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02 May 2017 23:22:15
Thoughts are with Aaron Lennon, hope he gets the support he needs. Just goes to show that anyone can suffer poor mental health. I hope he recovers quickly
Cheers.
03 May 2017 13:15:40
Frank Bruno and Stan Collymore both self proclaimed sufferer's showing their support to Aaron today. Happens to the best of us. Chin up Aaron.
02 May 2017 22:50:24
Sad to hear about Aaron Lennon. Hope the right authorities and the club get him the help he needs.
{Ed007's Note - He's in the best place for him and I'm sure he'll be getting looked after and receiving the best treatment, God bless the poor lad.}
03 May 2017 07:03:04
Being a Mental Health sufferer myself the support network and awareness imo is not good enough for the younger generation. I am 35 and my G. P surgery does not treat urgency as urgency when I have a wobble. I put this down to the monopoly of funding and I'm sure Aaron can go private, to me it shows that it can affect anybody regardless of career or pay scale. Hopefully yet sadly this gets Mental Health in people younger than pension age, the awareness and publicity required for acceptance and better funding and services through the NHS. I know it's a banter page and sorry for going on but it's something I have been working closely with my G. P surgery to help them better understand how quickly a switch can be flicked. Anyways all the best Aaron stay strong and believe in yourself and you will get through this.
{Ed001's Note - I hope both you and Aaron get all the help and support you need. Best of luck with it mate, it is not an easy road you face.}
03 May 2017 07:30:22
Cheers Ed, I'm lucky to have my wife and children to get me through and the support is getting better.
{Ed001's Note - I am not so sure that is lucky, a wife and kids are the root cause of most of the stress in life!}
03 May 2017 09:33:51
😂😂😂 very true Ed, add to that I'm an Evertonian it's a little wonder.
{Ed001's Note - I could cry for you mate, life has clearly not been kind to you!}
03 May 2017 12:33:42
Sorry to hear that bluegray, hope all is well mate. Totally agree with you, like most things in life if you have enough cash you get better service. Sad but true. At least the issue is openly talked about nowadays in the public domain, rather than swept under the carpet. Good luck pal.
03 May 2017 13:11:58
Had problems along the same lines myself bluegray87. Bout 15 years ago. Its hard to see when your in it or going through it. That's why its so hard to deal with and recognise.
Today I have very little if any problems with it. Its a big help to have good support. Hope Aaron gets all the support and help he needs and deserves.
What sticks out in my mind is when he signed for Everton. He got a lot of stick for not showing much smiles or didn't seem too happy to be signing for Everton. Little did everyone know what he was truly going through. You don't develop these type of problems over night and I'm only guessing but maybe it was developing at that time.
That is Aaron's business. As a fellow sufferer in this area I applaud his openness and willingness to go public. I've only ever told one person about it over 15 years. Wrote about it now. Other than that I tried keeping it a secret.
Too many people see it as a weakness and also see it as an opportunity to give some stick. I see it as a strength. Only people living through it know what they have to live with. That is definitely a strength in my eyes.
Aaron will come out stronger from it. You too bluegray87. I know I certainly am stronger 15 years after first experiencing it.
03 May 2017 15:53:50
Well I have been a mental health support worker for a number of years now. I did level 2 mental health awareness. But it only helped a bit when me and my wife split up 2 years ago. We had been together 32 years and it was literally like a sledgehammer hitting me. Of course I new all the signs and did what I could to prevent anxiety, stress and depression. but like you all seem to know, you don't even see it yourselves. Family helped and 2 years on I am so much better. Sat in Turkey here with my new partner. We met an Evertonian this week and his lady came over to us on the beach today and handed us 2 Everton Mints! What a pair of gems . no not those. the couple who gave me the toffees! We have shared some Everton stories this week and discussed signings and everything about the club. The future's bright, the future's BLUE!
03 May 2017 19:54:47
The stigma attached made it hard for people to speak openly but I feel times are moving on and the awareness is getting better. I applaud the charity Mind because they have supported me a lot and offer free self help groups as well as a counselling service. I am diagnosed ADD and Bipolar but both took until I was 32 to get the diagnosis, got to say without family support as well as football and of course this forum it could be a lot worse. I enjoy coming on here daily and reading people's opinions and views on our club and especially after games, it's forums like this that enable you to air your frustrations instead of bottling it up.
