Everton opt not to sign Coady

All of us could tell Dyche he has at least three centre-backs worse than the 'back to Wolves' warrior. (After all, ٢.5 M is expensive for Everton these days!)

Perhaps indicative of where we are financially…

Even with Branthwaite back to slot in next to Tarkowski, we are short of options at centre-back for injuries/suspensions. We all know Keane or Holgate aren't the answer and I am not a fan of Godfrey either. Maybe the young lad Welch is ready to step up a level?

From what I am seeing, they are looking at getting rid of Holgate and Godfrey as well as the club feels it is a bloated squad.

Strange as Mina has gone as well, but saying this is Sean Dyche's decisons.

Day 4 after escaping from relegation by the skin of our teeth.

Coady gone.
Mina gone.
CEO cancels meeting with Fan Advisory Board.
Everton board still hold their positions.

This is going to be a very long Summer.

Is Coady going a reflection of things to come? Keep cutting the wage bill and prioritise the ground costs?

I hope not. We won't survive yet again if this is continuing mentality.

As against Holgate, a luxury who will cling onto his wages as long as he can, despite never playing unless we're down to choosing either him or my nan. As long as he's on our books, we can't afford the wages for another centre-half.

If we are keeping Branthwaite and recruiting a few more defenders under Dyche's guidance, I will trust him to get it right. Transfers in and out will define us next season. I expect quite a few changes and maybe a few loan deals.

It's off the pitch that we have our main problems.

And the 'leadership' thing is a bit of a smokescreen, his leadership didn't stop Lampard's Everton becoming the worst Everton team I've seen for a very long time!

Perhaps if we sell Holgate and/or Keane we might go back in for him but I think there are better options out there, even at that price.

Fair play to him, he was a professional and always gave his all; but we have other priorities for what little money there may be.

James @12, that would be unbelievably bad luck given Tarkowski has one of the best injury records in the Premier League!

I thought when he played he has given up on the Everton cause. But he was a good addition in the last game.

Dyche preferred Keane and Tarkowski who he knew and he could depend on their committment knowing their weaknesses. Not surprised he was not kept on.

I'm really hoping Branthwaite and Tarkowski get paired together. I think Keane should also go but that might leave us needing to sign someone. I don't know how Dyche rates Godfrey, Holgate and young Reece Welch.

We need a left-back, 4 different attacking players (one for each position basically) and to replace anyone else we sell or release. I hope the last day is an indication that Dyche realises Iwobi is a central player and not a winger, but I fear that it was just a function of the formation.

Dyche has been around a long time, maybe he has some ideas on who he is bringing in, mostly on free transfers with players out of contract.

At the moment, his hands are tied because he doesn't know what he is being allowed to do re bringing players in and the board and Moshiri look like they have taken the 5th Amendment to protect the racket they had going at Everton FC.

I wonder what surprises they have in store for us? I'm not expecting any good ones… but you never know.

As regards the centre-backs still on the books, while he may want to get shut but, if they don't want to move, there is nothing he can do about it. I would imagine, with both Mina and Coady going, then a centre-back and at least 1 striker will be his priority.

Apparently newly promoted Sheffield Utd are very interested in signing Coady and I am sure with his experience he will do a great job if he goes there.

You wonder what budget Dyche has been told he has for the upcoming window, as this squad will need new additions if we are to improve on the last 2 seasons.

Surely he would have sanctioned the permanent signing had he seen a place long-term for Coady at such a low fee. Must have his thoughts on who he wants and hopefully he get's what he needs.

Thanks to Conor for the time spent with us and wish him well in the future. Plenty of teams will chase him for a few million pounds based on his experience and professionalism. Never once complained but kept his fitness levels and helped enormously during his final game for us.

I could mention quite a few who I would have shipped out before him, so leave it to Dyche in whom we must trust. He performed a minor miracle to keep us up so let's hope for better times if we can shift the deadwood at the top and within the squad.

A few months now in relative comfort with not having to worry every weekend or midweek about games and results. I think we all need a breather now after the nervousness and worry over trying to get over the line, but it's done so best wishes to all on here and enjoy the rest.

Got my flip-flops ready for the beach.

Strap yourselves in, Blues – it's going to be a long summer.

Coady is a good leader and did okay alongside Tarkowski in a two (making the World Cup squad) before Dyche went for his mate Keane.

Coady's words after the match on Sunday, when he played well, shows he has the desire and attitude. A shame.

If we're definitely going to play a back 4, then it obviously makes more sense.

But you don't save ٢.5M. It's going to cost us a lot more money to play any formation that includes a back 4 because we don't have the players to play in it. We need to sign one or two full-backs and one or two wide players in addition to the forward we absolutely need. That's at a minimum.

