Walcott seals Blues move

All the very best to you.

Cenk and Theo are top deals, just get them right on the pitch. With them and the rest up front making them goals, I think our defence (including fit Baines) will get a boost in confidence and once again work that a little bit extra to cast away these small and huge mistakes they've been doing. Looking so much forward for Saturday now. COYB.

Welcome to the best and craziest club on earth, Theo!

Welcome to Everton, Theo – I hope you prove to be a massive hit for us, starting with a couple of assists for Cenk on Saturday.

A front 3 from him, Tosun, Bolasie, Calvert-Lewin should be enough to manage at least some shots on target.

Now let's stop playing Sigurdsson as a wide-forward. A midfield 3 of Gueye, Davies and Sigurdsson should provide energy, protection and some creative influence.

Now a left back. Also get the scouts out to find a partner for Holgate in central defense.

Sell Schneiderlin. Sell Lennon. Sell Besic. Sell McCarthy. Sell Niasse. Sell Sandro. Sell Klaassen. Sell Keane. Sell Martina. Sell Williams. Give Jags a coaching position.

Can we have a decent left back now please

Serious question: when the likes of Calvert-Lewin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Duke-McKenna, etc meet a mate (bearing no doubt a third name... or more!) and procreate, what do they call their progeny?

There's absolutely zero reason why an attacking core of Sigurdsson, Bolasie, Walcott and Tosun can't trouble defenses and score goals.

Kids! ;-)

Theo will hopefully hit the ground running on Saturday against WBA, but they'll be well up for it saying goodbye to Big Cyril.

It does potentially render Aaron Lennon surplus to requirements but I think he would be very welcome and effective at a Championship club.

Just wonderful and having heard his interview – he is raring to go.

Welcome Theo – hope you score a hatful and get to the World Cup.

Finally the cutting edge up front!!

Can't wait to see him in a Blue shirt and with two debuts on Saturday the Old Lady has got to be rocking!

COYB's

Welcome to Everton Theo.

Best of luck!

He’ll add pace and goals. Exactly what we need.

Hopefully we’ll have Theo on the right, Bolasie on the other flank, and Sigurdsson as number 10. Surely our attacks will be a bit better with those 3 supporting Tosun?

Two proven international class forwards of vastly different styles which, together with the return of Bolasie, at least offers the manager alternative options.

Now to get the selection and tactics right to harvest the best from all in the squad.

I'm anticipating the full back situation down both flanks may be the next position to be addressed.

The wholesale changes have not helped our performances on the pitch. If we can get the elusive left-back we can hopefully play something called football

Surely with the quality of Rooney, Siggurdsson, Bolasie and now Tosun and Walcott we have to start to have a well tuned attack?

Bring the GOALS!

Christopher #40, as I detailed in a previous thread, it hasn't been much of an issue recently. After a succession of injuries that basically shelved him for 15 months, Walcott returned to full fitness in December 2014 and has made 127 appearances for club and country since then, missing only 16 games due to injury. And he certainly won't be coming to us knackered after all the restful time he's been spending on Wenger's bench.

After he loses his pace, hopefully one of the youngsters will be ready to step up and take his place in the starting XI.

You are absolutely right!

I just hope no handballs in the last game of the season, eh Theo? Only joking, Limpar. Your contribution to Rideout's goal 12 months later more than compensated.

No doubt by the time Walcott is 32, he'll have lost a yard of pace and we'll let him go on a free.

If he's due back any time in the next couple of months, I cannot see another centre-half coming in this window.

Let's use him playing off Tosun & Calvert-Lewin and running beyond them.

I think the problem with our attacking play is more to do with the lack of ball player in the centre of midfield! Gana, Schneiderlin and McCarthy can't pass forward and have no guile! Only 1 of these players should be selected at any one time!

Ideally one of them should be sold! Schneiderlin £15m???? I'd take that!

Good luck Theo and welcome!

1st Team: Pickford, Baines, Coleman, Keane, Williams, Gueye, Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson, Bolasie, Walcott, Tosun

2nd Team: Robles, Kenny, Holgate, Jagielka, Garbutt, Baningime, McCarthy, Davies, Vlasic, Lookman, Calvert-Lewin

Reserves: Rooney, Funes Mori, Stekelenburg

Sell Now: Besic, Niasse, Lennon, Sandro, Klaassen, Martina

End of season: sell Rooney, Schneiderlin, Williams, Jagielka, McCarthy

Next Season new players: Onyekuru, Dowell, Funes Mori, plus new creative midfielder, new left-back and new centre-back.

The fact that Walcott was willing to join us ahead of his original club also says much about both him and the club's image, in spite of all this season's drama and disappointment. Not everyone has miserable views about Everton, after all!

The transfer team and Mr Moshiri deserve some praise for a change. They have gone some way to fixing the debacle of the Koeman era. Well done to all.

Get us a left-back and I may even start to feel optimistic...

Use that pace to petrify the opposition, and start bangin' in goals boy!

WTF... Sigurdsson, Rooney, Bolasie, Walcott, Schneiderlin... it's not like we haven't signed some names in the last year or so. Can't understand how we look so dreadful at times!

Time to turn that around.

A lot of effort and thought in your post and although I disagree on Rooney – who is worth 10+ goals a season

However, Williams in your first team...???

Sorry – he along with 4-5 of the dead-wood need to go.

Have a read of this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11205600/The-Secret-Footballer-Players-don't-care-what-fans-think.html

As both just turned 20, it leaves them with plenty of time to hone their skills and learn from (currently) better and more experienced players.

They've both had opportunities since joining the club at an age they would not get at other Premier League clubs. Sometimes they've shown promise. Other times they have been anonymous, as you can expect at this age.

If they are good enough, they'll get their chance. And if they get that, then it's down to them to cement a place in the starting XI.

It was ever thus at football.

I'm delighted!

Basically, he says he'd rather not play them because points matter more than development, the fact that playing a centre mid as a wide-forward, and a tired/old/slow forward as a centre mid has led to us earning eff-all points seems not to matter.

Allardyce is going to fill this team with 28- & 29-year-olds, maybe get some acceptable league positions that he'll boast about, then leave our club with a bunch of 30 year old+ players on £100k+ a week with zero sell-on value.

Meanwhile our golden generation will either be sold or stagnant.

So yes, Walcott is a decent signing but It also represents a worrying future for our club.

Big shirt to fill though after our last number 11.

I feel very positive about Walcott. He has speed, skill and, judging by his interview, a great attitude. He didn't leave Arsenal, moaning and complaining about not playing. His overall scoring record is also tops.

I am sure everybody has different ideas about how he will fit into the team. It is not just the case that he will be up alongside Tosun or Calvert-Lewin. When new players come to a team the whole team is affected, and some players benefit from the new inclusion. I think Rooney and Walcott should have good chemistry.

One of the reasons for our relative lack of success this season is trying to blend in so many new players. While this season appears to be over as regards any major awards we, at least have three months to prepare sensibly for next season. As dismal as it sounds the next step is to move further away from the bottom three. We can do this by beating West Brom. Even better for Toson and Walcott to both get hat-tricks.

