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This should be a little clearer!

Im probably to late for all this.. but here is my take on the crest... a deviation on the 3rd option. Ive tried to make it modern and progressive looking. Its designed in such a way that it lends itself to embroidery and printing in general.. and the additional colour is to show how it maybe enhanced more than a straight blue.
 
Cheers all

Yes, I expect no.1 to be the winner simply because it's most similar to the previous crest, but 3 is growing on me more and more. New manager, new era, new crest.... it just seems the right time for a new style of crest. It looks especially right in the reverse colours on the home shirt.

Always has been, always will be, which makes it all the sweeter when Everton piss on their chips.

In the post-game press interview, DM just repeated his stupid allegation of the early fixture list being rigged against him: "The start to the season could be a lot better. We did say it could be difficult start. I wasn't convinced when the balls came out of the Premier League bag and I'm still not convinced."
 
Here's what the BBC website has to say about that: "Moyes' repeated suggestion that the fixture list was somehow engineered to give United a tough start is also a difficult one to understand. It seems far-fetched, pointless now the season has started and an open invite for the Football Association to investigate whether he has brought the game into disrepute."
 
Sometimes, in the face of embarrassment, it's best just to admit to a bad day, shut up, and move on.

I agree. Pienaar and especially Osman were underwhelming for the final stages of last season and both looked as though they were running on empty. I always thought that if Barkley was given a chance he could have allowed one of them to be rested and rotated in the closing stages but it never happened and they had to struggle on. I hoped they would start this season on fresh legs but to be honest they don't look much fresher and I'm afraid age is starting to catch up with both of them.

The fear of a player becoming the next Billy Kenny, Bruno Cheyrou, Freddy Adu, Nii Lamptey etc etc seems to make some people who can't really see "proper" quality amongst a load of overhyped one trick pony exponents fear the a player will not make it if you identify how good he actually is.
 
Lets see... Moyes tried to dampen the expectation and ultimately didn't throw any plaudits the lads way. The result of which was a lad who in my opinion was lost and struggled to find the belief he had gained in being the best of his type through the junior ranks. This may work for a player who doesn't rely on sparky "i'm gonna have a go at running the midfield here today" mentality, a player content to do it nice and easy.
 
Barkley ain't that type of player, he is the type of player who needs to realise how good he is - Jags identified this. He needs to be an extrovert, he needs to know that there ain't anyone better on the pitch and you will see a performance then. Gazza suffered with an inferiority complex when he was younger, his name was Ian Bogie...
 
There isn't much to miss when it comes to Barkleys ability, unless you have been brainwashed by Moyes reluctance to field a player with more natural talent than any of his old favourites put together.
 
He ain't gonna be the player he will eventually end up to be overnight, but he will never be that player without making mistakes. Mistakes versus success is fractional at the moment, he has made more successful dribbles this season than messi and ronaldo...
 
Ain't gonna bother trying to justify the lads quality any further - "hype" is the wrong word, that relates to exaggeration.

I think that was a neat and tidy debut for young James today. It can be difficult for a midfielder sometimes to pick up the pace of the match when going on from the bench, but he slotted right in and added some extra composure and looked after the ball well while we were under pressure. Looking forward to seeing more of him alongside Barry and Barkley.

Ooooh Davie you wanted to sign Baines as cover for Evra eh, yeah just like we got Lukaku in as a goalscoring cover for Steven Naismith.
 
Wanting to leave it late? I thought clubs doing that was out of order and you wouldn't do it yourself.
 
Congrats on the 2-0 win over Palace, are you going to fine Young for his ridiculous dive like you did to Phil Neville? or does that all change now that you are a Manc?
 
There you go Marco.

Some quick thoughts on the players.
 
