chicagoblue

Even the Liverpool fans are starting to laugh at themselves 'Lfc bid to bring in Dempsey has failed. Fulham insist they want £6m, whilst Lfc refuse to pay less than £15m.'

.....
 
rubes..have a sit down son..we have a new un here

I don't know whether you guys are familiar with the concept of a "meme", but This crossed my mind with the Ryan Babel rumors:
 

It didn't work cause The super villain was too fat for the suit. It happens to fit Superman well and he looks great in it too. Superman then proceeded to beat Lex Luthor and the other villains in the league.

I didn't say any of that, I'm just saying I don't get all emotional about it, I think differently.

He thinks if he throws enough shit (players) at it then something's bound to stick. I hope they crash and burn.

Not shitting my pants, though. That has happened before, and very well could happen again should the right circumstances come into play. But, alas, I've left you all with too much information already....

mike means we have a tough game coming up on saturday after the league cup game so he would like to see some players rested...
 
 
never mind you already noticed...not quite sure why you feel the need to commentate through your thoughts but each to their own

I don't think anyone has said he's become a legend because he sang a song.....merely that he's become an Evertonian. Not the same thing at all.
 
Comparisons with the players you mention are ridiculous (though I'm sure he'll appreciate you giving him a few more weeks to prove himself).

Lol, a few of you sound like the lad who got turned down by the pretty girl, and responded by saying she was ugly anyway.

In the first half we really were majestic. I have no idea what Lambert what was talking about when he said he thought they started well. Maybe he was pleased that they'd managed to make the kick off? They were never in that first half, and only managed one attempt at goal in the whole half and that was a daisy cutter right before half-time, while we were approaching double figures for attempts. That's how dominant we were, that's how much control we had in the game. It was a joy to watch and the difference in class was actually embarrassing. Fortunately, I dislike Villa and could laugh at them running round like little lost boys rather than feel sorry for them. Pienaar's early goal really set us on our way, and what a sublime finish it was! If not for the early goal it might have been a case of Groundhog Day; where we dominate but don't convert. But that early goal gave us the platform to believe we could go on to score more. And we did exactly that. And the neat passing in the lead up to that goal was so good to watch, and was a taste of what was to come. Fellaini made it two goals in two games. What the hell Shay Given was doing for that goal I have no idea. He's definitely not the keeper he once was. What an absolutely brilliant cross it was by Jagielka though, inch perfect. Deservedly we also got a third goal, and this was our best goal, IMO. There was some excellent interplay by Baines and Fellaini to get Baines into position to get the cross in. Then the movement by Jelavic to get himself free was world class; he pulled back off his man for Baines to duly supply a perfect pull back ball to him. Followed by the typical one touch BOOM we've come to expect from the ice man. The rest of the half continued in a similar vein in that we played some classy stuff and had so many chances that we could have been 5 or 6 up. You could see that the whole team knew we were better than Villa and I thoroughly enjoyed watching us toy with an inferior opposition. I'd say that first half was better than anything we showed against United.
 
We started the second half exactly as we'd ended the first half; completely on top. And I really did think it was going to be a rout. Sadly, we took our foot off the pedal. However, I don't think it was quite as bad as some have made out. Villa may be shit and had a man sent off but they were at home and were always going to have a spell in the game where they had more of the ball than us and have chances. What disappointed me was the way we responded to that. The central defensive pairing had looked so strong against United when under pressure but yesterday they looked like they may crumble at any moment. Because of this we needed the midfield to step up and show composure and keep hold of the ball to take the pressure off the defence but they struggled to do this and, particularly Fellaini, seemed more interested in going to ground in the hope of getting a free-kick. We're better than that. He's better than that.
 
Overall, a good three points and plenty of positives to take from the game, but a couple of things to work on too.
 
 
Howard - Had pretty much nothing to do for the majority game and then when he was called upon he fucked up. Yes the ball moved but he still got his hands to it and should have been able to parry it away, not into the bastard goal.
 
 
Neville - I literally do not remember him figuring in any way for us; good or bad.
 
Jagielka & Distin - Had nothing to do in the first half because Villa barely got near goal. The only time either one of them figured was when Jagielka decided he'd actually like to play a bit and got forward to put a perfect cross in to set Fellaini up. The second half when we were under pressure they looked very shaky. One moment that stands out was when they hit the post after Distin had completely lost his man. No idea what he was thinking but he was too far away from him.
 
Baines - I think this was his best game for us for a very long time. There have been signs of him getting back to his best but yesterday was when it all clicked. He linked up excellently, was like a Duracell bunny up and down the wing, and his delivery was top notch again.
 