Great Expectations! I like to finish on a high note.

All of a sudden there seems to be a half decent team (at least on paper) emerging.

Like most, I really want to see us sign a left-back but I think Sam intends to try Garbutt before the end of Jan. This is likely to mean there will no left-back until deadline day, if Luke Garbutt performs then we are unlikely to sign one imo.

As other posters have stated I am praying that Sigurdsson is moved to a central role, I think this would give us the creativity that we crave.

Very much looking forward to the West Brom game. COYB – show some balls and destroy the Baggies.

I've never heard of this book before (or the linked website). Not sure how valid it is because it is a Western Australia based site, in existence since 1998, with the declared objective of promoting football in that corner of Oz.

So it is hard to gauge at what level the interviewed footballer plays/played at or where, and if it is relevant to the pro game in England or not.

Even so, presuming this is genuine and not some kind of spoof, it was a really good read.

I particularly liked his take on fans forums such as TW:

"I have never read fans' forums. Ever. Totally pointless. I know more than any fan in the country about how football should be played and what it takes to win matches, so I am not going to read anything that they say about what happened in a match or how I or my team-mates are playing."

That told us! It is a sentiment I agree with. Yes, TW has many an interesting thread and many knowledgeable posters on different subject matters.

But to believe we know better than those who make a living in the profession is wildly presumptuous IMO.

Aallardyce has played many young players and in the winning run he had: Davies, Kenny, Calvert-Lewin, Holgate, Lookman, Baningime, Vlasic, Keane and Pickford. He has made noises at looking at Garbutt as well!

The amount of praise he has given Calvert-Lewin and Kenny was outstanding. He used them so much – he actually over-used them.

Your worries are not founded – chill out – we have a great future and Allardyce has taken some big steps in balancing the squad and we still have two weeks of the window left.

When he went to his posh car after the game there was a gang of Boro fans giving him dog's abuse.

One big fat fella said "Oi I pay your fucking wages." Viduka walked around the fence separating them and said "So you pay my wages do you?"

"Yeh, I fucking do," said the big fella.

So Viduka put his hand out to shake the fellas hand and said, "Well cheers, mate, you must be one rich fucker."

and I'd include Bolasie in that. Even before his injury his overall contribution was poor and he's very much a luxury player. I'd expect Lennon to move on, too. Despite his limitations he gives 100% every time he's selected which is more that can be said for many!

As it happens, I'm a fully qualified aeronautical engineer (albeit one who has been working as a web developer).

Does that mean I have encyclopaedic knowledge of all things aeronautical? No.

Does it mean I cannot take seriously the views or feedback from lay persons on the subject? Again, an emphatic no.

In fact, if the designers of the English Electric Lightning fighter jet of the late 1950s had condascended to listen to feedback from the test pilots, it would have been a much more capable combat aircraft with a far better range instead of the very limited, very localised defence platform it ended up being.

So, footballers who don't care about fans' opinions are arrogant asses who deserve a respect downgrade.

But if you've ever been under a fly-past from a pair of Lightnings... Jesus.

I’ve always thought Theo has been too nice to be an elite player. Hopefully, Sam will knock that shit out of him.

I'm so excited to see him and Tosun up front, latching onto quick through balls from Sigurdsson.

We're going to win the lot (next season)!

Ross Barkley, it seems, showed a lot more in training than he showed in games. Some don't.

Jay, Sam, needs to get us safe and experiment. Sandro, Klaassen, Lookman and Vlasic all need a chance. If Sam does this, to the detriment of grinding out mind numbing results, I suspect he will get many on board.

Some people think it's a mixture of Kitson and Danny Higginbotton who are good mates. Reading the books though, it is another world that footballers inhabit. I love football but hate the modern day footballer!

Theo Walcott is a terrific footballer and with Cenk Tosun on the same pitch has got to give us a goal threat.

Whether or not the manager will play Yannick Bolasie with them to make up a front three remains to be seen.

We still have a big vacuum at left-back and until that problem is addressed we will remain vulnerable at the back.

Luke Shaw would be good but maybe that is expecting too much this window. Perhaps as Neil Copeland suggests @ 85 he will give Luke Garbutt a go – at least he is left-footed.

Look again at the high quality – yes, HIGH quality! – and experienced players on the books at Everton. You sure there is no-one at the club young players can learn from?

Yes, ultimately any professional footballer with ambition needs to pit their skills against the very best at whatever level they play at. That will be part of their learning and improvement process, but most of that learning and improvement takes place far from public scrutiny in day to day training with fellow squad members.

Don't equate current bad performances with the idea we have no high quality and experienced players young players CAN learn from at the club.

We most certainly do.

Bill @ 93.

Leeds enquired about Lennon in the summer and want him again his window, apparently.

But if he's only missed 15 or 16 games through injury since 2014, then I really welcome his proven ability!

We're Everton, though, so we'll probably have him on the physio's table in no time... ;P

Fingers crossed on this one!!!

Anyone slating this transfer needs a slap. We've had no-one upfront for months and now we get 2 very good players with different strengths.

Pace kills teams, now we have some.

"...it's not as presumptuous as a footballer, thinking he's got nothing to learn off the fans."

Depends rather on what the 'lesson' is, Tony.

If it relates to the history, the emotion, the legacy of a club, nobody can better teach a player that than a fan who has stood on the terraces, home and away, for decades as many of our own do.

If it relates to tactics, training, etc, then I have to say the paid professionals within the game are way, way more knowledgeable than the overwhelming majority of lay person fans, as startling and objectionable as that opinion may read to some.

Welcome Theo. Looking forward to seeing you create.

And with two up front, there's twice the chance the other nine might properly mis-hit the backwards/sideways pass so much that it actually falls into the path of the right attacking player! The possibilities make me dizzy!!! :D

I'd never seen a Lightning before, but I was standing next to the runway when one took off, and could hardly believe it when it suddenly shot near-vertically upwards and seemed to vanish into a clear blue sky. Gobsmacking, made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

They're nearly as fast as Walcott.

He is the most consistent than any other winger you can mention. Where do you get such an adjective? He is amazing.

Even more watch him Saturday – he is always on the move and will put the fear of god in the opposition – even more so if we as supporters get behind him .

One thing we have is our passion and a real stadium that is not a Library – like The Emirates. Get behind this boy – slag off every full-back he gets kicked by and we have an asset. Imagine the bond between him and us if we give him the support he has never experienced!!!

COYBs

If things fizzle out with a few more wins, but very little in the way of entertainment, then I think Moshiri will thank them and send them on their way. If however they can drill this squad to start looking like a team that will sell season tickets, then they will get a chance to take us into next season. I don't think Sam is under any illusions, he's said as much himself. Entertain and make decent signings who can produce good football.

If I was him, I would still want a couple of defenders.

Just seen an article regarding a left back that could be surplus to requirements at Bayern Munich, called Juan Bernat. Never heard if him before, and I know you should never watch you tube clips, but this guy is better than Baines in his prime.