Howard fucked up once, but Barry saved him there. Was commanding on crosses, not just punching them but holding them too. And made a couple of good saves.
The defensive line weren't always on the same page and we rode our luck at times, but all's well that ends well I guess. Especially when we lost the ball in the middle right in front of the centre backs, Jags and Distin didn't always react in unison which meant that a couple of players got in behind when they should have been offside. Coleman made some very good runs forward at the end there, unbelievable engine on him. I'm still frustrated by his tendency to do a couple of stepovers, only to come inside onto his weaker foot and run straight into the space also occupied by Naismith (or Mirallas in other games). Baines was solid and his set pieces were better than they have been too.
 
In the middle of the park, Barry was very good. This is exactly what I expected from him to be honest, slotted straight into the team despite not playing much this season and was just rock solid. Always in the right position to either prevent a pass or put a tackle in or simply to get to a lose ball and get it out to a team mate with a quick touch when the Chelsea players are closing in on him. Very assured performance. Osman was very shaky in the first half, but better in the second. He still almost lost the ball trying to dribble out of his own box in between two Chelsea players, but apart from that he kept the ball better, played some cheeky passes to get it to a team mate over a Chelsea player closing down. Barkley was very good. He can dribble right up the middle, but sometimes he needs to just decide to shoot or pass rather than cutting back again.
 
Mirallas was shaky defensively in the first half and didn't have much of an impact going forward, apart from one time he cut it back to Naismith from the right. Once he moved up top and Chelsea's two centre backs were the sole players they had back and were defending up too the halfway line though he gave them a horrid time. There was also one time where he dribbled inside from the left wing to have a shot with his right, that's really his game and he should be doing that a lot more times per game. Naismith was very good in the first half, actually got to the byline a couple of times and obviously scored the goal, and he declined in the second half. He still did his work defensively but when he then had to launch counter attacks he wasted several good opportunities. Jelavic did well to keep Osman's cross in play for the goal, but he simply cannot keep the ball up. He lost out to Luiz every single time in those situations. And he doesn't really have the pace to stretch the defense either.

Fellaini says he's noticed how much more intense training is at United... erm, he's being trained by exactly the same people he's been trained by for the last 5 years!

As an Accies fan I have followed James McCathy's career closely. The guy is without doubt a star in the making.
When you compare the number of first team appearances against his age he has always been well ahead of players in his age group.
 
At 17 he was the best player at Accies when they won the First Division in 2008, at 18 we was voted Scotalnd's Young Player of the Year after one season in the SPL and moved to Wigan. Now at 22 he has won the FA Cup and won a move to a top Premiership club. Time will tell but if he continues his progression he will be a star at Goodison and as I ahve always said , just wait until he reaches 26-28 age bracket , he just might be something special.
 
He has a superb passing range, he has a bit of pace, he can tackle, he can score goals despite this lacking at Wigan he was Accies joint top scorer in the SPL.
 
More than anything James has a football brain, he has always been able to anticipate and get in the right positions to break up play and drive forward.
 
At Wigan he learnt to release passes earlier and raerely gives the ball away, however he makes mistakes as he is still young , but with the right coaching and the better players Everton have beside him, in years to come you might think £13m is a bargain.

We did superbly in the transfer window.
 
Mucha OUT Joel IN
Neville OUT Alcaraz IN
Anichebe OUT Kone IN
Hitzlsperger OUT Barry IN (Albeit a loan, but he's on a free, and if he plays well, I can easily see him getting a contract)
Fellaini OUT McCarthy IN
Lukaku IN (Loan)
Delofeu IN (Loan)
 
Add the fact that Martinez is actually playing our most promising talent and Stones and Oviedo actually look like getting games, I can't understand any argument to say that we're not on track. Every single player above is an improvement. You could argue Fellaini but honestly, I don't care. He had 5 years here, and now we've got someone younger to build up while selling a player we had already improved for a £10mil profit. That and we're still unbeaten ffs

Having had time to sit back and reflect on the day's deals, I think we came out of this really well. Where did we have need? Midfield, with the departure of Fellaini and limited options for Martinez' style of play, and attack, with talented forwards who are struggling with their confidence right now. Who did we bring in? McCarthy knows the Martinez style of play really well, is a talented young midfielder, and will no doubt do a sterling job. Barry, while not my favourite, at least brings a wealth of high-level and international experience and a style quite compatible with the RM approach. And we have Lukaku, with almost 20 goals last season and a lot to prove. His energy and goal-scoring abilities may just turn around our existing strikers. I can't wait to see Lukaku and Kone pair up-front, for example.
 
