Everton going for top 4

[Dennism]

Really hope Everton get their act together. Not really a fan of them... But it's juz become of the sheer number of Liverpool fans I know and is in my country, I would love nothing less then to see them above Liverpool.

Think they need a good leader. On and off the field. Rooney really isn't good enough.

Trouble is Liverpool and Everton actually quite like each other. Fellow scousers. It is Manchester and particularly United they really hate.

 

[tiger666]

Trouble is Liverpool and Everton actually quite like each other. Fellow scousers. It is Manchester and particularly United they really hate.

In the same way fellow Londoners Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea like each other?

 

[spursfan77]

Of course there was, but would a £45mil striker have moved to Everton though? It's very much a catch 22 for the second tier Premier league sides. They have the money to buy top class players but the top class players want to play for top class teams already in the CL. You then have 3 choices. You either end up taking chances on unknown talents who may not make the step up to the PL, massively overpay for players who are on the wrong side of their peak, or try Prem proven players who have done well but will likely never make the step up to the level they are aiming to get to. Fact is though you are right in the fact they needed to buy a striker(any decent striker would have been better than no one) as a first priority, which they failed to do, and it's definitely costing them now.

Sounds a bit like us in a way. Although another season (next year) in the champions league and the new stadium will definitely help. Obviously we are a bigger draw than those teams but a player with that price tag also wants those annoying wages

 

[talkshowhost86]

I reckon £45m would have easily got you Dembele from Celtic.

Considerably less than £45m got us Llorente. They should have been all over that deal.

 

[Shadydan]

Considerably less than £45m got us Llorente. They should have been all over that deal.

Not sure that would have helped a lot when they seriously lack pace.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Not sure that would have helped a lot when they seriously lack pace.

Maybe, although at least then they'd have had someone for their 23 number 10s to aim for.

 

[mpickard2087]

Do Everton lack pace though? They've got Lookman, Mirallas, Calvert-Lewin, Bolasie and Lennon if they are ever fit, plus the likes of Davies and Barkley (again, when fit) who are direct, high energy players who get about the pitch. Ok not all of them are available, but that's quite a few options.

It's more about who Koeman is selecting, what he is coaching them, and buying players of dubious quality at even more dubious price-tags.

 

[Shadydan]

Do Everton lack pace though? They've got Lookman, Mirallas, Calvert-Lewin, Bolasie and Lennon if they are ever fit, plus the likes of Davies and Barkley (again, when fit) who are direct, high energy players who get about the pitch. Ok not all of them are available, but that's quite a few options.

It's more about who Koeman is selecting, what he is coaching them, and buying players of dubious quality at even more dubious price-tags.

I think they definitely need a player who can stretch a defence and run in behind, they have a load of no 10's with no outlet to pass the ball to.

 

[mpickard2087]

I think they definitely need a player who can stretch a defence and run in behind, they have a load of no 10's with no outlet to pass the ball to.

RB CB CB LB
IG/MS
Davies Klaassen
Calvert-Lewin Rooney Lookman
​

That would be a team with a lot of 'legs', Rooney might drop deeper but the other four get forward and can stretch the game.

The options are there for me on pace, it's other areas where I would be concerned if I was an Everton fan... The defence, the lack of spark in central midfield, lack of a centre forward, Koeman's coaching etc.

​

 

[nailsy]

Of course there was, but would a £45mil striker have moved to Everton though? It's very much a catch 22 for the second tier Premier league sides. They have the money to buy top class players but the top class players want to play for top class teams already in the CL. You then have 3 choices. You either end up taking chances on unknown talents who may not make the step up to the PL, massively overpay for players who are on the wrong side of their peak, or try Prem proven players who have done well but will likely never make the step up to the level they are aiming to get to. Fact is though you are right in the fact they needed to buy a striker(any decent striker would have been better than no one) as a first priority, which they failed to do, and it's definitely costing them now.

I got the impression that they didn't want to spend loads of money on a striker when they have a couple of good young players coming through. If that's the case it makes sense to go for older players like Rooney and Giroud who wouldn't cost a fortune and would be less likely to complain when they are rotated or subbed to give the youngsters a chance.

 

[Trix]

I got the impression that they didn't want to spend loads of money on a striker when they have a couple of good young players coming through. If that's the case it makes sense to go for older players like Rooney and Giroud who wouldn't cost a fortune and would be less likely to complain when they are rotated or subbed to give the youngsters a chance.

They didn't get Giroud so why didn't they have another option? For a club looking to break into the CL places(like they claimed) to start the season with the forward options they have was crazy. Not one forward with a semblance of goal scoring form in a top league in the last 2 years..

 

[nailsy]

They didn't get Giroud so why didn't they have another option? For a club looking to break into the CL places(like they claimed) to start the season with the forward options they have was crazy. Not one forward with a semblance of goal scoring form in a top league in the last 2 years..

They brought in Ramirez who scored 14 in 30 games in La Liga last season, but it seems like he's either been injured, hasn't adapted yet, or isn't being used correctly. They've actually got a lot more options up front than most other teams in the Premier League. Ramirez, Rooney, Lookman, Clavert-Lewin, Niasse & Vlasic. I'd probably class most of them as back-up options for most teams though.

I was listening to one of the football podcasts last week and someone mentioned that Southampton bit Evertons' hand-off when they came in for Koeman. They really weren't that impressed with him despite his decent record for them.

 

[mattie g]

I reckon £45m would have easily got you Dembele from Celtic.

But just because a price would be acceptable to the selling club doesn't mean the player has to move.

Of course this is overlooking the injury problems that Dembele has been having. It's more a statement about transfers in general.

 

[SUIYHA]

They remind me of us in 2008. They had a big summer bringing in a lot of players, but are now struggling for goals after selling their main striker from last year (Berbatov/Keane). Out of the players brought in, some are foreigners who have been slow to adapt to English football (Modric/Pavlyuchenko/Gomes), and there's a high profile record signing from a smaller English team who other than a goal from the half-way line hasn't discovered his best form (Bentley). They have a number of obviously talented youngsters within the squad but they are still raw and not yet ready or displaying the correct attitude to be starting games for a big team yet (Bale, Huddlestone, Dos Santos, Taraabt).

Will sacking Koeman and bringing in a "Redknapp" turn things around? Quite possibly. I'm surprised to see him struggling so badly, it was considered a bit of a coup by many when they got him as it looked at one point he'd have been a genuine candidate for Arsenal or Chelsea. I don't claim to follow the inner workings of what goes on there as closely as I do with Spurs, but unless he's badly lost the dressing room in the way that Ramos did here, they should stick with him until the end of the season at least - too many teams give managers huge amounts of money to re-build the squad and then sack them in its development phases and leave somebody else to try and pick up the pieces and inevitably demand more investment the next window.

 

[Armstrong_11]

I think Koeman is in trouble....
I wonder if they will let him go and let the assistant take over against Arsenal.

Keane had a horrible game tonight.

 

[Trix]

Ronnie has to go now surely?

 

[mark87]

Really need to change the thread title.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Very reminiscent of our Ramos stint minus the cup win.

Koeman can’t be long for that job now.

If they lose the relegation six pointer against Arsenal at the weekend it’ll surely all be done.

 

[thinktank]

The squad is dogshit.

 

[Mr Pink]

Llorente would of been a perfect focal point for their attack. Experience in the Prem and would of slotted in immediately, particularly with the understanding he had with sigurdsson.

Missed a real trick.