nutmegwolf203

Honestly its about time someone from the club came out and said what all the fans are thinking, I'm happy he's done what hes done and said what he's said. Hopefully its puts lights the fire under their arses and we start showing the ambition that we all know we can achieve.

 

At no point did he say he wants to leave, although he didn't confirm he wants to stay. I think if we show him real ambition with high profile players in the summer then he will stay for at least another year.

I understand what you mean, but are you happy with the timing of his statements? I personally understand the tone and content of his comments, but I think he's being impatient; things are moving, after being at a standstill for ages. To be clear, I think he's being impatient with a process to overhaul a storied yet aging club in terms of football world philosophy. The club has done a lot for him, built a formation around him and will continue to do so as long as he's here. But that's just my opinion.

This article is level-headed and sums up my thoughts pretty well.

http://www.espnfc.com/club/everton/368/blog/post/3082902/romelu-lukaku-snub-comes-at-a-bad-time-for-everton-but-club-will-survive

Everton first

I guess that's the exact sort of statement I was hoping for. Things are a bit different now.

If negotiations are still on, I think us supporters deserve a "Shut The Fuck Up" Clause. In legal terms him and his loud mouth agent just shut the fuck up, all the time. No comment, ever. That'll do.

Honestly though, in the design world it would be called a non-compete right? Or something like that? It's crazy that athletes aren't subject to the same rules. It should always be no comment, nothing on twitter, no cryptic messages talking about your "next chapter". Just keep it under wraps and respectful. They've put us through enough while Rom has shown just enough respect for Evertonians. Schneiderlin, as new as he is already gets it. There's a difference.

Shit, when did sports "stars" get all this power? Rhetorical, don't answer. I get that they're paid big money for careers a fraction of a normal person but the trajectory is scary.

hypothetical (i'm bored at work) situation - he does want to leave. who you replace him with?

 

alexandre lacazette (lyon)

wissam ben yedder (sevilla)

timo werner (rb leipzig)

andrea belotti (torino)

mauro icardi (inter)

valere germain (monaco)

michy batshuayi (chelsea)

I'd add Inaki Williams, but that's a good list and I actually don't think any are out of the question given the status of the club.

The disappointing thing with this is that it sounded like he was ready to sign and had bought into where we're going as a club. I've expected him to move on every season he's been here, not because he's too good for us or anything but just because of his profile, players like him always end up at one of a handful of clubs it seems. It would have been (still would be?) a real statement from us if we got him to extend his contract, but if he wants to go he wants to go.

 

The question is, do we move him on straight away this summer, flog him for a world record fee and aim to use the cash to buy two or three who will cement us as CL contenders? Or do we gamble on another year, risking getting less from him, but hoping his goals can push us into CL contention anyway, at which point we might convince him to stay?

The statement should be that no one's bigger than the club. My thinking is that Moshiri isn't going to let an asset derail his grand plans for the club. I think Moshiri intends on outlasting players like Lukaku, not catering to their demands.

I'm not worried. He's entitled to pursuing opportunities based on ambition, but this situation can't get to the point where his attitude pervades the feel good factor around the club. If this isn't true then someone involved should make a statement. If him and his camp fuck up our momentum then that's unforgivable.

What a bizarre relationship with a gifted and talismanic forward. No one's ever been comfortable with his commitment, or lack-there-of, to the club. I get that the modern game doesn't pander to supporter loyalty, but this can get out of hand real quick.

I honestly think we have a bright future and have played well enough to attract other talent. Especially if we get in to Europe. Anyone who doesn't buy in to what Koeman wants to do should be let go. The bright side is, while Lukaku is one of the best there is, we've often talked about how we're threadbare in the striker department. We've needed MANY offensive reinforcements for quite some time now. I expected that this summer regardless of him being here or not.

Hes got a very selective memory when it comes to speaking about players at other clubs...

Yeah he seems inconsistent about that.

Agree. He has even changed my mind and again that a goalkeeper isn't such the priority now.

I still don't think he is good enough to take us to the next level, but he is a solid No1 for us and deserves his place.

 

Credit to him for sticking at it and proving some of us wrong, me included.

I don't disagree with you, but I'm curious of people's opinions. What are his deficiencies or what could he improve on? Joel is playing really well, loves the club and seems well liked. What is he lacking? While I know there are positions all along the pitch that will be strengthened, there's also a high level of positivity around the team/club that seems too good to disrupt.

