwarmer)

Worst case is we have to sell Barkley in order to trade.

Dearie me.

Martinez has got us playing a style of football that he certainly won't get under OFM.

The lure could possibly be this seasons Champions League but there's no way they'll be in that competition next year not a prayer. They need six quality players and OFM won't attract two.

And he's always said January isn't the time to do business... so, for me, he's only got the League Cup and FA Cup to go for no I think Leighton will stay but if he does £20 mil + would seal the deal, freeing some funds for Bobby to sign a striker or two...

But, as someone pointed out earlier, a quality striker isn't going to be happy playing second fiddle to Rom.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of the windows, you've got to admit they are exciting. And I can't wait for the next one because of only to see who we'll get.

After about his fourth or fifth season I began to see what Moyes was really all about. As most were pissed to see him depart, I had been waiting for 5 years for this moment.

It is truly pivotal season for the club. Hopefully soon we can attract a new owner as well. I'm glad that RM is putting pressure on the owners. It's about time they get taken to task.

And for the record, Rodwell is NOT good enough for us anymore!! He'll end up at Stoke or Sunderland next season.

We need this window and next a centre-back, a wide fella, a creative midfield fella and probably 2 strikers. I trust Bobby to get it spectacularly right.

Out of the club by this time next year - Hibbs, Osman, Duffy, Johnny, et al .........

Brent Stephens - 130 - "Bill Kenwright, for me, has been a real surprise. I don't think many people know how important he has been over the years."

And I really didn't realise!

Now then, here's a test. Do you trust Roberto?

STOP BEING NAUGHTY

If you haven't seen it yet have a look at the MotD analysis of RvP against Newcastle... they didn't refer back to Moyes doing this at Everton, but needless to say forcing one of the best strikers in the world to drop so far back he's picking the ball up from his back four deep in their half isn't conducive to scoring goals.

Please list these 'several positions' Rodwell can play.

File Rodwell, with the Lily Savages, Bartons of this world... in the not as long as my arse points to the ground, sub section B for Bin, sub sub section has-been's / never will be's.

He's had a couple of injuries for other clubs,
but very few players are totally injury free though out their careers.

Lady luck plays a big part especially if you go in where it hurts!

You could argue that Baines is better, but if he is, its not by much in my opinion.

Rodwell can play defensive midfield, central midfield and centre-back. I make that three, hence he can play in several positions. ;-)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's a world beater or that we should break the bank to bring him back, but if we could get him in on loan and if Martinez can being out the best in him he could be a handy loan signing.

If we agree a fee when we loan him whilst his stock is low and he turns it around we can then get him in permanently at a fraction of what we sold him for. If he doesn't do anything he goes back to City's bench / reserve team. It would be a low risk option to reinforce the team for the second half of the season.

But don't forget that from next season the winners of the Europa Cup qualify for the Champions League.

Whatever we speculate here its all up to Martinez. For all I know he may have no interest in Rodwell or Man City may have no interest in loaning out another midfielder to us.

While we're on about Rodwell, shall we bring Jo, Kroldrup, Yakubu, Bilyaletdinov and Castillo back?

Thought not.

We need to move on and not look back. If loan signings are limited then we must get top class loan players from the best clubs.

All the top clubs are struggling with big squads and they cannot keep every player happy, that is why we managed to get Deulofeu and Lukaku. They are the type of players we should be looking to borrow.

Personally I would be looking to loan Ba, Mata and maybe Oxlade Chamberlain. They are positive targets and the likes of Dempsey and Rodwell are just bench fillers. We have had too many free signings and has beens taking up valuable bench space which should have been used by Barkley and Stones. How many jobs for the boys went on with McFadden, Weir and co. maybe they were members of some secret society ?

So far Martinez has brought ambition and excitement to the club and I was often disappointed at the loan players we took in the recent past. Many were getting paid for sitting on the bench and possibly from time to ti ten minute cameo's.

I want to see more of our non productive players emptied out and room made for young, promising players who will give us something. Players like Heitinger, Magueye and Junior are just taking the money and have no chance of making our first choice eleven.