If we don't make those signings, then we'll be forced into a tactical change that will make this decision look very foolish.

I don't think we'll make those signings and I think we'll regret this decision. But that's par for the course for us.

He's most effective, as has been said above, in a back 3 so why not keep him for that reason? A squad needs to be able to play different ways and he suits a 3 which also suits us at times. He's also experienced, and an excellent voice around the squad with an assured head.

So what's the plan, Sean? Branthwaite as backup to Keane & Tarkowski? Well that brings me out in hives immediately. Relying on Holgate & Godfrey as backup?

Getting rid of battlers, hanging onto bottlers. Give me strength.

A real shame, as others have said. I would rather see the back of Keane or Holgate.

A shame about Coady, he was a good fit, but what happened when he was disciplined and left out of the squad?

I don't know which manager or director of football agreed to 㿅 million for Keane, but yet again another example of how this club has been run into the ground. If it was any defender from Burnley, back then it should have been Ben Mee – we got the wrong one.

I like Coady, his attitude and his input but Dyche is prioritising where money is spent.

Early indications that Dyche and Thelwell have already made their minds up and aren't wasting time.

Good luck, Conor.

Left-footer, already paid for, low wage.

I think (in my expert opinion) the squad needs a few versatile players in the Neville/Heitenga, and for the older supporters, Harper mode. Garner might be this, and Godfrey may get back to some form - long covid and injuries ain't helped. Holgate can play RB, CB and holding MF - though waiting for the flack here, so he might be a stayer and a pre-season under Dyche might get back his old form.

And Branthwaite will have returned - a year older, a year more experienced.

As well as in the obvious areas that need improving, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the way Dyche was planning. But, what do I, or any of us, know?

At 30, he has a few good years ahead of him, and imagine he would prefer to be playing rather than sitting on the bench hoping he may get a chance.

Good luck to him, in my opinion, a good pro.

As for Branthwaite, will be interesting to see if he feels committing to the Everton cause. Another one who has had a chance of fairly regular football. At a much earlier stage in his career than Coady, will he fancy sitting on the bench.

Unloading players is only half the job though, the question is how are we going to recruit better with 5 quid and a used Renault minibus as part ex ?

St Ettiene want to buy Nkounkou and sell asap at a profit. Maybe we are interested in one of Wolves players and have given them him to flog for more than £4.5m. England internationals come cheap, it seems these days.

I think you're on it.

For one, Coady was Lampard's man. So, there's that.

And let's not ignore that Coady saw Everton as a way to get out from under the shitty contract he signed with Wolves, which still has two years to go. He'll be 32 then. The possibility of signing a new contract with us this Summer would be his last crack at a large wage increase.

I'd bet Connor saw our CB wage scale and thought/hoped he could get on the Everton gravy train that's feeding Holgate, Keane, and Godfrey unjustified wages.

We have enough contract problems at CB. No need to add some more. He proved himself a hard worker and good luck to him, but no great loss.

Also Everton fans : Keep Mina and Coady!

Dyche doesn't want them. I am fine with that and expect him to buy a replacement. Great dressing room personalities don't win games.

Thelwell and Dyche were not caught by surprise. They are likely working on an initial cost neutral clear out and reup with a younger squad. This will have to do until the noise upstairs is resolved. Dyche has a good understanding of what pieces to build aroumd and with that input Thelwell has enough time to make something worthwhile happen.

We may not find affordable ball playing CBs but we need more speed in those positions. We will likely go for physicality built for a low block setup until we buy a possession midfielder.

Apparently they're looking at a lad from Mainz in the Bundesliga on a free but I think he's a full back. I think linker is left?

There's a few lines on it in Allgemeine Zeitung

Anyway good luck Conor and thanks.

He'll be signed by a struggling Championship club, wear their armband and have a fine remainder of his career. All the best to him.

Thats also 2 leaders gone in Mina and Coady and unlike Brett I believe dressing room personalities do win games. Just look at the influence Seamus has.

We just need to get some fees in and Keane, Holgate and Godfrey seem to offer the best opportunity for that.

We should also have some money from Kean and Gordon unless its found its way down the back of Bill's sofa.

Maybe 5-10m for Maupay from some mug and we have the makings of a war chest (Hahaha).

Wage savings on Mina, Vinagre, Davies, Townshend etc should also help.

IMO loan players should be backup to the squad and not first team automatic choices so we need up and coming talent that cant break into the likes of City first team.

Fed up taking Man U rejects but Chelsea look like having a fire sale and I hear Pulisic is available for 20m although I doubt he would come to us.

