Gueye still targeting 'golden opportunity' with PSG

I wish him the best. He's always given his all while wearing the jersey.

Everton could play hardball and tell him he's going nowhere until his contract runs down but whichever way they go it has to be a subject of discussion in the dressing rooms.

You have a contract with Everton – so Shut The Fuck Up until they decide what happens to you!

How I hate today's over-privileged players...

There's no such thing as loyalty these days, so we're just gonna have to move on from him when he leaves.

Maybe there should be a new agreement sentence written into these contracts ordering them to shut the fuck up whilst working at your current employer!

Every player looking at the end of his career wants an opportunity like PSG is offering – one we cannot, and will not, offer anytime in the foreseeable future. Anybody who expects him to say something different is dreaming.

His contract runs through June 2022. So long as he continues to honor that commitment by giving every ounce he has on the pitch in Everton blue – and he has never once given anything less than his very best – he has every right to say whatever he damn well pleases. He has earned that right as a quality professional with nine years of top-level performance.

Over-privileged? Not in my book. This is a grown man at the top of his profession, probably the best in the world at what he does, and he has earned every cent in his bank account. He sure as hell is not some young punk that you can tell to sit down and "shut the fuck up."

Because of weaknesses on the right flank, less so when Kenny plays, he is stretched, but manages to acquit himself well and avoids yellow cards, which is a danger in his role.

He was a Steve Walsh find in the Kante mode at £7 million. Unfortunately, the team he joined hadn't the Management nor the players to make the most of him, in their overall performance.

Gueye deserves success, he has worked hard for it. I doubt at 29 he will get another opportunity of his dream transfer, but he will work hard and never give up trying. It's a pity Everton didn't have more like him and the Management to suit. Kenwright would have had him cashed in, and will be thinking about it.

For Everton, the model of Gueye is a good one to follow. Buy talented, hardworking players at a bargain price in their early or mid 20s, get 3-5 good years out of them, and sell for a handsome profit as they get near or into their 30s.

It's all about who the replacement is.

However, he should put a cork in all this gushing 'dream move' talk. It is unnecessary to be spouting that when we have important games to play. It can affect team spirit and morale at a time when the club needs all it can get.

I expect Marcel Brands will be sourcing a top replacement. There will be more than a few names bandied around, I'll chuck one in for starters: Kovacic?

Shut the fuck up – you will go when WE are ready to sell you (replacement signed).

PSG obviously feel they could use a destroyer and are prepared to pay a decent price for him and decent wages. I think we can see and understand everyone's point of view.

I don't think anybody is asking him to give up on a dream move, but he could do it with a little more respect and discretion... or, as Gerry says: Shut The Fuck Up!

The club may have told him to stay until the summer, when we can get a replacement. Whether PSG will still want him is another matter; if they do, then he will be gone.

He is 29, unlike Lukaku who was 21 or 22. There probably won't be another opportunity for Gana, unless he goes to China or the USA. Unlike Rom, he isn't Billy Big Bollocks spouting out every six weeks; just a jobbing pro hoping for a move to a country where he has lots of friends and family, where he speaks the language.

We will find a replacement easily enough... unlike Lukaku, whose loss is the main reason for our demise since.

As for working "even more" to secure a transfer, I wish the rest of our squad would follow suit!

On Lukaku, he told the club well in advance that he wanted to go; the club did nothing to replace him and still hasn't. Tosun was a panic buy by Allardyce and Calvert-Lewin was bought for the future. We got £75M for Lukaku and bought a stack of Number 10s. I would have our Premier League record goalscorer back tomorrow.

The pattern of selling our best players has continued despite having more money. Before Moshiri, we sold our best player nearly every other season. Now we have money we still sell our best players.

Challenging the top four is the only way to keep the best players so not buying anyone in January sends a message to our better players that the club have little ambition other than staying in the Premier League.

If he works on his distribution of the ball before he goes we might get even more for him, not to mention other attributes of his game, the price could get bigger and bigger.

I rarely disagree with you but I struggle with "has earned every cent in his bank account." Personally, I cannot deal with the obscene money these football players earn (yeah, just football players). But hey, that is just my lefty view of the world.

But, if we accept the reality of the market system, he must have every right to want to play for a more successful club and do what he sees the best way to market himself.

Sadly loyalty has no place in this footy world and leaves us fans looking back to times when players were committed to our club. Yet, at the same time, we want Brands to make us the equivalent to PSG in every transfer window.

I am realising that for the foreseeable future the market system will ensure Premier League equivalents of McDonald's will have the power to beat the community cafe that is Everton. But, I seem to recall the dominance of Woolworths, BHS, C & A.

Can hope be found in free-market economics and the possibility of change of the big players?

I flap around helplessly trying to find a reason for hope but, to be honest, not getting anywhere really as I watch the rich clubs buy our players in what is the equivalent of the takeover in other markets.

So, whilst by nature, I applaud rather than moan when people try and develop our club, I would be so grateful if anyone could give me a reason to believe the Premier League will ever be more than a 6- or 7-team league with 13 other clubs there for them to play against, after they have bought their best players.

"The best in the world at what he does"? How laughable is that? He's an average player who can't pass a ball forward.

Gerry got it spot-on – he should be told to shut up; think it by all means but don't come out and rub our noses in it by spouting off.

If Silva had anything about him, he'd bench the little gobshite until the end of the season. Let's face it, he'd hardly be missed.

If we were performing better, he might want to stay.

But, at the same time, it's surely wrong for a player on contract to be talking publicly this way. I would have thought that, while you're on contract, you should always act in a way that's good for the public image of the club, and refrain from doing or saying things that can detract from team spirit and morale. Similar to any job where you have a contract.

This happened with Lukaku, and similarly Koeman habitually made public comments that were not in the best interests of Everton. Surely Everton should not be letting this happen, from a contractural perspective, and irrespective of how overpaid or privileged modern players and managers are.

I watched the Newport v Man City FA Cup match, the commentator made a point of stating that Newport cost a total of £70k while City cost a mere £317M, with a £150M on the bench.

For the first half (on a deplorable pitch) it was hardly discernable the difference in the two sides. It ended 0-0, and the only noticeable factor that City were obviously fitter come the half-time whistle.

The second half, City's superiority in fitness told, and it ended 1-4 but hardly a reflection on the game as a whole. Newport's players fought with every sinew to get something from the game.

PSG can buy Gana only if they take Morgan as well.

For me, I've never regarded money paid to players as 'obscene'. I'd rather reserve that term for bad things that come higher up the scale of badness. We either keep watching top football, or we choose not to. We either use Sky, or we choose not to. And so on, it's a matter of our choices.

George Orwell in his Road to Wigan Pier proposed that we should introduce a constraint on the ratio between the highest and lowest earnings, and he suggested a factor 10. It might reduce poverty whilst maintaining the motivation to do well and earn more, and it always seemed sensible to me, but I'm no economist.

Personally, I'd go for a system run by the State, with State control of most things that are important, football perhaps being one of them (judging by its popularity, although it's no doubt not as important as many other things). But people seem to want less State control, and they effectively vote for less, which arguably maintains the big disparities between the richest and poorest.

Anyway, that's politics, and I only mention it because of the repeated labelling on ToffeeWeb of footballers' salaries as 'obscene'.

For me, when he has spoken to the press, he needs to be more respectful of the club, his team mates and the supporters. He has not achieved this by stating "my dream move" and "pushing and requesting a move". He could have simply said it is very flattering to have my name mentioned in connection with PSG and It would be foolish of me not to consider it at the current stage of my career. This respects everybody, including himself.

