Summer Transfer Window

[Romey 1878]

Yes it makes sense and, like I've said, I'm very hopeful that Martinez will still bring the extra bodies in.

 

In regards to Alcaraz and Hibbert though - Alcaraz is a walking injury, it wasn't just last season. So I'm not sure we will be up on last season at CB. And Hibbert is finished. Even if he wasn't he's not adequate cover for Coleman because he's nothing like him and we rely on our full-backs to be like Coleman (and Baines). So if the cover isn't anywhere near the same player we lose a hell of a lot in terms of our play, leaving us unbalanced.

[Matt]

Yes it makes sense and, like I've said, I'm very hopeful that Martinez will still bring the extra bodies in.

 

In regards to Alcaraz and Hibbert though - Alcaraz is a walking injury, it wasn't just last season. So I'm not sure we will be up on last season at CB. And Hibbert is finished. Even if he wasn't he's not adequate cover for Coleman because he's nothing like him and we rely on our full-backs to be like Coleman (and Baines). So if the cover isn't anywhere near the same player we lose a hell of a lot in terms of our play, leaving us unbalanced.

true, but cover rarely is the same kind of player.It also means we have to also review alternate tactics and methods to fit the players available.

[Romey 1878]

true, but cover rarely is the same kind of player.It also means we have to also review alternate tactics and methods to fit the players available.

Then it's not cover, it's a stop gap. That's fine but if Coleman's out for, say, three months and Hibbert is all we have? Fuck. Me. That's frightening.

[thoward18]

 

Not quite. It's the same squad as it was after the transfer window closed last year; we can't compare like for like for another three and a half weeks, and a lot can happen in that time.

 

We were in meltdown last year until the last hour of the window and then we were in clover.

 

Still relaxed here.

 

 

I also think it's a bit unfair to the squad is literally the same because it totally undermines the progress of certain players. Sure, maybe John Stones was on the roster last year, but he's a totally different player now than he was then. A superior one. Same goes for Barkley, Lukaku, and McCarthy. Just because names haven't changed doesn't mean the team isn't improved.

 

And also, I don't think it's fair to compare the entire body of work last season to what's happened right this second. We still have to see what happens at the deadline, and Roberto surely is going to make a move or two in January. You could count McGeady as an acquisition for this summer just as much as you could for last year.

[BlueBlood81]

They will be valid concerns if there are no more additions before 1st September. Until then theyre frustrations, understandable frustrations, and nerves considering the "lack of depth" we have.

 

But consider this. When Martinez talks about bringing kids through, I imagine it will be the League cup, to an even greater extent than last year, which will balance out somewhat the 1st teamers availability for Europe. Depends of course, who we draw and how we progress.

 

Then theres the players coming back from injury and the players who had breakthrough seasons. Stones is likely to be more involved, who wasnt considered much in the 1st half of the season. Neither was Alcaraz since he was always injured as was Hibbert. So we already have twice the backup at CB and another RB going into this season. Garbutt has put in a few decent performances in preseason again and Oviedo (who missed most of the season either injured or playing second fiddle to Baines) now offer genuine backup rather than names on the books. Besic and Gibson (again, injured most of the season) offer genuine backup, competition even, to Barry and McCarthy. Pienaar and Kone also missed a lot or most of last season so same applies. McGeady should be getting better match fitness so we have potential backup on the wings.

 

So between Stones, Alcaraz, Garbutt, Oviedo, Hibbert, Oviedo, Besic, Gibson, McGeady, Kone and Pienaar we have 11 players that we couldnt really turn to during the season (Besic the obvious exception), mostly because of fitness. Thats why we struggled; all the injuries forced us into picking from a vastly reduced squad. All of them are on their way back. It could be argued that thats exactly why we need more people in but theres no guarantee that will help either mind you, see our ill-fated loaned striker from January. We have the depth, we just need better luck with injuries and more youngsters breaking through. Luck we cannot influence, the kids however we can.

 

Im not sure if this makes sense, Ive done my shoulder in and am on horse pills for the pain so might be talking out of my ass (excuse the poor joke) but does it make sense? And, not to repeat myself again, there are 3 weeks to go until the window closes! We have done excellent work this transfer window in getting so many important players and the manager tied down, lets celebrate what we've done rather than worry about what may or may not happen in the near future.

Well said Matt. We will at least get two or three loans in I'm sure & I'm pleased with the business we've done so far.

[Cornish Steve]

How can anyone say the squad is no different from last year?

 

1) Barry is permanent, not a loan. He can play all games in the season and against all other teams.

