January Targets

[GrantyBoy78]

We’re obviously miles off the top 6 but I’d also say we’re a fair way off Leicester, too. I’d swap our squad for theirs, in a second.

[GrantyBoy78]

It's weird watching this transfer window unfold. I used to really feel like a fan of a club I could relate to in some way, but now I feel like a spectator of a pretty shit film but I'm engrossed in seeing what happens next out of curiosity. I don't really cheer the goals as loud and I'm not that arsed when we concede either, bizarre feeling.

Martinez and all those defeats after taking the lead, broke me. I’ve not recovered my enthusiasm since.

[Ross]

Martinez and all those defeats after taking the lead, broke me. I’ve not recovered my enthusiasm since.

Only happened 5 times over 3 years and 143 matches.

Koeman was worse for it. 3 times we took the lead and got beat under him in his short spell.

[KoemansNumberTens]

We’re obviously miles off the top 6 but I’d also say we’re a fair way off Leicester, too. I’d swap our squad for theirs, in a second.

Think the difference between us and then is they have some genuine quality that could play for a top 6 side and we don't. Vardy, Marhez and McGuire.

[Goughie]

We need to stop appointing managers whose playing styles flip flop from one extreme to the other and aim for consistency of approach. From Moyes to Martinez to Koeman and now backwards from Koeman to a form of football most hoped had disappeared from the game. How can your recruitment be successful over such a period with differing demands from one season to the next and three different managers in the last five transfer windows.

So much sense being spoken here. We have no continuity.

[Waltzer]

If the Walcott transfer was treated with mixed reactions im unsure how this would go down!!?

Everton have been installed joint favourites to sign Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe during the January transfer window, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.

BetVictor priced the Merseysiders and Newcastle United at 4/1 on Monday night to land Defoe, 35, before the start of February.

The Premier League pair lead West Ham (6/1) and Stoke City (8/1) in the race for the England international, who has struggled since he quit Sunderland on a free transfer last summer to join the Cherries for a second spell.

Defoe, 35, is currently sidelined with injury but has scored just three goals in 17 matches for Eddie Howe’s side this season.

The stiker is the seventh top goalscorer in Premier League history with 161 strikes in the competition to his name across spells with Tottenham, West Ham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth.

Freelance reporter Paul Brown, who also works for the Express, claimed on his personal Twitter account in December that Everton are likely to make a bid for Defoe at some stage in the January transfer window.

[kramer0]

Defoe would be fucking hilarious.

We can be the Premier League version of The Expendables.

[Goaljira]

We’re obviously miles off the top 6 but I’d also say we’re a fair way off Leicester, too. I’d swap our squad for theirs, in a second.

We're a left back away from having a side(on paper) better than theirs.

In reality we're a LB, a CB, a CM and a LW away.

[ally2]

We'd have a really good team. If only we had a time machine

[brap2]

are you saying we need a number 10 if so you can fucking do one

We don’t have a -

Silva
B.Silva
De Bruyne
Hazard
Fabregas
Mata
Pogba
Ozil
Wilshere
Coutinho
Lallana
Erikson
Son

Someone who can pass through the back line, over the back line, behind the back line...we haven’t got anyone who can create chances from open play except from out wide.

Closest would be Rooney or Sigurdsson. Rooney playing deep or should be, and sig’s lack of open play chance creation (and even just involvement at times) was widely covered on here at the start of the season and his strength is dead balls into the box.

Not like strictly a number ten, but someone who can pass up the pitch accurately with good vision and is naturally inclined to do so.

One thing is - we’re so deep 90% of the time now that even if we did have someone who can unpick the lock then they’d have to have a pretty fucking long pick.

[brap2]

Oh one thing i did notice against Tottenham (what few bits we could take away from it) was Tosun’s runs in behind - Gueye even nearly put him through at one point.

A striker who’s more of a handful with his runs will be better for out attacking players. Not DCL’s fault but he doesn’t strike much fear into the opposition back line.

[GLewis]

We don’t have a -

Silva
B.Silva
De Bruyne
Hazard
Fabregas
Mata
Pogba
Ozil
Wilshere
Coutinho
Lallana
Erikson
Son

Someone who can pass through the back line, over the back line, behind the back line...we haven’t got anyone who can create chances from open play except from out wide.

Closest would be Rooney or Sigurdsson. Rooney playing deep or should be, and sig’s lack of open play chance creation (and even just involvement at times) was widely covered on here at the start of the season and his strength is dead balls into the box.

Not like strictly a number ten, but someone who can pass up the pitch accurately with good vision and is naturally inclined to do so.

One thing is - we’re so deep 90% of the time now that even if we did have someone who can unpick the lock then they’d have to have a pretty fucking long pick.

Yeah as you say even Sigurdsson is more of a “finisher” in terms of either shooting or the final cross etc.

Rooney is just and all round good player but not a natural knitter of the play but is probably the closest that we have.

[loroloco]

It's weird watching this transfer window unfold. I used to really feel like a fan of a club I could relate to in some way, but now I feel like a spectator of a pretty shit film but I'm engrossed in seeing what happens next out of curiosity. I don't really cheer the goals as loud and I'm not that arsed when we concede either, bizarre feeling.

same. i do wonder if what i´m feeling is a change in mood in football as a whole though. we´re customers nowadays, not fans. match day tickets being priced at the highest price they can get away with and ridiculously high tv bills just to watch your team. it has taken the sense of community out of the game. it used to be a thing you could bring the kids along to, not anymore though. shame really. there´s some days i wonder do i even like the sport anymore, which is weird given that my week seems to centre around it.

[brap2]

Yeah as you say even Sigurdsson is more of a “finisher” in terms of either shooting or the final cross etc.

Rooney is just and all round good player but not a natural knitter of the play but is probably the closest that we have.

Tell you what I’m not looking forward to the other lot getting that Keita. Haven’t seen that much of him but he looks to me in the Pogba / De Bruyne / Toure mould (and Barkley to an extent) a dynamic ball carrier who is a really aggressive forward passer as well. Can’t be arsed with them next year.

Not sure who we could get to furfil that role. Lanzini but is a classic 10 and he’d be apparently quite expensive. Mahrez would be ideal for me, off the left dribbling in. £50m would bite your hand off.

[GLewis]

Tell you what I’m not looking forward to the other lot getting that Keita. Haven’t seen that much of him but he looks to me in the Pogba / De Bruyne / Toure mould (and Barkley to an extent) a dynamic ball carrier who is a really aggressive forward passer as well. Can’t be arsed with them next year.

Not sure who we could get to furfil that role. Lanzini but is a classic 10 and he’d be apparently quite expensive. Mahrez would be ideal for me, off the left dribbling in. £50m would bite your hand off.

One thing that would seem to me to be reasonably easy to improve is to make Gueye / McCarthy realise that they’re actually ok dribbling the ball forward.

They’re not going to become passers at this stage but they should learn / be taught that they can still help get the ball up the other end by carrying it into gaps that appear.

One of the forward players would need to make themselves available for a short pass when they get there but it’d at least be some attempt at makin what we have more effective.