Philinsuffolk

I don't think Kirkby is the right move. If you still have a vote, please vote no. But as a fellow Blue, I respect all of you and so wish you well regardless of how you vote. For a day or two lets put aside talk of a striker who is either has a good goalscoring record or is lazy depending on who you believe. He may come. If he does, he will certainly go. But more than anything this week is a massive week for us as a CLUB. The Everton Family decides..don't underestimate what this week means. Apologies for not putting this into the Stadium Debate section - but the time is right for this to be on BBC1 not CH5!

Thanks JD. If I can be so bold as to think ahead. Say we get our seeded place and get through to the group stages. I assume the teams with most co-efficients get top seedings and so on through. What kind of seeding are we likely to get or is it impossible to judge at this stage?

Thanks Rob, that is a top tip. I usually manage to get them for London games but as Zed says I'm up against it with this one, especially as many of our fans still living in the city would have left the midweek tv visit to Spurs. Am just finalising plans to go in the Reading section.

Respondiong to my own message is desperately sad but want to get my plea back to the top of the topics! Any help much appreciated!

No problem. Forgot to say that the Wilmsow is right opposite the ground on the side of the Main Stand. Are you Blues fans?

That is amusing. Considering they claim not to care about us. No time to read too much of it. But I read the first few pages detailing the 1st half and then skipped to pages 9 and 10 for the FT rants. I'm sure there are plenty more individual special moans.

Even if it just for 1 pint, you do have to go into The Wilmslow before the game for a beer. Have a great weekend there lads and the whole day at the beautiful old GP..

The club sold its allocation of aay tickets for the Reading game before they went to general sale. Gutted. If on the off chance anyone down south or that is going to the game tomorrow has any spares would they be good enough to let me know. Ideally we're after 3 but 2 would do the trick. A forlorn hope I guess but worth a go... Cheers, Phil

Fernandes is in the UK - I can confirm that much.

Would we get someone as good who can offer versatility, determination and top level experience for £4m? Not in my opinion. He doesn't get the plaudits but this lad has been a real asset to us and will continue to be. He gives his all, keeps his head when we are under pressure and has that winning mentality that stems from all those years at United.

Get in there Blues. Well done boys! What a great save from Tim near the end too! Oooh Davey Davey Moyes...

I'm convinced that Yakubu will leave Boro in the window, the noises and actions of Boro point to it. Whether he comes to us remains to be seen but if the boot was on the other foot, I'd be expecting the player to leave..

Thanks, that was a real treat.

MikeO is right - UEFA Cup clubs arrange teir own deals with the likes of ITV2/4 and Channel 5. We need to hope we negotiate well - I don't like but I suspect the TV channels will bid for Spurs first.

For what it is worth I actually think that the Board & Senior management are doing a decent job - for what I am sure we would all agree is an almost impossibly hard job running a top level football club. I for one don't want to be like Leeds and nor do I want to be owned by someone from USA/Saudi/Russia/Thailand. Just an opinion.

At 2.55pm this Saturday we should all believe we can win the title. For the younger ones amongst you, it really was something that fans of more teams could do in pre-premiership days. It may only last for 90 minutes (or even 20 minutes!) of the opening day but you weren't considered to be completely mad to dream it. At some point this week, let yourself dream. And then, as I click back in to the question posed, I agree a top 6 finish would help the gradual evolution towards becoming a better side. We need to be Europe for 3 out of the next 4 seasons to really start making inroads. Come on Blues. Beat Wigan on Saturday and then take it from there...!

1. Like the rest of you, until we see the cheesy photo of him holding the scarf, lets not get too excited. 2. Yes, they probably will strike a deal for him to not play on Saturday - but any such agreement would be wrong. You pay £6m for a player and then can't play him just because you happen to be up against them in a few days time? The type of nonsense clauses that drag footy through the mud.

