verreauxi

Besic playing with confidence and looking good.

Nothing too exciting so far, but a really nice one-touch strike from Naismith. Well done.

I'm excited by this. Martinez has a way of steering people into the right role. There's potential here. And spending lots of time in Mexico growing up, I'm a huge fan of the national team (despite the massive USA-Mexico rivalry)...now Mexican fans, that's another thing...often, almost always, disgraceful.

This is terrific. Kinda like the joke, "what's the difference between Jam and Jelly?" "well, I can't jelly my cock in your ass"

It's "The Boss"...wonder if it's a US-only thing (I'm not sure if there is a UK-US difference on what netflix offers?)

Amazingly good news if true.

Agreed, seems like a few scraps to throw at the fans to lessen the blow that more big signings are probably not gonna happen. But certainly happy that Barkley will stay with us for 4 more yeras.

11 minutes in and it's just riveting.

It will be interesting to see how Totthampton Southspur does this season.

I would rather Barkley leave than McCarthy (but prefer that both stay, obviously); wonder what they'll say at the 4pm press conference.

Ha! Like this guy's honesty and priorities. Great quote!

Good news across the board this signing. "He played with an impressive arrogance..." That's a good quote. I'm gonna have to rewatch the Argentina-Bosnia game.

Is it possible that the EPL fan-base in the USA is asymptoping--a little each year, compared to say a few years ago? If true, most everyone who is gonna watch the EPL is likely already doing so, and they already have a team (one of the big four). Hence, it's gonna be difficult to mobilize a broad movement of new Evertonians in my mind because all the truly devoted folks who like the EPL already watch the EPL. Make no mistake, the WC will draw a new crop of folks who discovered they like soccer and crave more, but only a small percentage are gonna chose the Blues because of Howard and they are likely to be fair-weather fans. It will be interesting to see NBC's numbers next season. They doubled the viewership compared to FOX, but viewership is absolutely low for nation of TV-obsessed folks, something like 500K on average, per game. I would recokon about 5-10% of those are Evertonians, and a much smaller percentage are gonna be new Everton fans. And while having Everton kit/gear readily available in stores will certainly improve the team's visibility, most Americans will still be multi-team supporters and even new American Evertonians might not opt to spend 100$ on a new jersey if they already own a Steelers Jersey, Red Sox Jersey, etc. Hence, Everton would be making a push into a market that might not be worth it. (Though if EPL viewership keeps doubling each year, that would be impressive). That said, there certainly has been an increase in Everton forum memberships from Americans due specifically to TH and USA friendlies/WC matches across a few Everton fan forums in the past few months, but this increase appears to be about a hundred or so. Certainly existing fans can, or should, do their part by joining Everton official supporters clubs in the USA as this allows the club to keep track of foreign markets. Certainly an American sponsor, similar to AIG, would change the market a bit as well (e.g., Everton might come to the USA more, rather than say Bangkok). I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, so my apologies. Just thinking off the cuff, and I might be wrong about all this.

Gotta love his devotion. On another note, for all the times I've watched Howard play I never noticed his tics due to Tourettes. Perhaps they are not shown on camera? (as I've never seen him play live).

It's got what they call a "coaster brake" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_brake#Coaster_brakes While you are coasting along, the pedals are not moving, but if you begin to back-pedal just a bit, the bike will brake. Very common for kids bikes as it's one of the easiest braking mechanisms. It's not fixed gear as those are skull-fracture machines in my mind.

Never been much of a car guy, so I'd opt for something sporty yet practical like this (though not in white). Nothing to flashy for me, as I'd only feel self-conscious driving around something like a Ferrari. However, I do ride a pretty flashy bike around my university. It always turns heads.

If you can put your hands on them, here are a few good resources about recent history: Chapter 3 of the book "The Nowhere Men" about soccer scouts. It deals with David Moyes and his obsession with getting good data and scouting advice. Moyes and his scouts signed some really key but underlooked (in my view) players (e.g., Oviedo). [Note, in my opinion the book is poorly written but the insights into the game, particularly if you appreciate old-school baseball scouts, is really intersting.] Pages 180-186 (and elsewhere) of "The Numbers Game" deals with Roberto Martinez's tactical/philosophical approach to the game. [Note: I love this book. Really well-written and the data and insights are fodder for thought...if you like statistics/data and soccer, this is a great book]. Long-term history, check out "Everton: The School of Science." It can be read piece-meal and the latter chapters are really relevant for understanding the current climate of who has played for Everton and the recent history of fan's expectations. The early history is terrific too. The book "Everton Miscellany" should be on the back of your toilet. Fun stuff.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of knowledge about Everton; it's no exaggeration to say that I learn something new everyday here.

Tennis seems like the only sport in the USA where it is possible and acceptable to go to an academy at 12 years old or so and get your tennis training and education. It is also very expensive and elitist. US soccer has a development academy which is basically an affiliation of US soccer coaches/trainers with local soccer clubs. US soccer evaluates if the local club can join the development program and if so, US soccer sets the training agenda and match schedule. But these clubs are not all-consuming, the kids still go to school/high school on the side. Brad Guzan went through Chicago Magic PSG club (part of the US development academy) but also went to high school and college. And for better or worse, this is the problem--going to high school/college in the US versus playing serious soccer. At age 20 Brad Guzan was attending University of South Carolina, while at age 20 Ross Barkley was playing in the premier league, having come up through Everton academy since he was 11. While the status is changing, soccer is still fairly elitist (and white) in the US. Many (but obviously not all) of the youth players come from middle/upper class. And convincing the middle or upper class parents that their kid should skip college for a "soccer camp" is a tough sell. In the UK, I imagine parents would see something like Everton youth academy as a ticket to the future.

Yeah agreed, hope the away black has more to it. But I am also in the very small minority that think black w/pink accents is pretty cool. And I also love the black socks so I'm certain to be shunned for that as well.

This whole thing is tragic and unacceptable and vicious.

Been watching "The Boss" on netflix. If you are familiar with "House of Cards" (about Washington DC politics), this is pretty much the same thing, except it deals with Chicago. Well-acted, well-written, and well-directed in that over-the-top soap-drama sort of way. Entertaining for sure.

Don't know what a "divi" is, but welcome!!!

I believe the website also has a "view from seat" option where you can get a panorama view of the field from the seats in different areas (maybe you knew this). http://www.evertonfc.com/seasontickets/viewfromyourseat I'm jealous, have fun!

Oh wait. Scroll all the way down that menu and on the last page it says: Myth Busting. The ‘black stuff’ is actually ruby red in color (hold it up to the light), is always served cold (38-42 degrees) and has a creamy, smooth flavor (never overly bitter). And, it’s not heavy; it has fewer calories than a glass of milk. Don’t think you like Guinness? Let us sample you on ours and change your mind