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What the hell is going on with some Blues?!

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davek said:
Dont think many people would see it your way, tbf.

He was constantly hounding him in the media talking about how he wasn't a prospect anymore.

He was preparing the ground for removing him from the squad - and all talk of bumper wage offers are speculative.
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Difficult to still be a prospect at 23,good old Snr Martinez would just have carried on telling him how phenomenal he was as he continued to believe he was still 19.
 
Khalekan said:
Nor "a couple of conversations on Twitter" :blush:

It is like basing one's opinions an letters from "Fuming in Fazackerley" in the Pink Echo half a lifetime ago :(
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aaahhh The Pink, fond memories of my grandad reading it when he missed a game and then telling me all about Alex Young and how he was so proud to have watched Dixie Dean. Lol Fuming in Fazackerley.
 
davek said:
We scraped a win from a Slovak team of no repute. Of course the team are still getting up to speed, but we have played 3 friendlies - two against better teams than Ruzomberok.

More concerning than that though is that having spent so much we can still see that the most important areas of the pitch are still exposed. A FW of repute and a CB to take over from the chronic Williams being the two obvious ones.

There's a lot to do and we look ropey and threadbare (apart from CM) even after spending a lot of cash.
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I agree with Williams, for me he's been a bit of a disappointment and could have easily cost us a penalty, but if we get the players that Koeman is after we will be in a decent position.....
 
BrendanGOT said:
What do you mean by Everton failing to provide a plan B mate?

I think with a pacey and strong forward, which Koeman has hinted at getting, we will do fine in that respect, added to the squad with Mirallas, Lookman, Lennon and Bolasie (when he's back) they will all provide high levels of pace and Sandro, Klaassen, Coleman (when back), Holgate, Martina (from what I've seen), Davies, Dowell and Gueye aren't exactly sloths, not as fast as the first 4 I named but they all have a good burst and certainly aren't slow. There are more tactical ways to play the game than just relying on majority of your players having pace to burn. Most wingers in the league have pace in abundance and beat their man often but have no end product so it's all in vain.

Regarding Koemans ability to build an attacking unit, I have to disagree with you. Ok he's not setting the world a light with frequent 4 goal victories but he's had 3 seasons in the league with average teams bar the odd few players and in 114 league games his teams have scored 175 goals which is an average of around 1.5 goals per game if my maths is correct. Martinez' 3 seasons in the league with us yielded less goals, falling in at 168 gls in 114 league games and we actually scored 1 more goal last season (62 GF) than the we did the season we finished 5th (61 GF) with Martinez, yet you frequently sing his praises but not Koemans who's better defensively as well as offensively. Remember leagues have been won with a good defence and 1 nil victories.
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Plan B: I dont think we've had that for a long time. Not under RM and not under RK. We haven't provided an aerial threat since Fellaini departed. Of course, you have to be careful and not encourage a style of football we all hope we've got rid of. The hoofball years under Smith and especially Moyes were shameful so we need to make sure it's an option not our signature style of play. Choosing the right FW who can give that option but isn't defied by it will be crucial.

Attacking unit: I see RKs time here as one in which we wasted cash on players like Bolassie, DCL and probably Lookman and retained a Mirallas who is clearly over the top in terms of his career. And he pretty much left Lukaku isolated for most of last season as he didn't commit numbers to attacks in sufficient numbers...then he had the nerve to complain about the absence of goals from the rest of the team! Now, this summer, he's bought (and will buy) a lot of creative players who will be tasked with getting up to the opposition box to rectify that over-reliance (though Rooney and Klaassen and - if he arrives - Sigurdsson lack for pace to play on the counter)...and we have no attacker yet to go with them.
 

