Rupert_Fuffeinsmuir III

Despite our struggling for numbers (which MUST be addressed), we still have players of quality who can make the difference, especially, and with all due respect, against teams like West Brom. The spine of our side is very decent, and I'm glad to see the likes of Arteta being influential when it counts. Yakubu will always get goals, Vaughan was an impact player yesterday, and Cahill and Pienaar to come back still. The team and the fans did their bit yesterday, its now up to Bill. 3 or 4 signings this week and the cloud of anxiety and uncertainty will lift significantly.

Todays result can't gloss over our plight. Moyes again seemed despondent post-match, that is beginning to annoy as well as concern me to be honest as it will achieve nothing, however pissed off he might be (as are we all). We have only a week left and still have got to expect additions, washing our dirty linen in public is not going to endear us to potential signings, it is a monumental struggle for us to get players in as things stand.

Yes, thanks very much Everton TV for providing commentary for that. FFS still though lets enjoy the moment!!!!

Agreed, piss poor state of affairs.

We look like we can't afford it cos we can't mate. Only the seriously deluded will admit they have no concerns over the state of our finances. We trying to compete in a cut-and-thrust environment where bluff and blunder ultimately gets found it. We are not buying houses. September 1st will see the end of this charade - lets see then who we have in and how much is spent. Even then there will be some who say the (monopoly) money not spent this year can of course give us an even bigger wad next time.

Exactly my point from an earlier post, if they are not being sold, establish it quickly and move on to other targets. We would all like Messi and Kaka in the squad too, but if Moutinho et al are off limits, it means we have to find other players of similar quality. If that sounds like hard work, Wyness, and now Elstone were/are happy to pick up fat pay cheques each week. Bill and his cabal of apologists should have something to show for this unfaltering commitment to EFC, working night and day on our behalf so we are told. I'm growing rather tired of watching this space.

Could the clearest indication that we have no money be........erm, that we haven't spent any? (and sold 3 key squad players since last January no replacements, got several others off the wage bill too?) Sell to buy wasn't what I was expecting!!!

Cant agree with that, outside of Spurs and the Sky 4 we should be attractive enough to most players, they are mercenaries after all, we have messed up financially, anything else lets Bill off the hook.

Something has clearly gone disastrously wrong with planning and preparations this year. all of the speculation has been gone into many many times both here and elsewhere. I think the guy on Radio Merseyside last Friday night got it spot on - at this stage I would have preferred a more honest "We have little/no money" approach from Bill rather than the bullshit. What disappoints me more than anything, presuming the continual media links to the likes of Moutinho, Tiago, and Vagner Love are true, that we basically seem to have done no homework whatsoever with regard to even the most basic of preliminaries. I know the media get leaks but in the case of these 3 players; Moutinho - we must know Sporting's bottom line by now. Either we decide we are giving them what they want or forget it. Drawing it out this close to the end of the window gives them the upper hand, not us. Tiago - Seems not to want to come back to England at all. Surely this could have been established as a basic starting point? Vagner Love - We claim we were misled by agents. But surely now, for any deal to progress, it requires the consent of both clubs, the agent, and the player. How can Everton claim they were fcuked over on this one?, that could have been avoided, again by doing the simple things right. It seems to me that even Everton cannot be this incompetent on purpose and so the "can't you all see we tried so hard" tactic which Bill has form for, is back again this summer. That just means in a nutshell that the problem is not enough money and too many potential signings to have to make that money stretch. I just don;t accept that Moyes has £25M burning a hole in his pocket and is insisting on quality, not when we are linked with the likes of Smith, Tiago, and Bullard. I expect to see 3 or 4 players of this ilk come in by the deadline, which will blow that theory right out of the water.

I am used to DM being quite short tempered in his press conferences but I just watched todays one on Everton TV and he looks particularly pis*ed off. Love and Moutinho were mentioned to him, and he didn't deny interest in either but the whole tone was very downbeat, he looked as bad as most of us have been feeling.

They have started a "Bring your boots" campaign on Kipper - tongue in cheek obviously but it displays the level of embarrassment/frustration/anger being felt. I was thinking today things might have been a little easier to stomach if we had kept hold of AJ/Cars, whatever the merits of selling them. With the McFadden money as well, this whole sorry episode stinks to high heaven. We have been treated like sh*t all summer, and last week's "watch this space" boll0cks was just the latest example. The transfer budget is not dependent on Kirkby, money from sales will be added to an already existing budget, we will not settle for second best etc etc. BLAH BLAH BLAH. As an Kenwright watcher during his reign at the helm, I should have known that interview last week meant real trouble, but I, as a fool fell for it AGAIN. Every time things threaten to boil over, the tactic is always the same - either arrange an interview to spout further pure and utter bullsh1t or just have stories planted through friendly journos to keep the hoards at bay for a little longer. I'm sorry lads, I'm not giving a penny more of my hard-earned money towards maintaining this shambles. Everton F.C is my heart and soul, and I will support whoever dons the shirt at all times but for christ sake this is heart-breaking. And I don't blame Moyes one bit for not signing anything - with this nonsense I wouldn't wither, I honestly cannot believe the level of amateurishness shown in almost every element of the clubs operations since May. It just cruel at this stage.

