New signings provide a breath of fresh air

Let's see what they do in an Everton shirt and judge them on that.

Stay off the pitch. You get a pass for occasions but don't make it a regular theme.

I think I'm showing my age, but no. Stay off the pitch. Even against Palace, all you did was add 7 agonising minutes onto the final whistle.

Stay off the pitch. If you were good enough to be there, you would be there.

Jesus wept. The match was officially over at that point. It was a pre-season friendly. The club decided to acknowledge the selfless act of a supporter by giving him a wonderful memory. I agree on the fans and kids invading the pitch but the rest sounds like the rantings of a churlish old sod.

It may have been better to have Paul come on as a sub or given him recognition at the start of the game. It was all a bit odd and chaotic in the end. It could have even sent signals of a free for all. I don't think you are being grumpy but expressing a genuine opinion.

By memory, that should have been around the £25M mark.

I know last season he stuttered at Burnley but in 2020-21 he was dynamic, they were talking about £40 million at one stage for him, and I remember a beauty he scored at Goodison when Burnley won 2-1.

Whether we'll move him inside in some games, who knows… but he could be that creative spark, he's definitely a wide player, we know that.

As for defence, it's just a matter of, fitness permitting, who partners Tarkowski.

That was a pre-season charity match with an odd ending. McNeil playing in the Premier League will get special attention from opposition teams. Gomes can look world-class given space and time and absolute dross when he gets special attention.

I still think Michael Keane has a lot to offer this football club. He might not be quick - which seems to be a cardinal sin these days - but he’s a good footballer, with a decent passing range, who is strong in the air and can do a job alongside a strong defensive partner. I suspect he’ll start 20+ Premier League games this season.

I'm well documented on Michael Keane, Andrew. I can take lack of pace; not essential for me. It's more about speed of mind and decision making in my opinion, not always raw pace and the ability to run an Olympian standard 10 second hundred metres.

That's what lets Keane down. You're right, he's a very decent footballer, possesses a good range of passing and can defend in a set-up that suits him.

But too often, his lack of concentration, anticipation and reading of the game lets him and his team down.

Forever grateful for that outside-of-the-boot classy finish but, more often than not, he frightens me.

Total lack of respect for our guests too. This club love to play on the heartstrings, just like the other occasions when Bill has decided to go public helping children dying. Help them by all means but don't try and get kudos from it.

I'm with Michael 100%.

I agree, I think Keane gets far more stick than Holgate or Godfrey who in my opinion are not as good as Keane. Many seem to forget it was him who was our mainstay at centre-back for the last 10 games not forgetting his goal against Palace. I do think he has a massive confidence issue and always played better alongside strong-minded centre-backs like Mina and seemingly as Tarkowski is.

I think Lampard will start with Keane and Tarkowski as 2 of his 3 at the back, I think also Keane is a far better distributor than Holgate or Godfrey or Mina and in a back 3 that's crucial.

Yes, he does make errors but I think his are highlighted more than our other centre-backs and again he is better in the air than Holgate and Godfrey is poor in the air and not a great reader of the game either. But Godfrey has pace and probably Lampard thinks that will be a great asset alongside Keane and Tarkowski.

He watches what we can all see then tries to recover the situation. Only he doesn't have great recovery powers. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Like I say, anticipation and reading the game are his flaws, not his ability. But at 29, you're not going to change that now.

It also goes back to what I've been banging on about for what must be 3 years now. Centre back. But I got constantly told on here that it wasn't a priority.

If we want to play higher up the pitch, it absolutely was. It starts from the back.

I think Benitez rightly brought in pace / width with Gray & Townsend last year otherwise we would undoubtedly have been relegated.

This summer we've brought in Tarkowski and presumably the plan is for Mina to see out his final year with us before being replaced by the returning Branthwaite.

I don't think we can afford to further improve at CB when the midfield is possibly at its worst for 15 years - and with DCL our only striker (I can't quite bring myself to count Rondon although he has improved as he's got fitter / lost weight). It may also force Branthwaite out of the club if we bring in another CB.

With such little money available and so many problems to address it's a case of prioritising priorities if that makes sense.

Some have us in the bottom three but the vast majority have Frank as the first manager sacked.

He should have been shown a straight red for that challenge (if you can call it that) on Richarlison last season. Richie was out for several games (if I remember).

I was talking more about 2 or 3 years ago.

Early days but I think Tarkowski is going to bring leadership at the back.

I'm an eternal optimist but I just feel we may end up doing astute business this window.

No going out to a league 1 team at the first hurdle in the cup and in touch by January for the final run in.

I don't care what other fans think about my Everton.

On a tangent, I got told yesterday that my Everton training top was ridiculous.

By a London kopite from Ealing with a Liverpool top on, complete with name and number on his back.