Akpom, Gyokeres and Sargent may be available as their clubs missed out on promotion and are worth a punt and we need to give Simms and Cannon an opportunity to show what they can do by slowly integrating them into the first team squad.

Jeffrey Schlupp, Nathaniel Clyne and Aaron Cresswell are nearing the end of their contracts and could be good cover for the full back/wingback positions.

I could have just said "I don't think they're good enough" but it gets a bit tiresome saying the same thing over the course of watching Mason Holgate play under 10 different individuals managing on match day, and Keane under 9 all of whom bar Ancelotti were sacked or demoted back to lower levels because of the poor performances of these players over a almost a decade. But taking any hyperbole or humor out of the equation, they are both error prone, neither can read the game well, neither defend well, Keane has the odd moment in attack but that is it and Holgate really is just not good enough. I am tired of seeing their names pop up on team sheets under manager after manager after manager while the team with them as core squad players over almost a decade has gotten worse and worse.

Obviously, That' money for Keane is less my mileage costs to drive him to any other club that would take him!!

Coady, is good in a five, but I don't think he is quick enough or not quite commanding enough, especially in the air, to play in a four man defence?

Brainthwaith is hopefully coming back to play alongside Tarkowski, but it's going to be a very long summer, especially because it doesn't look like we are going to have much money to spend, so whatever money we do get is going to have to be spent very wisely.

Keane over Coady FFS .

Do you know if Reece Welch is any good? I know he's been on the bench a few times but noticed we gave him a new four year deal last October. Much longer than our usual one year at a time deal for under 23s. I am assuming Lewis Gibson will be released when he deal end next month.

Branthwaite back, but we're still a centre-back short with Mina leaving.

Despite his goals that he will never be forgotten for, Michael Keane is about the same age as Coady, equally slow but far more timid and turns like a tractor.

Holgate has yet to step up and I'm not sure he will.

I can only assume with this decision, we will be looking to bring in another centre-back?

We need to get rid of Keane, Holgate and Godfrey they are not Premier League standard defenders.

If the past 5 years have shown us anything, it is that deadwood doesn't shift, unless on loan to Turkey or another minor league, and with us picking up most of the wage still anyway.

We're losing tens of millions a year thanks to scandalous wages, and some want to add another 㿨-90k a week for a 30-year-old reserve option who can't play in the system the manager prefers.

My mind boggles. Good man. Would be nice if we were a rich club who can afford to have these kind of players sat around as “squad” but we're just not. Wake up! Anyone we buy from now on in needs to be a Brighton type of buy low, sell high. Anything other than that is a P&S issue again.

Pros
Better than Holgate, Keane and Godfrey.
٢.5m decent fee.
Leader.
Already lost Mina, so need some quality.

Negative
㾻m commitment over 3 years with no resale value.
Lacks pace.
Everton aren't a 3 at the back team.
We were overloaded in centre-backs, admittedly with lads below him in ability. Money needed elsewhere.

My general sense is if money was available you'd sign him. Not signing him, and not signing a striker after selling Gordon, tells me we have either no money or the Premier League are blocking our ability to sign players.

Time will tell.

He's staying and I'll put my neck out and say when Seamus doesn't play he'll have him captain. Mark my words. He's going nowhere

Maybe he will go out on loan? Seems hit and miss but appears to have benefited Branthwaite but not various others.

Maybe it wasn't just us deciding, Dyche will have been honest about his preferred formation next season and it would mean Coady bench warming. No player his age wants to willingly do that. He will move to a club where he is playing week in and out.

Good luck to him and thanks for the contribution.

At least most understand just how broke we are now. 5 years of billionaire ownership and we have gone downhill. Only Everton.

I am however sorry to hear that Conor Coady is leaving us – I liked him. I hope we don't regret that decision. All I can say is that Dyche must have better on his 'wish list' but hasn't that always been the case.

Holgate and Godfrey are claimed to be on the list as well as, hopefully Keane. Again, I liked Godfrey, I thought he was good – until his accident – then things seemed to deteriorate. We should get some backups in for the two/three.

Please, please don't get rid of Onana – we need to hang on to our better players.

And before slating the likes of Keane and Holgate give the coaching staff a chance to work with these and get them doing what is required of them, if they stay that is. Dyche has had hardly any time on the training pitch with any of them.

We can get cover on a free or loan; otherwise, we will buy younger talent that will have a sell-on fee

Yes, mate, that's him.

It reminds me of when we had Kevin Campbell on loan and had to scrape together the measly ١ million needed to sign him up and this coming not long after we'd spent a "warchest" on Collins, Dacourt, Materazzi, Bakayoko etc.

He had a purple patch when we first brought him in. Some suggesting he should be club captain.

He is a prem standard centre back that thrives in a 5. A good organiser and talker.