NBTB I get were you are coming from, growing up I was scared to show emotion as only girls cry and you didn't want to talk to friends as you come across as weak as you say. Frank Bruno, Stan Collymore, Aaron Lennon all successful yet not exempt from real life conditions.
02 May 2017 22:10:48
Bad bad news boys, seen ross in freshfields, nice lad and pleasent, we had mutual friends in common and got to talk abit more in depth, i asked about him signing, he said he us renting his new house out, which he's only just bought, he said he was going to wait what tom does but then. signs ain't good, said he speaks to eric dier alot, going to ibiza with him and some old ex everton players they pkayed with. just letting ya know.
03 May 2017 07:36:14
How did ross manage to get to freshfield on his own.
03 May 2017 09:35:30
Took him a while Alan because he kept going backwards and sideways so couldn't get out of Crosby 😂.
02 May 2017 20:50:34
Going back to the proposed new stadium on the dock, and the design debate. Would anyone take a design like the Bernebau stadium. Just looking at it while watching the champions league semi. The crowd are
close to the pitch like Goodison on the 3 sides of the ground i can see. What do any of you guys think?
03 May 2017 12:39:36
I know what you mean, Jimmy, but personally, I'd prefer one built more on the lines of The Juventus Stadium in Turin. A bit more compact but with the same closeness of the fans. It creates a really intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams, as borne out by Juve's record there. (I think it's nearly 30 straight wins! Although having Buffon, Bonuci, Chiellini, Dybala, Higuain and Mandzukic might help as well! )
02 May 2017 19:18:57
This might upset a few but I would get rid off Lukaku while there is still interest in him and his price is high. We had a goal scorer once who hit 30 goals and we won bugger all. I would rather use any money we get and buy a good target man and attacking midfielders who can play off him. I would much rather see 5-6 players weighing in with 10-15 goals each plus the target mans goals as against relying on one man to get most of them. We have some decent talent but I wonder how many of them are starved of showing their true abilities due to Lukaku. To me Lukaku plays for himself and not Everton. definitely need a good keeper too. Heaton has impressed me a lot this season. Overall to say we have got 7th place with what we have is a good sign for the future. Just wonder how much better we could have done without all this Lukaku and Barkley contract business.
02 May 2017 20:38:00
You may be right Nick. I would like to see a few more players weighing in with goals. And that is indeed what happened when we sold Lineker. I'll put trust in RK and SW to get this right this summer. With or without lukaku.
02 May 2017 20:56:43
Love your post Nick, I thought I was a minority of one on Lukaku, he is not a team player, goes missing too many times in the big games, I hope We take a big offer in the Summer so we can rebuild, if Lukaku stays and we start poorly he will be wanting away before end of August disrupting our new season only weeks old, take the money and bring in someone who wants to play for Everton, not just anyone, a proven unselfish striker.
02 May 2017 20:58:17
Post of the Day nick, could not have put it better myself.
02 May 2017 23:22:05
5-6 players weighing in with 10-15 goals each plus the target man's has not happened for any team for many years. That's Everton 1985 standards (who wouldn't be happy with that again? ) No team this season has any more than 3 players plus the target man scoring 10+ goals in all competitions. We may or may not be better off with a less selfish target man but let's set achievable expectations for our club.
03 May 2017 05:59:14
I must be in the minority then. I would never get rid of a player, as you put it, unless he had severe problems and/ or we had immediate replacements. Lukaku has already said he wants to leave. That is different from "getting rid" of him. I believe we should continue to do all we can to keep him with us. Only if we have players lined up to replace him should we sell him. We have all seen in the previous transfer windows how difficult it is to get top quality players to sign for us. I believe signing 5 or 6 players who will each score 10 to 15 goals is dreamland. Almost an impossible task. Even 2 or 3 players of this calibre are unlikely to want to come to Everton for many reasons even if their clubs are willing to sell. I would ask how many players who fall into this category have signed for us in the last 5 seasons? I honestly think you are all talking about something that just is not going to happen. I don't wish to be confrontational with you, but signing 2 players of this quality will be a difficult ask. but 5 or 6 is just not going to happen. Please suggest the 5 or 6 you think would sign for Everton.
