Nuno on the verge of becoming new Everton boss

Thank Heavens Palace pulled out and left the field clear. Was on the verge of being sacked by Wolves in January, and can lay a fair claim to have managed the worst performing team in the division last season.

What's not to like?

Certainly looks to be on his way.

We keep giving these guys good contracts: Max 2 years with a 1-year option tops!

I'll give him a chance. Wolves were entertaining until they sold all their best players.

Can't EVER remember a manager appointment coming with this level of negativity. Don't even think Allardyce was this unpopular!

I'm sorry, but it's time to question Moshiri now. This is poor and lacks any ambition and vision.

Just proves Moshiri knows less about football than the rest of us.

In terms of PPDA (a metric used to measure pressing intensity high up the pitch), only one side - Newcastle - pressed the opposition less on average than Wolves last season from across Europe's top five leagues

Not sure that's what Evertonians want at all. We crave some intensity and energy and passion.

I see the ToffeeWeb "welcomes" have begun.

If it happens... best wishes to Nuno Esperito Santo. I mean, with a name like that, surely he has to be the one?

No support from me whatsoever. It's a lazy appointment.

It's a No-no for me. In fact I won't bother next season watching games I'll go to work. Right off this laughing stock of a club.

Bit of negatively around this. I don't fully get that having thought Wolves were a lot better than us the 2 seasons they finished 7th. They had a style and a plan and decent players at good prices. Last season was the anomaly. Sold Jiota to you know who, right back to Spurs, lost the other best striker to injury, covid issues.

I'd have fancied that French guy who just won the league but he's maybe not available having verbally agreed to go to Nice.

Anyway he'll get my backing if he gets the hot seat and good luck to him and us.

Rivalled Ancelotti for the worst football in the Premier League. Moshiri is absolutely clueless.

If it's Nuno, I'll support him for as long as the club is moving forward and he doesn't fill the team with defenders and defensive midfielders and bore the arse off us...

Talks with high-flying Crystal Palace fell through? Managed a mid-table side and out of work? Welcome to Everton.

We'll be safe in mid-table but no more. A chance to make a real change has passed us by. Worryingly, if true this comes straight after Moyes confirms he's staying at West Ham. That speaks volumes to me. I'm hoping it's premature but looks like it's a done deal.

We can surely do better than the Portuguese Mike Walker. Slow, unambitious football — no thanks. At least Gomes will be made up as he'll fit right in.

I'm old enough to remember when we all thought Moshiri's billions would turn us into a good team.

Speaking to a colleague whose a Wolves season ticket holder this evening and his words were “Get ready to watch even more boring football” if Nuno comes in.

Espirito Santo to St Domingo's FC, it's written. COYB.

I think it's time for Evertonians to let Moshiri know what we think. He's not a football man and it shows.

I agree, Simon. The insults are very weak considering that we've known he could be coming for a while. You would think someone would come up with something better than the "Portuguese Mike Walker" with that much time to think about it.

Is Moshiri becoming the Everton equivalent of Mike Ashley?

Obvious that a lot of TW won't like him, he's a good organiser like Moyes and when, like Everton, you don't have a fortune to spend on the best players, he becomes the best option available.

Intriguing to see if Ferguson and Co are now given their marching orders.

Mother of God...

...but I'll wish him well and all the luck he can bring. Because we are Everton.

Honest to God, if he is our new coach, why not give the man a fucking break. It would be unfair and outrageous to call for his head before Halloween.

Obviously Top 4 by Christmas is a given. Good football, also. Here's how we judge it, marks out of ten:

The Brazil World cup winning team of 1970 = 10
Carlo v Sheff Utd = 0.0000005

You know what, getting half the team looking as if they give a fuck will do for me.

Portuguese Mike Walker? Wasn't that Marco Silva?

He's taken Rio Aves to the Europa League and Valencia to the Champions League, as well as winning the Championship with Wolves and finishing 7th in consecutive seasons, albeit with a records points tally that was the same as our points tally for this season.

I'm prepared to at least give him a chance.

I'm frustrated and disappointed, Dale – apologies for not being witty enough for you and commenting on every name in the mix in advance.

Oh and Ian, since it appears you were actually doing some reporting there I apologize for the cheap dig. I'll lighten up on the next one to make it up to you.

Our idiot chairman thinks he's a master manipulator, so to guarantee a proper welcome for Our Hero, he primes the local journos 24 hours before the announcement that Benitez is on his way. And so everyone is just weeping with relief that we are now delivered of this alpha dud.

Fuck-all about footy does our Farhad know.

Oh the flying dummies!!! For fuck's sake, how about a welcome and good luck!!! Just maybe he is the only one who fancies the job???

And maybe just maybe the sale of Jota, losing Jimenez, Sais, Johny and a few other injuries impacted on Wolves. First three years promotion; next 2 years, 7th-place finishes; last season poor, yes... but for fuck's sake, give the man a chance.

I agree with Benjamin @9.

All this negativity gets us nowhere.

For fuck's sake, can we at least give Nuno a chance if it is to be him!

Let's get behind him and, if the results don't come, then start to criticise.

Look at Wolves when he first came in! What is it with the negative on here?

Who makes these decisions? Do we assume Brands has endorsed this?

...or has he been told to wind his neck in and stop interfering?

But as I said earlier, I wish him well and Good Luck.

You're fine, Simon, just having fun with it myself. I'm not that pleased but, since I was leaning toward him at the time of maximum uncertainty, I can't say I don't get it. It is a safe choice given our squad makeup and that is probably the most responsible place to make the decision from.

We just tried overbuying on the manager for no return but a disrupted overall strategy for players and style. So it is the Nuno no-nos versus the happy huddlers?

Just read Nuno's Wikipedia page. Resigned at Valencia after a poor start to the season. Sacked by Porto. "Sacked" (by mutual consent) at Wolves.

This looks like the Groundhog Day hiring of Marco Silva.

If he gets the job, I'm sure everyone will want him to do well because, if he does well, then Everton does well.

But I think the disappointment is both expected and understandable, especially when we've gone from our first "Hollywood manager" (regardless of how things ended) back to managers whose status in the game reflect where we are as a club and not where we want to be.

Dale... you're cheap dig wasn't at me on this occasion. I never said "Portuguese Mike Walker"; I said Paella Pulis.

Highly disappointing if true. Obviously we will all support him and he may surprise us but I doubt it and have very little confidence, sadly. Ancelotti at least gave us status. Big Dunc gave us passion and united us all. What will this fella offer?

He's neither got a CV of trophies and proven pedigree, nor does he offer youthful hope. Maybe they are skint and don't want to pay compensation. Wolves have done well which is to his credit, good look to them as they are a historical club, but Everton are a different level with much higher expectations from the crowd in terms of winning and quality attacking football.

The likes of Walker and Silva came from smaller set-ups and always looked frozen and unable to cope with the pressure. Maybe I'm wrong and this fella will shake the club up and do well but I fear in 2 years he will be under pressure after two mid-table place finishes.

As fans, we will have to rally round and give him a chance. We are the only constant and only positive. The club hierarchy are just an embarrassment and continue to let us all down, year-in & year-out. 26 years and counting...

Everton are such a brilliant club and in historical terms huge but we have been awful for so long and sadly can't see that changing until a ruthless winning culture drives the club.

Ha Ian, got one over on you. I did level the devastating "work it Ian" without your notice. The apology stands, your reputation preceded you if I may use the excuse.

Sack up!!!

if you'd told me Palace had appointed him, I'd be thinking "It will be interesting to see if they stay up this year, cos he looks shot compared with Roy."

To paraphrase Al Pacino: "Well, I am over-fucking-whelmed!"

Santo's fine. Far less exciting than Galtier or Potter would have been, but better than the likes of Benitez, Moyes, Howe, Martinez, etc... Hardly an appointment worth climbing out on the ledge over.

Also, I guarantee half the people slagging him off posted "Why can't we be more like Wolves?!" at some point during his first two seasons.

Err Matt #35,

Obviously we will all support him

Not so obvious from that post!

If it's Nuno, then of course we'll get behind him. But I wanted passion and snide in the next manager. All of the greats have that, even Wenger who hated losing and moaned about everything. influencing refs and protecting his players.

This guy in every presser I've seen after a loss has been 'blah' – we need someone to turn the tide on "poor little Everton", every decision against us challenged and the squad fired up for battle and a siege mentality.

At the moment, I'd rather have Rafa the nark (which I never thought I'd admit). But, like I say, if it's him, I will wait and see and obviously wish him well.

But it just seems like a safe, dull and unambitious option to me.

Nuno even looks like the captain of a Spanish Armada galleon. Just the man to run the good ship Everton aground or have us all lurching for the side in stormy weather.

I don't see how his large backroom staff are going to fit in; unless, after the response he got from Crystal Palace, he decides to dump the whole lot of them.

I understand he has a backroom staff of six.

Reference :

[SIX backroom staff are leaving Wolves along with manager Nuno Espírito Santo following the end of the Premier League season.
. . .
They are:
Rui Pedro Silva (assistant)
Ian Cathro (first-team coach)
Julio Figueroa (first-team coach)
Rui Barbosa (goalkeeper coach)
Antonio Dias (fitness coach)
Joao Lapa (rehab coach)]

I have a problem with this in I can't find room for them at Finch Farm. . How is Duncan going to cope with two other first team Coaches.

By I am very underwhelmed by him as Everton Manager.

Bill 39. I'd sooner have any of those Managers you name instead of Nuno.

I would be disappointed like lots of others as I think Everton should be more ambitious. Thats just my view. I not saying it's the right view...others will be pleased by the appointment. However, I would hope that we all support him in his role as Everton boss, if appointed, as we all have no choice and we all want Everton to do well.

It would be so typical Everton, go through all this time, all the bullsh*t of this coach, that coach and end up with the original unsuitable manager. If Nuno becomes our manager it shows that they have learnt nothing.

He's not a proper baldie is he? It's more of a follicle isthmus innit? That's gonna stand out at the pressers.

On a serious note, some of the critics of this move may want to consider how this speaks of our management team's reputation. Maybe we couldn't get anyone better on DECENT terms after the way that Italian love affair soured.

And can the TW team create a digital coat rack to make note of those who claim "that's it, i'm outa here"?

Stop the bus, I'm getting off.

Shite manager, not just at wolves last season, but his career. He was shite at Porto. He's won nothing. His coaching is shite. He doesn't develop youth. He just brings in whoever his best mate Jorge Mendes gives him. Don't think mendes will give us the next Ronaldo, because even if he does, he'll just move him on. He still wants his cut.

I won't be watching that five at the back with two defensive midfielders crap. No thanks. I've been waiting before renewing my season ticket (we get a bit longer in the people's club) and I won't be. I'm not paying to watch nuno football. See you in a year when the arsehole is sacked.

I mean you got to hand it to Mr Moshiri, and the board. Being so ambitious to get Everton someone who can take us up to 7th, from being 12th and 10th.

Steve Ferns 48

Based on your track record with Portuguese Everton managers I take that as a ringing endorsement

Supposedly a great guy and a good coach.

Was absolutely left treading water by Wolves selling Jota and the horrific head injury to Jimenez. Missing those two left Wolves neutered.

I must confess I don't want the guy but if he arrives he would get my support obviously. Would actually rather of had Potter to be honest but I guess to Moshiri he proposes a risk.

You do seriously have to question Duncan Ferguson now. Did he apply if not then why not? He's served as a coach now under 5 failed managers and hes still earning a wage how is this possible?

Kieran #50
Proper funny!

Three year contract. Complete bollocks if true.

He won't be on £12m a year. Maybe that is the reason for his appointment , which I hope is not true.

Getting a bit testicly there Jerome.

Absolutely dreadful news if true, a classic
Kenwright appointment.

Inevitably we will see another two seasons of mediocrity ended by another sacking.

Wolves sold their best players last season, lost their talisman striker and had to bed in young players to replace the injured and sold ones. I'm not 100% sold on Nuno but some people seriously need to get a grip. The football was great to watch the when they won the championship by a record margin and wasn't scrutinised when they finished with two consecutive 7th finishes, incidentally higher than Everton. Nuno also got them to a UEFA quarter-final which matched Moyes record in Europe.

I've always had the lowdown on Nuno from a Wolves supporting old university friend and have always been impressed with him.
I think there's a reluctance from many that he's another Portuguese so he'll be another Silva appointment, but in fairness Silva only hit fleeting heights and was only at Watford and Hull (who he also took down) for 5 minutes while Nuno has had a very good career in England in 3 out of his 4 seasons.

I would have still preferred Galtier or Rangnik and liked the romanticism of Dunc getting the job, but Nuno is a good appointment for me, albeit a step down from the status and reputation of Ancelotti, but so would any manager unless we appointed Conte, or Poch.

Ian (44) - I think Nuno and Benitez are pretty similar - not that exciting, low probability of disaster.

I'll concede Howe is more equipped to deliver the kind of football we all crave, but he'd come with an extremely high probability of disaster.

I have no interest in recycling former managers, though Roberto Redux would be comedy gold on here, if nothing else.

Anyway, I'm not particularly thrilled about Nuno and I'm not particularly devastated, and that pretty much sums it up.

I remember as a kid, Andy Gray coming to us and saying he wanted to come here to win trophies..the press laughed and said, yes we've heard that before.. Andy said..well you've never heard it from ME before...We need someone with that swagger, self belief and force of personality to sweep the club forward on the crest of a wave..a big character not frightened to smack the other clubs in the eye. Would we get that with this fella? Comes across as dull and dour. Hope I'm wrong.

Kieran #50 funny, but also very true.

"If you embrace a project that will require time and patience, then you need something to work on. So the first step of the project is to create an identity. If you don't have an identity, then today you want this player and tomorrow another one. If you have an idea and a shape, then this is how you develop an identity."
Nuno Espirito Santo

Too many outlets are reporting it as a given, for it not to be true.

Suppose the truth is he was the only manager who was interested in the job, who suited the Board. The Foreign prospects haven't answered the phone and Rafa and Pelligrini have been around too long and know too much for the Board. The list of prospects wasn't large , maybe even one. A mid table Manager at best for a midtable club.

Working Anchelotti out of the job, is possibly having repercussions.

the term "put a glass eye to sleep" extends to "this clown can put two glass eyes to sleep".

Dreadful appointment if this goes ahead.

Please, for fucking once in the past 25 years, prove me totally wrong.

I won't hang by my balls waiting for that to come true.

I'm not totally against this appointment if it happens. From what I saw he had Wolves playing some nice football even after his team were ripped apart. We have no choice but to give him a chance and hope that this is the luck we've been waiting for.
We should count ourselves lucky to actually get a manager because it's become a poisoned chalice. It doesn't help when you think the two people interviewing the potential candidate are Mosh and Bill. Apart from the money on offer they are unlikely to be the most enlightening of people to speak with. Moshiri has just become another Bill but with cash.
Obviously Duncan is not up for the job if Nuno is appointed. This should be the time for him to stop stealing a living and get out and start his own career in management although more than likely he will become a chauffeur for you know who.

I wanted a kick arse nutter, or even a quiet nutter Galtier??, I was Bielsa 18 ths ago and haven't changed much, so totally underwhelmed here.
A Vanilla appointment...but hey, who knows maybe the players will pull finger this time.

The wait was sorting the exit package...always 75% of all talks...and maybe waiting for Palaces comeback offer.
But that could just be me with my cynical head on.

Out of all the managers we have had, including ancelloti, none have not had spirit or passion about us since Moyes (he did ok but...) and he was knife to a gunfight and we all more than that. Don't want him back, but nuno does have passion and given the right support, you never know. But what do we know about how any other manager will work with our club? It is not about accolades, which we have many, it is about belief. DF has that and he has the ears of the players. I think Nuno would work, but I think WTF. Give Dunc a go Not much to lose after failing under one of the world's best managers. Our progression was only ruined by the shite getting us banned from Europe.

The negativity of our fans is our downfall, all the people complaining here tell me who you'd appoint? Not sure we can tempt Pep to leave City or persuade Sir Alex out of retirement!!!! As for Moshiri, shall we get Peter Johnson back?

Realise we're a club that has a way to go to get back to the top table, all this negativity will only make it harder!!!

The fact he was on the verge of joining Palace should be a red flag. Imagine if talks had broken down in a similar way with Benitez? I'll give any manager a chance - but I'm underwhelmed. How much did Mendes play a part in the story at Wolves? Paddy Boyland reported in the week that during his interview he hadn't impressed Moshiri - not a big enough name and not someone who could build a team - so what's changed in the last couple of days? Moyes agreeing a contract with WHU?

Come on Mosh. I'll Zoom you into our game v Wakefield 3rds in a hour. I came out of retirement last week to play in Andy's memorial game and buggered my knee again so I'll be totally committed to coaching that winning desire. I even came home 3 Crimbo's ago & saw plucky Everton get a hard fought nil, nil draw at home to Chelsea under the guidance of saviour Sam for god's sake. Gizza job mate.

I don't quite get the level of negativity on here about this appointment (if it happens).

He did an excellent job taking a Wolves team in 15th place (in the 2nd tier) to 2 consecutive 7th place finishes in the prem in about 3 seasons. That is bloody impressive.

Granted this last season was a shit show but they'd lost most of their best players to injury, player sales and COVID.

I've just had a look on a Wolves fans forum and they clearly love the guy and are gutted he's gone:

https://www.molineuxmix.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/palace-want-nuno.500927/

I know exactly where we will be in a couple of years time, looking for a new manager. This scenario is so predictable. Moshiri a joke when it comes to football. A totally uninspiring appointment if it comes to pass. Let's hope not!

I heard the rumour of the 'backroom' issues that was the deciding factor for him not getting the Palace job was more due to the Mendes influence on transfers. If there is any ounce of truth in that then if I was Brands I'd be questioning my role at the club. Actually, I'd be already questioning my role if Morshiri is the one pushing for this appointment. He hired Brands to be the DoF, and he should let him do his job. Morshiri's track record on hiring managers hasn't been great.

First time poster here massive Evertonian since I was a boy and now 59 years of age. Always read ToffeeWeb but felt the need to join and add my twopence worth because I am sick and ashamed of all the negativity surrounding the supposedly Nuno becoming are next manager.

Why can't we all come together an give this man a chance and unite behind him because, after all, isn't it what we we all crave for is hopefully success in some degree an not the the shower of shite we have seen for past 12 months from the so-called Carlo fantastic one that many were ecstactic when he joined? Even fat Sam was better than that charlatan.

I'll give him my backing but don't really have any hope for next season. Moshiri playing Champ Man again? Always thought signing Walcott and Iwobi was Moshiri buying his favorite Arsenal players too.

Okay not a Hollywood appointment like Ancelotti but in reality after a great start to the season we fell away badly. Ancelotti kept wheeling out the has beens without giving any of the youngsters a fair crack of the whip. If not Nuno who else? For me Moyes and Benitez were out of the question. Maybe Mancini might be worth a punt and Conte would shake things up but probably not to every chairman's liking. After these 2 then I think everybody else who has been mentioned would be scraping the barrel. I think Nino turned a very poor Wolves team into one punching way above their weight and so if he can do that at Everton in a couple of seasons with better players then who knows!!

If he gets the job I wish the man every success, for obvious reasons, but I can't help feeling it's just the never ending story of mediocrity, the reasons for which we'll all have our own opinion.

My choice out of who was in contention.
Benitez, Moyes, Howe...(How he was ever considered is beyond me) and Potter.

A safe pair of hands is all he is but that's exactly what we need right now, someone to stabilise and get us to play something that even resembles joined up footy.

I was hoping for Rangnick or Galtier not necessarily in that order. Some have questioned their lack of premier league experience but that doesn't seem to have bothered Tuchel too much. His success led me to believe if you have the ability it doesn't matter where you developed it, only that you have it.
Carlo got off to a flyer last season when he had his best 11 available. As soon as fate intervened with injuries and suspensions the lack of depth in our squad was plain for all to see. Carlo needed a plan B and it now appears to me his only solution was keep it tight and pinch 1 which led to some absolutely dire football. Then just when you thought it couldn't get worse we went to keep it tight and lose 1.
At the moment my thoughts on Nuno very much reflect Carlo. The first couple of seasons with Wolves he did OK when he had the full squad. Last year thanks to sales and injuries he too had a paper thin squad. His plan B was also keep it tight and pinch one and he was even less successful at that than Carlo. As Everton boss I wish him all the best but at the moment may expectations are not exactly sky ( 6 ) high to say the least.
Finally if he isn't a Brands appointment and his selectors are planning on him bringing his association with Mendes here, then what the hell is Marcel Brands doing at the club ?

Only William hill giving a price on oddschecker now, and that is 1/12
Its a done deal.

Marco Silva with a beard.

Like all these appointments we have to wait and see how he does...but I hope to 'k he doesn't bring in that big over rated galoot Traore.

Have absolutely nothing against the man. He seems like a nice fella. But I mean come on Everton! We can do better than that! Surely there are better options out there.

I can only think the hierarchy think Nuno's Portuguese & Spanish connection is a good fit for our Colombian/Brazilian/Portuguese sextuple (apologies to Virginia).

However James threw Carlo under the bus with his diva like behaviour, Mina & Richie are two of our most saleable assets and Bernard was out the door.

Allan and Gomes' lack of pace restricts their effectiveness in the Prem unless Nuno intends to continue with our ponderous and laborious style of play.

The sleeping partner in this deal is Nuno's agent Jorge Mendes who supplied Wolves with a number of their star players.

If we are committed down the the Wolves model then it seems logical that we will be taking a number of players attached to Jorge Mendes.

So will this “attachment” now trump Brands transfer strategy and importantly will we get first dibs on these players or will they be offered first to Bruno Lage at Wolves to ensure he is successful as he was recommended to Wolves by his agent, the aforementioned Jorge Mendes.

Wolves past season failure will mean Lage will be relying on Mendes to supply the talent.

If we (as is the norm) have promised Nuno to raid his old club for their prized assets then Mr. Mendes will get plenty dinheiro as he represents most if not all of these players.

But to prise them away will be big bucks as it was with Richie.

Wheels within wheels.

Hopefully we get some decent signings in sharpish and give him a fighting chance to succeed. I don't think even Conte could do much better than Quitter Carlo did with our current squad.

Not my first choice (Galtier after what I've read on here the last few days) but I'm okay with it. At least it's not Benitez, Moyes, Pellegrini or Alan fucking Pardew. It could be a lot worse.

Good luck Nuno

Uninspiring appointment. Another 18 months we be back here searching again. Competing with Palace for a manager says exactly the direction we're going in.
Why have a DoF like Brands?
Only for Moshiri to hire Nuno Santo and his Puppet master Jorge Mendes.
I actually don't think we have any direction, no identity just doing the same shit and expecting different results.

At least he will succeed in uniting the fan base.

He'll probably get pissed off with BK interfering and Brands bringing in players he does not want and he'll fuck off by Christmas.

I think we need to cut some slack here. He is the best candidate of an uninspiring bunch. There would appear to be a lack of quality managers around. Seen by the evidence that Barcelona have had to keep faith with Koeman, Man U the same with OGS and Real have had to reluctantly turn back to a manager they sacked 6 years ago. We know what's coming next season (whoever we put in charge). The results and performances will be exactly the same mixed bag as the last 20 - which will see us finish between 8th and 12th. But fair play to Moshiri, at least we have a owner who keeps things interesting for us - by buying 4 or 5 players each summer - to keep us naively dreaming of top 4. But just like managers, the players that arrive aren't quite as good on grass as they are on paper - particularly the ones that arrive by plane.

Steve Ferns 48: wasn't it you who sang silvers prayers even when the ship sank right under his feet 😂.

My goodness, anyone would think we had rehired Big Sam or Mike Walker from the reaction on here. Yes, I too am a bit disappointed we did not try something very different by going with Galtier or Potter or even Rangnick or Gallardo. But none of us has any idea if any of those people were truly available--we cannot assume they were and will probably never know the truth of it either way. And of course none of them have ever taken a team into even the top ten in the PL.

Nuno is lower risk than any of those four for various reasons, and far preferable to any of the other candidates mentioned (Benitez, Moyes et al.). Critics seem to fixate on the most recent season, as if that defines the man and his entire career, while ignoring or minimizing the many positive experiences he would bring with him. He did very well with Rio Ave, and it is not as if his times at Valencia (4th in La Liga and CL entry) and Porto (2nd with 76 pts from 34 games) were exactly disastrous.

As for Wolves, they romped the Championship and were (in my opinion) a significantly better team than we were during their first two years back in the PL. Unlike Silva, Nuno had a system that largely worked, allowing him to compensate for the fact that his budget was relatively modest and significantly lower than ours. Personally, I found their style very attractive and could happily watch the likes of Neves and Moutinho pinging it around all day. And given that Jimenez, Jiota, and Doherty were all a big part of that system/style, it is hardly surprising that Wolves struggled in their absence. We would have struggled (even more) last year without Dom, Richy, and Coleman, who are their rough equivalents (Jimenez and Doherty are right now rather better than Dom and Seamus, I would say).

So I just don't understand all this negativity about him. One might add that he is obviously an incredibly intelligent, articulate, and charismatic individual, arguably more so than any coach we have had in recent memory, perhaps ever. Given that we are not a prestige brand club these days, with relatively limited funds, and no European football coming up, I don't know that we could have reasonably or realistically hoped for anyone better.

Finally, there is surely not a little to be said for the fact that he would be the first Black coach we have ever had. The list of Black coaches in PL history is still lamentably short. Among the larger, more established clubs, only Newcastle (Gullit and Hughton) and Chelsea (Gullit) have names on that list. Given EFC's at best rather mixed history in the area of race, the appointment of Nuno can only be a positive.

Yes, not the appointment we were all hoping for, personally it was Galtier for me, followed by either Potter or Conte, but as is looking likely, Nuno is about to be crowned our new Supremo. Like many have also alluded to, give the man a chance to fail or prosper, before we slag him off completely.

Also agree with some that Wolves played some very attractive attacking Football when they first got promoted, and sustained that, till injuries and player sales (Joto to RS, just one for example). Which I believe was against his wishes, hence the discontent, and possibly the poor results and performances, were a casualty of those two factors.

I for one will get behind him, but would have preferred someone who was more dynamic, both in attacking play and recruitment of upcoming young and possibly unheard of players. Only time will tell, he may well surprise us all and unearth a few rare gems.

I wonder where this leaves Duncan, Baines, Jeffers and Ebbrell etc? Allegedly one of the stumbling blocks both with us and Palace was that he wanted to bring an entourage of backroom staff with him. If it gets us playing better and more attractively then why not, he must have his methods, I just hope that work well for us.

Again, this appointment leaves question marks on how much influence Marcel Brands had in the appointment process, because with all due respect Nuno does not seem to fit that criteria that Brands approves and likes to work with. I won't get too hasty and hope that results will do the talking both in pre-season and the first few games of the new campaign.

Moshiri to his credit, somehow managed to appoint a world class manager but then managed to lose him. I suspect that was because Ancelotti gave Moshiri some home truths about the squad, which he didn't take kindly to.

Moshiri is now apparently replacing him with an out of work fella who's won nothing, plays slow tempo, dull, defensive football. He's as inspiring to me as a bloke I read about a few years ago who was a member of the ‘Dull Men's Club' (motto ‘it's ok to be dull' if my memory serves me). He was a former postie who's ambition in life was to photograph all of the UKs 115,000 post boxes.

I implore everyone to familiarise yourselves with Moshiri's past comments about his role at Everton and his views on us fans. He basically originally thought leading Everton wouldn't take up too much of his time, subsequently realised it would, thinks us fans are uniquely very demanding and by implication part of the problem (which is why he has to spend much more time bothering with us and why he said he appointed Ancelotti as he wanted a manager who could deal with our unique fans and their expectations).

Moshiri is on record as stating he's assembled a team of proven internationals and so he appears to believe the problems with the team aren't with his player recruitment decisions, but with our past managers (which he appointed, but let's not worry about that detail) not being capable of dealing with the expectations of us fans. In other words Moshiri blames us.

Moshiri is a football fool as far as I'm concerned. Now he's rubbing our noses in it.

Some clown just inserted this into Nuno's Wikipedia bio:

"Nuno took over as Everton boss in June 2021, much to the dismay of many Evertonians, the move was likened to Sam Allardyce's appointment which also went down like a lead balloon."

Well, I'm not one of those Evertonians. I have no problem at all with Nuno's appointment.

Wolves played three seasons of good, sharp, impressive football before this season's train wreck -- one winning the Championship and then two 7th-place finishes in the Prem, the club's best stretch in 40 years. They generally played spirited, organized football on the pitch, and off it showed the ability to recognize, bring in and develop players who had failed elsewhere, like Raul. They sucked this season and Nuno's work stunk, but I was still surprised when they sacked him. And I think he was the best manager currently available.

Notice I emphasize those two words. The idea that Rangnick wanted to return to the touchline was pure speculation. It was likewise speculation that Gallardo might be interesting and interested, that Galtier would leave France for a mid-table English club, that Potter had any interest in leaving Brighton (or that we were interested in him). Martinez and Moyes were never coming back. And Benitez? Howe? The utterly failed Silva? No thanks.

Am I thrilled about Nuno? Nah. But this club needed to get to work RIGHT NOW on summer transfers, and Moshiri was never going to wait weeks or months for a longshot to come in. I'm OK with this.

Greg #93, I didn't see your post before I put up mine, but it looks like we said many of the same things.

What exactly is Moshiri's strategic thinking? I've tried four managers that don't have beards, now let's try one that does?

Andy @ 95, how many post-boxes did you actually manage to photograph? :-)

As the days & weeks went on, the more I didn't really want this one, so if it's true, then I find it slightly underwhelming.

It has been weeks right or is that just my lack of sleep and constant thinking too much about this??

But, if it happens, then so be it and I'll get behind him. I said early on in the rumour cycle, this one could make sense due to our South American contingent. No substance in that, just a thought.

Me getting behind him is irrelevant however. Most importantly, Moshiri and Brands need to and get better players. We need better players.

Ah! you've sussed me Derek! 132 so far, not many I know, but it's much harder than I thought, the pressure of expectation of all my mates in the Dull Men's Club is hard to deal with.

Must admit I knew plenty more names of managers that I didn't want. Conte would shake things up but 1 season is long service for him. Potter is well respected and on his way to the top so on balance would have liked him to get it. Nuno no thanks. Get ready for an influx of Portuguese players.

Mike, Espiritu Sanyo is not the best candidate of managers currently available. Conte is available, Gallardo is looking for an opportunity in Europe and I would only consider that Galtier out of our range if I thought Lille are a bigger club than Everton - they are not. Personally, I would pay Conte whatever he wanted to shake the foundations of this club from top to bottom. He might only last two seasons but he would clean house and reduce the mediocrity and complacency from top to bottom.

Wolves's performances last season were really poor and the fact that his main option was Crystal Palace is telling. Basically, this appointment will land like a sack of sh*t with supporters. But of course, once we hire him we have to back him 100%.

I'll say it one last time while I'm still allowed to speculate before something is confirmed.

Total management level restructure.

Rangnick in as manager.

Brands takes on a more prominent board level role. Basically runs the show for Moshiri.

Rangnick manages up, working with Brands on transfers and rebuilding the academy. He's renowned as a builder.

He also manages down, mentoring a young up and coming coach like Terzic from Dortmund.

I wish we'd have thought big on this and done something different to really shake things up.

I think this appointment is about right. Mid table manager for a mid table club.
Lets face it we are a boring and unimaginative club with no real ambition other than to stay firmly in the league. I expect we'll see finishes somewhere between 9th-12th over the next couple of seasons.

I'd like the club to do one thing. Just bin our motto. NSNO was dead long long ago. Please just bin it and re brand it to something different

Seems to be a lot of negativity on here, and not a lot of realism. He did produce good football, and had his team over perform for 2 years, finishing above us 2 years in a row. His teams were organised and looked to have spirit and flair. When was the last time we could say that? He had a poor season last year, but had a lot of injuries, and players sold. So for me, this seems a realistic and a decent appointment.

Nu. No thanks. Agree with #102.

He appeared to lose the dressing room with Wolves last season, so there appears to be a flaw in his character. Hence, Wolves position in the leagu last season.

Have Moshiri, Brands and Co. not learned our lessons with past manager appointments. We need a strong character, not another wet blanket.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but Allardyce is looking better than some of our candidates. Either that or give it Dunc.

If this is shows the real ambition at the club, I now understand why Ancelotti walked out the first chance he got. This would be probably the worst appointment since the last Goalkeeper manager we had, Mike Walker. Imagine that crowd of losers playing under him next season.

It really doesn't matter what manager we appoint in my opinion. It's the players that are just not good enough. They can't string two passes together, they're either too slow, too weak or too small or all of those things. Put all of those inadequacies together with a total lack of passion, effort, interest and commitment then you come up with our current Everton football team.

Moshiri could appoint Guardiola or Conte and they couldn't even make a difference. The new manager coming in (and it's looking like Nuno) needs to sell or release every single player in the
squad bar Godfrey and we all know that's not going to happen. The whole football club has been coasting for at least the last thirty years and needs professionally overhauling from the inside out.

He turned down approaches from Real Madrid and Juventus to join Everton.

Steve #102, sorry but anybody who thought Conte was available to us was dreaming. His last four jobs were Juve, Italy, Chelsea and Inter. And now at 51, in the prime of his managerial career, he's gonna come to 10th place Everton? For money? After the millions he's made? Pure fantasy, mate. Never happen.

Gallardo may well be looking for an opportunity in Europe. But France, where he played. Or Spain, where he'd speak the language. A guy who reportedly turned down Barca to stay in a dream situation at River isn't going to leave for mid-table England. Again, you're dreaming there.

Now, Galtier seemed like a reasonable shot. Reportedly we approached him. But he already chose Nice. Stayed safely in France where he's been comfortable and successful for 12 years. So he wasn't available after all.

And you have no idea whether Palace was Nuno's "main option"... we know they took a strong run at him, but we have no idea who else he might have heard from, or what other choices he may have had.

Moshiri out!!

Nuno is a Portuguese male name, derived either from Latin nunnus "grandfather or nonnus "chamberlain, squire"

Danny #103, Rangnick essentially stopped managing three years ago to move into higher executive management. He accepted a return to the touchline at AC Milan, but it was cancelled. He's had serious health issues in the past.

I never read a word anywhere that indicated he was interested in this job.

That's me blessing myself every week then - In nomine Patris et fillii

This is typical Everton: when we need to appoint someone that will take no crap and do it his way, we once again go for a coach that will try and please the players instead of a manager that will put his foot down and sort this crap out.

Not a good time in history to be an Everton supporter and, after 52 years, it's getting really hard.

Jerome#64
Well as someone who is something of a master of it yourself, you're possibly in a better position to call it.

