SkyBet's Everton fans rock-bottom on optimism

We are at the very bottom of the league when it comes to expectations about the new season. Wolves and Spurs are just above us.

A big part of me still wants football to be thoroughly unpredictable (see Brighton (a), 8 May 2023).

On the one hand, we all start off the new season on null points with everything to play for… but we know only too well it's not a level playing field any more and the impartiality of referees seems to have done a bunk.

Plus our particular stable of overpaid mercenaries barely seem up for the fight and the sad fact is that, for us, it seems to become all too predictable.

There… I've succumbed too.

If you're losing more than you're winning, then it's depressing.

If you're constantly fighting relegation, then it's upsetting.

And if you don't have faith in the custodians of your club to improve things, then what hope and optimism is there??

When we do survive this season and hopefully have a new board and owners in, then it will be like Christmas Day.

With a squad value of €340M (£291.9M), Everton are 30th on the list behind the likes of Roma, Real Sociedad, Wolverhampton Wanderers and recently relegated Southampton, with the latter having assets such as Romeo Lavia, James Ward-Prowse and Armel Bella-Kotchap to sell before the start of the EFL Championship season.

In comparison to last season, the squad value has fallen 10.7%, the joint third highest drop along with Chelsea, with Wolves second and West Ham United, who have sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105M, seeing the biggest decrease at 21.9%

Is there a trophy?

But then again, all the other clubs' Chairmen think "What would Everton do? As they always get it right".

We have been waiting to see if the MSP investment is finally going to happen.

No one would be surprised that I have no faith whatsoever in the Chairman; I don't think there'd be a surprise there, nor too many disagreeing.

We have an investigation hanging over our heads in October and that could find us guilty of a rule (or rules) infringements.

It appears we have little or no money for bringing in players.

We may have to sell to bring players in. And even then we may not be able to compete with our competitors,

We have our goalscorer who has been injured for most of two seasons and wonder whether he will be fit for this coming season,

There are at least three clubs who are threatening us with court action. Our finances appear to be in a total mess and it's wondered why we're being spouted as the least optimistic!!!

I think our supporters are just being realistic. The thing is there are some factors that will be in our favour once/if MSP finally invest.

We will get a better Board and finally, see the back of that walking ruination of our club (hopefully!) that in itself will see several very dark clouds disappear... and the quicker the better.

ps: Well said, James. :)

We have had some bad times and some poor teams over the years but never have we been in such a dire situation. I fear, if we get relegated this time, we will disappear into the wilderness for good.

Somebody please tell me that I am wrong and that everything is going to be great!

We are currently joint top of the Premier League going into the new season.

Who wouldn't take that now as an end-of-season position??

Everything is Awesome

I think there is a lot of middle ground here though. For me, I'm in the doom and gloom camp whilst Bill Kenwright is still residing as Chairman of the club. How can anyone at all have any confidence after his decades of incompetence? On his watch, we have become perennial relegation strugglers who are facing an existential threat.

The survey may well have said ‘What percentage Evertonians are completely delusional?' and you'd get a similar result.

For Everton fans to feel some real positivity, we need much more than a goal-scoring striker and right-sided forward. We need Kenwright out of the club so we can move on and Moshiri to get some professionalism into the boardroom.

William's magic was to convince nearly all of his audience with a smoke and mirrors act that made it look like he was putting his money into the club when in reality he was pocketing everyone else's. A master illusionist of Fortress Sports Fund and Kings Dock fame.

Others can only make the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty disappear before a disbelieving audience on the telly. Now you see it, now you don't. Now where's that Arteta money?

Bill gone. Investment in place. The new stadium. That eventual League Cup or FA Cup, European qualification and a comfortable league position.

Why not?

If I can't believe, I wouldn't bother. But I do.

Fans can't keep swigging the kool-aid of faux optimism with a descent as spectacular as the Moshiri & Usmanov creation. A spanking new ground has taken on the mantle of poison chalice as costs spiral and people wake up to what it means financially, ie, long-term financial burden.

If the signing of Ashley Young now represents our Modus operandi, we are dead in the water – no ifs or buts about it: we are done. Relegation will come sooner than later and a relative pittance invested by a few Americans won't make any meaningful difference.

Fans may dabble in delusion but they aren't stupid.

