The Dreaded Death March

Finally, another weekend of Premier League Football.

Predictably, another nail in the coffin for #FireMartinez.

I was disinterested in the game to begin with. That was furthered by the finding of how this lack of interest was shared by many other fans on ToffeeWeb. Not that I was surprised. I WAS surprised by the number of comments actually. Why would anyone bother with the predictable lack of indecision by #EFC? It was predictable, understandable, even feared to be the rot that had been allowed by BK all these years. Still, we will only know of the direction after the season ends.

My prediction was that we would lose ALL our remaining games. Arsenal and now Manchester United. 6 more to go. The only reason there should be a stay of execution will be because we're still in the FA Cup. As much as I want us to win the FA Cup, let's not ignore the disastrous league performance over the past 2 years and give the moron another game after our final FA Cup game.

While I'm unmoved by anything Everton right now, I am still watching the EPL for the below storylines:

• Leicester to win the league. Pretty much a certainty now barring a complete collapse unseen ever. If that happens, I would be more suspicious of corruption by the English FA more than anything else, perhaps bribery of match officials and club personnel.
• Norwich to survive despite veterans and name power in Sunderland and Newcastle. I picked them for the drop because of Big Sam being in Sunderland. 2 consecutive wins and a 4 point gap is a big deal. 1 more win and they are pretty much safe IMO.
• City to fall outside Top 4. This is more of a punt, but as many jokes are flying around that Pellegrini will sabotage Pep's arrival, I offer a bigger "middle finger goodbye" by Pellegrini. Win UCL and end up 5th. Sure, it might not screw Pep over (Oh, and what has he done since taking over Bayern's perfect season?) but it sure makes Pep's UCL magic less attractive. Also, it screws the English FA because they have to choose between 2 favorite sons. Man Utd will lose out most likely, but if City loses out, it would be the English FA that screwed Pep.
• How low can Palace drop? I picked them over West Ham to be 4th but clearly that jinxed their season. Pardew may not be sacked but something gotta give. They might even get relegated IF 2 of Sunderland/Newcastle/Norwich go on a winning spree. Unlikely but mathematically possible. This is way worse than what Everton is going through and only acceptable because of the lower benchmark set by Palace. Now, will the fans be happy with that?
• How much more embarrassment can #FireMartinez make out of our "Top 5 Team" #EFC? He's dead to me but apparently, many fans think BK wants to keep his "What A Manager" appointee. Mosh needs to act, but I can see the reason why not to act before our final FA Cup game, but the silence is killing fans. A word from Mosh to whip up the team before the end of the season would be good, ideally to spur them onto a cup win. THEN #FireMartinez.

My Mosh dream of Everton

Dear Mr Moshiri,

Firstly, can I call you Mosh? It sounds too cosy because I hate to be foreign to anyone I meet. Sure, I'm a recluse, but I'm not antisocial. Anyway, I digress, and I should perhaps start with my dream.

Like any fan, especially one who has been supporting the club for so decades (and no I'm not that old), I dream of my team winning the UCL, perhaps quintuple or six-tuple, or whatever insane number of cups a team can win in a year. A team of such stature who plays in quality stadium with an academy that churns out players that can challenge the best in Europe if not the world. Well, that is the dream of a fan.

It is this dream that sharply contrasts, if not contradicts, reality. At the risk of unsettling people, (e.g. manager and players, however much I doubt nor want it), the downtrend has gone on far too long.

First, our finances, being kept in the dark for so long, and despite your investment, shed little light towards where we're going. While we need to keep grandeur plans secret from being foiled by our opponents, this is a club that has been rudderless for at least 2 seasons now, after many more years limping along as clubs embraced the golden era of TV revenue.

To my knowledge, we don't own Goodison Park, nor Finch Farm. Yet we're building a stadium at Finch and tinkering with upgrading Goodison or move to an eternal new home. I'm for the new stadium idea by the way, and appreciate the community service we're doing by upgrading Finch.

But we need a plan, a plan that puts us on the map and not tenants that can be kicked out if we don't pay rent, not especially when TV revenues are through the roof. A plan where we know how much goes into the stadium and how much we can put into our team. Hopefully, when we have that plan, we can think about what we can do to improve our commercial value. (If you check, it is abysmal for a team that ranks top 10 for a good part of the past decade) Yes, run this team like a well run company, one that has good community links and works, but also efficient in the financial aspects.

Second, our team, to be exact, our manager. I'm going on a limp here and say, we're likely to score 60 and concede 55, perhaps ranking around 14th with 47 points. I will avoid talking about statistics (unless you requests for it) even though that's my day job and just say, that is abysmal. We've been top 10 for most years under Moyes and we're at least 5 positions off Martinez' best year 2 years in a row and still falling. While I don't want Moyes back, he scored less than 50 points just once, in his sophomore slump year in 2004. Sure, I can ignore the standings sometimes, but surely, being that close to relegation must be a concern. I can't imagine paying millions to buy 49.9% of a club that is trending downwards in the league.

I believe we need an overhaul on the playing side of things. Many of Martinez' fans will say, he bought well, attacked well, but success (as prescribed by the media and the business world) is a numbers game. Where we rank and how many titles we win matter.

We need to win titles to mark how far we've come, yes, but that should not be done by sacrificing our league performance. Money wise, losing 5 positions (assuming 9th to my predicted 14th) means 6 millions pounds. The FA Cup, from the mighty Google search, is about 2 million. And if I can be frank, a big IF we win. So there you have it, bad business sense in opting for cup over league.

I don't have many names to throw up, and if some optimistic fans are correct, you might already have your target. Sadly, I work with numbers which prevents me from being overly optimistic, however positive I truly am. Hence I'll throw 3 names to highlight the caliber of managers that we should be looking at that is worthy of your investment. Diego Simeone, Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel. There are some local coaches you can go after, but someone could knock them due to their less than stellar performance with a club (e.g. Enrique Flores, Ronald Koeman). Older heads (e.g. Wenger, LVG, Hiidink) can help but personally, I think the next manager should be one that can lead your team for many years to come (at least a decade) so that you can set your mind on better things, like a new stadium or generating more marketing revenue. Ideally with a fiery passion for football and success.

Last but not least, the youth academy. This is listed last because it is the least of our problems. We have a good youth setup, and if history to go by, our scouting network is pretty good also. That should be enhanced by nailing down similar tenant issues like Finch Farm and having a great coach as our next manager. My dream setup would be one that both improves our youngsters on the field and off the field, like education to improve their lives regardless of their football career (e.g. Ajax, Santos from what I've read). Sure, I want us to have produce a player of Messi's level, but that is a lottery. Still, a good academy will produce good players and personality around the club, and score more social points with the global community.

That's my wishlist. I understand that it is your money and I hope my wishlist provides can generate ideas with great ROI for the club. I am currently not putting much effort into watching the mess under Martinez outside of the FA Cup (e.g. I switched off after West Ham scored their first in our 3-2 loss to them). You may find me more related to trending #EFC #FireMartinez than anything else.

The team needs you, an element of change, metaphorically and literally, since the board have not improved our financial odds even through this golden era of TV revenue. We survived, sure, but financially, we're not improved much beyond our stabilization years. I hope you're not another false dawn but I don't believe we need you to "give all you have". You saw a project, hopefully a long term one, one that I hope will bring glory days to the blue half of Merseyside.

In that, if you actually read all this to the end, thank you and good luck.

Dennis

Immediate Reaction To Latest Everton Takeover

The best news that came out for Everton lately is the chance of a potential takeover.

We need investment in a lot of areas. What can go wrong?

Expectations of fans...