Don't understand all this negativity. Will be interesting to see the comments of all the naysayers in a couple of months into new season. Also the assumption is that this is a Moshri, surely Brands in his new role has the say.
From my perspective I don't know if he is good enough but all those commenting on boring football should remember the football our former esteemed Marquis manager had us playing. Just look at our goal difference. I for one am not sorry Ancelotti is gone as I did not see him making progress. All I want is our new manager build a team of young hungry players who give their all for the club. All this clamour for out of work managers mystifies me as I believe that they would feign the same committment as Carlo and be gone as soon as the going got tough.
Of all the options realistically available I would prefer Rangnik who is a team builder, Potter was another option who builds teams but looks like he is loyal to Brighton or in both cases see the job on hand and see a poison chalice.
I remember some years back admiring how he had Wolves playing and wishing we had someone like that.. All I can say at the moment if it is true, is I wish you the best of luck, you will need it judging by the support you are getting here on TW and possibly at a full Goodison. Go on prove them wrong and make them eat their words. NSNO

A safe pair of hands ? Did anyone watch Wolves last season ? Will he take direction of Brands or keep buying Portuguese ? Underwhelming so will probably turn out to be decent.

I would have been happy with Benitez.

Terry#108

I agree. It's not just the player it's the whole back setup, built up over 20 years. Just been reinforced by Brands three promotions, making him well and truly part of the Everton Establishment and probably the next Chairman in waiting. Promoted on such achievement as a Lower value squad, little youth development, helped reinforce the backroom management structure, midtable finish, and suggestions on a new mid table manager. It will be interesting to see how Nuno's backroom. team are fitted in and how long it will take to announce their roles.

Mike#96

It's started before he us actually appointed.

As with each (latest) Everton manager, I will give Nuno the benefit of the doubt, support him, and hope he's a success.

My main concern, however, is with the people running the club ie Moshiri, Bill and the Dame. They strike me as the most incompetent bunch of fools in football. I thought the two yank cowboys across the park, and the WHU porn kings were bad but this lot take the cake!!

Once the stadium is built I hope they sell up and leave town.

Some of the usual shite being spouted on here along with some well balanced views. For me, Andy @ 21 sums it up best - just getting half of our lot looking like they give a fuck will do me.

I personally am underwhelmed but after what's just happened with Ancellotti I have decided I can't get that invested in whoever we appoint. After all let's be honest, whoever gets the job will probably do one should a ‘bigger' club flutter their eyelashes anyway.

Steve Ferns - for me you have always been on of the more knowledgeable TW types however, I am glad to see that you have had a couple of replies to your post already. No more words needed on this subject.

Finally from me and most importantly, I hope Nuno Holy Spirit shaves his beard off. He looks like a proper scruff with it I reckon.

Brendan#116

Sorry Brendan on reflection out of hand.

Underwhelmed with this, disappointed even. However, if true then he will become the manager of our club and I will get behind him. Spurs fans feel similarly about the Fonseca apt.

If this is the owners choice then so be it. I think they should have gone all out for Mancini, he would return to the Premier League I believe and is exactly what this club needs now. Uncompromising, would demand the removal of the rubbish squad we have and creates very fit teams who play on the front foot. He also doesn't take shit from anyone, including owners. And that my friends is exactly the issue at Everton, the owners are inflexible and think they know better than the managers, so a firebrand will never be given the job at Everton!
However, I wish Mr Santos all the best of luck, as he's gonna need it! Just a side note, I did a site visit last night to look at work, and the customers are both Wolves season ticket holders and with out prompting they said it's a big loss for Wolves and spoke of him in glowing terms. They also described him as a bit of a disciplinarian who expects the correct behaviour, demeanour and lifestyle from players or they are dumped pronto.
Interesting.

I thought this was a done deal last weekend and was going to be announced on Monday so not sure what has held it up.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, if we had lost Richarlison and DCL last summer then we wouldn't have finished 10th. Wolves lost Jota and Jiminez which would be their equivalent.

Jury is out on all concerned but proof will definitely be in the pudding. A couple of exciting signings and we will all be revved up again come August.

Had it been my choice, I'd have taken Galtier. Nuno is certainly not my preference but I'll back him when he arrives, unless he gives me reason not to. His wolves team were better than us. That's a fact. They were flying before they sold Jota and lost Jiminez. Once the striker fractured his skull and they never replaced him, they were a different team. Much like we'd be if we lost our only striker. He plays with pace and width which is fine by me and I'm praying his first signing is Neto. What he's achieved in his short career is impressive. I don't judge him on his Wolves team last year, no striker and sold arguably their best player in Jota. I'll judge him on what he does at Everton. I think we can safely say that it's the end of the road for crabs like Iwobi. Nuno plays with pace and wingers who beat men and cross balls. Iwobi is a gonner. Neto and Traore will do.

Who said we're not ambitious. We're getting Palace's reject !

Doesn't inspire me but then we don't want another Ancelotti who just took the piss. We just need a competent manager with a safe pair of hands to keep us up. Let's give Nuno a chance. We're going nowhere till we build a squad.

I would echo the comments that serious questions should now be asked of Moshiri as he clearly doesn't have a clue what he is doing, has no joined up modus operandi and seems to choose his managers on a whim rather than a clear vision and strategy for success. Brands must now be wondering what he is doing here.

I would also agree that this is a really uninspiring choice and wouldn't be high on my preferred candidate list as personally I was hoping for a Pochettino, Ragnick, Martinez or even a Potter appointment all for different reasons.

There are three so called 'Givens' permeating through this thread which I don't agree with;

1-Nuno is the safe pair of hands appointment. For me Nuno's excellent achievements at Wolves are wholly dependent on that relationship with that Portuguese dynamic at Wolves which essentially 'cornered the market'. Surely Wolves will still get a slice of the pie and I'm not sure that the success they had will be readily transferable.

2-This idea that Wolves have had a 'disastrous' or 'train wreck' of a season displaying a 'lack of final third intensity' shows a real lack of football intelligence in my opinion. Nuno had to deal with losing the goals of Jota and the unexpected loss of Jimenez without a replacement. Silva is a raw talent bought for the future who isn't ready now but had to be thrown in. I think Nuno did magnificently to cope and never looked at any stage to be dragged into a relegation dogfight as they don't have many goals in their armoury so he took a more pragmatic approach. Imagine where we would have been if Clowncelotti had lost Dominic and Ricky this season with all those tight games we came out on the right side of? It doesn't bear thinking about.

3-Nuno doesn't favour youth. I had a look at the list of players brought to Wolves and the majority were under 24 especially those with significant transfer fees. Of the more established players all have been really astute business. Indeed his transfer activity really is excellent and very few look like being poor acquisitions. Personally I feel this manager will be the best for our young players since the Moyes/Martinez eras as the last four regimes have chosen to neglect. He didn't hesitate in throwing the young England player Gibbs White at 17 so I believe the likes of Gordon and Nkonkou will get more of a chance.

Sorry Dan just seen you posted similar

That terrible beard has got to come off, then we will see the real Nuno

Extremely underwhelming choice. This proves that Moshiri hasn't got a clue. What is the point in having a DoF if he's just gonna ride roughshod and constantly make bewildering decisions. Hope I'm wrong, but mid-table mediocrity here we come!

I'm still judging the progress on the club on the player signings we make in the next year or two, rather than manager. When we get 5 to 6 excellent players in, then the manager will become more important in making the difference in winning a trophy.

As Carlo proved, you win nothing without great attacking players, and Nuno proved at Wolves last season when he lost his best two attacking players. Tactics have to go ultra defensive as the opposition know you have no bite and your team become less adventurous to make up for lack of match winners so that you don't lose (see Brighton for reference on constant attacking and chances created and yet low number of games won.)

Let's see what Brands can do to improve the squad this summer to start with. I do hope it's at least a miniumum of a couple of exciting buys coming our way so we're building a squad on top of the Godfrey aquisition recently.

Paul #118... "Did anyone watch Wolves last season ?"

Yep, we did.

Did you happen to watch them for the three seasons before that?

Better and more exciting than us in all three of those seasons.

And even with last season's miserable performance, Nuno's winning percentage in four years at Wolves is 47.74.

That's a fraction better than Carlo. Way better than Marco, Sam or Ronald. Better, in fact, than any full-time Everton manager since Howard Kendall's first departure in 1987. And, by the way, he's Wolves' best manager in at least 50 years.

Let's not write him off just yet.

Benn @125 has it right, judge the man on what he does at Everton, there is no other fair or reliable metric to judge him by,

I admit to being more than a little afraid that with our squad, Nuno will produce very similar tactics to Carlo and those who came before Carlo, and if he does, then we're likely in for another 18 months of angst and frustration. However, none of us can predict the future, if we could, we wouldn't be on here, we'd be living in luxury and possibly in a position to own a football club.

Everton sometimes feels like the gift that keeps on taking, it's about time it gave us long-suffering fans something back, we can only hope that the Portuguese manager is the one to set us on the path to glory.

I get all that Mike.

I guess I was talking about a change of management structure and model if you take the names out of it.

I wouldn't see Rangnick as overseeing daily management of the team, that would be the head coach. He (Rangnick or whoever) would work with Brands, who would effectively be running the club on behalf of the owner. But also overseeing the coach and stepping in where necessary. Manage up and manage down.

Like I say, just a thought to overhaul the management structure of the club. I know it won't happen. We will carry on being Everton.

Maybe this is in place already and Brands will be the "Rangnick" providing he is empowered to do his job. Brands is my Rangnick, Nuno is my Terzic??

Allan
Your last comments are the most encouraging in this whole thread. Just what we needed.
Secondly all those clammering for high profile journeyman managers, have we learned anything from Carlo appointment. Carlo saw the task ahead and didn't have the stomach for the fight. I suspect many others feel the same.
I hope Nuno is that fighter, who will take on the challenge of whipping this team back into shape and restore some pride which is long time gone.(see comments in this thread)

Gary 130

In case you hadn't noticed that's where we've been for decades.

Quite happy if it's Nooningtons he has successfully done what few others have and turned an ailing giant around. Fingers crossed he can do the same here

I'm ok with the appointment I guess. I think it's a pretty sensible choice considering who else is available. And is his relationship with Mendes such a bad thing? Portugal are producing so many good players these days, here's hoping we can find a few gems. Pedro Neto would be a brilliant addition if he followed Nuno, love watching him.
The football can't get any worse than it was under Carlo, the second half of last season was utterly woeful on the eye and maybe with Nunos love of flying wingers, we'll certainly be a lot more easy on the eye.

Here's hoping.

Mike @ 110, pure fantasy, never happen. Think we've heard those words before Mike about 18 months ago! Conte is out of work and no-one is going to hire him this season into a top job. As for Galtier if he is going to Nice then he is lacking in ambition.

I actually think Everton are floating Espiritu Santo's name to see what the fan reaction will be. Uninspiring and disappointing is the common consensus, but we have to back him if he is appointed.

Kunal @ 104, I think the club has huge ambition. Sadly, it lacks the competency and discipline to deliver on its strategy.

If it's true surely we should all get behind him and the Everton cause.

Get a good supply of tin hats ready Nuno, you're going to need them.

Pat K ' 127, " We just need a competent manager with a safe pair of hands to keep us up. Let's give Nuno a chance. "

Well Pat, he was a Goalkeeper, so he should have a safe pair of hands. :-)

“Moshiri out”

Fucking hell. Some people need to give their heads a wobble. The man has spent a fortune on us and employed people to spend his money wisely. He's finally gonna build our stadium and people want him out? While he's here, we'll always be able to compete for players. Yeah, money has been wasted but he doesn't pick the players. He just pays for them.

Without him, we're Burnley! Make no mistake.

One matter that does concern me is Nuno has a bigger gang than "Top Cat", where will that leave Big Dunc I wonder ?

Yawn.. I hope this is not true.

Rejected by others clubs, if the links were true, finds a home here. How, why?

No, nuno, just no.

Here's the full list of his backroom staff :)
1.1 Top Cat
1.2 Benny the Ball
1.3 Choo-Choo
1.4 Brain
1.5 Fancy-Fancy
1.6 Spook

I work with a Wolves fan who was gutted he left, they sold some good players which did effect last season. I agree slightly underwhelming but he at least will bring fresh ideas to the Everton Family stagnation at Finch Farm.

We are a mid table side, with an empty trophy cabinet and no CL exposure. EFC are not attractive to the best unless millions is offered (with get out clauses)
Not sure what people expect or want. Personally I'd have liked Rafa or Lampard before Nuno but there would have been even more negativity amongst the fanbase.

Well at least the club can save a few quid on having to hire a Santa for the Xmas party.

Disheartening to see Evertonians positioning themselves to scream "TOLD YA SO!!" at the first downturn in fortunes for Nuno.

An old Evertonian who went back to Dixie's time once said - "none so fickle as Evertonians" - he was bang on.

People with with trite phrases like "I'll give him my support mind" after calling him all kinds can fuck right off. Shameful.

Danny #134, could be. Personally I like your vision.

Steve #138, Galtier has managed over 500 games in France and is reportedly staying there, so yeah, he does appear to lack ambition to leave Ligue 1. As for Conte, after a decade as one of the world's highest-paid managers, he sure as hell doesn't need a second-tier job like ours. Just stay home, relax and wait for the phone to ring. I'll bet the rent that some slumping CL club will be in for him by Christmas.

Wolves midfield is similar to ours. Slow but some good technique.

What made them 'good' is the pacey wingers and forwards.

Forger nuno, get Neto and another top forward and bring in a more attack minded manager.

I'm pretty ok with this appointment. Maybe that's what we need right now, a slightly underwhelming, under the radar appointment, to manage expectations with the clearly limited squad we have and hopefully build it into something good. I'm kinda done with getting excited about managerial appointments, I was excited when we appointed Koeman and beside myself when we appointed Ancelotti, look how they turned out. There was a petition in the early days of Howard's first stint to get him out, look how that turned out. You never know (ok so clearly hoping that Nuno will win a couple of titles and cups is a stretch way too far, but the point still stands that those you expect the least of can sometimes do something really good)

Allan Board @ 124: EFC not wanting a boat rocker / fire brand; Brian Clough hinted at much the same thing.

I don't believe there was a single inspiring option out there in reality - and Nuno is probably a safer bet (and cheaper) than Potter (although I think Potter could yet go places). Spurs are better placed than us and have got the average Fonseca.

With such a mediocre squad we aren't set up for instant success so as Brendan #60 notes it needs time for Nuno to create an identity for us. I don't mind patient possession football as an identity as long as we upgrade the attack and flanks. It may even suit some of our players better.

But we must upgrade the attack and flanks big time. Hopefully that's about to start.

Mr Ferns - 48 - I had to laugh at your post! I could see you banging your fingers against the keyboard in anger and frustration and when you hit the Submit button it landed at TW so hard it woke the moderators!! Brilliant!

We won't get that iconic blowing on the coffee with this guy. On another thread I gave one poster some stick about us being a mid table team and his constant moaning. Well after this appointment mid table will be a relief.

I said two weeks ago he'd have my phantom tenner. From club management perspective, he ticks a lot of boxes:

Promoted, 7th, 7th, last 8 of Europa League beats our recent record.

Knows the League and our players (and he's still interested?)

Did lots of genuine community work at Wolves.

He's available and the job is a step-up for him.

I don't know much about the managers many world football experts touted on here. I suspect if any of them had brains, they'd have took one look at our last few years and either immediately walked away or drove too hard a bargain to cover their back. The sharp ones will wait for a 'better' opportunity.

Wolves looked like an improving team to me, until last season, when they sold Jota and lost Jimenez to injury. Imagine if we'd sold Richarlison then lost DCL for most of the season? Big question for me is whether that was the only reason things went pear-shaped there.

None of the names excited me, so if this is true, I'm shrugging my shoulders. Welcome him and handsome is as handsome does is my policy.

Martin Berry @ 143: as Officer Dibble?...we needed Lazio Lazio, we got Benny the Ball.

Conor @ 128: 'where does that leave Brands?' - trousering a rather large wedge, in an 'OK TC' manner.

I'll get me coat.

He's not for me. Not good enough for Wolves, he should be nowhere near our club.

Basically bought the championship, busting fair play to get promoted. £25m Neves, whilst the rest had nothing.

A decent first season when clubs underestimated them - see Ipswich and Sheffield United. Then back to reality with a turgid second season and they wanted him out.

Can't wait for pedestrain & rigid 3-5-2, Conor Coady, and Gomes given another chance plodding in midfield. Piss poor appointment.

Will some of you cheer up, he hasn't even been given the job yet and you already want him out. Who did you think we where going to get?. Pep, Klopp or tuchel. He's not my choice but if he gets it I will give him my support and time. But I imagine by Christmas the LF will be calling for his head.

I'm happy to give him a chance to show what he can do.

He's not Carlo. He's not Benitez and he is not TGT.

Reasons to be cheerful 1-2-3

Yes, Wolves lost some good players last season. Everyone did.

But he still finished below Newcastle with a team featuring Neves, Neto, Semedo, Coady, Patricio, Ait-Nouri, Traore etc. that's a lot of talent. To finish below a terrible Newcastle team was very poor.

Once appointed I'll back him but not who/what I wanted.

First of all he's not here yet, if / when he comes why not sit back and give the man a chance to show what he can do,many were still prepared to give Ancelotti more time going into next season, he surely can't do any worse than Carlo, not much of a reason I know, but he deserves some backing at the start, I think.

I'll laugh my head off when Ferguson is Faust upon him.

My issues and the clubs problems aren't who the new manager, it's who's appointing him.

Our major shareholder seems to be a control freak with no clue what he's doing,. A horrible combination and I have no idea why Marcel Brands doesn't walk away and leave them to it.

Amidst all of the managerial news, I've only just become aware that Moshiri's mate, Jim White has decided to leave Sky Sports after 23 years, Transfer Deadline Day won't be the same without him. Is he in the running to be Everton's new media man? Imagine a daily dose of 'inside' information coming from Finch Farm via the excitable Jim White.

Correct Andrew. All the goat scapers scapegoating in the wrong places as per usual.

I admit to being initialy underwhelmed when I read this (potential) news last night, having had a hope for Galtier however unlikely.

That having been said I do recall 3 years or so back, when we were once again in the hunt for a new manager (I forget which point we were actually at), saying we should take a look at the Wolves fella (couldn't even work out his name at the time) who seemed to be pulling up trees in the championship, which of course he went on to win before arriving in the prem where he has done a pretty fair job in fairness.

As people are saying, notwithstanding the anomolous season we have just witnessed, he was beset with injuries and illness, and somewhat like us had to make do and mend with a pretty shallow squad.

We have seen that it is possible to get a tune out of our squad but for whatever reason, the times when we do actually click are all too rare. It seems any manager is partially hamstrung from the start with the players we have.

I came across this article from a few years back (when he was at Valencia) which is a long read but gives us maybe a little more insight into the workings of the man, and watch out for one or two interesting and familiar names in the article!

http://outsideoftheboot.com/2015/07/29/tactical-philosophy-nuno-espirito-santo/

I harbour a sneaky and optimistic feeling that we may prove to be pleasantly surprised.

The feedback on here is consistent with the ToffeeWeb poll - 58% favour Galtier and 5% Espiritu Santo. He will have a super tough job with such a low level of support among fans.

He'll need a good start that's for sure.

Hold on,let me get this straight...were about to hire this bloke who was in charge of a team last season that we did the double over??.

Utter fucking madness...here we go again folks.

Ok let's look at the positives. A manager stepping up to his biggest club yet, no doubt desperate to succeed and willing to work hard. In early, in time to run his eye over Brands' proposed transfer targets. PL experience. A transfer budget (including sale proceeds) to buy the fast wingers he seems to like. The possibility of ball- playing midfielders either coming from Wolves or elsewhere. Much better service for DCL and Richy. And (hopefully/presumably) an appointment that initially was driven by Brands, not Moshiri, and who can work closely with our DoF to develop a new Everton style of play and agreed transfer targets. That all sounds good to me.

There is no one outstanding available and he will be less of a risk compared to most of the names mentioned. He was very unfortunate last season with sales of and injuries to key players. He isn't the glamour signing that Carlo was but Carlo as it turned out wasn't up to the particular job and either realised that or just didn't fancy the slog that it was becoming for him.
If he gets the players fit and motivated it will be a good start and hopefully he will realise quickly that we have far too many slow players who apparently can't pass the ball to their own man.
Not glamorous ( apart from the exotic name), not exciting but I suspect a safe pair of hands who might just surprise us.
Give him a chance I'd say!

Ancelotti hardly set the world on fire for whatever reasons. People are calling out for Conte, Poch etc but do you really think they are going to come to a club who finished tenth and no European football. All we can do is get behind whoever they appoint and hope they are a success.

Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo. Who said we couldn't attract a big name manager.

Very depressing. Underwhelming, uninspiring. He looked bewildered managing a drab looking Wolves outfit that even we beat twice. Totally Everton. Probably the least exciting option of all the names suggested. I despair. Let's just hope there is some way out of this.

Goodison would have been a Nogo area for me if
Moyes or Benitez had turned up so Nuno is a relief
but underwhelming. As it is now clear that Moshiri
would have gone for Moyes let's just hope he
strikes lucky this time. I will certainly welcome Nuno
and give him some time. Well three months or so.

Anthony @174
So he has until mid-September then? :)

The Nuno of Wolves 2 to 3 years ago is fine for me. The Nuno of last year's Wolves isn't as inspiring. I think Moshiri was in a difficult situation having to find a coach as quickly as possible while at the same time interviewing candidates etc. It's not his fault Carlo did a runner. Another year of a new coach getting to know us with his own staff points to yet another dreaded year of transformation. I'm all for positivity but it seems like we've been here too many times before.

Underwhelmed, overwhelmed, either way we're still shit. We had one of the biggest names in world football and we were absolutely awful for the most part. It doesn't seem to matter who the manager is, the net result is the same - mid table mediocrity.

Looking forward to signing every Tom, Dick & Harry from Portugal over the next 18 months before we slide down the table to around 10th position and he gets fired.

Benn #142
I think you'll find that Colin was joking …

I seem to remember Moyes was 1/16 to be manager before Ancelotti (who was 40/1 at the same time) was appointed. Betting companies reflect how much money is being backed on certain people, driven by the public who are constantly misinformed by the media!

Moyes signs new contract = media think Nuno is a done deal as it's the one manager we have definitely had contact with. The sports news media know zero about Evertons movements, just look back at all the managerial names/ player transfers we've been linked to, its lazy journalism at best.

If it's Nuno give him a chance ffs, all the bed-wetters already saying he's shit/ disastrous etc will no doubt preach they were proved right when he's sacked (just like 99.9% of every football manager in the world) - wow, what incredible insight.

If Ancelotti was right and I've no reason to doubt him as I've witnessed it with my own eyes, Everton are better without the ball. Nuno got Wolves beating the best sides in the league without the ball and had them running until the 95th minute combined with quick, incisive, joined-up counter attacking. Surely at least having our players trying all the way through the game and not tiring in injury time is a possibly enormous uplift to the languid, spiritless shite we've seen for a few years?

Good luck to whoever gets the job they will need it with our squad

Barry Hesketh @164, I was calming and coming to acceptance that although not my choice, if this is happening, I get behind the new manager.

Now you've got me fretting. I can see Jim White being appointed as the new manager now.

I'm taking the dogs out again.

Good luck to him if he is appointed, been honest no matter who we appoint the odds don't look good (look at the last 5 managers). As Jay says 121 if we appoint big name they would soon be off if a bigger club come calling.

With the existing the squad if you want to proven right more than wrong on ToffeeWeb I'd say oppose the appointment.

Hoping he can pluck some young, energy filled players who can hack the demands of the premier league.

I wants overly impressed by most of the names touted for the role, would have liked the Lille guy but we would only have been a stepping stone.

Going in to a season with low expectations least gives the chance for pleasant surprise.

He's not here yet, but maybe someone might be able to look back at the match thread when Wolves turned us over during Marco Silva's first season at Goodison, because I'm sure Nuno, was getting a lot of praise for the job he was doing at Wolves, or maybe this was just because people were comparing him to Silva?

When Wolves came up and they were flying I thought we got the wrong Portuguese in Silva, but after reading his statistics on here I'm now not sure Nuno is the man either.

I would prefer Rangnick or Galtier but if it is to be Nuno all I can say is like Allardyce I hope he does well and makes himself a hero. But with the lack of nous in Moshiri's picks so far, it is very worrying our Saviour could kill us with steak when sometimes a jam butty is what we need.

Some say its as bad as the Alardyce appointment, oh trust me its much worse, when we appointed Allardyce we had a very young inexperienced coach in temporary charge. At that time it could have possibly been us being relegated and Moshiri/Usmanov could not afford that, also there werent many options out there at the time. Yes they were caught on the hop when Carlo walked out but there were many better candidates out there this time.

I like many were delighted when Moshiri became our owner, I thought at last we will be back to the Catterick and Kendal days of being able to compete at the top end of the league. But 5 years on this club under his stewardship has gone backwards. Apart from Ancelotti all of his managerial appointments were nearly all gambles as most had won nothing of note before arriving here. So now we appoint a man who finished below us last season, and if he was that good why did Wolves sack him forget this mutual consent crap, and interestingly why was only Palace the only club interested in him.

I also wonder with him bringing such a big entourage with him I guess this will see Fergusons involvement in first team coaching greatly curtailed, some might even see that as a plus. But I just wonder if the appointment of Brands to some new posts in the club only last week, could we also see his role being diminished.

I know Everton arent the powerful club they were when I started watching us, but I think this appointment shows just how far we have fallen, and I just wonder if this is Moshiri /Usmanov realising they cant turn this ship around so maybe their funding will go solely into the new stadium so they can at least recoup some of their losses when they build the stadium and sell the club. And for those peddaling the line well who could we have got well at present the managers of the Italian and French Champions are both out of work nil satis my arse.

Sam Newcastle without Willock, Saint Maximan and Wilson couldn't win a game of football. Once they got all these three fit and available they had firepower and flew up the table.

Wolves lost 24 goals from last season and 22 goals from the season before from between Jota and Jimenez. They haven't one player in their squad who has more than five Pl goals in a season. They also lost Docherty who also chipped in with a few.

In the previous two campaigns they averaged 49 goals whereas this was unsurprisingly only 36. I doubt anyone managing that squad this season would have done much better as there was a clear problem was to who was going to score the goals. They also a lot of new players to bed into the Premier League.

James Corbett tweeted an hour ago saying senior club officials were unaware of developments at 3pm yesterday and that announcements may have come from potential Managers. He says take Nuno news with a pinch of salt. Fingers crossed he is right.

Barry 175. You can't think I would be that impatient.Three months from the start of the
season.

Not Overwhelmed - Not Underwhelmed.

Who knows if this or that manager will be good for any particular club. The proof of the pudding is in the eating so we will just have to find out.
He got Wolves promoted and had them playing good football. Last season was tough on most clubs. He had a lot of injuries and selling Jota to the reds was a setback.
I don't see the point in going for another Carlo as the same thing could happen again and he would be away to a CL club first chance he got. We need experience and a level head who understands what is expected of him.
We finally unloaded some deadwood this summer and made some room on the salary budget. He should continue that process. Hopefully he can get more out of the likes of Richarlison and James and maybe bring in a decent right back and another forward.

I used to drive past Goodison on a regular basis Brian, cursing and shaking my head like a lunatic because of the big blue banner going across the park end stand, saying those once famous words, but whilst the holes in his shoes, became a thing of the past, they were replaced by little holes in the roofs of Goodison.

NIL SATIS NISI OPTIMUM - but surely a true Evertonian would have been more self aware, because Bill Kenwright's best, has never been good enough for Everton, and still the man remains.

Barry175. On reflection I will give Nuno more than three months. It will take me longer than that to recover from the latest dose of Moyes/Benitez
induced stress.

An article from The Athletic for those without subscription:

“I like a challenge. We'll bring commitment, try to make players better. I hope I can help build a new future… I really want to build something.”

Nuno Espirito Santo, June 1, 2017. He was true to his word.

Like pretty much every new Wolves manager, he said he'd be inspired by the club's 1950s heyday and attempt to get the club back to where it belonged. But this time they weren't platitudes.

Nuno turned down Champions League clubs to move to the Championship, buying into Fosun's vision but, crucially, and as opposed to the chaotic disorder of 2016-17 (which should always be remembered in the context of Nuno's early achievements), partnered with his old friend Jorge Mendes.

What followed was the most invigorating, inspiring and exhilarating three years the club had experienced for decades. Nuno had a dream, to build a football team.

It's hard to imagine now but at the beginning there were self-doubts.

Nuno was concerned that fans may not take to his style of football. In Wolverhampton, they're bred on direct, fast football and wingers sending over cross after cross, usually for Stevie Bull to get on the end of. Nuno wanted a slower, methodical approach with a foundation built on rigid organisation and trying to control games without the ball as much as with it.

He was also acutely aware of the need to get fans onside. A Molineux that's with you can add 10 points to your season. If they're against you, players go hiding.

table

Nuno may not come across as the shy, retiring type but he was no fan of the spotlight. At Porto, he used to hate switching on the TV at home and seeing his face plastered over the screen.

He was informed that his two predecessors, Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert, achieved similar results but contrasting levels of popularity. Zenga, for all his faults as a manager, was endeared for his at-times hysterical touchline melodrama and tub-thumping post-match demeanour on the pitch (even getting down on his knees to worship them after a win at Birmingham). He played to the crowd. Nuno was advised that a simple gesture of applauding the fans after a match went a long way, something he'd never done at Porto where he was perceived to be cold and emotionless. After a notable pre-season victory over Leicester City, he took to the Molineux turf and reciprocated their affection. A bond began.

With so much money spent, there was pressure to hit the ground running but for Nuno, after the intense scrutiny he was under at Valencia from media and fans, where his remit was fourth or nothing, this was nothing. He knew that if his players bought into his idea, they'd have a good chance of promotion. For some pre-match press conferences in those early days, there were only two reporters present (myself at the Express & Star and Radio WM's Mike Taylor).

After a short while, it almost seemed beneath him. The opening few weeks when Wolves started to take the league by storm meant Nuno knew he was destined for greatness and was building something special, even stating as much. To him, it was just a matter of time before everyone caught on. It didn't take long.

Previous boss Lambert had said there was no winning mentality at the club. Nuno sought to address that immediately, generating a fearless attitude among his players by providing them with short, basic, simple messages, or “their tasks” as he put it. “Do what I tell you and you'll win” was his mantra. He didn't overload them with long speeches and complicated tactical instructions. Instead Nuno, a man at his best on the training ground, showed them how to play during an intense pre-season training schedule. His “idea” was imprinted in the players' minds during 10 days in the Austrian hills.

“It's not all about talent and quality” he once said. “What supports everything is the way that you have a clean sheet, the way you support each other and react to loss of possession, the way you keep your shape and run back. This is football.”

Nuno, who was taken aback by seeing hundreds of Wolves fans travel to Austria to watch them play, began to work incessantly on the team's shape. They'd work on their shape, then work on their shape again, then think about what to do and decide to work some more on their shape.

There were two or three sessions every day but they weren't fitness-based.

“He was relentless in the details” midfielder Dave Edwards told The Athletic last year. “He would speak as we were playing. If something went wrong in the build-up or the shape, he would stop us, then we'd repeat the move again and again. It was often moving a player a yard here or there, to be in exactly the right position. He drilled it in every single day.”

Nuno also started to generate a strong fellowship between his players and core backroom staff. Outsiders, such as staff who were already at the club, or even the club's own media team, weren't included. Unusually for a new manager, he did no interviews with either the club or the local press in those early weeks. It was part of creating a siege mentality — us against the world, no outsiders allowed.

(Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
“Nuno makes the player think they're all that matters, regardless of any noise from outside” Edwards added.

“He has that perfect blend between respect and fear” Edwards says. “You don't want to get on the wrong side of him but you want to play for him, too. He united everyone.”

Either players were on board, or they were out the door. Back at Compton he wrote in big capital letters “NUNO'S WAY, NOT YOUR WAY” aimed specifically at one who wasn't adhering to his instructions. There was no room for manoeuvre. It was his way, his philosophy, his idea. And at the heart of it was attention to detail and world-class expertise from his backroom team, who introduced new methods in injury prevention, rehabilitation, fitness and psychology.

Intrigued by this new style of play and a mythical, beard-stroking manager, fans immediately signed up to the Nunolution. Molineux's biggest opening-day attendance since 1980 saw them beat promotion favourites Middlesbrough 1-0.

By October it was clear something special was happening. Wolves were top of the table and playing stylish football not witnessed in this part of the world for years. They reached the fourth round of the EFL Cup for the first time in 22 years, knocking out Premier League Southampton and then pushing Manchester City all the way to penalties at the Etihad.

“The best thing I can say about Nuno is, from a coaching perspective, coaches, managers, etc, they tend to say, ‘I need more time to build a philosophy. I need more time to build my team and the way it looks'” Kevin Thelwell told The Athletic last year. “Sometimes, that can be nine or 12 months. Nuno was able to build that in five weeks in pre-season. It was incredible.

“We were very lucky. We had a group of players who bought into the new philosophy but in five weeks of him being at the club, it looked like we'd been playing 3-4-3 for about 10 years.”

Players knew the system like the back of their hand. And if someone came into the XI he generally did so without disrupting the flow of the team. Everyone knew where to be on the pitch and what tasks they had to complete. It was the same at half-time: basic, uncomplicated instructions, small tweaks. They often performed better in the second half than the first as a result. Players exuded confidence and self-belief.

Whether it was converting Conor Coady into a ball-playing centre half, transforming Matt Doherty into one of the best attacking wing-backs in the country, or assembling a host of new players (yes, they were expensive and belonged at a higher level, but the “money equals success” argument won't wash with any Wolves fan who witnessed Sir Jack Hayward chuck millions at top-level players and managers in the 1990s and continuously fail to win promotion) into a cohesive, winning unit, almost instantly, Nuno could do no wrong.

Some of the goals that season came with an NSFW warning. Ruben Neves did things with the football that would be banned in 47 American states. Coady to Neves, back to Coady, out to Doherty or Barry Douglas, draw the opponents in, then unleash the red arrows down the flanks, one-twos, combinations, work the ball into the box, play between the lines, isolate defenders….and pounce. Goal. Game over. No one came from behind to beat them. Few teams could live with them. Watch the team goal finished by Diogo Jota against Sheffield United. They were like nothing the league had seen before.

With the additions of Joao Moutinho, Jonny Castro Otto and Raul Jimenez, they got even better in the Premier League, playing the same way every week (opposition teams and managers often remarked how damn difficult they were to play against… they were particularly devastating on the counter-attack), beating Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs, finishing seventh and reaching an FA Cup semi-final, before embarking on a European jaunt, the club's first for 40 years, that will never be forgotten.

The feelgood factor of those first two-and-a-half seasons was extraordinary.

In the stands they adored him. My goodness, it was something to be watch, to hear, to feel. This correspondent has been watching Wolves since 1991 and there's been nothing in three decades that came close to the universal devotion they gave him. Men, women, young, old, they didn't just admire and love him, they trusted him. Unequivocally.