Laterz At least try to be a genuine faker, Sporting.

It's good that it has come after the window shuts, can you imagine having it on August 30th and Bill telling everyone that he would be up all night trying to sign players on an 'hour by hour basis'. I presume those in attendance can raise issues other than Kirkby, I for one would like the meeting focused on the transfer shambles - if this incompetence was displayed in the public sector it would warrant an inquiry. This summer has been a disgrace.

I'm really concerned now, more so than I have been in years. How could we go from such optimism in May to this bleakness? I would have reservations about moving outside the city boundaries, but it seemed short of redeveloping GP there was no viable prospect on the table as an alternative to DK. Kenwright's SSN interview yesterday would not have fooled me one bit, have seen it all before with lies on a far greater scale. Outside of the footballing element, have Kenwright and Co. actually ever succeeded at anything on a purely business level??? Now 2 failed new stadium attempts, the Fortress farce, the NTL cock-up, the resignations of two CEO's, public fallings-out between board members, poor corporate sponsorship and marketing, Bellefield, increasing debt, one of the lowest net transfer spends in the Premiership ETC ETC ETC ETC. If ultimate;y have have to suffer to have these people removed then so be it - it is now abundantly clear we will never progress with the likes of Bill and his false mates first Gregg, now Earl. Is there any Evertonian anywhere with a sufficiently high public profile to speak for us all and say this just has to end. I'm sick and tired of this. It almost has an air of inevitability too. Build our hopes us and then take them away in the space of 12 weeks. Don;t bet on new signings. I'm sure I will be like 1000's of others logging on here at 11:55 pm on August 31st to see if we have managed a loan signing.

Dont agree, and its difficult to 'prioritise' a competition. When you play well, you play well, and it carries through across league and cup. Besides I would dearly love to see us win a cup, any of the, though a European final victory would be particularly nice. Over to Bill to give us the squad depth we need to compete in ALL comps.

I have mixed views on Kenwright, he is a much better option than some relatively unknown (to us) American or Russian 'investor' but at the same time I don't believe he has ever searched 24/7 in the manner he says he has for investment. Even during the FSF debacle, it was clear from the start that Kenwright was only going for that because he could remain as chairman and be the public face of EFC alongside Moyes. The same is true regarding his relationship with Robert Earl, who appears to be a fully paid-up of member of the BK Admiration Society. But Paul Gregg was also one, once. Having said that, I have no doubts about his passion for the club and he has presided over a period of harmony and stability which (all credit to David) have seen our on-field reputation and fortunes rise rapidly. We are shortly coming to the moment of truth for the club where the powers that be must decide if they are happy to maintain things as they are or if we are going to unite together and FIGHT to break the current stranglehold. I despair at some of Bill's public utterances with references to 'pulling rabbits out of hats' etc. The reality is we are where we are by a miracle and the net spend on transfers during Moyes' tenure is on one hand a reason to applaud Moyes' true managerial pedigree whilst at the same time an embarrassment and a disgrace to those in positions above him. I would question Bill's desire to see us bridge the gap considering how much of a shambles we were when Moyes took over, it must be beyond his wildest dreams looking at the club currently. Neither with our present manager do we actually need an enormous cash injection, it's just that £30 M net to spend in a summer (nothing phenomenal by our rivals standards) would in my view be hugely beneficial and pay off significantly in terms of what we could achieve. People like Lord Grantchester, Ian Kilbride and others have been mentioned but I would doubt they would be willing to sign cheques under Bill's watch regardless of affection for the club. People don't hand over money easily.

I hope so, but SSN were touting up every club to sign someone last August on deadline day, just a trick to keep people watching. Would be nice to be wrong on that one though.

The Chang Arena? No thanks. And certainly not for £40M. If that figure is true, I'm starting to become more than a little concerned at how alarmingly little we appear to be able to generate through corporate sponsorship than the likes of Tottenham for example. Same with the shirt sponsorship deal, I believe Spurs' is worth £34M, ours £8M and thats a 45% increase! It's worrying if Wyness and Co. haven't sought to address this and if the likes of Terry Leahy have anything at all to contribute, surely this would be a frequent topic for discussion? We already struggle to compete and this sort of thing doesn't bode well at all. I'm open to the idea of GP having a name change as we have to live in the real world but not under these terms.

Just watched highlights on Irish TV, sh*thouse Houghton on again almost foaming at the mouth with rage that we'd won and again talking up Arteta to leave at the end of the season, or even the end of this month. Saying he alsone is the difference between us and mid-table. Guy most have had run-ins with us whilst with the dark side, never seen anything as bitter.

Two new names from Miscreant Man on the betfair forum. We know these guys from Chelsea and Portugal. What do you all think? Maniche has only played 24 games since 2006 for Atletico Madrid and Tiago is not a regular with Juventus either which surprises me. On loan deals they would be shrewd business the pair of them, tidy on the ball and good technically. Tiago would be a good holding midfielder in particular, and both aware of what the Premiership is about (albeit Maniche with only 8 games). Personally I would be quite pleased if these lads came in on loan deals, would see us through nicely and add more depth.

