🎙ToffeeWeb Podcast: “Riding the Crest of a Gana Garner Wave”

02/09/2022 11comments  |  Jump to last

Recording as the transfer window closed, the Adam McCulloch, Andy Howard, Lyndon Lloyd and Paul Traill assess the last signings of the window and the summer's business as a whole, look back at the Brentford and Leeds games, preview the Goodison derby and pick their most vivid deadline-day memories.



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Reader Comments (11)

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Rob Pryor
1 Posted 02/09/2022 at 09:02:49
It doesn't seem to have dropped on Spotify yet
Lyndon Lloyd
2 Posted 02/09/2022 at 14:21:34
It's showing for me, Rob. Can you see it now? It pulls from Acast's feed not ours but not sure it would be delayed.
Neil Bowman
3 Posted 02/09/2022 at 15:56:38
Great discussion as always. I also feel encouraged by the players they've brought in and those they have let go. I think we're always obsessed with strikers and Broja would've felt like a win for FL but at the end of the day we have a good quality striker and an interesting if slightly surprising alternative option in Neal Maupay. Additionally we're needing and thankfully starting to see more goals from elsewhere; Gordon Iwobi, Gray et al. Now we just need a win...
Rob Pryor
4 Posted 03/09/2022 at 09:46:07
Hi Lyndon,
It appeared for me at some point yesterday afternoon. Loving the podcast. I had a little chuckle about how you remember being the first to break the news of Fellani signing in 2008. During the 2009 window, I'd read that we were signing Ever Banega from Valencia so I wrote to Michael, who promptly put it up on the front page; only for Banega not to sign. I always felt a bit bad about that one!
Ciarán McGlone
5 Posted 03/09/2022 at 11:18:50
These are great. Keep them coming. Far better than the usual old effusive clap trap from the Echo boys.
Ben King
6 Posted 04/09/2022 at 00:57:59
Great pod as always. Thank you

I'm writing this post derby: excellent showing: we actually competed for once AND could easily have won

Maupay did exactly what I thought he would: provided a good focal point, showed good energy but fluffed 2 half chances and 1 great chance.

If we had a top striker then we could have won. How do we attain a top clinical striker? We struggled to get 1 in the 2 months since last season. How can we get 1 in January? I don't know but if we don't then we'll continue to struggle for wins.

Ben King
7 Posted 04/09/2022 at 08:19:49
Great pod as always. Thank you.

I'm writing this post-derby – excellent showing, we actually competed for once and could easily have won.

Maupay did exactly what I thought he would: provided a good focal point, showed good energy but fluffed 2 half chances and 1 great chance.

If we had a top striker, then we could have won. How do we attain a top clinical striker? We struggled to get one in the 2 months since last season. How can we get one in January? I don't know but – if we don't – then we'll continue to struggle for wins.

Robert Tressell
8 Posted 04/09/2022 at 09:35:55
Ben # 7. Good question.

There are, I think, 3 ways to get hold of a top class clinical striker.

1. Buy one ready made

As we've seen this summer. They are in short supply. The fees paid for Haaland, Nunez etc are way beyond our means - and even if we had the money, any star striker will have much better offers.

2. Develop one

A couple of seasons ago Almeria in Spain bought a promising Uruguayan striker for £13m after he impressed at the u20 World Cup. The same Nunez who lined up against us yesterday. Similarly Isak was hiding in plain sight in Sweden and Dortmund's reserves, giving us two bites at that particularly promising looking cherry. We can afford this and the players are always out there.

3. Get unbelievably lucky

Vardy suddenly emerges in his mid-twenties as a top class striker after playing non-league. Don't count on this.

So in my view there is only one route available to us, but we seem to continually spend fairly large sums in the vain hope we'll get lucky (or perhaps that the player will be just about good enough).

Hopefully, having stabilised the squad this summer, we are ready now to buy top class potential from S.America, France, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia etc.

Ben King
9 Posted 04/09/2022 at 22:29:22
Robert #8

Great answer: I think you're right

(As a quick aside I feel like we've developed Calvert-Lewin as a mid to top striker…. Why do I say that? He's easily a 10- to 15-goal-a-season striker and I think he's still able to get better. But I digress….)

Developing one: I think Frank put all his eggs in the Broja basket… he's 6ft-3in, quick, can dribble and scored 9 goals in his first full season. Not brilliant but he has the tools, the facets, the characteristics to improve hugely. On reflection, I think Frank wanted Broja for today and tomorrow.

It feels like there was no real Plan B. Ben Brereton Diaz is probably as good as he's going to get (unless he does a Mitrovijic who appears to be blossoming).

Jaeo Pedro was probably too much potential… especially for the price…. £30M for a non-goal-scoring striker is beyond us at the moment.

I suppose Frank's dilemma or concern was who can do a job today and develop into a top player tomorrow (eg, Onana, Garner).

I think we needed someone who could do a job today just because of what happened last season (eg, Gana Gueye).

But I'm open to that idea. I'm scarred beyond belief (as the panel on the pod said) by what happened last season. But until we get some wins (I think we need 15-20 points before the World Cup), I remain in the belief we needed someone now.

Even if only on loan….

Anyway, onwards & upwards….

Ben King
10 Posted 04/09/2022 at 23:08:14
Sorry, just to round off: if we had goals from midfield, then I'd be less concerned.

However, we don't have a Tim Cahill or a Gary Speed or a Fellaini.

If our full-backs contributed 2-3 each a season and centre-backs 3-4 each and the midfield collectively gave us 15+ a season I'd be less worried.

However, it seems to be only Gordon and Gray scoring (at the moment).

Hope we're working on our attacking set -pieces (though it doesn't look like it!)

Jack Convery
11 Posted 05/09/2022 at 08:23:05
An enjoyable listen once again. We are definitely stronger in Defence and Midfield but nowhere near as strong in attack. There is a lot of pressure on Maupay, Gray and Gordon to get the goals until we can strengthen come January 2023.

ps: Adam Armstrong did score against EFC at Goodison in the opening game of last season. He actually ended up with one more versus Villa. He has also scored this season against Chelsea. 3 goals in 35 games. This after scoring 64 goals in 160 games for Blackburn. He cost Saints ÂŁ15m.


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