Everton announce pre-season tournament details

Now I've seen the format... pass!

In terms of the format, bit odd, but at the end of the day, it is just practice. Usually in friendlies the first team plays just 45-60 minutes anyway.

All pointless pr exercises at the end of the day.

No disrespect to Mainz and Sevilla (both decent enough opponents) but when we were told of a delay in announcing this European tournament held over a weekend I had aspirations maybe we could pull in a few bigger names maybe Dortmund, Bayern or Juventus, Inter or AC Milan?

Bournemouth even managed to pull Real Madrid one year at the bloody Vitality Stadium or whatever it was called then.

It seems every year at Everton we always play it safe with the friendies, it would have been nice to get one at Goodison against a European heavyweight for a change and give Everton fans a chance to see a genuine big name especially as we are rarely ever in European elite tournaments.

There's actually no game scheduled this preseason at Goodison, does anyone know the reasoning behind that?

Anyway not to worry, it's decent enough but maybe as ever with us it could have been a bit better and we could have gone for something a bit bigger, feels like the same as last summer and the summer before that.

No coincidence our best ever Premier League season 2013/14 followed a preseason in which we faced Real Madrid and Juventus over in the USA.

Nobody is moaning just stating facts.

We keep being told by people at the club that we are thinking big and that “nothing will be the same” but to me the mentality never really changes.

Preseason is all about fitness but it's also good to try and get some big opponents in front of fans.

This is the kind of tournament a West Ham or Crystal Palace would enter, the top six host or involve themselves amongst elite opponents.

Until we try and match those aspirations then that's why we won't be at their levels, as trivial as preseason is.

Spurs are in the Allianz playing United, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus.

We are playing in a pointless tournament with two 60 minutes matches in one day.

The difference in big thinking is night and day.

I've given up thinking about the Gomes saga and, if I were you, I'd do the same.

To me, Everton can't be that desperate to keep him – otherwise, we would have moved weeks ago to tie this up. It's dragged on too long already and there doesn't seem any instant outcome on the horizon.

Where did you hear or read that, Gordon?

This is either because we are after someone else or as has been suggested another Barca player (Malcom?) as part of any deal. Or the usual EFC delaying tactic.

It seems we drag deals out more than any other club. The sooner Kenwright resigns as chairman, can't be a day too soon for me.

DBB was talking today about us being more executive in our dealings, but I'm not seeing it when it comes to our recruitment.

I can only assume it's something with regards to the wages that might be holding it up but it shouldn't have taken this long to be resolved surely?

I would have thought arrangements to sign Gomes permanently would have been made in May and well completed by now, but something's not right for it to be dragging on. There's rumours today that the deal agreed has fallen flat.

i think it's just a case of wait and see, but not ideal when we still need other players to come in and others to leave in just over a month.

Just Google it, pal.

Of course, this is enough for the naysayers to jump to a negative conclusion and run the club down again.

If that's the case, it's pathetic.

Perish the thought...

I'm pretty sure that Gomes will come. But he may be the only one in until a late loan deal or two.

It's not Kenwright. He has nothing to do with the Gomes deal. We are still in June. One way or another, things will get sorted this week.

People getting angry over the pointless pre-season training exercises, people getting overly anxious over a near-certain transfer (which from all important sources – clubs, player, agents – appears without risk).

People almost starting war on other posts because of how they rate a Man City defender. And a completely over-the-top debate, lacking the 'fraternal' adjective, over the merits of a young player who has been loaned out.

And it still isn't even July... When will this purgatory end? I can't wait for our most likely underwhelming league campaign to get going again.

The “it's not even July” that you come out with is actually from next week – only 5 weeks and three days until the closure of the transfer window.

At present we have still yet to complete the Gomes and Zouma deals, one is probably miles off completion, just to keep the squad we finished 8th with together.

We haven't signed an able striker and currently our only choice is a lad with no real finishing prowess in front of goal.

We have still got a pile of deadwood at the club taking a wage, players who will clearly never kick a ball for Everton again, Mirallas, Bolasie, Besic, Martina, Sandro, Niasse, there's just six of them that need moving out.

So, whilst it may be too early to panic, two or three more weeks of this and we will be justified in querying what ambitions we have for next season.

So Gordon, you assertion that it may be 'utter nonsence' was to the tee.

Gomes now an Everton player, which I am delighted about. He has all the attributes to be a great player for us.

Gomes "“I'm really happy to sign the contract with Everton – it wasn't hard to decide, it was an easy decision and I'm very happy to have made it” Gomes told evertontv.

“I know the club made a massive effort to sign me and I'm very happy and thankful to them. I said during the year that I felt part of a family and that is the most important thing to me.

“I always got massive support since day one. I'm really, really happy to have this badge on me right now and I want to give all the fans my best because I think they deserve the best of each player. I'm happy to be here and I want to improve to give them joy.”

Silva: “Andre was a really important player for us last season and I think we were really able to help him, too” said Marco Silva.

“It was a good decision to bring Andre to the club and we made it one of our priorities to get him back.

“What Andre learned about the club, our fans and our vision convinced him that this is where he wants to play his football and I know he shares the big ambitions that we have going forward.”

Sorry you couldn't find it, Brian. I will have a look and see what I can find, just for the heck of it.

No club worth it's salt is going to give bulletins on who/when/why and how. Gomes may have been away on holiday, we might have decided to save a few quid by delaying the signing by a week or two and if so then why the hell not??

I doubt that Brands and his team have been sat idle all summer – sit tight and wait to see what else happens. As for moaning that we still have pretty much the same squad as finished 8th, where would we have finished based on The run in when we stuffed Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd, as we were a different team compared to the one which played so poorly after the Anfield defeat.

This team could do very well this season but, if we are so impatient now, god help us when we kick off!!

I seem to recall that, in the 1969-70 pre-season build up, we played Rochdale... and lost 4-3.

For pre-season, what a cool format, a chance for the boss to field upto 4 teams, 4 formations all for a full 30 minutes.

Youngsters will get a chance that may otherwise be another year off, we might even see someone like Ellis Simms sparkle when surrounded by first-team squad members.

Again, what's not to like here?

I agree wholehearted with your comments, clearly Gomes was a done deal, we took him for less than West Ham bid, that tells me our business was conducted correctly.

I'd imagine we will sign a few more soon, but imo we will need to clear the decks too: Besic, McCarthy, Niasse, Tosun, Garbutt, Miralas, Bolasie, Sandro, Martina all to be cleared off the wage bill one way or another (loan, free or sale) before we take too much on, but once we clear up a bit of mess I'd imagine us to start to piece together nicely.

Vlasic, Williams, Jagielka and a group of youngsters cleared out, Lossl and Gomes in, moving along nicely.

Yes, you are right, it's all about getting fit and ready for the season.
In the late 50s early 60s I think after running up and down the sandhills at Ainsdale we played the reserves and that was it.

However going away with the team preseason is a good time nowadays. Difficult for the young ones with families but okay for us.

Nice to see us getting hammered in the sunshine, feeling no pain and able to say, "It doesn't really matter cos we're getting fit."