2) Lukaku is permenent, not a loan. He too can play all games and against all teams.

3) Barkley and Stones have proved they are first-team material (and England internationals)

4) McGeady is available for the entire season, and so is Gibson.

5) Besic is permanent and an exciting new player.

6) Galloway is permanent and gives us a positive transition from older to younger players.

7) All the key players (just waiting for McCarthy) have signed on for several years.

8) All four loan spots remain open.

 

And we've lost no one. And the team has mostly played together now for a full year. And we have the same manager as last season. And we're playing in Europe. And we have at least two youngsters ready for first team play.

 

As we look at the first team, how many players would we honestly prefer to replace? Very very few. We're in an exciting place.

[MC11]

It's near enough the same squad though Steve

[Brett Angel]

How can anyone say the squad is no different from last year?

 

1) Barry is permanent, not a loan. He can play all games in the season and against all other teams.

2) Lukaku is permenent, not a loan. He too can play all games and against all teams.

3) Barkley and Stones have proved they are first-team material (and England internationals)

4) McGeady is available for the entire season, and so is Gibson.

5) Besic is permanent and an exciting new player.

6) Galloway is permanent and gives us a positive transition from older to younger players.

7) All the key players (just waiting for McCarthy) have signed on for several years.

8) All four loan spots remain open.

 

And we've lost no one. And the team has mostly played together now for a full year. And we have the same manager as last season. And we're playing in Europe. And we have at least two youngsters ready for first team play.

 

As we look at the first team, how many players would we honestly prefer to replace? Very very few. We're in an exciting place.

 

 

It's near enough the same squad though Steve

Exactly, kenwrights performed a whopper here to paper over the cracks.

[Bailey]

I think that if Coleman did get injured then we would be more likely to see Stones switch to RB than anything else. He obviously isn't as good as Coleman but you could say the same with 75% of teams in the league. When Garbutt & Oviedo are fully fit I would see much of an issue with swapping Baines over there either. The thought of him cutting inside on his left foot excites me especially as McGeady would keep wide and allow him that space. Defensively we are sorted and we are also pretty strong through the centre of midfield.

 

The weaknesses are in the attacking positions which Martinez has identified. A lot of our back up striker issues depend on Kone because we don't know what is going on with him at the moment. If he is going to be ready in the near future and be back to his Wigan levels then I'm not worried. If there is a bigger issue there then we do need to bring someone in. On the wings we are still short. I can see Pienaar and Osman sharing the left and Mirallas and McGeady sharing the right. I'm not keen on that left hand side at all and Martinez will be looking for a possession based player as opposed to a winger like Atsu, hence my comments on the other thread about Cleverly. Ideally we would want a player that can also play centrally (to also cover Barkley) as thats where Pienaar does a lot of his work anyway. Thinking about it a little more I wonder whether Baines could play that role too? I don't like FB's playing as wingers but he wouldn't be and Baines seems pretty aware of the space around him. Not sure, theoretically it should be ok but I can't picture it working, it might stifle us in the final third.

[StevO]

Matt, you can't count Oviedo twice!!!!

 

Steve, Gibson for the entire season? There is positivity, then there is just plan lunacy!

 

I'm feeling positive, and a little excited what could still happen. Roberto raised the bar last summer.

Still not positive about any of the kids coming through other than Garbutt (Barkley & Stones aside) and left back is probably one of our strongest positions, no one has impressed me yet. Add to it the average team are lucky to get one kid make it through per season, I don't see any others doing it personally. That's the end of my negativity.

[Howardshands]

At least we have lukaku vs Chelsea and Barry vs Man City this time around.

[bassman]

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.

[Btay]

Then it's not cover, it's a stop gap. That's fine but if Coleman's out for, say, three months and Hibbert is all we have? Fuck. Me. That's frightening.

This here is my biggest fear... In a strange way, we got lucky with the injuries we had last year, Kone and Gibson were both easily covered through Lukaku/Jelivic and CM we are strong. This season if we got 2 season long injuries to either Coleman Kev or Rom I can't see our back up to those positions coming anywhere near close to the quality we need

[Paddock]

This here is my biggest fear... In a strange way, we got lucky with the injuries we had last year, Kone and Gibson were both easily covered through Lukaku/Jelivic and CM we are strong. This season if we got 2 season long injuries to either Coleman Kev or Rom I can't see our back up to those positions coming anywhere near close to the quality we need

This is absolutely spot on. We're ok if our key players stay fit but if they don't then we 're fucked it's as simple as that.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

How can anyone say the squad is no different from last year?

