Cornish Steve

 

 

Well played, sir.

With names on - that are spelled correctly.

Remind me never to give strangers a lift. There's always the chance they may create a video of me and post it on the Internet!

I've been wondering most of the day about why Baines didn't play today. Conspiracy theory warning: Maybe he has no injury and the higher-ups just didn't want to risk a real injury just days before they accept a large cash offer from Moyes.

Not meaning to tempt fate by saying this but, if we had to, we could survive without Fellaini and Baines.

Great game in particular for Barkley, Gibson, Coleman, and Oviedo.

Sign of inexperience there from Stones.

There is room for improvement, though. Robles has misjudged the ball a couple of times now. We were quite exposed a few minutes ago when Blackburn crossed from the left. Oveido, clearly under orders not to hoof the ball, passed straight to the Blackburn forward. Now's the time to learn from these mistakes. In particular, we will give away some goals because of no hoofing, but personally I'm pleased to see us pass our way up the field.

Great header. That will bring back his confidence!

Yes, Heitinga appears to be playing in midfield. It's all one-way traffic right now.

Surprised to see sprinklers going at halftime. Where's the usual rain?

I keep thinking back to Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough. Season 1: third place to secure promotion from Championship to Premier (to use today's nomenclature). Season 2: won the Premier League title; Season 3 and Season 4: won the European Cup (Champions League). They made it with rather average players because they were a brilliant team that got the most out of everyone and were led by a brilliant manager. The lack of funds didn't stop them for succeeding; however, a lack of funds did prevent them from building a 20-year legacy.

In reality we are operating like a championship club we can't compete in the transfer market with the teams below us never mind around us . Tournament arsenal and Liverpool our closest rivals have/ will spent 20mil + we have to rape Wigan for their best players.next season is a risky one for me. As I said before we could be relegation fodder.

It doesn't matter where I buy the ingredients for the world's best dish. What matters is that they are the right blend of ingredients, and my skill as a cook is what makes the dish great. I fail to understand why people care so much about this transfer window, how much is spent, and where players come from. What matters is how individual players meld to create the world's greatest team. The finished dish is what counts, not the individual ingredients.

This is exciting. I'm going to do my best to get to one of these games.

I think that was very honest, and brave, of him. He recognizes his lack of experience and turns to one of the most experienced players in the game. I know I would do the exact same thing, without hesitation or shame.

I would do the same, but I wouldn't announce it to the press.

The body language was interesting when the questions were asked about Baines and Fellaini, and it was clear that RM was conveying an agreed party line. The impression I came away with is "we are a close-knit team and plan to stay that way" - but, I still think he's expecting to lose B&F to ManU.

I have a question about the TV money. It's usually presented as something that's a nice windfall with no consequences - but nothing in this life comes for free. What are the negatives about this deal? Does it in any way prevent Everton from generating new revenue streams of its own?

If I were looking at Everton as a business, I'd be looking to see how to generate more revenue from supporters: bigger stadium, increased fan base, greater fan involvement, .... The TV deal is all well and good, but it's a change in the business environment and not in the 'company' per se.

Forgive my ignorance on this, but what hope is there to increase revenue by increasing seats - either by increasing stadium capacity or moving to a bigger stadium? What about increasing seats virtually? Can Everton reach out to international supporters without undermining the TV deal? For example, could they expand evertonTV to make it a real channel accessible via the Internet to many thousands of supporters overseas? (I'm thinking of how, in the US, the Boston Red Sox make significant sums of money in this way.)

Player salaries make up a big part of the costs, so cost-cutting is important. Companies thrive, though, by growing revenues rather than by cutting costs. How can Everton do this?

He earned more than any of his players.

Obviously if a player is looking like he will make it at Everton then they won't release him.

If they release a player for free with say 20% of any sell of fee, if the kid blooms they get some money back. If the kid doesn't make it, we haven't paid his contract out while he fails. It's a win win win for EFC, the player himself, and the club who take him on.

You will have a better understanding than I about what has happened in the past. What I'm suggesting is that there should be a clear strategy behind the youth program in order to squeeze every pound from it - both in terms of players joining the senior team and in terms of making money. In effect, that's what you've defined - knowing when to release a player and for how much, etc. Right now, RM is suggesting that there's something of a hole in the process whereby there's insufficient follow-through to help transition players from youth to first team. Another way to put it is that we invest when they are young but don't see the financial return that we could. The youth program could become a nice source of revenue - the reason why companies invest in anything.

 

Why would a trialist have the number 10 shirt ?

 

No idea. I'm just trying to bail them out of this mess!

I think the club sometimes try to do what's best for the lad too.

I mean Wallace could have been worth £500,000 but Tranmere probably wouldn't have been able to afford him. Either keep him, he won't play anyway, or let him go and give the kid a chance to make it. To be honest, I think it's quite admirable.

A lot of lower league clubs can't spare £100,000 on a kid who might not make it, but if it gives a kid a chance of getting a good career out of the game we can afford to lose a possible transfer fee.

I'm sure we get sell on fee's.

I wish I could believe in such altruism, but we're talking about businesses here. You can't make decisions like this without considering the financial implications. If a smaller team cannot afford the fee, maybe a loan deal is more appropriate. Sell-on fees, of course, are another option. A good youth program, for a club like Everton, could become a solid form of revenue as players are sold elsewhere. To give that up in the name of "doing the right thing", while laudable, would be unsustainable.

Charles next in line, will be taking over soon enough

That's not a given. Edward VIII was forced to abdicate because parliament would not allow the head of the Church of England to marry a divorcee. Several decades have passed, but I don't see why Charles should get a free pass. Either parliament must change the law so the king/queen us not the head of the C of E, or Charles should decline the throne in favour of his son.

For me, it's a bit personal. Descended from the ancient kings of Cornwall, I have a strong attachment to my Celtic homeland. It's really irritating to know that Prince Charles gets most of his income off the backs of Cornish workers. Annually, as Duke of Cornwall, he claims about £10m from our land - tax-free at that. If Charles ever becomes king, then William will claim that money as his own. If he becomes king, then this new royal baby will claim it. So, the royals (especially the lesser royals and their descendants) are not just an anachronism; they are a drain on the financial resources of everyday people.

The press messed up by calling this a mistake. Deufoleu is an African player (look more closely at the picture) currently trialing with the youth team, whereas Deulofeu is the new kid from Barcelona.

This transfer window is becoming a bit of a disaster for ManU: Thiago, Fabregas, Bale - all gone elsewhere. Rooney - soon to be at Chelsea, it seems. Now their fans are crying for Modric.

While I'm not suggesting we would accept it, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that £40m bid come in soon for Baines and Fellaini. Most of the Reds' fans comments after today's defeat refer to shambolic defending and a gaping hole in midfield. Admittedly ManU didn't play many starters, but that's beside the point: these are two areas where the Reds are lacking.