JimRoyle

I've been noticing for the last month or so talk of yakubu leaving. If we got him, I'd be VERY excited. A proven Premiership goalscorer and can work well on his own or with a partner. Slight problem is losing him for the African Nations, but he'd make his mark in goals well before that happens. By then we'd have Cahill and Vaughan back anyway! If Davey Moyes is listening in, get in there my son, this lad equals goals!

I too still agree that we need a striker to be able to compete. Now that Beattie is gone we surely MUST be looking at this side of things. As last season has shown, Vaughan has terrible luck with injuries, Johnson gets knocked about a bit plowing that lone furrow up front, and Cahill (as the support role) isn't fully fit still. Anichebe is still learning and picks up yellow cards, and the other youngsters are unproven. Look at Spurs and Liverpool. An embarrassment of riches up front. I for one don't want to see us grinding out 0-0 draws away from home like the last few seasons. It places too much pressure on the defence and this causes errors. In Europe where defences are harder to break down, especially through the middle, we'll need another top quality striker who can stick them away just as well as Johnson can, if not better. £11 mil for an Argentine playmaker? What good is that if he doesn't have anyone up front to put in behind the last man with a clever pass? Let's get a proven goalscorer in with the cash please. Or maybe someone who can play equally well on the flank and upfront, that would be nice. I'm dreaming again aren't I?

Part of being an Everton fan since 1987 has been the ups and downs, speculation and irritations in the transfer market. We haven't got a squad that will succeed on two fronts, Europe and Domestic, and by succeed I mean top 6 finish again and an extended run in Europe. It's just too light with too many people being asked to play out of position. However, I trust in Moyesie to work miracles with the squad he has, as he has done for the past 5 years! I just wish we had shown a bit more ambition this Summer in the transfer market (up to now at least) On the Baines thing, I really do hope he joins this week. That leftback slot was a problem last year (Lescott did a fine patchup job but we need him at CB) and to have a young England-potential toffee fan shoring up that side of things will give me great hope for the next few years. Sounds like he wants to come to us, and that desire is worth an extra £2 million in my book.

Last time I checked we needed a player who could cross the ball, other than Mikel... If he's available for under £2m, I'd be interested...but he isn't actually a player who would add a lot to our squad, so I agree with you on that score!

I absolutely agree Licker...we are becoming a joke. The only way out of it is for Moyes to work his magic again. The longterm ramifications are this: it doesn't take long for a manager of Moyes' quality to become sick and tired of having to make telephone calls happen when given a piece of string and two tin cans! We'll lose him to a more ambitious side. I came on Rumourama a month ago and got essentially carpeted for saying how worried I was at our lack of transfer activity to that point. Well a month later and suddenly more voices have sprung up saying the same thing. How many Evertonians out there are ALSO worried but just staying silent about it? Do we really not have the money to compete with the likes of Sunderland, West Ham, Portsmouth, Wigan and now Sheffield United? What a sad state of affairs when the team works their socks off like 2 years ago to get into Europe, and then are basically asked to work miracles yet again, despite having an increased workload and less resources than before! Oh wait, no, that sounds just like my day job! In the prophetic words of Homer Simpson... "Doh!"

I'm totally confused. Fair enough if Derby want to throw 5.1 mil at us for Faddy, which sounds a lot for him, then great if we get to strengthen with decent talent with the proceeds. Thing is, lord knows I've been McFadden's biggest critic the time he has been with us, but at least he gives us options down the left and up front. I groan whenever I see him, but selling a player of his versatility when we need to be buying players like that or better (better PLEASE), just doesn't make sense. A few weeks ago I came on here and got on my soapbox about Moyes not having bought anyone. Then Jagielka arrived and I was at least thinking, okay he's getting down to business. THEN his rant about people spending too much and suddenly it's "one big signing and maybe two loan players". Now it's two free players being lined up (I'm South African, and I rather like Pienaar, but jeez this smacks of desperation), and you've got to wonder if some jobsworthy cleaner at Goodison didn't throw out two big duffel bags of cash labelled "Manager's transfer funds" into the skip outside by mistake! Either that or Van Der Meyde has spent it all on his minibar bill while the squad was in Italy... What on earth is going on?

