Coleman hopeful of making season-opener following surgery

Talk about a perfect setup line for an off-color joke.

Anyway, Mr Patterson, the floor is yours, young man. Show your stuff.

A few games may see Nathan may hitting the ground running like Mykolenko has. (And like Lookman and Vlasic may have done?)

Sell-by date is ability- not age-reliant.

Gomes, Rondon and, until 3 weeks ago, Tosun and an unknown suspended player surely are better examples.

He has been a great servant although I don't think he was captain material.

It may be time to start Patterson now and get him up to speed (so to speak).

Godfrey is the best full-back on either side. Holgate was part of a back four at right-back under Ancelotti when Everton were winning games and conceding little.

I am surprised Patterson is not getting a positive mention; after all, he is the best right back for the Scotland team with Liverpool's Robertson at left-back.

What's the current thinking about Patterson? It's another unknown. Do they think he is ready, or still too young and not quite experienced enough?

The reason to ask is we were rumoured to be enquiring about Kyle Walker-Peters a few days ago. A possibility the club is looking for a right-back in his prime. We could do with selling a centre-back, and using the money towards buying him. It would make the defence a stronger unit, both in personnel and in depth.

Not Coleman's fault, this purely lays at the club's doorstep, this one.

A cheap shot at a great servant and committed Evertonian but I suspect you are doing the usual TW thing of stoking the fire.

Yes, he is past his prime but it is Everton who are doing him a disservice for not finding a better replacement.

If the current squad, many with better ability, had shown his commitment, we would not have ended up in a relegation battle.

Deserved to achieve a lot more than he did in his Everton career. As the song goes, "60 grand".

He can still play his part and let's see what young Patterson can do now he is hopefully over his injury. Let's not forget he suffered that probably as he was about to be given his chance.

He too won't play every game, so having Seamus, Godfrey and Holgate available gives us cover.

I agree though, we didn't execute the succession plan. We now have a void of a past-his-best 33-year-old (soon to be 34), who himself had to recover from a horrific injury, and a young untested player from a lesser league. Maybe that's why the club are looking at a middle stop.

Failing that, I'm comfortable with Godfrey until Patterson is proven or develops.

Remember when we signed Baines but played Lescott at left-back most of that season? I know there was an injury involved in that, so parallels with Patterson? If I remember, it was also because the centre-backs were performing and the manager couldn't really leave Lescott out of the team.

If he is not "ready" for the Premier League, then when, pray, will he be?

Play him or get shut. What is it with this bloody club!

Even the most experienced players who've never played in the Premier League need time to adjust. Take into consideration his age, his injury, and the fact that introducing a player so young into the shitshow that was Everton last season could derail any budding career.

He'll be brought in when Lampard and the coaching team, professionals with experience, see fit to do so. I think they may well be a little better placed to make the decision than us armchair managers.

Seamus last season was often poor, being exposed, and the wing he was on was targeted by opposition teams as a weakness. There was no mention of a groin injury last season and now he has had an operation. Patterson will be his understudy this season, the new Kenny.

I have admiration for Seamus and thought him a great player, but time is against him and it shows. He has also made clear at Ireland international press conferences that he has no intention of retiring from international football when asked.

Seamus is committed, but has played along with the sad scenario that is Everton. He as a professional footballer should have realised that he was never going to win anything with Everton and should have moved to where he could have. The fact he didn't shows a buying into the comfortable Everton mentality of keeping in the Premier League, something which he wants to hold on to.

Seamus has given his all but he needs to be used more sparingly next season.

He got an injury. It happens in sport. He's had it corrected. It has a healing curve. We do still have two right-backs, and tertiary cover in capable centre-backs who can play there.

Yes, we'll need to think of new competition for Patterson within the next 12 months. For now, we still have other more pressing issues. Stop the flap.

I have little time for players who lament lack of success, want a move, but seem happy to ignore their part in the lack of success.

Of course they're all hired hands in the end but a few have some integrity.

Yes, he has been loyal to Everton etc but, as far as I know, no other club has ever made an offer. This is why Jagielka was loyal, and Baines, and why Rooney, Arteta and Lescott weren't. Like Richarlison, the very best will leave for Champions League football.

We need additions in the midfield sector, Gallagher, Gilmour, Gibbs-White types, young and hungry and wanting to improve.

Enough of the ready-to-go types who are just after a final pension payment. The guy from United who is available on a free is starting to look quite foolish at the moment and, if money is his sole motivation, then keep him well away from Goodison Park.

Time for Patterson to get some pre-season game time and for Frank to make a decision. The most expensive export from Rangers! Only Everton.

When was the last time we produced a homegrown left-back? Michael Ball?

I am not insinuating any character weakness in Seamus. It may have been that no-one approached him. What I am saying is he was comfortable with his situation and wants to remain comfortable.

What other Premier League Club would allow that? Everton need to be similarly competitive. 1-year extensions are very Everton.

BTW where are they all? I look in the paper each day and nothing since Tarkowski.

Seamus should not be required to start more than 12 games during the season ahead.

It's time to go with the young lad.

Cup games, squad player, team leader his role now.

I hope he does make the grade but he certainly won't be the first choice any time soon.

If Patterson does well in the pre-season friendlies, I think he'll have an excellent chance of starting games in our first month or two (supposing Coleman is out) because, if nothing else, there's a sparsity of alternatives.

Feedback from the USA camp is that Patterson is tearing it up and is likely to start the first game of the season.

Seamus is an outstanding servant and human being as Frank will testify but he is now 75% of the player he was at his best.

We should now have him as cover and coaching the new prospects for the right-back position.

I've seen Patterson play for Scotland and he's 'potentially' an upgrade on Coleman. Not a great defender, but potentially a top-level modern-day attacking full-back. Slightly bigger, stronger, faster than Coleman with a better cross on him.

Hopefully they both stay fully fit and really push each other on to perform nearby to their best every week. I'm hoping the same for Nkounkou on the left.

Attacking fullbacks are a key position and I believe they need to be rotated (now and again) to keep them fresher for longer.