I would rather have gotten rid of Godfrey or holdgate but beggars can't be choosers.

Until club gets investment, we will be selling not buying .

Obviously, That money for Keane is less my mileage costs to drive him to any other club that would take him!!

Him and Price going means we've added ٠.1 million to the transfer kitty. Woo hoo!!

Let me guess. He will do a Reggie Perrin and be replaced by someone who looks suspiciously like him called Ken Billwright.

Who's next and who are we left with and who's coming in? Early days I know but we certainly got rid of four so far. 🤷💙

Kean, Nkounkou, Gordon - 㿴M.

Incoming:-

Zip over last 6 months.

We have to get some centre-backs of the books, he's the easiest one to get off the books. Top lad, half decent centre-back, under the circumstances, I'd say it's the right decision.

Paul – Maguire went to Leicester for less than we paid for Keane in the same transfer window.

Posters here may testify to the authenticity of Watched Toffee.

He says there are just legalities to be finalised before an announcement will be made.

Your Maguire joke seemed to go unnoticed but I got it. It was a joke - wasn't it?

If they're no good after the number of managers we've had, then please get shut like we should have done 3 years ago. Sentimentality will see us in another relegation scrap next season.

If that's done and not taken up by existing holders then the board have discretion to offer them on. All this must be decided by the Board (not the main shareholder) at a duly constituted board meeting. Hurdles to go yet.

I take it you do not mean Kenwright!

Who is going to replace Mina? Are we looking to the youngsters, Branthwaite, Welch and Gibson? Surely we can not afford a better centre-back than Coady at that money? How many players do we have to sell to afford a decent striker? A left back also. Nkonkou has gone so how do we afford a back-up to Mykolenko?

The next few weeks will be fascinating and informative. We only need about 6 to 7 new players. Hoping we have some top youngsters or there are some worthwhile out-of-contract pros cos I don't think there is any dosh any time soon.

Who? Kenwright the redshite gobshite? The only potential he had is to screw the club, screw the fans, and screw the free buffet.

I'm in the camp that Coady would have been a good back-up but, as we're skint, we have higher priorities elsewhere in the transfer window, namely getting one or two strikers who can put the ball in the net.

One thing for sure is, he's a Blue now!

Mina is more of a loss than Coady as he is much better, but even with him I'm okay he's gone as we couldn't rely on him to play the majority of the season.

Get rid of the under-achievers, just because we stayed up by the skin of our teeth doesn't mask the lack of quality we have had. We need new blood not scarred by the last 2 years.

Holgate, Mykolenko, Godfrey, Keane, Davies, Gbamin, Maupay, Gray, Iwobi can all go. Gray and Iwobi you may not agree with but it's a sign of how poor we've been that these guys have looked okay for us. We need really quality — not poor imitations.

Whether Keane and Holgate are better is irrelevant, they have contracts – Coady doesn't – he only played because of injuries and exposes us in a back 4.

We don't have the luxury of being able to have multiple back-ups on big wages who are at the end of their careers.

I had hoped we had learned from our striker debacle that we need to get bodies in before we ship out, but if we are truly potless, we reluctantly have to go the other way.

Each year we seem to say that good recruitment has never been more crucial, and every year we seem to screw up.

I can foresee choruses of "We should have kept Conor Coady" whenever our defence looks a bit ropey next season. Maybe he is something of a modern-day Mick Lyons in terms of application, passion and bravery? Though I wonder how far someone like Mick would get in the modern game.

If Kevin Sheedy wasn't good enough for Liverpool and sat in the reserves, why would we sign him? 㿨 grand Peter Reid who came with a dodgy injury record. Neville Southall, the former binman and hod carrier bought from Bury.

If Seamus Coleman was only playing in the Irish League, why would we sign him?

Sometimes players fit into a manager's plans and system regardless of where they have been before.

Seems that Coady isn't in this manager's plans.

What worries me is Dyche believes we have a decent squad of players, he's wrong and I don't expect to be entertained either. I would be happy to have a Forest type transfer window bringing in a whole new team keeping about 3 or 4.

We have 5 senior centre-backs on the books at the moment. We had 7 before Mina and Coady were released. Totally unbalanced.

One of Keane, Holgate or Godfrey must be sold/released simply to balance the squad and the wage bill. (Knowing EFC we'll sell Branthwaite instead)

Personally, I'd offer Keane and Holgate to newly promoted sides with a discount on the transfer fees to subsidise the wages over their remaining EFC contracts. I'd then promote an U23 centre back.

I'd be happy to see us start next season with-
Tarks
Branthwaite
Godfrey
Another (youth promotion/free transfer)

Ageing player, - Everton starting a new transfer rule book, and not buying players touching on 30, wages, etc.?

