Michael Keane will stay at Everton for another year

He took his goal at Fulham really well.

For all his faults, I like him. And he will score goals.

“This is good news”?

The bad news is “Keane will likely play”

Has his faults but always gives 100%.

He's had some stinkers but he's had equally as many good games for us which I think people often overlook.

Would I have wanted it? Probably not, but I thought weeks ago, this could happen, so it is expected.

My son hasn't mentioned it to me, nor me to him. He's worse than me. When he sees his name on the team sheet or his number come up on the sub's board, he goes into a proper rant!!

He's an honest guy. Given his all when called upon. He knows he's not first choice, second or even third choice centre-back. I imagine he's a good guy in he dressing room and a good example of how to behave if you're out of favour.

The one gripe I have is, isn't there a centre-back we could bring through, buy at a young age that could match his output?

Will Tarkowski continue at his previous level ? Isn't O'Brien due a run a centre-back? Wouldn't that leave Tarkowski in Keane's current role?

I know there's other positions that need strengthening but thought he'd probably run his course here.

I just hope he doesn't get to play too often.

Filling one open reserve spot with a known quantity, and not having to scout him, compete for him or go through an extended negotiation, saves time and effort that can be directed towards more crucial needs.

Nobody's dancing in the streets about this, but it makes sense.

Keane's 1-year deal makes sort of sense.

Derek 17. If Harrison was right footed I'd have him at the quoted 7m as cover for a decent first choice right winger.

It's not a quick fix transfer window opportunity, but I'd like to think that if decent acquisitions for the above mentioned positions can be sourced then it will be a decent enough start to the rebuild process that's needed for the progress of the club to achieve greater things on the trophy trail home and abroad.

It's a no-brainer given the amount of players we've let go. As for Harrison he's a workhorse but has no end product – who's next, Broja 🤷💙

Love him or hate him, if we let Keane go then that's another pointless chase for a defender to replace him with.

The pressing matters should be striker/s and a right back is absolutely paramount, so too some genuine pace out wide.

Have a look at his last supposedly good game, described by one poster as superb, v Newcastle and the phase where Newcastle had four successive corners and got two good attempts in when Michael and his partner O'Brien stood like dummies when the corners came in.

Newcastle were the team under pressure fighting to get into the Champions League next season and ran out of steam and all Keane and O'Brien had to defend were routine centres. They got away with it, but wait ‘til we are the team under pressure fighting — I can see Keane now, he'll — oh fuck that, it's really not worth thinking about!

Then again, Moyes might work his magic on an aging centre-back; that will be worth watching!

We all assume Mykolenko's going to stay fit most of the season.

Hopefully Gana, Garner, Iroegbunam and Alcaraz? That is so light it's untrue. And if Gana gets injured, God help us.

Doucoure got a lot of stick but he scored goals, and was terrific out of possession. Big boots to fill, I'd be thinking we need to spend there more than any other position.

The goal of getting the next O'Brien or Branthwaite doesn't work out so easily, because if they're young with 1st team potential, you either want them out on loan and playing or at worst 3rd choice in case your top 2 get injured.

But what big prospect wants to come to a club like ours on lowish wages and be 4th choice, yet still be a meaningful asset to us? Maybe other clubs on our level have better options in this type of situation, but I'm skeptical.

Given all of that, and the priorities being elsewhere, this seems like a very sound decision. Harrison, meanwhile, need to go read about those rumblings, will feel very differently if he's being brought back as a starter. If everyone's healthy, I guess you could push Ndiaye out right, McNeil to the left, Alcaraz, Gana and Garner in the middle — but even then, right wing is a position I'd rather buy young for impact sub potential than return to Jack.

He's first choice.

There's no guarantee that Tarkowski is going to be fit for the start of the season, or that he's not going to have a reoccurrence of a hamstring.

Please tell me I am wrong that the current back 4 isn't Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Keane and Obrien as it stands.

This to me is a worry. Coleman cant stay fit, Patterson is garbage, yet we are going into a season with Keane as first choice for the first game of the season.