The other side of things is that the club could easily make good money on him and so I'm sure, if the correct bid came along, they would sell; football is a business these days.

So, imo, he's been great for us. We'll make a big profit on him and we can use that money towards someone like Doucoure who can actually play both roles.

Merci, Gana, au revoir.

It's a job, plain and simple. A better job opportunity has come up and he wants to go, just like I would!

It's not like he's moving to Palace or Brighton because they offered him £10k a week more! He's 29 and has the opportunity to win trophies and play in the Champions League, he hasn't downed tools or kicked up a stink.

And also, why the hell would he want to play under a League Two level manager with a 28% win ratio in the Premier League? Silva struggles to win a game – never mind a trophy.

How anyone could begrudge him a move to the likes of PSG at 29 years of age is beyond me.

ToffeeWeb seems to be split on his football skills etc, but one thing I'm sure we all agree on is his work rate, he gives as best he can on the football pitch.

If PSG come in for him, playing well from now to the end of the season will add a few more millions on... what's not to like?

In the '80s, my brother was talking to a striker from a club I shall not mention and he was talking about the crap he got from rival supporters; he openly admitted he had no loyalty, only a financial obligation, and he would have played for the rival club had they offered the money he was getting. I will leave the two clubs to your imagination but they are very close together.

It is truly a sad indictment at the disparity between the lower divisions of the Football League and the Premier League when you witness the effort those lads put in to a man (okay, it was a major cup tie) and compare it to the effort some of our millionaires have expended, week-in & week-out, it amounts to a travesty. That's not to mention the ones who are not even playing (Schneiderlin and Co, thank God) yet picking up a King's Ransom!

All the rave this squad gets yet remind me how many matches have been won since early November? Oh, of course – it's all the manager's fault, isn't it, just like the guy before and the guy before.

I'm sick of the lot of them, they should have been playing at Wimbledon yesterday, a virtual bye into the FA Cup Quarter-Final but they even managed to screw that up.

Blame the manager all we want but the buck stops with the players and their disgraceful attitudes once they set foot on that green turf.

He works his socks off on the pitch, can't fault his attitude.

Yet another good player who's got fed up waiting for us to be a well-run, well-coached club.

He will be an important player in our remaining games as we try to stay clear of the relegation dogfight. Once that has been achieved, hopefully sooner rather than later, both parties can start to explore the options available.

Anything like a £30M fee would seem to represent sound business for a player of his age but finding a comparable replacement will likely require a significant financial outlay. There is of course no guarantee PSG will maintain their interest with more options available in the summer.

It's business, just like it would be if we got a tackling midfielder who could pass, dribble and shoot better than Gueye. Just like it was when we told Lineker he was going to Barca.

If we had a team full of players with Gueye's attitude on the pitch, I think we'd be far better off.

Players talk to each other so the rest of the squad would not have needed to read the gossip columns to know Gueye aspired to a move to a Champions League club with loads of money, some world class players and every chance of winning medals. Most if not all of Gueye's team mates will be looking at him with considerable envy and wishing they could swap places.

The first thing was Sky, this poured untold fortunes into clubs and overnight changed the fortunes of players.

The second thing was players' agents, again another group of parasites bleeding football dry, is it any wonder that grassroots football is so badly funded when this group takes so much money out of the game.

The third and final change was the Bosman ruling, which originally was brought in to stop clubs holding the registrations of players out of contract, which was a good thing.

But agents have turned it into something completely different; players now have all the power. They all want 3-year deals and the better players get a release clause inserted in their contract should a better offer come along, long before their deal is due to finish. Never seen a player offering to take a pay cut because his team got relegated, unless it was written into their contract and I couldn't see many players agreeing to that clause.

I totally agree with you.

On our current form, year-in and year-out he will never play Champions League football with us for the rest of his playing career.

I only hope Brands secures Gomes's signature before even he changes his mind.

Why the delay? Others are now circling which in turn will push the price up.

Sad to say, the magic talked about by Bally, Labby and more recently, Aussie Tim, seems to have disappeared and, if there's a few more bucks for playing elsewhere, then why not grasp it?

Certainly, the much longed for move away from Goodison – if it ever happens – will see the end of such sentimental nonsense (as my missus describes it) from us mere speckies as we join the likes os Bolton and Leicester in yet another concrete jungle!

They are employees. And when an employee gets offered better wages at a higher-profile outlet operating at a higher level and they are prepared to go to their current employer with an offer, it's not being mercenary. It's making a career choice.

Everton didn't want to sanction. Fair enough. And whilst it is not to my taste that he talks about it his ambition, it is totally understandable.

Perhaps we all need to have a bit thicker skin and not get quite so upset about such a small thing. As many point out, it isn't Lukaku pimping himself to anyone who would listen at every given opportunity. He has just been offered the chance of a lifetime in the latter stage of his career. He has spoken about it truthfully, and in further comments said...

Gueye: "I'm not the type to clash with Everton [over the non-move]. I respect Everton, I respect the shirt. They allowed me to grow, to become known. So I remained pro, didn't strike. Although I'm disappointed I'll keep giving everything for Everton.”

When he plays below his standard he gets dogs abuse on here. When That great opportunity came along he did everything right. And now knows that if he wants that move he needs to play at his best, which if he does we actually benefit from.

He should've been sold when we had the chance.

Keep your trap shut, especially with the ink barely dry on a new contract. You won't be missed at all by me, might even force us to have 10 outfield players who can use the ball when we have it as we sure as shit aren't good enough with a maximum of 9 every game.

Not sure if that says more about me or the current flops we have in the first team.

How is it an insult to the fans and the club that he wants to play well in order for the likes of PSG to keep their interest in him?

The one thing I always agreed with Martinez was when he said "We should all take it as a compliment when the big clubs come sniffing our players, it's a sign we are improving and it's incredible motivation for the player."

He's 29, not 21 - it's PSG, it's no contest vs Everton right now. The fact is we miles away from the Champions League and Gueye knows it. Would you rather he spat his dummy out and didn't give his all for fear of injury or whatever?

We make a load of money and we replace him... or he might just decide to stay, even if PSG come in for him, and then he will get ripped to pieces by some on here.

The question is: Who will be bought in to replace them? The answer will speak volumes about the ambitions of Farhad Moshri.

If any club offers the reported £80 million Everton have slapped on for Richarlison, then we would fecking mad not to take it in my opinion.

His quote cited in post 53 is very reasonable and – given we need the points – he will be motivated and is one of our most consistent players. We need him now.

I agree, it's strictly business and it's a career move for the player; I don't blame him for that.

Wouldn't it have been better, though, if told he PSG he wants to sign for them in the summer and told Silva and the club he no longer wishes to play for them after this season, privately???

We could say "You're not going" once more, I suppose... but I don't think it pays to keep a player when they don't want to play for the club.

1. The fact that he is saying that he will work harder for the move. If that's the case, then he isn't giving his all for us and that I'm not okay with.

2. He is publicly expressing his desire to go and in the middle of the season. These should be behind closed doors and at the end of the season.

Disgraceful comments.

It's simple for me. If anyone wants to leave, make sure the price is right, line up a replacement and let them go at a profit.

That signing-on fee, I wouldn't mind betting, would have been a good six-figure sum. How many chances of a lifetime does he want? He's a millionaire already... Still, he's far from unusual in this money grabbing game. As Paul Tran said (above), if he had the chance, he'd do the same, so I suppose a lot of us are greedy bastards at heart.

