Everton 1, PSV 1: Time for talking, but empty seats a concern
THE conclusive evidence of an eventful summer for Everton was finally there to see in bright royal blue at Goodison Park on Saturday.
But rather than being in the form of a home shirt fitting snugly on the frame of a major new summer signing, it was instead the large swathes of empty seats in the stands that illustrated what has transpired over the past three months.
Everton's final pre-season friendly against PSV Eindhoven was supposed to offer supporters a first glimpse of the anticipated batch of arrivals.
Instead, the only new additions on offer inside Goodison were some snazzy electronic advertising boards and a set of black goal nets.
Had Everton been able to parade even just one big-money capture, then the club could have anticipated a healthy crowd for their now traditional season curtain-raiser, organised in association with the Former Players' Foundation
As it was, only 10,816 were tempted to turn up for perhaps the most low-key of all the seven warm-up games played by David Moyes's side.
The atmosphere was muted throughout - the lack of any signs of protest from the stands suggesting a mixture of resignation and understanding at the club's current predicament - lifting only when Mikel Arteta's 85th-minute penalty spared an unhelpful home defeat.
So why are Everton now left racing around once again to bolster squad numbers having had all summer to do so?
Moyes has every right to refuse to lower his standards when recruiting, but it has meant the manager's options have grown limited with each missed transfer target.
Questions, too, must be asked of the board, and in particular Bill Kenwright.
If the funds have already been there, surely there is no sense in leaving everything until the last minute.
You'd have thought Everton would have learned from previous last-minute scrambles.
Factor in the sudden exit of chief executive Keith Wyness, the ongoing saga with the proposed move to Kirkby and the failure of manager Moyes to as yet put pen to paper on a new contract, then it's easy to see why supporters have began pressing the panic button.
Patience, though, was the watchword from Kenwright in his statement to the club's followers 10 days ago, and now at least it appears the wheels are now finally whirring in motion, the light appearing at the end of the tunnel.
After all, the sight of Robert Earl sat alongside the chairman in the directors' box indicates something is imminent.
There is a growing confidence that CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Vagner Love, Cameroon midfielder Stephane M'bia and Newcastle United's Alan Smith will all be signed by the weekend.
However, Moyes has already intimated no newcomers could realistically be considered ready to start the opening game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
And with Tim Cahill, Tony Hibbert and Victor Anichebe unavailable and James Vaughan possibly suspended, the manager must initially make do with the players who were at his disposal at the weekend.
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