What's new

If you were an Everton fan...

hughy

I'm SUPER cereal.
Nov 18, 2007
31,842
56,932
Would you be looking up or down the table?

A few months ago there was talk that they'd be in or around the top 4 throughout the season. They looked like an organised, talented, and willing group of players who had just come off the back of a run of tough fixtures and were ready to force their way up the table. However, the mid-way point of the season is here, and they sit just 5 points off the relegation zone and a presumably unrecoverable 12 points off the top 4.

Is there cause for concern here? After spending £28m on their 'star' striker in the summer, will they have the funds to splash out again in January? Will Martinez be able to cope with his first mini-crisis since being at the club?

I know what a lot of our fans would be saying if we were in their position!
 

jurgen

Busy ****
Jul 5, 2008
6,711
17,169
I did think it was interesting how little was made of Everton massively bottling the top four race last season.. I guess it didn't fit the prevailing narrative in the same way that our club does.. going from easily beating the goons and being in the driving seat with 5 games to go, to not even being able to force the race into the last week and finishing 7 pts behind. Though admittedly the goons went on their usual face-saving end of year run. Spunking £28m on Lukaku but still having to play 37 year old Distin doesn't seem the most overly sensible move. Still every match we play against them reminds us that their fans are complete wankers, so who cares.
 

Kendall

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2007
38,502
11,933
I did think it was interesting how little was made of Everton massively bottling the top four race last season.. I guess it didn't fit the prevailing narrative in the same way that our club does.. going from easily beating the goons and being in the driving seat with 5 games to go, to not even being able to force the race into the last week and finishing 7 pts behind. Though admittedly the goons went on their usual face-saving end of year run. Spunking £28m on Lukaku but still having to play 37 year old Distin doesn't seem the most overly sensible move. Still every match we play against them reminds us that their fans are complete wankers, so who cares.

Why are their fans wankers?

I'm not questioning the fact that they might be, but I've never been to a game against them. Well except this one: http://toffeeweb.com/season/96-97/reports/yorkct_a.htm
 

Reece

Shutterbug
May 27, 2005
2,860
1,779
They're suffering from that classic case of over-playing with players who aren't quite good enough.

28m for Lukaku is looking misspent at this point considering their usual budget constraints and aging defence. Barry has been poor for them this season and they lost their other loan player in Deulofeu, who popped up with some timely goals / assists.

The perils of the loan system. Worked for them last season, working the other way this I feel.
 

Metalhead

But that's a debate for another thread.....
Nov 24, 2013
25,351
38,294
Would you be looking up or down the table?

A few months ago there was talk that they'd be in or around the top 4 throughout the season. They looked like an organised, talented, and willing group of players who had just come off the back of a run of tough fixtures and were ready to force their way up the table. However, the mid-way point of the season is here, and they sit just 5 points off the relegation zone and a presumably unrecoverable 12 points off the top 4.

Is there cause for concern here? After spending £28m on their 'star' striker in the summer, will they have the funds to splash out again in January? Will Martinez be able to cope with his first mini-crisis since being at the club?

I know what a lot of our fans would be saying if we were in their position!
They were potty for paying 28 million for Lukaku. His goal return overall at the clubs that he"s been at is very fair but given that they are not a wealthy club, it was certainly a case of eggs in one basket.
 

Kendall

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2007
38,502
11,933
They were potty for paying 28 million for Lukaku. His goal return overall at the clubs that he"s been at is very fair but given that they are not a wealthy club, it was certainly a case of eggs in one basket.

