No respite from continued paper talk

Reading the rumors on transfers this morning they are saying that both Chelsea and Man U will be offering £20mill for Barkley in January.

Okay Bill, get a new contract with this boy with a £40-50mil buy-out clause in it and state this player is not for sale at any price.

On the same rumors can Chelsea take Lukaku back as I thought the agreement was for 1 year.

I am annoyed to keep reading about interest from 'league giants' in Ross Barkley and their intimations of it being inevitable he will go to Chelski or Manure.

Two things: (a) I thought the transfer window was shut and (b)h ow can things ever get better in the EPL if other clubs' home nurtured talent is constantly poached by oligarchs and oil sheikhs? Naïve? maybe, but it still pisses me off. Haven't these teams got their own academies?

If (and it is an 'if' at the moment) Mourinho came sniffing round Barkley, Martinez as manager should remind him of his quotes regarding trying to get Rooney to Chelsea, namely 'If you wan to be considered for your country in the World Cup you need to be playing regularly for your club' (in a Portuguese accent).

Whilst at Everton, it is my thinking that if fit Barkley will get a shirt and this would not be the case at Chelsea or Mnure for that matter.

Stay with us Ross. We're moving in the right direction and YOU can be a hero,/ icon for years to come. You're one of us , , , Nils satis Nisi Optimum

The BBC gossip column had a link to a story from some obscure website that Chelsea will be recalling Lukaku in the wake of their defeat. Correct me if I am wrong, but once a loan fee has been paid; the player cannot be recalled? It is almost an insult to some sections of the media that we dare beat one of the big four.

So in the aftermath of the defeat, que the Baines and Barkley rumours. Would Barkley seriously want to join DM at Man Utd when DM held his career back?

Lastly - Liverpool on TV again tonight, and their Capital One Cup match is televised again. I make it that next Saturday is their first game of the season that has not been televised.

I asked same question about Lukaku on another post. Answer pitched in that as season loan with fee then cannot be recalled.

No idea of accuracy of answer, but until we find Elvis in a chip shop or a Heinkel bomber on the moon or Suarez becomes a veggie; do not believe the rags.

The media and the management of the monied clubs think that players like Ross will only improve if they play in a heavily biased competition against the likes if FC Cluj until they get knocked out by a Beyern or Barca is the only way they'll improve? That's absolute bullshit. Chelsea us a graveyard of British talent. Any agent even suggesting that move to a player should be treated suspiciously.

If we want successful home national teams we have to foster a culture of achievement in the game, not a culture of fucking off to the highest wages or a culture of taking pride in riding the coat tails if someone else's success.

Re the Lukaku recall: Yet again, a trigger-haired mechanism for goading our fans or (others) to stimulate them to go on their websites. These two-bob websites now all contain advertising cookies and this is all they're trying to do to get you to gawp at them while you read their inane stupid fucking lies.

Shamefully though, I think we're fighting on two fronts: the gutter press on one front, and the leeches that run the club on the other.

Final word on Lukaku: send him straight back to Xerxes, we don't need bribes, we are Spartans.

The Wyness tweet was on Saturday night from his twitter account retsub

I agree with the other posters on here, that it is almost essential to our future, that we keep the likes of young Ross, Seamus, John Stones et al. We have already shown resolution over the Baines and Fellaini transfer issues, although it was inevitable, that the latter would go at some point.

We are never going to be great again, if we let our best players ' move on '. The sad fact is that a footballer's career is relatively short in comparison to other jobs, and 'the grass appearing greener', can always have an influencing factor too.

I just hope that Ross, especially, is as level headed as we all think he is, and is happy to be an Evertonian, for many moons to come!

To be honest this was only to be expected, it will only get worse as he gets more England appearances. Imagine if he goes to the WC and does well!

The club should get Baines' contract sorted out asap and then look to get Barkely tied down to an extended contract. He'll only have 2 years left at the end of this season so extend that by at least another 2-3 - tie him down to 2018 and put in a buy out clause of 40m (would go with 50m but cant see his advisers agreeing to that!).

