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Saturday, 19 September 2009
Monday, 20 July 2009
Sleepless In Seattle
The Everton squad is off to a training camp in Seattle ahead of a series of games on a tour of North America. Nice place to be based. Bit like the UK in terms of weather, but unlike anywhere in England, there's plenty of space. That's not to say Seattle is a city full of space. Some genius stuck the mother of all freeways right through the middle of it years back cutting off the waterfront from the main downtown cityscape. And it does have some of the worst traffic jams in the USA outside LA.
That aside, I love the place.
The travelling squad is pretty much a case of 'as you were' in terms of unenlightening additions and no obvious replacements for the departed Castillo, Van der Meyde, and Valente. You could easily argue with a shrug of the shoulders 'so what we managed without them for most of last season', which has validity. However, by May 2009, Everton were obviously running on empty with the squad stretched to the limit demonstrating our blatant need for reinforcements.
Outside of the re-signing of Jo, there have been no further additions. I refuse to count the youngsters we've poached from youth schemes away from our own. The rumours have run their course and we've not signed M'Bia, Tuncay, Owen, Hunt, Reo-Coker, Eagles, Defour or Moutinho. The Naughton story drags along through the dirt and I've lost complete interest in that now. The fact that it's 10 days or more since a concrete offer was made, countered by Spurs and followed by a whole series of increasingly bizarre scenarios even including another lad at Sheffield called Kyle. It does make you wonder what on earth the clubs, agents and players are up to.
All of which effectively leaves us with a starting 11 come August 15th of Howard, Hibbo, Lescott, Yobo, Baines, Fellaini, Neville, Pienaar, Osman, Jo and Saha. The weak link remains Hibbert and Osman. It's as obvious now as it was 4 years ago.
That aside, I love the place.
The travelling squad is pretty much a case of 'as you were' in terms of unenlightening additions and no obvious replacements for the departed Castillo, Van der Meyde, and Valente. You could easily argue with a shrug of the shoulders 'so what we managed without them for most of last season', which has validity. However, by May 2009, Everton were obviously running on empty with the squad stretched to the limit demonstrating our blatant need for reinforcements.
Outside of the re-signing of Jo, there have been no further additions. I refuse to count the youngsters we've poached from youth schemes away from our own. The rumours have run their course and we've not signed M'Bia, Tuncay, Owen, Hunt, Reo-Coker, Eagles, Defour or Moutinho. The Naughton story drags along through the dirt and I've lost complete interest in that now. The fact that it's 10 days or more since a concrete offer was made, countered by Spurs and followed by a whole series of increasingly bizarre scenarios even including another lad at Sheffield called Kyle. It does make you wonder what on earth the clubs, agents and players are up to.
All of which effectively leaves us with a starting 11 come August 15th of Howard, Hibbo, Lescott, Yobo, Baines, Fellaini, Neville, Pienaar, Osman, Jo and Saha. The weak link remains Hibbert and Osman. It's as obvious now as it was 4 years ago.
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Watford sign Slovenian defender
A headline on the BBC's football page this morning. Priceless. It completely sums up the madness and nonsense of modern-day football, squads and the transfers that clubs partake in, especially at this time of year.
At the end of last week, City finally put a concrete offer for Lescott on the table. It was one facet of a busy week faxing, texting and calling in offers for various players on Mark Hughes' hitlist. As the City manager and staff are all in South Africa, I assume someone in the purchasing department at Eastlands is sending out these offers? They managed to secure the services of Adebayor despite reservations coming out of Abebayor's country compatriots in Togo. It was one of the more ridiculous reasons for delaying signing a deal to make yourself a multi-millionaire, but Adebayor did say that we was thinking things over because he wasn't sure what the people back in his homeland would think of a move from Arsenal to City. Apparently City's reputation for being the home of comedy extends all the way to darkest Africa.