For example, I see the depth we have at CM to be up with the best in the league. It's perfect how it is; it just depends on if rotation and minutes, as opposed to full matches is enough to satisfy those who are often on the fringe.

 

Actually, i thought Mirallas was quite poor.

I think Lookman is the way forward in that position, he had just tired. He could form a deadly partnership with Lukaku.

Barkley-Lookman-Lukaku and Davies all seem to enjoy playing with each other.

Nuts game by the sound of if!

 

I worry about this letting teams back in though. Where is that coming from?

 

Is it Barry's lack of legs after and hour? Something else?

I think Barry had something to do with it. Admittedly didn't pay enough attention to the bench ( I missed Rom's opener then got swept away by the craziness) but thought it was time to see Gana if he was available. But perhaps he wasn't? We made all subs anyway to deal with their fightback. When Bournemouth were on the up I was asking who are the leaders on this team? I've been asking that for years because we usually look soft in those situations. Thankfully we now have a manager that doesn't just ask questions internally, he makes decisions. He influenced proceedings and the players responded.

Ross Barkley just made my year

 

So you were indifferent to the rights of a certain group of people.. until you've actually met some of them. Now you're a gay rights champion.

 

In the same vein: here's Trump voters in Philadelphia who happen to know a Syrian family and are now trying to get the ban lifted.. (http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Assali-Family-Syria-Donald-Trump-Vote-Allentown-Immigration-Ban-Travel-Order-412238593.html)

 

...........

Right. Essentially admitting that you don't value the humanity or equality of everyone around you or certain types of people have to earn that level of compassion.

I'm not surprised about that story in Philadelphia; people always have different reactions to the candidates they elect, but I assume this administration's actions will incite more introspection than usual.

Coleman's first touch has been diabolical. U12 level most of the time.

He's been pretty bad

It will be 7th the teams above are just that little bit better but it'll be an improvement on Martinez.

 

Chelsea

Spurs

Arsenal

City

Utd

Liverpool

Everton

 

I don't think it's going to be long until Spurs win the league though. There top players are all coming to age! Next season I think!

This seems logical. I'm honestly not that impressed by Utd, City, or Liverpool. They have some unconvincing elements to them. That's not to say we're even close to the finished article but I think it's more a case of the points between us are significant. Optimistically I think that says more about our strengths than theirs.

Re opposing decisions that don't affect us directly... civilized societies are best measured by how sympathetically and practically they help the most vulnerable - the poor, the sick, the disabled, the immigrant, the minorities. Sure, if we don't fall into any such category, we can pursue Dawkins' principle of the selfish gene.

 

But, we have a God-given conscience. We weep in the face of tragedy even when not our own. We seek to help those who are desperate because we know it's the right thing to do.

 

So, when the sick, the young, and the disabled are penalized by taking away their medical insurance; when refugees who've lost everything and fear for their lives are turned away, when victims of rape and incest are forced to carry the resulting fetus to term, when those who pursue a faith other than our own are demonized, then I will stand alongside them and represent their cause. Isn't that my responsibility as a civilized member of society?

Well put Steve. I hope that my comments in regards to "personal politics" was taken as a diplomatic statement. I typed it in such a way to attempt to bridge a gap. As a Black male in the U.S. I have become used to explaining to people what it's like to be the other. Seriously, actually and too often to count.

I grew up in suburban Connecticut and have found myself the acute minority in most of the places I've lived in. I was lucky to grow up middle class, and the son of an NAACP member and educator. But the fact remains that when I left home I stood out. I would wager to guess that I'm in the same boat here on this very forum. All of that is fine, considering I value the communal feeling I've experienced on here over the years. What becomes taxing is having to encourage someone to see the humanity in me and anyone else that doesn't look or function as they do. I could relay some of the most bizarre stories of my encounters with people opposed to my presence.

I'm well aware that these conversations will only become more intense during this regime, but I'm dedicated to an activist approach towards progression and understanding.

No, that is a fair point. Honestly most of the things we protest or cheer probably don't affect us directly - indirectly maybe - but it's what we think is right/fair as best we understand them. When things do directly affect us personally, that's when opinions can change really quickly. I didn't support gay marriage really, but that wasn't a huge thing to me, certainly not a make or break position on who I'd vote for. Until my social circle expanded a bit more and I got to be good friends with a couple guys that had been together for over 20 years, but couldn't be added to health policy, death policy benefit from job, retirement etc...it become personal, or at least close to home, and it caused me to flip my opinion and become strongly pro gay marriage.

