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Season Expectations

By Jake Wilson :  01/08/2010 :  Comments (23) :

I think people saying we could mount a serious title challenge are misunderstanding fantasy with reality. I think we could do it in a few seasons with the youth prospects we have coming through but we also need an investor. I think Villa are a good example of what we need.

A chairman who isn?t waving money about and trying to buy every player that has a good game (Man City...). Also a chairman that doesn?t try to get involved with first team affairs and lets the manager do what he's hired to do.

Anyway I think our season expectation is to break that ?top 4? once again. We did it 2004/2005 season and in my opinion we had an average squad back then. I think this is our season to do it again. Providing we keep Arteta and Pienaar and maybe sign a pacey winger, as Donovan looks out of the question now.

We need to stay as injury free as we can, I know that?s obvious but it has happened for a while. Moyes is a superb manager, he will go down as one of our best ever managers. We need to win something this year. I think if we don?t get into Europe again this year or don?t win something Pienaar and Arteta will move on. As we are not in Europe this year we can concentrate more on the league cup, F.A cup and the league, As Tottenham did last year.

I think we are more experienced in cup competitions now as the current squad know how close we got; they will have that extra incentive to go one better. We showed last year that we can go to places like the Emirates and Stamford Bridge and give them a game. We beat Man Utd, Chelsea, and Man City last year. I think they are going to be the top three this year.

I think Moyes just needs to take a gamble at home when we are playing the likes of Wolves, Stoke, Sunderland, and Blackpool etc. Maybe go 4-4-2 as we know have Beckford, Saha, Silva, Vaughan and Anichebe. (I know I left Yakubu out that?s because I think we should cash him in).

We have a team spirit that every club wants, I think this is our year to break the top 4 and maybe win that elusive piece of silverware that has eluded us. We need to stay injury free and stick behind the team as we always have done.

Reader Comments (23)

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Trevor Lynes
1 Posted 01/08/2010 at 22:24:45
I agree with the topic generally and I also think the Yak could be sold to enable DM to have some money...but letting Gosling go for nowt is a big indication of how inept the board are at our club...players are assets and the lad would have fetched a fee so how EFC can tell us that they have no money is being really stupid when they allow catastrophic mistakes at board level.....I DO NOT buy in to the continual excuse of having no money when every club with any ambition is active...We have brought in freebies and released three squad members...in past seasons we have bought Fellaini and Bily for good money and this season we have bought no one.
Donovan is not so expensive as Fellaini and we have offers for the Yak to provide funds....plus of course the Gosling debacle.....we need left back cover and a decent right sided player (Donovan) to make us into a proper challenging side...
colin Noon
2 Posted 01/08/2010 at 22:31:11
Right Ok I am going to have to sprinkle a bit of realism on this topic (sorry guys). Our whole season will impact heavily on whether we can keep Arteta and Piennar, stating the obvious I know but hey. Without them a top 8 finish would be a hell of an achivement, with them and a fully focused squad of players why not top 3?? I do fear that we will loose both of these players tho :( an we simply cannot afford to do that and expect to have a good season. I also predict if Moyes wins a trophy this season it will be his last as he would have achieved what he set out to do.
Chris Butler
3 Posted 02/08/2010 at 09:01:43
I'm sorry Colin but while I agree with you on Pienaar I don't believe Arteta's that vital anymore. We did alright without him largely I believe in many games.
Andrew Ellams
4 Posted 02/08/2010 at 09:12:28
Chris, Arteta is the most important player at the club. He is the only one that can put his foot on the ball and dictate the pace of the game as well being the best passer of the ball we have by far. I believe that Moyes has to play him, Fellaini and Rodwell together on a regular basis this season to make the team both hard to break down and creative.
Gary Creaney
5 Posted 02/08/2010 at 11:57:29
Chris, absolutely not. Only for the returning players last season we would have finished in the bottom half of the league. But when Arteta et al returned we made a push for Europe. It was clear to see the change in our play once he returned.

When you say you "don't believe Arteta's that vital anymore" it really depends on what he's vital for. Is he vital for finishing somewhere between 1st and 5th - absolutely. Is he vital for finishing somewhere between 10th and 17th - probably not.
David Hallwood
6 Posted 02/08/2010 at 12:19:35
This season is the most interesting and hard to call for 15 years. Man U although still a great side, its hardly Backham/Keane/Scholes/Giggs, you can say the same for Arsenal that it's not the Bergkamp/Henry/Vieara Chelsea are still strong and the RS can go either way. Ciy may be brilliant or play like strangers.

