Fellaini 'surprised' by newspaper revelations

Revisionism – don't ya love it.

That is asuming that there is a Champions League club out there who want him and are willing to pay Everton's asking price. Seems funny that we didn't hear of any interest from any of these clubs in the last few weeks when the transfer window was open...

It was a press conference, apparently, and he hasn't actually denied anything — just feigned 'surprise' that the spin put on it was that he could be on his way "very soon and perhaps next January".

I think his 'clarification' goes on to confirm exactly what was originally reported — that he intends this season to be his last with Everton. "I am ready to play all the season and to reach our goals of this season" — no mention of next season / fulfilling his 4-year contract.

Everything is relative and believing some crap report in the media and making it become gospel is a massive leap. What next, Everton to win the league? Some perspective in these quiet times may help in such cases. You know we only aim for 6th or 7th!!!!!!

All if's and but's really isn't it MK.

"I was very surprised to read in some newspapers that I will leave Everton very soon and perhaps next January," the midfielder on his Facebook page."Let me remind you that I am very happy in Liverpool and our start of the championship was good.

That is what Felli is stating. He is happy where he is. I reckon he has enough sense to think that his comments will get reported back. He didn't hand in a transfer request. I think we have to respect the fact he is saying he's fine where he is.

His surprise was not that the newspapers reported he would be leaving... but that he would be leaving "very soon and perhaps next January".

It's all down to how you read it, or how you want to read it, I agree. You could focus on "I am very happy in Liverpool" — another odd way of saying it — and infer that he will therefore never leave. I suspect, however, that he will leave 'Liverpool' at some point, no matter how happy he might be.

It's only a "Crap report in the media" because you don't like what it's saying. Yet it's not been denied in any substantive sense, making it difficult to quite accept this "Everything you read in the papers is rubbish" line that some seem to cling to. But neither, at the same time, does that make it 'gospel'.

As for "potential new threads", "Everton to win the League", "we only aim for 6th or 7th"... not 100% sure but I get a feeling you've lost your grip on the wheel there and are careening off-course somewhat. Just saying...

If there's a quote... the editor is standing over it and it's more than likely true. If the person the quote is attributed to doesn't deny it or sue, then it's certainly true.

If there are no quotes and the information is attributed to 'a pal'... then its incontrovertible bollocks.

I hope this little guide has been helpful, Dean.

Fellaini sought to diffuse the comments, which it is understood he does not deny saying during a press conference after training with his national side in Anderlecht on Saturday.

Plus you never went on to chapter two for idiots which might allow for a loss in translation. Or the inclusion/omission of maybe just one word which could swing a particular story the wrong way.

I'll be as condescending as I like, but thanks for the advice.

For Chapter 2... See above – failure to deny or sue equally vitiates the belief that he's been stitched up (including suing those who create a libel by failing to interpret properly).

Personally the story doesn't bother me in the slightest... however, the clamour to absolve Fellaini is frankly ridiculous.

At best he's an idiot.

What they know now is that, barring an amazing upswing in fortunes (as in performance / or actual money) at Everton this season, their overtures will be seriously considered as we will be looking to offload a player who wants a big money deal / new challenge (delete as applicable).

The length of someone's contract in football these days is not a good indication of how long they might be around for, it just gives the club an idea of how long they have left before their asset effectively starts to depreciate. I believe Axel Witsel had about 4 years left on his contract with Benfica, which is why it cost Zenit St Petersburg €40 million to sign him.

We don't have the strength in depth to drop Fellaini to the reserves without hamstringing ourselves and if he is willing to do his best for the rest of the season I won't be too bothered if he receives plaudits for good performances until he moves on.

Marouane Fellaini die in 2008 voor 20miljoen euro van Standard naar Everton verhuisde, liet dit weekend uitschijnen dat hij toe is aan een nieuw avontuur. ‘Ik begin nu aan mijn vijfde seizoen bij Everton', aldus de Perminator, die nog een contract heeft tot 2016. ‘Dit zal een van mijn laatste zijn. Ik heb er alles gezien. In januari of op het einde van het seizoen zou ik willen uitkijken naar een andere club of competitie. Jammer overigens voor Vadis dat hij niet naar Everton komt. Het kan er later nog van komen.'

Bij Everton gaven ze officieel geen commentaar, maar bronnen dichtbij de club wisten dat het bestuur erg ontgoocheld reageerde op de uitlatingen van hun sterspeler.

Het Nieuwsblad is NOT the Daily Mail of Belgium and they wouldn't put something in quotes that was not said, so to my mind, he said it!

Just one thing I'm not sure of, does he speak Flemish, or only French? For those clutching at "lost in translation" errors, check out whether he spoke in French or Flemish.... but I severely doubt there would be any translation errors of that magnitude.

DISAPPOINTED!

I think he's a great player and has been getting more consistent. I find it disappointing there's quite a few on here saying he's not worth the money we paid. If that was the case we could hardly sell him for £30m.

