Makis

I was expecting him to build a balanced squad, not a totally lopsided one like it is now. He's had two-and-a-half transfer windows and we don't have a top quality striker and only one good CB. And still no cover for LB and preciously little pace in the side. But we do have about a gazillion attacking midfielders, none of whom look to be able to dominate a match.

I was expecting him to build a balanced squad, not a totally lopsided one like it is now. He's had two-and-a-half transfer windows and we don't have a top quality striker and only one good CB. And still no cover for LB and preciously little pace in the side. But we do have about a gazillion attacking midfielders, none of whom look to be able to dominate a match.

I was expecting him to build a balanced squad, not a totally lopsided one like it is now. He's had two-and-a-half transfer windows and we don't have a top quality striker and only one good CB. And still no cover for LB and preciously little pace in the side. But we do have about a gazillion attacking midfielders, none of whom look to be able to dominate a match.

Kroenke offered to buy Usmanov's shares: http://news.arseblog.com/2017/09/kroenke-turns-the-tables-and-makes-bid-for-usmanovs-shares/

Gana has not been good? Jury's still out on Keane but I think he will be a cornerstone in our defence for years.

Gana has not been good? Jury's still out on Keane but I think he will be a cornerstone in our defence for years.

Bored of people telling they are bored of him.

He has manages a paltry 170 matches in his career. 16 matches last season, 11 the before. And his record isn't inspiring either, 36 goals in those 170 games, so about one goal in six matches. He's never managed double numbers (nine goals in two separate seasons is his best). He's not a target man either so I can't see the point.

Some Icelandic midfielder who apparently is quite good at set pieces.

For those who believe that winning is everything and that it's OK to cheat if others cheat...
Would you be happy with your child stealing exam questions in advance so they can pass that exam with an 'A'? Would you be willing to bully a teacher or headmaster and make personal threats in order to improve your child's grade? Are you the type of person who'll offer a bribe in order to win business because other companies do it? Would you work via cash in hand while claiming unemployment money from the government? Frankly, I don't understand, and will never buy into, the idea that the end justifies the means. No it does not. If we have no principles, what does that say about us as human beings, let alone fans? Our principles define us. They also define teams.

I think we all would, but personally I want to do it the Everton way i.e. don't be a bunch of dirty, cheating, ref-bullying wank-rags and win with class, dignity and integrity. If we don't win that way, and have to compromise, it's not Everton in my opinion
 
For the first time in my life, we look like we've put together a squad who can challenge in that manner. I had no faith that the transfer window would go as well as it has, but I'm glad to have been proven wrong again. I'm hoping that by the end of the season, we win the Everton way and those I'm disagreeing with get to enjoy the success whilst eating their words

They can't play every match if we qualify for group stages in the EL. With cup games we are looking well above 50 games for this season. 38 league matches, 2 EL qualifying matches, 2 EL knockout matches, 8 EL group matches, 1 League Cup and 1 FA Cup is the minimum in that case. I would hope there'd be at least another 5 or so games on top of that (or we have a crap cup year) so it could be closer to sixty games - and with good cup runs it could go above that.
 
What if we go far in the EL and are still in the hunt for a top four spot come April? On top of league matches there could be four EL matches (quarter and semi-finals).

How would we differ from that other lot if that was our mentality? I have always held Everton is about more than just winning.

When there was talk of getting out of the ten year deal half way though. It wasn't some massive loop hole though, there was just a half way break clause.
 
At the time there was social media uproar and the club posted an article about how good the deal really was.

This is way better than everyone listing "Goofy McFoobly on deadline day for 320 million." for several pages.
 
That was boring as shite unless you like those Facebook thingies with pirates.

I doubt Arsenal is going to splash another 40-50 million on a striker after signing Lacazette.
 
There will be more signings, that's for sure.

I doubt Arsenal is going to splash another 40-50 million on a striker after signing Lacazette.
 
There will be more signings, that's for sure.

Lukaku does create goals. And he scored twice as many.

This. It's quite ridiculous the number of U turns based on one goal.
 
Me, I have been in the "let's see if he's got it" and still am. He's still very raw & getting used to PL so it's impossible to say whether he will be good enough eventually or not.

The simple problem is that while in baseball you can quantify players very simply in football there is no simple set of stats. Baseball is more of an individual sport disguised as a team sport (batter vs pitcher) so there's really no teamwork aspects and such. Your teammates have very little effect on your batting or pitching.
 
Numbers in football can help, for sure. They can both help find potential players and weed out some. There are so many potential players that scouting them all properly is just not feasible. Especially if you want to make bargain finds. For instance, you might want to sign a striker who can hold the ball up. There might be someone who doesn't have a very good goal scoring rate but the numbers relating to the role you think are good. So it might be worth looking at why his goal scoring record isn't that great. There might be a reason that can be rectified and you might find a bargain who fits your criteria perfectly.

Transfermarkt prices are completely useless.

Don't worry, they will. For Spurs.

This blew my mind.

For the brexiters in here, which side of that table do you identify more?

That sounds really stupid. Imagine being on that sort of salary and one of your teammates f*ks up and your team looses -> no bonus -> really good for team morale? It would probably cause strife and bickering in the locker room. And what if the tactics are just all wrong and while you do win a good number of games they are low-scoring?
 
Plus plenty of studies show that money really isn't that good a motivator for most people in the long run. They can work for a short while (like give a team incentives to finish a project early).
 
Just how would it improve the team if players for instance started playing against the manager's plans to score more goals? Because that's the only one I can imagine how this sort of incentives could affect. If you want more goals, the tactics have to reflect that. Players want to score them, but if the incentives are wrong, players will shoot from wrong positions rather than passing to a teammate.
 
Now winning is another matter, in games like the ones we have seen in the last few rounds incentives might have given a small boost. But again, basing that much of wages in bonuses causes all sorts of issues.
 
Plus finally, clubs would love to do it like this. They try to minimize the base salaries but agents are having none of that. So what sort of players would you end up? Players who are happy with half the salary than what others have. I.e. you don't get the best possible players. I doubt just paying average players huge winning bonuses will turn them into top players.

I think some people just can't fathom the fact that our squad is not as good as those teams so they come up with reasons why we don't win more matches. "It must be because we are not trying to win, damn that Koeman!"