Plus, we kept Leighton Baines, who should be rewarded with an improved contract deal. And we made 20m that, potentially, can be spent in a less rushed manner during the January transfer window. Net result for this summer? Seven new faces: Two new strikers with many goals between them last season, one of Barcelona's brightest young talents, one of the most talented young mid-fielders in the English leagues, an experienced England international player, a solid squad defender whom RM trusts, and a huge improvement in second-string goalie to keep Howard on his toes. Of these, four have played the RM system before and a fifth, Deulofeu, is also at home with this style. More than that, by taking an early chance with home-grown youngsters, we can add Barkley and Stones to the list of new faces. At this point, we can safely transition a couple of veteran players out of the first team. And we have genuine competition, and cover for injuries, for every position on the field.
 
How will we start now? There are so many options, but I'm sure RM will quickly move away from his careful Moyes-like start to the season. With a core of 15-16 worthy starters, team selection need not be the same week-in/week-out but can change depending on the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents. With added fluidity, we can switch between 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3, and more - an option that RM really values and will use to great effect.
 
Despite starting the season with three draws, and with Lukaku unable to start against Chelsea, this could become quite an exciting season. I'm really looking forward to it.

Notice a lot of you talking about the Europa league a lot along with the Capital cup. To me the Europa league is the side
issue. Wish to explain myself with a perspective from an unsuccessful then a successful Everton. Bear with me and you,ll see what im
getting at.
 
1. Take Mick Lyons the unluckiest Everton captain ever, one of my earliest Everton heroes, a true stalwart who would run through
walls for the club. Captain at a time when Liverpool were winning absolutely everything and how hard that was for us fans.
 
A, In 1977 we lose the league cup final to Aston Villa after 2 replays.
B. Same year F.A cup semi final, we are drawing 2-2 with Liverpool. Bryan Hamilton scores a perfectly good goal. Infamous ref Clive Thomas
calls it wrongly offside, we are thrashed 3-0 in the replay at Maine Road.
C. 1980 F.A cup semi Final replay Elland Road. We are 1-0 down 10 mins left, Brian Kidd equalises we press forward.
Then in extra time right at the death Frank Lampard breaks our hearts. Total and utter despair, awful to take.
D. No medals in his whole career for a great Evertonian. Ditto, Andy King, Terry Darracott, Ronnie Goodlass, George Wood ( loved him, great keeper, great bloke) In fact my best memory from around 1975-80 and the only consolation was the Andy King screamer that beat that legendary Liverpool
team at Goodison in 1978.
Another great sweat blood for the club type Mark Higgins in the early 80,s ..No medals.
 
Now the success, one of the best days of my life. Sat May 19th 1984 F.A cup final v Watford.. From my point
 
Went to Wembley along with a mate no ticket, went in hope. About 12.15 on the day we bought two £5 terrace tickets for £30 each.
Bear in mind you could have a good night on £5 in those days.
They were Watford end tickets, so we went shouting around the mingling Watford fans for a swap. We exchanged with a father and son
who had Everton end tickets.
Behind the goal where Sharpy scored the first goal, Andy Gray got the 2nd..
seeing Kevin Ratcliffe lift that trophy, hard to describe the elation, the heart bursting pride, the sheer magic of it.
We of course went on to be fantastic, but nothing will ever beat that day. So special, so proud, the sheer joy among our fans that day
was unbeleiveable.
 
You might think ive rambled or think whats my point, but its simple. We now gone 18 years without silverware, we are not of the stature we were,
to us fans Everton are the biggest and best club on earth. But around Europe we are not thought of that way.
 
