From My Seat – West Ham (A)

Just had to say not even the great Charles Dickens bowled me over more with a line than "the G spot of pressure was never reached". What an incredible picture painted by words. Standing Ovation Mr Ken Buckley.

If you ever write a book IÂ’ll be first in line to buy me. I was wishing Rom had had OssieÂ’s brain today after the way he took that goal. Proper match for Leon and I agree: MotM.

"Was it the white socks". :>)

They prattled on about what a wonderful supporter he is but did not mention that unlike directors of other clubs, neither he nor any of his wealthy board had put a single penny of their own money into the club.

For those of us who donÂ’t get to go to the games any more your reports are an essential read as they perfectly capture the atmosphere.

I suspect many people on TW read your report and then move on to the next article.

One week I think it would be fitting if everyone did make a comment as it would evidence how much your contribution to TW is appreciated.

When will transplants of such attributes become available?

Finding somebody who can link up play like Ossie will be key to this team being anywhere near successful in the future.

I agree with the words in support of Osman. He and Hibbert were continually picked out as scapegoats for poor team performances in the past but it is pretty obvious by results when he and Pienaar are missing how valuable these experienced players are.

What surprised me is his stamina as he normally plays an hour or so but he competed well throughout and took his goal really well.

Let's hope that we play well in our last game and leave the fans happy.

Never went, never watched it, put MotD on the telly this morning, and enjoyed watching the highlights.

Osman's goal was a cracker, nothing better in foothill than a last-minute winner! The thing that gave me the most pleasure was watching Everton's away support though. It is fucking brilliant!!

I agree with OP, Osman always has been a good footballer, the only problem he has is his size. When he faces the top midfielders, he has a tendency to get knocked off the ball; however, I am nit-picking as we always look a much better side when he is in and around the squad.

Last game of the season next week, hopefully the players can show up and give us a decent send off but, as far as staying around for the parade, I would be "phenomenally" hypocritical if I hang around to applaud a bloody awful season, so I shanÂ’t be joining in with that. IÂ’d rather be drinking Chang beer!!

If KenwrightÂ’s bird was a proper Evertonian she wouldnÂ’t be sitting next to him.

I wonder when Â’the opportunityÂ’ of a new ground in WHP is rumbled as no more than a pipe dream, will the rest of the fanbase wake up to the truth?

A question I would like to ask Blues who defend this current mob – If Bill does give up control, would you want another Chairman to replace him with the same strategy? If the answer to that is an unequivocal No, then ask yourself why any Blue would want the clueless fecker anywhere near the place for a whole generation. A wasted generation.

Well, we won, which used to be regarded as a good thing before Martinez arrived.

Back to last season yesterday. We looked solid, dull and functional, pinched the winner at the end. A season like the last eight games would have us fighting with Man City for 2nd place, which makes the dross of the first six months so frustrating.

No doubt Martinez will be here next season, so progress will again depend on summer acquisitions, which for me means playmaker, centre back, striker, goalkeeper in that order. Plus a good preseason and higher tempo from the start of games.

I don't think he initially went to celebrate with anyone he was imploring his team mates to come and congratulate him for scoring but it seems most of the players ran to McGeady. So rather than look a selfish plonker he then ran towards McGeady. Seems he is only interested in personal glory and the team success is secondary to him.

Anyway I was totally pissed off when I sat down to watch the recoded game on foxtel. I knew the score and had read various comments here on Tw.

As usual there was a mixed bag of opinions so I took them all with a pinch of salt.

So to my horror instead of watching the blues v hammers I was subjected to 20 minutes wank off by the media of Stevie Mee last game.

No ffn way I fast forward to our game. I thought the first half was ok the 2nd half was what I was really looking forward to. Just after Leons brilliant goal the recoding finished.

Bollicks that Stevie me shite had ruined my day. That was until I found put that palace spoilt his party.

I donÂ’t expect anyone to read this as the moderatetors have black balled me yet aging.

Still I get to read you canÂ’t stop me getting that pleasure.

Up the blues for next week and next season.

Other than buying shares itÂ’d be really unusual for the director of a PLC to put his own money in and tbh I think that apart from a few clubs run by benefactors, itÂ’s really unusual for even mega rich football directors.

I could criticise our directors for some things but not wasting their own money isnÂ’t one. Only a financial lunatic would invest in EFC.

Would you put some of your own money in to help the club? If not why not and, if not donÂ’t blame the EFC directors for not doing so. From what I can see the directors arenÂ’t taking any significant money out of the club but are running it well.

I donÂ’t even criticise the directors for not being able to generate extra business. What can a football club in an unfashionable area of Liverpool sell over and above seats and its own assets?

What would those who criticise the club expect any incoming board who also refused to throw money away to do to improve the situation?

My opinion is that the club is run very well and that by a combination of player development, sales and good support we do far better than we should expect based on revenue.

If I was to get a 600-700% return on my stake, I would definitely invest in Everton.

I would definitely take 㿊 mill for him, I know he scored but he just doesnÂ’t do enough for me on a regular basis, yes heÂ’s young and heÂ’s got a good record but I just think he needs to be in a team that maybe suits his powers more, a more direct team.