Reading some comments over the internet, below are the cons of such a takeover:

• They are American businessmen looking to profit (WHO AREN'T GREEDY THESE DAYS?)
• They will look to jack up ticket prices (ANY OWNER CAN DO THAT!)
• They are not that rich (LIKE WE ARE NOW? JOHN "PADRES" MOORE IS NOT RICH?)
• They MUST build a new stadium (WHO'S WRITING THE CHECKS? YOU?)
• They MUST invest $XXX millions in players (SAME AS ABOVE LINE)
• I don't like them (HOW'S THAT LIKABLE GUY CHAIRMAN YOU WANT OUT?)

I think a lot of the comments and concerns are ridiculous and hypocritical. Not that I can't be hypocritical at times but man, these comments are way out there.

If the deal is to be done, the new owners will have to do every due diligence they can to make sure they can direct operations to their benefit. And in that, the club will have to become a better proposition, like winning titles, or a new stadium, or better coaching, or better players, but all these decisions are theirs to make. It's THEIR MONEY! Call it capitalism, and don't complain because you're already enjoying the fruits if you are reading this post.

I can support Everton by buying merchandise but I don't have $200M sitting around somewhere or know friends who do, so I can suggest but it does not make my opinion the decisive one. The best idea I can think of to better this is to crowdfund Kenwright out of ownership. Hey even that got shot down.

The major sticking points for this deal is Kenwright. Maybe he wants to retain control or whatever, but when you're holding on to something that you can't help or improve on, and that it hurts you as time passes, I think you're way too obsessed and greedy. If you love Everton that much, gamble on the future for once. If you want to make the biggest bang for the buck, sound out to other investors, except that you probably pissed off too many. It's sad that the owner who has shopped Everton for 20 years is only able to legitimately sell it only when he is ill. THAT SAYS A LOT!

So please, make this deal happen. Let us suffer whatever insufferable negative consequence it might come with, but the future cannot happen when the past holds it back. If and when the deal happens, I will judge every move objectively, not based on my wishlist. If he cause Everton to crash and burn, so be it. Real fans stick through the thick and thin and I believe Everton has enough worthy fans to see that through. The future is always bright, even through fire and brimstone.

How good is the foxhound?

This is what I know about Leicester after their 2-1 win over Chelsea, current Champions to be officially dethroned come March.
No one expects them to be number 1.
Everyone pegged them for relegation end of last year.
Yet, they are top for 2 weeks now.

Every fan I know wants them to keep their run going. Most pundits I hear says they will definitely fall back into the hole they crawled out from. Many pundits want them to sell their star players to their favorite teams (or whoever pays them the most I guess) for pennies. One "superb" analyst at NBC even pegged them to fall so bad they will only get 60 points at the end of the season. Wait, they have 35 points now, so you are saying they hit "complete stinker" relegation form for 25 points out of 22 games? Did you plan something evil to do to Leicester which they cannot survive from?

Let's recap what 25 points from 22 games mean. THAT'S JUST 43 POINTS FOR 38 GAMES!  IT'S RELEGATION DOGFIGHT FORM. THERE IS A REASON WHY 40 POINTS IS THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED SAFETY NET. (Short of the analyst getting publicly shamed and fired for such abysmal work, I don't think I will ever ready NBC reports ever again). For other reasons why this is such a rotten prediction, google Newcastle, greatest title run implosion. Yea, that was bad. Leicester will fall off, but why let the pessimist ruin the wonderful run we're seeing right now? Also that pessimist don't even know what pessimistic predictions are. Like by at least 10x deviation. Oh sorry, I doubt he knows what standard deviation is.

The closest I hear to any sanity is from BEIN Sports, I think, (Ironically, because...God! I hate Ray Hudson, fingers crossed I got the name right, adds little insight until way after the play happened and lavish praises like "majesterial" towards every goal he sees by Real or Barcelona.) The pundit, not Ray Hudson nor his usual pal, says that Leicester should keep Mahrez at all cost and consider selling Vardy at 20 million. The reason why it is the closest is I rate Vardy at 30 million...AT LEAST. 

Sure, Vardy is 28, nearly over the hill, but the hill is like 3 years away maybe? Would you sell CR7 for just 50 million (compared to 100 or 200 million as he's supposed to be worth) because he's 30 now and not scoring as much as he used to? (No need to answer these you worthless pundits and "experts") A rags to riches story for a rags to riches club, Leicester has every right to ask for more. What about the workrate? What about the goalscoring? Even if I lower his goalscoring to his true average, 30 million for 15-20 goals is considered cheap. I'm sure many can quote other failures at 30 million or more. Can the fee go as high as 50 million? Sure, if Ranieri has leverage over negotiations. A "world class" team surely can amp up his scoring more, even at 30.

Sure, they will revert to their mean and start playing more like a mid table team, perhaps give them 2-3 seasons, they will get relegated. But don't let your biased rose colored glasses ruin the great run that Leicester fans have been so jovial about. Ranieri is no miracle maker, but he is guiding a good team, and let the real fans enjoy the fun while it is there. Let's stop all the crap the silly media machine is trying to throw at all budding teams with some potential of greatness, especially when they have some good young talent.

Mahrez, 24, and everyone wants a bit of his magic. Long career ahead and for now, well the sky is the limit. And given his similarly humble beginnings, his stay at Leicester would not only be welcomed but also beneficial for his development. Sure, go to Man U, City or Chelsea, fail a few games and get benched, surely we've see that far too many times. Unless it is a 

Albrighton, 26, brilliant winger playing on the other side of Mahrez.

Kante, 24, amateur footballer just a few years ago, playing at a level that he's never been before. 

Drinkwater, 25, lower division traveller till this year in Leicester.

Schlupp, 22, OK, I don't know much about him, but his age stood out to be one of the future.

Given them a spending of about 20 million for a few more able bodies to rotate the key players with, or even challenge the key players to be better, and I don't see why they can't reach UCL next season. Oh ya, NBC somehow knows that they will have a big disaster and only have 25 more points. I'm sure good players don't last for an entire season because others will want to hurt them.

The amount of negativity against them is pathetic and not why we love the game. We love the unpredictability, the ease that one can understand the game enough to play and enjoy it. We don't need "majesterial" abilities to understand the game. We don't need anyone to tell us that magical stories don't last. Way to kill Santa! What we need is to really think about what will happen to Leicester.

I know this is far too early to predict any massive change, but I would be very surprised that if Leicester ends up in Europe, much less UCL, that investors will not come asking. Hey, Abramovich can switch toys easily, I hear. OK, I have a decent amount of respect for him as a well functioning club owner. So, why would they sell their key assets for cheap? What is their debt like? Surely a few good years' TV revenue plus European revenue for a few years can improve the playing squad for 20 million a year, and I see this uptrend to be fairly sustainable. As long as Ranieri doesn't get fired over a sophomore slump of course.

Improve the quality and quantity of players coming through their academy, being prudent Wenger style for a few years. Don't overspend like Leeds, or Portsmouth, and they should be a steady midtable and above EPL team. This run will not last, but they have a good chance to improve their history and standing for a long time. And that starts by shedding the negativity thrown around by the media and focusing of finishing the season with all they got. Oh yea, please prove me right so that I can make fun of NBC Sports again come next year. Even if you fall off, Leicester, your Cinderella story will be here to stay for a long time. As an Everton fan, I salute your hunger and wish you the best. Break that glass ceiling that so many other teams fail to break.

EDIT: Oh wait, so everyone knew that Patriots are going to be undefeated for only 10 games and Carolina would be on a 13 game run and going. HUH?

Everton's win cast doomsday spectre on Arsene Wenger?

To be fair, it is not a great weekend. Wisconsin Badgers lost by 1 point in a very good game, and my championship luck has not really much time to sink into local sports. Not that everyone think it is a must win. A win is a win, a loss is, well, a loss.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the second game I was concerned with. However hard our last 6 games is, a win will put the ball in our court. Win the rest and at least draw Man City, and UCL is ours, barring and unlikely Chelsea or Man Utd win UCL win. Lose and it is pretty much over.

