Sibdane

I've been away on vacation so I couldn't see the game... but I'm glad to see Felli scored after signing that big contract. and Vellios is really showing up with goals. COYB!

COYB!!!!

I'd sell him for 5-6mil... however...

we cant afford to lose any players at present unless we have replacements lined up.

Agree to a tee.

Rodwell is fast becoming one of my favourite players - I want him to be a true EFC icon. If there is any truth in imminent investment/sale of club then our future must be built around Rodwell, Barkley and Fellaini.

Agreed... It will be hard for the board to refuse a $30 mil tag though. Still unsure about Barkley even though he's should flashes of brilliance early... let's hope he keeps going.

I've always thought he should play in the middle, and I'm basing this solely on pace. It's hard to be a stand-out winger without any pace in today's game. DM liked playing him central in the preseason, not sure why he absolutely just does not want to play him there now.

I think he'd be a good buy. Don't see it happening though.

He was shit when the US played Belgium some months back. I took an immediate disliking of the guy as well because of his air (and stupid hair).

To be fair, the US national team is not really a team where you're going to see a lot of impressive play (and I'm American). They're in a transitional period having a new coach and all. Shea is just now being a regular in the line-up.

 

 

Oh that wasn't particularly for you!... it was just in general - backup up fans right to complain.

 

I totally agree that fans should get behind the club and more importantly the team - BUT, it's a two way deal, and often our loyalty to our team gets taken for a ride sometimes - by the football world at large, and even our own clubs. I know many fans will think their club treats their fans 'better' than another club, but I think when they look at the facts realistically, they're all as bad as one another!

 

If allowed to, clubs will (and have) treated their fans like dirt over the years.

Yeah, I just was basically just quoting the bold. Thought I deleted the rest!

 

Damn you for living in a different time zone. If you didn't you could have cleared that up in a second ... .

It really is a shame I live in a different time zone. When I get on here and post, you guys are are probably in bed most of the time. Then when I get on the following morning, the threads have been lit up!

I'm a big fan of him, personally.

In retrospect, I see how what I said could be taken offensively.

As for dissenting fans?

 

Let's look at football clubs:

 

They charge you 30 quid to watch them

They charge you 45 quid for a shirt that costs 3 quid to make

They are owned by businessmen

They operate as a business

They CHOOSE to pay 70-90% of their income on players (rather than reduce ticket prices)

 

Loving your team does NOT mean you have to take it up the ass from a bunch of business men who (often) have no fan interest in the club, take dividends . profits from the club, and sell the club to whoever they please.

 

EVERY fan has a right to question that.

EVERY fan has a right to question the players' commitment

EVERY fan has a right to question what the manager is doing.

EVERY fan has a right to express disgruntlement,

 

Fans are there for a lifetime.

Players come and go, managers come and go, owners come and go.

Never said that you can't express your opinion of the club's performance. Also, never said that anyone in particular on this board is a fair-weather fan and likewise, never stated that you would stop supporting the club if they were relegated. It was a generalization. However, I did jump to conclusions in thinking that someone who dissents automatically flip-flops to another club, so I take blame for being hasty. I do not mean to offend anybody on here -- we are all here for the same reasons.

Look, I live in the USA where everyone bitches and moans about the government and blah, blah, blah. Yeah, we do a lot of shitty things, but I'm not going to go and support France. I complain about it just as much as anyone else and by that same token, I complain when I don't think Everton is performing up to standards. That's basically what I was saying and I hope my analogy provides some clarity. I'll be more clear next time. Sorry, guys.

How much would the postage be (roughly)?

http://www.skysports...7302799,00.html

ahhh.. Come on. I'm not a fan of the whole "get bought out and buy every star player possible" scheme... but we really need this debt taken care of.

...Loving all the ideas... What are the chances of getting some merchandise sent to USA?

"WHY: Is it that people seem to blame the dissenters, and accuse them of "not getting behind the team" and say stuff like" the team will play better if everyone gets behind them and suppirts them". I am of the opinion that iit´s a ´chicken and egg´ scenario. Give us something to shout about!!!!!"