Eventually the lure of £150,000 a week over-ruled any possible feelings of embarrassment for Adebaoyor and he signed on with City. Either that or the hoped-for offers from Inter / AC Milan never arrived...
So we wait for a similar thing with Joleon. £15 million is not enough. I still think we'll sell for about £17m, more so if City chuck in a player. Moyes has made one of those statements that is without meaning and may well come back to haunt him along the lines of 'nobody will be leaving Everton', which was then downgraded to 'nobody will be leaving Everton without me knowing about it'. Lets face it, IF City up their offer and Joleon is then pushed to ask for a move, he's gone. What we need to do is ensure we have enough money coming in and enough time to find a replacement.
At the end of last week, City finally put a concrete offer for Lescott on the table. It was one facet of a busy week faxing, texting and calling in offers for various players on Mark Hughes' hitlist. As the City manager and staff are all in South Africa, I assume someone in the purchasing department at Eastlands is sending out these offers? They managed to secure the services of Adebayor despite reservations coming out of Abebayor's country compatriots in Togo. It was one of the more ridiculous reasons for delaying signing a deal to make yourself a multi-millionaire, but Adebayor did say that we was thinking things over because he wasn't sure what the people back in his homeland would think of a move from Arsenal to City. Apparently City's reputation for being the home of comedy extends all the way to darkest Africa.
Eventually the lure of £150,000 a week over-ruled any possible feelings of embarrassment for Adebaoyor and he signed on with City. Either that or the hoped-for offers from Inter / AC Milan never arrived...
So we wait for a similar thing with Joleon. £15 million is not enough. I still think we'll sell for about £17m, more so if City chuck in a player. Moyes has made one of those statements that is without meaning and may well come back to haunt him along the lines of 'nobody will be leaving Everton', which was then downgraded to 'nobody will be leaving Everton without me knowing about it'. Lets face it, IF City up their offer and Joleon is then pushed to ask for a move, he's gone. What we need to do is ensure we have enough money coming in and enough time to find a replacement.
Friday, 17 July 2009
Season Ticket
New season ticket, or card, arrived on Thursday. No expense spared on design with this thing but at least the front side is different from last season and it is, according to a West Ham supporting friend of my, better than theirs. And a good deal cheaper.
Ultimately the look of the card doesn't matter. As long as the technology within works and it opens the turnstiles on August 15th, that's what really counts. Having said that, the card is part of the identity business and I reckon with over 20,000 sold, a little bit more imagination could be put into the card's appearance.
Ultimately the look of the card doesn't matter. As long as the technology within works and it opens the turnstiles on August 15th, that's what really counts. Having said that, the card is part of the identity business and I reckon with over 20,000 sold, a little bit more imagination could be put into the card's appearance.
Monday, 13 July 2009
Rock 'n Roll Stars
Went to see Oasis at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Not remotely keen on big stadium venues but sadly these days it is likely that this will be the only way you'll get to see the biggest bands on the planet.
You know what you're going to get with Oasis and they delivered. A series of anthems punctuated by Liam's disappearances backstage allowing Noel to play some semi-acoustic tracks. The crowd pitchside could have been pulled off an 80s football terrace - albeit with a handful girls thrown in to prove this is the 21st Century. Any show that kicks of with Rock 'n Roll Star is alright with me and the whole 105 minutes turned into a one-band karaoke night. Leicester's finest Kasabian proved immediate support but it is with the earlier line-ups that the big stadiums get shown up. Broad daylight and banks of empty seats just doesn't work.
