Recently by Mark O'Brien

SO, Darren Fletcher is the latest player to be measured up to see if he fits the warm indentation left in the Everton midfield settee by the departure of Lee Carsley.

Rumour has it that Goodison chiefs have actually produced a prospectus that they distribute to Manchester United squad players every summer.

The magazine and accompanying DVD have the catchy strapline, 'Everton - no need to move house'.

DAVID MOYES is apparently back at his desk this week, so once he's cleared out a load of e-mails and watered his parched plants we might begin to get more of a definite idea of where his real targets lie in the transfer market.

Every summer is filled with rumours and whispers but this one seems to have been particularly bad, with the uncertainty fuelled by the fact that the manager himself hasn't signed a new contract yet and the future of the proposed new ground seems to be somewhat in the balance.

With regards to the first point, Moyes's contract, the fact that we appear to be on the verge of recruiting him a new assistant, in the shape of Newcastle United's Steve Round, gives a fair indication that they are confident their man is going to be in situ for the start of the new season.

AS Euro 2008 enters its latter stages, any worries about the tournament being of no interest because of England's absence have proved pretty much unfounded.

It's been great, with nearly every side apart from Greece looking to come and play attacking football.

Gone, it seems, are the interminable group games that blighted the international tournaments of our youth and made the first week of a World Cup or a European Championship a bigger anti-climax than all that endless swimming at the start of the Olympics

THERE are few people who seemed to have much time for Paul Ince, the player.

Opposing fans obviously could never stand him, but even those of the clubs he played for rarely seem to have much affection for him either.

Give him his due now though, after he finished playing he chose to go about a career in management in the old-fashioned way, starting at Macclesfield Town and then moving on to the MK Dons

AARON RAMSEY'S decision to go to Arsenal comes as a bit of a surprise, although most people expected him to choose Manchester United, not Everton.

However, you can't blame David Moyes for trying, and reports that he met with the player and his family - something that Sir Alex Ferguson failed to do - shows that the Goodison manager was determined to give it his best shot.

However, the odds of Ramsey preferring the chance of first team football at Goodison, as opposed to life on the sidelines at a Champions League club, were always pretty slim.

For Everton's part though, this clearly certainly wasn't some sort of bogus bid - what's commonly referred to as a 'Shearer' by our supporters - and it's kind of refreshing to see us referred to as one of the 'top clubs in the country' for a change

IT SEEMS that David Moyes and the Everton Former Players' Association, to whom the manager has kindly donated his damages, are the beneficiaries of the manager's legal victory over statements in Wayne Rooney's book, My Story So Far.

These concern Rooney's assertion that the Everton manager breached his trust and, not surprisingly, the offending comments were removed from the paperback edition of the book, published after the instigation of Moyes's legal action. Still, anyone who has had the misfortune of reading the 'cleaned up' version will be struck by the vindictive and petty tone it adopts whenever there is any reference to Moyes.

This is in stark contrast, by the way, to the celestial glow that radiates from the page when he mentions anyone connected with Manchester United and England.

DAVID MOYES has apparently given the names of 24 transfer targets to the Everton board, almost like one of those lists of gifts that brides-to-be distribute to their wedding guests.

HASN'T Warren Bradley got anything better to do than work on proposals for an Everton and Liverpool ground-share?

From an Everton perspective there are those vehemently opposed to a move to Kirkby, others who are keen, and yet more who probably see it as, perhaps with some regret, the best option on the table.

Councillor Bradley himself says his preference is a redevelopment of Goodison Park - and there's a plan that would get almost universal backing from the paying supporters - but that without a commitment from Everton then it can't be pursued.

A STORY that seems to lack very little substance is the one doing the rounds about Everton being in talks with some Russian zillionaire about a takeover or some sort of investment.

This one has all the classic hallmarks of an internet-based Chinese whispers story. One site makes an unfounded comment, others pick up on it and then before you know where you are the net is 'ablaze' with talk of an imminent takeover.

The whole thing is self- perpetuating but already we are seeing discussions about whether we should welcome this hypothetical investment from this unknown individual or not.

SAYING goodbye to Lee Carsley feels like it marks the end of an era. His Everton career has run pretty much alongside David Moyes's and as the team have developed so has the Irish midfielder.

From being initially regarded as something of a journeyman midfielder he grew into the 'anchor' role in the five-man midfield and established himself as one of the most consistent performers in a team that has qualified for Europe two seasons running.

It's easy to understand the attraction of the two-year deal he's being offered at St Andrews though, and likewise Everton's reticence to match Birmingham's offer. So it's been an amicable and grown-up parting of the ways, which is nice to see in a game where players, clubs and agents increasingly create ugly situations to get the outcomes they desire.