So the Capital One and the F.A cup are our most realistic chance of doing something, and hope we go full tilt for both.
 
People go on about your 4th place ,and your Europa league all they like, but I want to see an Everton captain (hopefully Jags this Season)
climb those Wembley steps an lift a trophy for Everton football Club.
That's what is remembered, that's what matters. Take hibbo for instance, imagine him getting a medal before his career finishes and what it would mean.
 
When players retire they want to say to their grandkids I won that medal in a cup final for Everton.
 
The Europa league is a bonus or not, but the traditions we love, the if you know your history, everthing we treasure about our clubs heritage
comes from the Everton teams that won trophies.
 
To any younger Evertonian, who has,nt seen it happen in their lifetime, I would say. Keep loving the club, keep you faith good times and bad.
cos believe me Everton winning a trophy is the most fantastic feeling on this earth, and I hope we,ll see it again.
 
Long post but hope you all understand why I had to say it.

I have now heard a England international and the new messi say they chose us due to the manager and his methods. Don't ever think I heard any player doing the same under moyes.... End of chat!

Hi guys, City fan in peace.
 
I hope this is the right place to post this but just wanted to let you know if the Barry deal does go through, which it looks like it will, you've signed one of my favourite ever City players. He's been instrumental in our development over the past few years and I'm gutted he's gone.
 
The majority of non-City and Villa fans in England think he's poor because of the England v Germany game at the 2010 World Cup when Mezut Ozil outpaced him and sealed the win for the Germans. However, the fact Capello insisted on taking Barry to South Africa despite the fact he was only half-fit should tell you everything you need to know.
 
He's never been the fastest player but he makes up for it with intelligence. His positioning and reading of the game are up there with the very best and he's got the stamina, work-rate and strength to ensure he performs exceptionally in the holding midfield role. His passing is good without being spectacular, he'll look to keep possession first and foremost but he always tries to move the ball quickly and give it to the players he knows can cause damage to the opposition. I truly believe he's a fantastic player and whilst his best days are probably behind him he will still be a valuable addition to your side.
 
I'll end with a quote that a Villa fan posted on the City forum I use shortly after we signed him in 2009:
 
When you first see Barry play you may wonder what all the fuss is about, but when he's out of the team, you'll know what all the fuss is about.
 
He's the oil that makes the engine run smoothly and it's worth adding that in the 2011/12 season, the year we won the league, David Silva, amongst others, voted for Gareth Barry as player of the year. I fear he'll be sorely missed and wish him and Everton the best of luck for the rest of the season.

One quality is that he's versatile: he has played as a box-to-box midfielder, as a holding midfielder, on the right wing and even a bit as a centre back last season. Given that we've also signed Barry, I suspect he'll be playing in more of a box-to-box role for Everton. Anyways, that versatility requires tactical intelligence at the very least and he has got that. He's an intelligent player, he'll position himself well, play tactically disciplined, etc.
 
He's a good passer: he's accurate and has got good range. He's also nimble player, who turns easily, and he's got good touch with both feet, so he can receive the ball in tight spaces. He's also got a decent acceleration on him, nothing spectacular, but he'll cover more ground quicker than Osman or Gibson will. I don't know whether you remember the cup game, but it was McCarthy who forced Neville into making that bad pass by making a sprint over the length of Wigan's half and putting pressure on him. He's a clever player winning the ball, he'll put pressure on the opponent's first touch, etc. A weakness would be headed duels though, which can be a problem if he's the sole holding midfield player.
 
By all accounts he's also a player with a very professional attitude (an interview that illustrates that: http://www.ciarano.me/post/36005296438/james-mccarthy-ive-loved-having-to-always-watch-what). His national team manager wants him to be more aggressive though, believe in himself more and let his voice be heard. I don't know how serious of a problem that is, but perhaps that could affect him if the Goodison crowd start to murmur if he doesn't immediately impress as he did cost a lot of money. £13m is a lot of course, but if those extra couple of millions are required to secure the target you really want, I have no problem with that. Especially considering he's also still very young at 22, he could be Barkley's midfield partner for the considerable future. Despite that age, he's already a very experienced player as well, having already played in over 200 professional games (he came into the Hamilton team at age 16).