 
Naismith - I was extremely impressed by him yesterday. He always wanted the ball and was looking to be involved every time we went forward, there was no fear of being in a new league and coming into a side who had played so well in the previous game without him. I liked that he got into some very good positions by taking up some intelligent positions and was unlucky not to get the opportunity to test Given due to some good defending. Also, he didn't shy away from the defensive side of his responsiblities either; he tracked back every time.
 
Osman - He was a busy bee and at the centre of our good play. Playing centrally is definitely the right place for him because you can see his natural inclination is drift there and because he doesn't have to think about defending as much he can do damage with his quick feet and quick footballing brain. That's exactly what he did yesterday, he really pulled the strings for us.
 
Gibson - I think yesterday was Gibson's best game for us. This is because I actually noticed him for a change. Usually he goes about his business quietly and you barely know he's there, but yesterday he really stood out for me and stamped his authority on the game. He really did make us tick with his short and long range passing to get us moving. But he got himself more involved in our attacking play as well, not content to merely sit infront of the defence, take the ball off them and then give it to someone else. He wanted to bring the ball forward himself or play a long ball to try to play Jelavic in. He led the charge rather than being in the background. My MOTM.
 
Pienaar - He was typical Pienaar really. His performances very rarely differ tbh, his play is very consistent and yesterday was no different. He worked his arse off, linked up well with every one, showed classy touches etc etc. He's so industrious. And topped all of his typical work off with an absolutely beautiful goal. If that goal was scored by Aguero or whoever it'd be getting creamed over on SSN.
 
 
Fellaini - He wasn't at his all conquering best but he was still pretty damn good, and if he plays like that for most of this season then I'll be a happy man. He floated all about the pitch and was heavily involved in our good play. He also showed excellent strength to hold off challenges. Most notably for Jelavic's goal when he held off a challenge and then played the ball back to Baines to cross.
 
 
Jelavic - Is he fit? Because he looked absolutely knackered throughout. That being said, it didn't seem to make any difference because he still had a good game. He worked his socks off upfront; he chased countless balls down the side of the Villa defence and used the ball intelligently from those positions. He also took up some brilliant positions to receive the ball. One occasion was when when the Villa man got sent off, another was when he'd made space for himself to receive a long ball on his chest. The best of the lot was when he got his goal; his movement was phenomenal.
 
 
I don't normally mention subs but for this game I'm going to have to.
 
 
Coleman - I gave him a lot of stick last season for being poor but I thought he was excellent when he came on yesterday, and was exactly what we needed at that time. He looked so much more like the exciting, no fear player we saw when he first started playing. He took the ball forward at every opportunity, but he seemed to have purpose when he did. And he must've been working on his crossing because it looked so much better.
 
Mirallas - It was only a cameo appearance but it got me ridiculously excited tbh. In the short time he was on the pitch he could have had a hat-trick! I loved that his first thought every time was to go forward, with or without the ball. He just wanted to attack. He looks to have very good movement too; highlighted in his disallowed goal for offside.

It might be a good thing we held back a bit upon reflection, Villa goal included.
 
We don't want to burn out too early, and if it was a deliberate "Right lads, let's all stay fit and save a bit for mid-week" then it will be a good thing. The last thing we want is teams parking the bus because they're concerned about our form. Stay under the radar, and a better chance of delivering the big bombs.

I'm liking the fact that we get international opinions on players we are scouting, always makes for a good read! Cheers mate.

That's what she said.

Have my doubts about Maggie, really don't see him ever progressing beyond the fringe....love to be wrong.

Can we get James Milner instead?

Greetings to All:
 
Well, it would seem that this deal will actually come through since he made it over there for the medical. We've (Olympiacos fans) been wondering if/when the deal would be sealed or if Everton was used as a ploy to get Arsenal to swoop in and snatch him. I guess that, although a better fit at Arsenal (stylistically) he needs to approach this a step at a time, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, he aint in Kansas anymore. (Yes. Kansas being the Greek League)
 
By the way, I read a few pages back in a posted link his scouting report. ( Toffee Scouting I believe). It's pretty much on the money.
 
I quiet and disenchanted pup he was when he arrived a few years back (on loan) in Pireus. We didn't know what to expect exactly. We could see the quality from the pre-season friendlies but were not sure if it would blossom and fit into the "mold" and overall team "culture" of Olympiacos (to be victorious and play with pride). The kid worked extremely hard, often going to practice 2 hours earlier than anyone else practicing and honing his skills, and then staying an extra hour after practice. On his own - no coaches working on him. Eventually he gained confidence and took the starter's jersey home with him, becoming the fan favorite as he displayed excitement and finesse that the crowd loved to look for and get excited about. We knew he would "move on" to greener pastures eventually (he deserves to) so although we are bothered by it, it didn't come as a surprise.
 
