roversfan99

Think the reaction to @Sparks Rover merely questioning the evidence of whether Markanday is good is totally unfair. The usual lines, the boring repeated Whiteman/Mols/Preston jokes, "have a day off" "here we go" "now you are just trying to be difficult" etc are totally unjustified towards a very valid question. I am cautiously optimistic, he seems highly rated, Spurs wanted him to stay and im happy that its a long term deal. Looking forward to seeing him play. But I do get why there are question marks seeing as he has literally played about 10 minutes of actual football.

That has been my point all along. Why would a former playing status have any relevance. If a sole rationale for appointing Rooney was his managerial record, kudos to doing well in beyond difficult circumstances and then you are having a genuine debate on his managerial merits, for me its a small sample size from a unique situation and Everton could find better credentials if they searched Europe. But all the stuff about who Rooney is, who he played for, "understanding" the club, invoking passion, boosting the fans etc? Meaningless bollocks.

Getting someone in who "really understands the club" is a fairly meaningless platitude often trotted out when championing an ex player for a job. Like at any club, the best way to please the fans is with wins.

I know but I dont really get how that would benefit Toulouse who I cant imagine are too keen to sell mid season. We will see if he signs, the suggestion in the LT was that the deal was a loan with an option rather than an obligation to buy and directly comparable to the Zeefuik deal.

The LT reported that our other main attacking target that we have a bid in for is for a loan to buy. Even if he is unhappy in France, as their main striker and 2nd in the league you would think that they would need a permanent offer to sell a key asset.

Would be like us agreeing a similar deal for Brereton though, which wouldn't happen.

Can you see the team 2nd in Ligue 2 loaning out their main striker who they play every game? Would seem unlikely from the outside, I think Healey is just a name that was mentioned loosely in the summer that has never gone away.

"Supporters passion" is "ignited" best by winning bloody football matches! Simple as that.

Dack does work hard to be fair and he would give us another dimension with the additional goal threat from that position.

I have no idea, I would scour Europe to which I can not claim to have a full picture and not remotely consider whether a candidate has a status from being an Everton player.

Sky Sports just speculate but that would be a very uninspiring list.

Neither do I but I said it would be a proper genuine sign of ambition from the owners. So it obviously wont happen. Solanke definitely WOULD be ideal but is obviously unattainable. We still do play 2 forwards and he has the pace and mobility to do that whilst offering a goal threat. We need this mystery loan to buy to score goals and someone who is an actual striker as we will have enough small, flighty winger types who are good but you wouldnt want 2 playing at once. I wouldnt be switching formations. My worry is if we dont sign a 5th centre back then we are a couple of injuries away from being forced to.

"Managers and the same style has a shelf life." Wonder if Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp would agree?

I explained my thinking. A decent outlay yes, still less than both of the Armstrong and potential summer Brereton fees. If we go up, I imagine a quality new striker would have helped us get there, if we dont, then our main replacement for Brereton is already at the club and the risk of the initial fee (say 5m, perhaps a bit more) is offset financially against the fee in the summer for Brereton. You have asked me this before, but yes. A "number 9" is a very vague term, it doesnt have to be a big lump, and it doesnt have to lead to a change in formation. We have to ensure that any striker in our team has pace because we like to play on the counter attack. I think we always need at least 1 striker in the team, as the balance of say Dolan and Khadra wouldnt be right, too small and lightweight, plus not enough sustained goal threat. Brereton counts as 1, so does Gallagher although he isnt very good nor can he counter attack particularly well as shown yesterday. Because he has never played senior football before. We dont know how long it will take to adjust to mens football and what sort of impact he will have.

The most entertaining type of football is winning football. Rovers certainly didnt entertain yesterday, but did anyone care once we took 3 points?

I don't understand why it has to be put down to "scapegoating" when a player is criticised. Brereton has been criticised in the past because he didn't play very well. I thought that yesterday was a perfect example of probably Gallagher's biggest weaknesses, which led to our defence having to weather even more pressure. When Gallagher received the ball, he tended to struggle to hold it up and when a counter attacking chance came about, 3 or 4 times his choice and execution of pass was really poor and a chance to get a second was wasted, and Cardiff had the chance to attack with a couple of our players up the field.

Adebayo would be a brilliant signing, would be a huge showing of genuine intent and ambition from the owners. No doubt a decent fee, but you would have the collateral of a Brereton summer sale. He would give us a huge boost for our push and could just be Brereton's replacement if we don't go up. Perhaps pie in the sky. Individuals aside, we do really need a second out and out striker. We have such a reliance for goals on Brereton, as any team tends to on a prolific goalscorer, but if he goes a couple without a goal which will happen or is absent which again will happen, it isn't easy to see many other goals. Even if we sign Markanday, we don't know how quickly he will transition to mens football, and even if he does, if Brereton is unavailable then 2 from Markanday/Khadra/Dolan wouldn't be the best balance, and Gallagher is not very good.

Jarrod Bowen is in superb form, surely if based on form and quality an obvious pick for the next England squad ahead of the likes of Rashford, Sancho and Greenwood.

Once Dike settles in, I suspect that West Brom will become a different team. With Hugill often doing his best donkey impersonation so far this season, they have been fairly toothless.

I love this obsession with appointing managers for sentimental and/or for their playing careers, its nonsencial. Even if it is done to get a bounce, it won't be a long lasting one. You appoint the best possible manager and dismiss any notions of who a manager used to play for or support. It would be utterly ridiculous if Everton chose between Rooney and Ferguson, just a desperate attempt to appease the fans and that may work in the short term, but once results took a turn for the worse, that goodwill would soon wane. Maybe you could argue that Rooney would deserve consideration for the job that he has done at Derby. I am not so sure, as much as I do admire what he has done so far this season. And there is zero evidence that Ferguson is a competent full time manager. It is the same with us when Ainsworth is suggested, always with some sort of mention back to being a Rovers fan. Should be irrelevant.

Sky have had a shocker showing an advert with over 2 minutes to go. Not surprised. Shit results.

I think he was involved in the drunk driving incident the other year.

Regular Premier League finishes on a comparatively meagre budget, including a couple of top 10 finishes and a European adventure. Boring indeed.

I know. But im saying that they would have been forgotten if the results were good. Sentiment never should impact a managerial appointment.

The main reason consciously or otherwise is because their results this season have been dismal. Had they done really well they wouldnt care about the Liverpool connections.