Don't believe the gripe - Everton will come out fighting
The devil makes work for idle hands and Everton's transfer light pre-season has allowed hacks and naysayers up and down the country to project their doom and gloom upon Everton, trotting out the tiresome predictions regurgitated at the start of the past few campaigns.
Everton won't be able to keep up this season, Tottenham will challenge the top four and Liverpool will be lifting their first Premiership trophy.
Anyone who has seriously monitored the Everton of late will be laughing into their Christmas presents as frustrated pundits try to work out why, come Boxing Day, the Blues are fighting fit at the top of the table instead of scratching around the relegation zone with Hull and friends.
Journalists have lamented the fact that Everton have only released players without buying any replacements, but let's look at the situation without the melodrama.
Gone are Thomas Gravesen; Stefan Wessels; Anthony Gardner; Manuel Fernandes; Lee Carsley and we've just waved Andrew Johnson off to the city of jellied eels and pre-teen chimney sweeps.
Lee Carsley's admirable six year spell as a midfield stalwart was sadly ended by his free transfer to Birmingham. Yet Carsley, at 34, is approaching the end of his career and he choose to step down a level before the pace caught up with him and made him a liability to Everton. Repeating the solid form of last season was never going to be on the cards.
Gravesen, Wessels and Gardner were all temporary cover who either played in-effectual bit parts or not at all. These were loan signings procured at the last minute and there's no reason to believe similar cover cannot be rustled up in a similar time frame.
It was frustrating to see Manuel Fernandes' flirtation with Everton come to an end, yet without the player's shock move to Valencia at the end of his original loan spell, Moyes may never have sought out the better value Pienaar, a midfielder of arguably better work-rate and ability.
Allowing Everton's youngsters to figure in the pre-season matches should not be seen as an emergency measure, but an essential part of bringing a set of players Moyes clearly rates highly up to first team standards.
The amount of players Everton have been linked to this summer could have replaced the current squad several times over, yet apart from the serious prospects to have slipped through the club's fingers such as Moutinho, would we choose a team of Darren Bents, Alan Smiths and Dean Ashtons over the core of the current side?
Moyes would undoubtedly love a large transfer kitty but he certainly wouldn't splash it out on over rated, over valued English players of dubious ego. The boss has a history of making signings close to deadline day so Evertonians should have a little faith that Moyes should secure at least one quality acquisition for the club before the transfer window closes.
Ignore the hysteria and we have a club trying not to get involved in the arms race which has led to some crazy transfer fees for underwhelming players and attempting to secure a sensible financial future which doesn't involve simply rolling over for the first person to turn up at Goodison with a suitcase full of money.
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Thank goodness, some common sense at last.
How many transfers have gone through this Summer where you have genuininely wished we were getting that player? Apart from Ramsey, who we did actually go in for, I am struggling to think of a single one. Robbie Keane and David Bentley maybe, but they have both been wildly overpriced.
I met up with a Villa fan this week and his complaints of no transfers, a worry of a lack of money and a threadbare squad seemed strangely familiar. Hes hardly overjoyed by the arrival of Shorey and Young either, not players that are going to take his club, the team that finished one place below us, forward.
Its going to be a frenetic end to the transfer window for all clubs, as we're not the only ones struggling to pick their 18 man squad for the start of the season.
Some good points, agree Moyes often leaves it late to make his move (Ya. I would expect possibly 3 signings. Alan Smith is looking likely, would love to see Moutinho and Cana sign. I know some don't think Smith is worth it, but approx 2m for a 27 year old with experience is good value in todays market. Plus Moyes often gets the best out of a player when others have failed. Moyes hasn't steered us wrong yet, I think he has earned a little faith
Thank You Aaron!! I really needed that :-)
great article
brilliant article everybodys trying to un settle our club because they cant understand how we seem to achieve what we do. Fantastic moyes hes our ROCK!!!! he will only bring in quality and wont waste what cash we have. why would that be anything to worry about!!!! coyb!!
Ha Ha! you blue sunshiners are so comical
Johnsons going... but hey you get Smith
Tesco falls through...but hey theres room at Broughton,
no cash, no stars, no ground, no clue
The championship beckons for the small peoples club,
Oh Sheikh,
you're making it sound like your Kopite-Yanks have everything in hand..... and everythings sweet over the park...
when in fact they've just took out another £20m loan to buy Keane according to Ian St. John.
We'll see what the Fat-Benetez is singing or whinging, come Christmas!