03 May 2017 08:03:46
I agree with Degsy on this. There aren't many wingers scoring 10-15 a season, except at the top sides. Sigurdsson, an attacking midfielder, has scored 9 goals this season in a poor side. So for a better team you could reasonably say he will get 10-15 goals. His cost? £30m. So to get 5 or 6 of him would cost at least £150m. Add to that the GK and defenders we need and you're looking at £250m. There is no way we have that sort of money. Another consideration is, if you buy that many new faces, how do you bed them into the team when due to Europa our season starts late July?
02 May 2017 19:03:48
Hope there is some substance in the chances of getting Dolberg. If it happens I wouldn't be arsed if Lukaku goes as long as we get him strengthen the back 4 and get Siggu from Swansea.
02 May 2017 14:49:09
Just thought I'd offer some thoughts on next season. This is only my opinion so feel free to disagree.
Goalkeepers: We definitely need a quality no.1, and I would probably keep Robles and Stek as backups. I think that there's a fair few good goalkeepers out there and would be interested to see who everyone thinks would fit the bill.
Defence: This is the trickiest position. We need a RB to cover for Seamus who is also good enough to play in the first half of the season, but not too good that they will be unhappy playing second fiddle (assuming Seamus is back to his best) . Trippier may fit in, but I would prefer someone younger. It would be nice if Jonjoe Kenny was given a chance to stake a claim for the position, as I've seen and heard good things about the lad.
We need at least 2 CB's in my opinion. Williams and Jags are both too old, Mori isn't good enough (I think we should cash in now) and Holgate needs someone with experience next to him. It's make or break for Browning, Galloway, Pennington and Garbutt, particularly as the standard of player which we require moving forward is high at the moment.
At left back Baines needs some cover, unless Galloway or Garbutt can step up.
Midfield: I am pretty happy with our CM options, although I think that Besic should be sold (too injury prone) and I would like McCarthy to stay although if he doesn't want to, we may as well cash in. Remember we have the likes of Joe Williams and Liam Walsh waiting for a chance too. I would keep Barry for another season but he is just a squad player now. Barkley for me is a player we must keep.
Out wide, I think that we should keep Deulofeu and Mirallas as an option, but again I wouldn't be devastated if either/ both went. Lennon has to go, as he isn't good enough. Bolasie and Lookman should definitely stay, and I'd like to see Dowell given a chance.
Attack: I would like Lukaku to stay personally, as we will find it difficult to replace his goals. But if he goes we need at least 2 first team strikers and maybe 1 younger striker. Calvert Lewin should be sent on loan if we buy a couple of strikers (I personally would buy Defoe as a short term back up) . Kone and Niasse need to go.
So overall, we need about 8 players. I think at a minimum, we need a GK, RB, CB and ST/ CAM (assuming that we keep Lukaku and Barkley) .
02 May 2017 15:43:47
Good post that Tommy. Agree with most of what you say. For me the priorities are a goalkeeper and two center-backs. In addition we need an attacking midfielder who can split the defense with through balls and who can also score a few. Hopefully Lukaku will stay another year but if not we obviously need two strikers.
Mike.
02 May 2017 15:02:00
We need to double that figure blue, the chances of us going a full season without injuries are slim to say the least. Also getting 8 players who would be good enough for CL in one window will not happen. I don't want to sound negative but thinking we will do it this window is gearing us up for disappointment.
02 May 2017 16:53:11
If we can get 4 first team players I would just use either what we have got now or the kids for backup, and it might just improve us enough to get on (assuming we keep Lukaku) . If we got say (completely random names here) Butland, VVD, Sigurdsson and Defoe in, then you could say we've improved enough to at least push for 4th place. In this example, we would hopefully concede less due to the first two I mentioned, and score at least 20 more goals. I'm not saying we should sign these players, I'm just illustrating the difference that getting certain players in can make. We can't sign a whole squad in one window. Nor can we sign 4 world beaters in one window. It needs to be a gradual process.
02 May 2017 23:30:03
Where would the 20 extra goals come from? Siggurdson and Defoe put together have scored fewer goals than Rom alone this season.