I had to endure a London pub going into raptures as the 2nd & 3rd goals went in.

I despise them. I really do.

The team is steadily being improved. One, two or three acquisitions of quality players may surprise a lot of people about the progress of the Everton team under Frank Lampard and his coaching staff.

Danny O and Steavie - yes I think Frank is going nowhere (job-wise, not success-wise) despite the doom-mongerers.

Then onto the transfer musings of people who clearly play too much Football Manager or Fifa. If a player isn't wanted or earns too much for another team to take him on, then of course he will see out his contract. Would any of us on a 6-month contract just quit without another job after 4 months if we could stay to the end for less work and still get paid? The richer you are the more you've spent and the bigger the bills to pay.

There is also way too much analysis put on pre-season. I remember when we'd play the local teams and hammer them 8-0. We didn't win the league then and won't now. I thought it was all about building fitness and trying out new styles with new players. I care how we show against Chelsea next Saturday after 17:30 h.

I watched the highlights on YouTube with no commentary.

You should have stopped there mate because everything you posted after that was shite.

Are people too thick these days to look at the big picture and see why it was done like that? I'd explain it but I just can't be arsed with people who, when they don't know, spout shite.

The confusion was somewhat intentional in order for the surprise to be just that. Both sets of players knew what was going on. And as for disrespectful to the opposition?

To surprise and reward a lifelong Evertonian whose voluntarily made numerous trips to Poland to support and help the Ukranians.

Give your head a BIG wobble, for fuck's sake.

Juve spent weeks trying to find a buyer or trade for Kean, and if they had found one, they would have completed his purchase from us (£28 million, which we could definitely have used right now!) and moved him on.

However, Corriere dello Sport reported this week that all the proposals fell through and Juve have given up trying to move him for now. They're not contractually obligated to buy him from us until next June, so it looks like we will have to wait for that money.

It doesn't matter if Juve buy him now or next June as the money will be in this financial year for FFP purposes

If I was writing that post again I would add some positives regarding McNeil. He is stronger than expected and links well with other players, including Dele Alli, who appeared to enjoy playing with him. He does have skill and is neat in possession. So hopefully he will be a hand full to tie down.

Also, he gives much-needed hope, something that Jim is clearly right about.

The next week should be interesting though, and maybe we might even get a couple out the door before we bring a few in?

The game has changed before a ball has been kicked and that's why Liverpool have played another friendly today. It does seem very contradictory after the way Klopp moaned about the Charity Shield, but with five subs available from next week, it's become an even bigger squad game, overnight, and is the reason why we still need a few more players coming into our squad

Over to you, Franky, to give me something to hit them with. Anything.

Mal, excluding Davies and Holgate, who I'd keep in the squad for this coming season, I'm not sure who would take Gomes or Rondon off us.

Maybe the DoF can use his Wolves and Portugal links to get Gomes to a Liga Portugal club??

Maybe because North Liverpool, especially in the '60s, was a big stronghold of Blues and as Colin Harvey said when he moved first from Scotland Road then to Fazakerley, we never even seen any of them lot, never mind supported them.

That's probably why there is such a big youth element, kids and grandkids. It struck me as odd and still does when mixed families, which Sky jump all over, as I always think the dads must've really taken their eye off the ball to let that happen and should hang their heads in shame, ha ha. Obviously life's not quite like that in reality.

As for the devil worshippers, I won't watch them. Don't even like watching us play them, never mind watch anyone else play them.

Mal (51), We'll have great difficulty "shifting" any player who is a financial burden and not good enough to get in the team. We won't just be able to get strikers in, by forking out the money to get the calibre we need or want. We might just find a player like Leicester did, when they bought Vardy for £1M; but I'd say the odds are against us. Until and if we do, It's a matter of "make do and mend" until we get out of the financial mire.

As Danny says, we can hope our DoF can use some contacts to see Gomes go back to Portugal. Otherwise, we're stuck with players on big salaries, who aren't going to move. Rondon can do a job for us as a reserve or sub.

Still, after going to the match on Friday, I'm optimistic again! I think we've got some really good players in – and we may get more. As long as we steer away from the mire and stay away, I'll be content for this season and next, to slowly rebuild our squad. I've got faith that our Manager and DoF know what they're doing, so I go along with them.

For me, I think after a shaky season and not much activity, our friend Mr Rogers at Leicester might be in for a rough ride, if Newcastle completely bombs after an excellent end to last season and is backed with all the new signings, then Eddie Howe could be quickly dispatched for a more marquee name (although I might expect that more after the World Cup), and there's always the two Uniteds of Lancashire and Yorkshire who both are also teetering – the Leeds manager in particular needs to perform.

It would be easier to pick first to go if Watford were still in the league.