Definitely no offence to you personally, Paul.

If it's not okay for managers to speak of others players, then likewise – players shouldn't get away with speaking of other teams.

Referencing Gana – Jim at 53 says it for me.

Gerry Q – I've no idea what you do, but if someone was to headhunt or tempt you with better things would you say to them "Fuck off – I've got an employment contract (and better prospects) with xxxxxxxx..."? Of course you wouldn't.

I like Idrissa, would love him to stay but if he moves on (unless it is across the park) I say good luck mate. I do think we should be doing our utmost to keep theses better players though, because we are starting to look like a feeder farm.

It's not just the money; he's a Francophone African being offered winning trophies and Champions League footy in Paris.

To any thinking observer, it's a no-brainer.

The next decent signing we make may well be doing the same thing to his current club. Will there be any outrage on here over that?

If you're wise, you force through the move reasonably, while working hard and maintaining your reputation.

When an opportunity arrives to work for a top manager, alongside world class players and the real chance of winning the Champions League, of course he would push for the move. At 29, it would be due credit to someone who has used all of his talents and has improved himself year upon year.

"I'm not the type to clash with Everton [over the non-move]. I respect Everton, I respect the shirt. They allowed me to grow, to become known. So I remained pro, didn't strike. Although I'm disappointed I'll keep giving everything for Everton.”

In the games he has played since the aborted move, he has been all of the above, arguably our best player in our last game v Watford.

As Paul Tran @ 71 says: "It's not just the money; he's a Francophone African being offered winning trophies and Champions League footy in Paris. To any thinking observer, it's a no-brainer."

Sorry, but claims by the morally outraged that this is damaging to team harmony are being OTT on this IMO. They are all contracted professionals and if they have any ambitions for their careers, they are all going to be tempted when a club like PSG comes in for them. Envy there may be, resentment, I very much doubt it.

Shouldn't we be recruiting more players like Gueye who honestly express an interest and desire to play for a Champions League club, all-conquering in its own country, when they come calling?

The fact PSG do want him is a compliment to Everton and the player.

Or would you prefer a meeker and safer transfer policy that only recruits players without the potential to play at the very highest levels of the game?

The failing here is the club's, that we don't compete for domestic trophies, that we don't regularly qualify for European competitions.

Unless and until that is the case, the better players won't hang around for some dewy-eyed promised of jam tomorrow.

PSG will have a much wider selection to look at in the summer, Gana will be nowhere near the top of that list.

I believe Everton have passed up a good deal for a limited player, a player who despite the energy actually is not a good fit for the football Silva is trying to implement. Gana is not going to get better nor adapt to that style.

Poor decision from the Brands & Silva. The trick is – well exploited by Ferguson – to sell just as a player is over the hill. You get good money but the good days will rapidly vanish.

I have been head-hunted, Kim, on more than one occasion, but I certainly did NOT tell anyone in the office or those I would not trust. I certainly wouldn't advertise the fact like these overpaid twats do!

If every player who comes to us with some ability and then uses us publicly as a stepping stone as soon as an offer comes in, we'll never hold onto the quality ones if they think they can get away with it.

If the club makes his price so high for PSG, say £35M as Swansea did with Sigurdsson, we can send a message to the likes of Richarlison (when he comes in to form) that you might as well settle down and play, you're not going anywhere without a whopper offer.

We should have been watching us play in a game like that, right now. Only a few Premier League teams left in the thing and a big chance to win it with Euro football to follow, what a fuck-up this season has been.

I agree the club needs to grow some balls.

I noticed that Gueye said he had spoken to Tuchel. Surely this is tapping up and should warrant a Fifa investigation. Why do we always roll over and act nice?

Can you imagine the RS. It would be on every media channel and brought to task.

It's an insult saying "I am going to play harder to impress other clubs". If he isn't already playing the best he can for the Lottery winning wages that Everton pay him, then it is a smack in the face to Everton FC and all concerned.

I didn't put a notice on the board at work saying I was looking for a better job paying me more money but I'll still put a shift in so that I'll get a better reference when I go. The pity is, managers of other companies didn't come watching me do my job and then offer me a great deal; the 3 months notice would have pissed them off.

Unfortunately I have lived and worked all my life in the Real World (not Madrid).

It's exactly the same if we attempt to sign a player from the Championship. You'd expect that player to want to test himself at a higher level.

Bit of a non-story this, especially as we know that Gueye is of good character and will always give his all for us. Nothing wrong with ambition.

John #48 and James #50 are right. There's no way this will bother his mates. Players talk about this kind of thing amongst themselves all the time. The idea that a world-class athlete is a lackey who should Shut The Fuck Up out of loyalty is 20 years out of date.

Sure, the fans get offended... So what? We've seen this sort of controversy over here with NBA stars like LeBron. Seeing it right now with Anthony Davis, a dominant player who has given everything he's got for five years with a shit team and is ready to move on. This is sports today, and there's no going back.

Andy #27, he is probably the best ball-winner in the world. Over the past three seasons, he has led not just the Premier League but all of Europe's top leagues in tackles and interceptions. PSG has plenty of players who can pass and shoot. They want him for what he does, not what he doesn't. But of course you know more about footy than those idiots at PSG. Obviously they are clueless about how terrible he is.

Jim Harrison #53, thanks for posting that quote. That's what I was talking about.

Rob #78, not sure what kind of "behaviour" the club should stand against, but apparently they did. They turned down £26.2m and may well be holding out for your suggested £35m.

Here I live in the small town of Turriff (pop. 5,000) and all the guys I talk to about footie support Manchester fucking United — there are tons of them here. This is Scotland and they don't even play in this fucking league!!!!!!!!!

I suppose it could be a lot worse for me if they all supported the fucking red shite! Watch them come out of the woodwork if they win the league.

"Born, not manufactured" means the world to me.

the rules are that a club "bidding" for a player can only speak to the player once they get the other club's permission. I would imagine Everton did not give permission for Gueye to speak to Tuchel as they "apparently" rejected the miserly offer.

Now I may be wrong and Everton did give permission but, in either case, I think EFC were very weak.

I like Gueye, both as a player and a person, and wouldn't want to lose him despite the fact some Evertonians think he has one foot in the grave at 29 but what I object to is Everton's reluctance to "bounce" these unwelcome advances.

We have now had "assumed" illegal approaches for Moyes, Lukaku and Gueye and I just wish we would take a hard line in these matters.

I grew up living and dying with my hometown Chicago Sting. They won titles both outdoors and indoors. But I moved away from Chicago and the Sting eventually folded, and then I went looking for another club to live and die with. Finally chose a club on the far side of the pond that I wouldn't see in person for 32 years. And so it goes.

How did you wind up in Turriff after leaving the US? From there originally?

I thought Gerry was on the Florida/Georgia border.

I didn't know he's been repatriated to Scotland.

As good as he's been for us, he's still been part of the failures of the last few years so I think him moving on would be the best for everyone. He gets a big move and we get decent cash for a replacement.

We need some foundation to build on and can't keep chopping and changing players.

Gueye has been one of our most consistent players and rarely cries off injured.

I didn't realise how much of a toe rag Gueye is until I read this article.

Your right they did turn this one down, but I'd like to hear or see the club play more of a psychology/spin thing when these offers come in, if we know we're going to sell him, talk the up the player, sound amazed at how low the offer is, our refusals seem so polite and seem to encourage tiny incremental offers.