My gut tells me of a win, probably a hard fought win, and though I prepped myself to watch the game, I overslept. I missed the first half but got to watch the second half. Am I surprised to see we're 2-0 up? Not really. Am I surprised that we easily cruised through the second half for the win? Definitely.

Now, as excited as I am with Everton's performance and win, I am unsettled by the mindset of Arsenal and its fans. Sure it is bad, sure it is a horrible performance, but is there someone you know that can and will do the job better than Arsene Wenger?

Don't give me names like Brendan Rogers or Roberto Martinez or Jurgen Klopp. Why would they give up their comfy seats in a project that they can call theirs, and all the support they currently have at their clubs? Is the warchest a factor for these managers? Perhaps for Martinez and Klopp but they have always worked around it. 

And if Klopp is to leave Dortmund, he's likely destination is a UCL contender, not just a participant. As for Martinez, would you not think he will want to break that glass ceiling with Everton instead of a more wealthy yet do-or-die club like Arsenal? 

The mere fact fans are calling for Wenger to go shows me that Arsenal has little patience to wait for success. As much as there are adventure seekers like AVB, does Martinez look to be in that mold?

The question that one must ask, similar to what Everton did when OFM left, is, who is the most willing and able person for the job? We count our lucky stars that OFM left and not because we're fighting the relegation battle, and Wigan reached Europe but got relegated, and that we're a club of enough history to entice Martinez to come and perform the great restoration.

Like the recent firings that I question, e.g. AVB from Spurs, Hyypia from Leverkusen and more recently, like today, Hughton from Norwich. Hughton might be a dead man walking at Norwich for months, but the timing could not be more dire. And while it is possible that Adams create a miracle, you do not change manager until you have a direction for the club, and that direction based on the next few games is down. Leverkusen is another that leaves flabbergasted. No UCL, so Hyypia failed? How many German teams would want to be in their position? At least 10. Similarly for AVB. And don't get me started on the PR disaster of the Looney Toons that came due to the tragic decision to fire Sir Bobby Robson.

While it is a "what have you done for me recently?" world nowadays, the decision making process to ensure success has not changed. Who is the best person to lead us forward?

In Everton's case, Martinez was the best person because he is the most willing and able. Would I prefer Pep? Or Laudrup after his Cup win? Or an unorthodox name Poyet, unfortunately tainted by his untimely firing from Brighton? Yes and Yes in my dreams, and No, even when I preferred him at first. Heck, I preferred Di Canio at first but he's not even tested in EPL yet. The best person is Martinez even though I was worried about his tactics being too porous. Not to mention his first buys are mostly Wigan players. But I am patient and supported him because it is my club. 

As much as the manager runs the team onto the field for the performance, the team is backed financially by the owners and emotionally by the fans (though we do pay for their salary still). If the owners are misers, as many fans would call Kenwright, then we need someone willing to work within those constraints, and from the list most willing, the most able of the lot.

After the first 19 games, I was so elated, even the harshest defeats later would not make me doubt Martinez. Form is temporary, class is eternal, and Martinez showed that. Unless we're fighting for our EPL lives next season, I do not think I will be disappointed with anything that gets us into Europe. NOTE, I said Europe, NOT UCL. Why? Our debts in the 90s might no longer be a worry but we're not going to be a spender all of a sudden. Getting the right building blocks is far more important than a flash in the pan success.

A manager, being the key person to mold the team, should not be the first person out the door if the team doesn't perform. Unless it is a dressing room revolt, which I suggest firing both the manager and players, the only reason you should change managers is like what Guardiola said, "I cannot reach them anymore to spur them forward". Yes, a manager change can only be for the better, if not, DON'T CHANGE!

Hence, is an Arsenal fan is to ask me, should Wenger go, I would say, ONLY if a replacement is there and that given the tenure of Wenger, give him time to hand it over. He made the financial situation in Arsenal very desirable, now the next guy needs to come in and make it better by leading them into UCL. But based on what I see, is that guy going to have time to do that? Unfortunately, no. Hence, who do you have left? Arsene Wenger. Maybe some of those managers in Serie A, or someone other than Guardiola or Klopp in Germany. Hey, I hear Hyypia is unemployed right now, though I've not seen enough to gauge his prowess.

Anyhow, it is sickening for me to hear that fans want the manager that got them so far out just because he fell short of his past heights by just that bit. Bobby Robson, David O'Leary, Martin Jol, AVB and so many others. What I can say is, because of how tight the competition is, a mistake in a few games due to form of the team, injuries and perhaps decisions of the manager, it is easy to fall short of UCL or worse. Yet, is it any shame to miss out on UCL? HELL NO! There are at least 10 other teams that would like THAT shot at Europe, and the gravy train that is UCL. In fact, this last paragraph gave me somewhat of an epiphany.

To me, the only time appropriate to fire a manager during the season is at the end of November, after about a third of the games, or roughly 15. That gives the next manager time to use the transfer window to mold his team if he doesn't like the current team.

The positions that I think should make use of this window to fire managers is between 15-20. Why not anything above? Did you read what I wrote above? Plus, if we have seen the Great Escape by West Brom, anything is possible with 20+ games to go. And I did remember Everton being in top 10 despite being bottom for quite a while in that odd year under OFM. Hence, no top team, sugardaddy Roman aside since contracts mean nothing to Chelsea, should ever think about firing their managers until they are absolutely out of contention.

And even then, you should not restructure your team at whim just because they are in a lower European competition. Look at Leeds, Newcastle and Real after Del Bosque. Are they any better after O'Leary, Robson and The Marquis left? What about Spurs after Jol, or more recently AVB? Heck, I don't think Swansea should fire Laudrup. Where are they now compared to where they are when they fired him?

The only exception in the second half of the season is ironically the timing Norwich and Leverkusen took, but under a different circumstance, when the team has nothing to play for, rank 9-15 and must be quite safe from relegation yet far away from Europe contention. If the team is in Europe contention even mathematically (OK, that might be too strict but you know what I mean), don't you silly owners and fans think about removing the manager. Why? Because you can go on a run and win the title! Or escape relegation! Or whatever you think is impossible might just become possible cause a few players were injured or serving a short ban or whatever.

Even though this might mean that OFM should be removed from Man Utd, do remember that he is still in UCL and the only time from now till the end to fire (you can always fire after the season), is when you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to play for.

To close my argument, I shall give you my list of dumbest firings:

1. Sir Bobby Robson from Newcastle, still the worst and most disgusting decision ever regardless of timing
2. David O'Leary from Leeds, seriously? Just because he achieved Europa after reaching UCL semis?
3. Vicente Del Bosque from Real, what have they achieved so far after he left? Is any of his replacements since more able to control the massive egos? Ancelotti and Capello are 2 I looked up to but look at how subdued Capello is at Real. I can only hope Ancelotti can avoid Capello's fate.

OK, that kind of concludes my rant. I cannot believe on a day I'm so happy about for Everton would be a day I rant. Seriously, if you think firing Wenger can fix what is wrong with Arsenal, Arsenal would be bankrupt if you run the club. I would agree if you HIRE a tactical consultant for him to run the in-game management. Heck, better idea, PROMOTE Wenger to Director of Football and hire a new manager, though as I mentioned, the list is not too long for Arsenal. Yes, you've been good for the past 2 decades and Everton is not, but no, I believe Martinez is sincere in seeing Everton break the glass ceiling. Only place I can see him leave us for is Barcelona. And Arsenal is no Barcelona, as much as we try to emulate their style.

And I repeat, unless we are fighting against relegation next season, Martinez has that stay of execution at least for one season. Even if he struggles to have to fight relegation, heck, didn't OFM have a horrible season too within his first 3 seasons? For the positive attitude, I'll want him to lead my team as long as we're competitive and challenging for UCL. Even if there is that one blip season once in a while.

