Everton recall Simms to boost striking options

Saying that, can Simms be any worse than Maupay?

No.

Useless club... I've had enough of them.

The latter scored 25 goals in 43 matches in his last season in the Championship with 8 assists to boot. Simms has scored 7 in 17 with 2 assists which is very reasonable but does not mean he'll cut it in the Premier League.

Having watched him a fair few times, I'd say Simms is a very decent finisher whose all-round game is improving but still needs work. He would look a passenger for long stints with us I reckon.

To be honest, any striker would struggle with our lack of service. Creativity and spark out wide is as big if not a bigger problem.

Those blokes from Blackburn and Coventry may not cut it in the Premier League either. Get Simms back – it's better than flushing another £40 million or so down the Mersey.

I agree on your points but I think the irksome thing is that we are currently being linked with buying similar players from the Premier League versus giving a shot to Simms.

The very fact that we fans are reduced to now having to hope to recall Simms and Dobbin, or sign Jerry Yates (who's nowhere near a Premier League standard, I watch him regularly), Brereton Diaz (except our owner/chairman have long-since kiboshed our ability to pay even a 7-figure sum for such a player) to actually score a goal says it all regarding the catastrophic "leadership" who've thrust themselves upon us for decades, with the last seven even more hopeless years being the nadir...

For now.

This recall tells me we are desperate and in all likelihood there aren't any funds to significantly strengthen in this area in January.

Not sure it's ideal for his development, though I guess it may test his mettle somewhat.

He's a decent finisher and probably more likely to put away a chance in the box than Maupay but his movement and link up play needs improving and he's surprisingly mediocre in the air for quite a big lad.

I fear those expecting him to have a Kevin Campbell effect may be disappointed but who knows? Good luck to the lad at any rate, I am sure the fans will get behind him.

I know he's knocked in a few goals for Sunderland but, on the few occasions I watched him for the U23s, he didn't look very mobile to me.

Like I say, it would be good to get a view from those who can offer better judgement on him, having watched him more. I might have just watched him on an off-day.

Ellis Simms will not set the world alight with lightning-fast runs, masterful touches etc, but when he's got a sniff of an opportunity at the business end of the pitch, he comes alive and he deffo has a knack for scoring goals.

I'd like to see him at some point today… who knows – the headline might be “Simms City”!

He says his first touch is poor, for his size he is not particularly good in the air, and that whilst he does score the odd goal, he is much better playing with Stewart than as a sole striker as he does not hold the ball up particularly well.

As someone has already said... “not the next Kevin Campbell”.

He's a step up from Rondon and it may be a long January for us if no-one is lined up. Daft call letting him go anyway.

If he was on loan from Manchester City and scoring regularly in the Championship, we would be more excited about us getting him and demanding a buy clause if he improved further.

I remember he started the Chelsea away game about a year ago when Branthwaite scored and we drew 1-1. Simms played a lone front man, he did relatively well, holding the ball up, fending of challenges with his strength in a difficult match.

Again, recalling him means that they are putting most of the eggs into the "Calvert-Lewin staying fit" basket again to a large extent. But Simms is a far better back-up than Rondon. He's more mobile and can shoot from anywhere around the box. He needs to improve his aerial game; maybe we can work on that.

Maybe I'm being optimistic but his recall could point to the quality of players we are intending to bring in elsewhere. Kudus would be preferred but looks improbable now. Ismailia Sarr is ready to make a step up and is direct and can get goals. If we can get either without overpaying by too much, we are improved.

Then, with the recall of Simms, is the financial door still open for bringing a better quality attacking midfielder who can add essential goals and assists regularly? Is this the strategy?

Another factor is that they are hitting a brick wall with the short list of strikers they really want? Do we massively overpay due to financial blackmail for a still risky signing that may fail and hinder our summer business too?

In some respects, it is a jigsaw puzzle for Kevin Thelwell trying to bring the right level of quality in.

Yes, I think that's a fair point. If Simms is being brought back as a free striking option so we can use funds buying or loaning a decent, productive winger who actually creates and scores goals (not Elanga), then that makes a sort of sense. If he is being bought back as the main solution, then that is quite worrying.

To be honest, there are all sorts of problems in this team and especially in the way it is being set up and managed. The solutions will more than likely have to come from what we already have.

He only signed on for £177 million per year (which is almost half a million a day) — why am I losing my love of footie?????

Good call, Brian; bring him back and give him a go unless we're going to spend millions.

Tony Everan. That is an interesting post. A work in progress (again). The need to be patient with young players as they develop and improve. And maybe patience needed with the management staff as they try to put their stamp on the squad within the resources they are afforded.

The alternative is to pull the trigger and start again.

Once again.

Also, when he scored the last-minute winner a few days ago, there was over 43,000 at Stadium of light, any young player would miss that.