Even after defeats he would ease their jitters with his carefully-chosen simple words. “We will bounce back, we will improve.” And they always did.

His frenzied passion in victory only endeared him to them further. Bristol City away in the Championship season, sent to the stands for arguing with the referee, he celebrated with a lion's roar cry, blissfully ignoring local club legend Alan Dicks' plea to “kindly move, old boy”.

Pissing off Tony Pulis and Neil Warnock after successive logic-defying victories on their way to the title (with nine men at Boro and then surviving two injury-time penalties to win 1-0 in Wales) only lifted his status to that of a demigod. Warnock told him to fuck off six times after Nuno stormed the pitch to celebrate the second penalty miss instead of stopping first to shake his opposing manager's hand. Supporters lapped it up.

wolverhampton-wanderers
(Photo: Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images)
That was Nuno, he didn't care much for authority. Referees felt his wrath (Lee Mason may wish to reconsider his retirement now he knows Nuno is leaving), he wasn't one for rules or authority. His discarded cigarette once caused the evacuation of Compton Park. On transfer deadline day, no less.

It was the beard, the grin, the passion, the philosophical statements, the upsetting the English football status quo, everyone else moaning about Nuno's behaviour, or Mendes' influence — in the stands they couldn't get enough. No victory was complete without him taking to the field and leading a chorus of cheers.

Away from the game, he remained intensely private, travelling home to Portugal to see his family whenever he could. When he was in Wolverhampton he didn't do much away from Compton Park, just playing a lot of golf and spending time with his trusted backroom lieutenants. Occasionally he could be spotted in The Crown pub in nearby Wergs, sometimes on his own, collecting his thoughts and getting away from the intense days of training where he'd channel all his energy.

His wife and family were at Wembley to watch Wolves beat Spurs. At full-time, he giddily waved to them. When asked in his post-match press conference who he was waving to, he wouldn't answer.

He was a different man when around them in the corridors of Molineux after matches. That beaming grin never left his face. Nothing could divert his attention.

He could be moody too, to put it mildly. If you weren't in that inner circle, he could be terse, direct, grumpy and aggressive.

In training he shouted at his players if they put their hands on their hips while listening to his instructions, seeing it as a sign of them not being alert.

“When I'm upset I can be the worst guy in the world” he once said. “I don't speak to you one day because I have everything in my mind. Next day I'm hugging people. It's natural, we have good and bad moments.”

He'd been burned by the Spanish press and had little or no interest in generating relationships with journalists, certainly in those opening two or three years. Press conferences would be notoriously terse, he'd snap at reporters or bite heads off in reply to reasonable questions, for no discernible reason. Journalists quickly learned which subjects he would never entertain (the league table, prospective transfers), but sometimes he'd generate a dark atmosphere simply in the manner he sat down. He'd occasionally apologise, he knew he was being difficult, but he didn't care. You always got the impression he felt he didn't need the press. His team were winning, so what was there to be gained by currying favour. He played the game by not playing the game, never giving anything which might motivate the opposition.

In his fourth year he mellowed and began to open up. The pandemic seemed to change him. There was sorrow (he missed seeing his family) behind those eyes at times and the devastation and disruption the pandemic had caused weighed heavily on his shoulders. It also robbed him of the control, organisation and detailed preparation that Wolves' success had been built on. He often didn't know what team he could pick a day before a game (due to an increase in injuries, yes, but also awaiting COVID-19 test results). Not the Nuno way. At around Christmas time that glint in his eye was gone, his energy seemed sapped. A toll was taken on a sensitive man who takes things to heart. You wonder if that transmitted to the players.

Would he and they have got that back after a well-deserved break and come back for a 5th year with renewed vigour and purpose? We'll never know.

But the fourth season, when Wolves took a step back and fans began to question him for the first time, doesn't damage his legacy.

In fact those first two and a half seasons remain frozen in time. When the pandemic began — and therefore the last time the vast majority of his adoring public saw him in person — Wolves were fifth in the Premier League and in the last-16 of the Europa League. His demigod status was undimmed. His team had never once been booed off during his tenure, his name had been sung every single week, they graffitied his name and face on the city's streets, his judgment wasn't questioned.

In the eyes of the majority of supporters, his legacy remains untarnished. Some compared Friday's news to a bereavement.

Appropriately his curtain call came at Molineux, back in front of fans, against Manchester United, the fixture which defined, more than any other of his 199 matches, what he did for this club. FA Cup quarter-final. March 16, 2019. Men openly sobbed that night and they did again on Sunday afternoon as they lined Waterloo Road to greet him for one last time, bellowing out his name, striking flares and creating clouds of gold.

There were only 4,500 at Molineux for his farewell but it felt like far more. They sang for him throughout, he waved at them, they told him they loved him. At full time he performed a lap of honour to resounding applause from every single one of them.

The players and staff, some of them in floods of tears, gave him a guard of honour as he left the pitch for the final time. The whole day was completely surreal. No manager leaves a club like this, it felt more akin to retirement.

Did he achieve everything he wanted to? “Definitely” he tells The Athletic. “When you want to work with a group of players, first you have to create a really special bond among themselves; with you, with the club, with the fans, with the city. Then comes the sporting achievement. But more important is the love and respect we have for each other.

“I think you are one of the first journalists I met, I still remember the first interview in Compton, I think you didn't even know me. But we arrived and we came from a club that means a lot to us as professionals, from Porto. We arrived not knowing what we were going to find.

“We found a club that since day one has given us all the support. There was not one decision we didn't make together. Always dialogue, always respect and this will stay forever.

“(Wolverhampton) really means a lot. You don't find out that you're going to fall in love with something until you really feel it. You cannot expect it. But it will stay forever, with me, my family, the coaching staff. Wolverhampton is a place that I love.”

Happy to be leaving? Absolutely not. Content he achieved all he wanted to in four years? Absolutely.

It's not been the season he wanted to end on, or the manner in which he will have wanted to say goodbye, with a full house at Molineux, Raul Jimenez on the pitch, a victory, etc.

And yet still, amid all the problems and issues, he managed to present his greatest gift to the city; £250,000 of his own money to help impoverished families in Wolverhampton, donated in January.

Nuno's money has meant hundreds of crisis families could put food on the table. It's provided tablet computers for homes that couldn't afford technology for children to learn during lockdown.

He came back from Portugal last summer after the first lockdown and said he wanted to do something for the city, feeling passionately that people who were suffering should be helped. Discussions were had as to the best way to channel his money and the notion of kids simply not having food on their tables resonated most of all, with food poverty a huge problem in Wolverhampton.

He kept in regular contact with staff from the Wolves Foundation who rolled out the Feed Our Pack campaign across the city (the Premier League matched Nuno's donation and there has also been £80,000 come in from supporters and other donations, with money also going to help food banks, plus school holiday activities and education), who have updated him with details of its vital work for crisis families.

One member of the team called his contribution “unique and unprecedented”. A bit like his time at Wolves.

He just got it. He understood what this sleeping giant needed, he understood what success meant to the club, to the city. He left his home country to reside for four years in an impoverished, deprived, unfashionable, working-class area in a small corner of the West Midlands. And he fell in love.

He ends with the best win percentage of any manager in the club's history (48 per cent) but it was about so much more than numbers. He changed the entire culture of a club, he put smiles on the faces and in the hearts of thousands and thousands of people. He made them proud. He made them dream. He made them believe. The story he created will be told to sons, to daughters, to grandchildren, to great-grandchildren.

“When I came here it was to build something and create an idea and a philosophy, to build an identity” he once said. “It's more than a football pitch — it's a club, it's a city… it goes beyond prizes. I'm proud of our work.”

The songs will turn to silence, the graffiti in Chapel Ash will fade, the T-shirts with his big, beaming face on them will be thrown out. But the memories will last forever.

Another indication of what we are and where we are.
A safe appointment

Been reading some of the Wolves forums and the majority are sad to loose him and pleased for him that he is going to us and not Palace. They all say the football in the three years before covid was fantastic and exciting to watch, and they will give him a great reception on his return. They are also worried about which players he will come back for.
Lets give him a chance before righting him off as a failure.

Bland, bland bland. We experiment with camomile tea and fail to raise a smile while RS engorge on industrial strength viagra and fuck everything. Given Nuno's demands and the size of his back room staff, this must surely be a watershed moment for the club; or will the coaching jobs remain for Duncan and the rest?

And what does this mean for Brands?

I am a realist and didn't expect, or want, the likes of Conte or Simeone, but would have been horrified at the prospect of Benitez or a return of Martinez, but I harboured hopes we may see Duncan manage the team while Brands finds promising players: checks and balances to Duncan's temperament and inexperience.

We seem to have this cozy collection of former players in the coaching ranks but decline to give them a chance of any meaningful input: why? Are they all incompetent? If this goes ahead I wish him well, of course, but I feel it is a weak move, another safe appointment, mere damage limitation rather than something positive and daring. The top managers are not attracted to Everton and those with rising stock would be foolish to risk a hard earned reputation at Goodison. Nuno is probably the best pick of a very mediocre bunch: Howe, Benitez, Moyes, a group where Potter is considered an exciting firebrand.

It looks like we will never know how Ferguson and Brands may have fared.

The single most glaring deficiency around here has been a complete absence of spirit, a casual acceptance by too many players for far too long, of defeat. That has been by far the hardest thing for me to take. I have seen very little from Nuno to suggest he will challenge this attitude.

Nuno may bring some quality in with him, Neto or Neves for example, which would be great, but this just seems so predictably Everton again, another disappointment.

For all those who wished for root and branch reforms at Finch Farm, be careful what you wish for.

He'll play better football than Carlo. He will get more out of these players than Carlo. He will finish higher than Carlo (forgone conclusion). He will not fleece the club and cheat the fans like Carlo.

The overwhelming majority of Carlo's supporters will give their support for the new guy. It wont be unconditional, but it will be solid support.
Unfortunately The dozen or so, finger in the ears, Happy clappers who have patrolled this site for the past 18 months will find it more difficult.
It wont take much for the self proclaimed positives to turn on the bearded one. Its amusing to see some already itching to do so.

We're about to find out how positive they REALLY are

The New Angling Season is officially opened. 😁😁

Thomas @ 197, are you phishing ? :-)

Darren 196. We were on the same page regarding the dreadful Ancelotti but I can't share your optimism on Nuno. There is no evidence to suggest he will finish higher than we did under Ancelotti. Nuno's Wolves had the lowest pressing stats in the top five European leagues ( except Newcastle).

I fear we will be in a relegation battle next season.

Look up the word negativity in the dictionary and you'll find the word ToffeeWeb.
This place sucks the life out of me like one of them dementors in Harry Potter.
Be happy in your misery - I'm out of here.
UTFT

Mike(#110); It's not just a matter of would the Managers you mention come to mid-table Everton, as possibly more importantly, did we bother asking!

At the moment it looks like the easier way out has been taken and lends strength to the rumour that Ancelotti's appointment happened only with Mr Usmanov's intervention.

Regardless, I would think that everyone on here wants whoever is appointed to be successful, and not in terms of his redundancy payment.

Thanks Sam
I'm one of the Underwhelmed but the article was a great read.
We'll probably appoint Benitez now!

Seems Santo is destined to fail before he's even had a chance to get the gig (if indeed he does).
After going for the "Hollywood" manager (and look how that turned out) there's absolutely no way of knowing how ANY manager will do.
Ancelotti proved that past performance means nothing, so it doesn't really make sense to say that Santo will be worse because of this or that.
Managers come and go, but Everton remain, and it's Everton I'll be supporting and hope that Santo can get the team playing on the front foot and trying to entertain in the process.
There isn't a manager out there I'd say "Oh yes he's the one that will turn us around" because I honestly don't have the confidence in any of the candidates. Not because I don't rate them but simply because I haven't got a fucking clue how it will go no matter who's appointed. We could hire, potentially, the best manager in the world and it could still go to ratshit.
But if he's hired then it's "Welcome to Everton Santo, good luck, make us proud."

All of a sudden, I will be more interested in watching Portugal than England in the euros.
Plenty of negative vibes on this thread, ie Wolves where shite last season, HELLO? how did the Blue boys perform?

Calm down everyone. Sky reporting it's far from a done deal.

No point in getting antsy about this. After the failures of Koeman, Martinez, Ancellotti and the other bum from Watford we should be used to the uncertainty.
I think he was quite decent at Wolves so let's give him a fair shake.

Sam @ 192, Strewth, thought you had re-written War and Peace there mate. A lot of your article already posted by Tony Abrahams, but it does make encouraging reading, if he is the best we can get, or hope for at least we should all give him our support. I think he will do okay.

I think the alleged stumbling block could well be over his already large entourage (Keep it Clean!) and be able to accommodate Duncan, Baines, Ebrell and Jeffers as well or who goes, and who stays.

We could do with Rob Halligan taking his dog for a walk again, to get the juicies on what's happening " Within Those Walls ".

People trying to put a positive spin on this with endorsements and testimonies, but ultimately he failed with Wolves last season. Had we got him when he was on the up with Wolves we may have a different reaction.

It's a bit meh, a bit mediocre. Seems to be what we are these days. What Carlo said about our objectives can interpretted in different ways but it seems to me we're a club that doesn't believe in NSNO anymore but simply "top 6 top 7 will do".

It's Groundhog Day. Not really taking Everton forward just middle of the road, mid table. The word 'safe' used a lot. I hope to god it's not negative defensive football.

The appointment may be given some leeway because of the low level of available managers, although seems to be another panick appointment to me.

Whilst on the subject of eulogies, what about Carlo with all his glory, and his "A Quiet Leadership" ? It really did nothing for us, nothing.

Ian

Its actually really difficult for a club like Everton to be relegated at the moment. The days of "too good to go down ?" have for me, disappeared. There always seems to be 3 teams who are simply too bad to stay up. Then there is another three or four who will always oblige by forming a buffer.

You may be right about Nuno. I have already said I know little about him. I have been encouraged by the stuff I'm reading from people who do know him - especially Lyndon.

For me he represents possibilities. I see none of the forgone conclusions many saw when Carlo was appointed.

I have long since stopped EXPECTING trophies. I just want to see decent football. Good football always improves the chances of being successful.
If Nuno brings it I'll be happy. If he looks like he is trying to bring it, I will be patient. If he continues with this zombie footy lark. He'll be gone quicker than Carlo. Dont forget, the crowds will be back

This (providing he gets the gig) will be His big chance. Goodison has become like New York...If you can make it here you can make it any fucking where

Underwhelming for me. He wasn't good enough for Spurs ambitions so what are we?

Nothing against the man but I am an Evertonian with a valid concern for the future. I can't see us ever chasing anything but a Europa League run.

Surely you go for the best possible manager available? Conte may be off the scale but who after him? Galtier, a recent champion who has progressed teams for 10 years running.

18 months ago we were looking for "winning mentality" so what is the foresight here?

Strange appointment for me but at the same time I have always stressed what I think the real ambitions are. I just hoped one day the club would thrill me with surprise.

Sam (192), thanks for your time and effort in complying that post, if Nuno comes he'll get my backing same as Benitez who is still very much in the running for the job, and that will really have the posts on here flying in if he gets appointed.

Sam #192

Thanks for that post. I am underwhelmed that it might be high ho Carlo hello Nuno. I'd want a Galtier or Conti but agree with other posters who say that's dreaming on. So thanks for the hope and let's see.

I'm still hoping they'll surprise me and pull something else out the bag Paul A Smith.

Given everyone's valid claims about the second half of last season and Lyndon's excellent article, this feels like more of the same.

I fear we'll be back hear in 18 months time having ripped each other apart over something we all have the same passion for.

But, if it happens, if he gets the job, he gets my backing and gets my support.

Neil Warnock isn't impressed with Nuno's backroom staff, could be fun in the next Goodison derby,

Worst Backroom Staff

Why are so many people upset ? If he cocks up we get Big Sam back, who is a much better manager than Carlo ever was and because its his 2nd appointment, he'll get a 3 year contract and an agreement he stays, if he keeps us up. That should make a great many people happy.

I am not overwhelmed but will the guy a chance and hope it works out well.

It's a big summer for Brands too, continue to clear out the mess left by Walsh and Koeman. Recruitment last summer was solid but given Carlo's departure, may have a few unhappy players to deal with. Given our South American influence in Rodriguez, Allen, Richarlison and Mina, Nuno might be seen as the guy to get them back on-board. Try to look for positives but it's hard for us Blues who have had a rough few years since the Martinez-Lukaku era.

See the nappy crappers are beginning to disagree on the new choice of manager.

Derek (207) Jeffers has gone to Ipswich so he's one less to worry about!

Obviously no appointment will satisfy every supporter. Nuno seems to me to be the compromise candidate, the one attracting the lowest volume of strident opposition compared with Benitez, Moyes and others with Premier League experience. I thought overall he did a decent job at Wolves. Too many on here are judging him on his last six months after he lost a few key players through injury and transfers.

Also when I read that any manager will ‘play better football' than his predecessor I think we should remind ourselves that he will very likely only do so with better players. In our case ‘better' means ‘quicker and more creative'. Whatever we may like to believe managers are not miracle workers. Most certainly they can add value but they cannot deliver sustainable success in the form of attacking football with positive results unless the playing talent is available.

John Raftery, you'll start me off again.

WE NEED BETTER PLAYERS.

Off to the wine fridge already.

“Nuno
Nuno, Nuno
Nuno, Nuno
Nuno
There's no limits!”

(With thanks to 2 Unlimited and the ready availability of ecstasy in the early 1990s)

Tony #220 - we've already done that one with Nuno Valente!

Wow Sam #192. Thanks for sharing the article - I do like the thought around this, and "might" actually be what we need to improvise the current squad whether Carlo (spits while I'm speaking) Anti-attacking-$$$ could motivate them becomes irrelevant, as it becomes a "club is all that matters approach". Hopefully he will weed out those who can not buy into that.

Steve Brown 217

Footy fans will ALWAYS disagree. Its only empty heads with the inability to think for themselves who agree all the time.

Know what I mean ?

You have to have some sympathy for Moshiri. He has spent big time on this club. He dug deep to bring in Carlo only to be shit on.
He doesn't want another manager who only wants to use our club as a stepping stone so will have to take a chance on Nuno.
Does anyone know if we got any compensation from Madrid for Carlo?
If not, why not.

Yep, it appears that very day and it is the same old shit.

The only thing worse than an owner who knows nothing about football is an owner who knows nothing about football but thinks he knows better than everyone else. I often wonder how Moshiri has made his fortune as he seems to be a very poor business man. The rumour was that Everton recently walked away from discussions with Nuno because of his unrealistic demands (same reason Palace gave) but they've since reopened negotiations with him. If Everton have now conceded to his demands then that puts them in a very weak position and doesn't bode well for the future. We are now faced with another 'transitional' year of give him 3 transfer windows to get his own players in situ. If he comes with his entourage of six then the whole culture at FF will change and the players will also have to adjust to this as well as new tactics. A year ago I would have welcomed this appointment but not now. Everton as a club continues to disappoint. Has worked started on BM yet? I'm preparing myself for another disappointment.

You dish out the happy clapper drivel Darren, but can't take it when someone takes the mickey back. Bit thin skinned.

But at least you have now endorsed someone as manager. Let's see how your choice Espiritu Santo performs.

Expect us to now buy a lot of the best up and coming talent from Portugal now on relatively low wages. Our wage bill has been as high as £165m compared to Wolves £95m. Yet, they've finished higher in the table by a decent margin in 2 of the last 3 seasons.

It's been put out in some reports one issue in negotiations with Everton have been about Jorge Mendes's influence given him and Nuno are very good mates and Nuno was Mendes's first ever client. I don't see that as a problem given most of the players he's found for Nuno have been a success and not cost the earth. The only worry would be if possible Brands signings who appear better (at least on paper) are completely ignored by Nuno. The signings made in his final such as the young kid, Fabio Silva and Nelson Semedo both Mendes players were pushed through when apparent better options were sourced by the club.

You do make me laugh Steve Brown . When your lack of thought and your bruised ego are exposed. You think you are taking the Micky

Nuno My choice ?...How desperate are you ?

For a manager 'on the verge' of joining he's 'on the drift' with the bookies. Currently around 1/3 with Betfair from 1/10.

The nappy crappers" 😁😁

Corker,"The nappy crappers" 😁😁

Corker,,,1,13:25:43,,213.205.242.216,ok,23848,06/12/2021 13:25:43,Tomrichards2@outlook.com,reader,,,no 1164423,40914,toffeeweb,12/06/2021,Luke Welch,veryape_8@hotmail.com,"Not sure about him, but whatever happens he can't serve up worse, football than Carlo!

Dont worry Darren, now that I know you are so sensitive I won't make fun any more.

Side splitting, just as it was last month...and the month before

Unlike happy clapper! That one has been trundled out for a year.

Come on Darren.

As the inventor on TW of the term "happy clapper" surely even a miserable chap can see the funny side of the retort 😁

I have to disagree, we can do much worse than under Carlo.
We can play worse, finish lower down the table, sell our best player's and not be able to replace them.

I knows there's a feeling of underachievement but it seemed there was a genuine plan that we were sticking too in slowly building a strong squad. His calming and encouraging influence was a big part of that stability and progress.

Findings the right players whilst improving the current members but unfortunately Real and Chelsea are two former clubs that he would have left us for. I think he did well for us in many aspects but faltered at the end to finish 10th.

In Nuno, unless his links with his agent prove useful I don't think he can attract a player that Carlo could.

This is one of a few reason's why we need a big name manager, to encourage players to join us.

I'm not anti-Nuno, I'm more anti-average.
Positives would be the language for Ric and Allan.
Playing a similarly style of football with a 5 or 4 at the back.
Balanced football, not too defensive but compact, encouraged to play when you can otherwise get it forward quickly.

I think winning the championship with the squad he had was expected but a good achievement.

Over achieved in the first premier league season but repeating that the following season was very good. Probably his best achievement whilst having a good European campaign.

Under achieved this season and made matters worse by changing the system and tactics and being too inflexible with it.

I want someone better, I've wanted Mancini every since he let Man City. With euros quickly followed by a world cup I don't think we could get him this season, but please try!

I mainly want stability and I don't think Nuno is good enough to offer that 5 year progressive improvements.

Glad its not my money.

Can't believe all the negativity. I think a lot of it is down to delusions of greatness. Everton isn't a top club and hasn't been one for thirty years, so why would a top manager come here? As we saw, as soon as one did come he was so alarmed by the shambles he found he buggered off PDQ.

Apart from one season Nuno has done pretty well. One benefit is that if he comes he will bring with him his backroom staff, and clear out the old boys' club, if reports are to be believed.

I meant to mention in my previous post, but was in a hurry to get it posted and had to go somewhere too, so here it is, I have long been a fan of Everton FC, and I have respected other genuine fans of other Clubs too. Over the years I have seen many players and Managers alike come and go, not all with the fans' backing or approval I may hasten to add.

Generally, in retrospect the majority of genuine sensible thinking fans are proved right, but unfortunately those in power would never lower themselves, or indeed gauge what the fans feel or otherwise, and let that influence their decision to appoint either the right or wrong person for the job.

Having said all that, it often pays to look at the views of other fans, whether it be a player or a Manager that we are on the threshold of signing, and I feel we can learn a lot from their respected feelings and views. Having done that with Wolves, in this case, I have not come across any who have indicated " good riddance ", in fact quite the opposite.

Although they collectively admit last season was a disaster in terms of injuries and players being sold against the wishes of the Manager, which in turn was reflected on the pitch and in results. I have however come across a lot who are sad to see him go and wish him all the best. They are also worried that Pedro Neto, and a few others may follow him, I wouldn't complain there if they did.

Err. Eighteen months.

It has been a well used term in football for years.

I thought it perfectly described a small group of people (about 10) who applauded, apologised and excused the Zombie football served up by a manager who they constantly claimed we were lucky to have. I Still do actually.

I fInd it very amusing that an Hilarious retort should come back quick as a flash from his razor sharp acolytes... eighteen months later...after he had gone

He's gone. he belongs to Everton history like Moyes and big Sam

Get over it

We all agree that change is needed. I'm with Geoff (226) though that bringing in 6 backroom staff and severing services from current incumbents does not always breed unity and united purpose. Nor does it ensure improvement in each, or any, role. Who knows how good the new manager's staff are (I have to feel particularly for Pickford who would be assigned, presumably without reference, yet another specialist goalkeeping coach)? Who knows whether the current staff are not up to their jobs? Nuno would need to integrate his backroom replacements very carefully.

Moshiri is reportedly a friend of Mendes. That's fine so long as the friendship is not distorting his perspectives on choice of manager -- or leading him into a close tie-in when it comes to the acquisition of new players.

Thanks, Sam (192), for posting the article from The Athletic - it makes me feel much better after reading through the - largely negative - comments on this thread. The day after Carlo left and getting over my initial disappointment, I had put in Nuno, Potter and Galtier as my 1-2-3, but after reading Lyndon's excellent article about Galtier had wanted him as my Number 1. It doesn't matter. If Nuno is indeed appointed as our manager, I would be quite happy with that. I hope the fans get behind him - we need him to be motivated to get this group of players to perform to their potential. Like some others on this thread, I have a sneaky feeling, that this could turn out to be a very good appointment for Everton Football Club.

It is very rare for a new manager (Bruno Lage) to come in and say good things about the previous manager: "It's a good opportunity to understand what Nuno [Espirito Santo] did in these four years and my ambition is to continue and to improve what he did".

Also, if Steve Ferns (48) doesn't like the new manager "I'm not paying to watch Nuno football. See you in a year when the arsehole is sacked." and Darren (159) says "I'm happy to give him a chance to show what he can do.", then surely we have a nailed-on winner! :-)

I hope Nuno does well but if they give Siggy a new contract we'll know exactly where we're going !

I fInd it very amusing that an Hilarious retort should come back quick as a flash from his razor sharp acolytes... eighteen months later...after he had gone"

Anyone? ,"I fInd it very amusing that an Hilarious retort should come back quick as a flash from his razor sharp acolytes... eighteen months later...after he had gone"

Anyone? ,,,1,13:58:09,,213.205.242.216,ok,23848,06/12/2021 13:58:09,Tomrichards2@outlook.com,reader,,,no 1164439,40914,toffeeweb,12/06/2021,John O'Brien,goodisonholdings@gmail.com,Type or paste your comment here. PLEASE capitalise initial letters of proper names and use proper grammar. No txt-speak; all-lowercase posts are likely to be deleted,Type or paste your comment here. PLEASE capitalise initial letters of proper names and use proper grammar. No txt-speak; all-lowercase posts are likely to be deleted,,,1,14:00:04,,68.147.164.140,ok,16735,06/12/2021 14:00:04,Johno,reader,,,no 1164440,40915,toffeeweb,12/06/2021,Barry Hesketh,mcfarlane.john@mail.com,A couple of videos that explore the influence of Mendes and how Valencia suffered bad times.

How To Ruin A Historic Club

It also says Brands has not had much of a sway Mosh has had his ear bent by Kia Koorwhatsisface. So if it is another "it's my ball so I'll have who I like" masterstroke how many more managers will there be before BMD is built.

Whoever gets picked I hope they have the success we crave, but Mosh's past dealings do not fill me with optimism.

Justin,
Everton can attract whoever they wish with the right amount waved in front of them. Still paying for Walsh/Koeman which was always going to take the best part of 5 years to correct.

If Nuno signs on then expect to see more of Gordon and Nkounkou. He likes to use a small squad of players he trusts with a few younger ones. So Brands has the same job of trimming plus he has another agent on board.

I'm totally underwhelmed. How depressing it is to be an Evertonian.

Trying to keep up here…so it's the happy huddlers versus the happy crappers?

Dale,

Pay attention.

You would not be a happy chappie if you crapped your nappy.

He is not my choice by far. I always comment on the negativity of this site, so I will give him the chance a new incumbent deserves.
His football for the prior years to this was good, attacking stuff. This year however, when he lost vital players to injury, he had no plan B. So from that point of view, I find him one dimensional and a very mediocre appointment. I really hope he can prove me wrong.

As an aside, there's a handful of Jorge Mendes clients who might be available this summer:

- Renato Sanches of Lille

- Rafael Leao of AC Milan

- Goncalo Guedes of Valencia

- Trincao of Barcelona

All Portuguese, with the latter 2 looking a good fit for the sort of system Santo uses (two number 10 / winger types operating behind a lone forward). Guedes and Leao have already been linked quite a bit this summer already.

The big talent in Portugal right now is Pedro Goncalves who hit 23 goals in 32 games for title winning Sporting Lisbon last season. He had a very brief spell at Wolves as a teenager, presumably under Santo (haven't checked the dates). Might also be a target. He'd play in that number 10 / winger spot behind DCL along with Richarlison.

Obviously Neto would be ideal but he'd cost about £50m or more, I expect which might not leave us with much left for reinforcements.

It's been mentioned by a few on here already but we are simply not a good enough club for the best up and coming managers. We are left to throw money at what's left out there but as long as it's not Moyes, Benitez or Rogers etc then I will back them.
We certainly can't judge a manager on how they did last season against us otherwise we would end up with Steve Bruce.
Nuno definitely likes to set his team up a certain way with good passing and movement so if he does come to us then there's most of our team gone.

"Will be appointed within a week"! Maybe, just maybe its a smoke screen whilst we are tempting Galtier to take the job!?

Some positives. I like the idea of him surrounding himself with a sizeable backroom staff - we need a new approach and it beats him having to adopt a few of our own. Surely Dunc leaves and gets the experience he/we may need? I also have no problem with his links to Mendes. If it means a few up and coming Portuguese then great.

If he is coming in, I reckon by now he'll know for sure that expectations are a lot higher than at Wolves.

Many of you will know the William Goldman quote - 'nobody Knows anything'.

Actually the full quote is - 'Nobody knows anything. Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one.'

Goldman (a writer and writer of screenplays) was talking about films but I believe there's enough evidence to suggest the same thinking can be applied to choosing a new manager.

Of all the words written on the subject of manager appointments (including Everton managers) nobody knows anything.

The best example of NKA this was Ranieri's move to Leicester.

His previous post was manager of the Greek national team and he was given the boot after his side had been beaten by..er..The Faroe Islands.

Think Leicester fans were happy to get him?

My memory is very definitely and absolutely definitely not, yet just 9 months later, he was God.

"Ah but like Goldman says you can make an educated guess."

True but what does that mean in 'modern' football?

Well we know the player's are on contracts that put them very much in charge - ie: if the team aren't happy, they get rid of the manager not the team (see Mourinho at Spurs, Moyes at Utd etc).

So if you can pick a manager the team like/respect, I'd imagine that would have to be a plus.

Other than that, I have no idea.

(and neither do you).

Keith # 251. Having a genuine Plan B when you lose multiple key players (sale or injury) is really a luxury afforded by a £bn (+) squad. As Ancelotti found, there's only such far you can go with tactics if your bench (and half your first XI) is a bunch of shit.

If Brands or Mendes or both can provide 2 or 3 new first teamers and some quality reinforcements for the bench then Santo will find certainly it easier to implement a Plan B.

I am not sure why a lot are up in arms, with the possible incoming Manager.

He has cut his teeth in the Premier league, has got management experience, with his back room staff coming in, we can wave goodbye to Duncan Ferguson, who will now like a lot wanted, will be able to gain experience, Managing a lower division team.

Me myself, I would have loved Duncan to have at least been given a chance, so a double kick in the knackers for me, I feel we have missed a big opportunity, not giving Dunc at least a chance.

Whoever comes in will get my support, but have a feeling we missed a trick, not giving Dunc a chance.

One question, does he pull everybody back for corners?
If not, he'll do for me👍

I'm easily pleased.

That Embolo looks tasty for the Swiss

Darren I was only having a laugh, chlll out!

If we get Espírito Santo then we need to sign someone with Jesus in his name and then we've got two thirds of the holy trinity.
God bless Everton….

I don't think it's a case of people being up I'm arms Brian. More a case of shrugging the shoulders. It's a bit like the ending of Line of Duty.

Hey, if it's confirmed we back him and move forward. It's not the worse appointment and the reality is, despite what people like me say, we don't really know what was realistically available the the club.

Sam #192, that's a brilliant article. Thanks for posting.

He wouldn't be my choice, but far too much negativity on here. He brought Wolves out of the Championship and they are now an established Premiership team. They sold Jota last summer, lost Jimenez to a horrific injury and I believe Nuno became disillusioned at Wolves, and had enough, so if he is our new manager, can we give him a chance, before he even starts. There's not a huge choice of managers out there, I would have liked Lampard, Tuchel won a Champion's League with his team, but if Kenwright had his way, we'd have had Martinez or Moyes back, No thanks.

Recruitment is definately a massive factor in a managers search for success.

We'll have to do something nice for the manager for me to renew my season ticket now.

I have enough chores in general life.

Eugene #256, you post all too seldom these days, but when you do it's always solid gold.

Not excited at all with him but it doesn't matter. If he is the one sign him quick and let him work. A lot of things bother me with santo but knowing how rotten is the mentality of the majority of out players I will keep my mouth shut until he puts his stamp on the team.

New manager needs to be backed by fans.
Fresh start.
Nonetheless, guaranteed the doom and gloomers will be on by October with predictions of an impending relegation battle.

Watching the Italian masterclass yesterday, got me wondering why Mancini hasn't been mentioned.

He was the one I was hoping for Mike.

Terence... don't forget we've got GOD-frey too.

I really hope Nuno does well but if we're still crap by October you will get moaners and why not, what do you want happy clappers all the time ?

George.

6 games will have been played by the time October is reached.
Fine example from yourself of the patience shown by some fans.

I have been speaking with a friend who is a staunch Wolves supporter.
He didn't want Nuno to leave, and said he is very defensive minded, gives youth a chance, but doesn't have a plan B, often leaving substitutions late in the game.
He also plays his favourites even if they are off form.

Mike 270 our current squad couldn't pass a ball like Italy did last night, albeit against a poor Turkish side.
The Italian team have in general been together for 5 years.
I couldn't see Mancini having the slightest interest in Everton, even for a Kings ransom.
If Nuno is appointed we need to get behind him. I naively thought Carlo was a gentleman, and would see the ‘project' through! I now know better.
As much as I love big Dunc, it's probably time for him to move on, and maybe Rhino, who have both been ever present during the reign of our last 5 managers. A complete, rather than partial clear out.

You do realise 95 percent of managers appointed to any team in the world don't achieve what the fans expect, just saying.

Just seen someone come out with a stat on another site that Wolves failed to score in the first half in 80 out of the last 100 games.

I'm glad I didn't renew my season ticket.

Thomas@269

It started this morning mate. “Relegation battle”

Christy (#265), if you would have had your way we would have had James McCarthy back!

Ian,

"I'm glad I didn't renew my season ticket."

Not half as glad as the people who sit close by you.

