Going into next season...

[sperlz]

If everything stays as it is then I believe we will be going into next season stronger than we went into last season.

Progressions....

Beckford has a season of premier league football under his belt, he has improved as a player

Rodwell has an extra seasons experience and goes into next season with a point to prove

Coleman has developed

Barkley and Gueye look like two very high quality youngsters who will inevitably add to what we have

The team has another year between them of gelling and learning more about how to compliment each other on the pitch

Morale was high at the end of last season and we will take that into the new season

Irvine has returned to the club

Declines....

Neville has got a year older and may have lost a year or two of pace

Cahill isn't getting any younger

Saha isnt getting any younger

Some players may be getting a bit concerned with the lack of ambition shown by the board

Pienaar is no longer at the club and hasn't been replaced


Generally I think we are in a slightly stronger position this season than we were at the start of last. Although I am disappointed that we havnt added to the squad I believe that we have a squad capable of challenging for top four and have every reason to be optimistic.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

last season we had optimism, this year we have dread.

so yeah, we'll probably have a better year.

 

[Jenko]

I'd say slightly weaker, losing Pienaar was a massive loss and Bily hasn't improved like I hoped he would. Hopefully Gueye can be a big part of the Squad this year. We seem to have a few injuries coming into the season too.

However, we've a lot of youngsters who look quality like Coleman who've improved no end so hopefully if that continues we'll be stronger.

 

[chaser]

It is only football; I don't mean that dismissively, but it can be really straightforward sometimes. Yes, even at Everton.

If the players go out, play well and have a good start, then we will all be in good spirits again. If we have a poor start and/or a poor season, I worry about the turn the atmosphere will take.

 

[RFUS]

I'd have to say weaker, because we lost Pienaar and didn't replace him.

But a lot of players have come on since and are still improving, so that's a plus.

And the window isn't over yet. There's plenty of time for us to sign someone. Or more likely watch everyone else sign someone.

 

[Gwladys Nights]

Has the squad been strengthened enough by the progress made by players like Coleman, Rodwell, Gueye, Barkley and Vellios to compensate for losing Pienaar and seeing Yakubu become persona non grata?

Not sure myself.

 

[chicoazul]

Decent point that. We've got virtually the same squad as we did last year but with Pienaar missing but the young lads one year on in their development. We were wildly optimistic last year but not so this year, obviously a lack of signings doesn't help.

We could potentially do better if:

* Fellaini stays fit and performs consistently like he can.

* We find a partner in midfield for Fellaini who provides the right balance, this could see us shift to 4-4-2

* Arteta finds form again and influences matches like he used to.

* Saha stays fit and on form, it will really would be his swansong but he's capable of it.

* Barkley or one or two of the other young lads push on and improve the squad quality.

* We swerve any big injuries to key players.

* We get off to a good start and breed confidence throughout the squad.


A lot of big ifs like but we can live in hope.

 

[when i score we riot]

Yakubu will be getting a new chance this season, that much is clear. Which is, i guess, a strengthening.

In terms of economy though, we're weaker. Coleman's breakthrough has jacked up the price of any potential transfer. Jags and Baines' efforts for the national side, as well as good seasons and attracted attention have also upped their worth, and thus our chance of improving on our position. However, Rodwell, Felli, Tets, Cahill, Saha, Yak, Yobo, Distin, Billy and Heitinga have all gone downhill in terms of what they're worth to other clubs, potentially, due to age and contract situations as well as their own behaviour and transfer market/on-the-pitch disappointments.

Our youth has been excellent. It's starting to press on for Baxter and Rodwell. Those two will HAVE to prove themselves or risk becoming a young has-been, like Anichebe. Who had the same "deadline" some two years ago, yeah? Though names like Hope, Barkley, Lundstram, Duffy, Mustafi, Forshaw and McAleny, in addition to Gueye, Vellios and Silva, are pretty much our only source of optimism so far in this godforsaken summer. If only one of them makes it, and i mean -really- makes it, better than Coleman last year, like, i would be thoroughly made up.

Preseason so far has been good. Injuries are more or less held at bay, our only real long-term absentees being Felli and Tets, on arguably smaller-scale injuries than what they had to recover from last time around. I think the team should be in a similar state of mind as the fans really, thinking "this isn't good enough", like.