If we are going to revert to slow motion football again next season then he simply wonÂ’t prosper here.

It has to be fast and early service.

Brendan G played well for a full debut. Admittedly he was caught knapping by Alex Song and Downing, who have caught lots of players not just young Brendan, but overall he looked near the finished article. Our best players were Lukaku, Howard and Ossie, who continues to prove he is still has it.

The trouble is only 10 of LukakuÂ’s goals have been in the league, after paying 28 million pound if youÂ’d told me heÂ’d finish with just 10 league goals, IÂ’m not sure too many would have appreciated that.

I know goals are difficult to come by in the Premier League but still, heÂ’s been outscored by cheaper costing lads and lesser players.

Its easy to point to 20 goals but much like Liverpool crowing over GerrardÂ’s goal tally in 2005, half of them against bleeding TNS...

He has to score 18-20 in the league next season...

But if you then invest further money into the club (usually by way of loan but sometimes the issue of new shares) then that money is likely to go down the Swannee because it will be spent on wages or transfer fees etc... this will only increase the value of the club if it brings more success and more revenue... usually it doesnÂ’t, or at least not in a way that will materially affect the value of your shareholding.

In fact Blue Bill is doing exactly what you suggest. Only "investing" in a way that he has some hope of getting his money back... ie, buying the shares in the first place but not putting extra cash in afterwards. You really canÂ’t expect him or anyone else to do that because the amounts needed to make a difference are now too huge except for the owners of Man City and Chelsea. Look what happened to the super rich owners of Newcastle, Sunderland, QPR and Aston Villa... they have all stopped chucking money into the clubs and the money they have previously chucked in has not made any material difference to their investment return if and when they sell.

Last week Liverpool wasnÂ’t very fashionable, now we come from an unfashionable part of the city.

You canÂ’t even criticise the directors for not creating any extra buisness.
Not even in the most fashionable league in the world?

No wonder we have stagnated , imagine if the people in the boardroom stopped doing such a great job. Where would that leave us I wonder

No confusion on my behalf. The fact of the matter is Kenwright paid circa ٣ million for his shares when the club was sold.

At the current sale price of 𧴵 million,and Kenwright holding around 27% of the shares I will leave you to do the maths.

I genuinely have no idea what youÂ’re talking about .... please spill the beans!!

Distin seems to be keeping himself busy, and in shape, if you believe the scum and its dizzy blonde story today.

Sylvain Distin may have lied about being a milkman - but he does deliver.

LetÂ’s just say that the Frenchman was available to play away even if the game was scheduled for Goodison.

Who, of the sides above us would play him on a regular basis? Liverpool? Southampton?, Spurs? or even Stoke and Swansea?. They all have pace and strength across their midfields, attributes Ossie does not have. Are people seriously suggesting a 34-year-old journeyman can lead us forward. I like what I see / hear of the man on a personal level and recognise his loyalty to the club, but sentimentality will win bugger all.

What his performance did is expose the dross around him and the paucity of midfield players generally. Pirlo might do it in Italy but the game is played at half the pace and he was a recognised and established International footballer, not someone who got 1 cap. Sometimes the truth hurts!!!

I do not believe that the Board pay to watch and I bet they get whatever merchandise they fancy for nothing!

The board have made vast profits from the shares they bought cheaply and they should re-invest in the club out of the personal profits they have made. Small businesses pay for stock out of their profits so why donÂ’t this miserly board of ours.

If you had £billions like Abramovic you may do as you dream but there are no buyers like him around now and there are many far better football investments than Everton. Abramovic also expects a healthy return on what he puts into Chelsea and heÂ’ll get it. Chelsea are located in a massively prosperous part of the UK that players want to go to and they get Champions League football every year.

Everton are located in Walton not Fulham and are a mid table side that (for me) because of itÂ’s exceptional Club management performs better than should be expected. Our major problem is that we carry the baggage of history which raises unrealistic expectations over what can really be achieved by the club. The EPL finished Everton as a trophy side and our greedy board of the time fully supported it because they thought it was going to be a gold mine.

OK, IÂ’ll have a fans whip round for an investment in Everton to help with their financial problems. IÂ’ll put a thousand pounds in, how much will you put in? Surely youÂ’d put something into what is in your blood? Anybody else want to match my investment? No of course not but some would criticise the board for the same failing?

Investment in EFC? ItÂ’s far easier to nip down to Brighton and throw the money off the pier into the Solent. Sorry, down to the Pier Head and into the Mersey, I forgot that non-scousers canÂ’t be real Evertonians. :-)

A Blue is a Blue, a scouse Blue just has more expectations because, as you put it, the burden of itÂ’s history.

You can never win an argument with facts when it comes to football. Football turns rational men into irrational dreamers.

Looking forward to reading more of your rational posts, refreshing and insightful.

A true blue Evertonian wants to be chairman but doesnÂ’t want to invest?

In the words of the great Roger Waters, "It All Makes Perfect Sense".

In the absence of money, all he can do is run the club well within the constraints of its income which I think our board do brilliantly. Our record of producing players from within is also magnificent.