And if we aren't going to sell him, then deny his existence!

I hope we are holding out for a whopper, these vultures who hover above us (and let's be honest here we've done it to clubs further down the pecking order) should be made to pay big time (like we have).

A situation whereby they feel it's pointless approaching us, unless it's a big and serious offer, is one I'd like to see; this will calm down feet that want wonder off.

The obvious distaste it causes is the open crass flirting with the desired club. What proud Evertonian can't be fucked off with a player talking like this? We know we can't presently compete but have a bit of fuckin respect eh, if he had been paid buttons and been treated bad by the club, yes... but the man is paid handsomely and should remember that.

Any pretend union stewards trying to compare his situation with people working on sites and factories, stop being fuckin silly.

I have always been a union member and official; to try and compare professional footballers situations to working people on any level is frankly ridiculous.

As for "he always gives his all blah blah". Yes, well done, lad – that's what you get paid for. This move is inevitable but why can't Idrissa handle it in the same way as he plays his football? Quiet, efficient, smooth, move the ball or career on.

When we signed Gana. We hardly had to beat off the top boys for his signature with a stick. He was Championship bound and, but for the clause in his contract, that is where he would have ended up.

You need to stop this foolish "He's the best in the world" nonsense. Cue a whole world of shite drawn from fanboy websites. He isn't even the best in the northwest of England. Have you not seen Man City?

As you say, it was no secret PSG came in for him, but he could easily have let them know he was still interested, without spouting it out in public.

Lack of discretion, lack of respect... lack of class.

I like Gana, I'll be following his progress when he leaves, but right now he is here with us, let's get behind him and help lift his game up. The team needs inspiration, including from us fans. When he remembers his last time with us, he will have a positive feeling for our club, even though we didn't let him go in January. All the best to him and us fans. COYB.

Having nothing else that I really fancied today I watched Celtic and got the very same impression about Dedryck Boyata. Looked so assured in defence great ball distribution got to be a future star.

Also got a short glimpse of George Weah's son – he looked very sharp, something we have not got!

So to be 29 and have the opportunity to play in Paris for PSG with superstar players and champions league must be mouthwatering.

The alternative being to grind away at EFC for another 3 years and fade away into obscurity.

Good luck lad hope it comes off.

That FA Cup exit has soured things for me, all we had to do was keep the fucking ball, fall over when fouled or welly it into the stands.

Millwall what are they? A team full of inbred Phil & Grant Mitchells wearing Burberry.

Although some of the players he inherited admittedly, he does nothing whatsoever to inspire me. I had hoped, although he was nowhere near my choice, that he may prove me wrong, but alas he is worse than I had ever anticipated.

I honestly can't see him having the wherewithal to turn milk, let alone turn this mess around, unfortunately we need a strong no messing character at the helm.

It's a vicious circle; it's little wonder we can't compete successfully against these clubs... What's the answer? Search me.

Good luck mate, you deserve a lot better and I'm glad you found the time to give an interview to a 'rag', when you should be training in an attempt to put right the woeful side you are a part of.

This is football!!! A profession where young men don't live in the real world. A profession where the said young men don't probably have to tie their own shoelaces or wipe their own arses because clubs employ people to do it for them. They don't live on Planet Earth. They're cocooned in a bubble.

So please don't insult my intelligence by saying what would you do if a rival firm offered you this and that because I'm sure, like most on here, those rival firms don't come knocking every few months once a window opens.

Yes, I'm sure there's a few who have been headhunted in their various careers but they wouldn't get headhunted if they were working for a shit firm which basically is what Everton are. My point is, we are so detached from these people, it's untrue. Gueye has no loyalty to Everton and I'm okay with that.

What I'd like is for him and his ilk to keep his fucking trap shut because he's not even a decent player – just average. Don't let the door bang your arse on the way out!!!

Darren, please do not edit my sentences to make your points. I didn't say he was the best in the world. I said he was the best ballwinner in the world. And he is.

His other limitations as a player don't change that. PSG know he can't score or create. They don't need him for that. They need him to get the ball back for the players who can.

So you think he's better than Fernandinho? Yeah, right...

He's not even good enough to lace Carsley's boots.

And as for me knowing more than them idiots at PSG, that's one thing you got right — I probably do!

He's seeing it as last chance saloon, but loyalty is no longer a virtue in modern football.

It makes you think what's gonna happen in the summer, as we have no-one who can replace Gana, and it seems Beni, isn't favoured by Silva.

Bramley-Moore Dock has deflected some focus off the Premier League, plus a blank weekend, but the next couple of games will bring this season to a positioning point. But after spending so much more and being worse than 3 years ago, in any role in life, questions would and will be asked.

It's a stinking nightmare and, as Izvestia said for Donkey's years, watching, supporting EFC, carries a public health warning.

Now he’s shown a complete lack of class and bundles of naivety.

Do we actually have *any* players with both ability and character?

I agree with those who feel that think a gag order should be imposed on players before they move to any other club. I also think that players with the minimum sense of honour and integrity should never make negative comments even after they have left.

I think the fact that he is French and 29 does not give him the right to move. He certainly didn't mind leaving France to improve his career. He has a lot to be grateful for towards Everton as he picks up his huge salary each week.

If we went in for, say, the quick kid at Swansea, would any of us give a shit if he had recently signed a contract for 4 years. No – is the answer!

As for his "huge" salary, he's on £70,000 a week, which puts him nowhere near the top of Everton's wage scale. Among those making a whole lot more are Mina, Schneiderlin, Gomes and Walcott. And, unlike those, he has earned every dime, IMO.

Off the pitch, is it too much to ask for an employee of Everton to conduct themselves with a bit of dignity?

I think he should be benched in favour of others who want to stay and play 100% for Everton.

My father once said to me "When poverty walks in the door, love walks out", concerning love and marriage.

The same can be said for money and huge sums of it "When money walks in the door, dignity walks out".

It's disgusting what some people will do to get their hands on money (heroin dealers, arms dealers, bankers, politicians and footballers). We're all relative to them living like paupers and watching them try to increase £70,000 to £100,000 per week because they're hard-up on £70,000 per week.

Billy, You're 100% right, they should run their hearts out every game, but they don't.

And that's my 2nd rant for the day on TW!

That nails the issue. There's no genuine respect for the club any more, and as football has become a business, the ethics of trust, loyalty, honour, don't mean a bean in today's world, driven by agents, making millions off the players.

The game is in trouble and, in the UK, could burn out many football supporters. It's not the same and EFC needs some loyalty and ethos code.

In terms of excellence and aspiration, and looking at Barca's academy, this must have some conduct code, but in values, it's society and in football, agents rule. Can EFC survive, and thrive in the next few years?

Back to the game. Will I do a Sunday free gate at Wembley, again, like vs Blackburn in 95? I doubt it. No the old Sunday by law for football, and a free gate at any game.

The new Wembley now is for me sterile and lacks character. Digressing, Wembley, despite my view of the new Wembley, is as far away, sadly, as ever.

What next, this week?

However, I most strongly dispute the idea that Gana's comments are somehow undignified or improper. He hasn't insulted anyone in any way, just honestly expressed his wishes, as any man has the right to do, especially a classy professional like he is.

And he sure as hell isn't an arms dealer, a drug runner or an agent because he does so.

All the key requirements that EFC can't find this season, in any form of consistency.

Where are EFC going?

What next, this week?