So, we might be weaker - but the fact that we think we are weaker, will make us stronger. That is classic Everton philosophy, that.

 

[marcus]

Weaker.....................At the moment as no new signings to boost morale and freshen things up, We are still lightweight up front and need to score first in our games to win. I know the expectancy was higher last year but I felt we really did stand a chance of top 4, this year however the teams above us have all got a lot stronger where we have stayed the same, middle of the table for me 10th.

 

[Ct jr.]

So, we might be weaker - but the fact that we think we are weaker, will make us stronger. That is classic Everton philosophy, that.

That brings up an interesting paradox though. If we are stronger because we think we are weaker. The fact that we think we are weaker will lead us to realize we are going to be stronger. However now that we think we're going to be stronger, it will make us weaker. And this goes on forever. I don't really see how the club can play football at all with this philosophy. We won't be weaker or stronger because we'll be too busy going round in logic circles trying to figure it out. We'll probably abstain from this season.

 

[TyphooToffee]

Decent point that. We've got virtually the same squad as we did last year but with Pienaar missing but the young lads one year on in their development. We were wildly optimistic last year but not so this year, obviously a lack of signings doesn't help.

We could potentially do better if:

* Fellaini stays fit and performs consistently like he can.

* We find a partner in midfield for Fellaini who provides the right balance, this could see us shift to 4-4-2

* Arteta finds form again and influences matches like he used to.

* Saha stays fit and on form, it will really would be his swansong but he's capable of it.

* Barkley or one or two of the other young lads push on and improve the squad quality.

* We swerve any big injuries to key players.

* We get off to a good start and breed confidence throughout the squad.


A lot of big ifs like but we can live in hope.

Spurs away Chico, what better start could we want? Shame though because I wanted to go to that game this season and we're off to Madeira that morning. Guess I'll just have to watch it from there instead. Dang! b)

 

[when i score we riot]

That brings up an interesting paradox though. If we are stronger because we think we are weaker. The fact that we think we are weaker will lead us to realize we are going to be stronger. However now that we think we're going to be stronger, it will make us weaker. And this goes on forever. I don't really see how the club can play football at all with this philosophy. We won't be weaker or stronger because we'll be too busy going round in logic circles trying to figure it out. We'll probably abstain from this season.

Nice, but really though, paradoxes are reliant on their source material if you will. And it's more a turn of phrase than an objective truth, that. But just look at how we've performed recently, how crappy and unmotivated and arrogant we looked in the start of the season, playing crap teams without having the guts to score. Then, along comes someone we hate higher up in the table than us, and we play like world champions. We've heard it all before, yeah? That Everton plays best with their backs to the wall,etc.

This year's big challenge is end of september/all of october. We have city, shoite, chelsea, fulham and united in that time, before breaking out into smooth sailing till christmas, all silly newly promoted teams left after that, like.

I just hope we can perform against the crap teams.

 

[chicoazul]

Spurs away Chico, what better start could we want? Shame though because I wanted to go to that game this season and we're off to Madeira that morning. Guess I'll just have to watch it from there instead. Dang! b)

Dang! Enjoy it lid, boss walking there.

 

[steele]

Progression:
Cahill, Fellaini and Saha will be injury free and play 30+ games.
Yak is still an Everton player and should be on to count on.

If everything stays as it is then I believe we will be going into next season stronger than we went into last season.

Progressions....

Beckford has a season of premier league football under his belt, he has improved as a player

Rodwell has an extra seasons experience and goes into next season with a point to prove

Coleman has developed

Barkley and Gueye look like two very high quality youngsters who will inevitably add to what we have

The team has another year between them of gelling and learning more about how to compliment each other on the pitch

Morale was high at the end of last season and we will take that into the new season

Irvine has returned to the club

Declines....

Neville has got a year older and may have lost a year or two of pace

Cahill isn't getting any younger

Saha isnt getting any younger

Some players may be getting a bit concerned with the lack of ambition shown by the board

Pienaar is no longer at the club and hasn't been replaced


Generally I think we are in a slightly stronger position this season than we were at the start of last. Although I am disappointed that we havnt added to the squad I believe that we have a squad capable of challenging for top four and have every reason to be optimistic.

 

[davek]

Weaker/stronger...it's all relative to what other clubs do.