He has to start games if he comes back.

I understand he needs to develop but surely he was worth keeping, given the state of the squad? Personally, I think Maupay is a decent player and would do well as a second striker playing off Calvert-Lewin.

But he looks lost at times up front on his own, he simply hasn't got the physical presence that's required in a team like ours.

Simms has had a similar trajectory at all of the stages in his career. At U18s, it was clear his physical attributes made him stand out. Promoted to U23s and inititally he looked a little lost, a little ineffective. After settling in, he started to score regularly and looked the part.

Loaned to Blackpool, and initially struggled to make an impact with games passing by. After settling, he started to score regularly and played a key part in their promotion.

Loaned to Hearts. Similar in that he struggled initially, and then started to get goals on a regular basis.

Sunderland, bar a brace on his debut, he struggled at the start with games passing by, injury, and playing second fiddle to Stewart. But has now settled and getting into the groove with a great run of form helping Sunderland to a much unexpected playoff position in the table.

Will he see out the season with us or return? No idea, but he looks a player who will always offer a goal threat. He's only 21, and some people think that is old enough to write a player off

But examples such as Ivan Toney show that, if a player hasn't made it in the Premier League by 21, it doesn't mean they never will. Toney was 24/25 before he became a Premier League player, and his stats on lower league loans until he was 21/22 were similar to those of Simms.

From a development point of view, he would have benefited from a full season in the Championship but needs must.

A team set up to score from crosses now has a tall striker to aim for – at no cost.

Personally, I still think we need another striker (or versatile goal-scoring forward like Richarlison or Gakpo).

It would be a huge risk by the club to rely on Simms now for goals with no-one else coming in – almost an admission that we are gearing up for relegation.

That's what happens when you waste whatever funds you have on the likes of Dele Alli, Maupay, McNeil and Onana. Add in Vinagre and Garner, who were hardly used. The team that Lampard built.

Makes you wonder if Lampard knows what he's doing.

Simms is performing – 7 goals in 17 when not playing the full 90 is a decent return. I'd rather see him back at Goodison than the club consider investing £20M+ on Gyökeres who come June will only have 12 months left on his contract.

I'd like to see us commit to a few pre-contracts when the window opens. Brereton is better than what we have and maybe a punt on Bamba from Lille & Mykolenko's mate from Kiev, Tsygankov.

In an ideal world, a full season at Sunderland would've been better but, with our failed approaches for Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Brett Angell, we don't have any other choice.

Far-fetched, I know, but it's the kind of move our boardroom would consider.

Whether he can score goals at this level, who knows… but there have been a lot of strikers who were not good top-flight players but who could score plenty of goals: Ted McDougall, Derek Hales etc.

We have nothing to lose and, if Frank hadn't done this, we would all be on his back. Hopefully more to come but this one is a no-brainer – the lad knows how to score goals.

As I've said elsewhere, Inter are trying to buy a long-term replacement for Dzeko, who has 6 months left in his contract. Once that is done, he could be looking for a pension. It wouldn't be the daftest move. Whatever he cost on silly wages would be repaid tenfold if we maintain our Premier League place.

Similarly, if we have to 'overpay' for the likes of Gyökeres, then it won't cost as much as relegation.

Finally, for those who question our scouting staff, we were an ace away from signing an unknown called Kudus in the summer until Ajax pulled the plug. He wanted to join us. Look at him now – just 4 months later. Out of our league. Somebody spotted the talent.

That would give us Calvert-Lewin, Simms, Maupay or Cannon if no other striker can be found. It is probably not just a money issue, more likely an availability or player preference... neither of which Lampard can do little about.

A top striker, even if available, is anywhere in the region of £60M to £80M... we haven't got that, not unless we offload several players... then, how do you get a "top" striker to join a club in trouble?

Mind you, he's been injured a fair while; but nice to see him back. I don't think it's necessarily shortage of cash (though it might be!) It might be that what's available for the prices being asked, isn't good enough.

Whatever, I feel better with Ellis available and Tom Cannon.
I'd hoped we'd sign that Brereton Diaz lad from Blackburn (and we might well yet...).

Maupay might be a lot more effective if he's playing alongside one of these two lads. I've not seen him play before this season, but evidently he was a decent goalscorer. If that's so, it must be mainly to do with how we're playing him.

Saying the obvious, but if we don't start putting the ball in the net, we're goosed.

Simms is no better than Maupay, just different. We really are in the shit. I'm ever the optimist but this smacks of desperation.

I can only hope that the owners of Al Nassr decide to buy us or that bloke Moshiri was chatting to in Qatar.

Desperate times. I'm off to look for a 4-leafed clover... 🍀

He's a better stand in for Calvert-Lewin than Maupay (in terms of pace and strength), but he's a bang-average striker at Championship level.