 

1) Barry is permanent, not a loan. He can play all games in the season and against all other teams.

2) Lukaku is permenent, not a loan. He too can play all games and against all teams.

3) Barkley and Stones have proved they are first-team material (and England internationals)

4) McGeady is available for the entire season, and so is Gibson.

5) Besic is permanent and an exciting new player.

6) Galloway is permanent and gives us a positive transition from older to younger players.

7) All the key players (just waiting for McCarthy) have signed on for several years.

8) All four loan spots remain open.

 

And we've lost no one. And the team has mostly played together now for a full year. And we have the same manager as last season. And we're playing in Europe. And we have at least two youngsters ready for first team play.

 

As we look at the first team, how many players would we honestly prefer to replace? Very very few. We're in an exciting place.

 

 

Because with the exception of Besic in for Gerry its the same squad we had last year..... simples!!

 

 

1) Barry is permanent, not a loan. He can play all games in the season and against all other teams

 

All that means is the he is available for an extra 2 games

 

2) Lukaku is permenent, not a loan. He too can play all games and against all teams.

 

Same as above

3) Barkley and Stones have proved they are first-team material (and England internationals)

 

Barkley and Stones were established by the end of last season

 

4) McGeady is available for the entire season, and so is Gibson.

 

McGeady was available last season and Gibbo will probably be injured again by the time I have typed this

 

5) Besic is permanent and an exciting new player.

 

That's the one exception but we have also lost Traore and Gerry

 

6) Galloway is permanent and gives us a positive transition from older to younger players.

 

Not in first team squad

 

7) All the key players (just waiting for McCarthy) have signed on for several years.

 

They were all under contract last season

 

8) All four loan spots remain open.

 

Means nothing if we don't use them

[Matt]

Matt, you can't count Oviedo twice!!!!

 

Steve, Gibson for the entire season? There is positivity, then there is just plan lunacy!

 

I'm feeling positive, and a little excited what could still happen. Roberto raised the bar last summer.

Still not positive about any of the kids coming through other than Garbutt (Barkley & Stones aside) and left back is probably one of our strongest positions, no one has impressed me yet. Add to it the average team are lucky to get one kid make it through per season, I don't see any others doing it personally. That's the end of my negativity.

Bugger. I read that 3 times too to check (I had put Besic in twice too). Damn drugs!

[Matt]

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.

Same every year...

[Matt]

 

 

Because with the exception of Besic in for Gerry its the same squad we had last year..... simples!!

 

 

1) Barry is permanent, not a loan. He can play all games in the season and against all other teams

 

All that means is the he is available for an extra 2 games

 

2) Lukaku is permenent, not a loan. He too can play all games and against all teams.

 

Same as above

3) Barkley and Stones have proved they are first-team material (and England internationals)

 

Barkley and Stones were established by the end of last season

 

4) McGeady is available for the entire season, and so is Gibson.

 

McGeady was available last season and Gibbo will probably be injured again by the time I have typed this

 

5) Besic is permanent and an exciting new player.

 

That's the one exception but we have also lost Traore and Gerry

 

6) Galloway is permanent and gives us a positive transition from older to younger players.

 

Not in first team squad

 

7) All the key players (just waiting for McCarthy) have signed on for several years.

 

They were all under contract last season

 

8) All four loan spots remain open.

 

Means nothing if we don't use them

 

Barry was a glaring miss against City in the first game, who knows what may have happened with him solidifying the midfield after going 1 nil up

Lukaku was a glaring miss at Stamford Bridge.

Stones played 1/3 of the season, this season he can play all of it.

 

Dont get why people are including Traore, he shouldnt be counted since he was never there. Gerry is the only one we havent truly replaced (though he didnt play that much anyway, most of the apps were 10-15min cameos). McGeady wasnt really available last season, arriving end of January and seriously missing match fitness. This year, who knows...

 

Galloway may well become part of the 1st team in the League Cup with Stones (Im hoping so at least), whos to say he wont?

 

Its the same squad-ish on paper, but availability is going to be vastly different and thats the point.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

 

Barry was a glaring miss against City in the first game, who knows what may have happened with him solidifying the midfield after going 1 nil up

Lukaku was a glaring miss at Stamford Bridge.

Stones played 1/3 of the season, this season he can play all of it.

 

Dont get why people are including Traore, he shouldnt be counted since he was never there. Gerry is the only one we havent truly replaced (though he didnt play that much anyway, most of the apps were 10-15min cameos). McGeady wasnt really available last season, arriving end of January and seriously missing match fitness. This year, who knows...

