thoward18

Or Leeds.
 
Also, look what fighting for the title and getting into Champions League in the early 2000s did to Newcastle.
 
We can't settle for being a mid-table team either. Look what that did to Charlton Athletic.
 
Basically, Everton are doomed no matter what they do. Let's just fold the team to preserve our dignity.

We better not try to win the FA Cup. Look what it did to Wigan!

No doubt that striker is a position that needs to be addressed, but that's the situation regardless of Vellios; he's a non-factor. Look, say what you want about Naismith but he has the right attitude and has potted a few goals. More than can be said about Vellios.

Or Leeds.
 
Also, look what fighting for the title and getting into Champions League in the early 2000s did to Newcastle.
 
We can't settle for being a mid-table team either. Look what that did to Charlton Athletic.
 
Basically, Everton are doomed no matter what they do. Let's just fold the team to preserve our dignity.

We better not try to win the FA Cup. Look what it did to Wigan!

We better not try to win the FA Cup. Look what it did to Wigan!

Or Leeds.
 
Also, look what fighting for the title and getting into Champions League in the early 2000s did to Newcastle.
 
We can't settle for being a mid-table team either. Look what that did to Charlton Athletic.
 
Basically, Everton are doomed no matter what they do. Let's just fold the team to preserve our dignity.

We better not try to win the FA Cup. Look what it did to Wigan!

We better not try to win the FA Cup. Look what it did to Wigan!

If the biggest complaint you have about an 18-year-old backup defender is "he's not good enough in the final third" then that means he's doing a hell of a lot right. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have a backup who does everything right defensively than a backup who makes 2 or 3 nice runs down the flank but then fucks up in his own penalty box. He's proved to be "absolutely terrible" in forward positions... as an 18-year-old. There's only one way for him to learn and get better, and that's by playing.
 
 
It has nothing to do with "accepting mediocrity" but instead everything to do with understanding the state of this club and looking through a lens that goes beyond this season. We're not Manchester City. We can't afford (literally) to have a bunch of Micah Richards' and James Milner's fucking around in reserves and getting on the pitch once in a while. Roberto Martinez does not have endless resources and therefore he needs to budget and prioritize. An old, injured Arouna Kone is the only striker under team control starting this summer. The team has two aging CBs and Alcaraz (if he can even get out of bed for matchday without injuring something). In the midfield, you have Barry and Pienaar in the final few years of being able to play at this level and who the hell knows how much longer Gibson can go without breaking down for good. A handful of pressing needs, and you want Martinez to throw money at a guy who will sit behind Seamus Coleman for the next 4-5 years aside from the handful of games he's needed?
 
Speaking of Coleman, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he came to Everton immediately guns blazing. It took him some time to develop and grow as a player. Stones is even younger than Coleman was. Maybe Stones isn't the ideal fit right now, but if a few bumps in the road right now means he becomes he's a capable RB in the long run then I say it's well worth it. Certainly more worth it than paying a few million in transfer funds plus whatever the salary cost is for some guy who would play 3-4 games before sitting on the bench the rest of the way. If we get into the CL and get the resulting cash influx then, sure, we can start to bring in some luxury players. For now, Stones is doing just fine defensively at RB when he needs to fill in. It just means that Mirallas and/or McGeady need to step up and bring their A-games on the right side to make up for the missing attack.

If the biggest complaint you have about an 18-year-old backup defender is "he's not good enough in the final third" then that means he's doing a hell of a lot right. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have a backup who does everything right defensively than a backup who makes 2 or 3 nice runs down the flank but then fucks up in his own penalty box. He's proved to be "absolutely terrible" in forward positions... as an 18-year-old. There's only one way for him to learn and get better, and that's by playing.
 
 
It has nothing to do with "accepting mediocrity" but instead everything to do with understanding the state of this club and looking through a lens that goes beyond this season. We're not Manchester City. We can't afford (literally) to have a bunch of Micah Richards' and James Milner's fucking around in reserves and getting on the pitch once in a while. Roberto Martinez does not have endless resources and therefore he needs to budget and prioritize. An old, injured Arouna Kone is the only striker under team control starting this summer. The team has two aging CBs and Alcaraz (if he can even get out of bed for matchday without injuring something). In the midfield, you have Barry and Pienaar in the final few years of being able to play at this level and who the hell knows how much longer Gibson can go without breaking down for good. A handful of pressing needs, and you want Martinez to throw money at a guy who will sit behind Seamus Coleman for the next 4-5 years aside from the handful of games he's needed?
 
