Cornish Steve

Mike Taylor: "Ross Barkley's emergence hasn't come as much of a surprise to most Evertonians and it has been refreshing to see Roberto Martinez put his full faith in Barkley, something David Moyes was always reluctant to do." David Moyes: "the time's got to be right. We've got to see enough to suggest that he should play in the team as well. He's just beginning to show more signs than he's shown in the past. He's maturing a little bit more, and he's beginning to get back all that time that he's missed. He has a lot of maturing to do and needs to make sure he does not lose the ball in the wrong areas of the pitch." Roberto Martinez: ""Ross is ready for whatever comes his way. That's what he's shown in the early stages of the season, and we're happy to support him and support the England team in whatever way that we can. Ross is a player who is enjoying his football, and we don't want that to change." Spot the odd one out! Only one person quoted in that article is a skeptic, and it comes as no surprise as to who it is.

According to Danny Higginbotham, Everton did the best business in the transfer window. What a tosser the interviewer is - pointing out that Danny Higginbotham and Gareth Bale once played together, and now Bale plays for Real Madrid whereas Higginbotham plays for lowly Chester. I wouldn't have been surprised to see his guest walk off the programme!

Oh no. What have I started? Is this discussion real or imaginary? Is it the first in a series? How do I sum it all up? Am I now an integral part of the forum? So many permutations - my head hurts.

I'm still at a loss why anyone would play Jelavic and Mirallas in their current form.

You wear a clown uniform?

You have to add a few names now, right? And why was RM not on the list? For my sons, it would probably be Deulofeu or now perhaps McCarthy.

However effective he may have been in the past, in whatever position, he's not right now! That's ultimately what matters, and he needs to be rested from the starting line-up until he regains his mojo.

So holy Comolli believes that DM needs a director of football. Personally, I'm not a believer in such a setup. Much rather that DM has the authority needed to make transfer decisions.

As mentioned in another thread, I would anticipate the following line-up - assuming a 3-5-2 formation. Howard Alcaraz Jagielka Distin Coleman Baines McCarthy Barry Barkley Kone Lukaku Depending on the opposition, I can see Deulefeu, Pienaar, and Gibson being used as starters, too. Robles would cover Howard, Stones and Heitinga would cover in defence, Oviedo would cover for Baines, Pienaar and Gibson would cover in midfield, and Deulefeu and Vellios would cover up-front. Frankly, based on their performances to date, Osman, Mirallas, and Jelavic need to prove their form in training before returning to the first team. Also, Naismith and Hibbert are going to struggle to get back into the team.

Based on the experience of the first three games, I would say not. He lacks the power, skill, and ball control to play as an out-and-out forward. Admittedly, I'm not familiar with the team from last season, but from what I see this guy is something of a liability. If he's proved to be valuable in the past, he needs to reclaim that form on the practice field. The number of opportunities he's wasted so far this season is scary. (And please forgive my bluntness.)

If I remember correctly, they sell for around $150 in local stores around here. Indeed, there's been something of a ruckus about them, because they can include a camera and some people having been using them to peek through neighbours' windows. They are rather neat, though. When hovering, they can stay absolutely still in one place.

The differences between American English and British English, of course, are renowned. As Mark Twain observed, we're two countries separated by a common language. A Brit visiting Florida, for example, walked into a drugstore (which is more like a department store in the US) and asked for a rubber. "How many do you want, sir?" "Just one - I don't plan on making that many mistakes." Which reminds me of Cornwall's famous son, Jethro. His friend Denzil, similarly, walked into a chemist and asked for a condom. "What size, sir?" Smirking at the young assistant, Denzil replied "Jumbo, of course." He left with a packet of 2,000 of them.

It's missing an 'i', that's all. Emphasis on second and fourth syllables: ah-LOO-min-UM.

I haven't lived in the country for 27 years, so it may well be true. But, for TonkaRoost's benefits, here's what they looked like! Once, we moved house from one part of Britain to another, and we had a knock on the door the very first night at 10pm. The local detector van had driven by, and the driver could find no record of us having a license. We were given a warning (funny!) and told to update our license address immediately. Oh the power of the government and of the BBC (who, of course, are funded by these license fees).

I'd agree with you, but the influx of new players does bring with it challenges to the first team makeup. Let's assume that Roberto's preferred formation is 3-5-2. In goal, there's no question that Howard remains, with Robles as an excellent backup for some games. At the back, Jagielka and Distin are rock solid, and Baines and Coleman are obvious starters are wing-backs. So who becomes the third true defender? My guess is Alcaraz - who's been largely forgotten in recent discussions. Stones is the obvious backup, so I suspect that Hibbert and Heitinga will get minimal time as starters. Oviedo will provide cover for Baines. Controlling the midfield, it has to be Barry, McCarthy, and Barkley. Osman's days as a starter must be over, at this point. Up front, it's going to be Kone and Lukaku. That leads to the following team setup (which is really exciting): Howard Alcaraz Jagielka Distin Coleman Baines McCarthy Barry Barkley Kone Lukaku So what about Deulofeu, Pienaar, Gibson, Mirallas, and Jelavic? Power subs? Alternates when game strategy must change because of our opponents? Personally, I think that the performances of Osman, Mirallas, and Jelavic during the first three games have effectively rules them out of the starting line-up for the next month or two at least. It will be very interesting to see the starting line-up against Chelsea. Obviously, Lukaku can't play, so maybe Deulofeu will be given a start. That makes sense given how open the game is likely to be.

TV licenses. People in the US find it very amusing that detector vans drive around in Britain seeking out those without a license.

We're talking southern USA? Around here, we drive vee-hickles.

My pet peeves: - Writing "would o-f" instead of "would've" [PS - the auto grammar correct wouldn't let me write o-f without the hyphen - I'm impressed!) - Spelling separate 'seperate' - Confusing 'which' with 'that' - Confusing 'between' and 'among' - Adding 5 and 6 to get 13

Following on, I wonder whether it's possible to plot a graph to correlate last season's final league position with the amount of money spent on transfers as compared to other independent variables - such as passing accuracy, chances created, amount of possession, longevity of players on the team, and so on. It could be quite revealing, and it would either silence or justify those who claim that money is the be-all and end-all.

I really disagree with this. Of course money is a factor, but it's not the sole or even the biggest determining factor. This year, I think we may see that to be true.

OK - well he's far better in build-up play as well. I don't know why Jelavic and Mirallas are so poor right now, but we can't afford to play them while they're in such a slump. Honestly, I thought that maybe sticking with them for the Cardiff game may help to re-establish their confidence, but they were even worse. All the good build-up play was wasted on their poor control and lack of incisiveness.

Yes. Absolutely. He's been terrible in the first three games. IMO, Kone, while still not at full fitness, has been better. Maybe Mirallas will find his form in training, but we can't afford for him to continue in the first team right now.

He scored more times last year than any Everton player, so he can't be that bad. Given more opportunities to start, he'll come good this season.

Does that mean that McCarthy and Barry will be playing square?

For the moment, at least, the days of Jelavic and Mirallas starting are over. They've been given ample opportunity in the first three games to show their stuff and have disappointed on each occasion. At this point, it will be between Deulofeu, Kone, and Lukaku.