I thought the lad was a leader on and off the park.

Sean Dyche, found a few different ways to play with the resources he had available, get results,, and kept Everton up.

May be this is the onset of the new era, new board CEO and Chairman, but hopefully, Everton, about to start a new era, when the Everton Football Club, will be managed every hour if every day with care and attention, befitting Everton FC, and Evertonians, across the World.

The last few years have been hell, and so, let's hope.

UTFTs!

This does explain why I'm not that fussy on academy football though, because when I was reading about the Lurton v Sunderland play-off semifinal the other week, it was described by one Lurton player as absolutely brutal, and a very physical all out war, and I personally think this side of the game is being overlooked, when you consider the end-game is, the ultra physical EPL?

Dyche's lineup choices over the past two months made it clear he preferred Keane to Coady in a back 4, which is our preferred formation.

Dyche clearly considers Keane more useful overall than Coady. I happen to agree with him.

Veterans who must stay would be Pickford, Tarkowski, Gueye and Doucoure now we've committed to him.

That's 9 players. The rest can stay or go as far as I'm concerned. It's time to trust Dyche implicitly, along with Thelwell, to build a squad.

Like Dyche said in his last post-game press conference, he doesn't have a magic wand. This is going to take time. We simply have to allow that process to unfold. All the while praying for enough points to keep us up.

Good luck to Connor Coady. Consummate professional who gave his all to Everton and helped us survive.

I think Nkounkou has probably played his last professional game at left-back. St Etienne became the latest club to give up on his defense and moved him permanently to left attacking midfield. The kid responded with 6 goals and 8 assists in a bit more than half a season.

He'd have been a backup to McNeil, not Mykolenko.

I think it's certain that Sean Dyche will have many difficult decisions to make, with little in the way of money to work with, at least until we find out what the decision of the investigation is.

I'm glad we had Connor, and I wish him well back at Wolves.

Jim Greenwood, the former Everton secretary insisted that budgets were made for a season, based on the possibility that progress in the cups would end at the earliest stage and that the manager should get the club to the required number of points to avoid relegation at the earliest opportunity, everything better than that was a bonus. That's the situation we find ourselves in today, not pretty, not awe inspiring, but a necessary way of handling the near future.

I think he's got some decent players in his squad though, and I definitely expect to be entertained at least as much as I have been by the last seven Everton managers, although I'm aware this isn't asking for much.

I'd say under Dyche the play will be much, much better - because it was!

We created plenty of opportunities and also, and I have zero stats to back this up, we surely took a ton more shots? I wasn't bored at all watching this Dyche squad.

Can't say the same for dreadful times under Large Fella Sam, Red Christmas Tree Koeman, Silva (who seemingly was allergic to playing through the middle of the pitch), or even Carlo who Lord knows would pack it right in.

I'm not worried about entertainment under Dyche. We played a fine brand of footy with him at the helm thus far in my opinion. I'm more worried about getting enough points to stay up with this dysfunctional club we have at the moment!

I don't know if Reece Welch has worked on his strength but for me he looked the part of a rangy central defencive midfielder or centre-back in a three-at-back. I'm taking a cynical position and hope that we are short enough in the squad to ensure his place here.

People's Front of Judea / Judeans People's Front and all that. I knew what I meant! I played in the Irish League. That's another story.

I wonder if Warrington will feature. From what I've seen, he looks very promising if he can make the step up.

But would he be competing with Garner, I think?

It's the same now. He hasn't kept Coady so he must be going to play Keane, (why exactly?) but whatever happens Sean Dyche has already exceeded my expectations, because I thought we were already dead and buried when he arrived, but suddenly average players, who were very low on confidence, started playing for the shirt, and we not only incredibly survived by the skin of our teeth, but we also definitely began to look like a much better team,imo.

In years gone past, we have bought some very mediocre players just because they are slightly better than what we already had. And look where it got us.

Coady may be slightly better than Keane and Holgate but that doesn't mean we should buy him. I'm surprised at some of the people on here and elsewhere that seem outraged by this decision.

I don't think he's perfect, but I'm 100% behind Sean Dyche.

No subs in that Leicester game had me apoplectic. Maupay up top just fuming to no end.

But Tony, every single manager I've ever watched for Everton pissed me off at one time or another. We improved under Dyche and, as you say, the dude kept us up. Mic drop.

In the end, if we rave about kids like Branthwaite, why put a ٢.5M obstacle in the way when the money and wages can be spent elsewhere?

Good decision.

One, he can handle the physicality of big attackers in the area, and Coady cannot.