I hope Everton are in for him.

It's taken me a while to realise but the more I've read from players and ex-players the more I've come to think that Everton have actually managed to pull off something of a coup.

Time will tell of course but for once I'm looking on the bright side and I'm also really looking forward to Saturday.

I hope the team is set up to attack from the off and that our two new signings spark a confidence-boosting revival.

Roll on Saturday!

Link

Phtt! Really! How on earth can Everton possibly benefit from a player like Theo...?

Now get a proper haircut and cover those arms.

If reckon he'll love it I here and can be a great, great player for us.

Stewart Lowe @128, I saw that link on Newsnow; he's the right age, but would he cope in the Prem?

Would still be better than Martina or the garden chair, even one with castors.

See they have us linked with Vardy too; bookies have us as favourites to get him.

Now you have Walcott see if you can find a way to pass the ruddy ball to him in the opponent's half.

Pickford
Kenny Holgate Williams [Left Back]
Gana
Bolasie Sigurdsson Lookman
Walcott Tosun

However Jay, football has some great managers who never really made the grade or didn't play the game at the highest level. Knowing boxing better than I know football, the likes of Angelo Dundee and Manny Stewart never had a professional fight in their lives, but were great trainers! Please explain!

Yes, they became paid professionals, but were in and around the sport before this, like a number of fans might be too! Also, some fans have friends in the profession, those in the profession who know football sometimes think that their friends talk sense or offer something legitimate to say!

I remember a number of Evertonians talking about playing Coleman on the wing quite a while before Moyes did it and expressed about when it came into his thoughts!

There are a number of layman in history who have discovered/commented on things that proved true before they were discovered by scientific experts! History is littered with them!

Sorry typo, late at night and a few strong beers down me!

Should read

I remember a number of Evertonians talking about playing Coleman on the wing quite a while before Moyes did it and Moyes expressed he had been thinking about doing it.

Just for the record Jay, I believe the professional knows best, but they are human, get it wrong or can adhere to philosophies that are just wrong for the situation they find themselves in, such as Martinez!

Sometimes, being too close to the action can blind you to the obvious as well!

Going beyond the player himself, it tells me that we're still investing in the team and we still have ambition. That's an important message to get out to prospective signings too. It also shows that we understand that we're lacking pace and attacking 'oomph'.

But I'll stop short at congratulating the club management. They've had months to identify a left-back and still haven't done it.

It's kind of like celebrating winning a new client while watching your business go under. The basics need sorting quickly.

Also one big centre-back signing and register Garbutt for left-back as an audition till the end of the season to see if he can make it permanent for next season. If we get the above done, 7th place is easily achievable and next season Europa League – unless Bristol City upset the odds. COYB

A genuine question: Is he better than Kanchelskis in terms of finishing?

Personally I'd like us to look to the future and ease Rooney out of the team. Schneiderlin can sod off too.

No pressure, Walshie – just go out and get them! Then we can kick some butt!!!

We now have a current Turkish international striker and a seasoned England international up front so, with the right support, there is no reason why they can't be successful for us.

I think it's highly significant that Walcott openly admits that he was strongly influenced to come to us by two important factors: Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce. I think it shows that Rooney is a positive addition to the club because his name and reputation are such that players will listen to him and he could be a bigger influence than bloody Steve Walsh in convincing players to join us.

The fact that Walcott also cites Big Sam as a reason also tends to indicate that, no matter what some of us may feel about him, Allardyce has a good reputation among the current crop of players in the Premier League, and let's not forget Cenk Tosun's words regarding Allardyce's influence in convincing him to come to us, rather than the other clubs who were chasing him.

In the space of a week, Sam has brought in two players, the likes of which could and should have been brought in by his predecessor (and Walsh), as soon as they knew Lukaku was leaving and as soon as they became aware that Ross Barkley had no intention of staying with us. Not exactly rocket science was it, Mr. Walsh?

Thank God that Sam Allardyce has had the force of personality to make things happen, and happen quickly, in trying to sort out some of the mess that the combined failings of Koeman and Walsh in the transfer market had brought us to.

Sorry onwards and upwards with Cenk and Theo and to end on a question: Just what the heck have we been paying Walsh to do for a season and a half?

Sigurdsson has to play more central to feed Cenk or Theo; question is: Where dose Wayne fit in?

To loads of footballers, it's just a job, and I find Everton's current crop of players as bad as any I've ever watched. I've said it before, but 4 managers in 20 months, some of these current players have downed tools on now, and not once have they offered to reimburse the fans.

In any walk of life, one of the worse thing you can do is cheat. These players have cheated, on the people who matter most, the people who travel everywhere because they love Everton FC, and although they find it easy to apologize in the papers, not one of them has offered to hand any paper over to the fans.

Also players I think should leave:
Robles
Stekelenburg
Martina
Besic
Klaassen
Niasse
Sandro

New Players:
Goalkeeper
Left back
Centre half
Midfielder
Striker

The long-ball tactics have been easily neutralised by the opposition, so much so that it has put Everton's defence under more pressure, since the opposition has been able to mount more attacks and provide more support for these attacks.

The opposition have been so successful that Everton have had no shots on target. Walcott, according to Allardyce, is a proven provider with pace, a goal scorer and able to track back, aiding defencive duties.

This would suggest that Walcott will have defencive duties (a priority according to Allardyce) and will be either able to support Tosun with crosses or as support in attacks, which other supporting player options have failed to do.

The question is: will Walcott be able to do this in line with Allardyce's tactics which are now as we stand not providing any shots on target?

Sigurdsson has to be played at 10 and Rooney should sit on the bench to be introduced later in the game as a replacement for one of the strikers or midfielders. The temptation to keep Rooney in the starting 11 will only cause us problems.

I am afraid that his lack of pace is costing us when he drops deep and when he attempts to link-up our forward play. Unfortunately, one of his strong points, his passing has also been poor of late. This is the problem and the change up front won't alter anything unless this is sorted out.

That's the problem in a nutshell. They can't start in the same side. I agree with you. Rooney on the bench.

Outs:
Mirallas (done)
Barkley (done)
Martina
Besic
Niasse
Lennon

Out on Loans:
Sandro (Premier League team)
Klaassen (Premier League team)
Baningime (Championship)

Ins:
Tosun (done)
Walcott (done)
Luke Shaw or Juan Bernat
Galloway (from loan)
Coleman (from injury)
Baines (from injury)
Funes Mori (from injury)

My 1st Choice XI (when all are fit):

Pickford
Coleman Holgate Keane Shaw
Rooney McCarthy Sigurdsson
Walcott Tosun Bolasie

Second XI:

Robles
Kenny Williams Funes Mori Baines
Davies Schneiderlin Gueye
Vlasic Calvert-Lewin Lookman

Our squad:

Goalkeepers: Pickford, Robles
Right-backs: Coleman, Kenny
Centre-backs: Holgate, Jagielka, Williams, Keane, Funes Mori, Galloway
Left-backs: Shaw, Baines
Defensive Midfield: McCarthy, Gueye, Schneiderlin
Attacking Midfield: Davies, Rooney, Sigurdsson
Forwards: Tosun, Walcott, Bolasie, Calvert-Lewin, Lookman, Vlasic

'Despite the side being run by a self-absorbed Morlock, I joined Everton because I reckon he'll be off in a few months and then we'll get someone in who'll want us to play a bit.

