Cornish Steve

My guess is that, behind the scenes, the deal has already been done. Whether it's both Fellaini and Baines or Fellaini only, time will tell. This would explain why RM has three or four players already lined up to join the team. My only concern is that some will moan and gripe about bringing in more former Wigan players (e.g., McCarthy and Moses). If they are the right guys for the job, though, I don't see why their former teams should matter.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch either of the first two warm-up games. Still, from everyone's comments and analysis, some trends clearly come through: 1) The older players are struggling. Maybe it just takes them longer to get going at the start of a new season, but their age is beginning to tell. Everton has, on the whole, a comparatively older team, so it's going to be really important to bring through some of the younger players. 2) It's exciting to see Connor Grant and some of the other youngsters being given a real chance to prove themselves. In many ways, they are the future of the club, and only by being given the opportunity to play will they feel this way. 3) Some players (e.g., Gibson and Coleman) are thriving under the new style of play. Others (e.g., Hibson and Jagielka) are struggling initially. I suppose that's to be expected with only two weeks having passed since RM took charge. 4) Already, RM's new signings have shown what they can bring to the team. Robles seems to have had two very solid games. Alcaraz is useful since he knows already, and can demonstrate, the RM style of play. Can't wait to see the impact of the other two new guys. 5) It's not been stated, but I wonder how important it is to Oviedo that the new manager speaks Spanish. I'm guessing it will make quite a bit of difference. With Alcaraz now present and Deulofeu about to join the team, a Spanish speaking manager may turn out to be an unexpected benefit.

I'd suggest the following criteria against which to judge players: 1) Longevity with the club 2) Demonstrated commitment to the club over personal ambition 3) Strong bond with the fan base 4) When the person's name is mentioned, only one club comes to mind: Everton

Hey, wasn't Baines a Wigan player? Why ever would we want to recruit another Latic after his experience with the team?

I'm sure the US government could ask Verizon or Google to find out for them.

This rumour is back. It seems that Guilherme Sequeira may be lined up in case David Moyes is successful in stealing Leighton Baines.

It seems that David Moyes not only failed to buy Thiago but may now also fail to buy Fabregas. I wouldn't be at all surprised to now see a big offer come in for Fellaini.

And this is one of the most important roles in RM's style of play. We can sure he'll want to fill that hole before the transfer window closes.

I had to smile when I read that! Fireworks are legally not allowed around here, but everyone buys them and sets them off. Indeed, the person who usually organizes our local neighbourhood July 4th street party, and who cheers with the rest of us, is a local police officer. Some laws are made to be broken, as they say.

I find it mind-boggling that, if I find a stranger in my house, I have the right to shoot him no questions asked! For me, this is such a blatant disregard for human life. Almost without exception, though, my friends here find it incomprehensible that they shouldn't have that right: "You expect me to be shot? You expect my wife to be raped? You expect someone to steal all my valuables?" It's a completely different mindset. I don't have to agree with it but, since I choose to live here, I accept it. Statistics have been used to support everyone's argument, and there's just no strong case to be made either way. For sure, the town near me that requires home-owners to have guns does have a very low crime rate - as they keep reminding me. On the flip side, the number of deaths due to gunfire is far greater in the US. I've learned through the years that no one is going to change their mind on this. Since it doesn't really affect everyday life (contrary to the news reports), I tend to just ignore the debate.

According to the Mirror, he's "demanding" to know how he fits into Everton's plans. I really don't understand this. When an employee is under-performing, the last thing I expect is for them to demand to know their future with the company. Instead, I expect them to knuckle down, work hard, and prove what they can do. If he's concerned about playing time, then speak quietly to the manager. What does he hope to achieve by making this a public matter - except to bring attention to his recent lack of performance?

But this is where we have to accept that the UK and the US are culturally very different. The fact that we share a common language is very deceiving. Having lived in the US now for nigh on 30 years, I understand completely why guns are so prevalent. I wish there were more regulations, but I understand completely why there are not. First off, even living in the suburb of a major city, we get a lot of wildlife. Friends of ours had a bear in their back yard not so long ago, and we had a rattler on our front path just last week. Guns are necessary in many parts to protect from wildlife. When you realize just how remote much of the country is, you realize a gun is not for recreation; it can be a matter of survival. Second, and maybe because of this, there are millions of guns in the country. While it's very simplistic to think in terms of 'good guys' and 'bad guys', it's a fact that those many millions will remain in the hands of bad guys no matter what regulations are introduced, so new laws will mainly take guns away from the 'good guys' - and that will lead to much more crime. How can I say that? A town close to use mandates that all home-owners own a gun. They have one of the lowest burglary rates in the country. If regulations were introduced to ban guns in homes, burglaries and personal attacks would sky-rocket. Third, almost all Americans have a healthy respect for guns. They know how to keep them safe and to handle them safely. There are some tragic cases where children get hold of guns and kill someone by accident, but they are rare. Many many more children drown in swimming pools, but no one cries out for regulations against swimming. Fourth, it is comforting to know that, if I'm attacked by a person or by a wild animal, there's a good chance that someone around me will have a gun and will come to my rescue. Overall, concealed carry permits have probably saved more lives than they have taken. If a teacher had carried a concealed gun in Newtown, for example, fewer children would have been killed. Personally, I'm all for more regulations - but sensible regulations - such as limiting some of the extreme weapons sold today and keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. Indeed, if there really is a problem to solve, it's the abysmal treatment suffered by the mentally ill in the US. As for Piers Morgan, the guy simply doesn't understand gun culture in the US, and he makes rather a fool of himself on TV when talking about guns. Of course he's applauded by people in Britain, but that's because our culture is so very different. Morgan shouldn't be on TV in the US clammering for gun control any more than Ted Turner should be on TV in the UK calling for mandatory singing of the national anthem before all sports games or the abolition of the monarchy. We should respect cultures and not simply compare them with our own. For sure, we shouldn't be demanding that other cultures be like ours. I saw rather an amusing bumper sticker last week: "Respect America or we'll export our democracy to you." Piers Morgan is doing the same in reverse: "Accept my opinon or I'll use my TV program to make you just like Britain." That just builds resentment.