Ray,
Mad mate

Thomas 6 games from August to October ? I bow to your better knowledge, but even after 6 games if they're anything like the last 6 we'll have a good idea of where we are going, and if Siggy gets a new contract then it will be set in concrete.

Good one Thomas 👍

Watching the match and football is meaningless.

Jesus Christ.

Come on Erikson lad.

George #273, happy clapping is good exercise. It builds cardiovascular fitness and strong wrist and forearm muscles. Me, I've got arms like Popeye.

CPR and medics all over Erikson and the entire Danish team forming a protective circle around him - grim as fuck

This Eriksen situation puts things into perspective.

Watching it too Fran. Absolutely horrifying. Looks like a massive heart attack.

OMG this is awful

Shocking scenes

Compliments maestro.

A very well researched and balanced article.

However I am totally underwhelmed by this board and their direction.

This was an opportunity for bravery and unity and instead we get a compromised decision and a far from unified board.

The sooner the cancer that is the Machiavellian Bill Kenwright the sooner we can start to run the club properly.

The problem I see with this decision is that the appointee needs patience and a lot of supporters who do not rate this guy will not tolerate the difficult periods and together with Bill undrr we mining everything I just don't see it as a solution.

Worst thing I've see On TV. Horrific.

Come on Christian!

From the joy of Moore's goal to now this.

Tragic news.

Didn't see Erickson go down but the BBC are getting battered for their ghoulish coverage of the incident.

As for Nuno, all the best lad and good luck. This sounds to me like a compromise between billy bullshitter (Moyes/Martinez), Moshiri (Conte/Galtier) and Brands aka ostrich man. Why Kenwright still has any say in the running of the club leaves me dumbfounded. Does bk have dirt on Moshiri?

Ian@277
That is a really positive development for the club. Hopefully we'll get an Evertonian to fill your seat.

Colin @293
I think that UEFA is in charge of the images shown as all broadcasters seemed to have shown the pictures around the world, but there's no reason that the Beeb couldn't have cut back to the studio, rather than continuing to show the distressing images.

Martin 294. They'll probably get a happy clapper like yourself. Someone that accepts any old shite, doesn't question and allows the club to carry on serving up failure since 1995.

Ian,

Our young fans who go to EVERY game, home and away despite not winning a trophy for 26 years.
Are they happy clappers?

A stupid term.

Darren@240, I believe that I've found out why your thought process is so distorted. You believe that the manager served up Zombie football. I saw the players doing it.

Ian, what was it again that you do that the happy clappers don't do in accepting the rubbish we are served with? Answer? You do nothing other than whinge.

Martin. You accept. Because people like you accept, the Club are under no pressure to change. If there are more like me holding them to account the club would be better. What you tolerate will persist. You hold this club back.

If there are more like me holding them to account the club would be better."

Interesting. I may well get involved here.
What is your strategy to hold the club "to account" Ian? ,"If there are more like me holding them to account the club would be better."

Interesting. I may well get involved here.
What is your strategy to hold the club "to account" Ian? ,,,1,19:20:01,,213.205.242.216,ok,23848,06/12/2021 19:20:01,Tomrichards2@outlook.com,reader,,,no 1164553,40916,toffeeweb,12/06/2021,Paul Birmingham,Paul.birmingham@bt.com,"🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼☘️ For Christian Eriksen, his Family and friends, and that he's gonna make a full recovery.

Puts football in perspective.

Wow, the likes of Rob Halligan, Brent Stephens and John Rafferty are all happy clappers then I assume. Although I don't go to every game home and away, I go to most and seems like I am in good company.

Here's to clapping happily 👏👏👏👏👏

Ian, you didn't answer the question. What do you do that holds the club to account. I gave you the answer, you just whinge, some of us think first.

..Eugene @256...didn't Ranieri get lucky with a group of players Nigel Pearson assembled ? Nuno wont be so lucky..!

Well, if it is Nuno, we'll only see improvement if we sign at least SOME more firepower and a LOT more pace to the midfield.

Having a good manager counts, of course. I think Nuno has proven himself one. At the same time, if we don't make the player improvements needed, Nuno's managing won't ring out one more point next season than Carlo just did this one.

Maybe even fewer points. And it will not be his fault.

Ian

You are better than that lad. Why respond to Masonic stupidity.

He's a card carrying happy clapper who turns gangster every time he is proved wrong.

He's always proved wrong...Always

Two Ronnies

Martin@302, Thomas@300

Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer from old Whinge Master General, he's not been programmed to do anything other than whinge.

Darren@305 Some examples would help.

Mike Popeye G @284. I've a feeling you're going to need plenty of spinach next season. Looking forward to the punch ups with Ian 'Bluto' Edwards.

Me, I wish Nuno every success and hope that he and Brands can bring in half a dozen more Godfreys by August. This squad has seen off a veritable parade of managers of varying qualities and ambitions. That's where the real problem lies. I'll give Nuno until November to turn things round and hope that firm action is taken from the outset against any of the wasters who've consistently failed to perform.

Bluto! 🤣

Ian Edwards, were you one of the lads who attended Finch Farm after the Liverpool Cup game last year?

That's holding the club to account. If so, I applaud you. If not, you are just an anonymous internet poster with an alternative point of view to other people on the forum.

Come on guys give Nuno a chance if he does became manager. Everything I've read about him gives me positivity. He may not play the most attractive football but he gets his side's set up well, are organised and hard to beat. More than Carlo did in 18 months.

John #309, thanks for the chuckle, but the contest you cite would be more like a "punch up" with Olive Oyl.

In all seriousness, however, you've hit on the key point... IMO who is on the pitch next season will have more impact on our success (or lack thereof) than who is on our touchline.

I want five signings in this window -- all of them with a lot more pace (and a lot less beard) than Nuno.

Can I put in a shout for those of us loyal fans who have supported the club through some good days and many bad days for many years? This is what loyalty means, sticking with the club regardless of who is in the boardroom, of whomever is managing the playing side, of whomever is on the pitch playing in a royal blue jersey.

We are full-time "supporters" rather than the full-time "complainers" who are unable to say anything positive about the club and who announce they have had enough and are taking their dummy with them when they return their season ticket. We have heard it many times before over the years.

With a bit of luck we shall turn it around in a couple of years and then those who have given up their season tickets now will not be able to get another one when we move to BMD.

"Loyal supporters" means sticking with the club when the going gets rough and giving the team your whole support during those times.

Terry, enough of that courageous slop mate I have done more than I should have to support Everton.

From Mike Walkers days when I was 13 with a paper round to go the game, right through to 25 years without missing a league or cup home game.

I went alone some nights on the bus bored and dying for the days my mates would come to Carling cup games v Rotherham.

I have been scared to miss Everton and what for? To say I am loyal? To test my loyalty year in year out? To watch "elite" clubs take whoever plays well for us. To wait years and years for a smiley day when the parade comes after a cup win?

I justified this cycle of madness with soppy loyalty claims for years and all through these years, the club has taken advantage of mine and thousands of others loyalty.

The club get more success out of your loyalty than you get out of the club.

Sack the digging at each other on here lads its hard enough being a blue without annoying each other.

One day you might be in total support of each others opinions and every bit of news or situation normally brings different feelings from everyone.

Doesn't mean someone is stupid or always wrong, all constructive opinions are valid and aside of any debate we should worry every person here is fit and healthy more than anything.

Good shout Paul A.

I genuinely don't know why any of you actually engage with Darren.

He will criticise any of you, criticise every manager but never, ever nail his own colours to the mast.

Proper WUM.

I genuinely don't know why any of you actually engage with Darren"

Fun? ,"I genuinely don't know why any of you actually engage with Darren"

Fun? ,,,1,20:51:18,,213.205.242.216,ok,23848,06/12/2021 20:51:18,Tomrichards2@outlook.com,reader,,,no 1164597,40914,toffeeweb,12/06/2021,Danny Broderick,dannyjbroderick@hotmail.com,"The problem at Everton is not the manager, despite the perceived wisdom of some. Martinez was the problem…he's now managing Belgium. Koeman was the problem…he did a good job with Holland and is now managing Barcelona. Some would have you believe Ancelotti was the problem, serving up zombie football…he is now managing Real Madrid!

Meanwhile, the players continue to go through the motions and serve up shit. We'll no doubt chase out Nuno or whoever is appointed, and the cycle will begin again. We'll only truly progress when we get off this carousel and stick with a manager and sort out the underperforming players…

Danny @320 dead right mate.

It's always about the players Danny, and it now looks like we are getting linked with one of the finest attacking fullbacks I've ever witnessed play the beautiful game. Marcello on a two year contract? He's 33 but he's done some running down those flanks, over the years, but possibly suited to the wingback role more than Luca Digne, with Denzil on the other flank!

Not seen the match, but from what I have heard, it was shocking for the bbc to not cut back into the studio.

Had it been a streaker, they would have panned elsewhere, maybe that is what the broadcasters who were showing the game, should have done, instead of keep zooming in, on the player, and his wife.

Colin@293

Kenwright could only have conned Moshiri into retaining him as Chairman by making it a condition of the sale of the club.

When Sheikh Mansoor reputedly considered buying the club he wasn't stupid enough to agree to Kenwright's terms and moved on to buy City instead.

The great charlatan has managed a remarkable conjuring trick by presiding over 17 years of mediocrity as owner and another 5 as chairman, with no end in sight to his tenure. Incredibly depressing.

Wolves played the most negative football in the league last season.
Made us and the baggies look like crazy adventurers.
Fans have a right to be worried.

As fans we have been starved of front foot, pass and move football. Where an attempted through pass or ball down the line is worth a hundred cut backs. Starved also of aggressive, proud running and tackling in midfield and defence.
We are gorged sick on play that gets the ball so slowly and infrequently into the opposition penalty area. And when there, the play fails to maintain any consistent or coherent pressure.
We are unfamiliar with managers who actually improve players and our style of play and who develop and nurture youngsters from our youth teams.

If he arrives, I wish Nuno and his coaching staff well. Hope (as ever) that he is the manager to change things.
.

Spot on Danny 320, but the malaise starts at the top with our telly tubby chairman and his gormless financier. Both are useless and if they don't show leadership, set high standards, demand excellence etc… why should the players? They know the club is a soft touch.

FFS give the Kenwright bashing a rest. It's boring, childish, and totally wrong.

It's true though, Paul. Like it or not.

The snake oil salesman still, to this day, has a few still believing him.

Paul#327, all true though unfortunately and needs to be kept in the spotlight until the man is gone.

I'm prepared to give him a chance. He can't be worse than the last few appointments, I suppose. Hope he gets shut of Bill's boys on the backroom staff.

Kenwright sold the club 5 years ago, Moshiri is the owner now and all the blame lies at his feet. Does Kenwright pick the team or play on the pitch NO. So give it a rest its boring.

Paul#332
Apparently Kenwight negotiated a deal that lets him do all that and more. I just don't understand why he isn't playing centre forward.

Paul, its laughable all the bullshit and lies that keep getting spread about Kenwright. They won't stop, and even when he's dead our 'fans' will still be saying its all Bills fault. He still has the casting vote from beyond the grave!!

Paul, Yes he did sell the majority of his shares at a considerable personal profit yet still managed to retain his chairmanship, strange that. Especially when he had never put a penny of his own money, into the club.

Stephen#335
Nothing strange about it at all

#322 Tony. I hope this happens. Really rate Marcello he gives everything regardless of age. Could be a fantastic squad member.

David. 334

How much money has Kenwright invested into the club historically?

David,334

How much money has Kenwright earned from the club historically?

Paul @332, Jay Moores and Charles Noell (San Diego baseball team) were about to buy Everton outright early 2016 in a full takeover, then from out of nowhere came Farhad Moshiri, who Bill found to invest in Everton, and Bill stay on the board and "hang around".

Paul the Esk confirmed, that Bill turned them down for investment only from Moshiri.

Absolute garbage. This man is a like-for-like replacement for Mike Walker.

I'll see you all here in 18 months when we go through this again, then?

Since Kenwright sold we have had 5 managers and spent close to £500 million on players. But let's blame a 75 year old for all our problems.

Since Kenwright sold we have had 5 managers and spent close to £500 million on players. But let's blame a 75 year old for all our problems.

Paul.

Done well to get to 75 after his health scare three years ago.

Nobody here has the slightest idea how much input Kenwright currently has on the club's decisions.

If any.

It's all speculation and guesswork.

True Mike.

But we do know how much input on the club he has had over his tenure.

Kenwright has zero input in the club. It just makes people feel better to blame him for our problems.

If true and this saga does complete, then, Nuno, gets my support, as hes the Everton manager.

Some times in life you have to take your medicine and get on with life.

I'm gonna see what happens, but if true, I hope this is a slow burner to success, but Ralph R, Galtier and Potter were my hopeful choices after taking the smelling salts. But let's see what happens but get behind which manager is announced.

I'd like to see how much truth there was in the reports earlier this week, he was due to be made Palace boss?

If true he's bringing in his own squad of specialist coaches, physios etc then, it seems that Everton will be undertaking a default clear out. This could be a clean cut and fresh start and should stimulate and drive fresh focus and reality...

There's time gone by but the last 18 months of shallowness by the past manager and his team, means almost like starting again.

But until announced let's see what happens.

No I hope he will be able to at least see that Gomes is a footballer fraud and should be sold ASAP.

But let's see what the next 48 hrs upholds in all matters Everton.

How is it possible for a Chairman of the board to have zero input? He must have some influence on some part of the club, mustn't he? It's also a position with financial remuneration now, isn't it?

We don't know the reasons that Bill remains in a position of power even if it is soft power. but a reason there must be, and my guess is that Kenwright is being used as a shield by Moshiri to avoid public scrutiny, ironically in the same manner that David Moyes was used by Bill on more than one occasion.

I've said it before but if I was fortunate enough to be the Chairman of the club I loved and supported and I was witness to what I considered to be poor decisions being made by the owner, I would relinquish my position and let somebody else take over if my views weren't being taken seriously in the boardroom.

I agree that everything isn't Bill's fault, but he has been in a position of power for a very long time, and very little scrutiny has been placed upon him. it now seems we have an owner where the same applies, and because he has 'spent' more his mistakes are more costly, which is fine if he picks up the tab at a later date, not so good if he decides to leave and the club bears the debt incurred.

Jesus Christ lads...some of yous need to flush your heads out with soapy water or maybe tcut haha of cours everyone is entitled to their opinion.. absolutey, but seems to me there's a savage amount of people here that just want to have a whinge.

If Nuno becomes our manager I'll back him until the time we start playing shit or something negative happens where he's at fault. He has Wolves playing far better than us for a few years and took his previous clubs into the competitions we're aiming to be part of. For some people there just no pleasing yous...you seem to forget that we don't have Man City's squad, where top managers are just chomping at the bit to take over the helm at Everton...not to mention if thet happen to check out the comments the fans leave I mean, look at the resounding welcome from the know it alls for Nuno already. F*ck me sideways, a bit of perspective and realism needed boys. I think some of you would still be crying is we had Man City's squad and Pep as manager. Kinda embarrassing.

Well if this is the choice then I am right behind Nuno, until things fall apart. There is a high chance of everything going tits-up because our players have downed tools on all of their coaches.
At the end of the season before last Wolves were looking like they could break into the top six and were being touted as a model for us to copy.
They were denied their top scorer and most creative attacker this term with Raul and Jota gone.
I'm not keen on a back 5 (or 3 if you like it) but I am confident that this feller will get us organised and keep us in the top half.
After all, Potter may be a flash in the pan and Galtier might go the way of his compatriot Puell.
I will be interested in what arrangements have been made in the coaching staff.
At least we seem to have got a guy who looks like he is intelligent.

Roan
That's the problem we should have had Msn city's squad and Pep but some egotistic toe rag wanted to make it a condition that he remained in control of the club no matter what so Moshiri was the only mug in town willing to do that.

May I remind everyone that BK said he was retiring at 70 another one of his famous lies.

Jay, I admire your ambition and passion, I share it... but why should we? And why does it actually matter, we don't. Good god, I'm so tired of this BK kak...it really feels like nothing more than childish finger pointing at this stage. But hey, feel what you feel.

Have l got this wrong or did Gomes play under Nuno at Valencia? If we do get Nuno and a couple wingers and a right back l can start to look forward to next season again with renewed optimism. I think.

Rian
We are all concerned mate and yet the suffering goes on.

It is fine to blame the players and they have to share most of the blame because they're on the pitch but there always seems to be something going on at the club that undermines the manager.
Do you think Kidman agreed to let Lukaku out of his contract and not replace him and does anyone in their right mind think Man Utd getting hard drinking Rooney off their payroll and onto Everton's was not the doing of Kenwright.
Same with DBB lovely woman quite intelligent but not a clue about football but ends up as CEO.
Big Dunc, love the guy and his passion for the club but what qualifies him for assistant manager.
There is far too much influence by Kenwright and I am one who thinks that is unhealthy for the club.

Look, Buffalo Bill's transgressions are well documented, from Kings Dock, to selling the family silver, to the BVI transactions, to the refusal to answer questions regarding potential investors at AGMs.

Most people believe and understand what he has done to the club over an extended period, but there are always one or two ostriches. All you have to do is spend an afternoon on the internet and most will be revealed.

David @ 353
Yes, Gomes did play under Nuno at Valencia, he was signed from Benfica along with a few others, thanks to his agent Jorge Mendes. If you go about 10 minutes into the linked video you will see the list of players who left Benfica to join Valencia.

Jorge Mendes

Stephen did you mean Bluffalot Bill?

All you have to do is spend an afternoon on the internet and most will be revealed"
I'll just let that hang..., "All you have to do is spend an afternoon on the internet and most will be revealed"
I'll just let that hang...,,,1,00:02:00,,2.103.90.20,ok,23659,06/13/2021 00:02:00,BrendanMcLaughlin,reader,,,no 1164657,40914,toffeeweb,12/06/2021,Rian Magee,weehorse@gmail.com,"I get you Jay, there seems to be something amiss for a while. Personally I can't point the finger at Bill for a lot of why you mentioned...maybe he is, I don't know for sure. But if he has that much control he's without doubt an absolute genius and one of the most powerful dictators in sport...and a man that probably wouldn't be bad to have running a club haha
He might have too much influence, if he does I agree that's very unhealthy, but the question needs asked of everyone else in the club as to why it's continuously allowed. Theres more involved than him, that's why I get frustrated at his name being thrown around as the cause of all the club's problems, ya know? Influence and power are different things. Especially considering he's no longer majority stake holder.
I just get really frustrated (I know it comes from a place of passion) when I see so many negative comments, its like a lot of fans just want to find something to complain about.

Ian Edwards throughout this thread; I was the first to call out the abuse you received on the Live Forum over, what turned out to be, entirely justified criticism of Carlo Ancelotti. You stuck to your guns and fair play to you.
Bearing that in mind, I find your comments throughout this thread to be disappointing, unfair and utterly lamentable. You give negativity a bad name.

Do people really believe that Usmanov would let Kenwright have a say in his investment? Get real will you.

Barry, thanks for that, l will have a look through. Interesting times ahead.

Paul (342) - "Since Kenwright sold we have had 5 managers and spent close to £500 million on players. But let's blame a 75 year old for all our problems."

I had no problem with blaming 55-70-years old Kenwright for holding Everton back. Since Mosh taking over these 5 years now, any blame transfers off Old Bill and onto him.

Your post (346) "Kenwright has zero input in the club. It just makes people feel better to blame him for our problems."

and

Gaynes' (344) "Nobody here has the slightest idea how much input Kenwright currently has on the club's decisions. If any. It's all speculation and guesswork.", are correct.

Away from that, concerning how many managers. . . . . . . . since Mosh took control, our next manager will be our NINTH in 5 years, if you include Roberto who was manager at the time and the Unsy/Royle combo who finished the season once Roberto was let go.

Rian McGee @ 349; Exactly mate, Nuno will be doing ok until he isn't...yes there will be some initial slack cut, outside circumstances etc. taken into consideration.
But in the end if he can't or won't change he will get called out on here.

But he's got to be here first, then he's got to continually get it wrong...or hopefully right.

But it's not the world's easiest job, not even when you're at the top of the League and in a Champions League final...eh Pep?

It's clear by the amount of time we all spend on ToffeeWeb that we love the club and want the best outcome in all things Everton. Somebody said to me recently that I had to go to Rehab but I said Nu Nu No..

Barry, 356

I'm going to have to watch Jerry Maguire now to get some belief back. As l said, interesting times. Maybe Mendes will have more pull than our Carlo did. Maybe its a reason for us taking our time in the appointment and covering ourselves, and Brands surely he can't be happy?

". . . . . . . . very little scrutiny has been placed upon him".

Don't know about Greater Evertonia, but on ToffeeWeb, Kenwright's been scrutinized to nudity and just short of a rectal exam.

Just as well no rectal exam James@366, could be where the Arteta money is stashed.

Kenwright tried his best to cut off any Evertonian who could question him. Hardly the act of a great Evertonon supporter and especially one who was in a position where he was accountable.
My biggest puzzle is trying to understand how he managed to find somebody to buy the club and still retain a position on the board.
If a club had been languishing around mid table for what seemed like an eternity with only the FA Cup to show for it then why would a new owner keep the old one on board ? Maybe this is more to do with Moshiri's lack of football acumen and he thought Kenwright would have this, I'm not sure but the whole thing stinks.

I remain 100% in the Kenwright-Out group and have been for years.

Just the same, this : "Paul#332 Apparently Kenwight negotiated a deal that lets him do all that and more. I just don't understand why he isn't playing centre forward.", is just one example of the many (limitless it seems) made up nonsensical remarks about Kenwright since Moshiri bought control of the Club.

Anything anti-Bill prior to Moshiri buying in, fill your boot and count me in. Since, though? Uhuh. It's on Moshiri. Why he's kept Kenwright around on some kind of emeritus status, I don't know. Guy has his reasons.

"Two camps!", "Different factions!" Haha.

There's only one camp or faction; the Moshiri one.

So we are hiring someone who has been sacked from all 4 teams he has ever managed (2012-2021)! Sounds like we have found our savior!

Did I read somewhere that Ranieri had been sacked from his last 7 consecutive jobs before he won the Prem?

And hadn't Fat Sam been bagged five times when we hired him?

Managers are hired to be fired. No big deal.

.
Richard #303 - "Eugene @256...didn't Ranieri get lucky with a group of players Nigel Pearson assembled ? Nuno wont be so lucky..!"

Well let's say you're 100% right (nb: and you're not) and the reason Ranieri led Leicester (nb: Leicester!) to the PL was luck, what is your reasoning/logic/proof for 'Nuno won't be so lucky!'?

Why won't he be?

How do you know he won't be so lucky?

How is luck allocated?

You might be right but..you might be wrong

I repeat, the only (sensible) conclusion that can be reached after looking at the available 'evidence' is nobody knows anything.

Honestly, I think all of this chatter is just laughable, in the context of Christian Eriksen's awful event today. This is all just window dressing on what's truly important in life.

But as I came to TW, was cracking through stuff, and came upon this, I'll say this.

I thought my defense of Roberto Martinez was the pinnacle of Yank v Brit.

Clearly, Roberto was just a primer for what's to come.

Nuno was my bullet pick. I think he's perfect for Everton, and I desperately want him to be appointed.

The throng thinks otherwise.

I look forward to defending my man against the horde.

Nuno is the perfect appointment. You're all fucking off your rocker to think otherwise.

And again and finally, does it matter? Seeing what I saw today, this is all just peripheral bullshit. There's more important things.

Agree with everything you say Jamie, especially on the other thread, where you could feel the anguish in your post mate, but you know the way it is as much as anyone, and as much as it is bullshit, it doesn't mean that “none of us” are not craving a successful Everton team, because I personally want to dance around Goodison, and definitely Wembley, like I'm that 14 year old kid that watched us finally win a cup again, as I think more importantly, about what it would be like for my sons, my godson, and loads of other young Evertonians, who absolutely love Everton football club.

Maybe Nuno is made for us? someone's fucking got to be, because Evertonians need to explode with joy, because we've simply had enough despair, and it's going to be bloody marvelous when it finally happens again!!🙏

I suppose it would be better to ignore Bill Kenwright, but it's not easy because he's still Everton's chairman, and isn't this a big role in any football club?

My own thoughts on Kenwright, have been put on these pages often, since I started writing a few too many posts, but I got up this morning and in the middle of my fruit bowl was a rotten apple, which is imo, the perfect description of our saviour.

must admit that I really cant believe we will appoint Nuno, I would still be surprised without talking to the likes of Galtier etc. It doesnt sound like a Brands choice to me which is ultimately what it should be. How are we going to look when Martinez lifts the euros with Belgium, I am sure he would love to come back. But if its a choice of Nuno or Moyes then Nuno it must be, But 2 year contract max as if it aint working in 18 months he will be off and we can get Big Sam back, who I would rate as better than Nuno. Mediocrity here we come

Other than for a couple of isolated seasons, we have been mediocre since Kendall left in 1987.

Rian(#358); If Bill was the genius you seem to think he is then why have Everton gone backwards as under him we have had the longest barren period, that is without winning anything, in our history. Not to mention the "ring fenced" 30M for King's Dock, the takeover by Fortress Sports Fund or the massively priced super-duper lawnmowers.

And as to why if he has been that bad did nobody stand up to him then I think you need to see Trevor Birch and Paul Gregg.

Go back a few a years, and everyone thought Brendan Rodgers was a clown.

When Leicester hired him, nobody thought he'd turn them into a top 5 team.

So let's hope that Nuno can surprise us all too.

He's a young manager still, and he we had hired him 18 months ago when his stock was much higher, the comments here would be totally different.

Who knows.

The cards have now been dealt, albeit face down for the moment, we have to wait for Moshiri, Brands and Nuno to turn them over and play out the hand...and just hope this latest bid in not 2 'no trumps', but something that gives us half a chance to win a trick or 7.

*The end of October and/or 10 games in will be time to tot up the points scored so far...then January, June and again in Oct 2022.

*I was going to add...unless it goes all Mike Walker - but, sadly, there are a few more candidates now.

I think it's worth pointing out we have been mediocre (or much worse) for 30 years apart from a couple of seasons when we finished 4th and 5th respectively. And for a truly successful club, those finishes would not be considered acceptable.

We also have a really awful stadium and a recent history of dire club mismanagement with no manager lasting more than 18 months.

It is not a case of mediocrity here we come - it's a case of mediocrity here we are (and have been throughout the Premier League era).

The appointment of someone to stabilise the club and rebuild a deteriorating squad comprising a jumble of 3 or 4 managers' players has to be the start of a journey out of mediocrity.

That journey will not end until we have moved stadium and we have built, through whatever means, a £bn (+) squad.

Against recent history, if Nuno moves us up the table to 6th or even 7th, gives us a Europa league run and manages to stay in place for the length of his (3 year?) contract then that is a successful stint.

For those wondering why we didn't ask Conte, Mancini or Pochettino or others, there is every chance we did but were greeted with unenthusiastic responses from men who are more interested in winning trophies at the current set of Elite clubs (or nations).

Fran #379 - Rodgers has done an excellent job, but the 5th place finishes and cup win are enabled by a really well-run club. The recruitment strategy is excellent and everyone is pulling in the same direction.

I have to agree with Tony and Robert in that we have been mediocre for years.
It amuses me reading about how some want us to return to playing this open attacking attractive football
When was this?
We've had the odd few games here and there over the years but nothing consistent since the mid 80's
What we have seriously missed over the years is passion and commitment from players and management
Yes it alone won't win us games but it might give us the identity sadly missing since the Kendall teams

I'm not sure what people want from Kenwright…..
We wanted a world class manager - he got Ancelotti for us
We wanted creative players - he got Rodriguez for us
We wanted an overall of the academy - he got Brands in to reduce the average age.

Eugene @372
..in the case of Ranieri...lets replace the word "lucky" with the phrase "good fortune"...& yes, you are right nobody knows how Nuno will get on, so lets get behind him & give him a chance . !

Kevin @ 384, how do you know any of that was down to Kenwright? Nought I suspect!

On top of all that not one has bought any Tickets for Blood Brothers! :-)

Alan I didn't mean a genius in that exclusive sense, I meant it in that he's managed to single handedly do all these things and that takes some doing as a man that doesn't actually pull all the strings...that an achievement. I agree with your description, but its clearly more than one man behind all of that.
Well said Jamie#373 Fran#379 and Robert#381

I can only imagine that DCL and Godfrey will be using the Euros as an opportunity to chat to players in teams with some chance of winning something to see what's out there. Richarlison (and maybe Rodriguez) will no doubt be in touch with Ancelotti, while Kean and Nkounkou will be scouting around the French league.

A fan's footballing “career” lasts from around 7 to around 80 (median age of death). A fan has 73 years for his team to fail, recover, win stuff an so on.

A very good footballer has a career around 7-8 years, say from 22-29. The occasional outlier like Rooney or Renaldo goes on a bit longer, but not much. He gets, as Eminem said, one shot.

Footballers are, from what I can see, half mercenary, half glory-hunter. If they see the management recruiting mid-table talent at the top and they believe they are better than they, they will, very sensibly, leave.

If I were DCL, Godfrey, Richarlison, Kean, Keane or Pickford, I'd be looking very seriously at the next manager. And if he hasn't got the stardust of an Ancelotti (no matter whether he ultimately failed or not) I'd be on my bike at the first offer from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, or even Arsenal.

Firstly, good news in respect of Eriksen. That's important, that's life. I wish him well.

Just on the point of managers being rubbish or outdated or out of their depth when they are at Everton. It's always them that get the abuse, and it's deemed acceptable based on their earnings.

The players get a bit of stick occasionally but, by and large, have a free hit at this football lark! I have never found it necessary to consider it correct to abuse people and condone it because they earn lots of money, and find the concept strange.

Anyway, I saw Lukaku score two last night – one left foot, one right – and wondered how he ended up at Everton. Worse still, the owners sold him. One day, the penny will drop with our owners that you add good players to your current good players, not sell your best ones to finance buying numbers of rubbish.

Unless Moshiri puts his hand in his pocket again, and resists selling current assets (just the rubbish, please) it doesn't matter who the manager is, Everton are going nowhere fast. The new man has my backing and sympathy in good measure!

Stephen@355 The most dangerous people when it comes to Kenwright are those like you who believe the myths and half truths peddled about him.

What can't be denied about Kenwright is that we went downhill under him for over 20 years, both on the pitch and as a business.

Mike (344). Currently, there are only 4 directors on the board of "Everton Football Club Company Ltd.", being, Mr W Kenwright, M/s D Barratt-Baxendale, Mr M B Brands, Mr A Ryazantsev.

It is true that we cannot know precisely how much "weight" Bill's word still carries in the day-to-day running, of the club but as Chairman, he will probably have the casting vote in the event of a board room tie in a split vote.

Additionally, the Companies Act sets out very clearly what the responsibilities are for any company director and there are strict legal penalties for deviation from those rules.

So, the fact that he remains Chairman of a board of four directors does mean that he does still have considerable power in the club, and in all decision-making processes that affect the club.

Clive @391,

I'd disagree on that too, sorry. He had one stated aim which was for Everton to survive under his stewardship until they could get investment. In the meantime, we survived and got the investment we needed; we didn't go downhill really but we didn't improve as we didn't have the resources to improve.

Kenwright never claimed he had any money to invest. I believe that his presence at the club is bad but history needs to be fair to the bloke.

A little off-topic but are we really ''in the race'' for 33-year-old left-back, Marcelo, from Real Madrid? I'm hoping to see a bit more of Nkounkou this season.

Martin @393 should practice what Martin @390 says!

Matheus Nunes to be our first signing? Interesting central midfielder who can carry the ball quite well. Bit raw but good potential.

Just going to post that rumour Sam, because I wanted to ask a question about who was the last ball midfield ball carrier to wear the Everton shirt?

I'd certainly take Goncalves and Porro from Lisbon, Sam (or Man City via Lisbon in Porro's case). They would sort out the right flank and lack of goals from midfield. Don't know anything much about Matheus Nunes but I'd be surprised if we bought centre mid players given the numbers we have there already (and the fact that we have Price, Onyango and Warrington coming through).

As for Marcelo, hopefully that is complete bollocks.

Pace, creativity and goals in wide & forward positions. Here's hoping.

Sam @ 396, Hat's off to you mate, you come up with some players I, and probably most others, have never heard of, but more often than not, they do turn out to be decent or even better. Maybe you are in the wrong job? :-)

I think Kenwright got rid of his partner, because his partner saw what a poor businessman he was. He also did a good job of losing us the King's dock.
As for his influence now, look at the mess.

Tony (395), Tony get off Martin's back, you know he has got a dual personality, when he is Martin he's okay, when he becomes ‘ The Duke' fuckin' swerve him.

Andy 359. I give honest opinion. All I have done is state facts about Nuno and his Wolves team. He is a poor choice.

We should be going for Benitez or Martinez. Had Martinez been given transfer windows by Moshiri we would have won a trophy by now. He got to two semis before Moshiri. ( Had Lukaku put that pen away in the semi we would have won that game). Some money behind him and we would be in a better place now. Again, my opinion and I'm sure many will disagree with me and won't hesitate in saying so.

There's an old adage that says "Never go back." Martinez or Moyes are in good jobs as managers, why should they come back here? In coming back they'd only have to make some mistakes along the way, or have a poor run of results and the neersayers would be screaming the place down. Benitez is a good manager but in a way, he also carries baggage, this time for his comments while at Liverpool;

Tony@395 I can always back up what I say and there's no contradiction in the posts.

On the subject of Kenwright I agree with Martin. He loves the club. He did his best but ultimately not good enough. I don't believe he should be scapegoated when players don't perform. He's not the coach.

I'd far rather see our club being linked with the likes of Pochettino and Conte but I'm guessing that we don't have that sort of pull for them. They want instant success and trophies but as a club we cannot even offer them any form of European football so where does that leave us ?
We are once again looking at a different level of managerial appointment.
Martinez was a gamble to a large degree, Koeman was unchartered territory, Silva was largely a punt and Allardyce was hired to do a job. Ancellotti might have worked if he'd been thrown lots of cash and Covid hadn't come along.
So Nunes is actually a considered appointment for once.
He has Premier League experience, will attract good players and has a decent backroom staff around him.
We need to back him on the pitch and with the funds to get the right players to do a job
No good just hiring him to use the players we have. He needs the backing of the board and backing of us fans. I think given the right backing he'll surprise us all
He gets my vote and I'll support him

Ian #405, agreed

Ian #402, Lukaku should never have been allowed to take that pen in the first place. The fact that he did, IMO, showed one of the problems with Martinez as a coach and that was a lack of discipline or leadership on the pitch. I think you make some fair points about Nuno but a much better choice than Benitez who I think is past it. I don't believe going back works out the majority of the time and therefore wouldn't have Martinez either. We need stability first and to stop trying to run before we can walk. I am hopeful that Nuno will give us that and put us in a position to challenge the top 6. Then maybe we can bring in a coach that will move us into the top 4. To me Nuno is the best realistic option available given where we are as a club at the moment.