I don't think they could afford to lose him. He's not playing with any kind of form right now, but how do you predict that? If they hadn't signed Lukaku, they'd have had to have bought someone and potentially still be in the same situation if they couldn't adapt. To me and probably to Everton as well, signing a young, proven striker with bags more potential that has already had a year to adapt to your squad/methods/facilities seemed low risk even for that money.
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
They're in europe and probably happy as a result, they can get CL spot from giving the EL a real go

Whereas they we may suffer from trying to do it in every competition and falling short on every competition

Also they are only 4 points from Liverpool, if they finish above them then its a good season
 

Blake Griffin

Well-Known Member
Oct 3, 2011
14,133
38,225
their squad is getting on a bit too -

howard (35)
jagielka (32)
alcaraz (32)
distin (37)
baines (30)
hibbert (33)
barry (33)
pienaar (32)
osman (33)
eto'o (33)
kone (31)

probably going to have to cash in on barkley at some point and rebuild.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
People were lauding their transfer business over the summer. I always thought they were basically just standing still, by spending all the money on getting Lukaku back. Adding Eto'o and Barry was risky also, they have a pretty old squad that isn't coping with the extra games.
 

stonecolddeanaustin

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2011
1,623
2,598
Why are their fans wankers?

I'm not questioning the fact that they might be, but I've never been to a game against them. Well except this one: http://toffeeweb.com/season/96-97/reports/yorkct_a.htm

I think wankers is a bit harsh but they are seriously annoying. Every little decision that goes against them results in the whole ground booing for about 5 minutes. I guess they've got a bit of a chip on their shoulder and think that everything is set up to be against them. Understandable given the relative success of their local rivals but I do think they need to get over themselves a little.

As for the OP, I'd say there's no reason for them to look either way. Far too good to go down (I know that's been proven to be a stupid thing to say in the past but there's so much shit in the league these days that I doubt that'll happen again in the next few years) and too far off the pace with a lack of squad depth to handle europa league participation to look much further upwards.
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
their squad is getting on a bit too -

howard (35)
jagielka (32)
alcaraz (32)
distin (37)
baines (30)
hibbert (33)
barry (33)
pienaar (32)
osman (33)
eto'o (33)
kone (31)

probably going to have to cash in on barkley at some point and rebuild.

That's a good point. Not very well thought out by them. They do have a good youth system though but that's no use unless you can drip feed them in. They need a whole load of players in their mid 20s. Buying them will be an expensive process.
 

nidge

Sand gets everywhere!!!!!
Staff
Jul 27, 2004
24,858
11,358
I have always had my doubts about Martinez. His time at Wigan he took a team that finished 12th in the league and then failed to finish higher than 15th (and it was always a late run of form that saved them from being relegated before then) until he got them relegated in his last season yet he was given a free pass because apparently he's a nice guy and won the FA cup. He could never organise an defense and just relied last season on the defense that Moyes basically setup and now they are getting old and inconsistent doesn't seem to know how to get them back to defending properly.

They have conceded 31 goals so far this season only 8 goals less than in the whole of last season.
 

Metalhead

But that's a debate for another thread.....
Nov 24, 2013
25,351
38,294
I don't think they could afford to lose him. He's not playing with any kind of form right now, but how do you predict that? If they hadn't signed Lukaku, they'd have had to have bought someone and potentially still be in the same situation if they couldn't adapt. To me and probably to Everton as well, signing a young, proven striker with bags more potential that has already had a year to adapt to your squad/methods/facilities seemed low risk even for that money.
I suppose it just seems amazing that they've been so short of transfer funds for years and then all of a sudden they went and spent so much on one player. I know that Soldado cost a tonne of money for very little return so it sounds like mild hypocrisy but we did have a lot more in the way of funds available even if the way that they were spent was questionable.
 

Spurger King

can't smile without glue
Jul 22, 2008
43,881
95,147
I suppose it just seems amazing that they've been so short of transfer funds for years and then all of a sudden they went and spent so much on one player. I know that Soldado cost a tonne of money for very little return so it sounds like mild hypocrisy but we did have a lot more in the way of funds available even if the way that they were spent was questionable.

Didn't all the Prem clubs get a massive windfall of TV rights cash?
 

allatsea

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,865
16,053
I suppose it just seems amazing that they've been so short of transfer funds for years and then all of a sudden they went and spent so much on one player. I know that Soldado cost a tonne of money for very little return so it sounds like mild hypocrisy but we did have a lot more in the way of funds available even if the way that they were spent was questionable.

They were spending the last of the Felliani money they got from Manchester United.
 
Top