Best to temper expectations for January transfer window, says Moyes

That decision will frustrate the hell out of much of the fan base, but I'm okay with it. At least there's a long-term plan in place, and no sense of panic. That's a nice change from most of the past decade.

There are players seeking more game time pre World Cup and we do have loan quota gaps. You'd hope there may be a little business to be done, but not holding breath and not overly confident in the transfer committee.

Therefore expect us to limp through to 12th-13th-ish. In a very mediocre season, I think a bit better is possible, but next Summer is the time for the next step in a major rebuild.

In which case IF Everton are not going to buy another centre forward in this window then the onus is on the manager and coaching team to get the best out of what we have.

The pressure should be on Moyes to work with what he has.

That’s what he’s paid for.

Am I being unreasonable?

It also seems to me that doing little or nothing in January would mean that our ownership and executive team now view Everton as, in your words, a competent professional club (which we certainly weren't a year ago). The weaknesses in the squad are obvious, but they appear to see no urgency in addressing them, preferring to build the club in the summer.

I'm guessing the Friedkins see our welcome new stability -- both competitively and financially -- and have decided on a steadier, more measured approach than they took with Roma.

Happy Holidays to you and your lovely family, sir.

Just joking. This is reasonable but I don't know about the Moyes extension.

Maybe Beto going out on loan and a striker hopefully coming in on loan, although it would be nice to see a proper right back.

If we don’t sign another right back then my expectations won’t be tempered, but my faith in the overall professionalism of the football club, will be.

You're not a cat playing with a mouse knobhead.

'. exceptional. ' 😄😆

'We’ll just need to wait and see. and I sort of laugh at it a little bit.”

You're not a cat playing with a mouse knobhead.

'Exceptional'. 😄😆😂 I nearly spat my truffle pate out. 'Exceptional'. 😄😆😂 There goes the pricey red. When was the last time we signed an 'exceptional' player? Remember that this pre-programmed ventriloquist dummy was one of the ace recruiters who brought in Barry.

'Exceptional'!!!!!! The excuses are already flooding in. And what is this strange ‘long-term’ plan that some speak of? Can someone point me to somewhere where I can read it in its full glory? Or is it an interpretation: i.e. I’m pretty sure that we will buy top players in the summer to correct our mistakes/deficiencies?

Anyone who thinks that we do not need a striker next month is staggeringly deluded.

Anyway, there’s always cricket, thank Sheedy. Test match starts at 5-30PM here and the convicts are 54-4, Smith, middle stump. A nice Xmas night of cricket and wine ahead.

I have lived here for 45 years and learned this lesson from the cricket -- don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

But it's nice to smile for a little while.

Welcome back, The Ghost of Chairman Bill.

I don't believe for a moment that a Kenwright-esque lack of money is the problem. Our owner is currently listed as the 411th wealthiest man in the world. The issue will be what the club is allowed to spend under the new SCR regulations. And they ain't sayin'.

The other thing I have learned is if you put them on the deck don't, under any circumstances, let them get up.

Everton please take 3 points home from Turf Moor tonight.

Although that, needless to say, is an interpretation based on... erm...

Maybe not so astute?

“Everton please take three points home from Turf more tonight.”

I'm always confused by time differences but surely even in Australia it's not tomorrow already??

110... Dear God. But what do you expect with McNeil batting at 10 and Dribbling at 11, and Adam on set plays?

I didn't only get that wrong - I have been here 55 years. I remember when they sent Colin Cowdrey out here to stop Lillee and Thomson knocking hell out of us.

Everton please bring 3 points home from Turf Moor tomorrow night -- I'll be needing them.

Back to the thread and I've read that Aznou may go to La Liga on loan. And that apparently he can play on either flank?

And Mykolenko may be off to the Bundesliga!

Maybe full-backs are a thing of the past?

If not anything, Moyes is a wily fox who knows how to keep the press off the scent of any new signing.

Queue a Eugene Ruene, Morag Moyes sketch about the benefits of adding salt to his porridge and not wanting to waste any sugar.

When I think of Eugene's take on Moyes and Morag, it always reminds me of Ronnie Barker in Porridge as Stanley Norman Fletcher and the way he wound Mr McKay up and the way he operated always by the book.

He told him the way he saw him making love to his wife. “Attention, left, right, — up the stairs, turn right — into the room - stop-at ease — knickers down — get on the bed... before McKay gave him one of those looks and stopped the rest of the romantic(?) night.

Wouldn't they look at how much cash they'd have to splash in an overpriced January market to make a longshot move into the Top 6? And whether they could even spend enough under SCR?

And it's not like Europe is lucrative unless you're a big winner. The guaranteed prize money for reaching the Europa League is about £4M, plus small bonuses for games won. The prize money for winning the whole thing is about £40M, the price of one Dibling. And I don't really think this squad will win the Europa League next season, do you?

Everton was a mess. The rebuild will take time.

I understand what you're saying... but this squad wouldn't be playing in the Europa League next season. We'll have added to the squad by then.

You have to be in it to win it!

As difficult as January is, we need more depth.
Surely players wanting a World Cup place and wanting to play some football will be available?

It's the hope that kills you.

But assuming for the sake of argument that we have cap space under SCR (which we don't know), how much would we have to spend next month for a proven striker and a fast, creative right-back? £60 million? £70 million? More?

Would that be prudent? Would they alone be good enough to shove us up the table? And how much would it cost to build a Europa League-worthy squad next summer that could offer a potential return on investment?

Anyway, the public comments by both Kinnear and Moyes indicate management won't be doing that. I think we'll have to be patient.

I am assuming, perhaps naively, that Beto and Barry are actually competent professional footballers.

[In the words of John McEnroe " You cannot be serious!!!"]

Hoping Beto goes on loan to Outer Mongolia, with no chance of a return. He will probably trip himself up leaving the plane, or the camel cart going to his destination.

Having been traumatised, I am now flabbergasted!

Life is indeed full of surprises.

We move on to Sydney. Like us, England cricket has great fans.