Just visited the BBC website, and the article there is so incredibly biased. Sometimes I despair of the BBC.

This whole Zimmerman trial is a joke. It was clear from the first moment that he acted within the law in self-defense. There was never any indication of racism, which was the conclusion of the local police department and county prosecutor. Then the president turned it into a political football by saying that, if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon. One of the big three TV channels edited the real emergency call so it seemed like Zimmerman was racist, but they had to admit afterwards that the original showed nothing of the sort. Then the major news outlets insisted on showing Trayvon as a child, whereas he was actually a 6'2" 17-year-old. While ignoring the facts of the case, commentators on both the left-wing and right-wing slammed Zimmerman and sought his imprisonment. The local police chief was fired for not acting, the local prosecutor was pushed aside for not acting, and the president got his way. Then, after a process in which the defense team was hindered time and again and the rules seemingly changed to helped the prosecution, the jury, made up of both black and white women, all declared Zimmerman "not guilty." Now, despite any evidence whatsoever, the Justice Department, no doubt with the president's blessing, is looking to bring a civil trial against Zimmerman on the basis of racism. Frankly, this is a total joke. Either the US is a country that abides by the constitution and the rule of law, or it allows the president, others in authority, and popular opinion suitably manipulated by the press to decide who should be punished and who not. Without question, there are racists in Florida. There are racists where I live in Georgia. There are racists in every state in the union. BUT...what happened to Trayvon Martin was not an act of racism; it was a justified act of self-defense. For what it's worth, everyone I know locally - black, white, and in between - believes that the Zimmerman trial was fair and that the jury's decision should be respected. But for those in politics, that's not good enough: They want, to put it bluntly, a public lynching. When you think of the impact of all this on Zimmerman himself, it's scary. He's done nothing wrong, yet his life is ruined. He will spend the rest of his life in fear of attack.

So we can expect more like this?

Several commentators in recent days have noted that Deulofeu plays like a number ten - so now he can prove this to be the case.

I'm surprised there have been no transfer rumours to that effect.

Does today's bid for Fabregas mean that Moyes has changed his mind about buying Fellaini?

Baines is one of the few players on the roster who is categorized as "home grown." If he does leave, this could create a bit of a dilemma.

True - I'm reading too much into a single game. Still, Everton isn't known right now for their firepower, and Mirallas didn't help that reputation today. Kone has a track record in the EPL and Euro leagues, so I'm sure he'll add a new dimension. We shall see once the new season begins. It's a fair point. RM has been in the job only two weeks and has brought in players he knows and trusts. In the remainder of the window, we may well see the transfer of some younger players with potential - from the Spanish and LatAm leagues in particular. A lot probably depends on what happens with Fellaini and Baines, because 40m would do some serious damage. We'll have to agree to differ on this one. Personally, I think it's important to add depth and experience to the squad, and I don't see the recent transfer signings as poor quality at all. Indeed, their stats are better than those for the current roster. I'm sure we're going to see more subs coming on this season and times when first team players will be rested. This is a great way to develop the younger players.

#1: Based on Mirallas' performance today - missing a clear opportunity and doing little else - it would be a big risk relying on him to produce goals. #2: Everton has a proud history, but it has comparatively little money to spend and a sizable debt. The only way to succeed with such constraints is to be different - a la Moneyball, for example. RM did this at Swansea, taking them from the bottom of the lowest division to near the top of the second. That's how we must behave, not arrogantly assuming success simply because there's a history. #3: Don't view Deulofeu as a one-off one-year loanee. Instead, see his capture as the first in a series of such loans and an enviable link to the Barca farm system. What a great way to add exciting young players that we could not otherwise afford. #4: Bringing in these guys does solve a problem - a lack of depth to the squad. What happens if Everton loses two or three top players to long-term injury? Without squad depth, the impact could be catastrophic. Plus, more depth brings with it increased competition for places and the opportunity to rest players more.

Maybe that's why. He's proved what he can do, so now others have the opportunity.

Numbers? You had numbers? We had stripes whipped into our backs. A head? Luxury! We had to catch a T-Rex and cut off its balls if we wanted to play. :shaking fist: :shaking fist:

This thread now reminds me of the Four Yorkshiremen. Well, I'm 126, so have seen the worst shite management of our team, including McIntosh, Kelly, Carey, and Catterick. Me great aunt Obadiah's next-door neighbour's cousin's friend got me a ticket to watch Dixie Dean score 35 against ManU while suffering from a hamstring and torn ACL. But I loved Moyes so much more. I named my four sons after him and let him sleep with my wife every night.