I will be gutted if we miss out on Nugent, but it looks like he may have opted for Harry's Pompey lot after our hand hasn't gone up in the auction crowd. If we're honest he's not going to exactly slap us in the face by scoring 30 next season, or even 20, but it's a shame if we miss out on someone who would have potentially given 110% every time he pulled on the shirt. Dare I say it, the lack of interest in Nugent is beginning to make me believe (hope?) that Moyes has someone else in his sights, a bigger more well-known (European experience) name...and he's keeping it quiet. Ah, the eternal optimism associated with being a Blue...

I'm in total agreement with Goldfishmemory... A prolonged run in Europe would stretch our squad to the point that our league form would suffer. I think we were able to hang on to our top 6 finish principally because we had no Europe or local cups to distract us in the period of Jan to May this year. Even IF we were to buy those 4 players we'd still do VERY well to get to the later rounds of UEFA plus maintain that top 6 spot. Re-qualifying for Europe must be the aim. As Goldfishmemory says a 5 year period where the whole reputation of Everton is boosted to the point we are seen as consistent Euro side and a consistent top 5 finisher in the league will transform our fortunes. It's exciting times though, and if you look back at Moyes' reign so far you can see the club moving in this very direction, but it's still a work-in-progress. As for Nugent, he APPEARS to be showing faith in us, but will it be rewarded I wonder...

I'm actually starting to come round in the thinking that Nugent may be overpriced already. Yes absolutely a player is worth what a club is willing to pay, but ultimately that price is judged to be too much or too little over time in terms of the player repaying with successful performances. You COULD argue that AJ's price last season looked a little too much, right now it's looking like solid business! At 6mil Nugent still looked good value given his promise and desire to play for this club...at 7mil he's starting to move into the realms of strikers who score every 3 games in the Premiership, not just in the Championship. His style of play suggests he will assist those around him more than just scoring goals, but if the value keeps increasing, it becomes more and more of a gamble. I still like the look of Nugent and his desire to play for Everton, however. That desire carries a monetary value in that it mitigates the risk and the gamble. You buy anyone else and they might try hard week in week out. You buy Nugent and if an Everton fan who has said we're his dream move doesn't give 110% week in week out, you'd have to be shocked. Buy a Porsche and you've got a Porsche. But if it keeps breaking down leaving you at the roadside stranded, what is its value compared to a Toyota Yaris that's dependable and keeps getting you to your destination?

No Zed please DO! It's pretty strong to call a person's opinion "nonsense" without backing up your claims. Are you saying I'm completely wrong, that my opinion counts for nothing? So let's hear it. After all this is a forum and people are entitled to voice their opinions. If you disagree say why. But please bear in mind the following: I've not come on here to attack David Moyes, BK, or any other person who loves Everton Football Club, and anything I say is due to MY love of Everton. My desire to see them improve and compete with the very best again. I believe they can...! I defend Everton every single day against friends and colleagues who are Red Sh:te supporters or worse (fairweather Mancs and Chelsea fans). And rarely have they called my opinions "nonsense". I'm willing to hear your opinion Zed, and more than likely I've agreed with it in the last couple of years of reading this site.

I totally agree Kroldrup and VDM are different mistakes, but both have been mistakes. My reasons for lumping the two together? Both from the continent and both quick to blame others for their failure at Everton. But lets not get away from the point here... taking gambles on continental players simply because they have played in Europe may work for the United's and the Chelsea's and the Spurs who have 20 mil to spend on PROVEN continental talent, but we can't afford to, so why ignore homegrown talent? Moyes has shown shrewdness at home, let's hope he continues to do so.

