And, we're off.....2016/17

[Liverbirdie]

I Believe predictable Liverpool baiting is officially allowed to start each pre season you sign a saints player........

They become sinners, as soon as we sign them.....apart from Clyne.

 

[Papas1982]

They become sinners, as soon as we sign them.....apart from Clyne.

I think Lallana will have a shot at redemption under Klopp.....

Mane for £34m is great business for us. Talent in bundles and wouldn't be surprised to see him do well for you, but for us he only ever showed up when the cameras were there.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I think Lallana will have a shot at redemption under Klopp.....

Mane for £34m is great business for us. Talent in bundles and wouldn't be surprised to see him do well for you, but for us he only ever showed up when the cameras were there.

We're normally on live more than you, so I'll expect a spike in his offensive statistics.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Can we forget about that Euro nonsense now and get back to some proper football. Yeeeessssss.

Dear Mr Koeman - please go and buy some players. Thank you, LT

 

[pbrown7582]

Can we forget about that Euro nonsense now and get back to some proper football. Yeeeessssss.

Dear Mr Koeman - please go and buy some players. Thank you, LT

thought we kept hearing you have one of the best squads ever and was just the dodgy manager? ..........

 

[Lord Tyrion]

We have a decent squad that under performed and I expect Ronnie to sort that with a decent level of organisation. All teams need to move forward though and we lack a bit of class in midfield in particular, inbetween the sticks clearly and we also need better back up / options up front. No problem with admitting any of that.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Pelle has just signed for a Chinese club. Kerrrrrching for his wallet but the end of his career for Italy in reality. Liverpool will be gutted, a Southampton player they missed out on :rofl:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Pelle has just signed for a Chinese club. Kerrrrrching for his wallet but the end of his career for Italy in reality. Liverpool will be gutted, a Southampton player they missed out on :rofl:

What if he goes on to be a leading scorer in the Chinese league? Will Italy ignore a man in form? I agree it's a bit of a gamble in pursuit of easy money especially as he seems to have got himself a regular place in national side

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Being the leading scorer in the Chinese league is no great feat. It is like being top scorer in the US or some other mickey mouse league. It's a pub league with some very expensive star players brought in.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

We have a decent squad that under performed and I expect Ronnie to sort that with a decent level of organisation. All teams need to move forward though and we lack a bit of class in midfield in particular, inbetween the sticks clearly and we also need better back up / options up front. No problem with admitting any of that.

From what I saw on TV live matches I would suggest that your greatest weaknesses are in defence.

One decent full-back and one who is shot, one ageing CB, one reasonable CB still getting to terms with the PL and a young one who thinks he is a cross between Moore and Beckenbauer (he isn't!).

Also short on goal scorers, particularly if Lukaku leaves.

Kept hearing this about decent squad but iffy manager but I'm afraid that, to me, your squad was nowhere near being better than a 10th - 15th placed club.

 

[pbrown7582]

Pelle has just signed for a Chinese club. Kerrrrrching for his wallet but the end of his career for Italy in reality. Liverpool will be gutted, a Southampton player they missed out on :rofl:

cant blame him really at 30 couple of good years on mega money and sit on the beach for the rest of his life!
will in still be 1st choice for Italy in 2 years for the WC. also think the Chinese league will get a lot more respect over next couple of years with the money they are throwing at it. Some big name players are taking the $'s and heading that way.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

From what I saw on TV live matches I would suggest that your greatest weaknesses are in defence.

One decent full-back and one who is shot, one ageing CB, one reasonable CB still getting to terms with the PL and a young one who thinks he is a cross between Moore and Beckenbauer (he isn't!).

Also short on goal scorers, particularly if Lukaku leaves.

Kept hearing this about decent squad but iffy manager but I'm afraid that, to me, your squad was nowhere near being better than a 10th - 15th placed club.

I agree that the weakness was in defence but not the rest of the analysis. Our keepers were poor last year. Baines in ageing but still very good, they have an able replacement in Galloway. Coleman is still very good. Jagielka is a solid PL defender, not international class but still better than Cahill and Smalling in my view. Stones can be top draw with an arm around his shoulder and someone in his ear, Fuenes Mori is a more than decent player. I would have no problem with the same defence and a new keeper. The defence is solid PL standard. A decent manager will get that defence playing properly again. The issue was method and organisational and I expect that to be resolved.

We are short on goalscorers even if Lukaku stays. We are overly dependent on him and that needs to change this year.

