09 Apr 2024 11:15:52
Usmanovs sponsorship was £20 Mill, so the £16 over is £4 Mill profit isn't it. Give the Stadium to the two Everton Lads (money owed) and a seat on the board. Preferential rental treatment and job done.
09 Apr 2024 12:47:11
Deli Ali - 5m plus a season. Danjuma - 4m plus . Harrison - Harrison 3m. There’s 12m we could have saved ourselves straight away.
09 Apr 2024 13:07:45
Don’t forget Beto and Chermiti.
09 Apr 2024 17:25:49
I agree on Ali and even more so Danjuma - I knew it was a stupid decision to get him in after the character he showed when leaving us in the lurch for Spurs. I will also never trust somebody who is happy and smiling when they are sat on the bench.
Chermitti was terrible business. He looked as raw as they come and had hardly played for his club in a much lesser league. It was made worse that we forked out £15 million for him and already had Simms who knew the club and had scored for us in the PL. Yes, it is the Championship, which is a huge drop off for strikers but he is still scoring and looks a natural goalscorer.
I think there should be some perspective with the other lads though.
Harrison has by no means pulled up any trees but he works hard and has no chance of focusing on his strengths due to the absolute fodder we have had available in the right back position. He has still however managed 3 goals and 3 assists for us. These goal contributions have helped us amass 10 points this season. Without him, we would be in even more of a pickle. When you also consider the fact that he has played every single game out of his strongest position this season, I think he should be one of the last players who get dug out.
Beto was brought in to play up top for us but found himself severely unlucky that DCL decided to be fit for the first time in years. He was given pointless 5/ 10 minute cameos and no opportunity to build up any rhythm in a new league and a new country. Strikers are confidence players and Beto's has been completely eroded by the management staff.
What can't be questioned is the lads will to try his best for this club whenever he plays. He has still managed to score 3 goals in under 10 games (809 miunutes) of football. When you take into account he has only had 8 games where he has played more than 60 minutes of football and everything he has had to deal with, I think he is another who should be near the bottom of the list for players to dig out. DCL has played more than double what Beto has, 1779 minutes, 20 games reaching over 60 minutes and only has 5 goals.
09 Apr 2024 23:04:12
Sorry but Beto and Harrison are as you said triers, sadly they lack ability. Money wasted when we could have saved ourselves a few points.
10 Apr 2024 08:54:02
I would rather have triers who actually score goals than triers that don't or worse, players that don't try/ care at all.
Beto didn't cost us anything as any fee was deferred so it wouldn't have saved us any points.
Our top goal scorer is on 6 goals and the 2nd is on 5 which shows what a problem it has been for us to put the ball in the onion bag this season but yes, money wasted on 2 players who are our joint 3rd top scorers on 3 goals each, who's goals, incidentally, have helped us get 13 extra points this season.
10 Apr 2024 09:54:16
Trying hard should be a prerequisite for any professional footballer, not a benchmark for our great club. Harrison has had his moments but not often enough. Beto is not the required standard imo. Both are getting paid huge sums and are there to be judged on performances. I still think our best way forward is to maximise the value of any sales and get high earners off the books. A good coach should be able to get a tune out of a young squad, and we will be able to recruit as long as we are sensible.
10 Apr 2024 12:29:36
Trying hard is a prerequisite for any job.
10 Apr 2024 14:04:53
I’m not quite sure where I have said that it shouldn’t be a prerequisite JB but there are clearly players in that team that don’t put the effort in. All I am saying is, the two of them should be well behind countless players we have in the squad for digging out as they actually get us points on the board.
The likes of Gomes, Keane, DCL, Doucoure, Alli are on much more money than Beto. They are on more than double the lad. The only one who remotely warrants his salary is Pickford. Harrison differs due to it being a loan and us not being tied into a ridiculous contract, such is the case with the above wasters.
Quite right, they should all be judged on their performances and I can’t think of anyone bar Pickford and Jared that are performing to the level that they should be. That being said, specific players have been mentioned in this specific post and I think they should be near the bottom of the list for criticism compared to many others.
The last two points are fairly obvious. I don’t think it alludes anybody that we should sell high and get rid of the people sucking this club dry.
Yes, a good coach should be able to get a tune out of any player, not just young. You make out as if it’s as easy as just recruiting a good coach and we haven’t done the opposite with almost every appointment since Moyes.
10 Apr 2024 15:37:20
Isn’t Beto costing us 25m?
10 Apr 2024 17:29:40
He will Woburn. Here are a few more in recent years to name a few. Some still draining this club.
Walcott - 20m
Bolasie - 25m
Tosun - 27 m
Allan - 21m
McNeil - 20m
Maupay - 15m
Mykolenko - 24m
Patterso - 12m
Godfrey - 25m
Doucoure - 20m
Kean - 27m
Iwobi - 34m
Gomes - 25m
Gbamin - 25m
Maybe a maximum of 3 from that list actually work hard for the shirt.