 

Galloway may well become part of the 1st team in the League Cup with Stones (Im hoping so at least), whos to say he wont?

 

Its the same squad-ish on paper, but availability is going to be vastly different and thats the point.

 

Your talking about Barry and Lukaku being available for a couple of games that wouldn't really have made too much difference to our season.

 

Admittedly Traore was a complete disaster of a transfer and I still don't understand why we kept him on after he got injured, or even why we signed an injured player in the first place.

 

Gerry made a difference as an impact sub ie Arsenal away

 

Not arsed about the League Cup because we will throw that like we always do, I will be extremely surprised if we make it past the first couple of rounds

 

 

I don't see how availability is going to be any different and that is my point.

 

Don't get me wrong if the window closed tomorrow I would be happy with the business we have done, but the squad is no different from last season barring Besic/Gerry.

 

Therefore if we get a couple of injuries we will again struggle just as we did last season and I cant understand how anyone can think differently

[Matt]

4 games = potential 12 points, which would've gotten us joint 2nd if we had won them all. Although, its all hindsight.

 

But having the heart of our midfield and main striker available for these games in future is a big change.

[Lowensda]

With Dunc, we're not that much different to last year. With rotten luck, we could be without the likes of Rom, Barry, McCarthy, Distin....etc. through injury. It COULD happen and if it did, we'd struggle. No question.

 

In the long run, if we don't do as well as last year, will players like Besic or Rom want to be here without prospects of European football? Possibly. Possibly not. Either way, the squad isn't big (or good enough) to repeat last year, as well as the EL.

[MikeO]

4 games = potential 12 points, which would've gotten us joint 2nd if we had won them all. Although, its all hindsight.

 

But having the heart of our midfield and main striker available for these games in future is a big change.

 

Pedant corner.

 

We beat Chelsea at home without Lukaku so it'd be a potential extra nine points, so we'd have been third .

[Matt]

 

Pedant corner.

 

We beat Chelsea at home without Lukaku so it'd be a potential extra nine points, so we'd have been third .

Fair enough

 

edit: extra pedant, we would've been 3rd either way

Edited August 8, 2014 by Matt

[MC11]

4 games = potential 12 points, which would've gotten us joint 2nd if we had won them all. Although, its all hindsight.

 

But having the heart of our midfield and main striker available for these games in future is a big change.

We beat Chelsea once so it would have only been a 9 point difference. That's with hindsight we'd have won them all!

 

Ok maybe I should have read further...sorry matt

Edited August 8, 2014 by MiguelCotto

[Steve_E]

People are already going overboard with the Besic love.

[Matt]

We beat Chelsea once so it would have only been a 9 point difference. That's with hindsight we'd have won them all!

Bit slow to the point there mate

 

Pedant corner.

 

We beat Chelsea at home without Lukaku so it'd be a potential extra nine points, so we'd have been third .

 

Fair enough

 

edit: extra pedant, we would've been 3rd either way

[BlueBlood81]

With Dunc, we're not that much different to last year. With rotten luck, we could be without the likes of Rom, Barry, McCarthy, Distin....etc. through injury. It COULD happen and if it did, we'd struggle. No question.

 

In the long run, if we don't do as well as last year, will players like Besic or Rom want to be here without prospects of European football? Possibly. Possibly not. Either way, the squad isn't big (or good enough) to repeat last year, as well as the EL.

Boom!

[JoeQuince]

People are already going overboard with the Besic love.

This also seems to go hand-in-hand with a sudden distaste for Pienaar.

[MC11]

With Dunc, we're not that much different to last year. With rotten luck, we could be without the likes of Rom, Barry, McCarthy, Distin....etc. through injury. It COULD happen and if it did, we'd struggle. No question.

 

In the long run, if we don't do as well as last year, will players like Besic or Rom want to be here without prospects of European football? Possibly. Possibly not. Either way, the squad isn't big (or good enough) to repeat last year, as well as the EL.

 

We need to ride our luck with injuries but.... The squad is a lot bigger and has more quality than it did when we had a great run in the EL and finished 5th 07/08.

[MC11]

This also seems to go hand-in-hand with a sudden distaste for Pienaar.

This also seems to go hand-in-hand with a sudden distaste for Pienaar.

I have no idea why anyone would put Mcgeady ahead of Pienaar. Pienaar is a 90 minute player who puts a graft in up and down the pitch. Same can't be said for super sub Mcgeady, I don't rate him yet.

Edited August 8, 2014 by MiguelCotto