BlueBri

I agree that the way this affair is being ahndled is wrong. It is mimicking the Red shite airing their dirty laundery for all to see. This sort of thing should be dealt with discreetly and announced when done, then people could argue the justification af wages etc. then. This is distracting and unecessary and probably has a part to play in our poor form.

Just read an article on SkySports about Baines being reassured. RRound maybe hinting he will get the nod over Lescott. He even went as far to say that Lescott understand the position and perhaps desrves to be dropped. I hope this is right and I really hope Baines takes the chance. The lad is talented. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4188270,00.html

I have just made a post on another thread with this topic in mind. I personally think the we should ALWAYS count the ref as a 12th man for the other team. The shocking lack of protection or basic decisions that we get is simply shocking. This coupled with match changing decisions. We should just go out there and play our game. Balls to the ref, he will do what he is going to do nayway, no matter what. Lets face it, we won't get a pen, they won't get a red unless its glaring and they will be awarded free kicks all day in dangerous areas. We might get the odd free kick if the ref realises he makes a howler, but it won't be to our genuine advantage. We may be surprised, but why go in hoping or thinking it will be different. A pessimist is never disappointed, although I am constantly disappointed with the refereeing in our games. Riley is usually one of the worst.

I think this thread is getting a bit venomous now. Moyes record is fantastic with us. He has stabalised a giant club that was in slow decline. We had been courting the relegation zone on and off for years and were saved not by ourselves but on others misfortune on occasion. He has calmly slowed the rot and has now established us as serious challengers in and for europe. He has put the club in a position now that we need to change the way the club is run and funded in order to compete further. His success in trophies has been primarily blilghted by injuries and shocking refereeing decisions. Let's face it, over the last 3 years, we have been pretty much whipping boys when it comes to refereeing howlers. Big decisions, no pens all last season until the last game, Big Duncs disallowed goal against Villareal etc etc. I'm not suggesting that we would definitely have won something, but you couldn't say that we wouldn't have. I find it comical that everyone is baulking about paying the man who has single handedly created and stabalised our club £65K a week, but those same people were probably screaming at the club for not signing x,y or z for £million and probably £40-80K per week. what record would they have had to justify this. Besides, I would be interested to know how much managers that have a 'track record' are on. Scholari, Ferguson, Wenger, i bet you they are on a damn site more than £65k a week. If you think the club shouldn't pay this, then your ambition is stuck with mid table mediocrity. There are some tough choices ahead for our club, but with any business, it has to be brave and stick it's neck out if it wants to be better than it is now. We simply will not get there by cutting corners on the most important position in the club. It would be like having a Formula one car and sticking a mid range Formula Ford driver in the car. False economy.

Ask again in January.

all these managers are form the premier league. there are better managers in europe, certainly, especially better than o'neil, gus hiddink for one. will give it more thought and get back to this.

When Alex Ferguson leaves Man Utd, how much do you think they will pay for Moyes. Personally £65K a week is a bargain if you consider what players are recieving. Moyes is widely regarded as one of the top managers in the English game, which for me pretty much means the world. Name 10 better managers in the UK I dare you. I would be surprised if anyone came up with 4 or 5 and numbers 4 and 5 would be debateable on opinion. Personally, I believe the managers job at Everton is still one of THE special jobs for a Manager, and not just anybody can do it. Like it or lump it, the only clubs to be winning things since the Premiership have been the same old same old apart the odd fluke ( I include our glorious FA Cup by the way. We were not a particulalry good team and performed on the day, but even then it was close). Moyes is the only manager any of the big clubs would pick if they had to pick a brit. £65k a week, the way we are progressing, a bargain.

The injury side is an obvious stumbling block, but there would be no harm in giving him a medical. Should have bought him ages ago. I'm a long term admirer of his, as far as midfielders go, he's pretty much got everything and there are not many teams if any, that he wouldn't be guaranteed a 1st team start. As well as being a great DM he scores a fair few as well. Injuries aside, he is the perfect midfielder for EFC, even with Castillo and Fellaini. Imagine the selection choices or the flexibility on the bench if games needed to be changed. Add this to an ever testing game schedule, particularly if we have a good run in some cups.