So no sir, I didn't take that personal at all, it's a valid observation.

 

My place in society is nothing of note. Middle class, I work, wife works, worked my way thru college, and struggling to afford my oldest daughters first year in college. Drink beer on the weekend and watch football and futbol, depending on season and time of day!

Which is why Ghoat, while I may not agree with your sentiments, simply dismissing them is unhealthy. I'm glad you saw my side and responded the way you did. I have to disagree about your place in society though; I think it's very important. Race, class and every label set between us is integral to how politics function. It doesn't mean I agree with labels, but I also don't have much of a choice. I'd love to have more conversations about this topic because I think actively leaving our respective bubbles is the key to all this.

Speaking of bubbles. I've been reading a wonderful book recently. It's called: "A Different Mirror" A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki. It's a dense slow read but I came across this passage that feels apropos to the situation. In a chapter called "The 'Giddy Multitude'" Takaki goes on to explain:

"Hopes of landownership became dreams deferred for many English colonists. Frustrated and angry, many white workers felt they had been duped into coming to America. In 1649, pamphleteer William Bullock warned planters about men and women who, "not finding what was promised, "had become "dejected" and recalcitrant workers. In England, they had been viewed as the "Surcharge of necessitous people, the matter or fuel of dangerous insurrections." In Virginia, they became an even greater threat to social order, forming what the planter elite fearfully called a 'giddy multitude" - a discontented class of indentured servants, slaves and landless freemen, both white and black, the Stephanos and Trinculos as well as the Calibans of Virginia." pg. 62

Fast forward to Bacon's Rebellion and the ulterior motives behind pitting one group against another:

"But Bacon calculated that an expedition against the Indians would serve a dual purpose - eliminate a foe and redirect the white lower class's anger away from the white elite to the Indians." pg. 63

...couple more pages...

"They could open economic opportunities to white workers and extend political privileges to them. But this would erode their own economic advantage and potentially undermine their political hegemony. Or they could try to reorganize society on the basis of class and race." pg. 65

You know the rest.

Fast Forward to now:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/31/hillary-clinton-and-the-populist-revolt

This article articulates some similar motives and themes. These things aren't a coincidence and their reoccurrence tells me we're not talking enough. Somehow with all these means of contact, we're still not hearing each other. Van Jones used the term 'whitelash' the night of the election on CNN. I wrote it down because I had never heard it before, but once it sat with me for a while it all made sense.

Ghoat, as much as you had to get used to the idea of gay marriage, I couldn't be bothered disputing the well being and civil liberties of others. Just the way I'm wired I guess. That being said, hopefully this thread can maintain this open and civil momentum.

For what it's worth, I'm also an artist, I went to school in New York City, and as it happens I am a part of or am emotionally affiliated with many of the groups this administration is checking off its hit list. Most of my work is very minimal but I'm thematically inspired by things well outside of the artscape. If anyone's interested here's the link to my website: http://www.ryanscails.com/ on the page Interviews/Writings you can find my thoughts on some of these subjects. Mainly in the first video and the Able Bodies interview (which I believe I've shared before).

Sorry for the essay. have a great day.

I honestly do not have a problem with the orders he has signed. This is what he campaigned on, and should have been expected. Withdrawal from PTT, border security, temporary halt of immigration from unstable states that are breeding grounds for radicals who are hostile to the US etc...Anyone who is really shocked wasn't listening to him. That being said as Mark and Tonka pointed out he is reaching the limit of those. If he keeps scribbling out EO's, he is going to run into a hell of a firestorm, internally and externally.

 

I did vote for Trump. I do care about immigration, national security and the US economy, so he was a much better candidate for me than Hillary. However, I wasn't at rallies, wearing hats and covering my yard in signs. He is far from perfect, and his does make me nervous from the fact his is not a politician - which was a large part of his appeal too. But it's a 2 edged sword, because he doesn't act or react like a politician, which is predictable and measured. However, that doesn't mean i like or will like everything he does. He's a bit more bombastic and narcissistic than I'd prefer, but we will just have to see how it plays out and hope

 

I'll say this tho, if the left and the media continue to flip out with over the top doom and gloom every time her farts, it's counter productive. Trust me, there are huge percentage of Trump voters that are pretty moderate/moderate-right - myself included. But it's going to be very hard to actually listen to opposition if it's consistently over the top and exaggerated, rooted in the fact they just don't like Trump or anything he does. The real logic and valid points get lost in the noise.