If Liverpool can hold a player who wants away to his contract then so can we. Get Baines, Barkley and Stones on decent contracts that will keep them at the club. Money can be found by getting shut of Heitinga, Gueye and whoever else is coming to the end of their usefulness. Heitinga is on big money and must be offloaded.

Getting a new contract means absolutely nothing, apart from hiking the price up if they come in for them.

I am afraid that the press will always speculate about possible transfers they all do it to varying degrees, irrespective of whether the window has just closed or not. I would imagine if they only printed facts they wouldn't even fill the back page of our papers. As far as Everton are concerned I think they need to sit down with all their players and try and get extensions to contracts of the players the manager wants to keep. Then come the January window he will know who will be likely to leave, sadly I still don't think Baines will be with us till the end of the season, but hope I am totally wrong on that.

Will be interesting to see if Everton can tie Baines and Barkley to long term deals with huge get out clauses, although I would suspect that in Barkley's case his agent won't let the buy-out clause be prohibitive to him being able to leave if he wanted too.

Let's not be naive, until some sort of fair money play is adhered to in Europe, it will be fine for Manure and Unreal Madrid to stack up huge amounts of debt. They will (with the help of all the hacks who constantly stir up unfounded speculation to sell chipwrappers) spend ridiculous amounts of money £80, £90, £100m for players.

Every player has a price, including Ross. So, if the Happy One or the Judas want to spend £90m for Ross, bring it on. Otherwise, let him mature as a player with his hometown club and spend your filthy lucre elsewhere.

Forever Everton.

If Moyes wanted Barkley so much why did he perservere with Phil Neville in midfield for all of last season?

Simple economics. We are a selling club and will continue to be so until we have a board that has a long-term vision. In the meantime sign our prospects to long-term deals so that we can extract as much cash as possible from the Sky "elite" when they come knocking.

Exactly, Ross, no more need be said .

Journalese is a very simplistic and yet curious language

The best that I can offer is that "Journalese" is the linguistic version of Fernando Torres, looks like a tart but is "apparently" a bloke
I know, I know !
Almost impossible to believe
'Cos it's deffo a tart
So relax

Apparently, when a "journo" uses words like "may", "probably", "could", "likely", "linked", "following" or even "eyeing", what they actually mean is

"Look, I know far less than you, BUT, I have to submit an essay every day for print. There's absolutely no fuckin' truth whatever in this bullshit. As a matter of reference, we ALWAYS infer that players are "interested" (this means have absolutely no fuckin knowledge) in a move to mufc"

Please, next time you "eye" such an article "linking" any player who "probably" "could" be "interested" in a "likely" move to mufc according to a source which "may" explain mufc "following" them, just substitute the following:

"I am a journalist, I write shite. I wrote shite yesterday, I am writing shite at this moment and tomorrow I shall be writing more shite"

This is all paper shite again as we all know but it does raise a interesting idea which seems to be consistently raised by all and that is buy-out clauses....

Not that I am saying Everton should be a selling club — NEVER! But sadly, without investment or a sugar daddy, that's what we are really. It pisses me off even saying/writing it.

So why not introduce the Porto style of trading? Every player has a very high buy-out clause from the beginning. The player knows where he stands, the club also, and can plan every window for replacements, whilst making a massive profit and being attractive to the best young talent in the world and, more importantly, homegrown talent.

Just an idea...

The above post is correct a player cannot be recalled if the loan fee has been paid. So Lukaku is here for the season.

It is laughable that Neville was picked ahead of Barkley in Midfield last year. I love the faith RM has in Barkley. Long may it continue.

Barkley won't be going anywhere this season just paper rubbish. I would fully expect the top clubs to be scouting him the way he is playing. Take it as a compliment.

Lets look at the games Barkley has played so far this season.
In every one he has made numerous mistakes and made bad decisions.
Regardless Martinez has persevered and actually encouraged him.
He sees Barkley as a project in the making.
Now lets look at last season.
One mistake and Moyes is highly critical of him, out the squad and shipped off on loan.
Look at yesterday. How critical of his players was Mourinho.
Do you honestly believe that either Moyes or Mourinho would allow Barkley the time and opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them.
They are at clubs that don't and will not allow younger players to mature they want players up and running from day one.
Both for Everton and Barkley best left where he is.