Eveton's Needs

While this is my personal wishlist for the team, it is somewhat similar to what they are building at the moment. A winning team playing wonderful football. Call it Total Football. Call it Tiki Taka. Whatever you call it, remember the cost of the team that was assembled. School of Science in session!

As this is more of a team format rather than player specific, I'll list the position by priority:

1. Striker. Note that we no longer lob the ball forward, hence the traditional target man, such as Jelavic, no longer suffice. He needs to come down to support play, mix it up and be able to apply the deadly touch when needed. A player in the mold of Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp would be great.
2. Central Midfielder. While we have cover for Barry and McCarthy, it is never enough to have just enough. Moreover, this player needs to share a bit of the playmaking workload with Barkley, Pienaar and Osman, providing cover not just on the defence but also offence to keep things tight. A player I always admired, Yaya Toure, would be great, while Mikel Arteta would equally suffice.
3. Right Back. Isn't Coleman enough? He is but one man on the right back position. We have cover, in the form of Hibbert, and perhaps rotating Oviedo or Baines for emergency cover, but make no mistake, the Right is less covered than the Left. Since Coleman is performing at a very high level, his replacement has very big shoes to fill coming into that position. However, my demands are simpler. If we can find a Hibbert with good distribution and crossing, it would suffice.
4. Winger. We have some dribblers. But we don't have that many great dribblers. Coleman showed some great footwork. Barkley too. But we need one who do it consistently and crosses the ball accurately to take the offensive burden off Pienaar and others while they look for the final ball to thread in. The prime Ryan Giggs would be nice.
5. Goalkeeper. While Robles did well, he is still raw. Plus early showings does show some crack in his armor. We'll need more time to assess if he is the future, and another young GK will help us put some pressure for him to improve. I'm not sure if Springthorpe is a potential future, but if he is, a keeper at like Jussi Jaaskelainen would be awesome. If not, we'll have to try to find our Iker Casillas.

Sometimes, there are options within the squad to fill other positions. Players I hope can add roles are:

1. Leighton Baines to fill the Defensive Midfield role. He has been known for his crosses, his long shots and defensive capabilities. Can he back up Gareth Barry? This is useful at 2 levels. Regain his biggest asset on the team, crossings, and provide more game time for him. Of course, helps on rotation.
2. Brian Oviedo to provide cover for Right Back and hence Right Midfield. His work on the left is impressive. Can he do the same on the right?
3. Kevin Mirallas to be a full fledged winger. His pace, his dribbling, his shot, all awesome stuff, but they don't mix, yet. Perhaps he needs some crossing lessons? Sometimes, I felt that if he smashed the ball for a cross, he might get a rebound goal or actually get the ball where he wanted. Can it be done?
4. John Stones to move towards Defensive Midfield. This is similar to the request but less attacking. It would be great to have that attacking capability out of Stones, but for me, one step at a time for our talented youngsters.

On a side note, I wish Velios would go out on loan. I believe Bobby's critique of the boy. If I can only trust one thing, that is Velios lacks minutes that he cannot get from Everton. By going on loan, he gives himself minutes, practice and game awareness. What good can he do or learn on the bench? I have high expectations of him but I could not see him on the field!

Disclaimer: Some of the change in positions might already have cover for, but I've not seen them perform to feel totally confident.

Bobby revives the School of Science!

After listening to Bobby, it makes me very optimistic of the future of the club! (Interesting article from yesterday)

I was going to post something about not bashing Moyes anymore. But I found myself a perfect opening to make this post. While everything is going smoothly, the positive mindset of Martinez just comes out in waves! Yes, waves! I'm fairly dreamy myself as a fan, hoping to see Everton win the World Club Cup, but as any fan, handling defeat is always difficult. Yet, as he puts it, focus on the positives and do better. Obviously, we got to make sure we don't get hit by the negatives but we got to leverage the positive and try to outweigh the negatives!

It's also refreshing how he views Barkley despite his young age, choosing him over Ronaldo and Messi? Of course, where he will be is unknown but to all you poachers, lose your limbs for him or just shut up! It's great to see a talent to build a team around, and what's better is to have many talents to build around. Easily, the performance Coleman, Oviedo and McCarthy put up, you can build any EPL team around them, and to have all of them with Barkley? Yes, the team feels invincible right now, no matter the mistakes, no matter the losses!

Anyway, they will have bad days, but bad days like Sunderland are easy to swallow. I feel that what Bobby said about Everton, how you run a club, be close to your fans, its the ideal case of running a company! You treat your customers well, you stay in touch with their needs and you give them what they want! Obviously, monetary concerns are often less visible when running a football club as owners are often such passionate fans as well. Abramavich, as much as he is crazy in his manager choices, practically loves the team and squandering money at Chelsea. Not so sure of Manchester City or United, but you get the point. Besides, if you do it well, you do make lots of money! Follow the passion!

Bobby is equally gracious with his assessment of Moyes' work. Obviously not touching on Moyes' game management, he praised the foundation that Moyes built. There is a weird thought I have. The slave driving style of Moyes, perhaps when unleashed by one of Bobby's caliber, granted lucky that talent is also here, granted the biggest change in momentum in football, not just modern football! OK, I remember the Miracle of Bern but Hungary has a few key problems, like the suspended Puskas. While I have the lingering fear that this is going to be said to be flash in a pan when we get a bad run of results. But taking all that into account, I wonder how we will bounce back after such a run!

Anyway, I do have to spit out what I wanted to say about Moyes and MU in this article, so here goes. Despite taking into account all that Moyes have done for the team, it is impossible to accept his ungracious acts during the summer, from calling us a small club to treating us like beggars with a derisory bid. The fee for Fellaini is pathetic of what he's become last season and the underhanded manner of the transfer, the usual MU talk to unsettle our player and make him submit a transfer request, shall enshrine him in the company of Wu San Gui. Yes, if you don't know who he is, look him up. I think the comparison is apt in the world of football.

But, seeing the torment you've suffered and how helpless MU has become without Rooney and Van Persie, it brings me no satisfaction to see MU lose any more. Sure, I don't want MU to be able to compete with Everton, given how strong they are in recent history, but I like close matches. Put up a fight, fight fair, and even the loser goes away heads held high. It is this that even before hearing Bobby's interview that I have decided on a ceasefire. Not on both sides, since no one is attacking me or Everton, but on me gaining additional pleasure of your failure. And neither will you ever gain pleasure because we have recovered our positive mentality.

Additionally, as part of my sympathy that the man managing my friends' team, January signings will not solve MU's problem:

• Everyone knows MU is desperate and rich, hence will gorge money
• MU players are losing faith, as is the fans, and any player who ever wanted to play for MU will think twice, meaning you'll be paying ridiculous fees and wages
• Suppose you get around the first two problems with money, how are you going to handle FFP?
• You need an upgrade in several area, namely:
• Central Midfield, which you need 2 players, 1 ball winner and 1 play maker
• Some might think Carrick is enough but without someone to ease his workload both on winning and spreading the ball, wait till you get two men on him!
• Forwards, which you need at least 1 target man
• Even with Rooney and Van Persie, they have to work so hard to get forward and get a shot on goal. Class no doubt, but wear and tear will set in easily given their age
• Central Defence or Full Back, someone with speed to cover partially flanks yet control the center
• Basically a replacement of Vidic and Ferdinand to complement the aging Evra and Vidic. I know, I mentioned him twice but you don't get 2 great defenders that easily. Ferdinand is done so your defence will crumble without Vidic
• Wingers, or anyone who can put in decent crosses for at least 45 minutes
• Need I say more? If they don't fear your forwards, why would they commit people to defend your strikers? Therefore, they can press on your wings and midfield buildup. As an alternative, you need to give them more things to worry about.
• If the above list doesn't daunt you, how much of 200M will you have left after this? And did I mention FFP?
• The only break you have is that Moyes does have a good eye for talent, just not great in developing one

Personally, I hate SAF, no doubt a great manager but a cheat in my eyes forever. Having read how he told Lee Sharpe to report and injury and back out of England games, similar to accusations by Paul Ince. He might have completed his last and best heist yet! Stealing the championship (with help from all corners including imploding opponents) and passing the empty chest to Moyes! Yes, at this point, I kind of pity Moyes' circumstance. 