Speaking of Coleman, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he came to Everton immediately guns blazing. It took him some time to develop and grow as a player. Stones is even younger than Coleman was. Maybe Stones isn't the ideal fit right now, but if a few bumps in the road right now means he becomes he's a capable RB in the long run then I say it's well worth it. Certainly more worth it than paying a few million in transfer funds plus whatever the salary cost is for some guy who would play 3-4 games before sitting on the bench the rest of the way. If we get into the CL and get the resulting cash influx then, sure, we can start to bring in some luxury players. For now, Stones is doing just fine defensively at RB when he needs to fill in. It just means that Mirallas and/or McGeady need to step up and bring their A-games on the right side to make up for the missing attack.

If the biggest complaint you have about an 18-year-old backup defender is "he's not good enough in the final third" then that means he's doing a hell of a lot right. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have a backup who does everything right defensively than a backup who makes 2 or 3 nice runs down the flank but then fucks up in his own penalty box. He's proved to be "absolutely terrible" in forward positions... as an 18-year-old. There's only one way for him to learn and get better, and that's by playing.
 
 
It has nothing to do with "accepting mediocrity" but instead everything to do with understanding the state of this club and looking through a lens that goes beyond this season. We're not Manchester City. We can't afford (literally) to have a bunch of Micah Richards' and James Milner's fucking around in reserves and getting on the pitch once in a while. Roberto Martinez does not have endless resources and therefore he needs to budget and prioritize. An old, injured Arouna Kone is the only striker under team control starting this summer. The team has two aging CBs and Alcaraz (if he can even get out of bed for matchday without injuring something). In the midfield, you have Barry and Pienaar in the final few years of being able to play at this level and who the hell knows how much longer Gibson can go without breaking down for good. A handful of pressing needs, and you want Martinez to throw money at a guy who will sit behind Seamus Coleman for the next 4-5 years aside from the handful of games he's needed?
 
Speaking of Coleman, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he came to Everton immediately guns blazing. It took him some time to develop and grow as a player. Stones is even younger than Coleman was. Maybe Stones isn't the ideal fit right now, but if a few bumps in the road right now means he becomes he's a capable RB in the long run then I say it's well worth it. Certainly more worth it than paying a few million in transfer funds plus whatever the salary cost is for some guy who would play 3-4 games before sitting on the bench the rest of the way. If we get into the CL and get the resulting cash influx then, sure, we can start to bring in some luxury players. For now, Stones is doing just fine defensively at RB when he needs to fill in. It just means that Mirallas and/or McGeady need to step up and bring their A-games on the right side to make up for the missing attack.

If the biggest complaint you have about an 18-year-old backup defender is "he's not good enough in the final third" then that means he's doing a hell of a lot right. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have a backup who does everything right defensively than a backup who makes 2 or 3 nice runs down the flank but then fucks up in his own penalty box. He's proved to be "absolutely terrible" in forward positions... as an 18-year-old. There's only one way for him to learn and get better, and that's by playing.
 
 
It has nothing to do with "accepting mediocrity" but instead everything to do with understanding the state of this club and looking through a lens that goes beyond this season. We're not Manchester City. We can't afford (literally) to have a bunch of Micah Richards' and James Milner's fucking around in reserves and getting on the pitch once in a while. Roberto Martinez does not have endless resources and therefore he needs to budget and prioritize. An old, injured Arouna Kone is the only striker under team control starting this summer. The team has two aging CBs and Alcaraz (if he can even get out of bed for matchday without injuring something). In the midfield, you have Barry and Pienaar in the final few years of being able to play at this level and who the hell knows how much longer Gibson can go without breaking down for good. A handful of pressing needs, and you want Martinez to throw money at a guy who will sit behind Seamus Coleman for the next 4-5 years aside from the handful of games he's needed?
 
Speaking of Coleman, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he came to Everton immediately guns blazing. It took him some time to develop and grow as a player. Stones is even younger than Coleman was. Maybe Stones isn't the ideal fit right now, but if a few bumps in the road right now means he becomes he's a capable RB in the long run then I say it's well worth it. Certainly more worth it than paying a few million in transfer funds plus whatever the salary cost is for some guy who would play 3-4 games before sitting on the bench the rest of the way. If we get into the CL and get the resulting cash influx then, sure, we can start to bring in some luxury players. For now, Stones is doing just fine defensively at RB when he needs to fill in. It just means that Mirallas and/or McGeady need to step up and bring their A-games on the right side to make up for the missing attack.