Standards of football journalism in England ranks alongside People's Daily in China.

I, and I say this wearily, think Barkley will do a Rooney and have his head turned by richer clubs.

I heard it rumoured that last season part of the main reason Moyes didn't play him is because he made a comment that he wished he was playing at a big club like Arsenal... apparently he's got one hell of a big ego.

Andrew, I think The RS are on TV a lot for two reasons: 1) They are still considered a "top" club; 2) They are not involved in Europe so their games can be moved to any day. Unfortunately I think we will see more of our lovable neighbours until Manure get bounced out of the Champions League in the group stage.

Tom none of us on here know much about Barkley, so it's a bit harsh to speculate he's a big time Charlie at the age of 19.

Tom, A comment like that could easily mean, I want to play for a manager who allows young players to make mistakes and plays the game on the ground not KITAP1.

Tom

Its comments like that that really wind me up. You don't know anything about the lad's personality and yet you happily assert that he's got 'one hell of a big ego' because you heard heard a rumour from someone who heard a rumour.

Give over.

Mark/Craig:

My source re Barkley's ego comes from an ex-Everton scout (Under-16s) though no longer associated officially with the club, he told me way back two seasons ago what Barkley is like, along with Velios's daytime drinking binges.

I believe him implicitly; time will tell... especially with the prospect of maybe working with Moyes again.

Unfortunately if as we hope Ross gets better we are going to have to put up with this shite constantly until real investment comes into the club, on the subject of transfers we've brought in Robles, Alcaraz, Kone, McCarthy, Barry, Delofeuo, Stones, Lukaku, for a combined total of about 23 mill give or take, and our last three outs have been Fellaini, Anichebe and Rodwell for about 46 mill, have to give the club huge props here, we mugged some people off big time.

I hate the idea that the vultures are circling already. It could just be paper talk, of course...
We should fight tooth and nail to keep Ross at Goodison for a few years at least. We're never going anywhere if we sell off our best players all the time.

Yes, he makes mistakes but the way he picks up the ball and attacks straight down the middle terrifies the opposition because they are simply not used to it.....and several of his passes yesterday were quite breathtaking.

With so much improvement to come who can tell what heights he may reach but one thing is certain. He'll never want to go back to sitting on the bench. The fleeting glimpses of his lonely, forlorn figure throughout last season are etched deep in my mind. Like all special footballers he needs to be playing every single second and I can't imagine him going to a club who will only use him part-time.

Well it IS nonsense and babble (insofar as it's guesswork and invention) but ultimately it's true as he will be going.

How do I know?

Well it's very simple, I use the same principle as I would making the prediction 'the sun will rise in the morning' (ie: because that's what always happens).

I mean think of some of the best players we've had in the last 10 years (nb: OUR players, not loans)

Done that?

Ok now I'm guessing that for many, that list would be something like - Rooney, Arteta, Lescott, Rodwell, Baines, Graveson, Barkley, Mirallas.

Now you might say with some of those "Yeah but he's done fuck-all since he left" or "He was shite" but that isn't the point.

The point (re Barkley) is that when clubs with money come for Everton players, BK bends over.

"Yeah but they didn't get Baines!"

True, they fucked it up and I'm delighted they did (plus with their £28m joint-offer, then eventually offering £27.5 for Fellaini, hopefully Baines will be none too happy at his valuation of 500k)

And if Utd are pissing the league at Christmas, maybe they won't come back for him, so he could be the one we DID keep.

But don't kid yourselves, if in three months they're having trouble at left-back, there WILL be an increased bid and he WILL go.

(and let's hope Ashley Cole improves or we might get an offer from Chelsea)

Oh and if Mirallas starts to perform and really catches the eye, he'll go.

And when they (whoever) come for Barkley, he'll go too (don't personally think anyone will go at Christmas, I do think two or three could be gone after the world cup though)

Sorry but to come to any other conclusion, given what we've seen in the recent past and with what we know about the hopeless grinning bell-whiff who 'runs' our club, is naive and it's simply childish wishful thinking to expect these guys not to be sold.

Remember, our 'business model' is a three point plan 1) To produce the occasional £15-£25m prospect, then sell 2) To buy cheap and sell for more 3) Er..that's it.