As for regaining my England squad place, where's the fun in that? If I want a tour of Russia this summer I'll sign up to a bespoke travel company. And I'm not looking to the World Cup as a showcase for a transfer; I've just got one, thanks.

I had a good time at Arsenal but reckon I got out at just the right time. I can't wait to score against them and shut their whining supporters up. You wait till Arsene leaves, it'll make this season's Everton shitfest look like a Buckingham Palace garden party.'

I've said it on TW before, had Big Sam been our manager in the closed season, there is no way we'd have started without a recognised No 9 and a squad as unbalanced as it was. Love him or loathe him (and his tactics), I have never doubted his ability to understand the modern game.

Every top team has two or three proper quality CAMs in their prime and with pace.

Spurs: Eriksen, Son, Alli
Man City: Silva, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Toure, Gundogan
Man Utd: Pogba, Mata, Herrera
Chelsea: Willian, Hazard, Fabregas Arsenal: Ozil, Sanchez, Wilshere

If we only want to be the best of the rest, then we don't need one. With Shaqiri or Mahrez coming in, we can go for 4-5-1 with Gana, two wingers of Vlasic, Lookman, Bolasie, Walcott and another two dictating the play in the middle, especially in home games. Away, we can play 4-2-3-1 with two DMs and Sigurdsson in the middle with Mahrez or Shaqiri on left and Walcott, Vlasic or Bolasie on right. Sigurdsson can play in proper middle and Shaqiri or Mahrez are capable of changing positions. They can control the game anywhere in midfield.

Any of Mahrez, Ozil or Shaqiri are twice as good as any of the midfielders we have at the moment unless Klaassen shows us something that we haven't seen from him. For that to happen, though, he has to be on the bench first.

Bernat could be interesting but I'd love Alex Telles from Porto who'd probably cost £20-25m but is a top modern full back in my opinion.

The last time we were a good team was Martinez's first season when both Baines and Coleman were bombing up the flanks. Since Seamus's injury and Leighton's decline ,we have sorely lacked that dynamism. Telles would certainly fix that on the left.

Include Cenk, Walcott and Barkley in the figure.

Thanks.

In my experience, the best 'experts' can do both, grasp and handle the details (where the devil lies) and grasp the bigger thing. They also usually don't consider themselves 'experts', because they understand that they understand very little. In contrast, you get the self-proclaimed 'experts' who in fact are not so expert as they seem to think, often revealed by closer examination of what they do.

Regarding scientific advances, these are most often achieved by the 'real experts' as above, who can both handle the detail and stand back like a layman. Not many laymen, those who don't also deal in the detail, produce very much. Most of history is littered with the produce of the 'real experts', the others merely providing occasional bits of stuff amongst this.

A centre-forward that looked sharp in a heavy defeat, and a winger with both pace and an eye for goal. ?Now a left-back and maybe a left-sided centre-back and this will be our best window for a long time.

They may take a while to gel, but I am optimistic. The only way is up. C'mon Blues, strong finish to the season and a few brass-balled performances, please.

I agree with you completely, Cresswell would be ideal; he won't be cheap though. We might have to break into the gas meter to fund it!!!

Who was the kid everyone was raving about at Bristol City? Scored against Man Utd!! Worth a look maybe?

I'm sure I don't need to tell you how many Reds have become Blues in years gone by (Reid, Sheedy to name but two).

On Theo, I wasn't overly keen but thinking about it now, can see only upsides to this. Us Blues are a hard bunch to please. We sign unproven Premier League players and people cry out for experience. We sign a proven Premier League player and suddenly we identify every single flaw possible.

Pace and goals is what we need, pace and (hopefully) goals is what Theo brings. Welcome to the best club in the world Theo. Hope you make it impossible for Southgate to overlook you in May as that means you've been an instant success.

I keep saying this...

I have heard that Rooney and his agent wanted a guarantee (in his contract) that if fit he would start every home Premier League game. So far, this is the case... and, if true (I believe it is), he won't be dropped unless injured etc.

Others who can go are Besic, Robles, Lennon and Schneiderlin. Get Dowell back from Forest wherever we can.

Good Lord!!!

Peter, yes I know there have been plenty of reds who have played for us. Alan Harper being another. An excellent Mr versatility. Another was Stuart Barlow. Cue all our yesterdays from Steve Bird!!

Cuco unfortunately is where most of our forward moves break down as he stops, turns with the rapidity of the QE2 and looks to play the ball back.
A fast-moving left-back like the Munich lad or Tierney or similar would immensely improve our overall play.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he did have that inserted into his contract. If he was prepared to sit on the bench and just play now and again he could have stayed at Man Utd.

I think the real shame for him and us is that Wayne is only a shadow of the player he was. Mind, he is still our leading goalscorer, but that says more about the other players at Everton rather than him.

I can understand with all his family and sons being Blues that he thought it was a good idea to return. I just hope that, come the summer, he reflects on his move; I think it would be wrong for his legacy to be as a has-been. He has been to great a player for him to want that.

Firstly, start with a 4-1-4-1 when defending. With Macca/Gana, Rooney & Sigurdsson CMs, with Walcott & Lookman/Bolasie wide players.

When we attack, it becomes a 4-3-3 with (hopefully overlapping backs). This is how Man City play so, if you look at Sigurdsson - McCarthy - Rooney as a shitter version of De Bruyne - Fernandinho - Silva, you get the picture.

Remember Rooney has still got the best footballing brain in the squad, still got an eye for a pass, and an eye for goals – it's just the legs can't do it anymore, but the rest can do the hod-carrying.

Yesterdays are all I have.

Yeah, that.

Sure, he shows consummate skill now and again, and his goals have been more than welcome admittedly, but his performance is usually consistent insofar as he's unreliable in tackling, passing, running for a full 90, or sticking to one role and not compromising those roles assigned to team-mates.

In a way he reminds me of Glenn Hoddle. In '98, when managing England at the World Cup, he allegedly irritated some in the squad by still being able to take free kicks in training that were way better than even the likes of Beckham could muster, but even with those God given skills, there's no way he contended himself as fit to play. Rooney should be viewed in the same way and as for being a role model, well let's not go there, eh?

Sigurdsson does not have Rooney's goal-scoring instincts from open play, but is better with a dead-ball, but he does have the ability to tackle a bit, run, and pass the ball with deadly effect against the opposition. With some bodies to now aim those passes at I hope he takes centre-stage as our No 10.

I'm sure Rooney can be allowed to join Ferguson, Jeffers and Ebbrell in the card school or whatever it is Kenwright's "boys" do at Finch Farm for a living.

I think my doppelganger Jay Woods [Latvia branch] @ 96 makes a really weird and ultimately false analogy with his example of designers ignoring feedback from the test pilots about the performance of a combat aircraft in the 1950s.