Yes, we might sign a new right back. But equally we could lose Mykolenko that picks up a knock easily, or we lose Branthwaite or Obrien for a period.

Anyone on the squad you've got to be happy is good enough to play. Not hoping you'll never need them.

I get money is tight, I get we have bigger issues in the side. But let's not kid ourselves hes 4th choice when you need at least 2 centre backs in a side.

I just don't get the continuity, knows the club angle. I would prefer no continuity of the level of performance either offer.

"As many good games as stinkers", how reassuring.

Sure, he's a step up above Tarkowski right now, but you can't plan for a season as if Tarkowski won't get healthy if all signs are that his hamstring recovery are on track. If they are, then at best he's third choice with O'Brien out on the right once Tark is healthy.

As I predicted previously, I think it's time for O'Brien to take over permanently from Tarkowski, and I also think we'll bring in a new starting right back or at least someone they feel can compete for that spot. I think Tarkowski then becomes the new Keane for us, a back-up we're glad to have for a few years who only plays when necessary.

We have only one left back.

We have 4 centre backs, 1 is injured and 1 is clearly not good enough. One might need to play right back.

The club captain played 282 minutes last season with every likelihood he plays the same amount of time next year.

Yes, we might get a new right back. But our first choice signing option played 22 games last season and he turned us down. The liklihood is we are looking for inferior players to Tete.

If we were blessed in good full backs, good full back cover, and 3 fit centre backs, then Keane as 4th wouldn't matter. But that isn't the case.

Its been highlighted we are desperately short in the middle of the park, and it is the same at the back.

A back 4 of Coufal, Obrien Keane & Coleman could be our starters come December and into a busy Christmas period. If thsts the case, youre losing matches.

I think Colin Glassar wrote that nothing is changing at Everton, and commented it was dithering davy if I recall it right. The first part is right. Nothing is changing. Its not the manager, the last 4 odd managers have all found there's no money to spend, the squad is thin and the quality is shite.

No manager can turn that around. You want a good team, performing well, then you need good players. You can talk tactics till the cows come home, but you need players that can play.

Get a grip, give praise when its due, not some pre-conceived nonsense to back up your already stubborn opinion.

I’m sure he appreciated the pause in vitriol whilst we all awaited the outcome of his contract negotiations! 😜

Now when will Dithering start signing some new players? History says we won't get what we really need.

‘Dithering’

Give it a rest

Moyes isn’t in charge of transfers in any case

"Cautious Committee"... just does not cut it in the lazy labelling social media world.

There will be times we need to defense for a lead or draw by sitting deep against piling up pressure. He is good at low block and his long pass is pretty good too.

Let's focus on the Striker and the Left Back/Right Back first.

As for O'Brien, yes, bags of potential, who we all rate highly. But he is young and developing. Admittedly, playing out of position, he had a few lapses in concentration, usually early the game, but you can see he's going to be a good player.

Dave is a very astute football and Everton supporter and says what he sees, with little room for popularism either way. He wasn't shy in pointing out that Branthwaite wasn't performing to his high standards early last season and was correct. A player we both and just about all of us rate as one of the best centre backs in England right now.

I don't like the phrase slagging off. We can be critical of a player's performance.

The opinions on Keane have been formed over several seasons and the poor performances outweigh the good ones. It's not slagging off, it's on observation over time.

Wouldn't have been my choice but Keane is useful to retain as backup. It saves us having to buy someone else, but he'll still worry me, as he has done for most of his time at Everton.

Kevin @25, we mostly played with 2 in the middle in front of the back four in a 4-2-3-1. Gana and Garner, once fit, played there. The 3 in front ended up being a mix of Ndiaye, Alcaraz, Doucoure and Harrison. Depending who we sign, and depending on how we set up, we could need another midfielder. Right now, that might be Armstrong. But, you are right, providing Gana stays, it only takes an injury, then we are light on the ground there.

Not a good sign for where we will end up, squadwise, come August.

Starting with both full backs( arguably 2 RB's needed if Patterson goes), at least one more CM (even assuming we re-sign Gana), at least 1 RF and a striker ( Barry might fit that role if he comes) And probably a reserve goalie although those are easier and cheaper.