Who knows, when Everton loses a few games, MU might be proud again, but I feel the positive nature at the club right now will hoist us right back fighting. Indeed, if Bobby gave us one thing, it is Hope. And yes, it can be a poison, it will be the poison we so wishfully rejoice in. The one thing that might have actually prevented Moyes from achieving greatness with us. It is not what you do to prevent a loss that helps you grow, but how you walk away from one.

Stoke Stinker

Easy goal, no doubt powerful, but 3 defenders in front. Almost an entire half of pressure and only 1 penalty to show for, a result definitely undeserving of our effort. However, Stoke's physical toughness remains and I can only hope that this 1 point we got is going to be better than the points other UCL contenders get from them. Chelsea already lost there and Man City drew. As disappointed as I am with 2 fewer points than I hoped, the result is in the cards from the start.

I can only hope we get reinforcements that will help us unlock other tough matches and provide some needed rotation and cover for our existing players. Their effort and result are above and beyond expectations and the only thing we need is a solid bench to further our goals.

Side note, horrible fan comments usually stand out, such as one suggesting Everton creating Barkley sale rumors and another wanting Mou to recall Lukaku to destroy our season. Both show how horrible people can be as both are really of bad faith. 

Manchester Evening News broke the story about Barkley and unless we have more influence over their papers than SAF, it is certainly tasteless to suggest we want to sell the centerpiece of our future by initiating such rumors. From Everton's view, we're enjoying our football so much we don't even have time to talk about players we are willing to sell. We are focusing on players we want! Focus on your sinking ship and stop bothering us!

Recalling Lukaku (or Barry) has been a fear for some time now. Never mind the contract and legal obligations. It is purely bad business practice, bad faith and ones that inspire no confidence of the speaker's morality or the club if exacted. 

To do so, when the parent club is unlikely to offer player the playing time he needs, will not only anger my club, but it will also annoy the player. And if one is to notice, we've played games without Barry, or an ineffective Lukaku before and we still edge out opponents. Sure it will mess with our plans, but the player would want out next season, Lukaku certainly wants more game time which he cannot get until Mou cleans house. Furthermore, who would want to take your players? So, if Athletico Madrid plays Chelsea in UCL, you want to call back Courtois? Where will Courtois want to ply his trade in the immediate future? Will you play him instead of Cech? What will he do next year? A man of his age will want to win things and play, even if it is for more money. So the greedy comment to sabotage others by recalling players in bad faith just shot the club in the foot.

Search Junior Malanda, a recent excellent example of proper business done by Wolfsburg. While I'm not sure if he will turn their season, but I'm sure he'll get quite a few games. To sit him on the bench would signal that Wolfsburg cannot be trusted. No doubt this will impact Zulte-Waregem's season, but as long as Wolfsburg do it in good faith, Zulte-Waregem and others would continue to look to Wolfsburg for loans.

As mentioned in my earlier post, loans is essential given the distorted market. Think for a moment if you have to keep all the players you have, like every UCL team, how do they prove they are good enough? Reserve games? Street pick up games? Now, are we to suggest that no team should only have X amount of payroll or players? How do you like REAL fair play rules to screw your big spending club over? Success is a double edge sword that cuts both ways. The bigger you are, the more you spend, and the more management worries you have.

Side side note. Cardiff is getting Solskjaer as manager. Poor Solskjaer. He doesn't know what he's getting into. Cardiff fans will no doubt back him, but his tenure there is like trying to light a candle in water. If you get someone who makes Bluebirds wear Red, you know he doesn't care about the club.

Loan System Rant

It's been some time, since I moved and since I last wrote. It is funny, how much I dread Martinez's impact on Everton's defence. And yet, we're now joint best after 19 games, tied with Arsenal, 1 better than Chelsea. That's a great list to be sitting tied or on top of. 

And here we are, people eyeing on star players of the small club that is Everton. And lambasting the fact that loan players made Everton stronger this year than they should be. 

First, I want to spill some thoughts about the loan system. It's fine that they were criticizing the loan system in general but the arguments seem to contain more sour grapes than not. Like a FTBpro article criticizing how Lukaku would make Chelsea look bad, after he made liverpool look bad. Seriously, these guys need to revisit what the loan system is for. It is for teams that cannot afford the players they want due to the unfair market conditions to receive them and remain competitive in the already unfair league skewed by the big monies that lead to a player transfer worth 100 million pounds.

FTBpro said that it is immoral that Lukaku help Everton achieve UCL spot at the expense of Chelsea if it so happens to be that way on the final day of EPL. He states how unfair it is for the fans. BS. If we buy a junk player that Chelsea doesn't want, say, anyone rotting on their bench right now, and the player scores against Chelsea, isn't it the same? This has been happening since the beginning of EPL. Cantona leading manu to greatness despite starting at Leeds, Roy Keane similarly at manu, Shearer at newcastle and a load of other players that were good at one club, notable mention of Ashley Cole to Chelsea for his drama, sold for money thought to be great at the time and became greats at another club. What does it have to do with fans when football and finance matters supersede what football team the club can have or survive.

The sole reason why loans are essential is clear. There is no FFP or Financial Fair Play. It cannot be implemented across a continent. And as long as that is not done, it cannot be implemented in 1 country. Unlike American sports, which is essentially one single tier within the professional league, football has many tiers and money gets diluted too much before it reaches the heart of a club. In general, we know football clubs as generally loss making machines, powered by billionaires and millionaires. Such a world means that commodities within the sport, which is players to win the team titles and hence marketing monies, are disproportionate. Hence players who need playing time at big clubs often don't get them unless one of two things happen, (1) the club cuts its massive losses and lets the player go, which no business, especially one similar to that financing FTBpro, would EVER do, or (2) the player buys out his own contract to play, which while noble, is one that would leave many players hungry and bankrupt, a choice that the writer at FTBpro would never choose.

Well, of course, not all clubs are loss makers, but those wanting the fast and furious success of UCL, yes, huge loss makers. Remember how fast Leeds combusted from UCL semis to Division One, not in 10 years like many great falling stars, but 5 years, and essentially bankrupt. Look at the great job Wenger did at Arsenal and rarely, you see a transaction hitting the heights of 40 million. On the flip side, they don't have many British players. I wonder if the FTBpro write knows why? Nor does Chelsea, or manu, or liverpool. My Everton has 6 today, 7 if Jags is not injured and more on the bench. So, probably, we should limit the number of foreigners in EPL? Or is it a rule that empowers teams like Everton too much that the bigwigs will shudder and run? It will no doubt remove the appeal that EPL has but it is geared towards a more moral and responsible ground. But I digress. FTBpro is probably a site I'll never read another article from again for the sheer folly of talking about removing the livelihood of smaller teams and eliminate fair playing ground for their twisted sense of morality.

I did read another loan related article from the Journal, and while I don't remember how credible these folks are, they present a more frustrating view. However, I equally denounce their rhetoric, but with no disdain. In terms of Ki and Remy, it might well be a case of financial inequality again. See, QPR is a big club, despite its status in a lower division. It is rich, offering Remy the contract he cannot refuse. Newcastle can't and don't want to afford it. So what can QPR do without losing more money than they would? Loan them out, even if it seems ridiculous that the loan is going to a club of higher status. As for Ki, similar issues, except it is one where the opponent does not reckon the ability of the player or his fit into the system. Or that Ki wants out. I don't know for sure, but I'm sure no team wants to spend millions for a player they are not sure of. Much like how much I detest that Kone is injured almost immediately after joining Everton. Bad things happen. 