03 May 2017 00:06:01
Again, I stress that it was just an illustration, not what will happen or exactly the players I want for that.
However, between them this season Sigurdsson and Defoe have 23 goals, both for poor teams. Defoe has 14 goals in a team that has only scored 24 all season, and Sigurdsson has 9. In a better team (we have scored 60 in the league this season) I imagine they could get 20 between them, even if Defoe is a super sub.
03 May 2017 09:37:15
Although Defoe has done wonderfully well at Sunderland, he is nearly 35 years old. That is just too old looking at the future. Siggursson is a quality player withan age of 27. Great few years left in him. I would say we do all we can to sign him. Irrespective of Lukaku's contact and future.
02 May 2017 14:48:08
Try not to take this as a negative post about Everton, try and see it as a truthful post from a supporter who has loved this club for over half a Century.
Let me start off by saying the club, on the surface, is in wonderful condition we are on the brink of a new State of the art stadium, we are now starting to attract big money sponsors, we are debt free (the only debt being an interest free loan from one of our owners) . Our backroom staff are about 20% shy off being one of the ultimate any club could wish for, Our Academy and under 23s are rapidly gaining a stronger reputation week in week out, All of this coupled with a super rich owner who is not afraid of spending, and an ambition to dominate English and European football, what could possibly be wrong?
In my humble opinion the only things wrong with the above is our ambition and our super rich owner. Now don't get me wrong I love the way our club is at the moment, and with a few more backroom staff tweaks we will be exceptionally strong and the envy of many teams out there, but they are not the problem.
One of our BIGGEST problems is that we as fans have lapped up all the gossip regarding ambition, we have then carved our own interpretation of what we thought we have heard deep into stone, so much so that we have become blinkered. We have become blinkered to such a degree we are willing to forget just how far away we are from achieving them, and every time we are reminded we look back at what we ourselves have carved in stone and bury our heads in denial.
I agree we have made some tremendous headway towards it and we realistically could not expect the club to have improved behind the scenes as much as it has done, so now the only thing hampering our ambitions is the team it'self, There I've said it, even a blind man can see just how far we are behind being a regular top 4 side, as we are we would count ourselves lucky being a regular Europa side. Now if we had zero injuries then maybe, just maybe, we could be a regular Europa team.
Whilst that is a massive improvement on where we were the divide between the top 5 and where we are is just to big. We are all hoping (Expecting) Champions league Football within 2 seasons, I would be willing to wager now that does not happen, and here are my reasons,
1) Rich Owner
2) Steve Walsh
3) Financial Fair Play
We as fans think we have a rich owner, whilst he is a very rich man compared to you and I we still do not get into the top 10 for having the richest owners in the premiership, so that's at least 10 teams who have the potential to offer more money for a player and offer higher wages. What we do have going for us is an owner that is willing to spend money, Sadly for us other teams know this as well and as a result put a premium on their players thinking we will buy at any costs. Look at Gabbiadini and Napoli holding out for even more money from us, we may pay a little over the odds but not stupid money.
Whilst having a DoF like Steve Walsh is a fantastic asset for the club it does make the job of signing players just a little bit more difficult, when it becomes known we have a bit of interest in player X it automatically alerts other teams of a potential diamond which results in higher asking price or offering more incentives for the player to join.
This is where the FFP step in to make life even more difficult for us to reach our ambitions, you see it does not matter if our owner was a trillionaire and we were the richest team in the world. We would only have so much money that we would be allowed to spend on players including wage bills.
Now it is not only going to be Everton who will find it hard to get a regular top 4 slot but every other team not getting into Europe year in year out. This three year dream we have all adopted and carved into stone is not going to happen, at least not within the three year year time frame, I think it will be more like year five or six before we hit the top 4 and that is providing we hit the Europa for all of those years. I just hope the fans stay off the backs of everyone and let them continue rebuilding the club on solid foundations, We will get there but sadly not during this decade.
02 May 2017 17:21:48
Pretty pessimistic post but had to agree with some of your observations. Disagree on the SW point though. Just because he has looked, at is looking at a player, does not mean that the price will automatically go up. I don't think clubs would necessarily appoint a scout to scout SW targets so there would need to be other interest in the player prior to a bidding war taking place. I do think the current squad is good enough to be consistently in the top 8 and with a couple of additions should be fighting for regular Europa league spot.