Kevin (who played mostly left wing, then center forward and the least at right wing in a 4-2-3-1. The coach Valverde liked having reverse footed wingers who would cut in and create havoc, as well as swap sides during the game), was better at left wing than at the right. He was also good at CF but the stock of defenders in the EPL is sliiiiightly different than that in the GR League.
 
All in all, my take is, that with players like Kevin (their skillset) the determining factor to make or break it in the EPL is to "steal" the confidence of his opponents before they "steal" his. If he takes on the defenders with confidence and twists them around they will fear him. If he hesitates and they "rock him" a few times he will lose his confidence and be reluctant to push the throttle.
 
Hope this shed some light on the impeding aquisition and best of luck this season.

And so the transition from praying to doubting began, and the Lord looked down and shook his head, and he saw that it was Everton fans, and he looked upon them and shouted "Wait and flaming see thou scare mongering muppets !" and they were calmed, and positive once more, safe in the knowledge that Hibbo was gonna bag a brace on Monday.

I still can't see why you're so pessimistic. He created 8 chances, for himself and for team mates, which is clearly above average, against a very good PL side. And the 20 goals in 25 games illustrate that he clearly does have end product, even if they don't show it in those vids. And we're signing him for 6 milion pounds which can't get you 1/2 of Matt Jarvis. I think that's great business.

My view on this is that we wanted as much cash as possible up front for Rodwell. In the midst of trying to do that (look how long it took to get the Lescott deal finished) if you add in "Oh yeah, by the way, that player Johnson, any chance of throwing him in to sweeten the pot?" we ould have probably looked at a lower cash payment up front (maybe 6 or 7 mil) lower further payments, the deal may have totalled 12m isntead of starting on it, and all for a player who hasn't really been important to City.
 
Doing it seperately gives us a modicum of power to play with, the first refusal i agree is bullshit nowadays, along with gentlemans agreements. They just don't exist anymore (see Saha playing against us for Tottenham). However, Johnson on the right would be a very good signing on loan, hence why so many teams have been rumoured with it.
 
Man City lack wingers though. When you think about it, Johnson is there ONLY winger. Silva, Nasri, Barry have all played wide but all are central players. In fact I'm surprised at Man City's lack of wingers, when you compare them to the teams around them, all the other top teams have 3/4. If we sign Mirallas, we'll have Pienaar, Naismith, Gueye, Coleman and Mirallas and possibly Niang. Osman can also play out wide, though it's a bit of a waste of time for him. But still, I can see why Johnson would have created an unneccasary stumbling block in the rodwell transfer.

Admittedly I havent seen much of Mirallas, but he is 24, and has nearly 30 caps for a very talented team, and a boatload of goals in Greece. I think Moyes has figured out the whole homegrown player registration system. Develop reserve players, and register them to fill the quota, hope you get a few who are real difference makers and then import your 1st team because they are cheaper. Look at Adam Johnson. He hasnt accomplished near what Mirallas has, and his rumored price is double what Mirallas rumored price is. Thats crazy. Look at the going rate for accomplished Championship, and League 1 strikers. Prices are ridiculous.

I'd sooner look at attributes rather than goal stats, goal stats can often cloud a players appraisal. Andy Johnson for one - yeah was ok for us, his goal record suggested he was a world beater - all those goals for Palace in the prem, many of which were penalties.
 
I remember watching Johnson against Skyrtle in the game against Zenit, he was abysmal. I'm not saying Skyrtle is a shoddy player but my reservations about AJ were proven that night, if a centre half got tight to him he was easily bullied off the ball.
 
Give me a striker with a good physical prescence, technique, pace, and work ethic and I will show you a very good premier league striker. AJ missed out on two of these - technique and physical prescence. Is it any wonder that the likes of Pappis Cisse and Demba Ba have all the bigger clubs watching in envy. Centre halves are a different animal these days, they are quick, big and strong, the days of the oafish ruddock style player has well and truly gone - look at Ferdinand since he's lost a yard of pace. In summary, the exact reason why Michael Owen is no longer good enough. It is probably the only reason why we are perservering with Anichebe, brush up on his technique and work rate and you have a player (unlikely to happen though).

Johnson for £15m
 
or
 
Niang (£6m)
Guidetti (£3m)
 
Plus whoever...I'd take the latter.