He did raise the interesting case of Courtois. But there is a catch with this trick. Courtois will want to play for a UCL team. How many UCL teams play at the top league and needs a GK? Yep, you got it, pretty much this is the ONE odd deal you'll ever find. Does Courtois want less money? Does Chelsea want to lose money on the Courtois deal? Well, if you're willing to foot the bill, I'm sure someone will do it. Asking someone to make the hard choice between losing an arm or a leg is definitely immoral. Don't get me started again on the FTBpro nonsense.

One last comment. If you have any dig against the loan system, WELCOME to the REAL world of football, where the 95% of the teams get 5% of the money (TV money, ticket sales, player sales, owner investments, bank loans). If you support a UCL regular and am against the loan system, its best to keep your mouth shut. Martinez is putting up a clinic on how things should be done. moyes has shown you guys how it might have been done in the past 10 years, Martinez is bringing that team to another level. Will his success continue? No one knows. I sure hope so, but there is always the hard truth out there and Everton is the fine line between fantasy football and reality right now. And definitely, we're living in the moment as we should be.

Hazard is not the only problem

After researching on Hazard's kick on the "poor" ball boy, I'm disappointed that many people wrote selfish things like "I would have done worse myself". You know what, that's why you are not involved in professional sports. And if you are, you should be ashamed of yourself. Like the commentator named Steve Nicol on SoccerNet.com that said exactly that. Backing off from "condoning the act", he said exactly the same thing. I would love to see him fired from all sporting positions for being unsportsmanlike on air.

Here is what is wrong with Hazard's action:

1. Violent conduct, no matter towards whoever on the pitch. It's a ball boy, but is it that different from doing the same act to a Swansea player? The referee did the right thing
2. Time wasting is done by all teams and it is accounted for in time added on, so Hazard has no business doing what he did
3. Getting involved with a ball boy is bad enough, he is showing kicking him by the side. I only remember crooks on TV kicking downed people on the mid section. Instead of stamping hooliganism in England, Steve Nicol is suggesting allowing it on the field? No matter what the intent was, the Marcotti said it right, it is unacceptable. There is a reason there are fouls given against dangerous play because no matter the intent, getting someone hurt is not one of them.
4. If a team is baiting him to vent his anger with violent acts, he definitely should not be a footballer if he takes the bait so easily. Besides, all teams use tactics best for themselves, even time wasting, and the referee is the only one on the pitch that is allowed to punish such acts. Hazard should let his skills do the talking, not by kicking someone, even if it did not connect with someone.
5. Don't give me the bullshit that the ball boy is wasting time. In NFL, teams play to control the clock, read, wasting opponent's time by hogging the ball. Same thing in football. Same thing for all teams in the world.
6. As much as it is barely assault, it is assault. Assault is a hooligan's way of playing football, even to a ball boy. What do we do to players who assault referees? Other players? Fans? Ball boys?

While I can understand that Hazard is frustrated, he is paid millions to take the pressure. Not only is his act silly, but it is also very pathetic. Unlike Cantona, he kicked a man who is already down. I don't suppose this is as bad as Cantona but I expect a lengthy ban for him. Of course, Hazard is nowhere near Cantona, nor is his farce nearly as significant, spectacular or dramatic. I think it should be a month's ban just to make sure that Hazard learns from this. After all, I know its like a fight between a 22 yr old vs. a 17 yr old.

On the other hand, Nicol has the luxury to see the whole thing on his comfy chair. I expect higher intellect from someone who does not have to face the winter cold to fight from 2 goals down to talk about the game. Furthermore, its not like he has the anonymity of the internet where hooligans can just post something and run away under the cloak of privacy. I don't need him to tell people who watch football how much he condones hooliganism. I'm sickened that someone of such caliber works on a website I frequent. Football do not need hooligans on TV, internet or on the field. So I'm going to say the same thing, did we do so much to kick hooliganism out of football stands that we allow them on the field and in TV?

Sports Conundrum

Well, all the teams I picked are knocked out of the SuperBowl. At least its a Harbaugh SuperBowl I guess. Not bad for a first. As much as I respect Ray Lewis, odds are against him. Still, odds were against them for the most part of the postseason and they managed to win, first against Broncos and then against Patriots.

Another problem is in soccer. Everton sucked. Of so many easy chances against Southampton, who is actually pretty tough for a team that lost 8 out of their first 10, Everton could not score. To be truthful, Everton sucked like most of the top 7. Why the top 7 sucked? Peter Reid mentioned that Everton should have been 10 more points and sit third. I slightly agree but the other teams ALSO did not take off despite Everton not getting that extra 10 points. So, is Everton the only team that sucked? Not really. But the only team in more trouble than Everton is Arsenal and that is not good for a team trying to go to the Champions League.

One other thing. Norwich is in relegation form. BUT, that's only because they are playing against all the top teams. I still stand by my claim that they are not relegation material because of this calculation, ONLY if they do not carry this form against the BOTTOM 5 teams. As for Southampton, I think they are also NOT relegation candidate, even when they were losing 8 out of their first 10. OK, I was kinda sure after they beat Villa. I'm sorry to hear they fired Adkins who did VERY well. That said, I would like to see Luke Shaw in Everton. That will provide cover or replacement for Baines, pushing the team forward.

Man, I don't believe I'm going to pound the table for this. WE NEED ANOTHER STRIKER. WE NEED TO PLAY ANICHEBE MORE. Maybe playing Anichebe as the out and out striker can help and benching Jelavic for the time being. I like Jelavic but he needs some time on the bench to work through his slump.

Yay! Everyone is saved!!! NOT!!!!!

Market rallied. Of course, I don't have any longs in it. Not that it mattered since adding more debt seems to be the way the world goes. Yea, I'm paying taxes for people who double spend and triple spend the same tax dollar they paid 5-10 years ago. But who cares? Economy is good and market is happy!

Well, I'm not going to use that as my reason to be happy. It's not right. What is right though is that Everton won! To spoil the fun, Liverpool also won...But let live...They are playing toothless Sunderland...On the bright side, Harry won! Against Chelsea no less! I hope they become the second team to beat the drop after being bottom on Christmas. Previously, West Brom is the only team to survive the cut after being stranded at the bottom of the table on Christmas. Read up West Brom and "The Great Escape".

Talk about relegation, I was reading some nonsense on how Norwich, my friend's hometown team, is relegation fodder. Well, I'm not that confident on who is going for the drop but if you assume that teams have 19 matches left, or half the season, the bottom 5 teams can't really (although quite possibly if a turn for the worse happens) catch up with Norwich. Here's my reason why its unlikely:

1. TOP teams can't afford to lose to BOTTOM teams, so chances bottom teams even get a point against European Level teams (that's usually TOP 7), zilch...so that leaves maybe 12 games.
2. Now, there are more than 7 teams challenging for TOP 7, so let's add 3 more teams, which happens to be Stoke and notice the gap between Stoke and West Ham, exactly 1 game difference! Now that's more like 9 games left.
3. There is a reason why it's always noted as a "Relegation Dogfight"...Teams can't afford to lose...and teams between 11-15 tends to be teams that doesn't win the games they are expected to win, but they don't suck that bad...So expect a lot of draws...That's maybe worth 5-7 draws at least...
4. Assuming that the bottom teams can actually beat a few higher ranked opponents, say 4 wins and 5 draws, rather than 7 draws and 2 wins...that's like 17 points...maybe 20 MAX...And for Southampton...thats 38 points MAX for the season...1 game already spent...though well spent in drawing Arsenal...And Norwich is...what...4 wins away from safety?
5. As a rule of thumb, I always gauge potential points as equal to number of games for relegation fights...because they lose (or draw) so often...and what's left is perhaps a rate of 3 points every 3 games, and even that is sometimes considered good...
6. In West Brom's case, they got 23 out of 18 games...slightly better than my point per game average theory, and they escaped! You can barely scratch top 10 with 46 points from 36 matches...Lowest scoring champions has 80 from 30 games with the rest well above 85...That's 2.25 points per game...So what's left for scrappers?