Haven't you heard the players union will announce it wants a collective pay rise for all Premier League players because they're beginning to suffer due to prevailing economic conditions?

Some of them a really quite hard up and a cannot afford super cars in the Bugatti Veyron or Piganni Zonda class yet.

What do you have against a professional making all the money he can?

A touch of dramatic effect in my post there, what they do (obviously) for a living does not compare, but they seem to be every bit as ruthless when chasing the root of all evil.

The game's changed, no values and it won't go back to the old days. That's reality, and they are last, crap houses, on a good day, in terms of this season.

Everton FC, must instill a work and respect ethic to deliver. The players this season, so far, generally have taken the piss out of EFC.

A club who for over 20 years has been nothing but mediocre, making up the numbers to stay in the league.

A club for the majority owned by Kenwright who has had zero ambition to move the club forward and, let's be honest, that status has continued since relinquishing his shareholding in the club over the last few years.

Nothing has changed. No plan or strategy in place by the board to show signs of improvements season after season and convincing better players they can actually be a part of a successful footballing side. Yep, I wouldn't want to work for this circus either.

That's actually a complex one to answer concerning among other things morality, relative morality and existentialism.

I have a little dog who hasn't had a walk for 3 days, he's climbing up the walls and it's getting late over here in the UK, so I'll take him for his walk.

I'll have a think while on the walk and answer that one later.

Gana has been a good player for us, but the truth is he's almost 30 and were not pushing for honours any time soon. Top that with the fact all the big boys pay much bigger wages than us and you will see how obvious a decision Gana is making.

He should remember though that there weren't any big clubs knocking the door down for him after his relegation with Aston Villa so he should be more respectful in his attempt to leave.

My guess is Gana will be gone in the summer, it's a shame though as we have a squad of 30 players, and I'd sell at least 25 before selling Gana given the choice.

I hope we get past all this scrap though, we need a mega clear out, if we don't have investment then we have to blood a lot of youngsters as well as crossing our fingers on the likes of Vlasic, Onyekuru, Dowell and Holgate returning as determined professionals who are ready to make it at Everton.

We've spent the past few years buying average players who are no better than the players they've replaced; that takes it's toll on a club and giving them stupid wages has made it even harder to get shut.

Hopefully Moshiri has wised up and not become bored; he needs to remember he was the man who's brought these idiotic managers to the club. He's ultimately making these decisions and he needs to start getting them right or were never going to get out of this rut.

Recent events have put us back much further than the Moyes era and only one of two things will fix it: that's time or money.

As to whether pro athletes are ruthless, the fact is that they're in a ruthless industry. They're among the very best in the world at what they do and have beaten out mind-blowing competition to get there (fewer than one in 100,000 youngsters in professional academies, who have already beaten steep odds to be there, become top players in top leagues). Their careers end around age 32 if they're lucky enough to stay healthy that long.

Furthermore, their jobs support a multi-billion-dollar worldwide industry of ticket sales, TV rights, gear sales and advertising money. Their performance is crucial to the success of a company that rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and they understandably feel they deserve a big piece of that.

It drives me crazy that people here say Gana's ambition is "disloyal" – as if Everton will keep him on out of loyalty when he gets older and his performance flags. That's the ruthless side of this business, not player ambitions.

I think top athletes deserve whatever they can get. Not only is it free enterprise, it's justice in a system that for far too long allowed wealthy owners to hoard all the profits while casting aside the athletes who generated them.

Am I jealous? Hell yes. I wish I'd been born with the kind of talent and work ethic that could earn me £70,000 a week. I'd love to have been a footballer. But I'll never contest their absolute right to make what they can. Agents, on the other hand...

I look forward to your existential answer when your puppy finishes pishing.

It’s Biblical, and more complicated.

Please shut up and play football.

Yours sincerely,

A Fan.

Uh-huh.

PSG's DOF is Antero Henrique, who oversaw Porto winning 15 league titles and cups in 11 years, including a UEFA Cup.

PSG's manager is Thomas Tuchel, who won 68 of 108 games at Dortmund and took them to a German Cup win and a German Cup final. And who currently has PSG 12 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

Definitely two football fools given to "madness", eh?

Please.

I didn't edit your sentence to make a point.

Gana is not the "best in the world" at anything. This is yet another example of somebody taking misleading stats from fanboy websites and failing to understand them. You, my friend are mistaking quantity for quality.

Gana is both fireman and arsonist. He often causes the problem in the first place with a misplaced pass. When he does "win the ball" it is often to knock it out for a throw in, or knock it away from danger, or straight to different opponent from the guy he just dispossessed. When he does gain possession he is just as likely to re-ignite the fire by giving it straight back.

Best I the world? Do me a favour. He may make the most tackles (that's what tackling machines do) but top quality "ball winners" make tackles at the right time and they come up with the ball. Take a look at the guy down the road playing for Man City. When he wins the ball, it stays won

There is a very clear difference between a "ball-winner" and destroyer. Fernandinho is one, Gana is the other.

If you want to claim he is one of the most prolific tackling machines in the world, you'll get no argument from me, but to call him a word class "ball-winner" is an insult to those who have mastered the art.

Born a blue, seen the brief good times in the 80s. Realistically, I can't see us reaching those heady days again in what few years remain in my lifetime...

What you completely ignore about Gana's tackles are that so many of them come after his teammates have lost the ball in critical positions, which happens all too frequently in the current Everton side. And yes, sometimes those tackles are, by necessity, performed in desperation – destroyers that stop an attack by knocking the ball out of danger or into touch. But you can repeat "tackling machine" as many hundreds of times as you want (groan!) without convincing me that a majority of those tackles (he has twice as many as Fernandinho) do win possession of the ball.

Furthermore, you utterly ignore the other half of Gana's defensive brilliance, the interception, by definition a change of possession – actual "ball-winning" at which Gana and Kante have been far and away the best in Europe over the past three seasons.

Of course Fernandinho is a much better player than Gana -- as are Kante, Sergio Bousquets and Casemiro among others. They all play the full game, which Gana can't, and they do it for top clubs that don't require desperation tackling from their defensive mids because they rarely lose the ball in bad spots and have top defenders behind the play. But what Gana does, he does better than any of them.

That's what PSG needs, which is why they want him. For all their brilliance, they have an unfortunate habit of turning the ball over in the middle of the pitch, and their tendency to give up counterattacks could be fatal in the Champions League. So they need Gana to get the ball back when Draxler and Parades give it away. And as I mentioned above, PSG's decision-makers aren't idiots. They don't "fail to understand" what they're seeing.

I think you are one of the most informed people on this site. You certainly watch a lot of football. So don't start spitting the dummy claiming I am sneering at your ill-informed opinions.

You're right about one thing though. I do deride any argument based entirely on stats gleaned from fanboy websites... No matter who is serving up the argument. If I was going to get personal, it wouldn't be with you

You once again fall into the trap of believing this hokum by telling me about Gana's fantastic record for interceptions. I have spoken about those myself recently, but once again he demonstrates no touch at all and most of them go into touch, out for a corner, back to an opponent, or simply up for grabs. This is NOT ball-winning, it is a disruption to opponents attacks and yes given how poor we are defensively its crucial to us at the moment.

I don't offer up mere opinion. I offer up the evidence of my own experienced eyes.

Show me a guy who calls Gana world class and claims he has twice as many tackles as Fernandinho and I will show you are a guy swayed by quantity over quality, a stats fiend.