Two, he has proven himself a big-game, big moment player in the box. He scored the goal that restarted our pulse against Palace last season. And this season, Doucouré's rocket doesn't keep us up unless we also have those two previous at-the-death tying goals by our centre-backs -- Keane's spectacular strike against Spurs and Mina's tap-in, which was set up by a deft touch from Keane.

I have a lifelong affection for ordinary athletes who step up unexpectedly at the most massive moments. Keane has done it three times now.

Keane worries me and has done for seasons.

Wide open in midfield. Deliberately targeted on the flanks.

I think the reality of the squad hit the manager. But he navigated through the fog.

Makeshift forward options and, at the end, no natural full-backs.

He knows Keane from Burnley and I think Sean Dyche is looking at Branthwaite as first choice, but Keane to step in if needed, Keane has also shown that he his fairly decent at scoring goals with head or foot. So I think that settled it, if he could only keep one, he's kept Keane. Not perfect by any means but it looks like money's tight and spending ٢.5M wasn't on.

I think Dyche has to use his knowledge of players who will improve the squad, with little or no money until we know where we stand re the P&S investigation outcome. I think, luckily, he'll have a good knowledge of players who will improve positions in the squad, from the lower leagues, loans and end of contracts.

I also think he's putting what money he knows he's got on a centre-forward. We most probably will not be able to count on Calvert-Lewin.

This doesn't mean we won't go back in for him near the end of the window, and try and get him even cheaper.

The fact is, Holgate, Keane, and Godfrey are on decent contracts, so difficult to move on. Hopefully we can find a way to sell at least two of them.

Personally, I'd keep Keane. He's always fit, can be effective offensively, and works well in certain systems.

Gyökeres now linked to Newcastle. So regretful we failed to grab him in January.

Get the investment or takeover done before the transfer window opens, please, Everton. Then, let us cling to more than just hope asap. UTFT.

I liked the look of Branthwaite when he debuted and his spell abroad has by all accounts prepared him for first choice selection. It would seem that Tarkowski will be his most likely pairing.

I wish Conor Coady every success for the future. Whether he returns to Wolves to fight for a first team place or if he signs for another club, they will certainly not regret it. He is a very capable, competent player, with years left at the highest level.

Godfrey had shown what he can do in the past before Covid. He's been played out of position and his confidence got shot. He's got the right attitude, good speed and physicality. I think he can become good again when given time.

Ideally, we'll sell Holgate. Tarkowski and Keane will fight for the right-side centre-back position while Godfrey and Branthwaite fight for the left-side centre-back position.

Anyway, Dyche knows how to organise a defence. He knows what he needs for his defenders. He will get it right.

There is no reason to believe Dyche will pick anyone but players he has relied on before would make sense to me.

Did someone say Keane is strong, obviously doesnt remember Lukaku using him like a rag doll, shrugging him off and scoring a few years ago. On that alone he should never have been bought.

I've backed him and, for his couple of assists, I will give, every game he plays he makes a mistake that leads to a goal or that leads to a big chance for opponents. Been here years and I've seen enough of him and Holgate to know a team that struggles to score has to score twice to win when these two play, more often than not.

That was why I was so opposed to us signing Keane. He was simply helpless.

I tend to agree with Winston @118. If there are any takers, we should try to offload a centre-back to make space for a new one. Maybe offload two, with Branthwaite coming back.

Personally, I'd keep Godfrey for now. He's obviously struggled, but we saw enough before his illness and lack of form to see he can feature in this squad given where it is right now. And only 25; relatively young for a centre-back.

So for me, at least one from Holgate or Keane, maybe both. If only one, I know my choice, but I won't bore anyone with my usual tirade. And yes, I will be eternally grateful for those two crucial goals (Palace, Tottenham) and that assist for Mina at Molineux. But I've never been convinced by Keane.

A lot seem to be pinning high hopes on Branthwaite. He's only played a handful of games. He looks promising but is 20. Very young for a centre-back, so whilst I am a promoter and don't want to sound like a cautious Colin (sorry for the Colins out there!), we're probably not at the stage where we build the defence around him, in my opinion.

Mina is gone. We have opted not to take the option on Coady. Holgate's and Keane's abilities are debatable and we may move one or both on. Branthwaite is young; let's not do a John Stones on him, give him time and not have over-expectation.

In summary, we need another centre-back… And a striker!

Saying that Dyche is going to pick players he knows sounds like it makes loads of sense until you start to break it down and then start analyzing it. Look at our last fixture – he played with three central defenders, and still never selected Michael Keane even though he knew it was going to be the last ever game in an Everton shirt for two of the other three?

Of course it made sense to play Coady, who is the more natural defender in a three, but we had another two central defenders on the bench and our manager overlooked both of them for the biggest game in our season.

