Begovic makes Goodison return

Good to see EitC at work helping the elderly.

Of course we'll re-sign Begovic, I mean, just look at the bench he put out. It had to include juniors as the third "bench" keeper would have been a junior who was due to play or had just played for the U21s or U18.

Dyche would have done his head in having to use that many juniors, even as unused substitutes. He has to have somebody who remembers how he used to play football, other than those who have to pay to watch it.

I instantly went through all the spare right-backs in the top 2 divisions, to see who it might be.

Answer: 'Asmir Begovic'. I've nothing against Begovic, he's a perfectly good 'keeper.... but what are his qualifications for playing right- back!!

Well he's not scared to come well off his line!

Begovic will likely do a lot of his work, I hope gets Pickford to come off his line a lot more than he does!

I'd be happy to have him back.

But yes we still need to sort RB.

On a free and can't imagine his wages are that high so surely all fine.

You are having a laugh he was bad enough first time round, we have enough below standard players without taking more ' aboard '. Give yer head a good wobble, and Dyche's too !

I'd be very surprised indeed if he was doing any coaching at all, other than giving his advice to the other younger keepers, Dave. Was Lonergan coaching whilst Kelly was there? He's a player.

Why waste our precious wage budget on a player we don't need?

Virginia is more than capable as a deputy.

There's a couple of decent out of contract right backs out there if they'd bother their arses.

Maybe he's up for a loan to the Championship. He certainly needs games that he won't get as Picks' deputy.

If Pickford gets injured or sent off for trying to cover one of Gana's passes, then Virginia comes in and Begovic on the bench. Perfect sense.

It costs relatively nowt, so a good move.

Meanwhile, a couple of full-backs would be nice, please?
Anyone who thinks that the management will not have looked at every available ful-back is doing them an injustice.

We can't make them play for us!

No wonder our youth players lose interest and go to shit when they see signings like this.

Move on to more pressing matters.

In the past, the likes of Pat Jennings and Gerry Peyton filled a similar role. Not an exciting signing by any means… but a sensible low cost back up plan.

Didn't he leave us last time 'cos he refused to sign a new contract offered to him? What's changed this time around?

Possibly doing a coaching badge if he's to provide training support and assistance?

As some have stated on here, this gives the young goalkeepers a chance to go out on loan to other leagues to get more match time. Better than wasting away on the bench at Premier League games etc.

Yes, if he can get Jordan to venture out of his 6-yard box, then he will have an effect!!

To me, it makes more sense that Jordan runs training sessions (where required) with all the 'keepers from the Academy participating.

Also is he to be third choice and sitting on the bench? Something I have never been able to fathom out, although it does happen, a goalkeeper injury, how often does the substitute also get injured in the same match?

Like Toyah Wilcox sang in her song, "It's a Mystery".

I'll put my tin hat on and say that Pickford is one of the big players we could afford to let go to free up cash and strengthen the team in the search for a right-back and a striker who can actually strike.

Goals win games… we don't have a goal in us.

Jordan is probably the best shot-stopper in the league, but he could do with coaching to get off his line and out of his 6-yard box more.

Anyway, I've just got my ticket for Doncaster. Get online people, they're only £15 for adults.

Please!

"Anyway, I've just got my ticket for Doncaster. Get online people, they're only £15 for adults ".

£10 if you have grey hair! You will soon qualify, Danny! :-)

Highly unlikely to play in the Premier League… well who knows? Remember back to 2006 when I think Nigel Martyn was our Number 1, but either injured or suspended for the home game against Blackburn?

His deputy, rookie Iain Turner deputised, and within 10 minutes was sent off for handling the ball outside the area. An even bigger rookie, John Ruddy, came off the bench and helped us win the game 1-0, courtesy of a James Beattie goal.

So anyone questioning this signing needs to give their head a wobble. Can you imagine the same scenario today, Pickford unavailable so Joao Virginia deputises, is sent off after 10 minutes and Billy Crellin or Harry Tyrer coming off the bench with zero experience behind them???

At least Begovic is a fully experienced goalkeeper who's played at the highest level. Good signing in my opinion.

ps: I actually welcome the signing of Begovic and I'm being slightly facetious.

It also explains why Alan Kelly was let go. Begovic will likely be coaching as well as keeping.

Jordan running a training session with all the other goalkeepers?

Ah give them a break, Martin, they'd all have bleedin' nervous breakdowns after a few sessions with him!

Seems a good bloke to have around the squad, bags of experience and, if we help him and he helps us, then it's a win-win.

Any scenario is likely in football. As bad as Holgate may be, he has still played and has the experience of Premier League football. It's just unfortunate for us that all three right-backs before him are now injured or suspended, and yes, I agree that it's a position that should be rectified before the window shuts.

But going into the season with only Pickford and Virginia as the only first-team squad goalkeepers is criminal, and goalkeeper is the one position where you cannot be left short. Besides, if what I'm hearing is true, then Branthwaite will be available on Saturday, and is willing to fill in at right-back if needed.