Hey guys,

Chelsea fan here in peace. Looking forward to playing you guys after the international break.

Just wanted to clear a few things up regarding Lukaku. I've seen quite a few on here thinking that Lukaku is disillusioned with the loan and I can tell you that that is far away from the truth.

Today in an interview he sought to clear things up a bit. Lukaku is a very intelligent guy who knows this deal will help him improve as a player. Here's what he said:


Further from that, someone on a Chelsea forum who's very close to the Lukaku camp has also said that this is exactly what happened:
He did get a phone call from his manager yesterday night to inform him what Chelsea were planning to do (problems with loaning out Ba -> Lukaku was plan B?) He then called his parents (who weren't against this loan). Until this far his first choice was still WBA IF he had to go out on loan.
He called Mourinho (who explained the case and said Everton would be the best choice to practice his running lines and movement. Furthermore Everton plays a lot more on ball possession than WBA + also the pressure on Rom's will also be a lot higher here. All in all good reasons to go out on loan IF you are told it will be difficult to get a lot of game time at Chelsea).
He then called Martinez who told him he was eager to get Rom's on a loan deal. He also convinced Romelu that this deal could be the best option for him.  
He was more than ready to compete with Torres, Ba & Eto'o for that first spot. He's very ambitious and eager to improve every aspect of his game. Mourinho gave him a lot of trust and it seemed to work out well. So yes, Romelu really thought he was going to play for us (Chelsea) this season and Mourinho would make him better every game but the fact that Eto'o came and it didn't worked out to loan out Ba changed all of this. Mourinho told him a loan would probably be a better option since he could play every single game... even as a starter. Something he cannot promise Romelu because of the competition.
 
Mourinho and Romelu are working on a very specific game plan for Lukaku. It's all part of a bigger plan to make Romelu a real top striker. They both agreed yesterday that with close coaching from Jose and assistants himself that it'd be better for Romelu to go out on loan. He could develop this plan at Everton a bit faster than with us.
 
Romelu has big ambitions to play for Chelsea and sees Everton as an ideal step towards that. He'll benefit from developing with you guys, and you'll benefit from having a great striker on your books for a season! Your team is looking very impressive this season, definitely top 6 material, maybe top 4? Martinez has really bought well, and you look stronger than without Fellaini. McCarthy is a great buy, better for Martinez's philosophy than Fellaini ever will be.
 
In my opinion this is your best starting XI at the moment:
 
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Barry McCarthy
Mirallas Barkley Pienaar
Lukaku
 
What a team that is. Obviously you can interchange with the likes of Deulofeu, Kone, Jelavic, Gibson etc. but that looks brilliant. Well done to your club for still continuing to create an even better team!
 
Again looking forward to playing you lot in a few weeks! I'll be popping in here now and then to see how he's progressing according to you guys. Cheers!

Also just think that this means we have 2 strikers at the club who scored almost 30 Premier League goals last season between them. I cant remember the last time we had that!

Guys,
 
I just made a account to keep you informed about the possible transfer From Bruno Martins Indi to everton.
 
A few ago minutes a dutch article posted that the transfer is almost completed for £4 million
 
.
 
http://www.soccernews.nl/news/207309/Everton_en_Feyenoord_dichtbij_akkoord

Hi! I'm a Porto fan. I don't if this rumor it's true, but if... You'll you have an amazing player here.
 
Fernando is like a wall in our miedfield all this years. In his position he's one of the best in Europe, for sure. It will be real tough for us to find a substitute.
 
I remember how easily he dominated Rooney and Ronaldo when we played Man.United last time. You'll get one of the best, you'll see!
 
(sorry for my poor english)

Treat him like a moody ex trying to stop you seeing the kids. On our terms only Bill.