Cornish Steve

I was using British loosely as an adjective. It would be a UK team, but plenty use British to mean the same thing. You know what I meant, though. Incidentally, Bill Clinton always called our country Great Britain whereas George Bush always referred to the United Kingdom. Politics! The former was after the Irish Catholic vote. Incidentally, given there's no such country, why were we Team GB at the Olympics?

But Everton could change all that and generate even more cash. At that point, the more talented candidates would be given a real choice: (i) earn more money and stagnate, or (ii) earn decent money and be sought after by the world's best.

This is what the England team miss - the unbridled passion of the Celts. Maybe, at some point, we really will combine the British teams. It would also give players such as Bale the opportunity to shine on the international stage. England would have to accept, though, that it wouldn't be Celts joining an England team but the English joining a British team. Big difference, and that arrogance has too often let England down.

The richest clubs will buy up those with the potential to be the very best, develop them, and then sell them for a profit. Purely as a business venture designed to make money for the team, we could purchase the next level of potential candidates and develop them. I'm guessing that some would turn out to be among the very best (who, of course, we could keep) while a higher percentage would fail the test. What's needed are (i) excellent scouts, (ii) an excellent player development program, and (iii) a good head for business. I'm all for this.

Everything so far has been done without eating into the allowance of four loanees, so that's a big step forward. Last minute loans are going to feel like a turbo engine kicking in.

Right away or only after thinking about it for 48 hours?

According to one report, "Everton lead the race [for Christian Atsu] because the £28m move of Romelu Lukaku to Goodison Park also allows Roberto Martinez to take one more Chelsea player on loan." This makes the deal for Lukaku look even sweeter; included is the loan of one other Chelsea player.

Very true, and it's a perfectly viable way to grow a club financially. I have no problem with this at all, and it would be good to see Everton be a little more enterprising in this area. It doesn't have to mean selling your best players: It's all about spotting and developing talent for a profit - money that can then be ploughed back into the team.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. United's new manager is a bully, and the atmosphere in the next few months is likely to be toxic. We're talking about someone "many more times attractive" at one level but a real bitch at another.

Just saw this thread. Happy birthday.

I would be totally flabbergasted if McCarthy left for United. He's been tutored for some time now by Martinez, and they seem to be joined at the hip. I'm sure Roberto sees him as a future captain, and he's central to his strategy for the team. This is one rumour I have ignored from the beginning. Plus, McCarthy's comments seemed totally innocent to me. I think people reading things into it that were never intended. The young man is simply flattered to be considered by United; it doesn't mean he's ready to jump into their arms.

Me too. The happy "glass half full" Cotto is a very different beast from the negative "glass half empty" Cotto from just a few weeks ago.

So four weeks tops and less if that team fails to make the finals.

Nothing wrong with passion, and nothing wrong with being a fan from birth. My point is that that discussion is for elsewhere, not when welcoming someone eager to support this club.

One thing that's been touched on but not fully explained is the importance of universities in the US. I don't know the percentage of teens who go from school to university, but it has to be very much higher than in Britain. At university, they play sports, big time. Indeed, many fans support college football and basketball, for example, more than professional football and basketball. For a player to go straight from high school to a professional sports team is a big risk. What career will they have if they don't make it? What can they do once their life in sports is over? One of my sons went to Georgia Tech, for example. Living in the same dorm was the football team's quarterback and a couple of other star players - all of whom now play for professional teams. They attended classes at Tech like everyone else, despite all the training and practicing needed to play on the team. Many sports stars, once their careers are over, become successful business owners. There's just no equivalent in Britain. It almost goes without saying that anyone who wants to play for a "soccer" team must leave school as soon as possible. How many players have university degrees? Very very few. I'm not sure how soccer will overcome this hurdle in the US. Yedlin is an example of this dilemma. Just 12 months ago, he was still at university.

A ban goes without saying. Surely, though, he should be held in jail and brought to trial for a kick to the head like that.

What kind of welcome is that? There's a time and place for expressing your opinion on fans, and this is not it. Hopefully, Ben isn't put off by such ill-considered comments.

Welcome, Ben. It's good to have another Everton fan from this side of the pond. Whereabouts are you? We have forum members from most parts of the US.

So what will you do if he becomes the league's top scorer? With Suarez no longer around, that's not unrealistic.

"Mr Martínez will be one of the top managers in the world and to play under him now, and for such wonderful fans, is an honour. We have a lot of young players who want to be part of one of the best teams in England." That indicates a real vision for the future and genuine excitement and ambition among the younger players.

Seriously: forget the price tag. As others have mentioned, view it as a straight swap for Fellaini. That puts the whole deal in context.

This is the key: a solid backbone of young players who can lead this team to greatness over the next decade. It's like watching the rise of Barca all over again. Stones, Garbutt, Coleman, McCarthy, Besic, Barkley, and Lukaku. What a combination!

Monday: Buy him not matter what the price. We can't afford to miss out. Stop dithering, just buy him. Tuesday: A price of 24m is must too steep. He's not worth more than 20m. Get the best deal for him. Which way will the wind be blowing on Wednesday?

That's a bit harsh. Things can change in an instant, and predictions are exactly that: Some work out and some do not. Timing is important in the Lukaku saga, and I think our friend is probably right. Now I must get to the gym and keep my wayside in check.

I think it's all part of a master plan. These Soton players all signed a secret pact. They get to earn higher wages for two years at other clubs and learn all about how their opponents train and play. Each plays crap for two years, allowing Soton to buy them back at half price. With top players together again and inside info in tow, they win the league in 2017. Come on. This has to be as plausible an explanation as any other.