So 6 more at a minimum (7 if you include Gana which hopefully we can). Given the limited resources we have, especially if we spend £35m plus on Barry, I can see the logic in Keane, if not the excitement

Sensible move all round, as ever I pray our players never read this site.

But at least we know what we have got and maybe Moyes can get him forward a bit more. I always thought he should be kept, with so many contracts ending.

Knows the club, saves looking elsewhere, scores the odd goal, we know him, & never moans.

No doubt all great scouting qualities for an elite defender in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. But it reads more as the criteria for a sunday league pub side - has he got a van, is he a large, does he get the round in and has he got a Costco card were probably the only other criteria missing.

How about concentration, winning one on one duels, handling pressure, reading of the game, being flawless, accurate passing, sensing danger, communication ? Is he a good defender?

20,000 professional footballers in the world, and people are pleased we've re-signed probably one of the most expensive flops in history at our club (around £65m in wages, transfer fees, and agent fees).

There were younger, better defenders available for free. If we’d signed Egan-Riley he’d have instantly become a £10-20m asset given his reputation. Boscagli from PSV has just signed for (of course!) Brighton on a free.

We have fans on this website who were better prepared for this transfer window than the club were. If you’re still optimistic about the ‘new era’ then do yourself a favour and temper your expectations.

This is more than just re-signing an average, ageing player we’ve waited 3-4 years to get rid of; this is symbolic of the club not knowing what they’re doing or having pathetic, limited ambitions.

He might not be in charge of transfers but he will certainly have a big input.

We are just a few weeks away from the start of the season, with still only half a squad in place. To my mind, to re-sign Keane makes perfect sense: he is honest, brave, scores important goals, and distributes the ball well.

We all know he is slow on the turn but, in the present circumstances, he represents value for money. I don't recall similar lengthy debate when we re-signed Seamus Coleman, a much more debatable decision in my view.

He isn't Beckebauer but he is a solid premier league centre back.

We need a centre back as cover for our first choice pair which are both recovering from injury.

Branthwaite ended the season injured and had a few injuries during the season. Tarkowski ended the season injured. That leaves O'Brien and who?

Should we go out and spend 34m on a kwansa type young player or maybe pick up a free transfer like lindeloft on well over 100k a week? Or offer a 12 month deal to a player known to the club.

Keane is in the same bracket as Lyons, hibbert and Osman in other words he is the boo boys favourite player.

All this stuff about watching the ball go over his head nonsense. You name me a cb that ever played who didn't watch the ball go over his head.

I agree it doesn't show the new recruitment team in a good light, it makes them look average at best and uninspiring but if we only have so much money to spend I think it makes sense.

Everton have always attended to out of contract players first. Then they will be looking to sell players.It is only then that they will look at free transfers and loans. Only at the end of the window will they sign what bargain they can.

Meanwhile the press will have them signing players from Timbuktu and beyond.
I also find myself caught when a really good player is mentioned.It is relative, comparison between what is available and existing Everton players

Jeff (40) I never said anything like “ Newcastle just went through the motions of trying to win” my recollection of the game was that Newcastle had most of the game and were definitely pushing to win that match, their fans wouldn’t let them just go through the motions, but apart from those four corners and a terrific shot by their centre back, which just grazed the angle of the goal, they didn’t create many chances.

As for O’Brien I truly hope I am wrong and he becomes the centre back you and many more think he already is, I have my doubts.

Let’s be honest Jeff I like you and fans like you because you really love The Blues, believe it or not so do I,but I don’t let my heart, I have got one, rule my head.

Best wishes Jeff I do understand you, I really do but we just have different opinions of the team we love.

I don't mind repeating, but opinions on Keane have been based on watching him for Everton since 2017.

I can't recall him individually receiving personal abuse at the match. Maybe the odd groan if his number goes up on the subs board. The odd "your shite" comment as another one flies over his head, but no vitriol. He got a great reception as the players made their way around the pitch after the Southampton game, with his name being chanted.