All in all, soccer experts...do some math and stop grouping Norwich in the same tier as the bottom 5...Well, unless they lose another 5-6 games like Newcastle...Without knowing what happens in the transfer market in January, I would say the relegation fight starts from Sunderland downwards...And only including Sunderland because they are so horrible in offence. The rest of the relegation zone is horrible in defence...Except Villa which seems inept in both!

Pre Christmas Sports Update!

Well, I had ideas of other things to write, put them off and now I pretty much didn't want to write about them. Things like the political nonsense surrounding Sandy Hook shootings rather than helping the victims. Or how conveniently Singapore media tried to sweep their dirty tricks under the rug by publicizing Sandy Hook. Or how someone blocking me on Facebook for saying the logical and sensible thing about gun control. Or how that same someone tried to portray themselves as open minded yet steering debate in one direction and ended up blocking me because I pointed out the logic flaw of them living in a controlled environment like Singapore. Open minded people do not need to block anyone with a logical mind.

All this going into the craze that began from Sandy Hook when 28 innocents are killed by 1 deranged young adult because they are made vulnerable to crime in a perceived gun free zone. Instead, people started judging and talking about depriving others of their right to choose their way of life. And these same people always saying they allow people to make their choice through democracy but did not say that they want to dictate laws that override other people's choices. What's the word to describe these people?

Anyway, I digressed. I have no opinion whether everyone should have the right to own arms. I believe in the right to live and the right to make choices without influence. I believe in solutions, not hypothetical scenarios that will not be followed by some people. Yep, that explains my stand. One question I have is, given the circumstance, wouldn't banning guns take away the means of the victims' family to purchase a defense for their loved ones now?

So, back to the sports update. Everton finally caught a break, beat West Ham because of Cole's red card and broke their resistance. But the question remains, why are we conceding so many goals? Wigan is next and I hope we get a clean sheet against them. That is important because Chelsea is next. Yes, the Chelsea that cannot beat strong teams like Juventus or Corinthians but run over weak teams like Aston Villa and Leeds United. We need to show them our tough side. Yep, the same way I stated my stand above. Hopefully a good run starts now and all transfer rumors of players (or manager) leaving get quashed by the first week of January.

And yes, Moyes, my shopping list does not include a GK. I want a Central Defender and a Central Midfielder. Luxury buys can include Wingers and a Striker.

Next was the disappointing loss by the Texans. Well, I'm rooting for them because of their young history. And they are cool with all their charitable efforts and humble demeanor. But I have to say it does not look like they can sustain their drive to win the big prize. And of all things they hindered AP from breaking the rushing yards record. But it's alright, cause it is just a game. AP will continue his stellar career and break other records in due time.

As usual, I have a few teams I like though they might not be dangerous. Teams like Texans and Vikings and Washington. I'm optimistic for Packers, though this is a clear Superbowl contender. If I am to pick based on strength, I would say Packers vs. Broncos. Possible spoilers are Seahawks and Patriots. I think Giants can take a year off after their Superbowl win last year.

Frankly, although I would love to be right, I don't care if I guessed wrongly because I am happy with my picks for the past few year's Superbowl champions (the only one I didn't pick was Steelers and only because I didn't pick anyone!). I will sleep easy on a bad pick. Next week's focus will be on rooting for AP breaking the rushing record and Aldon Smith to break the sack record.

Fueling Drama January

Well, Fellaini has been the star of Everton's great season. So much so that he's linked to every team in UCL now. Yea, even big spending Anzhi wants him. What do I want? Just that Everton go to UCL for the next few seasons regardless of where Fellaini is. And I'm sure he is well aware that he and the team will weigh their options should a reasonable offer comes.

Here's the fact regardless of whether Everton reaches UCL after beating Tottenham at the death of the game:

1. Everton is not wealthy, but we're not that broke to sell our best players for cheap, especially when we stand to gain more financing in doing well in the EPL
2. Good offers to Everton means pay day for Fellaini too, so Fellaini can afford to be patient
3. Who's to say #4 is all Everton can achieve?
4. Fellaini has a long career ahead and leaving to warm benches ensures his earning power and playing time is capped, or falter sooner if it is another team struggling to reach UCL
5. Fellaini should be even happier knowing that being the center of the team's good season, he can build on to that prestige by having the team built around him rather than on or without him at another team
6. A good team player will always succeed because a team win does not make one that much better but a team loss takes away the shine one gathers

Well, that's not addressing speculation to Baines and Moyes though. Still, the same argument applies. Good teamwork leads to good results and it all starts from the agreement between team executives, coach and players. Am I jealous of big spending teams? Yea, everyone wants more dough to splash but dough comes when good results string. I wonder whether we can continue our astute January buying trends and make sure that getting into UCL is the least of our worries. And for once, the refereeing did not damage us enough, even though referees are still Everton's archenemy to a great season.

Well, since this is the season of gifting, my wishlist for Everton's season are:

1. (1-2) Central Defenders, weird as it might be, but having turned into a more aggressive attacking team, Everton's tread thin lineup needs a boost in that regard, especially when our best attacks actually start from defence
2. (1-2) Central Midfield who can move to the wings once in a while since we will benefit if our high octane offence can stabilize the variations of pace depending on whether Pienaar, Baines and Mirallas are healthy or playing together or not
3. Either Jelavic, Naismith, Velios or someone picks up the scoring or we might need a goal poacher to increase conversion of our opportunities, although that might come from the above buys as well

Everton in trouble...?!?

Yea yea, Everton conceded the goal in the last minute. Lost 2 points. Below are the culprits based on all the comments I read:

1. Players not scoring with their chances...
2. Moyes losing his plot with the useless substitution in the 92nd minute...
3. Howler Howard is back...(Sorry Tim, that is a nickname I gave you when you're at Man U)
4. Everton is in danger of missing out of Europe...

Point 1 is mine, Point 3 is shared among some fans. I barely agree with Point 2 and am totally bemused by Point 4. Really? All this from 90 minutes? When is Everton a perennial European team? Since we reached UCL? Since we finished in the top 6 for 3 consecutive years? If not, when?

I have watched the team since 1990. I was 11 at the END of 1990, when they are under a boatload of debt and going nowhere. All the kids are rooting for Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and even flash-in-the-pan Blackburn. Why did I pick them? From the Shoot and Match magazine! Everton sounds like a nice team, grit and good history. My favorite mug is the one signed by the 1995 FA Cup winning team. And after some great work by Moyes, he is at the end of the road now? Seriously? Did the fans just joined when we won against Man U this year?

Yea, Moyes messed up. He should have stepped up the pressure for more goals by putting in Gueye, Velios or Barkley earlier. Yea, Howard messed up because that goal is quite un-Howard like. Yea, if we lose more points like these we might end up mid table or below. But really, I'm only reeling from the fact that we are not converting our chances enough. But to be so negative after 2 bad games is ridiculous! Heck, the only thing I will worry about is when we have 4 points from a 10 game stretch. Oh, that was QPR...

Do you know that THIS YEAR, we are leading the league by shots per game, second by shots on target. Hey, I didn't know Everton attack that much...why are we so poor last year? Oh, and the year before...And the year before that? We gained 6% points in possession time against last year. And we are a bad passing team for the last decade! So naysayers are out in force because we dropped 2 points against Norwich? Or the 3 against Reading? Why didn't Man U go bankrupt after their loss last week to 'lowly' Norwich? Or Mancini sacked for being knocked out of UCL? Oh by the way, we're still top 6 in shots conceded. Why is this stat important? Because that means Howler Howard will not have that many chances to create Howlers at least! And I still have faith that he will bounce back from here!