We could also easily have missed out on Begovic as no doubt Chelsea would have tried to sign him!

Obviously for his experience to coach… but, fuck me, when is this dumb as fuck club going to prioritise a full-back and a bloody goalscorer?

Midfielders that actually attack might be good too! Is the club bus sponsored by Saga nowadays?

What pisses me off is they don't even try to get young lads into our team anymore. Same old crap wheeled out every week!

Dyche really hasn't got a fucking clue. We have little to no money and he spunks some on this salary thief, I really do give up!

Who exactly is the youth that you refer too, that Begovic is in the way of?

If you're referring to Billy Crellin and Harry Tyrer, then fair enough, but I can't see either of them two getting anywhere near the Number 1 slot. Not saying either of them are crap, but would you like to see either of them in goal if Pickford and Virginia had to spend some time on the sidelines due to injury?

Begovic is also a free transfer, so no money spunked on a fee, and I doubt very much his salary will be that much per week (compared to others that is). As I said earlier, it was essential to get a third experienced keeper in. So I'm quite happy with this.

Losing 1-0 at the time. Time to sub on an extra defender to keep the score and margin of defeat down ?

Final result. We won 3-1. A Beto brace.

Perhaps we can only play when the manager isn't there to find fault and declare the players inexperienced and not yet up to speed. Who knows ?

As Gallagher has gone... try a loan move for Brooks at Bournemouth... now!!!

Trust in the young players too, Mr Dych,e,or you'll pay a heavy price. [It also rhymes!]

Blimey, don't think he's worth that much, but then it is Chelsea, trying to claw some money back.

He wants to stay in the Premier League, but wages could be a problem… perhaps a loan?

Could do a job... Trainee right back? ;-)

Touching on Rob's point, those young keepers may have potential. But keepers don't tend to hit their peak until later in their careers. The two best in the league are 31 with years ahead of them. Pickford is 30.

Different players in different positions mature at different ages.

Forest getting Nketiah. Where were we?

I think nearly every other keeper since Albert came from other clubs, or have I forgotten somebody who regularly played in goal?

I think that Andy Rankin came as a police cadet and went on to play for us regularly.

Understudy to Gordon West and Andy Rankin, he was unlikely to ever get the No 1 shirt but got his big break when Bob Wilson was injured at Arsenal and they paid a surprisingly big fee for him: £35,000. He never ever got a regular game at Arsenal but played in the FA Cup Final against Leeds when Wilson was injured again.

The only other local lad who came through the ranks that I can recall and saw was George Burnett who was mostly understudy to Ted Sagar before he went to Oldham Athletic and played in the 4-0 game when we got promotion. A lot of fans, at the time, reckoned that was the best game he had ever played for Everton!

1 year left on Virginia's contract, they'll cash in.

Virginia has been decent when called upon but maybe will now be sold for buttons as Ian suggests above.

I'd like Everton to offer him a new contract so we are guaranteed a decent fee, if he signs it, when he eventually moves.

I'm admittedly very poor at this game of projecting the future but, looking more at the past, I would be very surprised if we sell Virginia in this window.

Virginia has been out on loan, done that, and as Dave says has shown to be more than competent cover for Pickford. But it doesn't end there with Dyche, and indeed many of our managers going back a while.

They all really like to have a third, usually very senior, very experienced keeper on the books… just in case.

What was the background to Jimmy O'Neil?

As far as I know, Jimmy was signed from a junior football club in Southern Ireland and became Everton's goalkeeper after the ageless Ted Sager finally aged!

Jimmy became Everton's regular goalie in the very early '50s, getting relegated and promoted with them. He joined Stoke City and helped them win the Second Division Title along with Stanley Mathews, I think.

Jimmy was a very good athletic goalie although not all that tall, like Albert Dunlop who took over from him.

I saw him a few times in the old main stand long after he retired. I think he came back to Liverpool and finished his days here.

Like a lot of those players in that era he was easy to talk to and always enjoyed talking to the Everton fans who remembered him.

I knew he was an Irish international and remember seeing him in a few games at Goodison and a couple of times in reserve games at Earl's old ground in Wavertree, next to the Abbey Cinema, which, I think, later became part of the Bluecoat school's sports ground. I didn't realize he went as far back as that.

I think he lived round Southport Road, Bootle after he retired. Tommy Jones used to visit him when he got poorly. He got Jimmy's autograph for my son's book.

His son, Paul, told me that Everton went in and converted his house for wheelchairs and the like, and looked after him properly. He had nothing but good to say about them.

I think his funeral was in Stoke though, but could be wrong.

We also played Huddersfield Town in a reserve game at Anfield during the same period.

I heard he liked a bevvy and went on a bender which lasted three days after we lost in the semi-final to Liverpool at Old Trafford the same week we lost to the Greek team in the European Cup.

I saw him against Man Utd reserves at Earl and I'm trying to remember the name of the player for Man Utd who had dwarfism, Ernie something.