But that said, we're far from a one-player team, and though I was gutted to read the report initially I think that was more about it confirming the hard truth about footballers - in general - not sharing the same love for the team the fans do.

Michael & Ciaran are you the new Morecambe & Wise or should that be Wise & Wise as you seem to think that you are both the source of all knowledge and anyone who disagrees with your opinions is worthy of contempt?

Are the reports true/false? Was he misquoted ? Were certain comments taken out of context ? I don't know. I don't know if he will be with Everton next season, but do we know if Baines will? The guy is an Everton player at the moment and as such will receive my backing. I am NOT saying he is without fault, that he has been brilliant in every match - personally I think the move to an attacking role has a lot to do with an improvement in his form. And I would go so far as to say that Everton will see the best of him if Moyes keeps him in a more attacking role.

If he wants Champions League glory with Real etc, well didn't Arteta move for similar reasons? If we give the lad a hard time and a bad reception then there will be absolutely no way that he will stay. And I wouldn't blame him. Let's not be so quick to rush into judgement.

"That is the most ridiculous comment I have ever read in my life. "

You must be new to this site.

"happy to stay in Liverpool......it's a piss easy commute to Manchester" .....

nothing to worry about.

Get a haircut "chimney sweep 'ead"

At the end of the day, all players will leave at some stage and if we get a decent enough cash offer, which is then wisely reinvested into the squad, I'm not arsed if any particular player stays or goes, Fellaini or otherwise – the club is bigger than any one player (or manager). Also, this is his 5th season with us so no-one can really accuse him of being disloyal if he gets an offer from a CL side.

Roll on the weekend when these waste-of-time World Cup qualifying matches are over. Fifa really should put all the minows in a seperate qualifying round, before a few of them then get to play the better sides – waste of time countries like Germany, Italy, France playing the likes of the Faroe Islands, Lichtenstein, Andorra etc. And its fooking boring to boot – barely above a training session.

As for your point about getting boring... I agree. People who are surprised by these utterances are only outdone (in the contempt stakes) by those who seek to justify or absolve..

Over the last two seasons, MF has been one of our more naggingly inconsistent/hamstrung players. He has been much better this calendar year but comparing the Baggies 90 to the Manure 90 — though only 180 in all – gets us close to the bottom of this matter of maddening frustration and add to the mix that this is not the first time the silly Belgo has had to move sharply to qualify words allegedly put in his mouth by trigger-happy journos and Pappy Fella (hmmmm, might be a pattern there, like).

Tell you what – head and shoulders above the rest???!!! – get rid of him for somewhere in the area of £25 mill and we will be a much better team for it... much better, like Germany after the Marshal Plan. So we put the big Belgo in the shop window for the rest of the season and he gets us to 5th/6th and two semis.

Well, the team does that first of all, of which he is not the most important cog. What if like Rodders he does what he has done in the past and goes through a shit patch of bewildering inconsistency – remember the £25 mill sponds quotes being bandied around for Jack of Birkdale not too long ago.

One of the best things that could conceivably happen to EFC over the net 10 months or so is for Minnie Ripperton to maintain his form and for us to sell him for big-time sponds to make us a much much better outfit. No brainer, I think. But that's just me saying that, could well be eating my own words this time next year.

When you have the Press Association reporting something, and most of the heavyweight reputable media sources passing it through their portals and out to us mortals, then I think the answers to your questions are pretty clear:

Are the reports true/false? Since most all reports seem to be consistent, none are contrary, and the exponent himself has not denied saying what was reported, then I would say there's a strong probability of the reports being true.

Was he misquoted? Since most all reports seem to convey the same quotes as in the original report, available on line in translation from Flemish, with no substantive variants, and the exponent himself has not denied saying what was quoted, then I would say there's a strong indication that he has not been misquoted.

Were certain comments taken out of context? Other than it being a press conference after a Belgian training session, very little has been provided about context. It may help to know what jurno question MF was responding to, but I doubt very much that could change the context sufficiently to alter the meaning behind the quoted words.

It's not so much about difference of opinion as weight of evidence, but it won't be the first time, and surely not the last, that relatively clear evidence about something unsavoury has been rejected by the devout in favour of some fabricated excuse or apologist mantra you would much rather believe. That's the basis of most religions, after all, so there must be something to it.

You seem keen to leap all over this simple analysis as if it is some kind of judgement of Fellaini; no, just trying to keep the record straight when people say "He didn't even say it for a start". I think the evidence suggests that he did.

To say that you are pretentious Michael would be understating matters I feel. You presume to sit in judgement as to what others believe or choose to believe. I was NOT writing as an "apologist" for MF. You say "flogging a dead horse" well Michael why should we expect MF to stay at Everton for the rest of his career? Or any other player for that matter. Loyalty is something that works both ways and whilst the players of the modern era are extremely well paid, that certainly not always been the case. I remember reading about my own own childhood hero – Derek Temple – apparently another club made an offer for him, but he never found out at the time. How the times have changed...