Keane too, makes a cock-up from time to time but the amount of times he gets his head on a cross or, as you illustrate is instrumental at the other end of the pitch more than makes-up for his shortcomings.

I like Coady but pragmatism rules. We are skint and what small war chest Dyche will have to spend depends on ruthless decisions on the playing staff.
Everything must be done to get in a decent striker or we will be in exactly the same position next May.

He gets caught between two-stools, imo, and when a central defender plays like this, then I think it spreads doubt throughout the team?

I think the hard choice was, we'd have to pay for Conor Coady plus his wages, that just left Dyche with a plain decision to make: save the money.

It was smart though for Dyche to pick him in a back three against Bournemouth, and I think he played well.

The centre halves next season will be Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Keane (sorry), Godfrey plus a new addition. I think Holgate will be sold.

Unfortunately, our recruitment has been so terrible that we won't receive much of a transfer fee for any of them apart from Moise Kean.

Our first team roster is looking extremely thin though - Pickford, Begovic, Patterson, Coleman?, Tarkowski, Keane, Godfrey, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Onana, Doucoure, Grey, DCL, McNeil, Iwobi, Garner and Simms.

18 players!

His contract expires 30th June, so maybe we are still monitoring his injury recovery before making a decision.

I think being shorn of proper modern attacking full-backs and a couple of actual strikers has been the problem. Hoping Mills, Cannon and Warrington can show they're worthy of the first-team squad this season.

I doubt Big Yerry will ever get another contract in his life like the one that's just ended but I'm just thankful that he ended his Everton career playing very well in a run of massively important games.

Okay, I said I wouldn't bore everyone. Keane worries the shit out of me every time he plays. Turning circle of a 1950s Russian tank. A daydreamer who watches the ball go over his head too often, but doesn't have the pace to recover. Or the powers of concentration or anticipation to compensate for that deficiency. A poor man's Harry Maguire.

Prove me wrong by all means, but I have been watching him for years now.

And thank you for those goals and that assist.

My expectation is Keane, Godfrey, Holgate will be ahead of Branthwaite in the pecking order.

Branthwaite is raw, but I'd be amazed if he's partnering Tarkowski on the first game of the season despite what the fans hope for.

Godfrey isn't even a footballer.

Holdgate is terrible

Tarkowski isn't as good with the ball as Keane.

The 30 yarder v spurs, the goal last year v palace the assist for mina at wolves. None of our other CBS have that in them.

It's all very well having a whipping boy but look around the squad. We have 2 decent players, one is always injured and the other is the goalie.

Like most, I comment on what I watch.

I spent years sticking up for Hibbert and Osman

Whipping boys for many.

I don't do that. I give opinion. Which is just that. We won't all always agree.

Yerry 125k a week, Gomes 112k a week, Alli 100k a week, Holgate on 70k a week. We all criticise managers but the DoFs who agreed these wages should be shot,

I just think many that expect Branthwaite to be put in as first choice will be disappointed. He's played in Europe and the Dutch league, but that isn't the EPL.

I hope the lad has a good preseason and Dyche judges it on merit, and not pecking order of seniority or players he knows better. I fear it will be the latter.

C'mon Mosh, throw me a bone

Luckily we had a manager, seemingly left on his own to run the club, who came through with necessary solutions to fix us for now.

If the problems at the top of the club are not sorted out we will start another fight to avoid relegation come July.

Shame that we didn't get him a couple of years ago. I suspect he's been told he won't be first choice and he's not interested in staying as a sqaud member.
My memory of him will be him dithering on the ball and getting closed down instead of advancing tge ball forward.

Good luck to him. Give us his all.

I hope Branthwaite can be given time to stake his claim for a shirt and having trust in youngsters would at least give the Club some direction. If we keep faith with most of the players who have got us in a mess for the last 2 seasons, we may not keep dodging the bullet.

No more buying players older than 28. That's the prime years of most footballers. Start improving players like any decent manager or coach should be doing.

The club should only sign players who were born in the Merseyside area and kids within the Academy, IMO.

Lastly, we fans need to realise that we are not the team of the 80s, but just a pPremier League team and finishing with 40 points or more is not a bad season – it's just how it is.

Seriously competing for either of our domestic cups is a must.

Until funds come in, IF they come in, then he'll have to make do with what's in the funds account now. He's going to be looking at players who've reached the end of their contracts, and see if he can use them or not. From what I've seen of Onana, then Dyche may well think he could find good use with the money we'd get from him.