Show me a guy who thinks Gana and Fernandinho belong on different levels and any comparison made is a foolish one and I will show you somebody who uses the evidence of their own eyes.

It never ceases to amaze me how intelligent, football savvy people can be so totally swayed by figures designed to guide rather than inform. These Fanboy websites have their uses (I guess) but they will never replace thinking for yourself.

Gana is NOT world class, not even approaching it. I am just surprised that PSG want him.

Put it this way Leon Osman, at his peak, was far more accomplished in the way he passed, held up the ball, changed a game, and actually scored goals from midfield, which nowadays seems a rare event under our hopeless all-at-sea manager.

I’m starting to believe that I did a disservice to the likes of Leon Osman, Tony Hubert.

Osman was a far better footballer than people gave him credit for and fans perhaps thought because he was slight and slow he was not good.

What Osman was however was a very tenacious strong willed character and his technique was underrated, some of the goals he scored live long in the memory, the Larissa one in 2007 a real standout.

What I’d give for a similar type to Osman now.

Barkley kept his shut but his intentions were very clear. Gueye, who is touching 30, has said he his going to work even harder (is this possible?) and play even better (this is definitely possible?) to get his dream move. If he is true to his word, then I hope he gets what he wishes for.

Actions speak louder than words, which is why mid-table Everton always have a player telling us that we are going to do better next week, after another loss, instead of just rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it.

Gueye could have said nothing, “I know,” but maybe he feels his chance at the big time has gone, and this was just his way of showing his natural frustration?

He said he's going to keep working hard, and surely that's the most important thing, because I for one wouldn't begrudge him his dream move, especially if Everton can get top money for him, and also because I think when we are ready for a player with little Gana's qualities, then Gueye will be way past his best.

Up the Blues!!!

You say Leon Osman was a better player at his peak than Gana, because of his hold up play and passing. I was a great fan and defender of Leon because of his perception and passing ability – but Leon would lose the ball in possession much more than Gana does – and as for his tackling ability...! A totally different type of player for a totally different role. Better comparisons to make if we want to find fault with Gana.

A brilliant-counter attack started by Tim Cahill, an overlapping run from Leighton Baines, A flick from Steven Pienaar and a swerving finish from Leon Osman.

God, I miss people I cared about in Everton.

As for Gana – no problem with a player at the stage he is in his career wanting to take the kind of opportunity on offer. The issue I think is the club have cocked it up a bit. We should have got as much for him as we could in the last window. He could well get injured before we can now sell in the summer or PSG could find someone else in the meantime. Also, we don't know how annoyed he really is about it all – you do not want a negative atmosphere coming from one player into the dressing room now, with the mess the club is already in.

He is very good at what he does, but what he does is not a fit for the demands of the system Silva is seemingly intent on sticking with through hell and high water. It cannot be denied that our defence has been consistently poor and naive, but it should also be recognised that they have been afforded negligible protection in a team shorn of a specialist sitting midfielder with the result that they now visibly shit themselves every time they see the vast reaches of space opening up right before their eyes, like a mid acid-sesh Dennis Hopper during the making of Easy Rider.

The team is crying out for somebody disciplined who will rarely vacate that one vital position, not a player who loves to buzz about all over the place, looking to pick up more loose balls than Lexi Belle at a 'bring your own packed lunch' Bukkake party.

Prior to the start of the season, Silva was giving it the 'studied and measured' spin about how pivotal a holding midfielder was to his plans, with Schneiderlin clearly pegged to perform that role:

"Depending on the profile of my No 6, I can play one and two or I can play two and one behind the striker depending on the profile of our No 6. If we play Schneiderlin he is a player who likes to play more alone which gives more freedom to the other two midfielders and this is the system I use more."

After the season started and Schneiderlin (predictably) proved a huge let down, Silva again stressed how crucial such a role was to team structure, but in his very next breath went on to say something to suggest that, in practice, he had either (a) tossed off the fundamental nature of the position and now thought he could get away with a non-sitting player filling in every now and again when he needed a breather, or (b) had been taking in every game with a fucking Tesco grocery bag pulled over his gormless face:

"It is an important position to me and to our squad. He [Gueye] is playing more like our holding midfielder, in the No 6 position. In our plan, it is a really important position. Gana is improving and understanding what I want."

Mistake there, in my opinion, Marco. Gueye has not been "playing more like" a holding midfielder at all. I would go so far as to say he cannot. Gueye is playing exactly the same as he has always done ever since first donning an Everton shirt. His game has not altered one iota to compensate for the omission of a more conservative, position-conscious, sitting player.

This is not a slight against the player at all, but rather a manager who has judged that a midfielder merely covering a lot of ground can somehow compensate for the jettisoning of a central component he previously pointed to as being absolutely key to how he sends his team out to play.

Paul #147 and John #148, I can only assume the club expect to get much more for him in the summer than the £26.5 million. Usually that is the case. Time will tell if they are right.

Laurie #142, that was indeed a wonderful pick-me-up, involving some of my all-time favorite players. Thank you. And Roger #144, AMEN.

Gana probably should have let this lie until the end of the season but I don't see it as an issue for a hissy-fit. At a difficult time for the club, Gana has always given 100% when in the blue shirt. In recent times, players who have done that are rarer than hen's teeth.

I could not agree more. I much prefer a player who gives an honest statement than the one who will make PR statements or say nothing when it's obvious they want away.

Leon Osman? A far better player than he was given credit for. A pure footballer who would have graced any top team who played one- and two-touch football. He would have fitted perfectly into the current Man City team for example

He's done as much as he can with our team. Time to sell at a great profit and give his role to one of our lads. I want more of the U23s in the squad. I'm sick of our overpaid, underperforming "first-teamers", week-in & week-out. He goes with my best wishes.

When you describe a player as the "best in the world" at what he does, you are claiming he is world class and when you compare him favourably to a pair of proper world class players You are basing your argument purely on stats.

If you were basing your opinion on the evidence of your own eyes, you wouldn't put Gana in the same sentence as Fernandinho or Kante, let alone try to show him to be superior.

Winston Churchill – "The only statistics I believe are the ones I have doctored myself."

I loved Ossie too and thought he took lots of unfair stick, but I think you are over-romanticizing him more than a bit. He never had anything like the pace or the creativity to fit into today's Man City side.

For us he had a goal every 8 games, an assist every 11. He played the role for us that David Silva (same height) plays for City, and there's simply no comparison there.

Pace, when you have a high football intelligence, is not the be-all and end-all.

Mark Crossley in his day was the best penalty saver in the world, but nobody would have called him a world-class keeper. Nor am I calling Gana "world class" by proclaiming his ball-winning talents, no matter how much you want to misrepresent my words.

And as to my trying to show him superior to Fernandinho and Kante, perhaps you need to clean your glasses and re-read this sentence from my post #136: "Of course Fernandinho is a much better player than Gana – as are Kante, Sergio Bousquets and Casemiro among others."

Nothing unclear about my words there either.

But, in answer to your question, no, I don't think Ossie had anything close to Bernardo Silva's quickness, and certainly not his creativity or attacking talent.

Gundogan is a different kind of player altogether, but suffice it to say I don't think Ossie would have played in a World Cup for Germany.

I didn't compare Ossie as a like-for-like player to Gundogan. In my opinion, he had the ability and vision to play for any top four side.

On another Man City player, Fernandinho, he probably wins less tackles and interceptions than Gana because City's opposition don't have the ball that much.

Players go where they are offered more money, as I did in my job. Likewise, managers and even owners and directors can go to another club and reinvest their money.