DanEFC92 said:
You're choosing to believe that he wasn't, despite the reports and the manager saying so, just so it fits your own anti-Koeman, poor wee Ross narrative.
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You choose to believe he did get a bumper offer. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But the mood music all along has been one that shuffles Barkley out so I dont think the offer would have been the issue, tbh.
 
peteblue said:
I agree with Williams, for me he's been a bit of a disappointment and could have easily cost us a penalty, but if we get the players that Koeman is after we will be in a decent position.....
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I'll be interested to see what FW he takes in. I have a feeling it wont be any already mentioned and it wont be for a lot of money.
 
davek said:
Plan B: I dont think we've had that for a long time. Not under RM and not under RK. We haven't provided an aerial threat since Fellaini departed. Of course, you have to be careful and not encourage a style of football we all hope we've got rid of. The hoofball years under Smith and especially Moyes were shameful so we need to make sure it's an option not our signature style of play. Choosing the right FW who can give that option but isn't defied by it will be crucial.

Attacking unit: I see RKs time here as one in which we wasted cash on players like Bolassie, DCL and probably Lookman and retained a Mirallas who is clearly over the top in terms of his career. And he pretty much left Lukaku isolated for most of last season as he didn't commit numbers to attacks in sufficient numbers...then he had the nerve to complain about the absence of goals from the rest of the team! Now, this summer, he's bought (and will buy) a lot of creative players who will be tasked with getting up to the opposition box to rectify that over-reliance (though Rooney and Klaassen and - if he arrives - Sigurdsson lack for pace to play on the counter)...and we have no attacker yet to go with them.
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So would you be happy with this team if we got a solid left CB, Siggy and a big 15+ gl target man? All of which Koeman has alluded to wanting to get.
 
BrendanGOT said:
So would you be happy with this team if we got a solid left CB, Siggy and a big 15+ gl target man? All of which Koeman has alluded to wanting to get.
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Nope. We need to spend out on a 20+ goal scorer and that means saving our cash from the Sigurdsson pisstake. Use that cash plus what we get for Barkley to bring in a top striker, a LB who can actually beat opponents and get effective crosses in, and a CB who can carry the ball out to go alongside Keane.

That'd be our best bet.
 
davek said:
We scraped a win from a Slovak team of no repute. Of course the team are still getting up to speed, but we have played 3 friendlies - two against better teams than Ruzomberok.
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Whilst I agree we should have performed better against them, I can't be as scathing as you.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, We are 3 weeks off the seasons start and have a load of players yet to gel.

Yes we have beaten better teams in friendlies, but there was a "magic of the FA cup" (Europa equivalent) about this match.

Most of their players were playing in the arguably the biggest match in their careers in front of the biggest crowd they'll ever play in font of. That was their cup final.

Yes, it makes things a little hairier for the away fixture, but it doesn't mean much more than that.

Do agree about the need for another CF and CB though.
Someone with a bit of pace would help as well ;)
 

te·nac·i·ty
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    • the quality or fact of being very determined; determination.
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davek said:
Nope. We need to spend out on a 20+ goal scorer and that means saving our cash from the Sigurdsson pisstake. Use that cash plus what we get for Barkley to bring in a top striker, a LB who can actually beat opponents and get effective crosses in, and a CB who can carry the ball out to go alongside Keane.

That'd be our best bet.
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But who creates then?

Oh yeah, thats right, you want Ryan Bertrand, 9 assists in 3 seasons, BOSS HIM lar.
 
davek said:
Nope. We need to spend out on a 20+ goal scorer and that means saving our cash from the Sigurdsson pisstake. Use that cash plus what we get for Barkley to bring in a top striker, a LB who can actually beat opponents and get effective crosses in, and a CB who can carry the ball out to go alongside Keane.

That'd be our best bet.
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I'd love a 20 league gl CF but who that good would come to us at present and even if we could convince the player what team would sell such an asset? Agree with the rest, Baines should be used in rotation for the next two seasons and Keane definitely needs a younger ball playing partner. Sigurdsson is a good player imo and would bring a lot to the team but I do think he's been overvalued by 10 to 15m at least but such is the market, look at some of the other mental prices!
 
davek said:
Nope. We need to spend out on a 20+ goal scorer and that means saving our cash from the Sigurdsson pisstake. Use that cash plus what we get for Barkley to bring in a top striker, a LB who can actually beat opponents and get effective crosses in, and a CB who can carry the ball out to go alongside Keane.

That'd be our best bet.
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Baines was excellent on thursday....as he has been pre season.
Doesnt need replacing but an able deputy for him...yes sure.
 

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