Weird, because it has no reference or relevance to the claims the Secret Footballer made about simply ignoring fan's opinions (and reading negative match reports about a game he was self-aware enough to know he had played badly in), more as a means to not have his confidence undermined which could impact negatively on future performances.

False, because quite clearly the designers and test pilots are both specialists in aviation. Professional football managers, coaches and players are all specialists in their field. The average football fan is not.

If Jay's account is true, then the real dipsticks in his tale are the designers who arrogantly ignored the test pilots experience of actually flying the kite. Jay's attempted analogy then, IMO, is an extremely contrived one and, as I said, false.

Then Barry Williams @ 140 and Jay Woods again @ 153 offer up examples of successful managers who weren't players. Yessss...and...?

The issue isn't that they were not players. They are still specialists in their field and would have spent thousands of hours studying and practising their skills to gain the necessary coaching qualifications required to work in professional football.

Your average fan simply does not undergo such rigorous studying and training to come anywhere close to the knowledge base most professionals working in the sport accrue.

Finally, Tony @ 158. Your complaint about footballers' application is another issue altogether, fellah.

Just have to disagree then!

Keep Martina and offload Kenny.

Yeah. I can see how that works...

"........................................................"

I believe you are thinking of Joe Bryan? He scored the first goal not the winner but was the left back we were linked too.

No-one has responded to my Alex Telles pushing! Check him out. He'd be brilliant. Different league to the likes of Cresswell in my opinion.

None of our current back line would get in any of the top 6 teams. That includes Kenny: he tries... but that doesn't make him anywhere near good enough.

I can't remember a cross. Any assists? His defending leaves a lot to be desired. But he tries. We are miles away.

Keane is my biggest disappointment. Carragher was right about our signings. I agreed with him then. We all should now. Our last two signings are much more like it

I think Walcott will do well for us, because he is better than what we have wide right currently. If he can stay fit for 30 games, I'd be confident in expecting around 10 goals from him with a few assists. His runs in-between the full-back and centre-back are excellent, and he showed that in the first half of last season.

But he won't help us bridge the gap. Taking a 28-year-old who can't get into the 6th best side in the league is not going to turn us into top 6 contenders in the near future. I would prefer we use members of the bloated squad this month, and then invest in the summer for the long term. Too much of our starting contingent is in that 28-34 bracket, and too little in the 21-25 bracket. We brought in some good youth players who can really do things in the future (Lookman for example), but if we are going to compete we need to buy more Pickfords – young players able to perform now and in the years to come.

This is a good deal for now – in the immediate context of this season and perhaps next. Theo will help us secure 7th next season in my opinion, and certainly has the ability to make a difference in big games. But he isn't a Mane, a Salah, a Mahrez – whilst some would rightly argue that we can't attract the quality of a Salah, I would hope that our spending power would enable us to buy a Mane – a Premier League player with the clear ability to be a top 4 player, like Pickford. Theo isn't that – he is a goal scoring winger whose technical failings and injury problems have restricted his ability to become one of the league's best players.

So I'm not unhappy but won't be jumping for joy either. But perhaps he can be a key competent of a revitalized squad in the summer, fresh from more buys and hopefully with a little more youth. It's hard to jump for joy in January, when we are out of three cup competitions and staring a race for a top-half finish in the face.

Regarding the average fan vs ex-pro/football world 'person' debate, as to who understands football more, solely going off Sky's Super 6 Soccer Saturday competition mind.

I have to say the so called expert pundits are performing atrociously this season.

Only Charlie Nicholas makes the global top 3000; the others are quite simply embarrassing for a fan, let alone expert .

A lot of thought goes into this competition as well, its not easy at all, I'm actually in it and you have to be up-to-date with injuries, suspensions, tactics, current form on a weekly basis etc.

So, in effect, the average fan is actually proving to be far more knowledgeable than the so-called expert ex pro, in these circumstances anyway!!!

But they are not qualified are they? They are clearly talented sportspeople but that does not prove them to be in any way analytical, evaluative or rational about the sport.

There may be some argument in stating that we lay people could never challenge the thinking of the (suitably) qualified and experienced coaches and managers but that isn't the case in your example.

Given your reasoning, can I only comment or express an informed opinion on the career that I am qualified in? May I in future disregard the opinions of anyone less qualified whether they are important stakeholders or merely interested observers?

Also, I am presumably in no way qualified to express an opinion on the arts, television, film, literature or music? I've never even been to Whitehall so I guess an opinion on politics is out of the question as well, is it?

This argument just doesn't stack up in the subjective world of sport. We are not talking about barristers or solicitors, engineers or mathematicians who can point to their professional qualifications as an indication of their knowledge and ultimately their professional competence.

I thought I had a reasonable argument here... but then Ian Edwards goes and spoils it all.

He was never a player, just a very analytical layman fan who got a break and ended up managing 4 top level clubs in 3 major European leagues. That's better than the vast majority of professional players have ever done once they hung up their boots.

You could look at it another way; if you car's brakes stop working, do you need to be a motor mechanic to work that out? If blood starts pouring from an open wound on your body, do you need a doctor to tell you you've been injured?

Many footballers appear to have a god complex when it comes to their profession (actually, that's the same case with most coders, pilots, aero engineers, surgeons or indeed, any other kind of specialist you could think of). It's arrogant, it's repulsive, it's ugly, it's vile pride and ultimately, it's immoral.

But it's also unwarranted because they do not possess perfect expertise. They are fallible creatures like everyone else and the blunders they make on-field show consistent bad judgement at their workplace - ask Pickford about that attempted punched clearance that lead to Van Dijk's winner against us recently at Anfield.

In sum, nobody is above reproof in their profession, regardless of the credentials of the source of that reproof. If something a professional does is wrong, it's almost always manifestly so, even to non-professionals. Football fans – especially those of traditional clubs like ours – are very knowledgeable of the game and can see through the fraudulent machinations of well paid professionals. Like Martinez. Or Koeman. So players need not think they can invoke their professional standing as some kind of shield against fan criticism.

"Cut it into four, I'm not hungry enough for eight slices."

I would fancy beating him in an argument on any subject.

The best professionals I've met or worked with are also the most humble, and their talent and true expertise shows itself in what they achieve rather than in what they claim by way of knowledge. Certainly in the fields in which I have worked, the ability to put yourself in the position of the 'intelligent layman' in order to self- question your own arguments is an important one.

When this ability appears to be lacking, it's generally a sure sign of the pretence of the bullshitter. Like in the cases of Martinez and Koeman.

Not getting into the 6th best side does not necessarily mean that he won't be good enough for us. We have seen so many instances of players discarded by one team (Salah, Lukaku, De Bruyne to name but three) flourishing in another team which plays a different system.

I really do think we are just 1-2 signings or maybe even just a tactical switch away from being a very good side. Signing a Baines-type world class left-back and Coleman coming back to pre-injury form could mean we have two full backs bombing back and forth, up and down the flanks and keeping the opposition defenders more occupied, which means they are more tired when our fast subs come on in the last 15 - 20 minutes... something which is not happening now.

