Steve Walsh - no longer our Director of Football

[ForeverEverton]

Walsh should be sacked. I`d get the boot if I failed so spectacularly at my job!

 

[Berenger]

Whilst we were trying to sign Giroud, we were also trying to offload Niasse to Palace.... We were also trying to offload Barkley to Chelsea for a similar fee we were giving Swansea for Sigurdsson....both deals fell through late on deadline day.
All that does show Moshiri isnt just writing a blank cheque, we're still very much balancing our books....so sorry i simply cant believe that signing 4 number 10's didnt have a knockon effect to other positions, and ultimately leave us with an unbalanced squad and team...

But that doesn't stand up at all, does it? Giroud was coming in for £20m, Niasse was going for about £12m. Barkley was going for £35m, Sigurdsson was coming for £45m. Barkley then wasn't sold at all. He then went for £15m in January. Meanwhile Tosun and Walcott came in for a combined £46m.

Your argument that the squad is unbalanced because we spent money on Klaassen, Rooney, Sigurdsson and Sandro is therefore complete nonsense. (There is a marginal and insignificant effect through the size of the wage bill, which is more important than balancing the transfer fees. That's a better line of argument, though still false. As I've explained above, there was room in the squad for e.g. a left-back. The search ultimately failed, but not because of financing problems.)

So the squad is unbalanced because there hasn't been an overarching strategy that determines why we should sign players. Not because of financing constraints. That's why the whole transfer committee have to take the fall for the state of it, particularly Walsh because as DoF that's his main role.

 

[maccavennie]

Anyone with a brain could tell you signing players from. Palace Burnley Swansea released player from Southampton would be a recipe for disaster.
And people wonder why were in this mess?
Why aren’t we signing players like Spurs did raiding Leverkusen or Lyon. Or like Liverpool buying Salah from Roma!

I don't buy into that tbh. The rs have bought from Southampton and nabbed themselves the likes of VVD, Mane, Lallana and they would walk into our side. It is possible to buy qualities players from lower teams, it just seems we've bougt the majority of crap ones unfortunately

 

[Berenger]

I don't buy into that tbh. The rs have bought from Southampton and nabbed themselves the likes of VVD, Mane, Lallana and they would walk into our side. It is possible to buy qualities players from lower teams, it just seems we've bougt the majority of crap ones unfortunately

The bigger issue is at what stage of their career you buy them, as opposed to from whom you buy them.

LFC are a good case in point actually. Rubbish transfer strategy until the last few years really. Now they recruit brilliantly. They buy hungry players on the way up in their careers. They buy the best players from teams below them. They buy them at the right age. And they buy players who fit the style of football they have chosen to play: athletic, high-pressing, counter-attacking, good technique. I dread to think how good they will be when they replace Henderson with Naby Keita!

Compare with us, I'd say only Pickford, Lookman, DCL, and possibly Sigurdsson fit the bill. Tosun too but it's very early. Walcott is a good signing but is an outlier to this strategy. We can't judge EFC signings on the type of football we have chosen to play, because we haven't chosen to play any style!

 

[Eggs]

I don't buy into that tbh. The rs have bought from Southampton and nabbed themselves the likes of VVD, Mane, Lallana and they would walk into our side. It is possible to buy qualities players from lower teams, it just seems we've bougt the majority of crap ones unfortunately

..absolutely. It’s not just about buying good players, it’s about buying the right players that compliment each other and fit a playing strategy. It doesn’t matter where they come from as long as they make us better. I fear we just buy players without any thought of blend or priority requirements. It really is astonishing how poor our transfer policy is and even more astonishing that Walsh is still managing it.

 

[Azza]

I don't buy into that tbh. The rs have bought from Southampton and nabbed themselves the likes of VVD, Mane, Lallana and they would walk into our side. It is possible to buy qualities players from lower teams, it just seems we've bougt the majority of crap ones unfortunately

Hold on mate, you telling me Darron Gibson had better traits than just hitting cyclists?

 

[N.S.N.O.]

He's latest target after

Your argument that the squad is unbalanced because we spent money on Klaassen, Rooney, Sigurdsson and Sandro is therefore complete nonsense .

I'll let our league position and general form throughout the season speak for my argument....if you dont think spending the lukaku money on for 4 number 10's and then failing to buy a striker or left back or strengthen in other areas hasn't left us unbalanced then we'll be arguing all night....