I am (naturally) disappointed when we sell good players, but these days I'm NEVER shocked or surprised.

I am quite sure that Gareth Barry would already have had a little "tete-a-tete" with young Ross explaining exactly how the grass grew so much greener for Jack Rodwell at City!

Why would Ross want to go to a club with a defence-only manager or one where the supporters will be calling for his replacement with Benitez by Christmas?

Think this through: why would Chelsea buy Barkley when they are chock full of CMs? What would they do? — Buy him then send him out on loan?

Man U is a possibility but they are or at least were looking at a Spanish CM, and will probably go back for him in January.

The story has all the hallmarks of a lazy sub-editor with column inches to fill.

Interest from ManU...maybe Moyes plans a double bid for Barkley and Baines this time?

Eugene, care for a top-up? Your glass looks half empty there. Blue Bill would never sell young Ross, not even for £50m because he's a true Evertonian who used to watch the games from the boys pen, don't ya know.

Have no doubt the money clubs will be eyeing young Ross & his agent will be rubbing his greedy little hands. Ross will be dreaming of Champions League matches & World Cups.

As our finances are now, as soon we gather together a quality side the heart will inevitably be torn from it. It's very disappointing but we haven't the money to keep increasing star players' wages.

Eugene,
If all those Everton players are performing we will be top of the league and no-one will want to leave coz we'll be in the European Cup or whatever the fuck it's called now!

Gerry (704) - It's a nice thought and one that gave me a moments warmth for a few seconds.

Then I looked outside.

Dark.

Over-cast.

A chill in the air.

A leaf falling.

Dick the shepherd blowing his nails.

Greasy Joan keeling the pot (whatever keeling is - Shakespeare you nob!)

BRRRRRRRR!!!

I'd just ask this

Name one club which DOES NOT sell players when offered an enticing fee ?
Go on, just one ?

All clubs sell

Now move along, nothing to see here

Eugene, fear not oh sad one - I am looking outside lad, and it is sunny, but humid - 92 degrees F - or 33 degrees C in your speak. If you know anything about offshore surveying, I can accommodate...looking for personnel

Tony (707) - "Name one club which DOES NOT sell players when offered an enticing fee ? Go on, just one ?"

Disingenuous and hardly 'touché!'

A fee is only enticing if someone was enticed, meaning the fee for just about every player ever sold was enticing.

(or conversely, if a fee is turned down, it obviously wasn't enticing).

Yes of COURSE other teams sell players, but what your 'insight' deliberately fails to acknowledge is that all other teams don't sell their best players as a matter of course, because their chairman has asset-stripped their club and needs to pay loans at ludicrous rates of interest. It also fails to point out that other chairmen and boards sometimes use their vast wealth to help finance their clubs occasionally, rather than flogging a decent/good player every time they feel the hot breath of a bank manager or get a phone-call from a fucking mysterious loan company

(and I'd be happy to name MORE than 'just one' team that doesn't)

Gerry (712) - "If you know anything about offshore surveying, I can accommodate...looking for personnel"

Well.......um.....ah!...no....well actually...yes, I know it's not... ONshore!

(I'll need a week to get packed and will let you know where to send first class flight tickets etc)

Can move jack ups and semis but need Fugro to spot me !

Remember that John 'RICO' Richardson the journo who 'broke' this story is a man u hack who ghosted fergies last book. He's one of the manu loyalist journos who's on the mancs payroll. He's just doing his job.

Ross Edwards - "If Moyes wanted Barkley so much why did he perservere with Phil Neville in midfield for all of last season?"

James Stewart - "It is laughable that Neville was picked ahead of Barkley in Midfield last year. I love the faith RM has in Barkley. Long may it continue."

Can we please get away from this stupid notion that Barkley and Neville were in anyway like for like replacements in our team. Neville was a holding midfielder and there is no way Barkley would of been able to do that job in our team. Yes Neville was piss poor and other players should of been given a chance....but to suggest Barkley and Neville play the same position is ridiculous.