Mark #406, good post

Ian @ 405, with your vastly superior football knowledge to all on TW, even those who have been on virtually from the start of TW, coupled with your clairvoyance and unparalleled foresight, which would even surpass the Famously Fabled Oracle at Delphi, how can you possibly predict that Nuno (should he be appointed) will fail?

With reference to your defence of Kenwright, do a Lloyd Grossman ( ' Through The Keyhole ' or the Arsehole in this instance) and Examine the evidence!

Agreed, Kenwright, as far as we know, has little influence at Finch Farm, or in the training of players. Maybe you should try and get involved, and then we would all know who to blame !

No doubt the other half of Jedward will be on soon to defend you, or verbally attack me, I'm waiting like The Prisoner of Zenda.

Kenwright ran the business side down for twenty years and then announced, “ I haven't a clue about business”. Paul Gregg offered to bail out the Albert Dock project but Kenwright refused to stand down as chairman and Gregg left saying “Bill hasn't a clue how to run a football club”, which proved correct. We are a shambles as a club and a business and I believe this summer is the last throw of the dice.

Martin, 393, history is being fair, he was hopeless.

I am not a lover of Kenwright but I think we have to focus on supporting the new manager. What we want and what we need are poles apart. The Hollywood names managers come with a cost and no guarantee of success, we are also deluded if we think a top level manager is coming in against a back drop of 80 million per years running cost and breaching FFP not just UEFAs but also the premier leagues. Nuno or manages of that level are what we can attract. We just aren't appealing enough outside of our fanbase. Moshiris focus is BMD that and premier league survival is the only way he is getting any return on his investment.

Derek 409.

Putting your sarcasm aside, the reasons why I think Nuno will fail have been stated elsewhere on the thread:

1. He ultimately failed at Wolves and was basically sacked.

2. His Wolves team pressed the least last season ( except Newcastle) throughout Europe's top 5 leagues.

3. His teams don't score a lot of goals: 51, 47 and 36.

4. His tactics are negative, like Ancelotti.

5. He got promoted and finished 7th. Chris Wilder did the same. Should we hire him??

6. His team finished below Everton last season. Why are we hiring a manager who performed worse than the man he is replacing?

7. Given he is Portuguese, he will no doubt persist with Gomes – the worst midfielder the club has had since Nyarko.

Ian I agree with you. Martinez would probably have done wonders with more money, adding the flourish to a fit, drilled and stable Moyes side.

The trouble now is that we've had 4 managers and more caretakers since Martinez. We're deteriorating and unstable. So I don't see too much harm in handing the reins to Santo in the hope of improvement and stability. Santo, if he turns the club around, can then hand us to someone to take us to the next level

Alan #378 Completely agree. Gregg had to give him the money to invest, then he got rid of him and brought in his own cronies Earl & co, who never invested a penny into the club. Everything Kenwright touched he sold, Bellefield, Finch Farm, all the club merchandise, and our biggest asset Rooney. He saI'd he's a true blue, but his record speaks for itself.
Terry White# 279 We could still get McCarthy on a free transfer!

Out visiting friends somewhere in Essex yesterday. I still don't actually know where I went, but I got home.

Reading through and catching up, this one got lively!

Danny Broderick. You've started me off again. We need better players! I don't know if I have high blood pressure and I'd probably best not get it checked. We need better players regardless of the manager.

Tony Abrahams, on the drive down to my house, on a good day like today I can see the Wembley Arch (as it is now rather than the twin towers). It always makes me recall that wonderful few months in 1984 when I went to Wembley twice and finally saw Everton lift a trophy. Every time I see that arch, I convince myself it's going to be next May. It's going to be next May and it's going to happen again!! At least this time, I won't be looking worryingly at my Dad trying to get on the pitch at the and wondering how I would get back to Liverpool. I can still pick him out on the footage trying to scale the fence. I'm stood somewhere behind him!

Back on topic. Surprised this is dragging on if it's pretty much a done deal. Maybe there's other options still on the table?

Ian @ 412, You have conveniently highlighted and exemplified that as being atypical, as many others on here have too, Nuno's worst and last season at Wolves. Yes he was sacked, so has Ancelloti, (several times) I suppose you proclaim to know what happened in the Boardroom at Molyneux as well! Just try the Wolves Fansite and try, if you can, gauge what the supporters thought of Nuno.

It doesn't matter what the final Goal stats read at the end of the day, but granted it is more exciting to watch, as long as the GD is superior to those around you. If you look at Leicester the year that Ranieri led them to the Premiership Title, they weren't winning 5 and 6 nil games, most were 0-1, 1-0, 2-1, 1-2, and yet they came out on top with superior points, more than anyone else.

Lastly, one point we do agree on, is that Gomes is vastly over-rated, but he has played under Nuno before at Valencia, who finished 4th, Gomes was their Player of the Year, believe it or not. Hence why Barcelona came in for him, you never know with the right influence (Nuno) he may turn a Portuguese Donkey into an Arabian Stallion again.

Me too Allen#394 Nkounkou looked really, really promising any and everytime I saw him play; brave, quick, skillful and always driving forward.

Derek #416, to back up your comments about Nuno and the Wolves fan base, everything I have read claims that 90%+ of the Wolves supporters are gutted that he left. One of my customers supports Wolves and he feels the same. He is also worried about us poaching Neto and Jiminez. Just one fans opinion of course but he reckons Nuno is perfect for us and will make us into a seriously good team.

Time will tell I suppose. One thing is for sure though, Nuno and EFC stands a much better chance of success with a united fan base behind him, roaring the team on.

Interesting debates this morning on TW. The point is, every manager should get a clean slate taking over and then be given the support and time required.

Perhaps this time around we can also win our first 4 games and keep that momentum going. We are not too far away with a bit of balanced signings and some confidence and structure. By the looks of things we would be hiring both Nuno and his best friend agent.

I am happy with Nuno. I wasn't with Koeman or Silva, so optimistic its mainly our attitudes to change. My mothers side are all Wolves fans and only have great things to say about him.

I'm looking forward also to seeing Nkounkou again... l mean to drop him after 1 bad game and only play him for the final 10 minutes of the last game of the season. Wtf Carlo out!!

Neil @ 418, Thanks Neil for your words of support, and the consolation of knowing that at least someone else has had the acumen to get a perspective from the Wolves fanbase or in your case a personal acquaintance. Too many are quick to condemn a Man before having a Fair Trial, glad they abolished hanging if half of these were on the jury! :-)

Your Honour I was only 5 miles per hour over the, (not so clearly indicated) limit, and I did park on a Yellow Line for all of one minute, but come on?

Did you mention some time back Neil that you were interested in the TW Golf Day Friday, 27th August, at Aldersey Green Golf Club? Or am I mistaken? I do hope to have another TW Get Together at the Excelsior, once I know what the new fixture list is. Ideally a Home Game with an early kick off on a Saturday or a Sunday.

I know you enjoyed the last one although we both had problems with trains afterwards! Not exactly an endorsement on the strength of the beer at the Excelsior, but more being in good company, and not realising the Coach had turned back into a Pumpkin!

Here we go again the people who run our beloved Club make us look like also rans

Off topic I know, there are comments from James doing the rounds on social media stating him as being happy to stay for another season.

Well said, Derek Knox (416) and also Christy Ring (414).

As far as Kenwright is concerned, add Goodison... "Lose our safety license" the "Kirkby for Everton" debacle.

As far as Santo is concerned, if we get him, why pre-judge him on one season? Read, listen to Wolves supporters?

To me, if Mr Moshiri (who some call an idiot but without him we'd have sunk without trace) stands by his convictions re getting Brands in as DoF, then hopefully he will allow Brands to have a major say in our choice of manager and what players we buy. If Brands has decided that Santo is the best option available to us, then I'm all for giving that partnership my full support.

We've got some players who either aren't good enough, or interested enough, or both... and they have to go. Hard job, as who would want to buy them.

If Godfrey is an example of Brands picking players, then I think we'll do as well as we could possibly do, in the situation we find ourselves in. If Santo can work with the players Wolves had, and bought in and made them a good side, I'll be hoping that partnership can do the same for us.

We've got some good, young players and I don't discount several of them being ready for the first team. I was lucky enough to be at Wembley in 1966, as a 16-year-old, when we won the Cup in thrilling fashion. Since the 1970-71 season, we've had an all-too-short time in the mid-80s as a great team. We were let down then by the board and sunk by the other lot.

We need stability first of all and progress after that. If Brands thinks Santo is the best candidate available, then that'll do for me.

I'm not sure why people are so fixated on this past season, as if it completely defines Nuno's managerial career. You might as well say "Why would we want Pochettino? He was sacked mid-season by Spurs!"

Also, Chris Wilder didn't finish 7th. You know who did? Wolves! Honestly, it takes two seconds to research this stuff.

It's dragging on a bit this - perhaps the generously proportioned lady hasn't sung yet.

Neil #422, did James say where he'd be happy to stay? At home? On his jet?

Mike (371), So what you're saying is that it doesn't matter who we hire. We just have to pick one out of the hat and hope we get lucky because that has happened once with Leicester!?

Neil#422, Big of him, his contract runs for another 2.

Derek #420, ha ha, capital punishment could well be used to control the population.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but, at the end of the day, we need to get behind the new man and show our support. He may even do half a job!

I haven't played golf for a long time and don't have any clubs now so, unless someone wants a caddy, thanks for the offer.

It would be great to have a get-together, let me know so I can check the train times and book a lift off my daughter as back up. Actually the Guinness in The Excelsior was ok so no excuse.

Pat#426, ha ha, 50/50 I reckon.

Stephen #428, when did the small matter of a contract ever get in the way?

I'm not having this continual "listen to the Wolves fans".

Ancelotti's reign was stinking like a kipper fallen behind a radiator and the majority of our fans were still kissing his picture every night before bedtime.

Look at the results and performances. You'll find the answers there. Not by listening to Gavin from Dudley calling in on Talksport.

Are you not prepared to give him your support Ian?

See we are strongly linked with signing the Belrazilian Matheus Nunes from Sporting.

Looks like the Nuno thing is happening.

Thomas 431. I'm against his appointment. But if he gets it he'll get my support and will continue to get it until such time as I don't think performances/results deserve it.

Cant ask for much more than that Ian

Who said you contradicted yourself Martin?

Ian E, get paid mate. Bill Kenwright done his best, you don't have to listen to people like Wally from Walton, on ToffeeWeb to know this.

If any portly fella drapes his arm round him and says what a manager then it's the blue grim reaper coming back aka Moyes moment.

Seems a bit beyond us us to get the these or hopefully at least six new players fighting fit for 90 plus minutes. Fast attacking football ok Nuno ! Or whoever.

Derek 409, "Gomes is the worst midfielder since nyarko" Have you ever seen Iwobi play ?

Matt @ 438, I suggest you check back, I never said Gomes was a worse midfield player since Nyarko, it was Ian Edwards @ 412 (one half of Jedward) other wise known as the Pantomime Horse!

Derek 439. As long as I'm at the front end.

Looking at the Toffeweb poll, 92% of ToffeeWebbers would prefer anybody but Nunu. Doesn't look good.

Ian#412 Completely disagree that Nuno failed at Wolves. I'm not a fan of his but getting them promoted and firmly established in the Premiership, definitely isn't a failure, and he wasn't sacked either. Selling Jota last summer and losing Jimenez, Nuno knew it was time to go, and left by mutual agreement. Ian you have a way of spinning untruths.

Christy 442. It's clear from reports that Nuno was sacked and mutual consent was put out. It's naive to allege otherwise. You should read more widely.

Whether he was successful or not is a matter of opinion. Our opinions differ. "Spinning untruths" would suggest you hold your opinions as facts. I'm not such an egoist.

https://trainingground.guru/articles/six-staff-leave-wolves-with-nuno#:~:text=SEVEN%20backroom%20staff%20are%20leaving,mutual%20consent%20after%20four%20seasons.

What is failure Ian?

Wolves finished 7th, 7th, and then a disappointing 13th (in a season they lost 3 key players) in the Premier League.

Before that they were a Championship side, who had fluttered between the PL and the Championship but we're ultimately a championship side with occasional seasons in the PL.

Now they are established in the PL. So that is not failure.

Method/tactics etc is another discussion. I just wonder, in what way did he fail?

He didn't win the league? He didn't win the europa? What were his failures in his 4 year term? What more was expected for him ove this 4 years as manager?

Ian@412
Comparing Gomes to Nyarko is preposterous.
Nyarko was one of the worst, and certainly
laziest, players I have ever seen in a blue shirt in over 60 years.
Gomes has never looked to be same player after his injury but at 27 he can still get back to his pre-injury form with a new management team.

Matheus Nunes supposed to be joining us in Nuno arrives

Well it shouldn't be hard for him to exceed the expectations of many on here. I'm on the fence but coming down on the side of optimism as I read more about Nuno.
Certainly if I was feeling as pessimistic about things as Ian I think would be seeking help.

Come on Fran, can't you see he's failed with his stats? Seriously though I watched Wolves beat Man City on a Friday night, coming off the pitch around ten at night, and then they kicked off at Anfield at 4O'clock on the Sunday, and definitely gave as good as they got and were very very unlucky to lose by the odd goal, especially because they got one of those horrible VAR decisions go against them after scoring a very good goal that should have given them the lead.

A week later, Everton lost to Liverpool reserves in the fa cup, because they were on their knees, and yet Wolves beat the Champions, and took the game to the soon to be champions, less than 48 hrs later, and I remember being very impressed with both their fitness levels and the speed in which they got about the pitch.

I'm sure Wolves also played more games than anyone in the covid season, and also started earlier than everyone else because of the Europa lge, so if Nuno comes to Everton, the first thing I'm going to do is get right behind him.

Fran 445 - excellent questions. What had Moyes achieved before he became Everton manager? Answer: he had been over-achieving... arguably the same as Nuno.

While he wouldn't be my first choice, we have to get behind him, and who knows what he may be able to do with a club which has more resources than Wolves?

Richard, the Wolves owner's wealth is reportedly only topped by City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Villa. It dwarfs our Mosh's.

Does he spend any of it Don?

Tony 449. Seeing as you brought up Nuno v Liverpool I just researched the scores. Since Wolves got promoted they failed to beat Liverpool in the Prem and only scored ONE goal.

At Wolves they lost 0-2, 1-2 and 0-1. At Anfield they lost 1-0, 2-0 and 4-0.

For the sake of completeness Wolves did beat a very weakened Liverpool team in the FA Cup 2-1.

Research the covid season Ian, see if what I've just said with regards times, dates and score lines are correct mate, because as I get older my memory plays tricks on me mate.

I always judge a game fairly though, and am rarely biased, because it just makes people look silly imo, but I was amazed by the fitness levels of Wolves at Anfield during that game considering they'd had less than 48 hrs rest Ian.

I remember Wolves knocking a weakened Liverpool out the cup, but I wasn't talking about that, I was just saying how impressed I was by Wolves, because most managers moan and say it's impossible to play twice in 48 hrs, especially against a team that have had more rest.

Ian @ 440, " Derek 439. As long as I'm at the front end."

General opinion is that you are the other end! 😜

Don/Thomas, From what I can gather, that Nuno became disillusioned that he had not only unwanted injuries to contend with, but the owners cashed in on players he wanted to keep. A Classic case of Greed or Profit prioritising success on the pitch!

Ian#443 We beg to differ regarding spinning untruths? Sky Sports reported that he left by mutual agreement, you say sacked?

I live in the West Mids and the idea Nunes was sacked just doesn't stack up.

Yet to meet a wolves fan who called for his head the despondency was palpable and the surprise monumental when he left.

That being said "IF" he got the boot it stands to reason it must have been for other reasons beyond togger. I can only remember Tommy Doc getting the heave ho against fans wishes and that was for having a relationship with the physio's wife.

The report he told the board he'd done as much as he could seems far more likely than a conspiracy that they got shut of him and all involved swore an oath not to tell the truth.

No, he wasn't sacked

For the sake of completeness Ian? I've just done it myself and it's true what I write about times, dates and scores, beat City 3-2, lost 1-0 to Liverpool but scored a great goal and then got it took off by VAR, because someone's arm pit was offside out wide about 30 seconds before they scored.

You might be right Ian, about him being a defensive coach, because City we're winning and it's possible Wolves only attacked when City went down to ten men, but they did the double over City that season, something I'm not sure any team could do, unless they are decent at both ends of the pitch?

Barry 457. If you ask Google if Nuno was sacked the main article is The Times report announcing his departure and stating he was sacked 5 days before the announcement and it was to be presented as a mutual agreement.

Local Wolves Journalist Tim Spiers stated on a podcast that Nuno was very nearly sacked in January after losing 4-2 to West Brom.

Ian 459

If that was true - why?

Clubs sack managers all the time why the cloak and dagger stuff? It just doesn't make any sense at all.

Derek@455, one of my good mates is in a WhatsApp group and he was telling me Connor Coady, is also in it, and he was telling me Coady, said all the players loved Nuno, but they all felt his head hadn't been properly on the job for the last few months.

Thomas and Derek (#452 & 455 respectively), as Derek infers, the Wolves owner's a tight-arse spending-wise.

It'll be interesting to see if the Mosh backs his latest by providing enough dosh for players being sought by other top-half clubs, especially if Nuno threw his hand in because of lack of cash-backing at Molyneux.

Interesting debate about whether he was sacked or did he decide he'd had enough. If he was sacked though, it makes me wonder what was the reason. If he didn't meet up to the owner's/board's expectations, then there might be some reason to think we would be hiring a manager they didn't consider good enough.
However, from his first season with Wolves until his penultimate one, it looks to me that he had developed a successful (very successful in comparison to our sides and the money we spent) side.
Last season, Liverpool lost their hold on the league championship in record time, so I think there was a fair few odd outcomes maybe due to the Lockdown.
It doesn't alter the fact that when I saw Wolves from the Upper Bullens in their first season back, they struck me as a much better side than us. I would think that if we get 2 seasons of similar results with Nuno at the helm, I'd consider that we'd had two very successful seasons, and I'd be looking at the last two seasons as the dross they were (and that's being kind)
So I think that Nuno, if we get him, is a reasopnable choice from the managers we reputedly had a chance of signing.

Christy (#414). True!! But why would we want to?

I don't think people on here can be blamed for their negativity. It's a problem in society in the modern world...and it ain't going away!

Don @462, I can't see Moshiri changing tack now and drawing in the purse strings, after if all is to be believed, that had Carlo (the Rotter) stayed, there was something in the region of £150M in the War Chest, so why would he not offer the new incumbent the same?

Now whether that figure includes projected (possible) sales of the likes of Moise Kean, and any others who are deemed surplus to requirements, provided they agree to go and are found suitable Clubs willing to re-employ them.

From what I can gather too, with Nuno's and Brands' connections, I think there could well be relatively undiscovered quality with potential arriving, none of this £25M starting price for a relatively unknown, untested at Premiership level player of the past. It will make a pleasant and welcome change to see the Coach/Manager (what's in a name) working successfully in tandem with the DoF, and singing from the same Programme.

Usually the simplest explanation is the correct one as popularised by the Scottish barber and bacon producer, Hamish Och-ham, or "Occam's razor" as he is sometimes known.

Nunes did great at Wolves the official line seems perfectly legit it was just time to call it a day. And let's be honest journos aren't exactly renowned for dealing in facts

Personally, I would of liked Duncan to be given a chance. You can't earn experience if no one gives it to you. Spending stupid amounts of money on all these so-called "big name managers". It's a load of nonsense. The manager needs to be a good fit regarding the way he players, the players at his disposal coming into the club. Wolves are not great to watch and so are we so his style will fit in and the players won't need to learn a new style of playing which will put us backwards even more. There are many things which go into being the "right fit". Lots of complexities. All you can do is give the guy a chance.

You can't earn experience if nobody gives it to you is probably why Duncan won't get the job, Jamie?

I have increading doubts about Nuno and my personal choice would be Ferguson. I recognise that he is inexperienced but I feel he would see it as an honour to be manager of Everton not simply as a job. I think with a good team around him he could be a success. It is such a shame that the likes of Royle and Harvey are too old to act as his mentor but then this would be Brands brief.

Imo its Everton or nobody for Duncan.

I say that on the back of a long chat I had with him many years ago on a night out on the ale with mutual friends.
He may well have changed his outlook of course.

"Personally, I would of liked Duncan to be given a chance. You can't earn experience if no one gives it to you."

You can't be "given a chance" if you don't even apply for open positions. I'd posit that Dunc is perfectly happy, delighted even, right where he is.

Ian #430, that suggests that everything posted on here is total bollocks then. Or do we not count as fans?

Meh.

Hard to get excited by anything we do lately. The only candidate with anything about him is Galtier.

Ian, honest to God, where do you get the energy to research the record of a coach we haven't yet appointed to get in early that you think he is shite?
He wouldn't be my first choice but people who know more than me think he is. We are rolling the dice once more, and, you know what, that is all it really is.

Andy 👍.

Eugene posted earlier.
Nobody knows how his appointment will go.

Its unconditional backing from me for the first season at least.

Ian #430 "Look at the results and performances. You'll find the answers there. Not by listening to Gavin from Dudley calling in on Talksport."

Ian, I've just been onto a Wolves fans forum. A guy there called Gavin is saying we shouldn't listen to an Ian posting on ToffeeWeb.

James says it's “fine” if he stays at Everton. Is that fine like yeah that's a good idea, or fine like whatever, eye roll fine.

Brent #477, made me laugh out loud

Brent @ 477, I heard that Gavin from Dudley is a dab hand at spotting the rear half of a Pantomime Horse, even from 100 miles away!

Who are we to argue? 🤔🤣

Brent 477. Made me chuckle 😂👍

Ian doesn't answer what he considers failure for a Championship side.

Still curious.

What more was expected of Nuno in his 4 years as manager of Wolves?

What did he fail to do what was considered a minimal requirement when he took over a championship side?

Promotion? Check.
Stabilisation in PL? Check.
Qualification for Europe? Check.

What else could have been reasonably expected?

I'm not saying I'm overwhelmed by his appointment. I've made my case previously. But in regards to this idea that he was a 'failure' in his previous job, I can't see anything to back that up.

Over to you Ian.

Ian, Gavin's having a good laugh, too!

Fran 482. He was sacked. That suggests the Club considered him to have failed.

It would be a hell of a gamble to give Duncan that job. Even more than any of the managers who are now supposedly on the "short" short list. I'm not sure about the relationship of a Director of Football and a manager and what that would be like with Duncan as Manager.
He might be a great manager in the making, but even now, the manager takes the responsibility for facing the press, relating to players, tactics, transfer discussions, laying out his vision for the future. so it would seem to me that Dunc would serve us best by proving he could fill the roll permanently and take all the responsibilities on.
I would think we need, more than anything else, is a period of stability and with ( all fingers crossed) steady progression.

Derek #480 "...the rear half of a Pantomime Horse..."

Don't they normally have their head up somebody ELSE's arse?

That doesn't answer the question Ian. That's subjective, and their could be a million mitigating factors.

You said categorically that he failed.

In terms of his achievements, how did he fail?

Again, not an enthusiastic supporter, but what is the answer the that question?

Pochettino was sacked by Spurs. Was he a failure?
Zidane was sacked by Real. Was he a failure?
Allegri was sacked by Juve. Was he a failure?
Tuchel was sacked by PSG. Was he a failure?

The list could go on forever.

Ian 484

Therein lies your fundamental flaw - there are many reasons - personal, health, politics, not enough karaoke than the assumption he failed.

(A moot point as every indicator shows he wasn't sacked)

Brent @ 486, ' Oh yes, indeed they do'!

He's behind you! :-)

If he was sacked then he should be alright at Everton. Listen Nuno you're sacked but we want you to manage the next game, listen Nuno, we want you to manage us, but we've already got you a first team coach.

All speculation by the way

Oh no...

Nah

What experience is needed to be a manager? I'm asking for a erm, a friend who wants to get a £20m contract. He's got a groupon to take his badges. Figures he can keep Duncan and the other regulars. I'm thinking he just needs a bucket.

If Nuno does come in with his sizeable backroom set up, I just can't see how Dunc can stay. He must know he can't just get the Assistant Manager gig regardless of who is in charge and he can't just presume he'll be given a shot if he sits tight. This was his chance and if not given he should move on and show us what he can do. I love Dunc but would hate to see him hanging about like a bad smell under the new regime. Go and prove yourself lad - serve your apprenticeship like Rooney, Lampard etc

Anthony Murphy I totally agree.

Tony that's my point mate. I think the club should take a risk on Duncan. What have we got to lose? We've had a change of manager more or less every 18 months since Moshiri came in and Martinez didn't last longer than 2 and a half seasons. We're just a mid table team at present and in my opinion we're never gonna go down now matter how bad we get. I mean say what you want about Everton but one thing is we are a top tier side, our history tells us that, so what's the problem taking a risk with Dunc? We're already shite so if he fails big deal. Get someone else in. It's worth a shot.

Anthony post 493. Agree that Dunc would have too much dignity and would do what's best for the club no matter what his ego is. The words hang around like a bad smell go a bit higher up than him.

The club never seems to take risks. Maybe that's why we've gone backwards since Moyes left and why we are where we are. We've spent ridiculous amounts of money (over £400 million...I think) and we've got worse. What other club actually does that? It's an embarrassment. Absolutely shameful. This sounds like negativity but it's actually just facts. And that hurts. Really fucking hurts.

Was there a Santo clause in Nuno's contract with Wolves? I know there should be a sanity clause in his proposed contract with Everton. (Marx Bros circa 1933)

No announcement yet? Still arguing about Duncan I guess.

On a note about Nuno's/Ancelotti's performance last season, well, The Covid season was F****** weird and very little can be reliably read from it.

Barry 498 lmao

I knew what your point was Jamie, but with Thomas, saying that Duncan Ferguson is only really interested in Everton, then I'm not sure he will ever get the job, because he's very inexperienced, and this is what is probably stopping Everton from appointing him?

We've took a chance on loads of others who haven't been that good, I agree, and if we could go and find a first class coach, then I'd be quite happy to give Duncan Ferguson a go, because he does come across as “management material” and I think Everton definitely need a strong manager in what is a roasting-hot-seat, right now.

Andrew 499. I don't agree. The best teams finished at the top of the table. The crap teams at the bottom. As always.

When Duncan was in temporary charge you couldn't fault his enthusiasm, absolutely brilliant, even his team selection playing Holgate in midfield was a master stroke. But the only drawback is his inexperience at the top level and what players he could attract.

Ferguson is 50 next birthday, with zero management experience and, believe it or not, zero credibility in attracting top players looking for talent on the touchline from which their careers may prosper.

Anyone seeking him as our manager must have had faith in Mark Hughes still being the dynamic striker of yesteryear when we signed him. As if!

In fairness to Ferguson he himself has shown zero ambition to even try to become a manager or anything else other than a.n.other sponger at USMFF.

On another matter, folks are saying we may be interested in the Spanish right-back Pedro Porro, on loan at Sporting Lisbon from Citteh. Given that in Portuguese his surname translates as "Fuck" I'd expect him to welcome a move.

Another sponger?

Harsh Don.

Ian 502.

That's right but only just!

We finished 10th just 8 points from Champions League.
West ham 2pts from top 4
Leicester 1 pt from top 4
Villa 7 Champions 2
Champions lose 6 home games in a row.
Jose's Spurs win 6-1at Old Trafford.
More away wins in the PL than home wins.

Barry Hesketh (498) Brilliant! Marx Brothers comedy is still excellent for very witty quickfire comedy.
I hope to the gods, that on this appointment, the sanity clause should be included in every one of the Board Members contracts.
We need stability and progress, even if it's slow progress, we'd be in dangerous territory if we carry on jumping from one direction to another.
Whoever we get, and I think Nuno is as good as any in this list that we could realistic attract, if not better than most of them.

Nil Satis Nisi optimum?

ha feckin ha

It could be requiem if this club doesn't get it's act together.

There goes Denzel Dumfries

I'm not sure the managers the issue. We have had Reals current manager, Barca's current manager and current manager of the number one team in the world. In that time we won nothing and flirted with the top 6 and created the illusion we could win a cup. Two of them we sacked and one left.

We need stability with the manager and a re-building. Let's give give Nuno a chance, that or see if PSG or Bayan need a need manager

504 - Ferguson saved our club in 2019, dragging us out of the relegation zone and giving us our pride back. He managed four games, three of them were absolutely unbelievable. I've not felt atmosphere and emotional connection to the team for a very long time. Ferguson gave us that and anybody who was at those games would tell you the same, but I reiterate you had to be at the games to understand...

I wouldnt give too much credibility to the Finch Farm Fact Finder @ 504, Anthony.

By his own admission he has never been near the place and knows nothing about the inner machinations of the club.
No one person on TW speaks with such authority about something he knows absolutely fuck all about.

You are right about Duncan Ferguson. He stepped forward when this club was in free fall and looking nailed on to go down.
He restored pride. He injected passion, even at places like Old Trafford and he got us heading North.

I get that the board would go for the Hollywood signing when the opportunity arose. But by giving the job to the Italian Night King, they were forfeiting a golden opportunity to see if the answer to their managerial problems had been right under their noses all the time.

I'd be amazed if the board risked going into a brand new season with a manager with virtually no experience.

There will ALWAYS be a question mark surrounding The big Scot. He was unbeaten if four and he did undoubtedly have Evertonia bouncing. Was it sustainable ? I guess we will probably never know. At the time. I made absolutely no secret of the fact that I would loved to have found out.

The only people who can say for certain that he would have failed are the ones who speak with such authority about stuff they know fuck all about.

There is an astonishing level of naivety attached to the claim that Kenwright. would insist that any new manager would have to retain DF as coach as a condition of getting the gig.

When you pay a man 11m quid a year. You let him choose his own staff.

Ferguson is still here, because a succession of managers (who have been to finch farm) wanted him to be

Antony Kelly 504 I was at 2 of those games and it's hard to disagree with you. Dunc would bring passion to the team and the crowd. I'm warming to the idea of giving him his chance rather than the underwhelming choice of NES.

I was told that when Nuno was first interviewed that one of the sticking points was that Ferguson and Alan Kelly are rated very highly within the club (Brands??) and Nuno wanted his own people to replace them.

Personally, I would love to see Ferguson given a go. I think any new experiences manager will instantly want his own players and therefore be in opposition to what Brands wants. As much as I haven't rated Brands yet, if we have him we might as well use him.

Install Ferguson as head coach. Ferguson tells Brands the positions he wants, Brands secures the players, Ferguson works with the players Brands brings in. Anyone else and we'll have another 2-3 signings that are not within the overall philosophy.

I would welcome Dunc as manager, however I feel he does need to start (I feel) with a spell managing a championship or div 1 team, like more experienced bigger names than him have done, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney. It's like Unsworth they both have become too cozy at Everton. It's all a bit incestuous.

I have no real objection to NES but would be quite happy to see Duncan given a chance from an even start - ie all clubs on equal points (nil). It wouldn't take long to guage things more realistically than those 4 games a couple of years ago.

Trouble is the board could potentially find themselves fire-fighting again mid season if it all goes tits up. That's the risk with any appointment at the end of the day so emphasis has to be on safety given our mediocre squad. It's a catch 22 with Duncan really and a shame he hasn't had a go anywhere else - even Scotland. I think the risk from simply having no real barometric for Dunc will always be a block with him.

So, of the realistic alternatives it seems to be back to NES really. Would have him before Howe or Benitez, and no returning faces either, please.

There is absolutely no evidence that Duncan could see us through an entire season. He gave us a shot in the arm for four games on pure adrenaline but could he do it over 38 games? I think it's too risky and, like others, I think he should earn his wings at another club.

Joe Kinnear gave a free-falling Newcastle a similar shot - they were relegated. Alan Shearer, Toon legend, the same. I know it's Newcastle but…

Colin

Do you really think the effect of Joe Kinnear had at Newcastle was anything like the one Ferguson had here ?

You are right about one ting there is no evidence that Ferguson could sustain it over a season, but there is no evidence to the contrary either,

Sorry lad, but you have (by your own admission) happy clapped a succession of "experienced managers" to the bitter end. You did it in the name of positivety.

How did that go ?

That's the model I've been banging on about Joe, only I'd have different personnel in that and restructure Brands' position. But that's just me and I've said it enough on these pages and it's unlikely, so I won't go there again.

As mentioned above, the important thing about Duncan staying in place or not is that decision is made by the new manager.

I know I'm impatient, but at the same time want the club to take time in making their decision, but considering this was on the verge, it seems to be dragging on.

In the last game Duncan managed Everton versus Arsenal was the team full of passion, was the crowd full of passion? I was at the game, it was as flat as a pancake, it stunk, both teams stunk, the only highlight was the Brazilian band before the game and at half time. The Leicester City game was the same, Leicester took a two goal then took their foot off the pedal, it was only when a Tom Davies goal in the second half rallied both the team and the crowd, mainly the crowd, and we had a good go until penalties took over and we went out.

I have never needed any manager to get me cheering for the Blues, never ever, I've been in the ground many, many times and the crowd have taken over and roared the team onto a win that looked unlikely, Duncan knew and used the crowd in the lucky win over Chelsea, he does know and love Everton, he is a born again Evertonian and Scouser thanks to a fanatical Everton family who took him under their wing when he joined the Blues, his love and fervour for the Blues is not false, he is one of us, I just don't think he is ready to manage Everton, now.

Dave #522 I think that's a balanced, reasonable assessment of Duncan as manager. I really think it's maybe time for him to move on, not up.

The names that have been touted as our short list have been hugely underwhelming - Howe, Potter, Espiritu Santo, Moyes, Martinez. If that long list truly is the best that the club can hire from, then I would prefer that they give Duncan the chance to prove himself.

At least we'll find out one way or another if hiring someone close to the fans and the spirt of the club makes a difference. Unfortunately, I think that he will be faced with a poor quality squad who lack motivation and pride, particularly the senior pros.

If they do go with one of the above names, then it would be in Ferguson's best interests to go and get some managerial experience under his belt at a Championship or League One club.

He may never be ready Dave.

The thing is. we will probably never know. You are 100% right when you say he drew from the crowd and I get your second point. knowing the club well enough and being a big enough figure to to be able to do that does not make him a top flight manager.

Given the players at his disposal and the backing he got. I personally belief Ancelotti was pound for pound the worst manager we (Everton not anybody else) have ever appointed. Eighteen months wasted on total zombie football at an astronomical cost. His failure was infinitely predictable... Duncan's far less so.

Dave#522.
Dave you've said exactly what I think, only better than I could have put it mate.

Very well put and articulated Dave Abrahams.

There are no guarantees in life and absolutely no guarantees when it comes to appointing the manager of our club. If as expected Nuno gets the job then I hope Duncan moves on in order to advance his career in the game.