Sheeds - agree with you entirely. I just can't be doing with any more hysteria as I suspect is about to hit the sites. I'll be as concerned as you and everyone else if there aren't a minimum of 3 in come September but I just think there will be. If nothing else because the club know full well that we are way too low on numbers. The cavalry will arrive...

Now please everyone lets keep our nerve about the size of the squad. Yes, we need some players in before the end of August. But unless you have lots of money, clubs that are looking to achieve gradual progress (us) have to ship unwanted players out with the view of bringing in others considered a better option. In recent times we have shipped out Weir, Kilbane, Duncan, Wright, Pistone, Naysmith and if confirmed, Beattie. Weir - a rock for us but given his age and the chance to play for one of the Glasgow clubs at the end of his career was right. Otherwise, IMO, none of the others are a big loss. Its been a tough summer being a Blue, but they will bring in key players between now and 31st August. I really do believe that. And I still think the club will pleasantly surprise us. Time will tell. As for Beattie - I'm sure like most I wish him well. He seems an honest bloke it simply didn't work out for him. Hats off to him for not being a prima donna and refusng to drop a division. Good luck Beats.

I'm generally a positive person and positive about the Blues. But must admit, and maybe am just having a bad day, but the wait for players is starting to get to me and if this is true about Cahill then I'll be right hacked off. We have a decent side if the key 7 or 8 players stay fit..

My 2 pennies worth.. Has anyone stopped to consider that Bootle is just down the road from our beloeved ground and that is technically Swdton in local authority terms. As is ofen the case, Zed and MikeO are calling it right - too many are worried waht Liverpool fans say. We're a club with a fantastic tradition, a history that many many clubs would envy (how many clubs can really consider themselves as a truly regular fixture at the top flight level?), fantastic fans (forget the players, they come and go its about the slightest nod to a Blue when you're both miles fom home wearing the shirt. Now stop talking about Liverpool FC and their fans - this is Toffeetalk. Those of you that are obsessed with Liverpool FC - stop it, stop now and stop forever. Delight in beating them when we do, be pleased when they lose. But other than that, let it go. My rant comes in the spirit of when Kendall opened the changing room window at Stoke all those years ago in Cup 3rd round and told the players to listen to the fans. We are Everton. The rest are just other clubs.

Excuse my boring look back to the glory days but I just got to wondering what happened to some of my old fave players. We all know what Sharpy, Reid, Gray and Steven are up to. But anyone know what the likes of Bracewell, Richardson and Van den hauwe are up to?! And Alan Harper of course! Semi final legend that he is!

This is a nightmare decision. Do we sit tight and wait for a site within the city, not knowing when it will come but at least knowing that we keep in the city when the better option arrives. Working in the capital sector, I can tell you that you can assume 10-12% inflaton per year - that's one hell of a lot of money every season that goes by. It starts to become unaffordable at some stage. That is why making the move that is on offer is tempting. The club should be DEMANDING that theCity Council sort this out now. Get a site for us. The revenue to local business is worth it. The City Council should be given 4 months to identify a site. If they can't, then we accept the Kirkby proposal. Or offer all the residents a buy-out deal and re-develop GP - it can be done, though we'd have to find a temporary home for a season.

Weir for me. In time it may prove to be Lescott. Ignore me, I'm from the school of can never have enough solid centre backs!

I like this thread too. Too much over reacting going on at the moment by too many Blues. We'd all like to see a few more signings but hey; 1) The season is 4 weeks away 2) We have quite a few good young players that in time are going to come through 3) Forget the (current) Big 4 - how many clubs have got a tradition and a record as good as ours. How many living Blues have seen us out of the top flight? I know we don't just want to survive there, but compared to 10 years ago.. WE ARE A FINE CLUB AND YOU KNOW YOU JUST KNOW YOU'LL STAND TALL AND PROUD WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE GROUND NEXT.. Our club has been around too long and the club is too good to stress about not signing players like Koumas and Nugent 9as much as he wanted to sign for us and wish him well, there are other players out there). COME ON BLUES!