Yet another nail biting match from EFC. Why can't they just win comfortably for a change. All to do now in Liege. I don't know what is going across the back four, but they are really shaky and it's making the ret nervous. Far to many cheap balls being given away. We need to keep Dalmat quiet in the next game, ran us ragged all night. Apart from him thought, if we can control that we should control the game. Hope Peanuts is back for the next game and I'd slip Baines in behind him. Use them overlapping up the left and double up on Dalmat. Baines should have the legs to keep him quiet. Just need to run him into the line or the corner, nothing flash. Jags was outstanding, again, and grew as the game went on. Castillo gave a pretty solid performance too. He really is like Carsley, unsung hero type, just gets on, doesn't do too much wrong and keeps it simple. Will settle in nicely I think. I hope we se some more screamers like last night. Again, just like Carsley, but on target:)

Couldn't give a toss about the Derby at the moment. First time in years, I really don't care. Moyes has said he has passed the contract back the board but he hasn't yet signed. I think it is all but done and an announcement just before the Derby is on the cards. Not very theatrical at all. Is it just me, or is all this ongoing speculation in every area of the club becoming a bit dull. Leave all that to the glory seekers and shite. Lets just play football and win something.

Jags, all the way, solide reassured and confident. He read everything in the second half. Keeps going and a regular England call up will beckon. Very nervy night and it showed. Mirrored the Kharkiv game last year, I just hope we can pull it back like we did last year. Hopefully Peanuts will be back.

I not really complaining about the strength in depth. It's more of an observation about the way we have played in different games and where Baines fits in. Moyes obviously prefers Lescott/Valente if given the choice, but has to change things round to fit Baines when he comes in. I think Baines is a great player and has a lot of promise, but the way our back line is set up, he is not the right kind of player. Getting back to Lescott, he made the Left Back role his own last year. It is difficult to understand what exactly happens in the cose season to affect a player so much in his performance. If he doesn't buck up, maybe Moyes will have to go back to looking at fitting the back line to acomodate Baines more effectively. Personally, I agree with comments that he is none to good a defender, so you would probably be looking at 3 across the middle with two wingbacks. Jacobsen may fit this well on the right, but we will see. And your right, we should be grateful that we have players on the bench who have talent.

Bang on. Lescott is not on form, but neither is the rest of the back line. What about making Yobo captain again, worked last year, he became a different player and marshalled the defense almost a la Ratcliffe. I do have to say that I am starting to wonder about the point in having Baines. Moyes obviously biught him for a reason, but as time goes on and new faces come in, I am starting to struggle to see exactly where he will fit in.

MONEY MONEY MONEY UEFA Cup all the way. No Brainer.

Surely it can't be long now before the FA admit that the refs in this country are simply not capable of running a professional football match in the premiership. Granted, the refs are only human, but with the game now having such high stakes, 1 goal at the end of the season could be the difference between qualifying for europe and a great many other financial windfalls such as league position. Many have said that it is fortunate that we dind't drop the points, but I say, we could have won by a 2 goal margin which in the league makes a difference to our goal difference. Apart from the fact that this penalt debaucle should never be in question anyway, and that Moyes is being scapegoated for ........??????? well I can't think why, is this the start of another campaign where we eventually get a penalty in the last game of the season. I don't think it is any secret that certain clubs seem to be given more grace by referees than others, and I certainly feel EFC get the shitty end of the stick. Had we had consistent refereeing last season, it is not inconceivable that we would have finished in the top 4. This is a real problem now, and I don't think there is just one solution. I do think this should happen though: - Video replay for 'touch-line' calls - Referees made accountable for their decisions and actions as much as the managers and players - Retrospective professional fouls punished when caught on video - A professional code of conduct agreement made between referees and the premiership. I just think that referees have had the prtection of non-professional status for so long, that people are forgetting that these are now well paid professionals, allegedly. The points scoring system simply doesn't work and there are referees out there who could be easily suspected of influencing results by their actions ( Clattenburg, Wiley all the usual suspects). Can I ask, does any body else agree that if that incident had happened to Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal or Liverpool, would the ref even have bothered looking at the linesman and then enraging the manager resulting in a punishment for being right? I think not. Rant over.....for now.

Possibly Louis, it won't be the first time I've been accused of that. I have just become rather sceptical of what we get to hear about. Almost everything we hear nowadays is given to us with some sort of spin, whether positive or negative, and wouldn't surprise me to find out about a number of reasons this could have been done. It will all come out in the wash though.

My favourite individual goal would have to be Stuart McCalls in the Fa cup Final against Liverpool. We lost 3-2, but that should have been a match winner. The ball was cleared and came screaming out of the box and almost before anybody had moved, McCall had taken it on the chest and buried it. I nearly passed out when that went in. My favourite team goal was Osmans against Larissa, took my son to hisd first gam at GP and have not seen many better at any level. stunning. For me that showed just how good Peanuts is at linking the play. AWSEOME

Could I make a point that this could be a big step in paving the way for a takeover. It's just dawned on me after reading simiar threads that no-one really knows why we aren't attracting any investors. "The Club required – and has now attained – signed copies of the resolution from shareholders holding in excess of 75 per cent of the total voting rights of eligible members. Accordingly, the resolution has been passed, bringing Everton Football Club into line with the vast majority of professional English football clubs." If we really have been operating with out of sync with the rest of the premiership, then the club effectively nullifying any potential trouble maker for a potential buyout would certainly seem rational. It also means that if bought out, the investor would then have the luxury to run the club as they saw fit and may tempt investment in. Not sure if this would necessarily be good, but who knows.