Quite often the Peter Principle works and managers and players get the "promotion" they desire, but like Rodwell at Man City or Moyes at Man United, they find themselves out of their depth.

No, I'm sorry, it's only supporters who are loyal and in it for the long run.

Mike, you seem a well-educated fellow who clearly loves his football but I seem to remember you saying that Gana was the “best in the world” at 3 disciplines which irked me during the transfer speculation so perhaps tread carefully. Gana is obviously a favourite of yours and you are welcome to your opinion.

"But what Gana does, he does better than any of them" (Bousquets, Kante, Casemiro and Fernandiho)

"Furthermore you ignore the other side of Gana's "brilliance", the interception, by definition a change of possession (no it isn't). Actual ball-winning, at which Gana and Kante have been far and away the best in Europe over the past three seasons"

"He has twice as many (successful tackles) as Fernandinho."

Not comparing him favorably, Mike? ... maybe I do need to clean my glasses.

Perhaps both have already shot their load, but Chelsea look every bit as predictable as we do. They've both been worked out.

Silva, with the pressure mounting has finally ‘clogged up our back door' with a change of formation; Sarri from what I know is prepared to die on this particular tactical hill.

Man Utd a veritable snowball gathering size, from a coach regarded as a complete novice, even though they really do have a poor defensive unit. Albeit a reality check in Europe, Solskjaer has instilled a verve and telling won over the squad.

Maybe Sarri & Silva could learn a thing or two about creating an environment where players feel empowered to give their all?

May be a game soon!

You are right. Mike is clearly and educated fella and yes he does love his football – knows it too. You complete your hat-trick when you say he has a soft spot for Gana.

I've been crossing swords with Mike over this particular player since we signed him from Villa. Not sure why I bother, I've got more chance of winning an argument with the missus.

Thing is with Mike. he always has something interesting to say... Know what I mean?

Is that actually true? I can't stand the man but thought he was far, far, better in his few performances than last season and only fully lost his place once Gomes approached fitness.

I thought he had a good game against Wolves, got injured against Saints and was no more gash than the rest of them against West Ham (and certainly no worse than the recent shit-shows we've endured). He hasn't played ahead of Davies, Gana or Gomes for a long time.

Perhaps if what you say about Silva's system is true, then he is worth another look, heaven help us.

All have since been far surpassed by Diego Alves of Valencia and Flamengo, who is an absolute freak at it – he has stopped almost half of the penalties he has faced in his career. But, like Crossley, he's never been considered a world-class keeper.

But I've seen Gana tackle, and I've seen Fernandinho tackle, and – in my opinion – Gana is better at it.

In reality, this is Conte's side, who let him down and got him sacked, and Conte played very differently to this. They are also mostly the same players who got Mourinho sacked.

There is a lot of similarities to Everton, you are right. But we draw opposite conclusions. This is what happens when the players know they can get rid of you easily.

I didn't know his penalty stats were so good, which shows he must have been a very good shot stopper, even though I'm surprised that any goalkeeper could have such a high percentage of saves from penalty kicks.

Thanks for that info, Mike, because I always liked Mark Crossley, and was glad he had such a decent career.

BTW, Churchill was on the money.

He had a lot of qualities and I shall enjoy him displaying those qualities in his remaining games, try to ignore the massive flaws, and remember him as a player who always gave 100%. If only his effort was matched by the entire squad.

What might have been (again...!), eh?

I'll presume we're talking about professional footballers and not the normal world that exists outside their bubble. This makes answering the question easier; no need to explain it in philosophical terms of existentialism & morality.

I'll throw you a curve ball (as I've heard said on your side of the pond) and give you two answers.

The first answer:

I've got no problem whatsoever with then earning big bucks! Providing they play like they're earning big bucks!

The second answer:

We've focused on the footballers, their wealth and their consuming need for it; it's the potential consequences of it that I'm more interested in.

When I was a lad and first started going to Goodison Park in the very early 80's we were just past the worst of a football hooliganism issue the country as a whole had, but still had elements willing to do battle. There was a completely different atmosphere to what's happening now and also a different demographic in the ground, I am convinced the average age in the ground has risen considerably. And the relationship between age and the energy those fans bring into the ground is an inversely proportional one: the older they get the less noise they make!

There were many more younger men and lads like myself and my mates in groups and we sang our hearts out, you can have a nice little nap in between songs at Goodison Park now, back then you had about 30 secs, we were bouncing up and down win, lose or draw. We had all standing in the Gwladys Street, Lower Bullens, Park End (away fans) and what's now the family enclosure, I mention this because it has had an effect on the energy levels within the stadium. My season ticket worked out about £1.60 per game to get in to the lower Gwladys street (standing) and this encouraged groups of young terrors to turn up and it also ensured the next generation were coming through.

Okay, why the history lesson?

Hypothetically, let's suppose things pick up for Everton and we find ourselves doing well and in the Champions League (what a strange thought!) and attracting big players with big salaries, we're suddenly paying £70-80m for our strikers and lo and behold ticket prices suddenly take a massive hike up, the fans complain. The new owner (Moshiri has made his profit and sailed off in his yacht) knows there's that much interest in Everton now, he can take the wealthiest of the Local support and sell the rest of the tickets to Scandinavians and wealthy cockneys looking for a wild weekend in Liverpool. Does this sound familiar? It's happened to a team close by and another one not too far away!

History might repeat.

Mike you said:

"I think top athletes deserve whatever they can get. Not only is it free enterprise, it's justice in a system that for far too long allowed wealthy owners to hoard all the profits while casting aside the athletes who generated them."

I'm going in the opposite direction, I don't mind the owners winning the wage battle with the footballers and controlling their wages, if it makes the game more accessible to everyone. The players will just have to make do with £50,000 per week, It's terrible, I don't know how they'll be able to survive on such a piddling little amount (please forgive my sarcasm)?

Mike, the bosses in the rest of industry have pretty much won the wage battles with their workforces and if it helps many more to go to games I really don't mind footballers losing this one, whether right or wrong.

I've been to a few Bundesliga games and their stadiums are absolutely rocking! There fans a singing throughout the game and take Schalke for instance, you can get in for £12 adult, £43 at Everton?

I get to about four games a season at Goodison Park and although sometimes entertained, feel something is missing. I can easily afford a season ticket but don't want to be tied every weekend to what's happening at Goodison Park.

Go'ed, Steve, proper at it today. 😡

That was my "first season". I went absolutely berserk. What a freaking goal.

John Daley @ wherever it was -

Oh John. . . I saw you post, stopped dead in my tracks (or scrolling if you like), and read your words, as I do every time you post.

looking to pick up more loose balls than Lexi Belle at a 'bring your own packed lunch' Bukkake party.

Did I read that right? Surely I must have as I copy and pasted? I just shook my head, laughed, and said, "Yup."

Brilliant. I need to shower, but brilliant.

For the record, as if it mattered, I'm with Mike Gaynes. Clearly Gana is the best in the world, or that argument can be made, at his craft of tackling, ball-winning and interceptions. That doesn't make him the best holding midfielder in the world.

I'll miss him, whether he "fits" or not. And in regards to all these, "He doesn't fit in the system" sentiments? I'll bet dimes to doughnuts we miss Gana terribly.

At least for a time. Great little footballer whom I could watch play all day long.