If the biggest complaint you have about an 18-year-old backup defender is "he's not good enough in the final third" then that means he's doing a hell of a lot right. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have a backup who does everything right defensively than a backup who makes 2 or 3 nice runs down the flank but then fucks up in his own penalty box. He's proved to be "absolutely terrible" in forward positions... as an 18-year-old. There's only one way for him to learn and get better, and that's by playing.
 
 
It has nothing to do with "accepting mediocrity" but instead everything to do with understanding the state of this club and looking through a lens that goes beyond this season. We're not Manchester City. We can't afford (literally) to have a bunch of Micah Richards' and James Milner's fucking around in reserves and getting on the pitch once in a while. Roberto Martinez does not have endless resources and therefore he needs to budget and prioritize. An old, injured Arouna Kone is the only striker under team control starting this summer. The team has two aging CBs and Alcaraz (if he can even get out of bed for matchday without injuring something). In the midfield, you have Barry and Pienaar in the final few years of being able to play at this level and who the hell knows how much longer Gibson can go without breaking down for good. A handful of pressing needs, and you want Martinez to throw money at a guy who will sit behind Seamus Coleman for the next 4-5 years aside from the handful of games he's needed?
 
Speaking of Coleman, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he came to Everton immediately guns blazing. It took him some time to develop and grow as a player. Stones is even younger than Coleman was. Maybe Stones isn't the ideal fit right now, but if a few bumps in the road right now means he becomes he's a capable RB in the long run then I say it's well worth it. Certainly more worth it than paying a few million in transfer funds plus whatever the salary cost is for some guy who would play 3-4 games before sitting on the bench the rest of the way. If we get into the CL and get the resulting cash influx then, sure, we can start to bring in some luxury players. For now, Stones is doing just fine defensively at RB when he needs to fill in. It just means that Mirallas and/or McGeady need to step up and bring their A-games on the right side to make up for the missing attack.

It wasn't supposed to be a criticism of him. My point is that he's really young, raw, and has proven little at a truly high level like the EPL. There are absolutely no guarantees he'll be starter caliber for even a mid-table team, never mind a team pushing for CL. All I'm saying is that, with our starter getting up there in age, one unproven commodity behind him, and virtually nothing in the Academy, we absolutely could use another option.

I think that's kind of the point. Two different managers, depth issues at the striker position, and he's still been used marginally. Kind of hard to believe both Moyes AND Martinez are unfairly holding him back.

Kone's that good we won't need to bring any other strikers in.

No doubt that striker is a position that needs to be addressed, but that's the situation regardless of Vellios; he's a non-factor. Look, say what you want about Naismith but he has the right attitude and has potted a few goals. More than can be said about Vellios.

No doubt that striker is a position that needs to be addressed, but that's the situation regardless of Vellios; he's a non-factor. Look, say what you want about Naismith but he has the right attitude and has potted a few goals. More than can be said about Vellios.

How much of that was done within the last year or so? Anelka was a hell of a player in his prime. He's not in his prime.

Is he the Chinese midfielder, and why hasnt he got his own thread?

They're going to bring him out on the field prior to the match, Just like McGaedy. Then it's going to become a weekly tradition, with a new player of bigger stature coming out as a new signee prior to every game until the final match of the season, when Messi sprints to midfield in an Everton shirt.

So then Kenwright? I guess that's possible. Still, they seem to have a good relationship, and I think that would be a poor move for Kenwright to lie to his manager about what funds are available. Kenwright has his share of questions to answer but he's not exactly Vincent Tan. I trust that Martinez has been informed accurately of the financial situation.

They're going to bring him out on the field prior to the match, Just like McGaedy. Then it's going to become a weekly tradition, with a new player of bigger stature coming out as a new signee prior to every game until the final match of the season, when Messi sprints to midfield in an Everton shirt.

So then Kenwright? I guess that's possible. Still, they seem to have a good relationship, and I think that would be a poor move for Kenwright to lie to his manager about what funds are available. Kenwright has his share of questions to answer but he's not exactly Vincent Tan. I trust that Martinez has been informed accurately of the financial situation.