Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Talking the Blues. Quite a bit of noise around academy sales and what that suggests about the club finances plus the potential signing of a 38 year player…. We talk about the pros and conns of different moving in dates to Bramley-Moore.
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Whent for a tour of Beşiktaş when Wales were playing there Delie shirt still up talking to the guid who know his football said he wanted to stay but the club said he wasn’t good enough
Quality song for the intro. Not quite “I guess that’s why they call it the blues” sung Winslow or the Brick style, but love that tune!
Right now I’m preparing for pre-season. Tranmere and Stoke ahead. The match in France is sold out already.
Then onto Fulham for the first match of the season. Villa away. Still trying to convince to wife (she’s a Villa fan), but she doesn’t like Everton with me, even though I’ve offered to sit with the Villa supporters.
On Ashley Young, I’m comfortable. I remember Paul Power being brought into cover Pat Van-den-Hauwe raising eyebrows. He won a league title. We have two young full backs full of promise. With this potential move, we have two experienced players as back up.
I keep saying, some must have seen more of Samuels-Smith than I have. I haven’t seen him play. I don’t think many have, so it’s hard to judge. Who knows if these young players will make it? And Chelsea have a habit of hoovering up young players and spitting them out (De Bruyne, Lukaku and now Mason Mount).
We need depth in the squad. This, alongside Coleman adds depth and experience. I have no problem with it.
Deli Alle seems to be a lost soul who need to find his love of football again.
On the stadium, I agree, use the U21s/U23s and the female team to test. At the time, my company was providing cyber security for Tottenham, so we attended a meeting at the new stadium 2 weeks before they tested with the youth teams with crowds of about 20,000. We got a tour around the stadium and they explained how they were changing the matchday experience and demonstrated the facilities. It was really impressive.
But to the point, they tested and utilised it prior to the first team playing there.
How about we do that as suggested with the U21s/U23s/female team. And may the first ever first team fixture at Bramley Moore is the last game of the 2024/25 season? Goodison’s heart breaking swansong the home fixture before that?
Good idea Paul regarding the woman’s team but they don’t generate any revenue so to have them playing there we would lose a lot of money even the big woman’s games are heavily subsidised 3/4 of the tickets are free and season ticket holders go for free. I think financially the 1st team will have to play there ASAP to generate revenue. Colin will have all that you’ve discussed in hand they are already talking to season ticket holders now about we’re they will sit in the new ground etc
Hi fellas, another week goes by without any sign of a direction, plan or idea of where the squad is going to end up other than getting squeezed further. Hey, it’s not like we start the new season in just over a month!!!
I have no issues with Ashley Young, I read some of the Villa commentary about him and he does fall into the category of over 35, super fit, can do a decent job and wants to play. It is a sad indictment of why we are looking at him but it may be a good fit for both. He is most definitely a career right sided full back / midfielder that is two footed and offers cover for the left.
Contrast that with the Deli Ali situation and we have a super talented, now in his prime forward thinking, match changing footballer who for reasons that we don’t fully understand falls into the CBA category – Can’t Be Arsed. The reasons could be bountiful and justified and he may well be suffering so I don’t say it flippantly but there comes a time when both the individual and the club has to face some realities. EFC were prepared to take the punt and it may have been a risk worth taking but it hasn’t worked out. His current colleagues have talked of him being a super talented player that doesn’t like training. Now that’s fine, if he steps over the white line and does his job, but he isn’t and hasn’t.
And that doesn’t seem to fit with Dyche who clearly demands every ounce on the training pitch before you get to wear the shirt. So how those two strange bedfellows now find another way will take some convincing. Probably get him fit, fit to go!
Pickford choosing to stay (so far) demonstrates that he is committed to the cause and he has said he’s happy. He’s about to have his second child and he seems very settled. I’m sure he could have secured a move, could have rejected the contract last season and could have waited it out. Onana (goal keeper) linked to United and likely to be coming may put pay to any more rumours of Pickford going whilst affording him the opportunity to stay in the area and his current home etc.
BMD – Colin Chong talked about Christmas 2024 being contract end but he also made it clear it was ahead of schedule. Testing was part of the contractual agreement so I believe Xmas 2024 included the statutory tests. But that wouldn’t stop us holding additional test events. The issue is how do you do that with new staff and everything that comes with it in terms of resourcing and finances. Running additional tests and events beyond what is required requires more staff and more expense if you are effectively running two stadiums at once.
But the truth is there are so many pros and cons to doing both and I’d be happy with either. I don’t think we can be emotional – we can’t afford to be. But beyond that 🤷♂️
If we delay, I’d be more inclined to make BMD available for one off gig events and not lay the pitch. Research on revenues for football clubs and music events isn’t too forthcoming but what is available suggest it would now be well in excess of £1 million per event. You get to do thorough testing of every aspect of the operation and the data would be invaluable. It also allows for tighter and more streamline budgeting for staff and resources employed on a gig basis and already exists in the industry now.
Whatever we choose to do, leaving Goodison would be a tremendous occasion, full of emotion, tears and happy faces I’m sure.
Regards
Keith