We're clearly banking on Calvert-Lewin staying fit.

Whilst at Hearts last season, he knocked a few in, and my mate, a Hearts season ticket holder, said he can finish but can be a bit too sticky in terms of movement in the box, but compared to what we've been going with up front, for me, this is a no-brainier.

This is a confidence boost for Ellis and hopefully will inspire the whole squad on duty today.

Love to see him scramble City's defence, they're not as good as a few years back with Kompany marshalling them, but hopefully Everton play to his strengths.

Interesting to see if Ellis Simms does start, as the striker, where Anthony Gordon will play, and I'm expecting Demarai Gray to start ahead of Dwight McNeil.

Hope, spirit, fight and belief now, to do the business on the park today, and no late Chrimbo presents for City.

UTFTs!

He's doing really well for Sunderland in scoring important goals for them. He deserves a try out for us. Maybe in perfect conditions, he'd have been left there all season; but we're in the mire; and he might just do a job for us, same with Tom Cannon.

Much better that, than panicky buying someone (Rondon?) If we get someone in the January window then, what does the saying go like? "Buy in haste; repent at leisure!"

How did it come to this?

About two years ago, I wrote a long article on TW about Ellis Simms; one point I made was that he'd always been a slow developer, a year or so behind the similarly aged Gordon.

Every season I've seen small improvements from him, his hold-up play is better, his first touch is still poor but improving, and his biggest weakness for a man his size, his heading, is also improving.

He even scored a headed goal the other night... okay, it was a pretty easy one. So my worry is that we stall his career for a few 10-minute spots off the bench.

Will it work for us? Personally, I don't see Simms as a Premier League starter yet. But, on the other hand, is there much difference from starting for a club in the top 4 of the Championship to playing for a club in the bottom six of the Premier League?

The biggest difference of course is the quality of the defenders in the Premier League. I don't see Simms as our saviour, but I'll back him all the way if he gets games with the first team.

Whoever has the say on who we recruit needs to be searching far and wide to get the best possible striker available on loan and bung the player and the club a tidy sum for him to come.

Our saving grace at the moment is that all the clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League are also getting beat.

However, can he be any worse than Maupay?

I hope the lad does well if he gets a chance. I wouldn't personally expect anything from the lad yet, as I fully endorse what Phill posted @48. I saw him at Chelsea last year: he was brought off at half-time... he was completely out of his depth being honest.

A young lad getting introduced to the Premier League at Everton presently with this squad is asking too much of them.

He got Blackpool promoted although he never got to play in the playoffs due to a knock.

Isn't it sad though on reflection that the money we have had, and totally squandered, while the main greasy culprit of a maggot on £2M a year is still allowed to squirm around in the Boardroom?

We are then pushing the funds into buying or loaning a forward of actual ability. They are out there.

If Calvert-Lewin is not playing, we still have the worst forward line in the Premier League – even with Simms.

Bringing him back has very little downside in my opinion. You could play him up top with Maupay or indeed you could play him as a sole striker.

ps: What's happened to Garner?

I don't think we should be down on Simms and also shouldn't put our survival on him. Time will tell if we actually buy anyone.

There's someone starting for the Red Devils today called Garnacho. I think we've given him back.

They don't expect him to turn this round and are keeping the cash for the next useless bastard we get.

The concern, as others have said, is that we take no action in the window. Or worse, that we get in a player or players in a different position and don't address the obvious. That had better not happen this time.

Changes nothing in terms of us needing to sign a goalscoring striker in January. If Simms is it, we're doomed.

There seems to be a gap between what Frank's system requires and what he is being provided with via players coming in.

Next season is the last of his contract. If he puts the work in next pre-season, at least have a look at him before letting him go.

Same with Nkounkou. One year left on his contract, too. Better left foot than anyone on the senior squad, right now. But on the left wing. He's no left-back, that's for sure.

We are indeed in the fucking mire!

And his hold-up play is better than anyone we have now, bar a healthy Dominic. Not sure why that part of his game is being put down.

I would like to see more play thru the middle when he's in there.

He's a small, slow career minor-leaguer who's 26-years-old and never had a sniff of the Premier League. He'd be trampled underfoot in the Premier League.

Are you a relative or his agent?

(The folks in the Northeast worship defensive forwards who would run their socks off, like Stracqualursi and Marcus Bent of ours, probably more than we do!)

Subpar first touches ("the ball would bounce off him for 5 yards at least") and not physical enough against bullying centre-backs.

If we take the eye-test from the Northeast in full, it means Simms is not ready for the Premier League, even in an impact substitute role (ie, coming off the bench from 60 minutes onwards).