It may well transpire that he turns out to be a great manager, at this stage nobody knows one way or the other. Certainly, his sort spell in charge in December 2019 was not conclusive proof that he would not make the grade.

Dave@522, great post. Duncan gets Everton and that is a massive plus. But he needs to show he can manage a first team over the course of a season or two before he is given the enormous responsibility of a PL managers job.

Nuno sounds like he wants his own coaching team, so it could be the perfect opportunity for Duncan to show what he's learnt and what he can do in the Championship or League One. Hopefully he does well, he will certainly learn a lot either way. And then perhaps he will have proven himself ready to take over at Goodison/Bramley Moore!

Dave Abrahams (522) A good point. I think it was the home game against Bayern Munich, when Howard opened the dressing room window and said that all the team needed was to just listen to us. Mind you, knowing my my memory it could have been another match!
Anyway, the point Dave's made is a good one. We're not so much in need of a cheer leader, as at Goodison that night, the crowd was determined that we wouldn't get beat, the atmosphere was electric and the Bayern manager come of saying "this isn't football, this is war"
Well, it wasn't war, it was the supporters telling the team to stuff the oppostion and the Gwladys Street didn't shut up from beginning to end.
So, in my view, we need a team to give us some hope and a reason to kick off the Goodison roar at every home match, and the crowd should be able to expect, at the very least, that our team is full of players who will pull their tripes out in every match.
That in my view, is the managers job, is to get a team playing the football that we will get behind. Get a blend of skill, aggression and spirit
I think the first thing I'd like to see, is a team that don't know when then they are beaten, full of a mantra that we never give in. There's many more things that a manager has to get right that will take time, it did for Howard, and the team we've got at the moment, have some players who don't seem able to pass a ball, or last much more than 75 minutes.
I'm not sure that Duncan can supply all the skills a manager needs, and that's why I think he would do himself, and maybe us, a favour by proving himself elsewhere first.

Jim 530

think that was the fa cup tie at notts county when Andy gray headed in from 6 inches off the deck

Guilty as charged, m'lord. Darren, I am a self-confessed happy clapper. I admit it. Unlike you, I don't pre-judge our managers. Unlike you, I prefer to give them time and the benefit of the doubt. Unlike you, I will support 100% the next fella as his success is our success.

If the next manager is the father, the son or the Holy Ghost (spirit) I will support him untll proven wrong. Be that your love child, Duncan, Nuno or (god forbid) Moyes.

Unlike you, some of us don't sit on the fence and snipe at every manager in the hope that Darren the Wise is proven right once again!

I quite liked the idea of Galtier as manager for reasons I've posted on another thread and it would appear so did several others.
However, was he ever in the frame ? Was he sounded out or was the fact that he was going to Monaco already a done deal ?
If Nuno is coming to EFC we'll never know what Galtier could have done.
I'll have to keep an eye on his career from now on.
Was there ever the chance that he could have come here and possibly worked some magic ? We'll never know c'est la vie say the old folks you never really ever can tell.

Well remembered Barry. I remember him saying it (or something like) but couldn't remeber where he said it. And another thing we need are a couple of players like Peter Read and Andy Gray for starters!

Jim and Barry, both wrong. It was a third round fa cup game away at Stoke.

I'm pretty sure it was the cup-tie at Stoke in 1984, where Howard opened the dressing room window - but memories fade, so I wouldn't bet on it.

Thanks Rob

Dave

"his love and fervour for the Blues is not false, he is one of us,"

100% mate.
He loves the club unconditionally.

And your right on the family who looked after him.
Betty was like a second mother to him.
Tommy was. Well Tommy😁

Colin, 532, Well said.
Thanks Rob and Barry.
I think Colin's point is a vital one. We nearly lost Howard because he was having a bad time getting the team to blend, to get results and the "petition" was doing the rounds. So that's how near we were to losing him. Until all hope is gone, we should back our manager and our team, as long as they're putting in the effort and they believe in the manager, then we should too.
There seems to be more criticism now, of any potential manager on the list and that mind set is in danger of being carried on to the season in the ground. It's as though some are just waiting for things to go wrong before coming out with "I told you so."
Whoevr is chosen, and in my view nuno is a decent choice but if the Board pick someone else, then so be it, the team need the support of us no matter who gets the job.

No matter what else has been stated on here, there is one thought I would back 100%. That is:
The manager and the team need to click. If they do they will be successful and if they don't click they will be unsuccessful. So, the first skill full job is in the hands of the person or those persons to select the right manager and adjust the playing staff accordingly.
Over to you Mr Brands!

Jim - the difference with Howard was it was 1983-1984.

The internet was still in nappies and we could chat with a few mates in the pub and have a moan when we met up at matches.
Today we are saturated with media and social media coverage. Think of all the websites where we can have our say. Where we can write articles analysing the team, the players. Where could we read this back in 1984?

There is now more co-ordinated criticism than there ever was and that momentum is difficult to stop. There will always be a totem pole for people to gather around.

I was at the Arsenal game, the players all tried their bollocks off, it was not a great performance but nevertheless a good point v Arsenal, who were well above us in the league. Maybe the players struggled because they knew Ferguson was not getting the gig ?

I will never criticise Duncan for what he did for our club as caretaker manager, he saved us and for that reason alone he will always have my respect and support!!

Great point Phil. And maybe we have become more critical because of it.

@Antony #543 - what Ferguson did for the team and the fans was show the players had the passion in them to perform and to give their all. That's something the managers before and arguably Ancelotti we're unable to pull out of them.

Colin@532 The difference being that you are a good Everton supporter.

Phil, social media is definitely a powerful tool for forming opinions now but the day only 13,000 people turned up for a home game with Coventry was probably a more damning criticism than any Toffeweb comments page. Especially as Howards replacement elect was allegedly in the Directors Box that day.

Thank God for Kevin Brock.

He'll fit right in.
Bang average manager of a bang average club. We'll have yet another bang average season and finish bang in the middle of the table.
Everton. Not but average is good enough.

He has been on the "verge" for quite a while now, will he need cold turkey or has he got cold feet ? Whatever it is its taking some sorting.

Colin

I have only ever not supported one manager at the start of his tenure. I knew he was bad for the club and I said why. I will back the next one whoever he may be - unless Its Moyes or Benitez. Because I also think those two would be bad for the club

I had hoped that the disappointment and constant feeling of being wrong may have made you aware of the difference between being positive and supporting dross. Unfortunately I have been proved wrong about that too.
I expect you to continue hammering the players and anybody who rightly questions the manager I expect you to do it in the name of positivity.

You demonstrate a laughable level of double standards when you accuse others of pre judging. especially after you have only just dismissed Duncan Ferguson out of hand when some are proposing him.

Nothing wrong with dismissing DF, If that's how you feel, but please, spare me the hypocrisy.

There is a line between criticising the manager and calling for them to be sacked.

I was very critical of Ancelotti, however I believe that all managers need at least a couple of seasons so I would have also given him another 12 months.

These managers are highly paid and are so called experts in their profession. If the underperform they should not be exempt from criticism.

Take Jordan Pickford. 12 months ago he was receiving a lot of criticism, he received virtually none in the last 6 months because of his marked improvements.

Managers need to be held to account for their underperformance, this does not necessarily mean they should be sacked straight away.

Darren,

"ColinI have only ever not supported one manager at the start of his tenure. I knew he was bad for the club and I said why."

Out of interest, I cant remember what you posted at the start to say why he would be bad for the club.
I would be interested in reading that.

Can you send a link please.

Well obviously I don't know if you initially backed messrs Martinez, Koeman, allardyce, Silva and Ancellotti, Darren. Only you would know that.

I would back Duncan to the hilt if he's named manager as I will Nuno, Potter or whoever is appointed. Duncan would be a big risk once he comes up against the big boys. Enthusiasm, passion and finger pointing won't be enough as former players lampard, shearer, keegan, Pearce etc… have found out.

I am, as you say, constantly disappointed with all the managers we've suffered under in recent years and the dross they've played. I'm equally disappointed in the shitty attitude shown by the players. Duncan has been part of this shitshow for some time now, he's coached these players so no, he doesn't escape my criticism.

Still no sign of the Holy Spirit?

Andrew (547), very true Andrew, the gates had tumbled for a few games before the Coventry game and it is telling because quite a few Everton supporters never came back even when Howard gave us our pride back for three or four seasons.

Martin (549), I think Nuno is still on the verge of signing because the final choice has not yet been decided, in my opinion.

Andrew - interesting isn't it about Kevin Brock.

Two days after the Coventry game we went to St. Andrews and won 2-0. Then the following weekend we went to Victoria Ground for an FA Cup 3rd round and won 2-0, and then the following week for a league game which we drew 1-1.
Then there was the Oxford match
After that we beat Spurs at home, beat Oxford in the replay, and apart from losing a League Cup Semifinal at Villa but went through on aggregate, we went 18 games unbeaten.

But we all think it was that one misplaced back pass that turned it all around. I am not convinced.
I remember Sir Phil saying he meant it when he gave Howard the vote of confidence and maybe that is it. We see one game (or one goal given the tongue in cheek comments last night about Dumfries) but I think the boardroom tend to look at direction of travel. On that basis, Howard would not have been sacked even if we lost at Oxford.

Andrew #547, and Adrian Heath!

Phil (556),yes I think one of the real turning points was the league cup game versus Coventry City, the night the leaflets were given out demanding Kendall's sacking, only 11,000 at that game, where we really struggled until Peter Reid was introduced as a substitute, Howard had hardly used him previously, Peter inspired the team, and we won the game. The very next day Colin Harvey was promoted to first team coach and he, definitely, made a big difference to the way Everton's fortunes changed, for the better, from then on, taking nothing away from Howard, because it was a very good appointment which helped Everton to rise from the doom, gloom and mediocrity to become the best team in England and possibly Europe.

Ah now Colin. That is a proper post.

I don't agree with what you say, but I have no trouble at all respecting it.

Why are we still discussing the "Ancelotti was shite" issue? That chapter is closed – or are people that obsessed with Ancelotti?

All we can do is await the arrival of the new manager, whoever he is, and offer him support from Day 1. I have my own opinions of Duncan's ability to manage Everton: passion will only take you so far... Would we actually appoint a manager who had only a 25% win rate? That's what Duncan had! I know it was only over 4 games but that shows how opinions can be formed!

I actually want Duncan as manager in the future, but he must go elsewhere and cut his teeth with another club. Why should he not have to do that? Gerrard, Lampard and even the prodigal son, Rooney, have taken up the challenge...

Please let's move on from all things Ancelotti as I am sure he ain't giving us a second thought!!!

Ian @ 561,

It's been less than a month since the Italian ditched us, so opinions on his tenure are still valid. Remember, it is a little over 8 years since Moyes left and we still see plenty of debate about his tenure.

Anthony #544, I understand the delay is he wants to include his father and his son in his backroom team.

To be fair to Darren, he does look into things a bit more regarding the manager, or maybe it just comes naturally to a wise old moaning fucker, who has always demanded more from whoever the manager is. I remember when everyone was delighted with Martinez, after his first season, and Darren was fuming because he was doing TV work during the World Cup, and said he should have been on Merseyside, concentrating and preparing for the next season.

I didn't agree, didn't understand the moaning because I thought if he's at the World Cup, then he must be concentrating on football… But I think Darren, was proven right, because Everton got off to a bad start, and looking back, I'd say it was because Roberto Martinez, had taken his eye off the ball, and his Everton reign was never the same again imo.

I'm not saying I agree with his style, but he always backs up his argument thoroughly, and has always been right about previous Everton managers, so maybe he should have been in the interviews instead of Kenwright!

Football is life and life is full of irony. I've heard this Kia J, is fuming now that Nuno is getting the job, reckons he's done himself out of loads of future work, because he's linked to Mendes. Honestly! Whilst us lunatics argue, these fellas are making fortunes, because it's no longer a sport it's a f…ing business, and nothing more.

Tony A, good post there mate, especially the last paragraph. Will Darren will be eating Humble Pie now? Nah! Darren's got thicker skin than the Elephants and the Rhinos at Chester Zoo combined ! 🐘🦛

Phil @556

You are right about the turnaround in 1984 it wasn't the Oxford game as oft gets quoted that was the pivotal moment but the games at St. Andrews and the Victoria ground in the first week of January. Had we lost either or both of them
It could have been all over for HK.

I was at both games, two goals in the last minute
by Gary Stevens and Andy King (?) at St. Andrews. What a mob BCFC were Mick Harford, Noel Blake, PVDH, that nutter Hopkins and Billy Wright as well. Any of them could cause a ruck in an empty room can you imagine that lot playing today? The atmosphere at Stoke the following Saturday was one of the best I can remember following Everton away.

I see Everton are to start preliminary checks on the state of BMD before the navvies move in. One of the checks will be for unexploded bombs. Yes, unexploded bombs!!! You'd think they'd have done that a few years ago when Buster Crabbe was still around.

All suggestions that they could leave one under Mr Chairmans seat will be dealt with accordingly Colin.

Dont know about wise Tony.

I'm wrong more than anyone else I know, You may be right about the moaning old git though.

The thing is. I do give a lot of thought to what I post about Managers.

As it happened my heart leapt when Carlo's name was first mentioned, but It was a slow night at work and I spent virtually all of it researching him. I didnt need to dwell too much on his distant past. We all knew about that. I concentrated on his recent past and alarm bells started ringing loud and clear. I immediately penned an article voicing those concerns.

For me Allardyce was far too negative. I would deffo have let Rhino finish the season. Silva was a bit of an idealist who didnt understand why his stars would not line up for him, but it was Koeman and Martinez who angered me most. Martinez spent far too much time cultivating his own image and Koeman spent far too much time on the golf course.

All I want is an ambitious manager who will dedicate himself to the job as much as a fan would.

I don't believe it takes two seasons to see if a manager is prepared to give body and soul to the job. The writing appears on the wall much sooner than that.

I think the guy who said its time to stop talking about Carlo is probably right, but we are in a kind of frustrated limbo here. We want the board to take their time to get it right...but we want them to hurry up about it.

I will be praying that Whoever gets the gig can bring us good football and trophies. but there can be no half measures or easy routes if he is to be successful. the road road back is too long and arduous

Body and soul.. Not much to ask for.. is it ?

I can be a bit boring to some when talking about football, especially when I go a bit deep, but I've always said the most important position on a football field, is a players starting position (see Scotland's goalkeeper?) and that's my biggest worry for whoever gets the Everton job, the next managers starting position.

Most fans haven't got a clear picture of who they want, but I think most fans definitely know who they don't want, so if the new Everton manager doesn't make a decent start, then his starting position might just destroy him?

I'm warming to Nuno, but I know loads of fans don't fucking want him, and maybe Silva was an idealist Darren, (I thought he was let down by Brands, then sulked instead of thinking things through, and becoming more pragmatic) but a lot of fans never wanted him, and didn't take long to voice their displeasure, so if his compatriot is to get the job, it's imperative that he gets off to a decent start, such is the anguish and frustration amongst a lot of Evertonians right now.

How wide is the verge that he's close to? Maybe it's a dual carriageway.

Alan @570
I think it might be a ledge rather than a verge and the suits have spent all weekend trying to talk him down. I can't ever remember so many Evertonians being so pessimistic about the appointment of a new manager, but I suppose the last five years has taken its toll.

Alan#570, more like a smart motorway

Don't want to start it up but really man, the Carlo stuff is revisionism if you don't consider the reason and playout of the exit. Maybe when we get really bored we could do a post on this all by itself so it doesn't infect the rest of TW. Maybe some really motivated people could make a boardgame of where Carlo got lost or Bill replayed the puppeteer routine.

Either way an indictment of the last season comes as a package and we haven't even untied the fucking bow before another soap opera begins.

This is drawing on isn't it. I've a feeling whoever manages has to agree for Duncan as his assistant. Dunc needs to be informed to find a manager position for a couple of years in the championship before managing Everton.

A PL job is not for a first timer. I suppose Arteta bucks the trend but he spent several years with Pep.

I see the happy clappers are trying to take the moral high ground. Those nasty people that ask for better and try to hold the club to account to improve standards are not good supporters.

Whereas, those that take any old rubbish without question are proper Supporters.

Get over yourselves.

When it comes to the Everton manager Ian, how do people take the moral high ground mate?

Nuno knows a thing or two about verges. This time last week he was on the verge of becoming Palace's new manager. Next week who knows what verge he'll find himself on. Not to mention 18 months from now.

Tony~569.
Most fans haven't got a clear picture of who they want, but I think most fans definitely know who they don't want,

Hit the nail on the head there mate. I only knew, like someone posted earlier (was it Darren) that I definitely didn't want the FSW or TGT.
Beyond that there's no manager that's available to us who I've got a clue about whether he'll be successful or not.
It's obviously not down to past achievements as we learned last season. While on that (touchy) subject I wonder why alarm bells didn't immediately ring when Ancelotti wanted a clause that would let him leave if a CL club came in for him.
Wonder how he'd have felt if the club said we want a clause that if you finish below 8th we can pump you with no compo.
We'll never know, but I hope the club has learned that if ANY manager wants that sort of clause, they thank him for his time and advise him to watch the door doesn't bang him in the arse on his way out.
I had someone round the house this morning to price a job for me, we spent three or four minutes on the job, and three quarters of an hour on Everton and he was the same, didn't have a clue who he had any confidence in (managerwise) to do the business at the club.

I HAVE had a brainwave though. Gonna pay for my season ticket renewal with my credit card so that I can claim back the cost should the service be not as advertised!

Pat, maybe he will be on the verge of taking Everton into the CL

David I think that's verging on the highly unlikely.

We haven't even appointed a manager, and the pessimistic views are everywhere. If I wasn't already half a crank, I wouldn't be reading some of these posts, but at least some posters give me visions of certain characters, and to be fair to Pat K, I'm wondering if anyone has ever asked you to christen their kid!

Tony's comment that you quote Brian does sum it up.

At the start of this I said I was going to avoid the speculation and wait and see what the club decided. I'm guessing that Iasted about 58 minutes.

I eventually started having a few (unrealistic) opinions about who I would like, but you're right, I'm more certain of who I wouldn't want than who I do. And a lot of those I would rather swerve appear to be on the club's shortlist.

Tony, I'll take the boring title off you. Those who do read my ramblings know that even my dogs are fed up of me and this now.

Sam. A right riveting read !! Can't wait for next week's ' Wizard ' .

I was enthralled.

I bet yer those dogs are still waiting for you at half six tomorrow morning though Danny!

If Duncan is going to be part of the management team I would has at a guess it won't be Nuno. I can actually see a Benitez appointment with Duncan assistant to keep the supporters onside to be fair nothing would suprise me with Everton... but this Nuno appointment is dragging on ffs.

Ian @ 575. I too, want to hold the club to account. Let me know your plans for doing so. Marches, rallies, etc. I guess you will have most on here right behind you. When you are contacting the club asking for better standards put my name on the petition.
Do you actually think that there is one supporter on here who will " take any old rubbish without question"?
Ranting on a website is good for the soul. It doesn't mean you see what no one else does. It doesn't mean that there are "happy clappers" who just don't get it. We all get it!!! We really fucking do.

Ian@575 You don't try to hold the club to account, you do nothing but whinge. No, you are far worse than that because the happy clappers that you sneer at are all good Everton supporters, you aren't.

Tony

I think you have always wanted to see a united Evertonia...It's never going to happen. We may have united in our celebrations for wins like the one at Anfield for one day, but until we have a team which wins trophies. Unity is out of the window.

I have always maintained that TW represents a pretty accurate barometer of the feeling among Evertonians, but Carlo's tenure changed all that. It got particularly nasty on here and the shouting down and the vicious abuse - particularly aimed at Ian Edwards was just stomach churning

I posted an article on the eve of Carlo's appointment. One which really outlined my fears. The majority of responses agreed with the article. The fears were proven to be well founded and they were shared by a lot of people...but those people have kinda drifted. Every thread was dominated by the same 8-10 people hunting down all alternative opinion angrily dismissing it as negative whilst proclaiming themselves positive - Remember 150 posts from two people on one thread ?..

This is an opportunity to change the dynamics on TW, but I don't believe it will happen. I suspect there will remain a pack of about ten and I believe they will all go in the same direction whether that be for the new manager or agin.

Maybe Darren, but if I'm being honest, Ian, often gets on my nerves because he doesn't really offer anything that makes me even remotely think, whereas I don't feel that way when you criticise anyone Darren, although it does become hard sometimes because it's obvious certain people are waiting for you, and you're the type of person, who is always going to respond.

I'm aware that Evertonians will not unite until we've got a chance of success, but I'm also aware that when Evertonians do unite, they are a very, very powerful force, and this is what we all want for Everton FC, at the end of the day, (to become a force again) and sometimes I wish more Evertonians realised how fucking powerful we are, when we unite.

You are a top blue Tony.

I look forward to meeting you and your dad and we can at least unite over a bevy. Obviously we would have to bow to seniority and let him buy the first round

You are right. I don't know who I want as Manager. I was very impressed with Lyndons compelling case, but that doesnt seems to be likely now.

For once I am going to listen to Ian Horan. Carlo's gone - New Chapter

Darren, that is an interesting post. Particularly as was submitted about the same time as I posted a comment challenging Ian. You may recall that I called out what I named as vile abuse of Ian a while back.
I do think that there are also what appear to be some seemingly professional ToffeeWebers, over every thread with a collective agenda, encouraging one another with " knowing" comments. You know what, that is exactly what I did twenty
years ago on here.
I was one of the original MOB and I think it is safe to say that no one has ever received more abuse on ToffeeWeb than I did then. Brendan McLaughlin, for whom I have the utmost respect, crossed swords with me very often then, I guess we have both become mature and reflective commentators!!
They were, in my view, great days when the site really was not for the faint of heart.
Frankly, ToffeeWeb is better now. Effectively patrolled by Michael and Lyndon. The dynamics absolutely do not need changed.
I can say twenty years on, that there is not a single blue on here that I would not have a pint with. I have met some of my best friends through this site. It has been an utterly positive part of my life.

Frustrated limbo.

Another statement that sums up the sentiment. In broad agreement with Darren's past manager assessments @568.

Similar views from me. Hugely concerned when we appointed Martinez, pleasantly surprised and then those initial fears home to roost. I was admittedly blinded by my memories of Koeman the player rather than Koeman the manager. But I did have concern as the warning signs were there when he appeared to take some convincing (ring any alarm bells now???).

Allardyce; I won't go there. Didn't want him at all. Silva; had we not learned our lesson from Martinez? And Ancelotti. I did have high hopes. In hindsight, I wonder how early his head was turned from the "unexpected opportunity". Got us within a game of Europe and I hoped for squad investment in the summer to improve us on the pitch. But it should never have come down to the last game.

And yes, those are the past managers. I'm looking forward, but at the moment with a bit of trepidation as much as I want to be positive.

Frustrating limbo.

Everton have had 18 fulltime managers since I started watching back in 1956 and only 3 have won silverware and only 2 have won a league, and only I won a European trophy. And although I think there are far better candidates than Nuno, if he is our choice then I will fully support him, but like the ones before will criticize were I think its appropriate. As the record shows we haven't been blessed with successful managers, so its quite probable that if you set your stall out to oppose whoever gets the job, then our history says you will most probably be right.

But I think whatever I think of certain players or certain managers, matters not a jot to those in charge, so all I can do is to try and support whoever gets the job otherwise whats the point of me buying a season ticket and going the game.

Let's hope we get a Manager or a Coach who can, despite what some on here think, teach a professional footballer to trap a ball.

If he hasn't agreed to become our manager yet good riddance, something fishy afoot I suspect.

Koeman fucked Everton imo Danny, or maybe it was Moshiri's fault for appointing him, and giving him and Steve Walsh, loads of money to waste.

Walsh was out of his depth, whilst Koeman, just about put his toes in the water, and I think this was the start of our struggles, because it's been a really frustrating and boring five years, since the Dutchman who didn't even really want the job, took over.

Maybe after the frustration of this summer, Everton can finally find a man who can slowly take us forwards, although I have to admit that we have always been more of a Phoenix from the flames type of football club, and after saying that, it's quite possible I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

Regardless of people's feelings about Duncan, you can understand a new manager not wanting him around. A big presence, who has stated on the record several times he wants the job. Why would you want him hanging around. Obv someone like Carlo wouldn't be phased by it, but your common or garden manager that we're now looking at will be severely spooked.

I don't remember us being much better post Koeman Tony, but without looking it up, that seemed to be when our transfer policy was really all over the place.

Of all of them, the most disappointing for me, because it felt like he took the job without really wanting it in the first place.

Dazza (@various), the chief difference between you, one or two others, and the vast majority of Evertonians on here is that you constantly refer to the many whose view you choose to differ from as "hypocrites" "happy-clappers" "straw-men" etc etc. There's nobody on here whose earned the level of openly expressed contempt that you have for being so boorish.

That said, when you do as many others do and confine your posts to the club you're readable IMHO, and I've said so to you, on here. We share, for example, huge disdain for Kenwright and the effect he's had on the club we both support, yet you adore all the ex-player coaches the cheap-skate employed. Hmm?

On USMFF I've no idea what goes on there, as you say, but I'm one of many who's asked that question with huge regularity as the basics go missing in matches. To me it's therefore fair to ask just what the coaches do.

And on Ferguson, quite apart from his disgusting behaviour as a player and his appalling attitude to us, Everton, in that time (especially galling since his skill-set was so immense when he could be arsed, which wasn't often), he's now 50 next up. Contrast with coaches ambitious for management, such as Neil Critchley now at Blackpool. He's 42, and was a youth coach for Liverpool for 7 years - that's it.

USMFF is a very very comfy place to "work" it seems to me, and big changes are way overdue.

Posts some good stuff Darren at times, then fucks it up with the personal stuff. That encourages fellow posters to respond likewise.
Me included

All in all a rabid blue which, end of the day, is the main thing.
He has a lot more support from people on here than he realises.
Me included.

I'm hoping the new manager search is like the stadium. Lots of angst, rumors, negativity etc but behind the scenes they've slowly but surely got on with the job despite many obstacles.
Personally, I agree with Ian Horan. I can't be bothered to talk about Carlo any more. Even less so than Moyes, because Moyes was around for much longer, and had more interesting highs and lows. Although, I am not interested in revisiting Moyes either especially since his spectre has been removed with the new WHU. I thought Carlo could make an impact but ultimately he lasted a little longer than Sam, and buggered off. Next.

I think whoever comes in he'll no doubt want his own team with him
It might be time-if he's not given the job- to encourage Ferguson to test himself elsewhere
At the same time possibly Unsworth should be given the opportunity to try something new
For all the money pumped into the Finch Farm young kids set up I really don't see much of it progressing to the first team
I certainly don't class present regulars DCL and Holgate as products of our system

I do love to see people who I never engage with, constantly bleating about the way I speak to them.

Brian #578... or if the product is defective.

Too bad the club didn't pay Schneiderlin with a credit card.

Tony#596 I couldn't agree more, Koeman was our biggest disaster and Moshiri probably thought Ronald the manager was in the the same league as Ronald the player. Nothing could be further from the truth, he sold Lukaku bought three no.10's, taking the whole window to buy Sigurdsson, and as Darren said, was on the golf course in Portugal when a striker should have been bought before the window closed. The squad was totally unbalanced, and the way he treated Barkley was a disgrace.
If Nuno is to be our manager, not my choice, but I'll support him 100%
and give him a chance, not hung drawn and quartered before he even puts pen to paper.

I hated Koeman, I'm not sure I even went to one away match during his time at Everton, because he had no discernible style, and I remember that even a third rate team from Cyprus, read his tactics like a kid used to read the beano.

But... if a fool and his money are soon parted, it's definitely now time for Farhad Moshiri to learn

See 😁😁

Mike 604

Funnily enough I saw an article on Schneid earlier. 35 games for Nice last year, 11 yellows, 1 red, 0 goals, 0 assists. Some Rolls Royce.

Keiron, it'll make Galtier look like Lazarus if he can get a tune out of Schneiderlin then!

And Dazza (#603), given that you correctly say you never engage with me, just how do account for the way you say I "bleat about the way you speak to me"?

Ludicrous logic - risible reaction, as ever.

I thought galtieri went down with the Belgiano ? I wonder how many training sessions nuno will need to see siggy is best as a conductor in the philharmonic and Gomes can't run !

Don't be fooled by that story about the boat checking the wall in BMD. They were looking for Nuno. Dunc says he hasn't seen him since he gave him a tour of the dock.

Don#609 What I find hard to accept, Darren makes general comments and if you aswer and refer to him, and have the audaciity to criticise Ian, who winds people up with his total negativity, he says he wasn't speaking to you. It is a ToffeeWeb forum for all Evertonian's.

Christy. Speak to one on ToffeeWeb and you speak to all. There's no concept of speaking on an open forum to only selected people. Email them if you want it to be private. Post and you have to accept that anybody can respond. Most of us can understand that.

Darren you were right about Ancelloti and I was was wrong.

Heart & soul for the club? I have just finished reading an article about Bielsa in the Athletic. The man had a bed and a kitchen installed at the Leeds training ground. There is no team fitter than his in the premiership. He has brought young players on in leaps and bound - Phillips.

I reckon he will have them in the top six next season.

How could Leeds get it so right and us get it so wrong.

We need a fanatic like that - are there any more like him knocking about?

Dave @558, spot on about Colin Harvey.

A great player, whom never lost the belief and spirit he had as part of the Holy Trinity, and took that into being a brilliant coach at Everton.

The signed picture of the trio, I have when we done the RS at their place in the Cup, in March 1967, is amongst my most prized possessions.

Colin and the back room staff brought in made a hell of a difference and brought the best out of Howard in the 1983-1987 period.

Everton genuinely had a swagger for 4 years, they've never got close to having since.

So forgetting the past and Great memories but embracing Everton's future.

But it would be good to know sooner than later whom the new manager is.

It's a heist or it's getting the legal third, fourth and fifth degree, by Everton's lawyers, after the Italian Job!

Let's hope so, if the case.
UTFT!

Laurie #614, I would bet against it. Bielsa's lifelong pattern would suggest otherwise.

Bielsa is a teacher and innovator without peer, a true Einstein of the game. He is also a prickly and sometimes weird old crank with a history of triggering ugly confrontations with his bosses. Three years in the same job is an eternity for this guy, and the clock is ticking.

As to Leeds getting it right, they took a huge risk in the spring of 2018 by hiring Bielsa in the wake of three ugly divorces from Marseilles, Lazio and Lille. No Prem club, let alone conservative Everton, was willing to gamble on The Madman at that time, and Leeds' decision may have been based more on desperation than perspicacity. However, I will readily grant you that our own history would have been very different had we hired Bielsa back then instead of Setpiece Suicide Silva.

Laurie (614) - Mike beat me to it, but I was just going to say that the problem with hiring a fanatic is that if it goes wrong, it tends to go *spectacularly* wrong (as evidenced by Bielsa's own prior career stops, including Lille, which was an unmitigated disaster).

I could see Leeds making a top six push next season, but I could just as easily see it all unraveling and Bielsa calling it quits by Christmas. There's just no way to know.

Nuno seems to have been on the verge for a very long time. I was suspicious that his name was fed to the media last Friday to see what the fans reaction would be on social media - it looked very co-ordinated to me.

Despite all our debates on the merits of Nuno and other candidates, I just hope Brands is being left alone to run a proper recruitment campaign.

Well Mike & Bill, Moshiri has tried 2 Hollywood managers (Koeman & Ancelloti), a young up and comer (Silva), and a safe pair of hands (Sam).

Koeman was a disaster (a completely wrong fit for Everton), Marco wasn't up to it, and Sam, well apart from playing safety first football, he was never going to be accepted by the fan base.

So I think it is reasonable to say that Farhad Moshiri (who I admire for his nerves of steel) and his advisors (whoever they are) have gotten it spectacularly wrong when it comes to picking a manager that suits the club.

One thing I would be sure of if I was Farhad Moshiri, if he is able to get a manager who can get the team as fit as Bielsa has leads, and win the respect of the players, which Bielsa has achieved at Leeds, then there is no way he will have to worry about getting relegated.

Bill - it went spectacularly wrong with Ancelloti - he ditched us and had the football world sniggering at us. That has wound me right up.

If I was Farhad and could find Bielsa Mk2 I would roll the dice again and tell Brands to get him who he wants and tell the rest of them to stay right out of it.

If it went pear shaped he can always hire someone else - that's what we have been doing for the past five years.

One thing I am sure of - if the new manager can get those players putting in as much effort as those Leeds players have for Bielsa that would have Goodison rocking again.

If it is Nuno I hope he can at least do that.

Christy

The term "If the cap fits" would apply to a lot of my posts.

I hardly ever engage with people who devote their time giving unquestioning loyalty to a hired hand in the name of positivity. I think these people are everything that is wrong with this club, I'm no shrinking violet and I wont take their often personal attacks lying down. So I offer "if the cap fits" responses.
If the cap does fit, then they are going to take it personally. That is why so many think they have been engaged in imaginary arguments with me
What I say is tame. Harmless, if you are offended by terms like "Happy clapper" should you really be posting on a footy forum ?

I don't think any of Ancelotti's critics were prepared to sink as low as those who abused Ian so badly on the forum that day. Words like prick, c**t, gobshite, twat were hurled. Thats not just wrong. It's deeply deeply personal and, for me at least, Its cowardly.

Heres the thing; You come on accusing the guy of being negative, but is he really ? or was he just plain right ?
I saw the things he was saying most weeks and I would use other adjectives. I would describe his comments as spot on, Irrefutable.. incontrovertible...He was saying what he saw, He was saying what we all saw. Only he was prepared to say that the king was in the altogether.

Here was a world champion openly taking the piss out of every Evertonian by sending international footballers to spoil every game.. and people were applauding. Excusing. They were telling us how grateful they were and that we should all feel blessed that he was here...In the name of all that is good, Christy. Please tell me how that can be construed as positive...Nobody else can.

Positive is as positive does. Positive people don't need to keep calling themselves positive. Their actions and words do that. The minute I hear somebody describe themselves as "positive" I switch off - Dont tell me, show me.

There are no winners when an Everton manager fails. Not in here anyway, but there are two things that stick out to me in this season long debate. Ian Edwards called it right from the get go and his detractors got it unequivocally wrong.

"Self proclaimed positives" Those who applaud and excuse mediocrity I genuinely belief they will be the demise of this club. They are a living legacy of Kenwright's expectation management.

Laurie #619, for what it's worth, I saw three and a half years of that kind of passionate effort from Wolves under Nuno -- winning the Championship and their first two years in the Prem. I never saw a listless performance in all that time. This past season the wheels came off in December, and reports say Nuno himself had sorta checked out by February or so, but clearly he's capable of inspiring that level of effort from a club over an extended period of time. And Molineux was definitely rocking during those years.

So I'll hold out hope he can do the same thing at Goodison.