The way I'm reading it, is that Moyes has recommended it to the recruitment team and the CEO has approved whatever offer was put forward to the player.

Moyes won't be judged on Michael Keane or any individual player. He will be judged on how his team performs.

Stu # 62, you start with the best point. There is still 8 (not 6) weeks to go before the end of the transfer window. By the end of that window, we will be better placed than we are now.

However, Mike # 60 is also right about tempering expectations.

I don't think TFG have stated anywhere what their short term ambitions are. The immediate focus seems to be on stabilising the finances and organising a professional management function that the club has lacked (or possibly even never had). That is all vitally important.

On the pitch it will take time.

In terms of squad quality, we have the smallest squad in the Premier League by some distance and Transfermarket rates it as 17th (closer to Leeds and Burnley in 18th and 19th place than we are to Wolves in 16th place).

It would take a net spend of about £300m this summer just to catch up with the likes of Villa, Newcastle and Brighton in terms of squad depth and quality. So yes, Mike, it probably does make sense to temper expectations for the coming season - although if we get lucky with injuries and go big in the cups then it could be good season.

Keane, over the years, has been almost universally criticised on here for his lack of speed, awareness, manoeuvrability, decision making, etc but after two, admittedly, decent games he’s suddenly become indispensable for us?

I mention Der Kaiser (FB) because he played back in the day when Everton fans not only expected better, but demanded it. Maybe it’s a generational thing but our acceptance of this state of affairs is worrying to say the least.

As for Keane and the ball going over his head in many circumstances Keane wasn’t even in the right position for the ball to go over his head he was yards behind the play.

I’ve seen Keane score one of my favourite ever Goodison goals and I’ve seen Keane responsible for some of the worst defending, I’ve ever seen in my fifty years of watching Everton.

Bergkamp-esq when scoring against Palace, but also responsible for making a few average centre forwards look Bergkamp-esq, during his time at Everton, imo

We have a limited transfer budget and quite a few positions need strengthening. We have just secured cover for the centre back position by a player who, despite his faults, is vastly experienced and won't need any settling in. At the very least it buys us time to, hopefully, consolidate and move on.

He'll also reasonably fit and should be available if, and when, required unlike another player we've just re-signed who spends more time in the sick bay than on the pitch!

I know I was very young, but I must have missed that one. I didn't hear it at the time.

Yes, Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman came in for a bit of stick now and then, but again, only from opinions over seasons or individual matches.

Hibbert; solid defender, not the best going forward. Osman; maligned for being small and lightweight but technically gifted and could leap as well. Much more effective when we played him central in my opinion.

My memory of Lyons the footballer is that he would have put his head in a cement mixer to score a goal or stop a goal being conceded when he wore the royal blue jersey!

Just finished watching The Big Match Revisited...West Ham v Everton.

Billy Bingham was manager, Mick Lyons played and Everton won.

Ashamed to say though I recognised more of the West Ham names!

Brendan, you've had me thinking of that era and go back to the End of An Era match at Goodison, when all the players were paraded on the pitch.

I have to say, Mike Pegic's hair has faired well. Not a single sign of grey!!!

We're about to sign a highly rated centre-forward – he gets dismissed by some before kicking a ball.

We signed Alcaraz – the terms of that deal get slagged off. That and we didn't sign him the second the season finished.

We re-signed a 3rd/4th choice centre-back for a year – that gets slagged off.

Many teams have not signed players yet.

If you think Moyes is sat there in negotiations with football presidents, directors of football… then I can't help you.

But clearly someone or some people like the lad and wanted to keep him at Everton and he's happy to stay.

I just wonder how much extra him running his contract down has cost us?

We do need a good right back and another left back, for starters.
A lot can happen in 8 weeks and hopefully will but I'm not expecting us to finish above where we finished last season.
I know Danny will be tutting at that statement but I doubt we will be spending lots of money which we probably need to get higher up the table.

We will see.

Yes the respect will always be there and it really doesn’t matter who is right or wrong.

Like the players of the day, the ones that stuck in my young mind were Lyons, of course Latchford, and my favourite at the time, Duncan McKenzie. We all agreed he was magic!