Proof is in the pudding, not long to go now. Bring on the Spurs.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I agree that the weakness was in defence but not the rest of the analysis. Our keepers were poor last year. Baines in ageing but still very good, they have an able replacement in Galloway. Coleman is still very good. Jagielka is a solid PL defender, not international class but still better than Cahill and Smalling in my view. Stones can be top draw with an arm around his shoulder and someone in his ear, Fuenes Mori is a more than decent player. I would have no problem with the same defence and a new keeper. The defence is solid PL standard. A decent manager will get that defence playing properly again. The issue was method and organisational and I expect that to be resolved.

We are short on goalscorers even if Lukaku stays. We are overly dependent on him and that needs to change this year.

Proof is in the pudding, not long to go now. Bring on the Spurs.

Sorry but that defence, as Jagielka and Baines get older and Stones continues to flatter to deceive, ain't much better than the Villa defence last season.

As for Jagielka being better than Cahill and Smalling (neither of whom are great); you must be having a laugh. At least the latter two can still run.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I'd still take him over both of them.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

From what I saw on TV live matches I would suggest that your greatest weaknesses are in defence.

One decent full-back and one who is shot, one ageing CB, one reasonable CB still getting to terms with the PL and a young one who thinks he is a cross between Moore and Beckenbauer (he isn't!).

Also short on goal scorers, particularly if Lukaku leaves.

Kept hearing this about decent squad but iffy manager but I'm afraid that, to me, your squad was nowhere near being better than a 10th - 15th placed club.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing😃

 

[Liverbirdie]

From what I saw on TV live matches I would suggest that your greatest weaknesses are in defence.

One decent full-back and one who is shot, one ageing CB, one reasonable CB still getting to terms with the PL and a young one who thinks he is a cross between Moore and Beckenbauer (he isn't!).

Also short on goal scorers, particularly if Lukaku leaves.

Kept hearing this about decent squad but iffy manager but I'm afraid that, to me, your squad was nowhere near being better than a 10th - 15th placed club.

Sorry Mickie, but Everton had a team that could/should have finished top 5-8 last season. Just look how many points that they lost in the last 10 minutes of games that they had dominated, and IMHO it was down to Martinez's "philosophy" of playing the same way, whether it's the 1st or the 95th minute.

BTW - Why are you talking Villa's defence up, and me Everton's team - what's happened to us?

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Sorry Mickie, but Everton had a team that could/should have finished top 5-8 last season. Just look how many points that they lost in the last 10 minutes of games that they had dominated, and IMHO it was down to Martinez's "philosophy" of playing the same way, whether it's the 1st or the 95th minute.

BTW - Why are you talking Villa's defence up, and me Everton's team - what's happened to us?

Always thought Martinez was a charlatan.

However, poorer players tend to get tired towards end of games and that is when their shortcomings are exposed.

At the start of last season I would have said that Man City, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Stoke and Soton were better squads than Everton who, for the reasons I have stated, I would have seen as on a par with West Ham. So 9th or 10th would have been a reasonable expectation.

As yet there does not appear to have been much of an improvement to their squad and, hence, my remark of 10th to 15th.

But early days yet!

 

[Fish]

I've heard Wenger has told Thiery Henry he can't be involved anymore with the youth at Arsenal whilst he continues to be a TV pundit as its a conflict of interest as he may have to critique them!

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Always thought Martinez was a charlatan.

However, poorer players tend to get tired towards end of games and that is when their shortcomings are exposed.

At the start of last season I would have said that Man City, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Stoke and Soton were better squads than Everton who, for the reasons I have stated, I would have seen as on a par with West Ham. So 9th or 10th would have been a reasonable expectation.

As yet there does not appear to have been much of an improvement to their squad and, hence, my remark of 10th to 15th.

But early days yet!

So completely wrong about Chelsea and no mention of Leicester and 6 of the teams mentioned changed their manager, not sure what you based Stoke and Soton on as they had both had 1 good season finishing above Everton.
Don't get me wrong I'm certainly not saying Everton are top 6 material, infact currently we are way short of that and will have to wait and see what Koeman does, I would be happy to see him achieve 7-9 this season as a lot of "normality" in my opionion will be resumed, ie Chelsea/Arsenal and the 2 Manchester clubs fighting it out for top 4, Spurs and LPool will mix it up taking some points of the top 4, West Ham seem to be happy to sell anyone at the right price, Soton are selling again and who knows how they'll start, don't rate Stoke so see Everton behind this lot, long way off 15th. All will depend on who we keep or sell.

 

[pbrown7582]

I've heard Wenger has told Thiery Henry he can't be involved anymore with the youth at Arsenal whilst he continues to be a TV pundit as its a conflict of interest as he may have to critique them!

Daily Mail?

Update hes left the club and will completee his UEFA Pro Licence elsewhere.