bassman

O'Farrell on espn, summed it up well " Perhaps most alarming of all is Martinez's inability to acknowledge what appears right under his nose. "I did feel that the team was the right one to get back into the game," said the Blues' boss." I cant stand that twat Shearer, but he also summed it up well, , Shite defending,no substitutions and no plan B.

Hibbert left back according to O.S.

So true, seems like every time our fate is in our hands, we Fu** it up!!

now return date changed to unknown!!

O/S now have him listed under injuries, with an 'unknown' injury, return date this month !!

Martinez on O/S says its a Hamsting problem.

Osman may get Diarrhea and not be able to play in the Derby !!

Except for last night

So, Olympiakos buy for 3m, we loan straight away, pay fees and probably wages, he plays for U21s, is no good, so we ship him back. money lost. Or, he IS good, and we then haggle with Olympiakos, and settle on a really good deal of around 6M. Sounds good to me!!

So, two days to get two new defenders!!! Jags and Distin must now be amongst the worst defenders in the League!!

Stones must be wondering what the fuck he has to do to get a game before Jags!!

Please. no sharpened knives at my back"!! article from admittedly just Yahoo, but relevant to this discussion I feel. Football - Everton face uphill task just to stand still Everton finished fifth last season with a club Premier League record of 72 points that would have earned them a Champions League spot in any other year, yet their prospects of cracking the top four look as slim as ever. Despite holding on to their best players and securing one or two promising new ones Everton still look under-powered for the long haul in comparison with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, who finished above them last season and have bolstered their squads. Manchester United are unlikely to be as bad under Louis van Gaal as they were when finishing seventh while Tottenham Hotspur (sixth) will also expect their hugely expensive squad to start gelling after an inconsistent campaign. So with a potentially distracting Europa League campaign on the horizon, manager Roberto Martinez faces an enormous challenge to match last year's impressive campaign, let alone gatecrash the Champions League party for the first time in 10 years. Despite those harsh realities, however, there is a real feelgood factor around Goodison Park. Spending a club record 28 million pounds ($47.14 million) on Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku after his spell last season on loan from Chelsea was a real statement of intent, particularly as no sales were deemed necessary to finance the deal. Everton fans have always had a soft spot for a big centre forward and Lukaku was hugely popular as he gave the team a real attacking focal point, scoring 15 goals in 29 league games. Gareth Barry, who brought structure and stability to the side last season, is also now on staff after a year on loan from Manchester City, while 21-year-old Bosnian Muhamed Besic, a 4 million-pound signing from Ferencvaros, has made an immediate impact in pre-season friendlies. "For a player to feel at home so quickly is incredible," Martinez said of the new man's impressive displays. "It shows you his confidence in himself, his quality and the understanding of the players around him. He has looked like a player who had been at Everton for three years." Breaking into Everton's midfield will not be an easy task, however, after last season's impressive performances when the fans were treated to exhilarating creative play after years of dour but efficient battling under David Moyes. Teenager Ross Barkley is at the centre of it and the player the fans want to see more of, particularly after he signed a four-year contract extension. Martinez, who also signed a new contract this year, described the midfielder as a "diamond of English football" and used him sparingly last season. But buoyed by a taste of the World Cup, Barkley is likely to be increasingly on duty. Everton start their season away to promoted Leicester City and then host Chelsea and Arsenal. Last season they won both those testing Goodison Park fixtures, beating Chelsea 1-0 early in the campaign and hammering Arsenal 3-0 in April in one of their best performances for years. A repeat of those wins before September is out will keep the club buzzing, but if the results go the other way it could indicate a long, hard fight ahead.

Hmm, good call Bill

Trouble is, transfer window closes AFTER the start of the season, and last season, the first few games cost us dearly, I was kinda hoping we would have learned from that, and had personnel in place to have a pre-season with the team. before the start of the games in earnest (or even in Leicester!) Though I guess to be fair, last season start, we did not have Barry, Lukaku, McCarthy, Besic, however, neither did we have Arsenal or Chelsea that I can recall

Its not just about numbers, its about having a squad not only big enough, but good enough, to cope while fighting on all fronts so to speak. Also, having players who will stay fit enough, (Kone? Gibson? Alcaraz?). Its all very well saying we can make up numbers with the youngsters, but I would like to see us field teams who are good enough to challenge to win whatever competion we are in, not just have enough numbers to field a team.

People are 'moaning' about the fact that we keep getting conflicting information about signing players, either we are signing seven, or three, or five, or a striker, or a winger, or even a bloody new hotdog seller! just say whats happening, or, if they dont know, or dont want to say, than dont keep giving conflicting information. that is what is winding me up, I love Martinez, best thing thats happened to us for ages, and I am sure he has something planned, I would just rather not keep getting my hopes up of signing X amount of players, if it is not going to happen. Yes, we are aware of what we have had to put up with in the past, which is why we are hoping for something different now.

I am just hoping that I am concerned for nothing and Bobby will pull a Rabbit out the the hat, and all will be good, and i will be happy! However, being an EFC fan, I do not hold out too much hope

Your right Bill, not bad business, for the Club, but as for what we need in the way of not just numbers, but decent players, to cope with the different competions we are in, so far we are in no better position than at the end of last season, and just hoping some of the injured players are back and fit in time.

I must admit, the backtracking does concern me a bit. I hope as Ten say, its all clouding, and not the old EFC bullshit we used to get before

Hmm, and the seven players he said we needed at the end of last season??

I guess a good start, would be to ask on an Aston Villa Forum dude!!

yesterdays instrument??? strange even by your standards!! I actually earn more from playing 'yesterdays instrument' than from my day job! but I guess 'yesterdays instrument' is probably code for 'I really wish I could play this properly'!!

Ok Mike, that a TT band in the offing then!!

Kinda lost any impact now

SSN, Everton will announce signing of Lukaku but delay with paperwork