But to say I'm not disappointed would be false. Things I think we should improve on can make us really strong. I'm not sure if we'll win UCL but hey, I'm looking one game at a time. Ok, maybe the occasional seasonal planning... 

1. Dial Coleman or Baines or Heitinga back from attack slightly to shore up possession and strengthen defense, OR put an extra pacey defender in the middle
2. Play Management. While we're better in attacking, more possession and shots, we did not improve as much in passing efficiency. I rather we pass the ball into the net than hope for the smash to go in.
3. Game Plan. 2 parts to this item. Stop tinkering yet flexible!
1. Moyes should be more flexible. A great coach and manager off the field but he does not finish fixture sometimes, either by changing the plan due to an adverse event or to double up and finish the game off. I wished he was more gung-ho against Norwich and Reading and piled possession against them while holding a steady back line, but hey, maybe no one said these to him. I WILL NOW!
2. Playing the team/formation best fit based on what's available. Moyes has been great dealing with a small squad but there are times I feel that the 18 named for the game is not always positioned optimally. It's my hunch. Could be wrong. Subs need to conform to a plan.
4. Rest players often. I know its a small squad but do we need to play the first team against Leyton Orient? What was the next game's result? And as much as I like trophies, cup games are better games to test fringe players and tactics than league games...
5. Sometimes the best defence is to no give away the ball...Even if that means not shooting!
6. My personal favorite...And a long time since I looked at the players we got and just putting them into a Championship Manager formation. If you feel this formation is familiar, I have been championing it since I started playing the computer game. (Sorry, picture is blur)

I preferred 3-5-2, with 1-2 defensive midfielders with wingers moving from center midfield outward and wingbacks covering either the entire lane or moving inwards when supporting attack. And my setting for the style of play? Gung-ho. Passing. Shredding defences with Mirallas, Oviedo, Baines, Pienaar and Coleman. I don't mind the Hammer, Baines or our great Afrohead putting a few shots to open up defences once in a while.

I know, I know, we don't have money, or the players, or whatever. How can we have such high expectations when we're not supposed to dream? And are you sure we don't have the team to succeed now? I remember that I was laughed at, though not horribly, when I said Everton can reach UCL in 2003, right when we're halfway to team building and fighting relegation. Too bad I cannot find my comment/prediction on the Everton forum anymore...

Finally, I need to say I am amazed by the work Moyes done so far. It would be great if we can keep our star players because they have a better chance to grow and succeed here, rather than be a second thought elsewhere or under perform, and we'll succeed too. And am I upset we didn't win (or even lose last week)? Yea, but I will forget it by Sunday, or worst case, Monday. Why? Because we are improving! And heck, even if West Ham smashes Tottenham tomorrow, we are still top 6 for now! Look to win the next game and next game only! Hey, unless we actually fall below 15th (ok, my patience is probably 12th but I have been known to err on the side of stability), I can see Moyes being my manager of choice for a long time.

On a second thought, I am afraid we keep conceding goals. Wait, we are scoring much more goals than we used to, aren't we? And am I afraid of the next 3 games? Sure. My expectation is 0 points since we finished 5th-8th or the last 6 years. Anything more than 3 points is great! And remember our record against Arsenal...Next stop, Arsenal...Maybe we should park the bus...I hope not!

Italy...Again!

First, I dislike the Italian team in football in general. Their tendency to favor defense and playacting is really annoying to watch at times.

Second, I prefer attacking football, like how Germany played in the group stage, and against Greece. I liken that style to a more direct version of Spain's style. I'm not a Portugal follower but sometimes, they do play a good ground game. And yes, I hate long ball tactics.

Third, while history points to Italy, there seemed to be no attempt to change that.

But, considering what I saw, Germany choked. Joachim Low choked. And the many talented players in Germany were smothered by the tactical mistake of the coach. The team played the best they could, the tactic they used played into the hands of Italy from kickoff.

I watched most of the game in agony as the Germans failed to have any spark near then Italian penalty area. Not many attempts to spread the wings when the defenders are crowded inside, and when they do, the delivery is poor and/or no one was in the middle or unmarked. 

Really? After going down by 2 goals, Low waited for half time to put Reus on. And even longer to put Mueller on. I don't understand fully why Klose is needed when possession in the penalty area is not even there. It's not that the wingers are putting in crosses that Gomez could reach. Gomez is swamped by defenders! Like the midfielders are in the Italian half as they tried to break through the center!

BUT! I don't think that Low should be fired. He is a good coach but a bad tactician. I'm not sure how the current football management structure can support a tactical whiz side by side with a manager, but I think Low's weakness in tactics is clearly exposed by Italy. Heck, he's probably better off using the team against Greece against Italy than tinkering. When you're winning, DON'T TINKER!

I just hope Spain wins because I prefer their style of football but I can see this game being a very close one. Balotelli is showing what he is worth, his crankiness is as abundant as his magic, and thank god he calmed down with little shenanigans of late. I really do not mind either side to win, I just prefer Spain's tiki-taka more. I just hope the final will have much more attacking football than other Italy games!

Kicking Heads

While I'm watching the Eurozone crawl towards its grave, I am happy that the games at the Euros are pretty good so far. NBA is not going well with Thunder losing. I hoped the young guns win but whatever.

I am disappointed that Russia is knocked out instead of Greece but the truth is, Russia did lose to Greece. The thing is, the way the commentators rant about the rule confused me. If you piece everything together, head-to-head truly only affects 2-team scenarios. Notice that the soccernet.com scenarios pretty much sound like goal difference than the mathematical juggernaut they are talking about. Anything more than 2 teams on the same points, its pretty much down to goal difference.

Personally, I want goal difference just to simplify stuff and I think goal difference makes teams want to attack. Then again, there is always Italy and Greece. Also, Greeks should remember, 2004 is held using goal difference. Plus, what if Greece is made to attack? Doesn't that sound fun? They are croaked against Russia because of the rules. They got screwed not picking up Chiotis and used that crappy GK instead of the good one they have now for 1.5 games.

The other thing that weird me out is goal line technology. Most time, I think Platini is doing a good job but goal line tech can be negotiated. I understand the difficulty in implementing it, but as Ballack mentioned, the difficulty is really when to stop the game to check it and not affect the flow.

Here's my thought. How many times is the game stopped? If you think about it, it's actually quite frequent! Fouls, throw-ins, corners, goal kicks and of course goals. The flow of the game is important, hence, why can't we check the bloody camera at the next available stoppage? Why not make the check during major stops and not fouls, such as a corner?

If it is proven to be a goal, just add one goal to the scores and roll on the next scenarios:

• if the scoring team is attacking or if the ball is not in the scoring team's half, the game will restart from the halfway line per normal goal
• if the scoring team is defending or concedes a goal, the game will continue from where it is stopped

This way, the flow doesn't stop and we can stop the mistakes by human eye. Now, where should the cameras be placed? Simple, right on the back of the goalposts. We only need to confirm if the ball went over the line. We know enough of parallax or whatever vision related errors we might have so quite simply, we can stop this error without ruining the game. 

Also, this puts onus on the scoring team to still maintain their defense. They shouldn't commit fouls to stop the game and still defend, trying to get a goal kick or corner, or worst case scenario, at the halfway line after they conceded a goal on the counter. The onus on the team that "could have gotten away" is to counter and score, or at least get close to it. If they can't, they are not "winning" anyway.

Either way, it can be done, and Platini should just stop thinking about keeping to tradition. We changed the points system to a 3 point win system to promote attacking plays. Putting goal line technology will not disrupt the game if we know when to put in the checks.

And I rest my case. I have a road trip tomorrow!