Mike @ 621, I can only echo what you have said there, people as in life, are all too quick to concentrate on the bad news rather than put things in perspective, and look at the extended picture. Another thing I have seen mentioned on here so many times, which I believe to be totally inaccurate, is that he was 'sacked'.

He wasn't, he resigned, as decisions, like cashing in on players against his will, coupled with the unfortunate injuries meant he was dealt an almost no-win set of cards. I always remember when I was at secondary school a respected teacher, saying 'good news will travel' but, 'bad news will travel even faster'! It wasn't till later in life I realised the wisdom and truth in his words.

It's as if people relish the negatives rather than concentrating on the positives, I'm sure there must be a Freudian explanation of why this is so, but nevertheless it is virtually a fact of life. I know at Everton we have been starved of success for far too long now, but success has to start with positivity, and a pinch of luck too, which hitherto has always seemed to desert us.

OK, Nuno. Seems he likes to get the players working on auto so they know what to do in any given moment, especially in defense. I'm OK with that when I think about the chaos we are used to. When the moves are instinctual you can relax and look for the forward opportunities. I would be happy to watch the defense be in control with and without the ball. The key is transition. When we have James there is some satisfaction, but we need more quick legs in the mid and a winger with pace. I'm hoping Nuno can do it for us. Somethings got to click soon. Hasn't it?

Darren (620) I read all posts and you have set yourself up as "The Advisor to All". Absolutely no poster on this site has such an overblown, self serving deluded pompous attitude as you do. Anybody who dares to respond to your vicious barbs or ridiculous naive conclusions is deemed as a "Iesser being".I refer to a number of posts who have had the nerve to slight you (227) (307) (318) just to mention a few.

You are so busy insulting fellow Evertonians that you rarely stay on topic.You then have the nerve to accuse others of being personally "rude" to poor slighted Darren. I NEVER use expletives when I post so I will just use the term "Sad Sack"

The article was about appointing a new manager. EVERY person has the ToffeeWeb right to give their opinion and while we may have widely ranging opinions they are ALL valid. Nobody is satisfied with mediocrity and poor results, but you have taken upon yourself to divide Evertonians by your senseless analogies and by creating just TWO distinct groups (1) Those who agree with Darren and (2) Those who don't. There are such things as intelligent discussions, and they can become heated, but you immediately climb on your Charger and create a fetid atmosphere.

There are also a number of posters who have basically said, " Hey guys ease up we are all on the same team" You talk about the hat fitting, yours is obviously over your ears. You are your own self declared "Champion", but of WHAT ? I have been around for over eighty years and have little time for either physical or verbal bullies.There are MANY on here who seriously suggest that you should be ignored and I held off until I read (620). I am weak and I just could not hold back.

This “verge” seems to be a very big one. Are Everton having second thoughts? I hope so as this feels like it has been another panic decision to get whoever is available.

The absurdity of our Dazza continues!

He slights folk who contend themselves as "positive" in attitude but is bizarrely bereft of personal insight when it comes to the tsunami of negativity/bile he delivers to those Evertonians with whom he merely disagrees.

And as for his comment on those he deems to be blindly positive; "they are a living legacy of Kenwright's expectation management", well, wow, this is from the guy who extols the virtues of every ex-player coach Kenwright's ever appointed! (He remains silent on such paradoxes of course).

Anyway, hopefully Kenwright has zilch to do with the selection of the next manager. We need full unity between Brands and the next guy and if the delay (if it is a delay!) is caused by the need to fashion a working relationship before a contract is signed I can live with that with a positive outlook.

If that doesn't upset anyone of course!

Darren #620 I totally disagree with the vile comments on the live forum that's why I stopped posting and let's be honest some of the names that Ian used for Carlo and Gomes were in that category and I never heard you criticise him. As fo happy clappers, fans like myself were giving Carlo a chance, not constantly looking to have him sacked.. It takes more than 18 mths to assemble a squad, not happy with some of his selections and subs, but prepared to give him time, he bought four good players to a mediocre squad and was going to bring in more this summer, but he's gone now. So insulting fans by calling them happy clappers ?

Perhaps this guy will be a good manager for Everton. Personally, I was annoyed at the media love-in with big time Carlo. "Carlo Ancelotti's Everton". Just like "Frank lampard's Derby" etc, etc. The general media response to us getting him was shock...what on earth was he thinking of going there?
Like Mike Gaynes above, I have been impressed with the Wolves team over the last few years. They have played some good football and have some cracking players in their ranks. To lose his main scorer and creative player(Jota) gave him an uphill task. I think it shows that quality in the squad is a must to compete with the big boys. It is no coincidence that Leicester have dropped-off the pace two seasons on the trot. Thier squad is just too small to maintain that intensity over a long season.
As for Nuno -he will surely give us better football to watch than the great Ancelotti.

That's a very good observation Mr John Boon.

I thought that was a very interesting and telling post Derek K, but maybe success has deserted us because we often lack belief, and I agree, being positive, or at least adopting a more aggressive attitude out on the pitch, is something that will give the fans, a lot more cause for optimism.

Going back to the past, I remember Everton beating Southampton on the day of the Grand National in 1984, and it was a day I noticed that the crowd was really different, for the first time in my life.

Scousers have always been funny, but the aggressive banter that seemed to be a second nature to most Evertonians had gone, and it had been replaced by people laughing and smiling at each other. It was a brilliant feeling, probably stemming from the fact that every single person in the ground knew that Everton had finally become a very good team once again, and Goodison Pk, became the happiest place in the city.

It still amazes me to this day that Everton's crowd was heard by Picton Clock, when they beat Bayern Munich, so that very clever teacher was only right 99% of the time Derek, sometimes good news travels fast, singing “WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!”

He hitches his pyjamas up, takes a swig of rosy.

"hey girl, ive got them at it again"

Derek 622
To be honest Derek I'm not entirely sure why he resigned?
However, unless you're City, Utd or the RS every Club's managers players are for sale, look at Kane at Spurs
Injuries and squad sizes and funds are a restriction at all Clubs
If, as you mention, Nuno resigned because of players being sold and injuries, well he'll never last anywhere
Has to be something more

I think it would help the debate on Everton managers generally on TW if posters would propose solutions as well as objections. Those who simply critique everything are going to be proven right some of the time, but ultimately that is both a limited and limiting tactic.

It was during Moyes time that I started reading ToffeeWeb and I have got as many wrong as right – I did not support the hiring of Martinez, Silva and Allardyce but supported the hiring of Koeman and Ancelotti. For each hire, I put a name forward as my preferred choice. It stimulates debate and challenge – Mike Gaynes told me I was in dream land to put Conte's name forward and he's probably right! But, that is who I think is needed to shake the complacency and mediocrity out of this club.

Ian Edwards has been ducking and diving to avoid putting a name forward as manager and is already gunning for Espirito Santo before he has even been confirmed as manager. I am equally underwhelmed by Nuno but, for goodness sake, give him a chance if he is hired. Ian should put forward a constructive case for his preferred candidate. Darren supports giving Duncan Ferguson a chance, which is a valid point of view.

Lastly, let's stop using tired phrases. 'Happy clapper' doesn't bother me in the slightest as I am an optimist. But it is getting a bit old and boring – come up with something new at least! Interestingly, when I countered with the phrase 'nappy clapper' it wasn't well-received at all. Being a scouser, one thing I have always admired about us is that we can dish it out as well as take it?

Lawrie @ 619; Spot on, If not Bielsa...who I wanted before Ancelotti became avaliable...then Bielsa Mk II.

Now it seems that its all over bar the shouting and Nuno...as far as we know - Is the man.

But football is - and Managers are, a transient thing, a moveable feast and 4yrs is a lifetime.
So Brands or whoever, needs to be on the look out for the Bielsa Mk II replacement now.

But I fear that sort of forward thinking is beyond most clubs, let alone ours.

Edit; they buy young players 'for the future' so go out and find this Bielsa Mk II.

Find him, hire him - or her, let him run the PL2 Team.

And/Or

Tell this young coach - this 'one for the future' exactly what we want of him Re fitness, manner of play, Intensity etc...let him have a 'philosophy' on his own dime.

We pay you to do A,B, C,D...get them lazy overpaid wasters up them sandhills.

...and breath.

Thing that bugs me with Nuno is this. I'm pretty certain it was announced that he was leaving Wolves a few weeks before the end of the season. In which case why was he still in charge of Wolves for their last three or four games and then joined in with their “lap of appreciation” after their final game of the season, if he had been sacked?

“Here you go, Nuno, here's your P45, now fuck off, oh but you can still be in charge for the last few games”. I doubt he did it for nothing, out of the kindness of his heart, or as a goodwill gesture.

Derek # 634 - I have to say that as Mike Gaynes has pointed out, Wolves looked a decent team when they were first promoted so if Nuno gets the gig hopefully he will be able to get our lot fired up in similar fashion.

In the meantime let's keep a look out for Bielsa MKll because passion, plotting, and commitment can take you a long way in football and in life - and I do like a nutter - they have a certain je ne sais quoi !!

Edit : the Sandhills - now your talking - that would sort them out.

Rob

I think maybe they announced that he would be leaving a few weeks before the season ended, but maybe he had agreed with the club to stay till the end of the season. I know these things take time but seeing as it was reported that Moshiri spoke to his agent George Mendes well over a week ago I thought if he is to be our next manager we would have got an agreement by now. I know Mike Gaynes quite rightly says Wolves looked an exciting team when they got promoted and they did. But so did Chris Wilders Sheffield on their first season back, although to be fair Wolves had 2 or 3 good seasons after that.

Good post Steve

For what it's worth I was very happy we got Ancelotti as manager and thought it was the right appointment at the time - a serial winner etc etc. I don't know whether you can call his time at Everton a failure simply as he decided not to continue with the job so hard to assess. I actually don't think it was a success either and was disappointed with many aspects, but I would like to have seen how this coming season developed with a few new signings. I do however agree with hindsight that he was not the right appointment, but was I pleased we got him - yes. Maybe I was naive but all my fellow Blue family and friends seemed to be happy too so I wasn't alone. Would he have been a success had he stayed - nobody can say for sure. I hope that doesn't sound contradictory, but just trying to outline my take on it.

What we also don't know for sure is what Ancelotti made of us behind the scenes and how this impacted on his motivation to continue? We can't ignore that the club (from a footballing perspective) isn't a well ran institution. Many have mentioned here that Moshiri doesn't know what he's doing, and we also have Kenwright with his old boys club, plus Brands with what seems like a very unclear remit - so this absolutely must be factored in too when discussing the success or failure of Ancellotti, and may go some way to explain previous managerial failings since Moshiri.

Nuno has been ‘on the verge' of becoming our manager for 4 days now.

Some verge.

Rob (635), isn't that what we did with David Moyes? I don't understand your point. Are you implying that Nuno wasn't sacked? If so, I agree with you. At least, Nuno didn't jump ship (like Moyes and Ancellotti did) because one of the big boys came calling. All indications are that he understood that he had run his race with Wolves - there was nothing more that the board could offer him that would keep him motivated, so he did the honourable thing and quit. I have no problem with the manner of his departure from Wolves - just a clean break at the end of the season which gave them sufficient time to find a replacement and prepare for the new season.

Everton are continuing to talk with other managers despite Nuno Espirito Santo being favourite to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Blues chiefs are refusing to rush to the decision to appoint a new boss even though the Portuguese appeared to be closing in on a deal over the weekend."

Echo just now.,"Everton are continuing to talk with other managers despite Nuno Espirito Santo being favourite to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Blues chiefs are refusing to rush to the decision to appoint a new boss even though the Portuguese appeared to be closing in on a deal over the weekend."

Echo just now.,,,1,10:45:07,,58.96.196.181,ok,3840,06/15/2021 10:45:07,remy123,reader,,,no 1165448,40914,toffeeweb,15/06/2021,Tony Twist,mail@twist12.plus.com,"Christ, this club. It knows exactly how to bleed any sort of hope out of you. Everton seem to be blind to these warning signs, fair dos to Crystal Palace, they pulled the plug with the shenanigans with Nuno. Lets hope Everton are prepared to walk away and bring someone like Galtier in quickly instead. If it is Nuno, I wonder whether anyone, from the board, will notice how apathetic the response from the fans will be.

Galtier would get more of the fans up for it, then any other appointment, and he does also seem to have a little bit about himself, but if not I'm moving towards Nuno, because he definitely did a very good job at Wolves imo, and his football was definitely more aggressive and forward thinking, than Koeman, Allardyce or Ancellotti's, but at least Everton are taking their time.

if he's humming and haaing leave him. Let's learn the lesson of Koeman. If he was going to come it would have been done by now.
It's surely going to be Rafa. He'll sign like a shot. I'm happy if so.

Steve @633,

Not sure I agree with you about the need to name your choice of manager. As many have stated the obvious: it's not our choice, we have zero influence on the outcome, it's a complete waste of time and effort, so we see no point in playing that game.

Worse, I think the call is made as part of a tactic to neutralize the criticism put forward by some in wide anticipation of the upcoming appointment. If you can't come up with an alternative, and can't be supportive of the impending arrival, then you fail on two important counts as a supporter and anything else you might say about his likely qualities as new Everton manager can therefore be safely disregarded... Cancel culture at its best.

Equally this requirement that we buy into a honeymoon period where we must all 'get behind' the new manager... Just when did this bit of nonsense get written into the "Good Everton Supporter" Charter that we must all now abide by?

Sorry, but I think many of us who have large misgivings about this unimaginative and retrograde appointment of a mid-table manager will continue to voice our opinions on him. Since we are unlikely to stop what now seems inevitable, I expect we will assess his performance as manager based on how he performs, game by game, rather than banking everything on this increasingly pathetic Everton trait of "Hope Eternal" or such quasi-religious superstitions.

I have often thought the match going Evertonian has gone a bit soft, Michael, but maybe it was because I saw my earlier years differently and through the mind of a child. I say this because my introduction to Goodison was around the time that cushions were regularly thrown on the pitch, and I'm not sure the fans of the seventies and early eighties would have accepted Bill Kenwright giving us every last penny he could find... but maybe I'm wrong about this.

I think what you say about managers not needing a lot of time is wrong for a club like Everton now, though, Michael, because whoever gets the job will have a squad of players put together over the last four years by three different managers, and have also been nothing better than mid-table in all that time.

We haven't won a trophy for 26 years now so, whilst I understand the anguish and the frustration, surely a manager coming into a squad where possibly only half the players are good enough to take us forwards needs a little bit of time?

Michael you are correct in that we have no input as regards either management or player appointments
However if a certain name is mentioned then of course it's up to debate good or bad
Thing is some just condemn every name mentioned as shite!
Nuno, don't want him
Conte, don't want him
Etc etc etc
Which in itself is fair enough but surely there has to be someone who has a name and for whatever reason is acceptable to them

Tony, I think all football supporters have gone soft. We're now sold a game as just another form of celebrity based entertainment with a handful of teams that we are told we should be tugging forelocks to and wishing we could be more like.

Being a football fan is nothing like what it used to be when the people on the pitch were a lot more like you and me than they are today.

Lets get on the new managers back from the day he is appointed.
No settling in period, no time to assess the disjointed squad.
Fuck all allowance for you Nuno, Rafa, Duncan.
This is Everton. We demand a trophy in your first season.

Yes, Tony, you may have a point about the Everton crowd – although there are plenty of posters who bitched and moaned about the atmosphere among the crowd at Goodison Park in the good old days when they were actually allowed in to watch.

I think there is a broad diversity among the crowd – kinda flies right in the face of your 'united club' mantra, sorry! I'm happy to try to embrace the wide range of individual opinions – as long as that is all they are. It's when fans want to dictate the behaviour of other fans that I get my back up. No booing of players, no booing of talking the knee, no booing of the new manager... No, you do what you like if it's what you believe... up to but not beyond the point of giving real abuse.

And of course it's drawing that line which is difficult. If I boo taking the knee, I am giving offense to someone who then feels compelled to call me a racist. If I want to assess the manager on a game-by-game basis, then I am not "giving him time".

There you're buying in, I think, to another totally flawed belief that you must wait a certain period before you can offer up an opinion – like Danny claiming time and again he was not going to assess Ancelotti until the end of the season, then failing to do so after he had filled up threads with comment after comment on all things Everton, including plenty about Ancelotti, all the way through the season.

I think it's natural, understandable and fully defensible that we at least judge things on a game-by-game basis. That is the main evidence we have (notwithstanding the utter bollocks Jerome keeps posting about what is going on in deepest darkest Finch Farm!) of how the manager's objectives and principles are being put into practice where it matters – on the field of play.

On that basis, and with no games on which to judge things yet until August, you can't really blame people looking back at how Nuno got on in his last swath of games, and making judgments about his suitability as Everton manager based on that record. And you know what? It is singularly unimpressive.

On your point about players not being good enough, I may react to the "Hope Eternal" mob and their prayer wheels, but I do cherish this feeble expectation that a new manager will at least make the effort to get the best out of the players he inherits. Something Carlo Ancelotti increasingly failed to do... to the point where everyone now seems to believe that at least half our team of vastly overpaid stars are basically useless – or (back to Jerome again) are part of a devilish conspiracy to get shut of the manager because they don't want him having too much power over them!!! Have you ever heard of anything quite so ridiculous?

Michael 650

Nuno raised an ailing football institution from the depths something very few managers ever do and THE basic requirement of this club.

That record is exactly what we want.

That Everton trait of "Hope eternal" has been on view at Goodison for practically half a century Michael. The Kevin Brock back-pass being the most oft-cited example of it. It couldn't be because Everton deserved to draw the game, or that Howard Kendall had made the correct calls on team selection or anything else that could be humanly managed, no, it has to be some sort of divine intervention that helps the team to be successful.

Everton has not had the same amount of 'good fortune' over the years as other clubs such as United and Liverpool and even City when they won their first title, when overcoming QPR in that final day drama.

Excuses are made by teams/clubs that fail, but some Evertonians by and large don't seem to accept that it is the efforts and quality of the people employed at the club in whatever roles that truly determine the outcome of events good or bad, not some unseen supernatural force.

I don't know whether this fatalistic attitude has always been a central part of Everton, but it's helped the club to make some really bad calls on the sales of players and the appointment of managers. without too much negative feedback from the fans, not just in the Moshiri era but throughout the last fifty years.

Luck does of course play a part in success and failure, but it only plays a very small part, if you're a bad team that escapes relegation due to a Barry Horne or Graham Stuart moment then overall the team must have just about deserved to stay up, likewise if you get the bounce of the ball in an important league game that gives your team the points and you go on to win the title, those points obviously helped but overall you must have been the best side and deserved to be champions.

We need to applaud those who bring success and support those who try their best, we mustn't accept that events are somehow pre-ordained as that to me seems to undermine the whole value of the human endeavor that goes into a sporting contest in their quest to achieve success.

It'll be alright on the night is fine for the theatre as there's a script to guide the players, sport is a contest and it's up to the players to perform well and it will be their ability and determination which will ultimately decide the outcome of the encounter.

“A man with new ideas is a madman, until his ideas triumph” Marco Bielsa.

I have had an idea – if we can't have him let's get his apprentice.

Marcelo Gallardo

Bit of a jump from my earlier post about us needing an English manager – but we are on ToffeeWeb.

So... The board haven't decided on a new Manager yet. This isn't due diligence; it's indecisiveness. I don't drink alcahol during the day… but I'm on the verge.

I don't think it's the match going Evertonian gone soft, Tony, I think society has. When you first went the game, or your dad or me, we still had the old Liverpool. The old areas around shite housing and everyone had bed bugs!

So many matchday blues had just come through the war. People were working and we had decent ordinary pubs. Not everyone had TV and computers. Internet and social media had never been thought of.

We were in a little bubble of our own, knew nothing about signings until they happened, and no idea about other teams' day-to-day stuff. Once all this went and we started getting what we have today, society changed.

Instead of going to a caravan in Rhyl for a week, we now go to Dubai. The foreign players came here, fucking diving all over the place. Gabriel, Morrissey… even Reid, would never get a game now.

The supporters nowadays see a piss-poor weak tackle and scream for the guy to get sent off. Everything is under the microscope. People can't think anymore. We have lines on the telly to see if someone's offside. If you don't take the knee, you are automatically a racist.

No, it's not Evertonians, Tony, it's society, I think.

Ajay # 640. Yes, I'm implying that I don't think Nuno was sacked. Why sack a manager before the end of the season, yet keep him in charge? We knew Moyes was going, he wasn't sacked either. Wolves knew Nuno was going at the end of the season, so I don't think he was sacked either.

This NES deal really should have happened by now, he's been minutes away from being our new manager and at 1/12 odds for about nine days?

If negotiations are so full of details and caveats with NES and not straight forward as with a manager who is keen to join us and accept our terms, then do we really want him?

Indeed, Tom. However, is it good or bad news if he doesn't get appointed? I suppose it depends on who gets the gig instead.

"It's when fans want to dictate the behaviour of other fans that I get my back up. No booing of players, no booing of talking the knee, no booing of the new manager... No, you do what you like if it's what you believe... up to but not beyond the point of giving real abuse."

Michael, I don't think any reasonable minded Evertonian wants to stifle criticism or dictate the behaviour of of other fans (wait a minute, isn't this what our own resident narcissist tries to do all the time with his labelling of "dissidents" and use of terms such as hypocrite / liar?), but it is reasonable surely that people take a balance approach when dispensing criticism.?

What s the actual value of sniping a manager from Day 1? Yes, Ancelotti may well have been unsuited to building a team from the bottom up, having only ever managed superstars and, certainly past success is no guarantee of future achievements. Equally, NES's perceived "failure" at Wolves is no real indicator of what he might achieve at Everton.

Match by match criticism certainly is valid (substitutions, tactics etc) but any new manager has to be cut some slack for an initial period surely? Otherwise, how would any of us have survived our first job?

It is not unreasonable, in my opinion, to ask a person who incessantly criticises the manager who you they would like as a replacement. Yes, we have no say in the appointment but surely you can at least state the type of manager that you would like - e.g. young / established, in-house /external, coach only, foreign / British etc?

Too many people on ToffeeWeb seem to be negative for negative's sake, which I believe can become toxic and a self-fulfilling prophesy. You simply have to have a bit of hope and optimism to get out of bed every morning!

Spot on post John Boon, by the way. Wisdom certainly does come with age.

Mick

No way Jose. Rafa is the last person I want to see at Everton because of his style, poor signings, career decline, and the fact he seems like a bit of a dick

odds for Nuno have just bounced, must mean they think it's off again

Oliver Kay made a good point today. Would we be chasing Nuno if we had to pay Wolves for him?

I doubt we would and if hes not first choice, you don't just look for the first man available.

Day 11 in the big bad Blue Everton House, the locals are going batshit crazy !!!! The Directors are arguing who is the right fit !!! And big Duncan is just sitting tight disinfecting the cones waiting for BPBs hotline to ring... only Everton could make a full-scale drama series out of an appointment

Kevin - is the situation leading the bookies, or are the bookies leading the situation? One could get very suspicious of it all in recent times...

The first noticeable change I noticed at GP was during the all conquering 80s period. Upon returning to Liverpool after several years away I went to the Newcastle game which we won 4-1 I think.

The atmosphere was dreadful

John Keating @656; Game, Set and Match on your comments. Excellent.

Edit; You too Pete Clarke - well said.

I've said for many years that if you write down the pros and cons of watching Everton or football in general for that matter then the cons outnumber the pros by a long way.
Match day was always special going to Goodison at 7 or 8 years of age to watch our heroes. That for me was a fading Champion in 1970 but a champion all the same that had heart and soul. I didn't care who was manager but just loved the players and the match day experience.
As we got older and understood the game better, we knew what we wanted from the players and the club so it took on a different meaning once inside Goodison. The football wasn't always great, the stadium wasn't that great but we were there and the match day experience didn't end until 2 am in town somewhere and it was being with the lads for the whole of that day that really made it special. A proper day out where you could let loose, have a good laugh and talk about all things football.
Moving on quite a few years and far removed from Liverpool, I no longer have that match day experience nor the night out with the lads. That's all part of life of course but the biggest problem I have is with football in general.
The game is full of millionaires who could not give a shit about the football fans and entertainment.
Most professional footballers have had the benefit of academies to teach them everything and yet a lot of them seem incapable of the basics. Definitely very little intelligence. A lot of players have no heart for the game, no will to entertain and a lot are simply falling into this modern day cheating by screaming at the slightest touch or rolling around in some childish fit and trying to get others sent off. This does my head in.
Most managers are so wrapped up in fear of defeat that they fail the players they have at their disposal by not letting them express the skills they have or are incapable of teaching new skills to players. Most simply don't have the skills for this job but get paid more than surgeons.
The games authorities are so wrapped up in having to please an audience 6 thousand miles away that they forget about the local paying public by playing games at stupid times and on any day they please. In fact the match day going supporter is irrelevant to this modern game as it moves into super high tech mode.
Talking of technology we then have VAR which has almost put the nail in the coffin of the game.
So back to Everton. We are not a very professionally run club. We hit and hope too often. Some of the worst players I have ever seen at our club have been with us in the past few years and also some of the worst managers.
Moshiri is failing. If he is wanting to buy success then he needs a streetwise right hand man and someone who knows his football otherwise we will keep on going around in circles until one day we finally fall off into the lower leagues.
I would prefer a young British manager and one who is in it for the long haul. Somebody who understands what it means to be the manager of once great club.
Either way we need a manager who is ambitious and has a good plan. Somebody who likes to play attacking football but is tactically aware and one who has luck on his side. Somebody to give us back our pride.
COYB

Pete @ 670,

a lot of truth, sadly. Futurama. For now though, there is still that beauty in the actual football on the pitch, cheating, wimping and VAR problems excepted. Plus, Everton remains in the heart, and the hope and dreams are still there.

Outside pressures/controls and the way things are going (read - being steered) is a challenge for sure. I'm glad I've lived and experienced the life I have, the football time I've lived in.

I followed Everton up and down the country during the 1970s and 1980s and apart from a few cup runs and the occasional stand-out performance pre-1984, the football was mostly a distraction during a grand day out.

There was always the hope that Everton would do something special in any particular season, but there was never really an expectation that they would. Perhaps, because of our lack of success for such a long period, and possibly due to our lack of truly being able to compete with our former peers the arrival of Moshiri and his wealth has raised our expectations to a level beyond realistic.

However, I don't travel up and down the country like I did in my younger days, but I can still enjoy the camaraderie of fellow blues, before, during, and after matches, regardless of how Everton performs. They can't take that away from us!

Barry, in some of my earlier times at the away games when travelling with "The lads", the challenge was staying sober enough to properly absorb the game - remember that? By about 1980, I was doing the driving much of the time and drank nothing. Amazing how much more of the game I enjoyed!

Like they often say about the youngsters of the sixties Will, if you remember them you weren't there, but yes I do remember watching many many matches through a fuzzy haze, and you are made of much sterner stuff than I, if you managed to watch many Everton games alcohol-free. :)

John Boon

Careful mate, you're the second octogenarian in two weeks to criticize Darren's remarks. It is ruining Cashew's claim that he comes on here to "learn from the elder statesman." He'll have to focus now on his other routines, saying "get paid" to every female poster and quivering from "hard men" while blaming the "happy clappers" for the time the "hard men" and a few randoms abused Ian.

Be careful.
Cashew is a nut

Kieran @661, I am seriously getting worried about you, honestly mate, " Rafa, a bit of a dick " wash your mouth out with soap!

'He is the complete and utter dick'!

Apart from his historic connections, what has he done since, and got paid megabucks for? Assuming we relented, do you think for one moment he would study us against you know who? Where would his desire be?

I arrest my case, m'lud!

Some good points Michael K, but again you are just way too literal for me mate. Why say sorry, for telling me Everton have got a broad and diverse fan-base, Michael, and claiming I have a mantra (it's more of a wish, for the reasons stated) which I've also acknowledged will never happen until Everton have got a chance of success?

I'd doubt any Evertonian would refuse a united fan base (would you, Michael?), especially if it was going to bring our team success? Whilst I agree that it's natural for people to criticise if they are not happy with the football they're watching, but sometimes it's a fine line, in my opinion, a very fine line really, because learning from history, most people wanted Howard Kendall gone, and he was the last manager in charge of Everton who really united the crowd.

I always say that the biggest thing about life is it's full of contradictions; whilst agreeing that life is less hard and people haven't got things as tough as it used to be, why is life is so much more dangerous nowadays?

Carrying on with your post Peter C@668, some of the things you write really resonate with me. They are at academies from a very young age these footballers, and they can't even do the basics right, being one of them.

What does it tell me? That natural talent is getting coached out of a lot of young kids nowadays, and also the ability to think for themselves. Looking in from the outside, It sometimes feels like if they haven't got it in themselves to become manufactured, then they're just not going to become footballers, because modern football has never been so rigidly structured, and it's not very often you see players break rank.

Obviously just my own opinion, but how sad, I sometimes read professional footballers who say they've been at an academy since they were seven or eight, and yet they still can't kick with two feet?

It's why it probably ends up in tears with Biesla, because people who continually strive for more, are so few and far between, even in the privileged world of football?

Liverpool Echo with the most ludicrous take on things:

"Everton have approached Antonio Conte to be their new manager claim Football Insider. Farhad Moshiri is aware that negotiations with Nuno could still collapse and wants back-up options."

So we are worried that negotiations may stall with a middle of the road manager, and our "back up" plan is a guy who'd seek to be probably the highest paid manager in the world, who is known for being a big spender, and an outspoken critic of club owners.

Kieran @678
Does that ridiculous take by the Echo insinuate that Pep would be the last resort choice for Everton? :)

I fear this could become a soap opera.

Right Barry, it looks like we're working our way up the list. I guess we missed when Barry Fry declined to get the ball moving

Barry Fry!

I'm not sure who is next on the list but my interview is next Friday. I promise to play attacking football.

Looks like it's a done deal. Pictures of him in his Everton black tracksuit with Nes on it in the Titanic.

This is getting hilarious. Keep it going lads.

Ian (683) Will you also promise to keep on signing on to the live forum?

I am sure many of our friends and colleagues on there will want to give feedback on the games and get your immediate responses. One or two of us often have suggestions to make.

Best of luck Ian. Don't forget to polish your shoes and make sure you get a commitment on transfers before you sign anything. If you get the job, expect your good self to be your biggest critic. You have very high standards and expectations 👍

Ian @683
If you thought the abuse you allegedly received on the live forum was bad, wait until you are two down at home to one of the promoted clubs:)

Steve 633.

I wouldn't say I'm gunning for Nuno. I'm vehemently opposed to his appointment but as I said on here the day, if he gets the job he will get my full support until such time as I don't think he is taking the club forward.

As for ducking and diving I'm quite happy to say who I would like. Martinez. He got us 2 Semi finals and 72 points and never had a window from Moshiri. Had a bad season but had proved his worth and should have been given time. I wanted him gone and with hindsight I think I was wrong and it was a bad decision.

He proved he could do well and with money could do even better.

I appreciate I'll be in a monority with that view but I always am.

Ian

Will Darren be your number two? With the squad we have you may need Tony Marsh to knock them into shape.

Rumours of Conte are don't fill me joy and I hope they're false.

Moshiri might just be having a brainstorm/fart and is beginnig to see Conte as viable. Conte would be another Ancelotti and off as soon as the first big team offfers him a big budget.

These type of "Big" managers a ok for teams that have been built, like Chelski etc and already have the players to work with, but as we've just seen, Ancelotti was clueless and give in.

Wil # 680 & 682

The way things are done at our club we might not even get Barry Fry!

How about Duncan with Tony Marsh as fitness coach?

Kieran @690
I doubt very much that Mr. Hind would play second fiddle to anyone, and Mr. Marsh doesn't strike me as a guy who has physical fitness at the top of his list of priorities. Apologies to both for the use of poetic license.

Christopher, by the time it happens I don't know if I'll have the will left to even respond...

Oh Tony... Literal is as literal speaks, but I don't really know why you keep throwing this one up.

We write messages for each other to read on an Everton-themed website. Each of those words has a meaning; we string them together to convey broader thoughts that go beyond the meaning of the individual words.

Perhaps if we were all 'united' in accord with your wish, we would all understand each other perfectly without your bizarre claim that what you write is not what you meant. But, if we really were 'united' (a ridiculous concept when applied to any group of people who can think for themselves), I fear there would be nothing to talk about as we'd all be on the same plane!

You associate Everton's 'united' fanbase with Everton's onfield success, going so far as to claim you can't have one without the other. But there exists no such causal linkage; it's just an invention you return to on here periodically, perhaps just to needle me!

I reject the notion because it flies in the face of human nature. Yes, perhaps for a split second after a great final victory that wins us a trophy, you could with some validity claim that the fanbase were 'united' in sheer joy and ecstasy – like we last experienced when our great former leader, David "The Messiah" Moyes won his one and only trophy for Everton in the sultry heat of Salt Lake City... What? Don't tell me you'd forgotten that auspicious and uniquely memorable occaision!

Why is life is so much more dangerous nowadays? Errm... again, I have to disagree with you. I don't think it is. But I can't be bothered to look up the statistics... oops, there I go again, being literal. When you say it's "more dangerous" to me, that's a quantifiable claim. But that's not what you mean, is it? I get the sense that with you, it's just a feeling you have that no statistics could either prove or disprove, because that's what you feel, and that's the important bit.

Kieran 690.. Brent Stephens will be offered the job as number two. So I can teach him football. After a couple of years he can go and complete his Managerial apprenticeship at Rochdale or Barnet.

Christy Ring can drive the Team Bus.

Ian @689

Well your view might not be popular with those on TW but I agree with you. If Martinez hadn't been so stubborn and slightly adapted his tactics he may well have been successful at Everton. Regardless, his first season was the best football Everton have played since when we finished 6th under Royle and perhaps the best since the late 80's. Just my opinion of course, perhaps Nino will
be a sound appointment but I'm sick of negative football.

Is there a suggestion above that someone is full of thier own self importance?

Very rarely happens on TW.
I have seen it though.

Careful nuno. You on the verge will very quickly become a grassy knoll if you persist with the like of your compatriot in the middle with the conductor next to him !

Well, first, a case for the defence Michael! I did indeed say I'd judge the manager and the season at the end. I did and I generally always do. I kept it short because it was quite straight forward; ultimately Manager and Players fell short and were not good enough, particularly in the second half of the season. And I wanted to cover several points about the season, not just the manager, using brevity and there's not much point dwelling on someone who isn't here any more. If he had been, I'd probably have spent more time, but even then, probably looking forward and focussing on lessons identified for next season.

I agree with you, it is totally right to dissect things game by game. I do, everyone does. We all do it just about every week and day. I always view it in 2 ways; the game that's just happened and the longer term view. But I'm just not one of those who is going to be calling for a managers head in October, 3 months into a season and 10 months into his tenure because I didn't like the result against Burnley and we're on a bad run. Unless there's an obvious Mike Walker scenario on the cards that is. There wasn't this season, so I was happy to wait and see.