I can see alot of genuine interest from the big money teams involving Barkley - I can only see this lad getting better and better. I think weather we keep or not depends on Barkley himself , is he a mercenary who wants the glamour of playing for a club like Manure? Or is he a level headed lad who's proud to play for his boyhood club, getting paid £70 k a week for many years? I like to think the latter is true.

If Barkley turns out to be a top sought after talent,and wants to leave us, we must not let him go on the cheap like we did with Rooney

Gerry - Villa and Benteke

Talksport - late Sunday afternoon, on a 6 hour drive home, when some bloody commentator casually says " of course Everton wont be able to keep Barkley & Coleman as the two lads will want CL football next year, which they wont get at Everton"

There is an almost a punditry conspiracy which states" Everton wont be allowed to join the big boys" Its gets on my bloody nerves.

I think we should enjoy Ross while we can. I have a strong feeling he will, like Rooney, be England's star at a major tournament. We know how that ends.

Gerry #712. I have some experience in surveying offshore.

I like to stand on a beach and look out to sea at the boats and stuff.

I even went whale watching once.

I am at least as good at offshore surveying as Daily Star sports reporters are at reporting about sport.

When do I start?

Already our own fans have begun the process of selling young Barkley.
Having accepted an inevitability that he will move on all that remains is naming the price.
That kind of talk may or may not play into BKs hands by smoothing the problem of how he will hang on to his train set instead of finding a buyer.
Ross could easily be led to believe his sale could actually help us avoid bankruptcy.

Tell Mourinho, Barkley's fee is £40 million or, £20M and Lukaku. Same with Moyes, £40 million or player and cash. Let them fight it out, while we are safe in the knowledge that, whatever happens, Everton won't get shafted by the so-called big boys.

And we don't want Scholes out of retirement, or Neville, or Giggs.

Both the Lukaku and Barkley stories are complete media made up pieces, by journalists who don't have anything to do outside the transfer window. Firstly the Lukaku story is pure fabrication, from a media outlet that should stick to selling dodgy track suits and funding Fat Mike Ashley. Any journalist would know the loan rules concerning deals that include a fee. The Lukaku story came straight after Chelsea couldn't score against us, and a lazy 'journalist' basically put 2&2 together, and said that they could recall him to help the frontline.

The same thing about Barkley. Mourinho made a comment last week about an interest in a young English player. The media pick up on this and immediately say its Barkley. No actual evidence, and honestly with the wealth of midfield talent they have, wouldn't make any sense either (other more respected sources reckon its Luke Shaw who he has the interest in). Obviously as Chelsea are interested, the media then have to make it a competition and link the easiest connection to Barkely, Moyes at Man U.

I'd love to be a journalist for one of these rags, the amount of fun I would have making up stories would be amazing.

The sad truth is that if Barkley does make it big, he will get sold. Paper talk or not, we know that if a big bid is made he'll be sold. Enjoy him whilst he's here. Now that's gutting.

Liverpool would not let Suarez go and neither would Villa sell Benteke. There are two clubs who so far have held out!

I reckon we did the same with Baines... so far !

Well, 3 years is a long time in sport. A lot could happen. If we can keep Ross til he's 22, maybe we'll have new owners by then.

Mark Frere, On quite a few occasions Neville played in CM, not as the holding DM as an actual CM. Which is in my opinion a joke

Ian Bennett #804, sad but true!
How else is our great leader the greatest Everton fan in the world going to keep hold of the club and fund next season transfers?!?!

What we remain up against is the regime in charge of Everton. We must know that if we risk losing our best players then we also risk losing RM to a "bigger" club eg Arsenal in just a few years time.

Regretfully, the prospect of success is damaged by the Board's short-termism and the cashing in that happens at every opportunity. If RM performs badly he will be gone.
So either way, it will not be 11 years of RM but two or three years at most. Therefore, why not enjoy our great players and RM while we can, whilst we pray for a change in regime?

£40 or 50 Million would do Everton the world of good; that plenty of money to rebuild the team makes good sense.

You can't spend £40 or 50 million and find a talent like Ross though, Thomas. When you've got one potentially world class midfielder in your team, then you only need two decent ones to go with him and you can mix it with the best.

We need to keep Ross and he could be the one to finally swing back the balance in the Premier League and get us up to that top table. He might also put it around a bit in the derby and show Stevie Me that he's well past it now.