Beto has been given no chance to succeed. 5/ 10 minute cameos to build some confidence and rhythm. 809 minutes with 3 goals in a team as bad as this, with next to no service as a forward. We have made that outlay now. Perhaps back him, play him consistently and see what he can do. Everyone raves about Dom (for some reason) yet Beto actually has a better return in the minutes played. He may be raw but he is effective. Give the lad a chance to build some confidence and he will easily be a 10 goal a season striker. Yes, that might not be considered elite numbers but given our current situation and level in recent years, I would take that all day.
{Ed025's Note - i just dont see what Beto offers us to be honest BN, poor mobility and hitting a bulls arse with a banjo seems to be major problems for me mate, Dom at least is a decent target man and his downfall is having no support, even Haaland would struggle with us because of the way we set up..
10 Apr 2024 17:57:47
Spot on Ed.
{Ed025's Note - i want Beto to be a worldie Woburn but i just dont see it mate, he may be ok as a battering ram but he would need good mobile players around him, we dont possess that im afraid..
10 Apr 2024 18:00:55
Not having a go bluenose. I think they all try, whether it looks like they do or not is another thing altogether. Some just aren’t good enough, or at least no better than we could produce through the youth teams, and those players would develop and make us money, unlike Beto or Harrison.
10 Apr 2024 18:02:16
Players like Solsjkaer made a career about of 10 minute cameos. I’m not saying it’s ideal for Beto, but when he has started, he hasn’t looked good enough.
{Ed025's Note - understatement of the year that JB..
10 Apr 2024 19:26:34
I get it Ed and all fair points gents.
Possibly I am guilty of being sucked in by his form for Udinese.
I know it’s only glimpses but I look at the Doncaster and Newcastle goal and even the West Ham goal and see a player there that can cause defences problems. I think every striker plays on confidence and he has been treated poorly by the management team since he was brought in imo.
Some players take a season or more to properly bed into this league. Look at arguably the best player in the world right now, Rodri, he had a substantial bedding in period. Adapting to a new league and a new country is expected. Give Beto the same game time as Dcl and I imagine he would be on 8+ goals this season.
Ed, I know you say Dom is a decent target man but what is the point of having one if we have nobody up there supporting him to win the flick ons or the knock downs. His finishing is far from reliable either. If he goes through against the keeper, I never feel confident that he scores.
For me Beto offers something different in the way that he likes the balls in behind like the Donny and Newcastle goal but we never play to his strengths and tbf we don’t play to Doms either. Personally, I would play the two of them together against the lesser sides, like we had the perfect opportunity to do so against Burnley. We know we have no width, our wingers cannot beat a fullback to even get a cross in, so maybe it would be prudent to cut that out altogether and let the two of them cause mayhem.
JB, fair point about Solskjaer but let us remember he was playing for the best team in the league as a young poacher against defences that had been battered into submission and were out on their feet. Hardly a comparison. Additionally Solskjaer is an outlier. Name me 5 players off the top of your head that could be considered in the same bracket?
{Ed025's Note - you make some good points BN but with the way we set up a player like Beto is no use to us at all, he needs decent service mate and players around him who can split a defence or play a good ball over the top, it is the same with Dom for me who will win a lot of balls in the air but there is nobody around him to pick up the pieces...and thats down to Dyche, i feel Calvert-Lewin offers more mobility wise though and at least is an outlet..
10 Apr 2024 19:54:03
Not many strikers would thrive in our current set up, we don’t get players in and around our number 9. He could bed in and do well, but the early signs are not promising. I’d be very happy to be wrong.
Great prayers off the bench? Few that spring to mind: Defoe, Giroud, Kanu, and I’ll stick Big Dunc on the list too.
{Ed025's Note - very true JB..
10 Apr 2024 19:55:58
If we just buy in players that have a high work rate but not the required skill level, we will be relegated before we know it. Harrison, bar the odd game, hasn't done anything to justify us buying him. Beto, despite not getting much game time, doesn't look like a footballer, never mind a Premier league striker. Yes, his work ethic is good enough but you also need talent and, from the games I've seen him play, he hasn't got the required ability for this level. Terrible touch, offside all the time and doesn't seem to have a football brain. How anyone can't see how poor he is is beyond me. We should be looking to find him a new club and get back whatever cash we can for him to help offset the 25m we soon have to pay. We should definitely not be trying to build a team with him as the focal point, not unless we are happy to slide out of the top tier anyway.
{Ed025's Note - no arguments from me BP..
10 Apr 2024 19:56:52
You are right Ed, we are rubbish ?.
{Ed025's Note - Absoluely BN..
11 Apr 2024 09:41:25
You are all right in a way. Until we see DCL and Beto play together as a forward two (for more than a couple of games) , then we will never know if they would gel together.
11 Apr 2024 11:23:11
If we’re going to continue to lump it up front, we may as well play them both.
11 Apr 2024 16:38:21
Absolutely great debate lads as always enjoyed reading the posts.