This season will be the big if; if we keep our players, if we keep them fit, if we learn how to win ugly again, who knows.
Jake Wilson
7 Posted 02/08/2010 at 13:51:49
I think Arteta is vital to us if we are going to achieve something. if i had to choose out of one of them, it would be arteta hands down.
Ken Buckley
8 Posted 02/08/2010 at 14:52:06
The period between now and September the 1st could well be key to how the whole season may pan out.
Ideally we need our present key players to be fully focused on football rather than possible transfers or wage claims as the latter can have a debilitating effect on the whole squad and the impetus for a good start lost.
With the whole transfer market very quiet I am expecting the last few days of the window to be hectic and my hope is non of our players are involved in the outgoing side of things and being disruptive.
Lets rack up the points early doors and if by the end of November we are indeed mixing it up there in a top 5 or 6 then maybe we will indeed have a very good season. ---- On the other hand!!!
Alan Kirwin
9 Posted 02/08/2010 at 15:45:59
40+ points by the new year and we're on course for the CL. 45+ points and we're in the mix for the title. Simple.

As for Arteta not being that important, can I just say... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

The formation can stay 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 every game, I don;t care as long as we keep the ball, score goals and don't let too many in.
Chris Butler
10 Posted 02/08/2010 at 17:01:29
Late end of 2008-09 season we did more than alright without him.
Chris Butler
11 Posted 02/08/2010 at 17:25:28
It seems like he's leaving though so I'd say that there's no point being too complacent until the end of the transfer window.
Brendan O'Doherty
12 Posted 02/08/2010 at 18:41:18
"I don't believe Arteta's that vital anymore"

What??? Arteta makes the side tick.

"it seems like he's leaving though"

No it doesn't! There is nothing to substantiate that comment.
Chris Butler
13 Posted 02/08/2010 at 21:04:13
Yes Brendan but how can we rely on a player that may not want to play for Everton anymore?. I didn't mean in terms of his ability I meant his mental state. Yes it would be wondeful if he stayed but as yet I've not heard anyone say he definately staying.
Gareth Hughes
14 Posted 02/08/2010 at 22:07:44
I take transfer rumours with as bigger punch of salt as the next person. But, but.......

A local business holder who provides goods to the Everton training ground has been told by one of the inner sanctum at Finch Farm that Jags will be gone if Aresnal reach a pre determined price for him. Moyes does not want him to leave but the Chairman has said that he has to be sold. Jagielka also does not want to leave.

Like I said this is just a rumour albeit from a very reliable person but does it not yet again raise questions about the direction the club is drifting in generally, and the role of the Chairman in all this? This is especially pertinent in light of Kenwright's latest toe-curling rambling and the relevation that Liverpool have SIX offers on the table to buy them, a club haemarroging £60 000 every hour.

Moyes says that he has pleaded with Kenwright to give him money for Donovan but no success. We will spend less than every Premier League club this summer. No one can tell me that Bill Kenwright is a force for good at our club.

David Price
15 Posted 02/08/2010 at 23:21:07
So frustrating to hear those comments around funds. Maybe DM is playing the media and reducing the fee for Landon. Next year, the £10m valuation now, could drop to £6m. Would they take £8m.
Can't see anyone leaving now, so expectations are rightly high.
Player for Player, is there a team significantly better than us?
This squad can maintain a 38 game season with a great chance of 75 pts plus.
Hard to judge on Kenwright, Moyes would not take any messing so he must feel that Bill is doing all he can to run the club well without putting us at risk for severe debt issues.
Chad Schofield
16 Posted 02/08/2010 at 19:36:57
It is the hardest season to call for a long time, and one that I'm very much looking forward to. Unless we do something crazy like cash in all our players in order to build a castle (!) I think a there or there abouts (top 3) is a real possibility.

If we lose 1 player from Yakubu, Pieneaar or even (heaven forbid) Arteta before the end of the window, but have time to strengthen/replace, I would not be too worried. More than one, or very last minute and it's a bit more worrying... Especially if it's Mickey who goes.

Brendan O'Doherty
17 Posted 03/08/2010 at 02:05:30
Gareth

If that is true it is fucking criminal. Is this goods supplier a kopite by any chance?

Chris

"how can we rely on a player that may not want to play for Everton anymore?. I didn't mean in terms of his ability I meant his mental state. Yes it would be wondeful if he stayed but as yet I've not heard anyone say he definately staying."