With that intel alone, I'm already gutted to see his loan being cut short as, IMHO, a successful loan for youngsters should carry an objective of securing 3,000+ minutes against "real pros" in the Football League or other Top Leagues on the Continent, across the whole season.

(I'm glad that the likes of Warrington, Dobbin, Tyrer, Nkounkou, Onyango and Broadhead are on track with that but am worried so far, to say the least, with Branthwaite and Gibson.)

Not only would they get valuable minutes under their belts that can initiate dramatic improvements (helping Blackpool getting promoted to the Premier League via the playoffs made a young Seamus's bones), but also the largest sample size of playing experience would help pumping up their sales value when they are to be sold after the loans.

(No more Joe Williams or Matthew Pennington in which the club got nothing out of years of investment.)

Recalling Simms and having him on the bench for the rest of the season would not rectify any of the aforementioned shortcomings mentioned by our connections in the Northeast.

He doesn't have to be a world-beater. If he gets a handful of goals, he could make a difference. We've had worse (Cadamarteri; Joe-Max Moore etc); there's no fee involved, so let's just accept where we are and who we have and get behind the kid.

I guess this means we're not signing a striker, but it does beg the question: Why send him out on loan in the first place?

I suppose because he's had competitive game time, scored some goals and will be full of confidence?

Yes, he has scored a few goals for the clubs where he has been on loan but the Sunderland supporters mentioned in this thread have more or less been accurate in their comments about him.

And as has been mentioned already, in all his loan moves, he has not been faced with Premier League defenders.

I have been watching him at his loan clubs and don't think he is yet ready for the Premier League but it is up to him to show that he is by putting the effort in so I'm not saying that he won't get his finger out and prove me wrong.

I'd really love him to do that and that he gets a proper opportunity to do that. I worry though that he won't be given that opportunity, particularly if he starts slowly. Only time will tell.

Good luck to the lad. It is Everton we are looking out for primarily and, if they are successful, the players will also reap the benefits.

Kane? No.

Jesus? No.

What he is, is a physical presence, and far better at what Calvert-Lewin does than Maupay or anybody else Frank has deployed in the role.

We haven't the money to bring in a top-level striker, and the real issue in any case is our lack of creativity.

If bringing back Ellis means we'll spend what we have on a creator, it's an inspired decision.

I don't think he has really proved he will make a big difference whilst out on loan. Just makes sense to keep our options open.

Match Action: Derby County 1-0 Cambridge United

Gyökeres 0.51
Brereton Diaz 0.36
Yates 0.37
Pukki 0.39

I expect that he will get some playing time with us.

The fact that he's our player anyway makes it a bit easier to accept we're getting him back, but I can imagine the fume on here if he was considered to be a player we wanted to pay a fee for.

a) We have had an offer for him and will cash in for a couple of million; or
b) We have no chance of bringing in anyone better.

Either way, Simms is far cheaper than Rondon so we are financially better off and he may get 10 minutes here and there to hopefully show me I'm wrong about him.

If we had someone that could deliver a good cross, he'd be useful.

I wouldn't expect him to be on the bench due to having less down time than the rest of the first team.

The City game was on the 31st. Simms played against Wigan on the 29th and the Wolves game was 26th.

Unless injured, I would at least expect him on the bench against Brighton.

"It is one question to be scoring in the Championship, another to be scoring goals in the Premier League as well. When we look at where we are at, and I am talking about options off the bench for us and options to start if someone shows himself. We have to look at everything in our hands and Ellis is our player.”

He'll be good enough at the Premier League level or he won't. We'll see.

Nice hard work and passes at 2:04, 2:40, and 3:00.

Start of sequence for the game-winning header starts at 3:50.

Link

And an assist today. Little lucky, but right to his teammate who scored. Had a shot too. Just past the left upright.

Link

I agree though that this could signal no new strikers being signed in January!

He needs minutes and isn't getting them. At the moment it is a sham recall intended to disguise the fact that we have no intention (or money) to sign a proper CF as competition to our own crock of a number 9. Personally this smells of a Kenwright tactic so nobody can suggest that they haven't done their job. Laugh I am am going to cry!

I don't think Ellis is ready yet for the Prem League anyway and by the look of it neither does Lampard and, on this evidence, we are not about to find out.

Here comes the Championship unfortunately.

Based on my last post how should that be assessed?

I have been watching Everton since the days of Peter Farrell and some of it has beeen painless but the majority exctly the opposite.

By the looks of things Lampard is in the pocket of Kenwright with the recall of Simms and not playing him in any serious way re-enforces that view in my opinion . I agree that it takes courage to give youngsters a chance but with our current management no chances are being taken even though we are being told differently. It is a con.

I doubt we will see a credible goal scorer come anywhere near us in this window as it doesn't fit the Championship Plan of our Chairman.

SACK THE BOARD