Anyway, to me, Gana Gueye is mainly "workman-like" but, as with every other player in the squad, is having to labour without much of a threat of ever causing an opposing defence to have any real worry that we might just score. That surely dulls any latent sense of enterprise right throughout the team.

Walcott and Tosun were silly but desperate buys, the first being a guy who from the off, extreme pace aside, had football awareness on a par with the legend that is the Chelsea midfielder, Ross Barkley. The latter looks like a very expensive Stracqualusi Mk 2. Calvert-Lewin is still in the seemingly endless "promising" stage and Brazil's most recent centre-forward may just be looking at teams in warmer climes where he might win trophies before his hair goes grey.

Still, at least we still have Fraser Hornby....... and Mirallas of course...... and Bolasie.

Re penalties: A study of 1,500 penalties...as viewed from the keepers perspective... showed that the way the takers none kicking foot points – centre / left of centre; centre / right of centre and dead centre. Was a 95% predictor of which side of the goal the ball would go.

Of course, there are some that you'll never save because keepers can dive... then they're on the way down, but they can't fly. Anything in the top corner is in.

Maybe those keepers with good records are picking up on this and that half a stride time gap gives them an advantage. Look at a few recordings with your finger on the pause button and see.

Schneiderlin certainly hasn't been a let down to me, as I had no great expectations of him in the first place, having failed to be even slightly impressed by him ever since his first season when he gave one of the worst performances I have seen from an Everton player in a game against Spurs.

My assertion was that Schneiderlin has been "a huge let down" to Marco Silva, given the initial build up he gave him and evidenced by the fact he subsequently hasn't had so much as a sniff of getting back in the side since being dropped months ago. Pretty damning considering he was the one player whose importance to the system the manager chose to highlight when he first walked through the door.

DT #190, that's fascinating. Would you happen to have a link to that study?

Jamie #187, I went straight onto the floor reading that, and I'm not ashamed to say I know exactly who Lexi Belle is.

Rob #183, fascinating post, thank you. I take all your points, particularly your note about the changing age of the fans at the games. That's why I was so struck by those 20 teenagers singing thru the U18 game the other day. And I've noticed what you noticed about the Bundesliga – I watch a lot of Dortmund games since Pulisic The Yank has been starring there, and you can feel the energy right through the TV screen.

Steve Ferns and others, condolences on your Brexit traumas... I've been watching but don't always understand what I'm seeing. Could have an interesting debate sometime on whether it's worse for a nation to be led by raging incompetents or corrupt racist megalomaniacs. And Steve, I agree, Gana is gone in the summer, and wish him the best.

Darren #174, I did take "fail to understand" a bit personally, but I really think it's just "fail to agree", which we are both experts on.

Tony #172, glad you found the info enjoyable. Personally I think Crossley's problem was blunders, not poundage -- I remember a couple of howlers from his later years at Oldham. Got a treat for you, my friend -- this Crossley anecdote about Brian Clough making him play for his son's Sunday league team is absolutely hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W5ZEK9jnwg

George Mendonsa, identified as ‘kissing sailor’ in WWII victory photo, dies at 95

As a historical aside, the very first reporter to do a story on Mr Mendonsa being the famous sailor... was me. 1989 for CBS in Rhode Island.

It brought back loads of memories to be honest because I used to live in the same digs, that he mentions during his early years at Forest but I know he already had a car before Clough gave him one, because soft-arse me fucken crashed it into a wall one day.

I felt like a proper dickhead, when I did it, but the big fella was a good kid, and just shrugged his shoulders laughing, after calling me a “fucking stupid scouse divi” because he used to love me saying that word.

It happened for a reason, everyone had something to slaughter me about for once! but I made sure I came home that summer and took a crash course in driving, just to disappoint them all when I returned for the next season!

My memory was trying to work out his story because I remember coming off the pitch in Holland, after beating a supposedly Russian national team 2-1 in a big tournament in Groningen, with this result getting us into the final.

My head was spinning honestly because these Russians, should have beat us about 7-2, (some of Crossley's saves were right out of the top-drawer) and I remember Alan Hill, grabbing Norm, giving him a big hug, and telling him he was a first division goalkeeper.

That's the reason I'm telling this story, because when we got back to Nottingham having won the cup, mainly thanks to the keeper, we were going to get the train home for the summer, and he was told he was getting a 4-year contract which was unheard of for a young keeper at Forest so, as you can imagine he was buzzin.

“I'm fucking made up for you Norm," was what I told him laughing (I genuinely was though), "you will be able to get your car fixed now, won't you lad, you fuckin big divi!” And as you can imagine, he just shrugged his shoulders and laughed his head off!

Very happy times Mike, thanks, because I don't take many trips down memory lane.

John Daley – it's very confusing. I believe that the "Schneiderlin type player" that Silva described is absolutely essential to his tactics. He's always utilised such a player, and this is the player that sets the tempo. I think it's the most important player for Silva.

Therefore, it is very confusing with the comments you posted above and then two things. Firstly, that Schneiderlin has not been back in the team. Let's remember he lost his place because his Dad died. He played in the immediate aftermath of that, had a stinker against West Ham, and since I don't think he has played at all, maybe a brief cameo off the bench, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't.

So that Silva has not used him since, with significant problems in midfield, says a lot about his lack of belief in Schneiderlin. He's clearly fit and he has started getting back onto the bench.

Has Silva changed his mind? Not likely, not on the position, it will remain important to him. I think we still play this player, but it's Andre Gomes doing his best impression of the No 6. Sadly, he's not a No 6 and it shows badly at times. Gueye is often just ahead of Gomes. Gomes will hold and Gueye will go forwards and close down. Fair enough, Gueye does this brilliantly and Gomes would be terrible at it, and lacks the build and the stamina. But it means that the No 8 is playing as a No 6 and our defensive midfielder is ahead of him most of the time.

I fully expect that in the summer Gueye will be moved on and Gomes will be retained (purchased) and pushed further forwards and we will sign a player to play the No 6 role properly. That is someone who is disciplined and holds position. A player who can tackle, but will never get close to Gueye's stats as he does not deviate from his position. But most importantly a player who can pass and whose primary attacking role is to set the tempo. That is to be in and around the ball when it is won, and to get on the ball and to get it moving quickly forwards, by incisive passes to Sigurdsson or the centre forward or by knocking it wide into space for Richarlison or Walcott (or preferably Lookman) to chase after.

Intensity is one of the words Silva says the most (after "moment" of course). Intensity means a lot of things, not least the closing down, but also the tempo of our attacking play. Our tempo has been far too slow in both and attack for a while now. That is not something Silva wants, and this one player can change that dramatically.

Derek and Gerry, sorry about the link, but either Lyndon or Michael apparently fixed it late last night, so you should be able to click on it and read the story now. George was quite a character.

And Gerry, no, he just grabbed the girl in the excitement of the moment. Decades later, after they were both eventually identified, they did swap letters.

"It’s really not in my nature to make a scene and clash with the board knowing they’ve done everything for me, that they’ve already been correct with me. They allowed me to stay in the Premier League after Aston Villa got relegated. I owe everything to this club and will continue to give everything for the club as long as I’m there."

“I managed it rather well, I was able to quickly resume and focus on my club Everton and try to finish the season.

“I was ready to go, but it did not happen. We move on and try to work for our club.

“It’s really not in my nature to make a scene and clash with the board knowing they’ve done everything for me, that they’ve already been correct with me. They allowed me to stay in the Premier League after Aston Villa got relegated.

“I owe everything to this club and will continue to give everything for the club as long as I’m there.”