I wasn't even 10 years old at this point by the way!!

Duncan Ferguson was an idol with many fans when there wasn’t really any other player to idolise at the time— I was a big fan on occasions but I think he flattered to deceive in a lot more games than on those occasions when he stood out.

I never thought that Bob walked on water either although he was a great fella to talk to off the field— each to their own and when I was in my very early teens I absolutely idolised Dave Hickson even though a much better player than Dave played alongside him, the brilliant Bobby Collins.

He used to live in the village of Sefton, and often used to pop in to The Punch Bowl after training. One afternoon he was sitting at the bar, in tears. One of the regulars walked in and asked “What’s up, Mick?”. “They’ve sold me to Sheffield Wednesday”, he said. “Thank fuck for that” came the reply.

He was not the greatest player, but had the heart of a lion. I know he’s not in the best of health now, I’m sure he’ll be battling his illness.

Knee length?

Lyons would run through a brick wall for us and played with injuries but it was never good enough for some at a time when trophies were within touching distance.

Trophies arent within touching distance for us at the minute but the above statement could be applied to Keane.

It's all about opinions but with lots of prem games under his belt, played under several managers and gaining England's caps admittedly doesn't make him a world beater but it certainly doesn't make him the dud some are saying on here.

Second half two players getting sent off for scratching each other McDermott and Stanley who both couldn’t punch a hole in a wet Echo it finished 2-2 but it was a game and a half!.

As you say it is all about opinions and while financially it might make sense to sign him on again it still leaves quite a few fans hoping that he doesn’t have to play but he’s here now and I hope at least he comes up with a couple of those vital goals even if they are just to shut me up!

We have 2 goods cbs and 1 with lots of promise. When all are fit Keane will be on the bench.

It's a low risk 1 year contract.

I remember that og from Lyons it was a whopper. Dobson, king and Dave Thomas were my favs at the time.

It might be a low risk deal but, even if he was on the bench most of the season and he is on £20k a week, it will be £1M mostly wasted, plus a signing-on fee, and I've been very conservative with his wages.

Martin Dobson, Andy King and Dave Thomas… now you're talking — nothing to dislike there!

It's interesting. When you are a kid, you are mesmerised, for example me with Duncan McKenzie. As you get older, you start to watch the match and appreciate players more for how good they actually are. For me, I was fortunate, it was the 80s.

Then as you mature, you start being even more subjective. That's why I never really got the Duncan Ferguson thing, but that's just a personal view. I was similar with Jagielka, although he eventually grew on me.

I remember one going round then: Terry "fill the cot".

Mick Lyons epitomised commitment to the team, bravery, and a never-say-die attitude in any match. He had his limitations though, admittedly, but never, ever flinched (and BTW, I wish him well right now).

He reminds me of another committed centre-back with a penchant for scoring a desperately needed goal on occasion, who was willing to play every match for many, many months recently despite the fact that his right foot was so badly injured he could barely get a boot on it throughout.

Can't recall the lad's name though. Can anyone help?

During that period, I was the same and would recognise other team's players rather than Everton players. I often think of it being my non-descript period as an Everton Supporter.

I remember being on a train at that time, talking to a Evertonian coming back from a game. I knew more about the opposition than I knew about Everton and I could see it in his face. It still haunts me.

Today, I know the Everton players and know nothing about other clubs, other than my pre-match analysis of the threats.

He had a large plaster on his eyebrow as usual, we won 0-1. There was no playing from the back in them days all the goalies hoofed it as far as they could.

I'm confident Moyes will put us a decent team together, Friedkin will not want us struggling too much in their first seasons ownership either.

I'm not expecting fireworks, just a nice stress-free hovering around the middle of the table all season.

Maybe Luis Enrique has been enjoying the guilty pleasures of the Big Match Revisited.

Dave # 118, does the point about Keane's wage come from concerns about our finances? Or from the sad fact that average footballers now get paid ridiculous sums of money? Given he's currently on £80k per week, Keane will probably drop down a bit - maybe to about £60k per week, say - which is now the average wage for Premier League footballers. Could we get someone else to be 4th choice CB for a lower wage? Absolutely. But there would be a transfer fee / signing on fee etc and the time / cost of sourcing the right player etc. And it would be another new player to bed in alongside what is likely to be a very high turnover in the squad.