A good start is needed like and new signings need to get off to a flyer... then the faithful will perk up, I am sure.

The major coup of a 38-year-old, should not be our headline news. Just hope there is some good news soon. Signings, if we are to make any, should have been done and dusted before a pre-season starts.

The only signings that are protracted tend to the £70M+ and we are nowhere near that league. See you all at Bolton and Wigan next week, a level we may feel comfortable with.

I don't think we're unduly pessimistic. We just understand our reality.

If we do nothing in the next month, I have no doubt that we'll be going down. Possibly without any prospect for late-season heroics.

They have also said they are interested in Ward-Prowse and are trying to persuade a swop deal with Holgate and don't want to tell Southampton that they are prepared to pay £20m in addition to the swop.

Feel better now you know?

One of the best Rock songs of all time. Just played Phenomenon tonight, but the live version on 'Strangers' is better though.

Highly recommend Jamesons' Orange too. Strangely enough, tastes of Orange. 1 ice or drop of water. Was £15.00 delivered on Amazon prime last week. can't afford not to buy it.

And chill. !!!

Went to Athens last October for the final gig. Which UFO failed to turn up for thanks to Phil's heart attack.

ho hum

I still think that Moshiri is quids in on his Everton.Investment. But I admit I am not comfortable with Kenwright still in situ and no changes in structure. Losing Barrett-Baxendale will make little difference.

I really think Frank was way out of his depth and Dyche isn't. I really didn't expect any major signings this Summer, just low-cost patching up. Once MSP turned out to be lenders for the new stadium, I knew that Moshiri would be keeping control.

Selling their best players.
Won't keep pulling rabbits out of South American hats.
Mid-week European fixtures will overstretch them.

Support will quickly wane in an area that is hardly a footballing hotbed.

Trying to keep up but is that about right?

Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey, can we get a move on and sign some players.

And Steve, can any of those put in a decent cross?

Just a tad wrong there on The Seagulls' support. They have had a strong fan base for many years and that will not change.
Not many 'glory hunters' in Brighton.

Thelwell will only nudge the boulder a few metres up the hill. Only when next summer arrives and Gomes, Alli, and Gbamin's £300k per week wages are off the books will he be able to shift the smaller rock closer to the top.

If he's a miracle worker, he will somehow get them players away without us suffering too much wage wise. If Dyche is a miracle worker he will get them performing for the team. I don't believe in miracles, but I'm ready to be converted.

Even so, next year, that money will probably be absorbed into the costs of servicing the £450k pw interest payments on our loans.

Is anyone surprised at the outcome? Does anyone expect us to buy players? I think there will be two or three players sold before the window closes: who? Gray, Onana, Pickford, Iwobi. £120M incoming... Maupay and Holgate also out the door.

Best start looking at freebies and loans.

As far as I can see, Palace, Fulham, Nottm Forest and West Ham don't seem to have brought any players in.

Imagine it'll hot up soon!

Back down in trip and she's readily passed over. No wins from eleven runs (0/11). Anyone feeling optimistic

With respect to Tony 43, I’m definitely not expecting miracles. Doing what he has thus far is impressive to me given the relatively slow transfer market to date. I also agree with Tony’s hint that we are making moves with respect to two windows not just patching what we can here.

To some extent Thelwell is getting heat because the overall market is slow and that is unfair. He may well deserve criticism later but this is premature. Lack of a big name transfer has created uncertainty about other transfers’ values is my theory. What operates there is probably more agreement about big players’ values and those deals establish a premium around which other deals are negotiated.

There's a lot of water to go under the bridge before we know who is playing for who but that's the opinion at this time.

My take is we'll sign a decent player or two and be ok with Dyche at the helm. My only fear is a points deduction.

I think Skybet is spot on regarding other interpretations, but has not accessed the peculiarities of Evertonian views of the manager situation properly.

So 1,400 from 20 clubs completed the survey, say an average of 70 per club. I can't see any numbers for our club in the scoring. How many answered and were they Evertonians?

Mind you, there is a few on here who would always bring the optimism down at any given opportunity. We were getting relegated last December according to them.

No doubt it is going to be a long hard season, again.

My own record on betting on horses is no better. Last horse I backed for the National started at 33/1, and ended up 2 for 1 at Tesco.

Beyond belief.