Cornish Steve

And that, in a nutshell, is the best indictment there is on the FA's new policy about restricting foreign players. It won't improve English players (only more investment at the youth level will do that), but it will inflate prices for them. In effect, clubs will be forced to pay more than players are worth. Agents must be loving this.

The danger in any [choose any one of: discussion/rant/argument/nuclear confrontation] is that positions soon become extreme. Mirallas is a talented player => is the best player on the team => is one of the best in the league => makes Messi look like Brenda etc. etc. Or Mirallas can be inconsistent => can't be arsed => is too full of himself => is creating a new Nazi party... Of course, none of these extremes are true. He's one of the top players on the team, probably not the best. He's frustrating because offside so much. He can run hot and cold, but so can many players. He wants to play for a CL team, and don't all players with the chance to do so. I don't see him as a villain or disruptive influence, myself. He's someone who is talented and frustrated, and that's what we see on the field.

Wouldn't it be interesting if agents were paid for their players being happy enough to stay with a team and penalized if they were unhappy enough to leave before their contract ends. Doctors in China are paid for their patients being well because it means they've done their job well. Same principle.

I don't get all these comments about Mirallas being the most talented on the team. He may be in the top 4 but it's not obvious at all to me that he's number one. And if he is number one, why is he not far and away at the top of the MOTM running total? He should be, right? But he's nowhere near the most valuable player this season. Because of that alone, he should not be an automatic starter. Whether it's due to lack of talent or lack of effort, he is clearly replaceable.

Agreed. Gerard would need a few more seasons to match McCarthey's abilities.

Yarmalenko on one wing, Konoplyanka on the other, and Wotaplonka is the middle. Recipe for success.

Not a fan. His shows are about as real as televised wrestling.

May I ask why you were taking it for a spin on the river in the first place?

The beginning of the end of the Prem being the best. Central planning, versus the free market, has always failed and usually fails spectacularly.

Four people predicted the correct score, but none of those five predicted Coleman as the first scorer. Nonetheless, congratulations to Droobie, markjazzbassist, MC11, TonkaRoost. Given the upcoming international break, this means that TonkaRoost in the champ for March. For the reason, Romey retains the lead and is closing back in on Deacs for points per prediction.

Breaking news. Police raid a house under the name of Haf.

Geez. You are cantankerous at times. Would you like me to quote my original post yet again with 'full' in 18 font and highlighted in red? You just happened to misread what I wrote. Heaven knows I do that often enough as well.

Exactly. The key word was 'full'. You can't really count the couple of months prior to that.

If he stays fit, isn't that Gibson?

So if they were a crap team, how come they finished seventh (not sixth as mentioned above) in Moyes' first season? I just don't see why the parallel isn't a solid one.

17th. I thought you knew this stuff!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Everton_F.C._seasons

If we take the top 11 rated players from this season's MotM results, here's what we'd have (with a little juxtaposing of positions). Naismith Lukaku Mirallas Gibson Barkley McCarthy Besic Baines Jagielka Stones Robles

Yes, it's a serious comment. In his first full season, David Moyes' team finished in sixth place. In Martinez' first season, we finished in fifth place. In Moyes' second season, Everton barely escaped relegation and finished 17th with 39 points. Despite the disappointment of this season, Martinez' team will probably finish 11th or 12th. Why is that not a decent comparison? In fact, when comparing the two managers, Martinez so far has done better. The proof of the pudding, of course, is how we do next season.

And all three might as well have got battered for all it helped them. A win is a win, and a loss is a loss.

True. I suppose it depends on the definition of coming through the youth system. Some have only ever been with the Everton youth system. Others (Henen is one right now) were brought in. Either way, it's nice to see the team preparing for the future with a strong bunch of younger players.

Incredible. If Rangers win tomorrow, Hearts will have already won the Scottish Championship. This has to be the most impressive runaway win in recent years.

I rather agree with this and would add a few more observations. - Mirallas really has to go. His occasional moments of brilliance don't make up for his inconsistency and attitude. Clearly, he wants to play for a Champions League team, so let him go. - We should have sold Baines last year to United; it's too late now. At this point, the loyalty he's shown to the club should be returned - although he can't assume a starting spot. - Barry has run out of steam, so encourage him to join Howard in the MLS. - If Arsenal are willing to fork out a small fortune for Coleman, we should consider that as well. - Pienaar is another one who should leave. - Jagielka is proving to be an excellent captain, and we need his seniority. We've seen three players come through the youth program in the last couple of years (Barkley, Stones, and Garbutt), and maybe we can expect a couple more next season (Browning and Ledson?). Together with Lukaku, Besic, Robles, that would give us an excellent core of young players that could play together for several years. That's what we need.

This thread is becoming laughable, I have to say. - Where did David Moyes' Everton finish in his second season? - When was the last time we played in Europe? - When did an English team last thrash a top 3 German team home and away? Looking at the stats for Premier League managers is very sad. Excluding Arsene Wenger, every one of them has been in their post for less than four years. How can teams build a legacy if they react so quickly to disappointments? Frankly, a manager needs a decade to really build a lasting legacy - from bringing in the right players for his footballing philosophy, to getting the most out of the youth program, to carefully removing from the squad those who no longer fit in. It can't be done overnight. It takes time and patience, but it then pays off. Just look at any of the great managers of the top teams over the last few decades. Thankfully, it looks like Everton have an owner who understands that.

QPR 2-4 Everton Naismith