Rodwell, Jeffers, Ball, Rooney — all left early for better things and only one succeeded. Depends who his advisors are, mercenary scum like Stretford or people who genuinely have his best interests at heart.

Those gobshites in the media just can't help themselves, how about a complaint? Apparently, can't say I heard it I was out for the evening with an old friend, but the ITV coverage last night of the Man U Chumpions leave game went on and on about Leighton Baines, what the fuck does Leighton Baines have to do with a Man U game?

Steve - not sure I follow your correlation. Rooney was the one who succeeded and his agent was Stretford.

It's not a conspiracy, it's just the boring standard journalist narrative about the premiership and 'big' (monied/marketed) clubs.

They can't really side with anyone but the most 'supported' (monied/marketed) clubs for the sake of their own popularity.

It's ironic that people complain that there aren't enough decent English players, then they let them (even encourage them) to rot in the rich clubs reserves. There is a sizeable amount of English talent with rich clubs that simply don't get game time. Whatever happened to Micah Richards, Jack Rodwell, Ryan Bertrand, Wilfred Zaha, Nick Powell etc. etc.

I note, with some amusement, that the journos insist players must play in the CL to get experience - yet, Fellaini and Rooney barely had to try to make an impact in their first games + I don't think CL experience has made Lescott any better.

What makes players better is playing regularly for a decent club with a decent manager - it's not rocket science.

The absolute best thing for Rosses game is to spend at least 2 more seasons at Everton - if he reaches 25 and feels he needs to do more because we aren't going anywhere - fair enough.

But, from a football / english-talent perspective, what benefit moving to Chelsea who need instant success ?

I hope at least he / his agent understand that and have a longer-term plan.

If you are constantly rebuilding then the team is never really built is it.

Guys like Ross, McCarthy, Coleman, Stones are who you build a team around rather than sell on.

At some point potential has to become actual - and if you always sell at that point (Rooney, Lescott, Fellaini), it's difficult to progress beyond middling.

Paper talk is inevitable with one of England's brightest talents.

What I think Mr Martinez should be saying is that Ross is at a big club with ambition to be in the Champions league. Barecelona obviously have high regard for Martinez as a manager as they have given their next wonder kid to him to develop. Martinez should be saying screw Untied, Chelsea and City, stick with me as a manager and your boyhood club, if we're not we're not winning trophies or where you want to be by the time you are 25 I will have turned you into a Barcalona style player and they will want you to replace their aging stars.

Saying Phil Neville was played ahead of Barkley last season is akin to saying Tim Howard was also picked ahead of him. Neville was awful for his last couple of seasons but his role was defensive only. Barkley is now playing in the role which Fellaini occupied last season behind the striker.

If Chelsea or Man U come in for Barkley and turn his head then we should just strip them of one of their best young players. Lukaku and cash for Barkley. Januzaj and cash for Barkley. We'd see how keen they were then. As usual the arrogance of the big clubs knows no end and as well as hoovering up everyones top talent from their academies they also want to cling onto all the the ones that they already have, even those they don't need.

The only way to keep top players is to be successful. If Barkley is as good as we think he is then he needs to do what Gerrard did for Liverpool and win them trophies almost singlehandedly. Always baffles me how Everton have all these top players that big clubs want yet together they can't seem to win anything for Everton. About time they all stoped pining for a move (not saying Barkley is) and actually knuckled down to winning something for us. If Baines is the best left back in the world, Barkley Gazza incarnate, Lukakau the next Drogba, Coleman good enough for the champions legaue, Mirallas good enough for the champions league, then together there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to show that by actually doing it for Everton.

I think there will always be speculation by the press whether the window is closed or not. But Everton could kill all the stories by saying that because of all the unrest that went on in the last window that they will not be selling any of their players even if they put in a transfer request during the Jan transfer window. That tells the players their agents and possible bidding clubs that we will not be selling players under any circumstances.

If we don't get into CL in the next 4/5 years then Ross will leave (assuming his progress continues). Sad but true.

Even the RS ( a considerably richer club than us) only just managed to hold onto their best player after a couple of years out of Europe.