Hoping for a benefactor is hoping for a totally unsustainable future for the Club? Sustainability is about living within your earnings and IÂ’d say none do better than our wonderful club.

Criticise Kenwright and the board for what they canÂ’t possibly do like put Everton top of the EPL or to win trophies? Absolute lunacy. We can survive as a mid table EPL team on our income but no more and to expect better is not reality.

Give them credit for what they achieve under difficult conditions? IÂ’d have thought that is where realism lies. Realism is a far better approach than constant negativity or irrational expectation?

IÂ’m sure that the EFC directors eventually expect a return from their obvious hard work spent in running the club for effectively nothing? Is that irrational or unreasonable? Like heck it is.

I’m waiting for critical Evertonians to join me in raisng money that we expect our directors to provide from their own pockets? Is there one Evertonian that would "Invest" in our club? No, of course not – so please let’s drop this ridiculous criticism.

I'm waiting for critical Evertonians to join me in raisng money that we expect our directors to provide from their own pockets? Is there one Evertonian that would "Invest" in our club? No, of course not"

A person answering their own question in the negative doesnÂ’t constitute proof of anything besides their own patronising nature.

How can you claim, with any degree of certainty or authority, that absolutely no Evertonian would put their money where their mouth is and make a financial input? The very idea was, in fact, floated on here a while back in the form of Â’TrustEvertonÂ’, was it not?

Ever thought that the biggest inhibitor to any bluenose investing money in the club would be the thought of the very people theyÂ’d be entrusting it to? Bill Â’Listen lads, I donÂ’t know anything about finances. IÂ’m just the fucking ChairmanÂ’ Kenwright and a bunch of cronies that basically amount to Benny from Crossroads in a Ted Baker suit. The chairman and current board are the biggest cockblockers to a currency injection the club has.

You say Kenwright runs the club well, within itÂ’s means? How exactly has he done that? We basically survived off the back of a few big player sales and by the grace of the banks, with only mega bucks tv deals providing a bit more breathing space. Take away the tv money and leave only the canny business acumen and Â’achievementsÂ’ of Bill and his boys, and then tell us how long you think weÂ’d last.

LetÂ’s talk about something positive Bill said, and started going on about Finch Farm?

You call Liverpool an unfashionable city, Martin, but did you not realise that The KingÂ’s Dock is actually next door to a world heritage site?

Two managers, Moyes and Wenger had the smallest net spends in the Premier League, Martin. ARSENAL BUILT A GROUND, EVERTON HAVENÂ’T EVEN PAID THEIR DEBTS OFF!

The fact that they are still quite manageable, really does show what a fantastic job Everton's board are really, really doing!

The Everton Â’modelÂ’ rests survival purely on an ability to produce a couple of players every few years from which big transfer fees can be accrued, and, of course, continued massive TV money (up 㿨m in recent years). Either of those things fail and weÂ’re done for, since the third arm of non-matchday revenues – commercially generated income – is virtually non-existent.

The Board doing a great job? Come on, you canÂ’t be serious.

I also notice not a single suggestion of what EFC could do to improve their position other than what they have already done so I go back to my original assertion that we are actually a very well run club that operates within its means and is the envy of the supporters of other clubs especially the artificially franchised outlets like Liverpool and United. For me they can stick their models up their collective assholes along with badly run clubs like Newcastle with their mega Investor and Villa.

Unlike the often negative commentators on here I fully support the EFC board and how they are running our once great but now relatively struggling club. They have no other duty than to run the club in a responsible manner and no duty whatsoever to throw their money away.

Now before anybody accuses me of talking shite, please do this with constructive suggestions of how we can actually or realistically improve our situation. WeÂ’re a football club that sells mid table football from a location that nobody in the world outside of Liverpool has heard of, please start from that position. I live near Brighton and nobody here understands that Everton is located in in the City of Liverpool.

Please remember a comment I made some time ago, there is nowhere in the world where football fans actually run successful clubs and there is a very good reason why this is so. The expectation of fans is always irrational.

Is it responsible of the board to screw up two ground moves? Is it responsible of the club to rent a training ground it formerly owned? If we are being run so well, why do we have such massive debts? – not as much as others but nevertheless a relatively large debt for a club of our limited income.

If the next five years pans out off the pitch in the way it has for the last decade - our rational expectation will be to finish above the relegation zone, if the club fails to achieve that modest expectation we will follow the likes of Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday – will you still praise the board if that happens?

You have got to be on the wind up.

I have not once, never, ever....not even from someone who was pissed up in that annoying Â’want to be bessie mates with everybody in the worldÂ’ way and thought I was about to do a real life reenactment of the scene in Lethal Weapon where Riggs rams his gun into the roof of his mouth, so was really really desperate to make me feel a little better about things.....heard a single supporter of either Utd or the RS say that their dearest wish was that, one day, their club might be run as well as Everton.

Please, if someone has heard something like that said before, put me straight. That means someone....anyone...apart from you Martin, because if you truly believe what youÂ’re saying then I wouldnÂ’t trust you to pour piss out of a shoe if the instructions were printed on the sole.