Forgive my flipancy, but doesn't that then mean that the rule is a beauracratic nonsense with enough loopholes to make it basically a farce. No wonder it works so well, it doesn't actually hinder as there are many ways of bypassing it. Nice to know we wouldn't be screwed as I first thought, though. I'm surprised this hasn't already been brought in by the FA, they love a good beauracratic waste of time.

That's cool, we'd be screwed. Yak, Anichebe, Yobo, Howard, Cahill, Pienaar. if I've left anyone out I'm sure some bright spark will help me out.

Yes - The Bic biro's have all run out and they can't afford new ones after our expensive and prolific foray in to the transfer market this summer. Sorry. Couldn't resist. In truth, anything we say on here at the momoent is pure speculation, whether it be the Kirby move or Moyes contract and any possible link. Personally, I don't see what implication where we are playing will have on Moyes decision, unless it affects his managerial freedom and his ability to bring in new players. I agree that the second ballot is a waste of time, it's unofficial and just seems to me like a poor attempt to give those opposed to the move an opportunity to feel they have been heard. They already know they have been heard and not listened to. You don't need tons of ballots to do that.

It is a fact that football has now become a business as opposed to a working mans sport. This debate has raged on since the mid-eighties and was accelerated by the introduction of Sky and the premiership in this country. There is no getting away from it that football is now just like the big american sports and is attracting even bigger investment and will soon see player reaching even more astronomical transfer fees and wages. I love Everton to the core and would prefer football to keep it's 'open to all' feel, but that seems like trying to convince people to walk than drive. As much as I hate to say it, Everton will die with all the other minnows over the next 10-15 years unless the club gets a significant benfactor to bring us into th competetive financial business arena that is now football. Players are now commodities to these investors, like race horses, and the clubs merely investment platforms that must make profit. If we want to continue to watch Everton play at the top, we must accept this is a necessity.

1ST - Kroldrup was crap for us FACT 2ND - Saha was and has always been injured since signing FACT 3RD - You have racist issues that I had hoped left our glorious club years ago. Unwanted FACT. Cretin

This whole thread and many news articles out there lilnking Moyes is pure Media crap aimed at rocking the boat at EFC. It is a well known fact that Moyes is yet to put pen to paper, but this is now surely a mere formality. Moyes may be unhappy with the annual transfer farce, but he has now acquired a long term target and has stregthened where needed. He has yet again been shrewd with his buys. The notion of him leaving is still a very real one until that contract has been signed, but he would only leave to improve his career. Why the F*** would anyone, let alone Moyes join NUFC. It must simply be the worst club in the world to manage, with som of the most fickle fans, much worse than us, a board that does what it wants and a Director of Football, (WTF is one of those) Even Sir Bobby Robson has said this week this is a complete shambles. No half decent manager, let alone borderline world class manager would consider that move. Moyes has steadily progressed EFC to apoint where we are a perenial fringe team to the big four and is still improving. Outside of the big four, you will not find a better manager, and it would only be to one of the big four we would lose him, unless he stays until he's 60 when he might take the scotland job as a hobby. Stop dreaming Watson. Moyes wouldn't join your shower of shite for a gold clock. If he wanted to go somewhere as miserable and crap as Newcastle, he would offer himself to MUFC.

I was stunned to read that Appiah has now become a free agent and can be obtained on a Bosman. I have been a long term fan of this player as he has great strength, vision and distribution in the middle of the park. Does anyone else think he could be a good addition and really add some depth to our squad? For those who wonder where he might fit -----------------------------------------Howard----------------------------------- Neville/Jacobsen-----------Yobo--------------Jagielka----------Lescot/Baines ----------------------------------Fellaini------------------------------------------ Arteta---------------------------------Appiah-----------------------Pienaar ------------------------Saha/Cahill------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Yakubu---------------------------------------- I think, not only would he give Moyes positive selection problems, but also a depth and longevity to a still to lightweight squad in my opinion. Both Fellaini and Appiah are versatile, heavy tackling ball winning and driving midfielders and young. Could be the difference to winning 1 or two cups and maintaining a league presence ion the top 5/6.