Martinez will have to perform miracles to get us into the top 4 with the competition at the top so my advice is to enjoy Ross while he's here. Lets hope when he does go it will be for a world record to Real Madrid!

Steve,
I think it's a bit unfair to suggest that 22 year old Jack Rodwell 'never made it.'
Yes, TWENTY TWO.

Actually, it's not unfair, it's just plain daft.

Mark Frere, can you explain why Neville was ahead of Barkley?

It was Osman in midfield with Neville alongside with Felli behind Jela last season, so if we know that Barkley has this promise, and suddenly Moyes wants him, why didn't he play him?

It's like in a car dealership and you see a Lamborghini next to a second hand Capri, and you buy the Capri, but then decide a year later to buy the Lamborghini.

If you wanted the Lamborghini in the first place then you should have bought it when you had the opportunity.

It's the same with Barkley. He was rotting in the reserves with 35 year old Neville in midfield, now Moyes suddenly wants him.

And now, the price is constantly going up because of his performances so far, so going back to my Lamborghini analogy, by the time you decide to get it, it will probably be ha higher price than the last time you saw it.

Ross,

With Fellaini playing the advanced role last season, and Gibson being injured so much last season, we were really short of players to play the holding midfield role. Are you seriously suggesting Barkley should of played along side Osman in Midfield? Barkley is a terrific attacking player, but to suggest he should of played along side Osman in midfield is lunacy.

I wasn't a big fan of Fellaini playing holding midfielder, but maybe OFM should of moved Fellaini into Neville's position, then played Barkley behind Jelavic. Heitinga was another option.

TBH, its getting boring talking about what Moyes should or shouldn't of done.

I don't think there is any genuine interest from Moyes wanting to buy Barkley at the moment.....but if Barkley continues to improve and forfill his potential, then most certainly Manure and many others will come knocking

It isn't boring. Moyes wants Barkley suddenly now he had started the season well.

He had the opportunity to play him last season and develop him last season, did he heck. He decided to stick with his favourites.

Why does he suddenly want him when he had all those chances to play and develop him last season?

There's no concrete evidence what-so-ever that Moyes wants him Ross, we shouldn't believe pure speculation. If we signed every player we were linked with in the rumour mill on this website, then our squad would be ridiculously over sized, as would our wage bill.

Yes, Moyes should of given Barlkey more chances last season, the most annoying incident last season was: when Barkley played against Arsenal away last season because Osman was injured. Barkley played very well, then Moyes dropped Barkley for the fit again out of form Osman

Don't be surprised if he goes for him in January.

In previous years, I would be concerned with any speculation regarding our players being linked with Man Utd... but Barkley to a Moyes Man Utd? There's no doubt in my mind that he will be sold eventually but I couldn't see Barkley turning his back on what Martinez is doing for him to join the man who single-handedly destroyed his confidence and held back his development.

I'm hoping he'll be with us for at least another two years and hopefully in two years time we will be amongst the top 5 or 6 challenging for that 4th spot which would make any decision to leave all that bit more difficult. Barkley is more of a Fergie signing than Moyes whereas Baines is a nailed on certainty, just look at the recent quotes from Stubbs.

Moyes played Fellaini in his favoured holding midfielder for ManU on Tuesday. Last season he preferred to play Neville holding, with Fellaini further forward because he didn't trust Barkley in the forward position.

The question why Ross would go and sit in ManU's reserves rather than enjoy a starting (and so-far) and starring role at Everton has not been considered by the lazy journo's - who assume that all players will jump at chance to join a CL club.

We all remember that Moyes only ever used "the kids" when he really had too, which was a shame considering he could afford to gamble - he was never going to be sacked if the kids didn't perform and we had a long run of bad results.

Managers at the "top" clubs are under constant pressure to produce - there is no time for experimenting or bringing young players on (apart from the League/FA Cup). I can understand the "finished article" wanting to challenge himself against the best in the world, but young Ross isn't there - although I think he could be with a bit of luck with injuries etc....

What we all have to live with is the fact that the national press, plus Sky and to a lesser extent BBC don't 'report' as such on transfer activity; rather, they 'lobby' for it, especially when it comes to the 'Big 4' and most especially when it comes to Manchester United.