02 May 2017 19:30:43
Interesting post GT, I can see where you are coming from to a degree. I think it is impossible to put a time frame on cracking the top four but as long as we improve the quality and depth of the squad window by window then we can't complain. There's loads of factors to consider, say we went and won the europa league then we have guaranteed champs league the following season. I'm sure our ability to attract higher quality players would increase considerably, we would have to adhere to ffp obviously. That's the beauty of football, so many things can happen over the course of a season and especially in our league. I'm just going to enjoy the ride and see where it takes us. I'm lucky to have seen the great teams we had in the 80's but had to sit through some dross since then. FM is reshaping the club on and off the pitch, us fans just need to be patient and let him get on with it.
02 May 2017 20:40:50
Thats really the main thing I am trying to put across Spudv, everytime we qualify we will attract the better player. One thing we have to remember is the frailty of fans, people will moan that we have not reached the CL by season 3 no matter how much we have improved. 3 - 4 seasons in the Europa along with income from the new ground we can then buy CL capable players.
If we were to win the Europa the maximum of 25 million Euros prize money (includes bonuses winning is worth only 6.5 million Euros) is not really going to help us spend on the quality we need.
The thing with the FFP is that it covers three years of the clubs finances, now this season we are showing a much better balance of finances especially as the interest from the loan has gone but it is still another 2 seasons before we see the full benefit. Increased and new sponsorship deals are also stuck in this three year trap.
I watched teams of the 70's and 80's and it has been so frustrating watching good talent leave us because we had nothing to offer them. In 2 seasons we will have enough spending power to attract the right players and have them be part of the dream, in three season we almost peak financially and will on the third year of the new stadium.
SA90, I agree and withdraw my comments regards SW although I still believe the odd club will put in cheeky bids on players we are after but it is probably the same with all teams.
03 May 2017 06:21:10
Grumpytoffee, I see you withdrew your comment about Walsh. I am pleased you did that because I firmly believe that he will prove to be a big asset. You talk about ambition. I am not really sure if you mean our ambition is too great? I believe that without hopes and dreams, nothing will happen. I was one of the most negative posters on here last 2 seasons. I suddenly have hope again. I am realistic enough to accept that it might take 5 or 6 years. Then it will be difficult to maintain. Look at Arsenal, Man Utd, Spurs, Man City and Liverpool. All fighting for a top 4 place that already has Chelsea certain to be in. The sums suggest that if we join in this fight, then at least 3 clubs will need to budget well for the lack of Champions League football over possibly a few seasons. There will effectively be a top 7 fighting for 4 Champions League places! But right now at least we are on the up and not the way down! I believe that's all we can realistically hope for.
03 May 2017 12:47:00
Degsy, you are saying in fewer words what my post is on about. I am saying that the time span we the fans believe things will happen is unrealistic. Just by the three thumbs down indicate that at least 3 people on these forums think it will happen.
With everything spelt out to them do they really believe that within 2 years we will be in the top 4 teams of this country. Let's see how loud they start shouting when they realise the time span is too short and they are 3 or 4 years out.
The FFP will make it nion impossible to achieve all we want in a two year period and I am glad that you are also looking at the full picture and see that it will take a little longer. I don't believe our ambition is too great, at least not in the long term, but for us to get there within the next two years is just wishful thinking from some impatient fans.
02 May 2017 07:08:20
Old enough to remember, 'The Golden Vision' on TV, so proud of EFC and Liverpool being portrayed as a very funny, honest and decent City.
We still are but I'm presently watching, 'Little Boy Blue' on ITV.
What's happened lads?
Horrible.
02 May 2017 13:03:17
Fotuntate to have lived and worked abroad in different countries. suffice to say there is good n bad everywhere. nothing special about Liverpool in this respect. a few bad apples. rotten to the core in this instance. Liverpool and the people are still great. as the football scenes show. and as that single parent showed by contradicting he sons story. it's not all bad. its just a very bad incident. and that's what the programme highlights. it's not a slight on our great city. just some of the turds that live there.
02 May 2017 14:44:27
It is a brilliant peace of telly well done ITV, very moving.