Rooney could turn out to be our new ‘Barry' with more of a goal threat and energy, or better still our own ‘Pirlo'. McCarthy if he stays fit (a big if) I truly believe adds a lot more bite to our midfield, Sigurdsson could turn out to be our own Eriksen, and Tosun, Bolasie and Walcott our own attacking Front 3 (cf Mane - Firmino - Salah or Son - Kane - Alli).

I truly believe Holgate has immense potential – he needs the fans' patience to flourish, he is courageous, good on the ball and in the air, and a good tackler. Yes, he has made mistakes but has never shirked from doing his job.

Maybe Keane will come good; if not, we have Funes Mori to come back – an Argentinian international, no less, who also scores a fair number of goals from corners & set-pieces.

No, I am not drunkwhile typing this post, :-) just optimistic that we are slowly putting together a team that is getting rid of its prima donnas, building a team with the right ‘characters' and – if the fans get behind this team – we might all be pleasantly surprised come the end of the season.

I think it's a question of semantics that people are confusing here.

I (and the Secret Footballer, I imagine) am not denying fans the right to express an opinion. What the Secret Footballer says is that he simply doesn't listen to them, or read their opinions in fans' forums such as TW:

"I have never read fans' forums. Ever. Totally pointless. I know more than any fan in the country about how football should be played and what it takes to win matches, so I am not going to read anything that they say about what happened in a match or how I or my team-mates are playing."

I appreciate it puts a few fans' noses out of joint, but is he really saying anything too radical here? Because he is playing professionally in the sport, that alone does make him immediately more qualified than the overwhelming majority of fans.

It is his day job and in the modern game as well as specialised coaches, nutritionists, sports psychologists etc, etc, there is access to any number of analytical data and detail which can inform and educate even the thickest of footballers, far better than anything he could read on a fans forum.

Now of course, as you express, the ability to analyse, evaluate or rationalize about the sport varies for obvious reasons from individual to individual, be that as a practising footballer or a layman fan.

But do you seriously think in the ultra-professional and deeply analytical world of modern-day sport that anything expressed on a fans forum about players, formations, tactics – anything at all – is original and may not have been considered or already analysed within the club itself?

Because I don't. Sorry, but I think it highly unlikely a layman fan can have a lightning bolt insight, unthought of and not already considered by the professionals.

Take TW itself as an example. How many mundane, repetitive, negative, weird and whacky posts do you have to sift through on some threads to find the occasional gem worth reading?

So I can sympathise with and understand a footballer making the rational and very clear-minded decision NOT to take notice of what fans say or write to avoid having his confidence undermined, or being burdened with conflicting views on how he should play. All the more so if they are contrary to the much deeper and far superior analysis which without question is available to said player within his club set up.

That is not being arrogant and aloof as some have written. It is a commonsense decision made in his (and the team's) best interests.

As a player, why expend time and energy sifting through (for him) mostly redundant views (because he knows this stuff already) and risk having your confidence undermined by the more vitriolic and personal comments?

It is an exercise in futility.

Finally David, you invent an extreme scenario which possibly demonstrates what I said at the top of this post:

Neither the Secret Footballer (nor I!) am denying you or any other fan the right to an opinion or wishing to deny you a platform on which to express said opinion about anything! Football. Politics. The Arts. A film you've seen at the cinema. Whatever.

I am quite sure on every topic on which you hold and express an opinion, you also give greater gravitas to someone who shares similar views to your own and who you consider more qualified to speak on the subject.

I am equally sure there are others who you do not share similar views with and who for whatever reason you dismiss them as unqualified to be taken seriously on the subject.

Well... the Secret Footballer is doing exactly the same. He doesn't give any great gravitas to fans' opinions because he is constantly, daily, fed a diet of high-quality data and training which is more likely to benefit his individual game and that of the collective, the team.

Perfectly rational and sensible, IMO.

For reasons already stated, your Andre Villas Boas point most certainly does not close the case or count as a knockdown argument.

He was inspired to get into football as a year-old and neighbour of Bobby Robson during the latter's time at Porto. The young Andre already spoke English at that age as he had an English grandmother. Robson apparently helped school and encourage him in many ways.

The young Andre chose a career path to become a football coach – he did not just 'get a break.' He studied in Scotland and England, where he got his UEFA C coaching licence at 17, B licence at 18 and A licence at 19, his full UEFA Pro licence by the age of 21.

So again, a really poor example by you, Jay. As are you further bizarre examples.

Of course any normal functioning human being knows when their car's brakes fail... know when they start bleeding they have been injured without the input of a mechanic or doctor.

What most people cannot do in such scenarios is repair the car or stitch up the wounds, so what do they do? Yup! Consult with the specialist to do just that.

The rest of your post is basically a rant, brimful of resentment at how you personally view footballers:

'a god complex... arrogant... repulsive... ugly... vile pride... immoral.'

You also presume the Secret Footballer (and by extension other footballers) is maliciously 'invoking their professional standing as some kind of shield against fan criticism'.

That's not how I read it at all, as I respond in my post @ 203 to David Graves.

In my opinion, and I do believe I have the right to express my opinion, what was once a sport is being turned into a science, which for the professional participants may be beneficial, and I have no issue with that.

What bugs me is the number of ex-professionals earning a living, by stating the obvious. I played for and managed teams at Sunday League level, and we moved pint glasses, beer bottles and ashtrays, around a table after a defeat, in order to point out where we were going wrong, and I think it's safe to say that we never lost a game in the pub.

Substitute the glasses, bottles, and ashtrays, for hi-tech equipment and that's exactly what those highly paid pundits are doing. They tell us that player 'A' should have passed the ball to player 'B', when it's obvious to everyone that was indeed the case.

It's my belief that you could take any football fan into a television studio, and he could indicate what the players, and officials could and should have done.

I'm glad I won't be around when the referee will be a thing of the past, and the all seeing eye of the television camera will control the game. I say keep football as a sport, but I know the scientists will win in the end. That's my rant over.

Every time I hear Carra, Neville, Garry and Co spouting on endlessly about the game I either mute the buggers or get up and do something else.

However, it can only stack up if the majority of football players went on to a successful career outside of football after their playing days, which doesn't appears to be the case.

The irony is you're right, the modern players are at a club, from an early age and have all the modern technology and nutrition experts etc and most spend there entire lives in the football world. So yes they should know more about their craft than the most fervent supporter.

Realistically though , how much does a single player learn about football as a whole? He trains all career on 1 maybe 2 positions, he's told what to eat, drink, basically think.

All his knowledge is rammed into him by possibly god knows how many tactical geniuses in his career he probably stopped listening to after his first payday, to think he'd have a clue wtf was actually in his diet enzyme protein shake or wtf he's eating beyond chicken, fish and carbs is paramount to naivety, which iI'd never associate with your posts btw.

But no I'm afraid to say these, you could say robots, are kept in the enclosed murky world of modern football to keep their status quo, not their expertise to keep their world closed, if we were seen to know more about football than the football establishment itself?

