JoeQuince

Haha yes, I saw it but didn't feel the need to mention it, since Lookman did pretty much all the work on that one.

The way Kenny times his runs and interlinks play. Seems a very smart, deceptive player. His crossing is good, but the decision making on his crosses isn't always consistent.

Here it is: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ojukk_2-0-ademola-lookman-second-goal-hd-england-u20-vs-costa-rica-u20-31-05-2017-hd_sport

That second goal was so silky!

And just hit the cross bar on a really strong free kick

Just scored for England U-20s on a cross from Kenny.

I heard this guy participates in several book clubs. Hopefully we can keep him intellectually stimulated.

Sorry. My reaction had more to do with the language you were using and my irritation at the cargo cult mentality that a lot of supporters tend to have in regards to Walsh and Moshiri. I would still say that, should we be looking to replace Barkley, we should look, first and foremost, towards signing a known quantity who has demonstrated their ability to produce on the pitch. It needs to be a signing showing intent, not a risk (all signings are risks, I know, but hopefully you catch my drift). We should be making a statement with a top quality signing while simultaneously looking for the "gems."

You can't expect a whole team of unearthed gems, though. Expecting Walsh to be a magician sets him up for failure and sets you up for disappointment. I'm sure he will continue to bring in some excellent, as yet unappreciated, players. But, Everton can't just roll the dice on a bunch of unknown quantities. If you've got a solid asset like Barkley, then pay the market rate to keep him unless you are goddamn certain you can get equal if not better production from someone out on the market for less capital. The stakes in the Premier League (and in getting European football) are already high, so letting go of one of your most crucial players and rolling the dice on someone plucked from obscurity could be downright disastrous. Everton are, at the very least, trying to remain stable and competitive in the top six or seven places in the league. It's a very different situation than one found at a relegation-fighting club hoping to move up through risky transfer dealings. Everton's best bet would probably be to combine a conservative strategy of maintaining its currently working formula (paying its best performers what they're worth), while supplementing it with a range of hopeful buys (the aforementioned hopefully unearthed gems) and proven quality that goes straight into the XI in positions of need. You can't expect an XI full of bargain basement gems. If that's how you'd like to see Everton do their business, get ready for a whole lot of instability.

I'd assume he's thinking about taking care of his family and making all the money he can while he can. And, I'm sure he and his agent are asking for that much money, because they know he can get it out on the market. Whether or not that's a sensible price to pay for him is a different matter.

And I think people are forgetting what a masterful tactician Mourinho is. 14 finals, 12 wins, isn't it? He sets out to frustrate opponents, and he's especially adept against sides that play the style of Ajax/Barcelona. His whole "thing" is exploiting that style with a resolute, well-organized defense and attacking players that will get the job done on the counter. Look at the way he deployed Fellaini the other day. Always available to receive the long diagonal ball. He had United 60 yards upfield in a matter of seconds. Fact of the matter is that United has a deep bench full of a variety of styles of quality player. Mourinho put together an XI to go along with a game plan (stifle and frustrate Ajax and exploit their youth and inexperience). Fellaini was a key part of that. Fellaini catches a lot of unnecessary flak, but he's always been an excellent midfielder and a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. You just have to deploy him with a purpose. Back to Klaassen and Dolberg. Again, you can't judge them on this performance, because, tactically, they were never going to get a sniff. Ajax didn't have a plan b. Mourinho made them look impotent.

De Ligt played like a veteran. Sanchez will be a polarizing figure wherever he ends up. All the skills in the world to be a great CB, but he's going to make a lot of boneheaded mistakes. Tough to evaluate Dolberg and Klassen on tonight. Utd gave Ajax zero space. Mourinho set out to frustrate them and hopefully steal a goal or two. Van de Beek looked a tidy player when he came on. I was hoping to see Cerny. Any clue why he didn't play?

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I understand that. My issue is that you're presuming to have knowledge of the negotiations (or lack thereof) that you cannot have, because all any of us has is a handful of statements from Koeman and a hell of a lot of conjecture from the press.

Mark, isn't it also possible that the club offered him a contract with unsatisfactory or even insulting terms? How does one read that? An act of hostility? A gentle way of saying "you're free to look elsewhere"? A difference in opinion between club and player? Pure stupidity? And, I have no clue why Koeman speaking about it, but Barkley not speaking about it, makes Koeman's version of things the end-all-be-all, here. It is quite possible (I'd say probable) that Koeman making it public is a tactic to increase pressure on Barkley's camp to sign (or, possibly a way of making the club look benevolent, whether or not they've offered something worthwhile to Barkley). It's also likely that Barkley's camp's public silence on the matter could be a negotiation strategy (keeping their cards close to their chest) or, alternatively, a show of respect for the club or a show of simple decency (by not turning this into a public feud or media shitstorm).

You're right. Those are the facts. The rumors enter in with your interpretation of the facts. When you answer the question "why hasn't Barkley signed the contract?" with anything other than "I don't know, because all I know is that he's been offered one and hasn't signed it," then you're offering conjecture, not fact.

Mark, the fact of the matter is that we have nothing but rumors to go on. Attributing blame to Koeman, Barkley, the board or Barkley's agent, at this point in time, is a consequence of which rumors you choose to believe and which ones you dismiss as nonsense. We have no clue of the complexity (or potential lack thereof) of these negotiations. Speculate if you must. But, don't pretend that you know what's going on behind closed doors.

It's a myth that Ozil doesn't work hard. No, he doesn't run around like a headless chicken, but he is routinely covers more distance per match than players who get lauded for their hard work. Just look at the statistics.

Only popping in here to say that I hope potentially losing the golden boot to Kane lights a fire up Lukaku's ass (if for nothing else than his own vanity) and we smash Arsenal on Sunday.

Quick thinker, fast, makes great runs, puts himself in great positions, can finish anything you give him, very young and will only improve.... I don't know.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeease. Yes.

I think it will grow on me. But, not having some detail on the collar is what really ruins it for me. Why not do that dark blue there, as well? There's a lot going on with the sleeves, and the rest of the shirt is just so minimal in comparison, which makes it feel unbalanced.

I don't think there's any conceivable scenario where Everton will pay Rooney what he's on at United. So, assuming Everton want him, we will have to see if Rooney would rather sit on his massive contract at United, continuing to make an absurd amount of money, or actually play football for Everton. If he comes to Everton, that means he cares about playing, which I think can only be good for Everton.

I still think it's a mess with far too many elements. The badge we had from '82-'91 (maybe it was '83-'91) was our best. If we had to have the shield, then the badge we had throughout the '90s was the best of the bunch. Hell, they could take the name off the current badge and enlarge the elements inside the shileld, and I'd be infinitely happier.

That's got to be the training kit. Now, I'm someone who's for the democratization of pretty much everything. In matters of design, letting the fans participate is fine. But, Everton have been taking it too far. It shouldn't look like it's been designed by a bunch of fans. Our redesigned badge has the look of too many cooks in the kitchen. It's a jumbled mess. I'm prepared for such a massive disappointment with this new kit.