In my opinion to progress we need; Right Back with flair - Alan Hutton? Either one creative and 'dominant' Centre Midfielder but likely two, as players with both qualities are hard to find - Albelda, Fernandes, Diaby, Diarra, a Lucho Gonzalez type, and I like Jean Makoun at Lille. Bentley would be a good call too. Thats 3 'quality' players which I think would give us a first XI when all fit to threaten Liverpool as I without any bias see them by some degree the weakest of the top four. But that's only a starting eleven and not a squad. To go any further we would need firstly to retain all out current top players, and then continue adding quality additions year on year. With a bit of nous we can add those players without having to spend mega bucks. Moyes has done it many times. Momentum is vital, we have it now and its crucial we keep it going. Even a couple of loan deals in January will freshen things up not to mention provide much needed cover. Who knows where we will be in May but if we have something to build on then we must grab that chance with both hands. Our immediate aim must be to consolidate our position as the 'best of the rest' so for me if that means another couple of top six finishes with a cup thrown in, I would be more than happy to take it. I do have the feeling though that our dear neighbours are very much within our sights so lets keep on eye on the ball. COYB.

I don't think that is a bad spread of games at all. We have gotten a lot of our traditionally difficult trips out of the way - ManYoo, Chelsea, Villa, Spurs, Newcastle so it bodes well. Although I certainly can't see us picking up 75 points, and there are always going to be games we lose unexpectedly like the Reading game this year, A lot will depend on how long we manage to keep our cup runs going too. I'm not clued up on the Carling Cup vis-a-vis European qualification, I presume we have to win it outright to secure a UEFA place. If we could possibly pull it off I think having Europe sorted by February (imagine it!) would actually help our league form no end. I will be happy with top six and to stay in the UEFA Cup to quarter finals minimum as we have a decent draw. Certainly I go a huge amount of hope watching the Old Trafford performance in knowing we can take on the big guns.

On the betfair.com Everton form, the chap called Miscreant Man who seems genuinely reliable is talking about Fernandes returning possibly on loan (posted today). Also says Vogel is done and dusted. Agree it would appear unusual to loan him again but if we are interested in him, we hold the aces. His market value is dropping by the week and Koeman has already made it clear he doesn't want him. I don't think we would have any serious rivals for his signature this time round.

Not sure where the Szetela price comes from, but he would be cheap anyway, and probably worth a punt. Vogel - yes, experienced player, could be a great deal for us. Smith - not at £6M, wouldn't have minded signing him if the squad was ok in other areas. Braaten - Don't know enough, but not for me - just sounds like a Johnny Foreigner. Baines - excellent player, would be a genuine coup for us so a big yes! However signing Vogel/Smith/Baines which seems to be the likeliest if you believe the spin and selling Carsley/Beattie still leaves us short. For me we would have to get Manny in on loan to even the balance. Still think and hope we can pull something out of the fire for this lad, probaly on deadline day. I'm happy to see Beattie leave especially for £4M, I would sacrifice Carsley although I think he has been an excellent servant. But the notion of having to include him in p/e for Baines seems to suggest we couldn't afford a midfield replacement, Moyes might think Vogel is that man, but one-out, one-in is not squad building. Ergo, we need Manny back. In an ideal world, it would be Baines/Vogel/Fernandes in, Smith an optional luxury, and Carsley/Beattie out. That might sound greedy, but in net spending terms, it still wouldn't make a dent on some of our rivals spending. Baines £4M + Carsley Vogel - lets say we do a deal with Betis to cover his unpaid wages - £350,000. Fernandes - loan Smith - if we did sign him, would probaly be £6M on the drip given he is an England inernational and other clubs are in for him. Adding Jagielka for £4M and Pienaar on loan; NET SPEND £14.35M (lets call it £14.5 M). LESS: Naysmith (£1M) + Beattie (£4M, don't think we would get that, but still)= £5M. TOTAL OUTLAY = £9.5 M - but a miracle if acheived! (and we would be faced next year with a minimum £10M outlay for Fernandes and Pienaar if we wanted to make them permanent, before signing anybody else in 2008/9). Which means I would overlook Smith, Vaughan will be back well before we know it, and we still have AJ/Anichebe, McFadden, and Cahill could be played behind AJ in a 4-4-1-1 formation. So for me, Baines, Vogel, and Manny please.

I agree with all the previous comments. IMO Baines would be an excellent signing and give us quality right across the defence. But, like thousands of others, I have found this summer to be just one long embarrassment. Fair enough we shouldnt throw away money on questionable players even if we had it, but I'm just SICK AND TIRED of the way our manager is treated by the board having to make a silk purse from a sow's ear yet again at a time when there is more money than ever in the game. The thing that strike me this year is that phrases such as "cash-strapped Everton" appear everywhere in the media and even in casual conversation with my non-toffee mates, they always say things like "Everton could never sign (insert random name here), they could never afford him." Sad.