Where would the TV companies be then?

If you were talking to 2 men, one a 32-year-old goalkeeper, which I picked as he can see the whole picture of a match and age-wise supposedly in his prime... or a 60-year-old fan who's been going to watch top level football since he was 10 – that's 50 years home and away – which would you personally listen to?

I think I'd pick the fan.

Whilst I was a technician in the RAF, I completed my BSc after I joined my first (and currently only) civy employer. I did do all the windtunnel, stress testing, fluid dynamics and other science 'stuff' but I would say I'm more involved in the technical hands on work than the design engineers (there are lots of kinds of aerospace engineers after all). I haven't used many of the skills I learned in school – let's just say that.

I don't believe any engineers wouldn't listen to test pilots when they make valid points, I know the test pilots here at Boeing are extremely well regarded and ultimately decide if the aircraft is airworthy or not. Now if it had been the mechanic moaning about fuel and range limitations then I'm pretty sure the old school engineers of the time (proper engineers in my view with real hands on skills - no CAD/CAM for those guys) would have said something along the lines... 'I say old boy, be a nice chap and bugger off'.

There.

First up, I don't see anyone in this thread seeking to deny anyone a right to express their opinion.

Secondly, football remains a sport, arguably the most popular pass-time globally. The advances of sports science and the like enhances football IMO, rather than detracts from it.

Thirdly, the 'punditry' that bugs you can be ignored, the sound turned down, or the TV or radio switched off.

Pundits are a source of great irritation to many a football fan and indeed TWer. And yet, as much as they are mocked by fans, they are also quoted (at times, by the self-same people who previously mocked them) if and when they express an opinion or tactical analysis that echoes those of said fans.

They can only bug you if you give importance to what they say. Don't get me wrong. There are some good pundits out there. But there is a whole heap more of the trite and bland type.

Such is the way of the media and social media in particular. The actual content of your words is almost secondary and incidental to the most crucial aspect of a modern day 'celebrity': your 'persona'.

Garth Crooks steeples his fingers in semi-prayer, rests his hand with crooked finger beneath his chin whilst frowning and nodding sagely to give the impression of a wise old head whilst saying absolutely zero of interest...

Robbie Savage is given to jocular laughter, high pitched hysteria and schoolboy pranks to reinforce a maverick 'Jack the Lad' image...

Chris Sutton follows the apparent dictum 'if you can't be nasty about someone, then it's not worth saying' to fulfil his self-created persona of 'honest straight talker'...

Do I need to go on?

That said, I still think you inflate things a tad when you say you could take any football fan into a television studio and they could do just as good a job.

In the same way the Secret Footballer avoids reading or listening to football fans rather than read the personal abuse or diverse (and conflicting) tactical advice which can both undermine his confidence or confuse him on how best to play. If football pundits truly bug you John, don't listen to them. Or, if unable or unwilling to switch them off, don't give them greater importance than they merit.

'Jay, (BRAZ), why do you put so much trust in that particular "Secret Footballer", (a toe curling concept, to me).'

With respect Andy, but I don't believe I am doing any such thing. Indeed, in my very first post @ 86 in this thread replying to another poster's reference to 'the Secret Footballer', I wrote:

'I've never heard of this book before... [and] it is hard to gauge at what level the interviewed footballer plays/played at or where, and if it is relevant to the pro game in England or not. Even so, presuming this is genuine and not some kind of spoof, it was a really good read.'

Spoof or not, my subsequent posts have merely expressed my personal understanding as to why footballers would choose not to read fans' forums or listen to fans' phone-ins, given the personal abuse and frankly absurd tactical advice fans offer at times.

No contributor who has commented on this sub-theme in this thread has said anything to persuade me otherwise.

Perhaps, professional footballers, secret or otherwise, may be well advised to read some of the comments that fans post about them in various forums, not for them to take everything on board per se but to help them realise they are extremely privileged young men earning a King's Ransom for chasing a football around a patch of grass and help them realise they have a duty to perform for the paying customer, whether they feel like doing so or not.

Unfortunately the only people they do seem to listen to, outside of the coaching staff are the likes of Carra, Shearer, Neville et al. Similar to many politicians, many modern footballers do appear to live in a sanitised bubble where the everyday concerns of the average fan don't see the light of day.

I'm thinking about a response to your points on this thread. However, in the meantime, I have to say that your description of the pious Garth Crooks is utterly magnificent.

The Secret Footballer, I remember all the talk about him a couple of years ago, and just like the game itself, it all seems to be driven by the same driver.

The media were touting Phillip Neville for big things a couple of years ago, and it looks like he's going to manage England Ladies next. No great shame in that, but it's these people that run most things, especially when it comes to the English FA?

John Mac, you speak a lot of sense to me mate, but if we get rid of the refs, then maybe we won't have to turn the sound down on the Telly anymore!

He didn't play cricket at any top level, he couldn't play a tambourine, yet, he was an expert on cricket and music. He was in love with both and devoted his life to watching and listening. His views were respected and admired in both disciplines.

He took the view that the experienced" admirer", I cannot use "fan", offered a different eye. One more passionate and unhindered by too much knowledge, yet worthy of close consideration.

Now, there aren't many like him about, but, I believe there are examples on this site, not me in a million years, by the way, whose views would be worthy of being read by our players.

Of course, Jay, they might have to wade through a swamp of vitriol and I agree that would not be for the faint-hearted among them.

I can see the advantage of the goal-line technology, but I fear that this is the thin end of the wedge. I also maintain that a linesman giving a throw-in to the wrong team, which leads to a goal being scored, can be just as crucial to the outcome of a game, so someone will surely say, "Why stop at the goal-line"?

I grew up at a time when 100,000 people at Wembley could see a blatant penalty, but one man couldn't, that one man being the referee, the result being no penalty.

The furore that follows a refereeing mistake, always provokes the response from the hard-done-to club of, "That decision could cost us millions of pounds"; there is never any mention of the heartbreak it could cause the supporter, who is the lifeblood of the game. To quote Mr Spock, "It's football Jim, but not as we know it".

He was okay this fella, watches the blues, and loves his football, and I remember when I had asked him why he became a ref, he said it was because he couldn't play football anymore. Said it was the next best thing, because he loved being involved.

Today, he told me that the abuse has become that bad, that the twelve men who went on the course to become referees with him, and each paid £250 out of their own money to do so, had all packed it in.

Clough was right, I watch MotD sometimes, and this programme definitely concentrates on controversy, just as much as it does on highlighting the good things about the game of football. I've been guilty myself, still am, but it's definitely a case of dammed if you do, and even more dammed if you don't, for modern day referees.

I just wish they hadn't gone professional, though, because it definitely gives them more time to talk!

Your third paragraph is the exact reason why this type of technology is finally being introduced to the game of football.

I feel this post is backed up by what Tony @ 288 posted too.