It is a short career and players can be deemed surplus to requirements at any time – one years " Star Player" can be upstaged by the next years. Yes the players earn very great amounts of money – but so do other sportsmen and women. Andy Murray won £1M I think it was for winning the US Title. In his career winnings Tyger Woods has earned over £150M I think it is – and he is in a sport where having a 20 year career at the top is not unknown.

Flogging a dead horse? How about the "dead horse" of players loyalty. Why should we expect it and why should players like MF be condemned?
Was he being disloyal to Standard Liege when he signed for Everton? A player who joined us in the summer Steven Naismith was he disloyal to Rangers? Were the other guys who left Rangers at around the same time – were they disloyal to Rangers?

Other people in whatever occupation/walk of life, if faced with the opportunity to make a career move that brought them a better wage/greater security would move. Would they be disloyal?

What is the " something unsavoury" that you refer to? Is it the fact that MF wants to play in the Champions League? That he may wish to move to a bigger club? I would say whilst he remains an Everton player lets support the guy rather than condemn him. to To give him a hard time will surely make it inevitable that he moves on sooner rather than later.

I was at Goodison when Rooney scored "that goal" against Arsenal. A memorable match? Indeed – but one of the less pleasing aspects was the reception given to Francis Jeffers. How ironic wasn't it that only a couple of seasons later the hero of that particular hour was cast as the villain? Should we condemn players who want to move? I would say not – unless they bad mouth the club in some way – has MF done that? Players have always moved clubs – to condemn them all as being disloyal is far too simplistic in my opinion.

Did he say it? Did he mean it? Don't know - but I won't be blindly following the media.

All I was trying to point out was, in regard to one specific aspect of this story (ie, Did MF say what was reported or something similar in meaning as to make no difference?), in response to a variety of strange claims that were seeking to difuse the impact of his words by casting doubt on their veracity.

I believed the answer to be Yes. I explained that the Press Association is generally regarded by the major and generally respected organs of the press as a usually reliable source, and they stated that MF was not denying he said what he said. That is all.

I made no claims whatsoever to "unflinchingly believe the media", as you state. [Why do you need to invent something I did not say? I don't understand that...]

For fear of continuing to flog the dead horse, you can't say "Don't know". What you are saying is that you refuse to believe a generally reputable media source in this instance. So be it. Although after yesterday's lessons, I think it would be wise to have a rational basis for who you believe or disbelieve... and why.

So I can't accept it.

I'm not in denial. I just can't form an opinion. Regardless, he's under contract and we're outside of the transfer window. If he said it - that doesn't mean he's leaving just as if he didn't say it that wouldn't mean he's not going.

I can understand why you go off on the loyalty issue. But you also are making a conscious "don't know" decision when faced with fairly compelling evidence on what MF said to create the rumpus in the first place. It's odd because the tirade that follows at least accepts the possibility of MF's departure, in January or at the end of the season, or whenever — the only certainty being that one day he will leave.

You believe it, I remain open minded, but we have both read the same things.

We may have read the same thing but you are not believing it for some reason. Maintaining an open mind is not a valid reason in this case, because there is no alternative report of events out there, other than the invented possibility on this forum that he did not say what he said; that he did not say what has been reported by reputable sources, and what has not even been denied by the man himself!

You reject the evidence presented in favour of a doubt that somehow absolves MF from responsibility for his own words... Why do that?

I don't reject the evidence, I dispute its reliability.

Is it beyond the realms of possibility that a combination of a leading question, a quote taken out of contect and a clumsy translation have completely altered what he actually said or meant?

Ultimately, does it even matter?

Not quite. That is actually a regrettable element of human nature that is exploited when authority (religious or otherwise) is misused. The basis of most religions is the belief in a supernatural creator / protector / benefactor, and the idea that following a particular code (generally considered virtuous) will bring a reward beyond one's current existence.

The metaphor that football is a religion works on many levels, but not every one. :)

Michael Brien (#112) - ' Yes the players earn very great amounts of money – but so do other sportsmen and women. Andy Murray won £1M I think it was for winning the US Title. In his career winnings Tyger Woods has earned over £150M I think it is – and he is in a sport where having a 20 year career at the top is not unknown.' Really bad examples for the point you are trying to make. Both solo sportsmen (essentially self-employed) in very high profile and truly global (especially in terms of including the States) sports. Aside from the fact that the vast bulk of their earnings will probably come from personal sponsorship (limelight shared by fewer individuals) their other earnings (appearance and prize) are wholly dependent on their own fitness and form.

Perhaps... but there wasn't anything complex in what he said, although the translation is at best clumsy. And his 'surprise' response doesn't actually change the meaning of what was originally reported at all, effectively reinforcing the underlying meaning of what he was reported to have said.

But you're right: in the end it doesn't matter. As shown by Michael Brien's response, even if you think he might not have said or meant it, he responded as if the reports were reliable.