Good article here, written by GrandOldTeam member, Bluejock;
At the time of writing, there are just under two weeks left in the transfer window.
These thirteen days could be the making of the future of Everton Football Club. Throw caution to the wind, take a gamble and splash some cash and it could very well be the catalyst that drives the club on to break into those top four places. Sit back, try to scrimp and save on every deal, and a repeat of last season could well be on the cards.
Go back 12 months and you’ll find Everton sitting in the top four during the January window. After several years of slow starts, frantic finishes and “what might have beensâ€, we’d finally had a solid start to the season. Optimism was high. Everyone knew how strong we were at finishing campaigns. And then came the transfer window.
Linked with top players from around Europe, excitement was growing. Bring in a twenty goal a season striker and we’ll smash this lads. Easy stuff, we’re on the march etc… Negredo? Yes please. Loves a goal. Fer? He looks boss him. Check out his YouTube video, he’s running the show. Right, let’s go get ‘em. “How much? £8m? Can we pay that over 6 years? Hello?â€
A refusal to pay the sums that bring in the top players saw us finish the transfer window with the £3m signing of a young right back from Barnsley that sponsors a Paint Trophy for lower league clubs. He’s turned out to be sound like, but he didn’t even get a game last season. One for the future we were told.
Post January, results faltered slightly. A promising cup run was halted in its tracks by a handsome young Catalan with excellent choice in footwear and the backpass that killed the playing career of one of the game’s great pointers. We finished alright in hindsight and a 6th place position kept us above the lovable, and after all, isn’t that what plucky little Everton and their knife filled gunfights should be aiming for. That’s our level now. Bollocks Mr. Moyes. Rubbish Mr. Neville.
Back to the present and the dashing young Catalan is now prowling the Goodison touchline on the regular. All that knife to a gunfight talk has vanished. Now when we go to a gunfight, we turn up mob handed and kick the living snot out of the gunslinger with tidy passing, galloping fullbacks, a solid midfield and a big Belgian with a penchant for slotting.
The summer transfer window saw a completely new approach to comings and goings at Goodison. No longer was the family silver traded off cheaply. You want our players? Pay top dollar and you can have them. Well, the ones we don’t want anyway. Loan signings were utilised shrewdly to bring in young, hungry talent and a wise old head in beautiful Copa Mundials who is arguably the signing of the season for me. Many, myself included, were hugely critical of the large fee paid for James McCarthy, but 6 months later, what the hell did we really know anyway?
So here we are. 4th in the table and a point off the Fun. As we speak, rumours swirl about the potential loan signing of a 6ft8 Ivorian striker Lacina Traore. I’ve never seen him play and I’m last at FIFA14 so I won’t try to analyse him but I can imagine the problems he’ll cause defences. That aside, injuries have show how quickly our team can be stripped to the bare bones, so we still need to be bringing in at least another 3 or 4 players to bolster the squad. McGeady arriving from Moscow offers genuine pace and trickery, even if his final ball leaves something to be desired. Lose the earring though Aiden, you’re not auditioning for Westlife lad.
Right then “Chairman Bill†as you so eloquently described yourself. Time to back your man. You told us all about his promises of Champions League football. Give him what he needs to go and achieve it. Learn from the mistakes of 12 months ago and don’t let this great start peter out into another 6th place trophy and lack of European football. If the right player that Roberto wants becomes available, don´t haggle and scrimp. Get the chequebook out and get him, whatever the price. You never know, maybe if we get there, someone might give you that 125 million nicker you’re after.
Forza Evertonia
Don’t be tight Bill, get your hand in your pocket