It also looks like we'll have to do the bult of our recruitment, before this P&S decision is made. The main thing in our favour is we've got a number of good or decent players and a Manager who, if he can recruit, will not be afraid to look at players who'll do a good/decent job for us, and give us a stronger squad,

I think we'd all say that a Goalscoring centre forward is a top priority. Again, it looks like he will come within the available funds. Robert and Sam have given lists of reasonable possibilities with Brereton and Gyokeres mentioned. I think I read somewhere that Brereton is out of contract, don't know about the other lad but either one, if affordable, might be a useful player for us. Obviously I don't know the details of CL's long term future with us, but we need another option anyway.

Bobby, don't you think that might picking players purely from merseyside, might narrow the choice down so much, that it would leave us way behind all other teams in the Prem?

I'll go and look on the web for something interesting.

Give Dyche the tools and he will deliver, a mid-table, top-half return, which is the best IMO we can hope for, then move on the following season.

If Kenwright still has his grubby fingers in the recruitment pie, it will be deadline-day deals again. Please tell me I'm wrong.
We have the nucleus of a strong squad, especially if Pickford, Iwobi, Onana, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Cannon, Simms etc stay with other youngsters knocking on the door.

Regrettably we need to part company with Calvert-Lewin, and recruit a 10-15 goal striker.

The trouble I foresee is attracting young quality players. Look at Brighton for a model to work from. Who is their head coach for youth development and overseas loan deals (in and out)?
David Weir; could he be tempted to return!

Kenwright interviewed him for the manager's job several years ago and gave it to Martinez, say no more! Our high -placed finish in his first season was from a team he inherited.

I await our transfer dealings with sceptism. Will Dyche put up with Kenwright shenanigans, or will we be looking for a new ‘yes sir' manager?

I'm trying to be positive, and I accept the window isn't open yet, but my optimism will not improve until Kenwright leaves.

It's Leeds United all over again when Peter (can't remember his surname) sent them spiralling down through financial suicide.

Let's hope somebody with a business brain comes in to get a grip of our current financial disaster!!

I'd be tempted to sell Keane to fund it and keep Holgate, who has also gone backwards since Carlo left, but can be cover for right back next season as well as Patterson is struggling it seems with bad luck with injuries like Calvert-Lewin.

I would love Branthwaite to hit the ground running but he might need 3 years to bed in. Like Godfrey, who is still struggling to bed in as a reliable centre-back.

I'm looking forward to him starting for us on a regular basis.

So let's just all put some faith in Sean Dyche who has worked a bloody miracle.

Is Merseyside currently considered a cradle of young Premier League-ready talent?

I really like Sol Solomon at Marine AFC, but I wouldn't have considered him a competitor for Dom. Or even Rondon.

Let Dyche work with him and I'm suddenly getting some belief in our back line and how we play out of our half.

Derby O'Gill, that pit'o'gold exists after all…..

Coady is not really a loss. He never improved us when he arrived and won't weaken us when he's gone.

It's great having a good personality but that doesn't keep clean sheets or win matches. Leaders lead you to succeed or progress at least. Where has coady led us ??

Who's going to play there people ask ? Can Branthwaie or one of the under 23 really do any worse ?? Even if Keane and Tarks are first choice, coady gone frees up a path for a younger player and wages for a more important addition.

We as fans need to be patient. Would we rather watch Coady and Keane play out the twilight of there careers or be excited by developing players like Branthwaite?

It needs to be a change of mentality from everyone fans included to see us build something sustainable the longer term not just next season or we will forever be making poor shortsighted signings like this would be if he stayed.

I saw Stones do his Cruyff turn today at a much bigger level than in front of the Park End… I hope all the knobs who caused him to do his "calm down" gestures realise what a player we lost.

You act like Stones didn't make regular mistakes and cost us a fair few goals. The Stones we had at Everton was not the complete player that he is today.

And the Everton team he played in certainly didn't have the goal power to bail out goal-conceding mistakes in the same way that Man City have

These rose-tinted glasses are biased and you should give our fans more credit.

As for a much higher level, it doesn't get any bigger than playing for Everton as far as I'm concerned. Stones wanted to leave as I remember it, he wasn't lost.

The Club has made terrible mistakes in the transfer market –getting 㿞M for a player who cost little from Barnsley wasn't one of them.

Young players need to be given time. They will make mistakes like Stones did. Man City could see past that and see the player he was going to become.

We need to do the same with young players coming through.
No young centre-back is going to develop from age 21 without making mistakes – it's how they learn.

I'd rather watch a couple of young centre-backs make mistakes and develop than watch Coady and Keane make the same mistakes at their age. It would be okay if we had top quality at the back but we all know we don't!

Our squad needs more depth in quality for young players to come through. Dyche's aim is to get points on the board. As fans, patience is key with young players. Mistakes is key to learning. The negative comments out loud leads to fear.