I do not like this question though. He doesn't get why people blame the dissenters??? Fuck them. A true fan supports his/her team through all of the hardships. Nothing gets to me more than "fair-weather" fans. If Everton somehow gets relegated to Blue square in the next few years then I'll still be supporting them (plus, it will make manager mode on FIFA12 a lot more fun).

I'll admit that that I probably don't have the same level of compassion as most Everton fans living in Liverpool with my being in Mississippi. Plus, Americans are usually interested in several sports at once. Really though, I do plan on visiting Goodison one day when I finally finish my graduate schooling over here.

One thing that I can say though is that I'm proud to support a team that is generally not as commercially advertised. I'm the only Everton fan I know where I live and there is something about that that I take a great pride in. I've just always enjoyed Everton's fighting spirit and the fact that they have a reputation for beating the larger clubs on a regular basis. I have to do a lot more research over here as opposed to say, a ManU fan, and that has brought me closer to the team... I hope that makes sense. I guess what I'm saying is I have to be more involved as Everton fan than the fans of a lot of other clubs.

I'm in the minority, but I still think Bily has some potential. I hope I'm proven right! Maybe I'm just blind.

only compilation video I found on him... then again, youtube compilation videos can make anyone look good.

Oh, and I think the transfer would be free for the U-17 players unless they have already signed a pre-contract with the MLS -- not very common though. Like Louis said, Jozy, Adu, and any of the "Generation Adidas" players. An American midfielder named Marc Pelosi just joined Liverpool's academy on what I believe to be a free transfer.

Always the same Tonka, is it possible to get, say an U18 over here and we could stick him in school and say he is over here to study but likes football too? Or will the MLS demand a transfer?

USA don't really bother with players until they are 21/22.. there are exceptions (Freddy Adu debuted at 14, Jozi Altidore debuted in his teens too) they prefer to put players through University first.

 

We do take the occasional American on trial though, we've had Zac MacMath and Josh Lambo over here. Moyes likes American goalkeepers!!

Louis is right. Academies aren't a very widespread strategy used by the States. Usually young players join town clubs (that are usually u-17), and that is the only "academy" they are exposed to. Then again, there are some academies, but not very many. The guys that join up in the clubs here usually have to drive an hour to even get there. Footy over here is growing more popular, however, the US is so spread out, and that makes it difficult for a lot of kids to find access to a legit football coach. Michael Bradley (currently at Chievo in Italy) is an example of an US academy player though. Papa Bradley was also the US coach, so I think he saw the benefit of the academy-style for his son.

I would say that the best thing Moyes could do would be to look at the U-17 US national team. The will say that the prospect of European football is becoming more popular among the younger players. Over here, It's almost unanimous that the PL is where everyone wants to peak in their career.

Nevermind on Shea -- He's training with Arsenal right now. I have a feeling he'll end up getting signed.

Any mental fast right wingers under 21 in the league we should have a look at?

There weren't that many young standouts this year at the right wing position. The only winger I can think of is Brek Shea, but he plays on the left; however, he did play on the right side for a few minutes in some US friendlies and played well bringing in a couple of assists. He also likes to shoot, so I wouldn't be surprised if he cut in and shot on his lefty.

I think the aspect of Donovan's game that everyone is missing is his versatility. He plays everywhere in the attacking midfield and also plays striker for the national team. His strongest position is probably on the right wing though. I think he'll provide a spark because of the freshness he'll have; LA will be done with games about a month before this upcoming transfer window.

I would gladly take Parejo. We don't need depth really at midfield, but this guy looks to be quality.

dare i suggest drop him and put Billy in the centre where he actually looks as though he may be able to contribute something to the cause

Yes, Please!

On the fence, but hey, if we win the next game, Im in the "no" category, and if we lose, I'll still be on the fence. He's been good all the years, so it's hard for me to say he should be sacked. I'll get back to you at the end of the season. Budget or no budget, I think this team still has a lot of talent and should be finishing in the top ten given that we don't have a rough spell of injuries. I don't like the way the tactics have been lately.... but I'm not on the inside so it's hard for me to be a "monday-morning" coach.