reynard

I think there could easily be a chance of this. That side and that performance today and, over the last few weeks, wouldn't make the top half of the league. Serious chance we hit the summer without a manager and with several players leaving and no money to replace them. large scale redundancies of non-playing staff and the same useless owner and DOF who have presided over this abhorrent display and who will dither around before appointing a manager who will have no pre-season with whatever players we have left etc. Just remember it took Coventry 25 years to get back to the Premier League. If that is us then pretty much anyone over 60 today may not see us back in the Premier League.

May as well ask him to leave now. We're not staying up and he's useless.

Steve Walsh was amazing for us but that was part of a trio really when he was at his best. I don't think you'd find many Everton fans missing him.

Yes for me too. Before that we were playing exciting attacking football. That defeat was a sobering affair and appeared to change our approach to the way we played. Confidence was knocked for both players and manager and I don't think we ever really got over it. Seems a bit mad to pinpoint the start of the demise to when we were riding high in the league but I do genuinely that day was the turning point.

It really isn't the same though. Administration last time was largely brought on by the collapse of the TV deal and didn't follow an unprecedented decade of success with record revenue streams. If we go into administration again, and that isn't certain, it will be down to poor ownership and gross financial mismanagement of the club. Of course fans going to watch the matches and support the club is absolutely fine and I don't agree with this divisive blame game that appears to be going on as it doesn't really achieve anything in the end. I would, however, challenge those that do go to search within themselves as to whether they are happy with the way things are going and being run. If they are not, and you, yourself say you are not, then think about how you can make your feelings known. You say "No one is happy with how things are being run, and everyone wants Top to sell." My challenge would be to you and all those who think in a similar way to get together to try and make those changes happen. Right now we seem to have a core of fans who appear, in public, at least, to be oblivious to our situation. In the words of Helen Keller He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.

I though the same. I don't think he would just make up comments like that without at least something that backs it up even he can't reveal a source.

Sums it up perfectly for me too. I'm now far less stressed, enjoy my weekends more and can watch football without my heart rate getting to dangerous levels. Most eras come to an end and our recent one now has. It all feels different to the last time we were relegated to the third division. If we are relegated, as now looks likely, I can see us being away from the top flight for a decade at least. The whole club is just toxic. A winning mentality has been replaced by a losing one. A new owner is really required but, if Top won't sell, he needs to sack Rudkin, appoint someone to run the club and take a step back away from the running of the club. Trust people to do the job better than he can. Just about everything needs to change. We need a young progressive management team that embraces all modern training techniques. I'd head this with an experienced older head who can make sure that certain standards are maintained at all times. The recruitment team have failed. Glover needs replacing and do we really need a set piece coach in the third tier of football? I've no idea who these people might be and I've no confidence in Rudkin to find them. I'm sad and angry at the same time. Quite how so much incompetence can be allowed to continue without any consequences is mind boggling. Fans want to see success but even more the true fan wants to see effort, commitment and a pride in playing for the club they love and support. Right now we're not seeing any of those from the current squad.

Total coward today in his approach to the game. Afraid to make subs until too late. No imagination, no plan B or C. Just the same as it has been all season Don't want to see him here next season.

Only one word fit for this team, board and management right now. Cowards.

He's absolutely useless and need to go.

40 minutes to save the season. Hard to see this bunch of losers turning things round though.

This is the real issue. Clubs need to stop paying such big wages. Time to introduce a maximum wage that can be earned and wage expenses set at a maximum figure for every club. Player wages are ridiculous, even in the lower reaches of the pyramid. Also government should introduce a 25% tax on all club earnings in the Premier League to be redistributed down the football pyramid.

We were already a car crash when he signed. We needed players to step straight into the first team to improve the team not players who just sit on the bench and make no difference. 4 signings in January with pretty much zero impact. 2 of them a complete waste of money, another marginal either way and the other possibly a positive. At least none were signed on long term contracts.

I wonder what he's cost us per minute played? Why on earth did we sign him?

I don't think he has shown enough really to be appointed on a full time basis. We need a complete rebuild and a complete change in ethos through the whole club and I don't see him as the person to do it. We're basically back at the stage where Brian Little came in all those years ago.

Simply have to win this one. Nothing else will do now.

Sort of sums up the season. mainly poor, briefly decent, mentally weak.

Just a complete waste of a signing. If we could have sent him back in January we should have done so. Yet another failure by our recruitment team to add to the great many there have been in the last few seasons.

That's interesting and not what I would have expected. I wonder if that holds if we are relegated. Hard to think his agent would agree to reduction in salary under any circumstances and he would have been badly advised/foolish or both to agree to such terms. Of course we may not be able to afford to action the option in any case.

An option to buy works both ways. He doesn't have to accept our offer.

But don't worry the finance director has been promoted, the failed DOF has been promoted and the chief scout who recommended all the dross we've signed and who can't seem to see further than the Solent is still in place.

A figure that is far too high and just shows the greed of the modern pro and their agents. A figure nearer 50% would be a better start.

Absolutely right but it will never happen. Really player wages are far far too high. With the amount of money in the premier league no club should be making any kind of loss on the day to day running of the club. I get you need to invest in physical structures etc but player wages need to come down in all leagues. Our losses are terrible but if you are in the 4th tier of football and losing 2 or 3 million a year it just isn't sustainable. You can cut costs across the non playing staff and other non staff costs but the player wage bill is the main expenditure. No player should be allowed to earn over 50k a week as a basic wage in the top flight and far less as you go down the leagues. This needs a wage cap but it will never happen and we will just continue on the path football is on to no competition, a few wealthy clubs doing ok and the rest close to folding.

Great well thought out and balanced post.

Yet another utter waste of space. I'm sorry he's been injured but one more example of how our recruitment team consistently sign poor players. Should have gone back in January of that was a possibility.