There is no indication whatsoever that Arteta does not want to play for Everton. The only 'question' is whether or not he will sign an extension to his contract which has 2 years to run. I'm inclined to agree with a post on a recent thread by Jay Harris, who said that he may just wish to see out the rest of his contract with us, and then head back to Spain. Hence his (possible) reluctance to sign an extension.

I am sure that 1) Arteta still wants to play for us, and 2) he will still be an Everton player next season.

There is no indication from him of anything to the contrary.

So I'd refrain from comments like "it seems like he's leaving though" and "I've not heard anyone say he definately staying," and stop worrying yourself.

Then again, if you say "I don't believe Arteta's that vital anymore," you may not be worried at all.

Of course there is always the possibility that Bill might decide he has to go anyway...
Alan Williams
18 Posted 03/08/2010 at 13:09:09
Gareth, I?m sorry that story just isn?t true! EFC have offered big pay cheques to Rodwell, Cahill, Arteta and Peanuts and the Jag?s signed one last year. We do have money it just needs to be spent wisely. We need to offloads Yobo, Yak and possible one forward either Vaughan or Victor (maybe both!). Arsenal doesn?t have enough money to offer us a City type figure so he stay?s for this season. The reason why the shite have offers on the table is they generate treble what we can plus have a global brand that if Managed correctly can give MUFC a run for their money so as a business model they are more worthy than EFC. I don?t like that fact but that is reality we are not a big club and the infrastructure of EFC Ltd doesn?t allow us to generate enough money to attract investment, some fans just need to be realistic when they look at our club. COYB
James Flynn
19 Posted 03/08/2010 at 13:04:33
David (15) - One thing about EFC not having money is that DM doesn't have to play the media. All he has to do is say the flat truth, "We don't have that kind of money".

Clearly, negotiations are ongoing. Garber's nonsense statements notwithstanding. I can only guess, that garber was so stunned by having mainstream media coming at him for comment, he just couldn't help himself and spouted that "Landon . . long-term . . league growth, etc".

He well knows LD has gone out on loan the last 2 years, not just this season past with EFC.

Plus, MLS is run by very smart people. Yeah, the level of play is inferior. The intentional suppression of wages causes that (You get what you pay for, right?). Once they get the stadiums built, then look out.

My point is, they don't need DM to explain how LD's age and lack of big-league experience are the keys at affixing a transfer fee. They well-know this. 10 million pounds is bullshit and they know it.

The thing with Landon is that he's this hybrid. A respected international with almost no major league experience. A player worth more than he's done on the field to justify. Like a mini-Beckham (although he's better than Beckham).

Anyway, Garber's posturing aside, MLS knows they have to adjust the number down as far as LD's worth on the field. Now the endorsement money? There's the sticking point. That gets worked out, the x-fer fee money shouldn't be to high.

All that aside, the season's on us. Going to be very exciting. Hope LD's a part of it. He fits right in and well. With him or not, it still looking good for EFC.
Anthony McNicholas
20 Posted 03/08/2010 at 20:18:44
FACT........mikel, pienaar and jags are still Everton players.

FACT........we have no money(according to moyes !)....whats new.

FACT........the majority of premiership managers wold love a squad with the talent and potential of everton.

The question is......Everton have been simmering for the last few seasons and shown that they can get to the final of competitions and put together fantastic runs in the league so can they do it starting with Blackburn ?

I think they can and I believe that they think they can..........lets see !!!
Brendan O'Doherty
21 Posted 04/08/2010 at 01:42:16
FACT......you sound a bit like a portly former manager of another club not too far away, Anthony.
Ian Macdonald
22 Posted 04/08/2010 at 05:18:21
Jake, so much sense for one so young .With young Blues like you around our future is bright .Well done on your two articles ,I think your Dad has influenced you a great deal on all things Everton .Keep up the good work and I'll see you at Blackburn,maybe you should write a report .
Watch out for the odd grenade though mate thrown your way when writing from the heart.
Again well done .
Ian
Matt Barry
23 Posted 04/08/2010 at 09:17:10
Anthony McNicholas - Nailed On!!
It's been coming for a while now, the form of the second part of last season plus the way we are passing and moving in pre season, I think we are on the verge of a very special season.

Optamism not Pesamism is required. Let's get behind the boys more than ever this season.

If it all goes turbo - we're Everton after all, we very rarely do happy endings. (Please God we change that though!!)

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