The underlying assumption being that every professional player of any quality regards a potential transfer to Man Utd as their 'dream move' (how many times have you heard that one?) and all Manchester United need to do is to release the white smoke above Old Trafford, letting it be known who their next signings will be, and the media move into action.

Sam Wallace of the Independent, for example, was absolutely adamant that Leighton Baines would be off to Old Trafford over the summer, and we only need to witness the collective hand-wringing that went on after the transfer window closed to see how much the lobby is all about supporting the 'Big 4' agendas.

It's supposed to be a league based on competition between clubs, not one based on the majority serving the interest of a few. Wallace was on the Sunday morning Sky football magazine last weekend and as the panel were eulogising over the West Ham Baines Show, he was visibly disappointed that Baines didn't make the move: "He'd have 40 England caps if he was wearing red" he bemoaned!

Who cares about the 'Big 4's'transfer targets other than the bloody Big 4 anyway? Get used to it I'm afraid. Foreign imports like Fellaini will always agitate for moves to so-called bigger and better clubs; what was such a shock to me was the Rooney did it too.

I'd be equally upset if eventually Ross Barkley follows suit. His duty is to serve the club of his birth and to help us reach new heights such as regular European football, not to have his head turned by 'the Big 4' and their friends and supporters in the press.

Mark, maybe Moyes didn't play him because he knew he was leaving for OT, wanted to leave him under the radar and get him for peanuts?..

We all know now that the previous manager didn't rate us and was willing to sell any player to any "bigger" club that came along as it was to be unfair not to.. Martinez is different, a lot different. He will only sell on his terms at his valuation, hence £27.5m for Fellaini. Previously the fee would have £15-£20m.

Baines will probably sign his contract and still leave, for £25m, a truer valuation.

As said though, if our much sought after stars perform, there is no reason why we shouldn't qualify for Europe keeping them happy and raising their value.

We all correctly bemoan the situation were Everton appear to be the victims of "the power of money" with our good players being gobbled up by the so-called big-boys.However it does make me think of the years growing up as an Evertonian - over 60 of them - and the phrase "chickens coming home to roost"! When we were signing top players such as Alex Parker, Tommy Ring, Jimmy Gabriel, Roy Vernon, Alex Young, Fred Pickering, Bob Latchford etc etc I along with most Evertonians never gave a thought for the supporters of the likes of Falkirk, Clyde, Dundee, Blackburn, Hearts,Birmingham etc who were having to live with the drain of their top players to us - one of the big moneyed clubs of those eras.
Now that sadly, we are experiencing something of that sense of helplessness, unfairness etc it just made me think of those previous years when the excitement of going to watch our newest acquisition was at the expense of fellow supporters of other clubs.
Like them we have to adjust to the realities of the contemporary situation and that is were those who manage the affairs of the club have to keep abreast of today's realities. We simply have to produce more home grown players. Having money to splash around is all well and good but it has distracted for too long the need to spot and nurture talent at an early age in order to service the present and future needs of the club. There is ample evidence of the poor scouting/developmental aspects of player development over the years to make an Evertonian's heart bleed. I will not begin to mention too many by name because as we know so many escaped Everton's gaze and ended up elsewhere - sadly many being across the Park! But top' top players such as Roy McFarlane and Steve Coppell at Tranmere will suffice as examples.
The quick fixes (loans?) are just that - quick fixes - and camouflage for a short time the failure to plan for the future while competing in the now. Leaving aside "levels" at which the game is played just look at what Dario Grady achieved at Crewe - bringing through young talents who went on to perform at the top levels and also kept the club afloat and enabled the people of Crewe to watch competitive professional football for many, many years.
In many ways it is sad that we are not at present able to really compete at the very top levels - how long will it be before we could contemplate actually competing against a team performance such as we saw last night from Bayern? In the meantime we have to get our house in order, just as those clubs of yesteryear (and today) have had to do. Function as well as possible today, while planning for each successive five years with a genuinely competent management structure focussed on a team manager of vision and commitment with the time and realistic resources to help the club develop. Interestingly we seem to have a manager at least who has one eye for the now and another for the future - let's hope we soon find others at all levels within the club worthy of the name professional.