You'd think Moyes would have learned his lesson by now... Kroldrup, now VDM....players who are basically overhyped continental mercenaries.... Instead he's got Jag and Nugent basically BEGGING to come and play for the team...proven triers, who will give their best for the club, and he's done nothing about it. Staying British, look at Lescott and AJ last season...gripping firmly their chance at Premiership life. Not to say imports don't have their place, like Howard, Yobo, Cahill, Arteta...but when you have British players choosing Everton before we've even come in strongly for them, then I say move heaven and earth to get them. If the likes of Bolton or Sunderland get hold of them, it will just demonstrate that procrastination and trying to tie up swap deals or hold out for that final quid's discount is ultimately hurting the forward progress of this club.... As for VDM... all he is trying to do is resurrect his career that he has basically thrown down the toilet himself. He's trying to blame others for not cutting it. I can understand frustration IF he'd had a superior player ahead of him blocking his way, but he's not. He's simply been unable to show Premiership standard and consistency. Cut the dead wood loose. Let's get players who will sweat blood to be on that pitch in that blue shirt, like we all ultimately would if given the opportunity...

Was going to write "thanks for writing the list, at least it's fun and interesting to chat about" but got distracted by colleagues Not sure who else would come to us to be honest. I like the idea of players who have been injured and have fallen off the radar since last season: I'm thinking: forwards - Ashton, Mido, Marcus Bent (haha kidding about Barndoor Bent) ; midfield: Duff, Nzogbia, Stelios(I'd rather take a Man U castoff of Chris Eagles than Phil Bardsley, kid looks quality), all could potentially fill that wing slot...whether they'd be sold, or even come to us is another story. Not much talent around that's for sale. Actually like the sound of some of the european or south american players people have been talking about.

I'll be the first to admit I was wrong about Beattie. Here was a lad with a growing reputation, who looked a proper striker to carry the workload upfront and who'd help others around him to get goals, while banging in a few himself. I was excited that finally we'd signalled our intent to solve the problem of only our midfield weighing in with goals. Instead we got an injury then that headbutt incident against Chelsea (get outta my wayyyyy) and as they say "start as you mean to go on". If Vaughan and Anichebe are ahead of him in the pecking order, I say cash in now and let's get players who can make a difference. If he starts the season with us, and we go past that transfer window, you KNOW his value will continue to plummet because he'll be talking about the latest Wii or PS3 games with his mates in the dugout.

I disagree that our first team are in good shape. The only positions that are in good shape in the first team are the following: Howard, Yobo, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill and Johnson...and I'm quoting players because they're our best and have been asked to take on a variety of roles (with Howard an obvious exception) due to gaps in the rest of our first eleven. I see these MAJOR problems going into Europe: Our fullbacks offer nothing going forward, I actually groan every time I see a cross coming in from Hibbert, Neville, Naysmith etc. How many times did we change our right and left backs last season? Lescott filling in at LB is such a shame. He should be bossing that central area with Yobo. Our wings are makeshift ones at best. Arteta, Osman, even McFadden. Again we have no width and in Europe that means one thing: going through the middle where they'll be strongest. Try and break an Italian or Spanish team down through the centre. You need to have Ronaldinho or Messi to accomplish that. (or Riquelme ) Yes we've got AJ upfront. And then? An underachieving centre forward whose heart is probably back in Southampton. A "scottish Rooney" (that still makes me laugh), whose heart is probably North of the border, and 2 promising teenagers who looked good in the Premiership but have no idea about top quality European defenders. So I'd say our first 11 is VERY far from "good shape"!!! To haul this back to the topic of this thread: Phil Bardsley? I saw him in action at Old Trafford when Blackburn went there 18 months ago and beat United 2-1 (a good friend took me along for free...and I won't turn down free tickets). He was invisible, in fact MGP made him look very ordinary for the 2nd goal. I doubt Bardsley'll even cause Hibbo any sleepless nights. It's just us accepting Man U castoffs instead of Rooney triggered payments...!!