You know what you're going to get with Oasis and they delivered. A series of anthems punctuated by Liam's disappearances backstage allowing Noel to play some semi-acoustic tracks. The crowd pitchside could have been pulled off an 80s football terrace - albeit with a handful girls thrown in to prove this is the 21st Century. Any show that kicks of with Rock 'n Roll Star is alright with me and the whole 105 minutes turned into a one-band karaoke night. Leicester's finest Kasabian proved immediate support but it is with the earlier line-ups that the big stadiums get shown up. Broad daylight and banks of empty seats just doesn't work.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Swine Flu Derails Trade Rumours
With possibly the best rumour-to-reality story of the close-season, it would appear that Micah Richard, far from being at Goodison Park this week to seal a deal to move to Everton, was in fact in an isolation tent somewhere in Manchester having contracted Swine Flu on a holiday to Cyprus. It is one of those moments when the truth is better than the fiction (the fiction being Richards' transfer to Everton). The good news is that Richards is OK and will recover in time - we hope - to be the subject of more transfer links next week.
I wonder if he invoked the government's recommendation that all people who think they have swine flu can now call in sick for two weeks.
Elsewhere, our attempts to sign Sheffield United's tidy-looking right back, Kyle Naughton, could be scuppered by a late bid from.... Tottenham. Now there's a surprise. If there is a team with in England with a less structured approach to signing players for their bloated squad than Newcastle, it is Tott, and now with 'wheeler-dealer' Harry Redknapp making those decisions, it will be even less structured. This is the club that sold right-back Pascal Chimbonda to Sunderland in July 2008 only to re-sign the bloke in the January transfer window. Chimbonda apparently didn't like the North East (nobody is going to criticise him for that), but Tott didn't need him and he spend most of the remainder of the 09 season on the bench. He's still there. As is Alan Hutton and Chris Gunter.
Tott will do the usual, offer greater wages and the virtues of living the dream in the Smoke. It's up to young Naughton to see the light and take the short ride across the M62 and join a club where he'll play every week for a good manager and not end up each Saturday in a Essex night club with Ledley King.
I wonder if he invoked the government's recommendation that all people who think they have swine flu can now call in sick for two weeks.
Elsewhere, our attempts to sign Sheffield United's tidy-looking right back, Kyle Naughton, could be scuppered by a late bid from.... Tottenham. Now there's a surprise. If there is a team with in England with a less structured approach to signing players for their bloated squad than Newcastle, it is Tott, and now with 'wheeler-dealer' Harry Redknapp making those decisions, it will be even less structured. This is the club that sold right-back Pascal Chimbonda to Sunderland in July 2008 only to re-sign the bloke in the January transfer window. Chimbonda apparently didn't like the North East (nobody is going to criticise him for that), but Tott didn't need him and he spend most of the remainder of the 09 season on the bench. He's still there. As is Alan Hutton and Chris Gunter.
Tott will do the usual, offer greater wages and the virtues of living the dream in the Smoke. It's up to young Naughton to see the light and take the short ride across the M62 and join a club where he'll play every week for a good manager and not end up each Saturday in a Essex night club with Ledley King.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Sky Ruins My Plans
It's about this time every year that I suddenly find out that, having shelled out £500 for a season ticket, I'm about to lose at least 4 matches before Xmas courtesy of Sky's TV fraternity. The fixture list gets decimated as Sky and newly arrived ESPN start carving up matches left, right and centre, kindly handing new kick off times like 1948hrs or Saturday at 1726hrs.
Having just checked out the changes I wasn't surprised to see the home Derby switched to some nonsense time around lunch one weekend, but the opener against Arsenal is now an ESPN game at 1715.
Assuming all the Micah Richards rumours are true, we should have a new look back line on August 15th. Crossing Tower Bridge in Central London this afternoon, Micah Richards approached me wearing a new Le Cock top with the number 23 on the back and asked me if I thought his bum looked big in white.
Having just checked out the changes I wasn't surprised to see the home Derby switched to some nonsense time around lunch one weekend, but the opener against Arsenal is now an ESPN game at 1715.
Assuming all the Micah Richards rumours are true, we should have a new look back line on August 15th. Crossing Tower Bridge in Central London this afternoon, Micah Richards approached me wearing a new Le Cock top with the number 23 on the back and asked me if I thought his bum looked big in white.
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