 

Those on the right that flipped their shit every time Obama did something were no better. Fact was they just didn't him, and at some point I didn't care to hear anything they had to say either because it was predictable.

 

Don't misunderstand this as directed at anyone on this board or your point of view, I'm speaking in generalities.

And for the record the stuff on existing green cards, dual citizens, people from these counties who had US ties, those who were in flight etc...that was mess, hurried and sloppy. The groups that have filed suits to correct and address this stuff are the correcting the obvious flaws in the EO , I support.

In my opinion, you're being generous, to put it lightly. The ban hasn't targeted any countries that have statistically posed greater domestic risk, it merely piggy-backed off of a study done by the last administration. Those countries were to have stricter screening measures put in place, and they did. It's a matter of convenience that none of the countries interfere with Trump's business dealings throughout the region. It's easy to get caught up in hyperbole, but this guy and the crew he's assembled around him are dangerous. I understand your concerns, as a citizen, I really do, but I also get the feeling that some of the executive orders that have been introduced haven't affected you personally. That is, you're choosing to dismiss their implications.

The things that he's done to marginalized groups (the very groups he attacked during his whole campaign), stripping them of their rights, and finding ways to belittle them is inexcusable.

Trump is the grade school bully that's been enabled all his life.

I agree that the media blows certain things out of proportion, that's consistent across the board, but with Spicer, Conway and Co. I'm pretty sure they have all the fireworks they need to keep steady attention on the president.

Lastly, and I'm reluctant to make this personal-I just quoted you because you made many clear points; in some ways I envy your ability or place in society that allows you not to fear any of the things he's doing. It's actually incredible. To me, every move he makes sounds like a lit fuse getting closer, and the tragedy of any impeachment predictions coming true is that Pence is equally, if not more terrifying.

https://youtu.be/LKqiftg4qd8

I like the looks of Sambou as well. That turn gets better the more you watch it. Great debut for Donker.

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2017/01/20/ademola-savouring-blues-start

 

Really enjoy this interview, the video and the extra dialogue below.

He's really engaging for a footballer of his age. Seems intelligent, and for a player I knew nothing about a month ago I feel like he can make a real contribution to the club.

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2017/01/20/ademola-savouring-blues-start

Really enjoy this interview, the video and the extra dialogue below.

Blaming the manager for his tactics just seems like creating a topic to criticize. It all sounded like the players just fucked it up. They had chances early on, just didn't convert. End of, in my opinion.

I wouldn't. Lookman, in all likelihood, won't be going straight into the squad and certainly won't be in contention for starting. Depay would.

Isn't that exactly the opposite of the recent comments from the media? I thought the reason the deal was so high profile was because he's looked at as an immediate first teamer. It is a lot of money being talked about. I think there may be room for them both. A lack of Bolasie and Del means there are openings in the squad.

Just heard someone yelling at Barkley during that corner: "You're shite! You're shite, lad!" Hopefully that's a Southampton supporter...

I would imagine(hope), since he got a standing ovation as he left the pitch.

Far fitter than us. Better ball retention up front which means they sustain attacks.

 

If people want to query my assertion that strikers need to retain the ball up front then this is why. You have seen what that ability has done to us.

Beyond mentioning the obvious, I second this. The commentators were saying how much it'd help if the ball actually stuck up top. When we were under pressure like were were, it would have helped if we weren't dealing with attacks every few seconds.

Confirmed - cause of the problems in midfield. No legs.

Yeah I was going to mention that. As soon as he come on in the second half the game went past us. I know Barry is a great player, but in what scenarios is he even beneficial? Liverpool is a fast playing team so I guess they're a standard of speed and perhaps not everyone can and will play that way against us. He offered nothing.

The lad must be 15/16 stone. Granted his work rate isn't the best but it's never going to be anywhere near someone's who is a fraction of his weight.

 

So he isn't the best at defending, he isn't the best on the ball and he struggles to hold up the ball well.

 

He's not that type of player though. Nobody is having a slice at Gana because he doesn't score enough goals are they?

 

He has one job, to put the ball in the back of the net and he is very, very good at that, one of the best in the world.

 

People want him to be more than he is, it's very unrealistic. If he did have every attribute what people wished him to have, we would have never had his services here at Everton.

He's built like a center back