On players going out, you're also forgeting we sold Deulofeu & cleverly, and tried to sell Mccarthy and Mirallas... We haven't spent the big bucks the media want to protray us as having, and the 46m spent in January was panic spending to try fix some of the mess...

 

[maccavennie]

..absolutely. It’s not just about buying good players, it’s about buying the right players that compliment each other and fit a playing strategy. It doesn’t matter where they come from as long as they make us better. I fear we just buy players without any thought of blend or priority requirements. It really is astonishing how poor our transfer policy is and even more astonishing that Walsh is still managing it.

Yep, no blend, no balance, no thought as in "we need a left back and what type of player will complement him in front of him".

There's no partnerships at all. In fact I can think of 2 games where I've seen it

Coleman and Walcott v Leicester
Baines and Vlasic 2nd half ( I think it was Limassol at home )

2 bloody times where it' looked like their was some kind of blend/connection between 2 players.

There's absolutely nothing in that squad, no blend, no stomach for a fight, no leaders/shouters ( apart from Rooney who is probably 3 years past it to be able to actually drag the team forwards like he would like to )

Recruitment has been nothing short of diabolical eggs

 

[Berenger]

He's latest target after


I'll let our league position and general form throughout the season speak for my argument....if you dont think spending the lukaku money on for 4 number 10's and then failing to buy a striker or left back or strengthen in other areas hasn't left us unbalanced then we'll be arguing all night....

On players going out, you're also forgeting we sold Deulofeu & cleverly, and tried to sell Mccarthy and Mirallas... We haven't spent the big bucks the media want to protray us as having, and the 46m spent in January was panic spending to try fix some of the mess...

That's precisely the point mate -- the issues on the pitch are about the strategy, not the finance.

 

[DanEFC92]

BOOOOOO

 

[ToffeeTim]

Who are the 52 muppets who voted in lol

This is why all polls should be public. Ban the secret ballot.

 

[Toffeeslam]

Bigger waste on money than HS2 this clown

 

[kenada_blue]

The bigger issue is at what stage of their career you buy them, as opposed to from whom you buy them.

LFC are a good case in point actually. Rubbish transfer strategy until the last few years really. Now they recruit brilliantly. They buy hungry players on the way up in their careers. They buy the best players from teams below them. They buy them at the right age. And they buy players who fit the style of football they have chosen to play: athletic, high-pressing, counter-attacking, good technique. I dread to think how good they will be when they replace Henderson with Naby Keita!

Compare with us, I'd say only Pickford, Lookman, DCL, and possibly Sigurdsson fit the bill. Tosun too but it's very early. Walcott is a good signing but is an outlier to this strategy. We can't judge EFC signings on the type of football we have chosen to play, because we haven't chosen to play any style!

While I agree, I still don't think the signings we've made make much of an impact to play a certain way, or even build around.

To me the majority are squad players if you really want to get to the top level

 

[Boss_Rarkley]

But that doesn't stand up at all, does it? Giroud was coming in for £20m, Niasse was going for about £12m. Barkley was going for £35m, Sigurdsson was coming for £45m. Barkley then wasn't sold at all. He then went for £15m in January. Meanwhile Tosun and Walcott came in for a combined £46m.

Your argument that the squad is unbalanced because we spent money on Klaassen, Rooney, Sigurdsson and Sandro is therefore complete nonsense. (There is a marginal and insignificant effect through the size of the wage bill, which is more important than balancing the transfer fees. That's a better line of argument, though still false. As I've explained above, there was room in the squad for e.g. a left-back. The search ultimately failed, but not because of financing problems.)

So the squad is unbalanced because there hasn't been an overarching strategy that determines why we should sign players. Not because of financing constraints. That's why the whole transfer committee have to take the fall for the state of it, particularly Walsh because as DoF that's his main role.

Exactly- all summer I said we should have raided Saints for Austin and Bertrand - both would have suited the system Koeman wanted to play like a glove and would have given us pace at LB and a proper hold it up targetman up top (who is also a poacher of a player) instead we signed Martina and stuck with Calvert Lewin.

You also have players like Zaha and Vardy who would have given us alot ot threat out wide/up top but instead we persist with gash like Bolasie and Mirallas and sign Vlasic/Lookman who dont play!

 

[LABlue2]

Williams Bolasie Schneiderlin Klaassen Martina

lollollol

OUT