Why do you not have punditry and web sites devoted to Brain surgery Bomb disposal Quantum physics Etc...etc. Answer because 99.9% of us havent got a bloody clue about any of that. Although I would bet that a few guys on here would soon be discussing the merits of the frontal lobe Semtex and is that guy on the big bang theory really talking any sense.

Now we come to football. And my point. Most of us have grasped how football "works" from say about the age of ten. It ain't bloody rocket science.FFS As a youngster i've had letters printed on Goal magazine on the merits of The Trinity and on my disappointment on signing Rod Belfitt.Those were the days Football has always been about opinions...We are entitled to have an opinion. And football is quite easy to have an opinion on. Not like the above mentioned occupations.

Football has to be the most talked about sport in the history of . well sport.It ain't a closed shop. Everyone has an opinion. And rightly so. its easy to have an opinion on football. It ain't really that complicated.

Does Gary Linekar enlighten us all on a Saturday night? Of course he bloody doesn't. Do we not all turn the sound down when Garth Crooks utters his pearls of wisdom? Well I do. Who listens to the RS gobbledegook nonsense on sky. FFS..Phil Thompson... Idiots all of them. And have any of you ever listened to Martin O'neil or Roy Keane on Irish TV. You have the heart of a lion if you ever did. Complete nonsense from both of them. And I won't even mention Eamon Dunphy. Or Johnny Giles. Or the rubbish pundits here in Northern Ireland. FFS. We have to endure Gerry Armstrong talking about one goal. all the bloody time.

Or Kevin Kilbane FFS.

Have any of us actually listened to a proper pundit? I don't think that I have. Although to be honest I sort of like big Kevin Campbell. He brings something different He brings style. IMO. And he's a blue.

Anyhow could any of us step up on TV or radio and take over from any of those guys? Well no.

Why? Well as much as I believe that some of us Joe Bloggs could probably make the same points as most pundits. We haven't really earned the right. Ex footballers have earned that right. That's it in a nut shell for me. They played the game. They have earned the right to spout nonsense on how the beautiful game should be played. And TBH its all nonsense that most of them spout. Nonsense that this old supporter has long since figured out figured out long before it came from some pundit.

Why will none of us mere Joe public ever manage a top team? Because no footballer will ever give respect to some guy of the street. Now matter how much sense you might talk. Its all about respect. And we have not earned that respect.

And for opinions to be listened to. We don't stand a chance. Players only respect other players. Today's footballer does not give one iota about what us guys think. Would you if things were reversed.

Rant over. Just to say that I think that Walcott is a good addition to our squad. Looking forward to seeing him link up with Tosun. Let's hope that Big Sam doesn't go all defensive against The Albion. No real need. We can beat this outfit. So let's be positive.

Now let's get that Left Back on board. No need for a top footballing pundit to tell me that. I've been saying that for a few years. All by myself I've noticed that Baines has lost that edge. Most of us have noticed that. But our 6 million pound last manager didn't.

What would this great game not be like without fraud managers, useless directors, agents, divers, cheats, the RS, ridiculous money...and pundits? I dread to think. It maybe actually enjoyable again.

I find it's so easy for these 'television experts'? to undermine the referees in the comfort of a studio, surrounded by all this technology, they make no allowance for human error.

The offside situations are a classic example, a player can be marginally offside, and they have the benefit of an electronic line across the screen, and according to them the linesman/referee has made a monumental mistake, as the player is well offside.

I appreciate that we can't turn the clock back, but I'm not sure that the game is as appealing as it used to be.

It's the hidden agenda, that might not even exist, because we are all schizophrenics when it comes to our team that gets on my nerves. We never beat the bigger teams much anyway, but when Martin Atkinson refs, I bet you we have never even won one against them?

Why did Everton, have to appeal Rodwell's sending off, for instance? Why can't these refs, ever admit when they have got one wrong, because it wouldn't half make a difference to the average fan if they did. It would to me anyway, because in a sport littered with mistakes, then surely the officials get things wrong as well?

I remember in the 70s the calls for professional referees in the light of some howlers in decisions made. Okay, now we've got that, but it doesn't guarantee better decisions. At least the technology should enable more fairness.

I say 'should', because of course it all depends on how the technology is used. It's a tool, and could be used badly, as with any tool. With the amount of money in the game, there's so much scope for bias and corruption in decisions.

I think the recent ban on Niasse is an example of unfairness, because the process isn't being applied equitably. It's fine banning him, so long as others are punished as and when justified. So the technology is a great thing so long as the system that uses it is fair. The problem is the unfairness in the system, not the technology itself.

I'll do my best to get my points across, yes Dave there is a certain amount of paranoia in the football supporters make up, and as you rightly say, all we can ask for, 'and are entitled to' is fairness.

I believe that the football authorities are partly to blame: this insistence that managers should give post match interviews immediately after games, when feelings are running high, is a recipe for disaster, but as it quite often boosts the coffers by way of fines, it's hardly likely to be changed.

I feel that if interviews were given by managers, and match officials, 30 minutes after the end of the game, the short interval would allow a cooling-off period. If match officials were to admit that they made mistakes, the very least it would do is demonstrate to the fans that they are not 'the enemy'.

Hi Stan, I take on board all the points you make, but I would like to pick up on a couple, you say "The referee will always be the main decision maker, most of these not being controversial." I would say that every wrong decision, whether it be the awarding of a corner, instead of a goal kick, or a throw-in being awarded to the wrong side, is by nature controversial. I know that you may think I'm splitting hairs, but believe me it's not my intentional to be, shall we say controversial?

The progression of referees from part- to full-time, only resulted in the same lads getting more money for making the same mistakes and, as you rightly say, technology will only be beneficial if it's used correctly. I apologise if I've waffled on a little, but at least it's made me feel a bit better.

John, I take your point about all mistakes bring controversial. But this raises a distinction I would make between 'random' mistakes and 'systemic' ones.

Random mistakes are 'honest mistakes' like we all make, and which balance out (broadly) over time. When a ref makes a random mistake against you, it's not good, but at least, in the long run, it will be balanced out by a random mistake in your favour.

Systemic mistakes, on the other hand, reflect things like systematic bias for or against a team, or habitual clever deception of referees by certain forwards who have a habit of diving, or bias in the handling of different cases of diving. Systemic mistakes are often rooted in the money in the game, and can be equivalent to corruption.

What I'm saying is that, the technology can definitely help in the case of random mistakes, but less so in the case of systemic mistakes. Indeed, for systemic problems, the tool of technology might (and probably is) misused and even abused to the unfair advantage of some teams over others. That unfairness needs sorting, otherwise the game loses its attractions.

You can bet that goal-line technology wasn't designed to settle arguments in the pub, it's my belief that it was introduced to safeguard the millions of pounds that clubs stand to lose by incorrect decisions.

I'm not saying that any injustice should be ignored, but this is where corruption could play its part, it's obviously hypothetical, but where there is money involved, there is also temptation.

I also accept that the temptation, with or without technology is, and always has been, present in the game. That's the cynic in me I suppose, but I'm not suggesting that anyone has succumbed to the temptation; on the other hand, that may be the naivety in me.