The football in the latter part of the season was awful, and I now suspect the manager's head was gone earlier than we think. But we still had a possibility of Europe on the last day of the season, even though it shouldn't have got to that. Because of the Manager, because of the players. So I was more than content to continue to wait until the end to judge.

The crowd one is interesting. I too can only talk from personal experience. In my youth, I thought every game I attended at Goodison was electric. But I was watching a successful team play. The best in England and could have been the best in Europe in my opinion. But I always stood right in the middle of the Gwladys Street. We took our position very early before kick off, with the atmosphere building as everyone arrived.

When I recollect, back then it was mostly certain sections of the grounds I visited creating the atmosphere for most of the matches. Caveat most matches, not all. Not quite European ultra or Bundesliga style coordinated atmosphere, but in Goodison terms the Gwladys Street or corner of the Enclosure close to the away fans in the Park End was where the atmosphere was generated. You could sit in the Upper Bullens and Top Balcony and there were many more people interested in watching the football. Cheering, shouting, getting involved, yes of course.

Now, when the entire ground is up for it, it's electric and all four corners are involved. But the converse to that is when it's stale, the entire ground is stale. Probably a result of the all seater stadia we now have. Hopefully some now where I'm coming from.

That's my recollection and view.

Anyway, new manager thread. Is this Nuno thing happening? If not, we need to move on.

699. If you meant me Thomas then I was just having a joke. No ego with me at all.

I didnt Ian.
Interesting that you thought I was referring to you though.

Thomas. I had just posted I was being interviewed so it was a natural conclusion 😂

You and a few others Ian. 😁

Hard to judge whether Martinez has matured as a manager. International management is so different... and look at the players he has. Yes, we played some entertaining football under him, and that first season was the most optimistic I've felt about our club in recent times, but I remember a stubborn and naive manager who infuriated me by the end. Perhaps best encapsulated by the time he tried to see out a match we were winning comfortably by bringing on a striker. And not just any old striker, but one who had never played a second in the PL. Niasse. It did not end well. Still, it's hard to get excited about any of the realistic options for our new manager. A gamble on someone like Potter would be interesting... Benitez would not be.

Well if you are Ian, can we just come to a quick decision?!!

The suspense is upsetting me and the dogs.

Ian #697 "Brent Stephens will be offered the job as number two. So I can teach him football. After a couple of years he can go and complete his Managerial apprenticeship at Rochdale or Barnet."

A job as number two sounds a bit of a shit job, if you get my drift. And I wouldn't fancy Barnet - wouldn't be able to cut it.

Ian, you're actually more fun than that mate of yours!

Guys, I ain't be able to catch up on the latest manager news, Echo saying Conte still an option. FFS does Moshiri not learn? Anyone any update on Nuno?

Re Martinez - he has some amazing talent at his disposal with Belgium but if they have a weakness to be expoilted - it's the defence.

Ring any bells?

Having said that - He drove me nuts at the end but the Martinez connection makes me support Belgium before most others ,and I do think he could have been very good for us if he had employed, or been delegated, a sound defensive coach with whom he could have worked.

John Boon

I laughed out loud at your post. Its a long time since I read so much faux outrage from a man who has been addressed by anybody and accused of nothing.

Nobody accused you of being one of the abusers who who used expletives. to denigrate another poster on the LF ... You just thought that you needed to tell us you werent so you could enter the fray. If you didnt see the abuse it was vile.

Nobody insulted you. Nobody misrepresented you. but for the second time in a week you think you can come one here and make an unprovoked attack on me about something you know little about.

I told you last week about it which is what I think has gotten you all riled up to post again this week
I notice you have not once condoned any of the really cowardly vile abuse...You choose to concentrate on my "Barbed" responses. Thats you choice. knock yourself out. I don't care. But you need to see all the barbed responses rather than those of the people who you dnt agree with. .

What I will tell you is that I receive a hundred times nasty insulting comments than anybody on here (with perhaps the exception of Ian) Do you think thats a coincidence ? I ignore 99% of them because I its water off a ducks back and to be fair..some of them are funny.

What is true is that on the rare, very rare occasion I do respond to somebody, this place explodes with hypocritical faux outrage such as yours and the FFFF.

Your claim that I try split opinion into two sides made me really smile...Are you sure ? Really ? Do you think I have any influence at all over that, or the fact that there are hundreds of different opinions about everything to do with Everton.

As for dealing with Bullies...that claim rings rather hollow coming from somebody who always attacks first.

You claim you have been advised by others to ignore my. Why don't you ? I have no trouble skipping past most of yours.

As for dealing with Bullies...that claim rings rather hollow coming from somebody who always attacks first."

John Boon the 80 year old bovver boy 😁😁
Cease with the attacks please Mr Boon.
He receives enough " nasty insulting comments

All the managerial appointments seem to be dragging on except Wolves. Us, Spurs, Palace and West Brom are all dragging their feet. And all the above named know about their managerial vacancies much before us. Even the great Daniel Levy, who many on here worship as the ideal chairman seems to have wasted a couple of weeks and come up with a more uninspiring candidate in Fonseca than Nuno.

Doesnt matter if you are 180. You forfeit the right to complain about bullies when you always atttack first

Oh and by the way John G. The nasty ones are generally the funny intelligent ones. You need`nt trouble yourself trying to work out if any of them came from you.

"What I will tell you is that I receive a hundred times nasty insulting comments than anybody on here"

Words have failed me.

I tried to take a knee, but I toppled over.

Whatever happened to respect for your elders?

Days gone by?

Nuno is on the verge of staying unemployed!

I totally disagree on the split second after a great victory Michael, but even though you don't know me, you called it right mate, because I very rarely quote statistics, but if you attended Goodison in the eighties, I'm sure you would remember the difference in the crowd, for a “couple of seasons at least”

I suppose it also depends on where you live to decide if life is more dangerous now, than it was in yesteryear. I reckon there was a lot more violence years ago, especially at the match, but I'd say the violence has gone up a few levels since then, and it's probably a lot easier to lose your life through violence in England now.

I honestly don't needle you on purpose Michael, although I do detest a little bit of sarcasm, because you're quite good at needling people yourself!

Colin @717
I notice the Echo is still running pieces about what will happen when Nuno is appointed, which players he'll sign, and other such stuff. I think Nuno will be announced tomorrow.

I've just read a lot higher up the posting chain and had been unaware of a number of posts in which I was mentioned, criticised (by Christy) and also defended ( thanks Darren).

Yes. I've been critical. Very critical. It was called for. The football was dreadful and home results poor.

If the performances are good and football entertaining then I will say so. I dearly hope I will be able to next season.

In the words of Roy Walker: say what you see.

Probably, Barry. This has the feel of Dithering Dave all over again.

Barry
Based on past history of the Echo Everton correspondents, the fact they are still talking about Nuno and his potential signings more than likely means he won't be coming here!

John @722
I can't disagree with you :) What must it be like to have Journalists who are in a position to have at least a modicum of reliable inside knowledge and who then transmit it to the public. Probably partly the club's fault for being a tad paranoid and partly the local paper's fault for not really being that interested in what happens at Goodison compared to other more high-profile clubs.

The Echo is either on the mark, or will be shown to have been miles off. Consequences either way? None whatsoever.

Will, the consequences are exactly as intended... greater website traffic. More clicks, more ad revenue.

Ian #720 "I've just read a lot higher up the posting chain and had been unaware of a number of posts in which I was mentioned, criticised (by Christy) and also defended ( thanks Darren)."

Ian, that's a touching bit of mutual sycophancy!

You're right of course, Mike. I was meaning more in terms of accountability, for quality, accuracy etc. Not that I need to be telling you! I imagine your time in the field spanned much of the what I'll call, "Transition" period in media.

726. Just being polite Brent.. 👍

Good man, Ian! A great example to follow!

Will #727, I left the TV news business around 1997, when the transition was from local news to cable and satellite, which was jarring enough. News websites were a novelty and concepts like "clickbait" and viral video were still a generation away. I'm so glad I bailed when I did... I'm still in touch with a few of my old colleagues in the biz, and they don't even recognize their profession anymore.

Mike

My Dad was a journo too. Remember when they used to have correspondents? Like actual humans working for a specific publication in a specific city? I read the Daily Mirror last week and they and the Daily Mail both had an "EXCLUSIVE" which obviously wasn't as they both had it the same day. But the so called "exclusive" was both national papers reporting that another publication, The Athletic had carried a particular story.

Kieran, those correspondents still exist. Sort of a quaint old throwback now.

Mike, mostly centralized and compiled now, from very few sources. A retired, once well-known British sports writer said to me some years back, he used to be a journalist, then a reporter, then a repeater.

Darren Re (624) Ditto. Saves repeating myself. Self admitted by Darren,"I get more complaints than anyone." What more do you need to bring home some truths about the drivel you assail honest Evertonians with on a regular basis. If I am just ONE of the many who complain why even bother to respond to me. Your massive EGO is possibly due to your paper thin skin when confronted with any sort of criticism.I just get too close to the truth.

John, I don't think he actually realises what that "I get more complaints than anyone" actually demonstrates!

John

I didnt say I get more complaints than anyone. I said I get more insults...but then you know that. You just foolishly twisted the words thinking nobody would notice, to justify your latest unprovoked attack
. You do realise they are still up there ?

I know why I get more insults too.I`ve seen too many others get the same stick and stop posting not to know. Its because people who sail with the prevailing wind like you always do, feel comfortable running with the pack. Dya know what ? I think I can live with that.
.
I noticed you Still havent condemed the abuse directed at another poster with an "alternative view". That tells me all I need to know.

If you think your unprovoked attacks gets close to the truth or exposes my "paper thin" skin. You havent been paying attention.

Good night John

The sound of tearing paper!

Ian #689
Martinez was a breath of fresh air when he arrived and I was a big fan. His recruitment with little money was hugely impressive, he took a chance and spent most of his money on a striker Lukaku, deserved a clap on the back for his ambition. Sadly injuries, and no money to spend on a centre back cost him his job, what a difference if Moshiri was the boss then. Could he still do a job, I think so. By the way, I have a bus licence.

Will #733, now he would be a re-tweeter!

"unprovoked attacks". Someone posts on a public forum and someone responds to that poster. That's called discussion.

Also, it's amazing how often we hear that "I never respond to so and so" in direct response to messages posted by "so and so." If someone posts on a public forum and you write another post in response then clearly you are responding to that person even if you don't say "Don" "Thomas" "Dale" "Kieran" "Brent" etc in that response.

Anyone else been sent the photo, allegedly of Santo in the Titanic Hotel this evening?
Looks like a photoshopped one to me like.

Another perk of being a manager, free clothing. Unless the club take them back and there are bin bags full of Everton gear with RM, RK, FS, MS and CA around filling a room at Finch Farm.

Brian

The same site had topless photos of Moira Stewart and Sue Lawley. Could be fake

Kieran. I TOOK those photos of Moira and Sue.
What a night THAT was. 🤣

Brian @ 744, Wow ! Were they both in the same room? :-)

Brian, you can tell a mile off that is a fake photo. The Hummel logo, above NES, should have the word Hummel underneath it, and there are no diamonds down the sleeves.

Rob, yeh there's a few other giveaways too.
Derek. 🙊

Brian,hope to fuck it is photoshopped. Eddie Howe is going to be our new manager. Here's how I know for a fact:
Bought a book on Amazon" Longitude"
Delivered today
Read a piece about how badly Amazon drivers are treated
Heard that they have to piss in bottles in their van. Fuck knows what else they have to do.
Anyway, asked driver if he needed a shit
He didn't as it turned out but give it a try.
So, he tells me that he has a mate who was delivering a book to Eddie Howe( Yes, THE,Eddie Howe). Eddie ripped the fucking package to pieces and revealed the book. A slim volume of Georgian poetry as it turns out,but that is neither here or there.
What is of account is that the driver sat himself down on Eddie's bog and saw that the roll ( fucking Kittensoft, by the way) was covered by a blue lady Gainsborough kind of doll with a sash saying " up the Toffees"
Now, that was enough for me to invest on Eddie @14/1
I may be wrong but why would an unemployed football manager have Evertonian toilet roll cover if the job was not his. Make more sense than this Rafa stuff.

FFS Andy, how much more evidence is required than that!! Welcome to EFC Eddie Howe!!

Andy. Eddie Howe it is then! 😳

‘In the words of Roy Walker: say what you see.'
Was that when Roy was chairing the Oxford Debating Society or presenting ‘Catchphrase'?
I seem to recall that a lot of what was uttered on that game show was miles wide of the mark, often incoherent bilge spouted in the vain hope it might be fruitful. Surely there is a requirement for the stuff posted on TW to be of a higher grade?

Rumours Scott Parker is to leave Fulham this week. Hope his name doesn't suddenly appear on our "Wanted List". Some bloke called Steve Cooper from Swansea is one of the early favourites to take over at Fulham.

Benitez would be too divisive. A few defeats would see fans turn against him. His style of football is generally dull. I think we've had enough of that. If we got the Nuno of Wolves first season up, (the black cat game?) it could work. They looked good at Goodison and totally outplayed us. Maybe big Dunc till Christmas and see how it goes as there is no obvious candidate. I think he would do well. We need a clear plan, structure and style. A decisive vision of only bringing in young hungry players who are strong, athletic and quick. A much bigger onus on fitness as we haven't had that since Moyes left. A coach who unites us, has passion and plays attractive attacking and winning football! Not too much to ask!

Will & Barry # 671&2 - your posts brought back memories of my travelling days of the sixties. My favourite away venue was Man Utd.

I wonder if either of you or any on here had the the pleasure of being involved in a pre match get together in the City Arms (I knew it as Anderson's) - Aye they were times of much merriment ( followed by blurred vision).

If Farhad Moshiri is trying to get Conte, then all I can say is he has even deeper pockets than I thought he had. I can't see it personally but who knows.

Imagine if we'd have hired Shankly all them years ago….? It all turns on a dime, as they say. EFC needs a bit of luck.

This saga is getting really boring.
Santo
Benitez
Et al anyone that knows us.
Same old, the board act like we do on the pitch, no direction.
Carlo couldn't get a reaction from an average/slightly above average squad of over paid mediocre squad, with a few exceptions that were going nowhere!.
We need a manager that can get the best out of an average squad regardless.
We are not too 4, we will do well to get top 6.
Another false dawn on the horizon.
I will eat humble pie if I'm proved wrong!!!

Darren ( ) pick your own number as your ludicrous comments are inter changeable. One is no more sensible than all the others.
Sincere apologies for using the word "complaints". I was merely being nice to you by not using, as you described "Hundreds of nasty insulting comments". Do you ever for one minute think you may actually have deserved them??? We all get the occasional insults, but you actually get hundreds. Is that a "complaint" or a boast.

"Unprovoked Attacks".Are you completely off your rocker ? My responses have come from your constant regular utter nonsense about positivity. and your ridiculous diatribes about "Happy Clappers". You get so many insults because you feel it is essential to "PROVOKE" all those who have the nerve to disagree with you.

Having said that I apologise for making you so sad particularly when I am addressing an Evertonian. I sincerely welcome rational discussion, verbal jousting, and ensuing debate on any topic, particularly Everton. I may be old but you are now in my courtyard just as I have dared to trespass in yours. I will continue to respond to your posts if "I" decide they are worth responding to. But please no more Fairy Tales about "Happy Clappers" and John Boon the Evil Positive Merciless Baron.I tell those stories to my Grandchildren.

John Boon

Don't scare the grandkids, if they're like their grandad when it comes to football they've enough sleepless nights as it is. I still have occasional nightmares about Ian Wilson playing ahead of Sheedy or Earl Barrett just playing period

Kieran,

I always enjoy your responses, but be careful as your support is likely to be condemned as being an easily influenced "Happy Clapper".I just don't want to provoke you into doing the the wrong thing and subsequently receiving hundreds of nasty insults.

Kieran please. Ian Wilson and Earl Barrett at 6 in the morning before I take the dogs out. Bad form.

Day whatever it is of the soap opera with no manager in sight. I'm beginning to wonder if this is waiting until after the Euros.

John Boon

You don't see whats under your nose.

There has not been a critic of Carlo Ancelloti who has not been roundly abused on these pages. Marshy, Johnathon Tasker, Ian Edwards..Even Conor left these pages due to the fanatics being so mortally insulted when he criticised Carlobetrayio.
Barry Rathbone kept his posts quite balanced but they even rounded on him- or tried to
The editor on this site would regularly be criticised for his "damning" headlines after enduring 90 minutes of zombie football.
Their crime ? They told the truth The HC's were not ready for the truth.

The insults (or attempted insults) aimed at me are from the same group of people. These are the people I refer to as the Happy clappers. Keiran kinsella even lists some of them for you - although I don't know who Dale is. These people will religiously post a response to every single comment I make. Many people on the site have pointed this out to them, but they go on unabashed.They don't need to be provoked. If I say its day time. They will come on and argue it was night time. My "punishment" ????

I have seen this group attempt to shout down every one who hasnt merrily happy clapped the dross we have witnessed all season (look how they speak to Ian Edwards).
Whilst nobody can ever be right when these petty feuds develop. This group have been seen to be as wrong as wrong can be Why would I be sad about that ? Their egos have taken an almighty bashing. I always knew that would happen.

I think you thought you were Kicking back John. You were'nt. You were merely entering a verbal battle which is approaching its dying embers.

BTW John; You repeatedly mention your age. So much so that poor old Keiran thought there was two of you. Give it a rest lad. This is not an army assault course. Being 80 means you are knocking on a bit, It does not make you bleeding stupid. No concessions from me...Now that WOULD be disrespectful.

Appolgies to the couple of people who didnt make Keiran's list...But you'll need to take that up with him

And…back to the football.

Give it a rest lads.

This virtual falling out is quite boring to the rest of us who are reading the comments looking for tidbits about the new manager.

Or at least something as funny.

You are taking the banter far too serious Darren.
The lads are gently taking the piss, nothing more.

Careful. You will be getting accused of acting like a liverpool fan with all this victim nonsense.

Doctors have told Christian Eriksen he will never play top flight football again.

Everton are favourites to sign him.

Andy @ 748, that is irrefutable proof as Rob said! Eddie Howe is it!!

Three step process now kicks in a) Put a cheeky bet on him before the odds shift b) start sharpening my TW attack lines on his hiring c) post daily until he is sacked.

Sorted!

Steve
d] say how brilliant he is and how he's the guy for us
Cover every eventuality as some do and have done

I know the betting has been suspended on Eddie Howe, but how many would take Duncan Ferguson as manager, with Scott Parker as his number two?

Tony 767 why would Scott Parker come as his no 2? I was starting to warm to the idea of Nuno although that might have been more resignation. Being a fickle bastard I'm starting to lean towards Big Dunc being given a shot but with a top, top coach behind him. We can't keep him on the staff as all these managers come and go, it makes no sense, give him a shot and if it doesn't work out he will have to go and earn his stripes elsewhere. It would certainly have Goodison rocking.

Fixtures to be released at 9am. At least we can look forward to that while the manager pendulum keeps swinging all over the place like a broken compass.

Why is everybody having a go at Darren. You can see he cares about the club and he's always sticking up for players he considers care, invariably being the younger ones and players from the academy but also ex players who he considers Evertonians.

He takes a lot of persuading to support outsiders as we don't get any better year on year out and he sees it as outsiders taking the pay cheques with no consideration for our long term health. He also calls it how he sees it - some may say negatively but I suspect he will say the tactics, personnel employed and performances were negative (even if results away from home were at times positive).

I'm probably more of a happy clapper although I don't think there are just 2 camps I think there's various views and not that simple. I was prepared to give a serial winner time despite performances being bad and I made excuses for him for this which in hindsight probably wrong.

With Carlo's resignation my viewpoint on him was certainly wrong. I didn't have a clue he had this clause in his contract and I feel really let down by Carlo and his utterings of loving Crosby and staying here a long time. Just like Darren backs those he considers have an affinity with the club and will give them slack, I have that in common and I was suckered in by Carlo. I feel shell shocked and fed up in all honesty - if Darren or anybody else want to call me a sucker, perhaps I am but we all love the club and have our own way of supporting.

I'm genuinely lost on what happens next. However, I would like somebody who tries their best, looks for long term and hopefully gets our club and hopefully is a real good manager. I'm 42 and I don't recall having a really good manager / genuinely (I don't remember pre 90). Joe Royle was probably the best but even he I felt went negatively in his last season.

Perhaps Ferguson has a chance, maybe even Unsworth I really don't know but I am getting sick to the back teeth of Everton paying out loads of compensation / wages to people who don't care. Wouldn't it be great to pay a so called pittance (ie half a million or so) and somebody be made up to have the job than pay £11m or whatever a year to somebody who was always short term and looking for next big thing.

I'm not into gambling but see that Sky Bet still has Nuno as the clear favourite with Eddie Howe behind him. Maybe they are gambling and guessing as much as we are.

I'd rather go for someone like the young Dortmund coach who having led the team to a trophy last season, now has to revert to taking a back seat.

And back to my earlier point this morning. Are we waiting for the Euros? The international competitions invariably throw up a few manager options as international coaches use the tournaments as their swan song.

I'm starting to overthink this again!

We'll know our opening fixtures in a couple of minutes but not who'll be running the team on that day.

Danny 771 - take the dogs for a walk and say “Nuno” and then “Eddie”. If they cock their head to one side at either name have few bob on that one.

I might try that Laurie. Only I'll probably end up going through a long list and find out something I don't want to hear / see!

Darren,

Your problem is that you are delusional in believing, as you do, that you belong to a group that sees the game differently to others, sees it as it is, tells it how it is, holds the club to scrutiny while the Clappers accept mediocrity.

The reality is that we all see the same basic game, we all understand exactly how Everton have played, and we all accept the mediocrity or whatever it is – and that includes you. Like you, we accept it because we can't influence it, you are a customer of the club that is all and you have no influence whatsoever. You do absolutely nothing but whine in a bizarre form of constantly stating the obvious; you add nothing constructive to any discussion.

Gladly though, you're in a tiny minority and most look for positives whilst recognising the negatives. Happy Clappers are a figment of your imagination, that you hold the club to different standards and in any different way is fiction.

Peter (770), I think many of us come into the same camp as yourself, we give players and managers a chance and adjust our thoughts going on how they perform, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised, sometimes it is easy to see how they will fare, these are the poor ones, mostly players, the last few managers have performed badly to one degree or the other, Carlo took the easy way out as quickly as he could, very poor form as they say.

Regarding Darren, sometimes I don't agree with him but nowhere near as often as I agree with him, I've never met him but see him as a top Blue who not only loves the Blues but cares passionately about them, but always sees the faults as well as the qualities of the players and managers, long may he continue to post his views.

Well, after page after page and post after post about the new manager, I decided enough was enough. I ripped off the retired person desert wellies and rooted a pair of proper shoes out. After blowing off the dust and checking inside for spiders, I went to see the top man: the Shoe Shine Boy.

When I got there, he was just finishing off a bloke in a pin-stripe suit and bowler hat, "Thanks for the Times Crossword answers and the Stock Market tips!" he shouted as he walked off.

I sat down and, before I could ask who is getting the Everton job, he started explaining the workings of a black hole and how everything that disappears into it ends up in the garden of a Council house in Scunthorpe.

Then he told me the advice he gave the Governor of the Bank of England when asked about raising interest rates, and what he thought about the Australian Trade Deal. Managing to get a word in at last, I said "The Everton job, what is the word on the streets?"

He looked around furtively to make sure no-one was in hearing range and then whispered that fat teary-eyed fella from Everton was here yesterday after repeatedly saying "David, David, David... why have you done this to me?"

Then, after sobbing uncontrollably and blowing his nose into one of my clean dusters, he said "Make sure you have plenty of Dark Tan polish in, Cherry Blossom – none of that Kiwi crap."

So I put my money on Bobby Brown Shoes. Get on him – it's like printing money.

Len. (777), first of all Len, look at your post number, 777, if you were Chinese that would make you very, very happy regarding your bet, unfortunately when I looked at the Belgium bench last week, Bobby was wearing suade shoes so I don't know what to think about your bet!!

Ian @ 689, props to you for putting your preferred candidate forward. Not sure we should go back to a previous manager like Martinez, as it never works.

I agree with you on Nuno Espirito Santo by the way.

The longer this goes on, the more I talk myself into expecting a managerial masterstroke. Then I remember it's Everton and put five quid on Eddie Howe.

I just think it's going on that long that I was just throwing something out there that I think might possibly work Steve. Just trying to be the Louis Walsh, of football! But you're right, why would Parker, take second fiddle after being a manager?

Carrying on with my Louis Walsh theme, I sometimes/often think that to many people in football, do the wrong job, and once they fail at management, they end up being lost to the game, because they must feel that they have nowhere to go after being a manager.

Fulham played some great football, and so it wouldn't surprise me if it's because Scott Parker, is very good on the training ground, although I'm Obviously just speculating, I think Duncan, might be a very good manager, and someone like Parker, might be his perfect foil?

Give them a joint manager title, and let's just get on with it!

So Everton, but might have a cheeky punt on Southgate or Joachim Lowe ( German's out going manager). As I said... so Everton

Tony,

Imo, Parker will develop into a top manager. I posted that a few weeks ago. He would be more of a contender a couple of seasons down the line, again, imo.

Been thinking and saying that here and on the Benitez thread, Ian. There could be others in the frame too as tournaments are always when international managers leave their jobs.

Lots of hash-tag support (whatever that means), blues fans urging the club to appoint Galteri. A magician apparently for stopping PSG. Carlo he ain't then!

Joachim Loew would be sniffing his fingers permanently wondering where the smell came from if the team stink out Goodison next season.

Think we should all go on social media and give it some # Galtier then Brian.

Tony @ 780, Scott Parker improved his team dramatically after a terrible start. He simply didn't have enough quality in the squad to keep Fulham up in the end. He is a more credible candidate than Howes, Potter or even the legendary Steve Cooper.

Mike post 785. That stench downwind would be from the loft conversion over Stanley !!

The Mail claim Nuno is playing around and Rafa is the backup. But it's the Mail, so...

Len 777 top posting.

Len @777,

I am a huge fan of Martinez but none of us should go back, including Bobby.

He wouldn't get a fair crack of the whip here.

Dave #776,

I've no issue with Darren, but calling other Evertonians 'happy clappers' because they were prepared to give Carlo a chance, and to disagree with him, Ian and a few others, is definitely over the top. I know he has a great knowledge of our club.

Darren (ad nauseam), I am one of those you allegedly ignore, except when your posts make it clear that you don't. I have repeatedly said how much I am in agreement with you on Everton football and club matters when you confine yourself to the purpose TW is created for. What do you say about that please? Do you and I have similar opinions on the club, Kenwright etc, as I've openly stated, or do you want to revise your published opinion of what's wrong at the club?

Only when you personally deride fellow fans have I taken you to task, and that's regrettably too often.

Being boorish, as so many readers describe you in polite terms, should cause you to reflect on your input I suggest. Keep it "Everton", never fellow fans, and as and when you disagree with them just say so without the associated derision, there's a good lad.

Peter @770- great post.

Dave@776-like Tony you really are a great human being but I often wonder would you not think about going on Jeremy Kyle to get a DNA done because there is no way he's related with some of the rubbish he writes compared to you.

Perhaps he got all the talent and you got all the brains (sorry Tony but ever since you described Allan as a great little player, a little fetcher and carrier it's all gone downhill from there mate and I thought it could only get better)

Conor

Maybe Dave was a wild eyed optimist back in the day, and decades of watching Everton have ground him down into the pragmatist we see today.

Did anyone watch Kante jumping out of formation to leave big gaps in the midfield last night?
Best ive seen in that role Kante

Good at his job Allan.

That's how he looked in some games Conor, but by the end of the season, he looked really poor at times. I think fetch and carry, is something he looked like he could do at times, so I wouldn't give up on Allen just yet, but whilst some people call him a tackling machine, it's definitely not a way I'd describe him, especially after the way he performed at Villa Pk, which was as bad a performance as I've seen from any Everton player, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, because I'm sure Ancellotti never trusted many players, and Allen probably had to play a few games when he wasn't right?

I'll give you the brains bit though mate, because I was often told I haven't got the brains I was born with, (There was usually a swear word in there as well, but don't tell anyone because he's a churchgoer) and I bet you can guess who told me that the most!

Does he swear in latin Tony?

Much, much more than a tackling machine Allan.
He looked our most creative player in a couple of games towards the end of season. Only a couple of games mind but he showed he can pass and create.

Latest Betting on Everton manager :-

Nuno 2-1, Howe 3-1, Benitez 6-1, Moyes 6-1, Lampard 9-1, Big Dunc 10-1, Rooney 16-1, Conte 10-1, Fonseca 12-1, Potter 14-1, Sarri 16-1, Wilde 16-1,Gerrard 25-1 !!!!!

Nuno hot favourite !

Derek,

Looking at the odds.
The layers don't know, not a clue who is getting the job.
They are normally amongst the first to know.

I give in to the sensible MAJORITY and agree enough is enough.Martin (775) Don (792) reiterate what is logical. Darren I do give in. You are right about EVERYTHING you have said and will say in the future. I have been wrong about EVERYTHING I have ever posted. Sorry about mentioning my age because it is irrelevant.

I will stick to the topic, a new manager. My unbiased opinion. "Darren Hind". How on earth could I have been so blind. It must be my age.Being childish is just part of aging. I apologise for ever hurting your tender feelings. Bugles for my "LAST POST". well maybe ?

That's what I thought Thomas, but in other games it looked like he was running in treacle, and yet Carlo Ancelotti kept him on the pitch.

I wouldn't have minded getting swore at in Latin, Thomas, because you can never know to many words, but you've got me thinking of our motto now, and the way that bastard was allowed to run Everton down!

One thing I really didn't like in the game against City, has just come back to me now though. Tom Davies tried to play it out wide to Digne, but over hit the ball out of play, and Digne shook his head and pulled a little face. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, until Allen done the same thing to the same player, and yet got exactly the opposite response. Luca Digne put his thumb up, and shouted his team mate as if to say unlucky, and it made me look at him differently, because what is the bloody difference?

Tony 801

I was guilty of being too quick to judge after that opener versus Spurs. It seemed like the new guys clicked instantly. After that they took it in turns to have the occasional good game with lots of mediocre ones. Given Alan's age (specifically as a high energy player) I don't see him improving over time. He's not terrible by any means but if we could sell him now I'd take it. He's got more value than say Delph but a year from now his value will decrease

I am continually perplexed at how many posts on here are either just people having a go at each other. It's REALLY dull. It is a social skill to be able to discuss differing opinions with others without falling out you know, several on here need to work on that because they suck at it and EVERYONE else has to read the mundane pap that ensues, we log on to read about Everton and discuss all things Everton and instead we have to trawl through reams of personal grudges and shit flinging. Nothing new gets said really, just the same old shite, I honestly don't know how any of you who do this a) have the time b) the inclination, it's beyond me.

Dont like the looks and headshakes Tony, demeans a player and same player hasnt over hit the pass purposely.
I posted last week, it is creeping into Doms game.
Give them a bollocking by all means but not a snide gesture.
I think he was rushed back too quickly on occasion mate.

Barry #790

I am not saying Martinez should come back it was the fat teary eyed bloke who kept sobbing and saying David David David and then he told the shoe shine boy to get some Dark Tan polish in. Then the shoe shine boy said put your money on Brown Shoes. I don't want him back.
If we had Belgiums players the Toffee Lady could manage Everton.

I have been thinking for a while that the lack of movement was due to the Euros, now I'm convinced it is. A manager from one of the Euro teams will be in charge of us next season. Southgate anyone?

Steve@803 Incorrect Mate, anybody can post anything on here that doesn't break the rules of the board or have you rewritten the rules or been appointed censor in chief?

I must admit that boorish is a perfect description for Darren. What a disgusting thing to be thought of but absolutely correct as accused. A person without class or intellect.

Martin 808

Let's move on eh? That's just a direct insult that will likely provoke a similar response.

Kieran#802 You say Allan has got more value than Delph, the tea ladies have more value than Delph

Martin

No. I am not denying that right.

Christy

No kidding. The tea ladies create more, albeit warm beverages versus goals.

On Allan, I'm a fan and if he's here next year, he can be an important part of our midfield. Felt that he and Doucoure missed either someone filling the pocket behind them or an outlet in front depending on how we were set up.

One thing about Allan, and you saw it towards the end of the season, is that he mostly looks to play forward when he has the ball, providing he has options.

Can't remember the game, but there was one where he had the ball on the edge of our own box, looked up and had nothing. But rather than take the easy option of knocking it back to the keeper or sideways to a defender waited. Then waited again. Waited until something was on then played a long direct ball forward that resulted in a goal.

Christy

A Fair comment. by dismissing a few people who would relentlessly and spitefully attack any criticism of Carlo as Happy Clappers. I was probable hitting unintended targets too.
What I will say - hand on heart. It was always as a response to a few people who were really aggressive towards my and anybody elses views about this manager. When you are repeatedly called negative for railing against what I saw as spoiling tactics. Its very easy to fire back with a terms like happy clappers. Brady bunch etc.. I would be lying if I didnt enjoy being the pantomime baddie. I think the others enjoyed it to. Otherwise they would not have participated so readily. arguing about the manager has long since been a tradition on these pages.

I'm looking forward to a little break from TW for a few weeks so I can concentrate on others sports that I enjoy. But I will not go before I defend myself against pathetic allegations made by Mason and Alexander - again.

Not a week goes by without Martin Mason accusing me of not being a " proper Evertonian" Its a claim I have utter contempt for. I pay for five season ticket every year and I will not engage with someone who is really only trying to ingratiate himself with what he thinks is the majority. until this week I have completely ignored his insults.

Don Alexander seems unable to help himself. He is even more prolific that Mason. He will sometimes posts several times a week taking nasty swipes at me. He nearly always forgets to even mention football... until this week he got ignored too.
I would have too much pride to come on a footy website just to attack another poster without even mentioning the game. Especially when it was repeatedly pointed out to me.
In light of the no response policy I adopt with these two. I wonder where all that persecution comes form. As far as I'm concerned its all in their heads. I would asked them to point to a time when I have personally abused them, but that would be pointless. They have no earthly hope of doing it.
The fact that John Boon is using support from these two to support his own case says everything. He thinks he has made me Sad. He has, but Its not me that I'm sad for.

Look Christy. I'm no innocent here. I matched fire with fire. I realise that wouldnt have endeared me to Carlo's fans. Shots I fired were clearly felt by people they were not intended for and for that I apologise. I'm no victim either. I could have walked away at any time

The insinuation that I alone have persecuted so many people is pathetic...Absolutely pathetic.
If the sensitive souls who are so desperate to be offended by responses (which never ever include expletives) moved in my circles. They wouldnt be just gently teased. They would be torn asunder.

Please let it not be Rafa

Sky are saying job offered to Benitez...can I be the first to say Rafa out! Boo! Boo!