Whatever the case, by the end of the window and during the course of the season - the re-signing of Keane is unlikely to seem very significant.

Dave Hickson was my idol as a kid, too. I lived in West Derby, near Bellfield, and used to go to the nearby Harold's, the barber. Harold was a massive blue and had a large, framed, action photo of Dave on the wall of his shop.

One day the man himself came in and sat down next to me! Harold greeted him and introduced me as his biggest fan. I was absolutely speechless and couldn't utter a word!

I met Dave years later and had a laugh about that day. Although he obviously didn't remember it, he did have an instant recall of goals he'd scored and we also chatted about the day the Charlton goalie, Willie Duff, was sent off in an FA Cup game for punching Dave. Dave said he didn't blame him as he'd been giving him the elbow and shoulder throughout the game! It finished 2-2 and we battered them in the replay at Goodison. It was a foggy night and the gate was around 75,000!

Harold was an old fashioned short back and sides barber (but good on quiffs). When I was around 11 I asked him for a crew cut, which were all the rage at the time. "Sorry son", he said, "I don't do fancy styles"!

I remember a mate and I doing the stadium tour about 20 years ago and him leading the tour. It was fascinating to hear him talk but, even more special, was when we came to watch the next home game at our then usual seats in the Main Stand. Just before the match started, Hickson came out to his media seat about 10 seats in front of us and, before sitting down, clocked us both and shouted “alright lads, nice to see you again.” You can imagine the warm glow we both felt!

I was at that 2-2 draw v Charlton- I think Everton scored two late goals to get the draw and when Davie and Dull were sent off an Everton threw a rattle, remember them, at one of the Charlton players and Bobby Collins quick as a flash grabbed the rattle and put it up his shirt and moved to the wall behind the goal then handed it to another Everton. Did that replay go to extra time ? I know we won 4-1 and Davie and Willie Duff both played in that replay. I think Villa knocked us out of the cup that year winning 4-1 at Goodison.

Robert (123) Definitely all about the ridiculous wages being paid for average footballers especially when they are hardly used substitutes— £3M a year plus a bleedin’ win bonus if he comes on—— Dick Turpin got hung for less!

I can't remember if there was extra time or not. I looked it up it an Everton complete record book but it didn't say.

The 1959 FA Cup was notable for the RS being knocked out by non league Worcester City!

Whatever happened to rattles? lol I bought mine from Albert Dunlop's sports shop, in Stafford Street.
It lasted a bit longer than the shop!

I remember Albert Dunlops sports shop in Stafford St because Albert used to have a bet in Les Zeffers bookmakers shop at the bottom of Stafford St. in fact I think he spent more time in the betting shop than he did in his own, bit of a gambler Albert!

I never forgot that Worcester City victory over Liverpool and made sure that Liverpool fans knew about it for years after it, Roy Paul the former Man. City played in that game for Worcester and years later wrote in a Sunday paper that he was half drunk playing against Billy Liddell that day and was seeing double of him, he must have been well oiled because Liddell never played in that game!

Yes, that Monday morning, in school, was the best ever. Love the Roy Paul story!

My first game was v West Ham in the previous November. I've missed very few since.

No direct family history supporting Everton or any other side but I was born a Blue. My birth certificate has Everton, stamped in blue letters, across the stamp so I had little choice.

I must have been a right twat in a previous life!!

I just came across your post, thanks for the reply. I'm a bit like you, I had an uncle and a cousin who supported the Blues, but were not fanatics.

I had an older mate who was and I used to go to the game with him and I think I outscored him in my enthusiasm for Everton. Strangely after many, many years, I met him in Lime Street Station going to the first FA Cup Final with Liverpool.

I was made up to see him and took that as an omen we would win that game… Bleedin' Everton that Bill.

I'll have to join you Bill about our previous life— no end to it is there although the picture is getting brighter so you never know!