Summer transfer rumours, speculation and out-and-out b*ll*cks.

[richard moore]

Not sure wahat Moyes can do, they supposedly started with the strongest squad this year, Arteta looks a shadow of his former self, Saha gets injured, comes back does nothing, then hits purple patch gets injured again, repeat many times, the other forwards Vaughn and Anichibe, strong runners thats about it, very reliant on Cahill. When Everton get thier best 11 out all fit and up for it they are a difficult team, other times ordinary.
He had nothing like the investment MON but kept them at the top end of the league. I think he has done a solid job but thats it.

Yes, any programme you tuned into about the season ahead before it started was tipping Everton to be the surprise team and a good outside bet for a top 5 finish...

[eastie]

Moyes has done an ok job at everton but nothing outstanding. A lot of everton fans want a change up there and I think he will probably go in the summer , I'd rather stick with houllier personally as I see us having a decent season next year and as he gets his own players into this system we will only get better.

[sid1964]

I agree with Eastie, if you watch Everton a lot of their goals are from set piece free kicks / corners etc and that is too similar to the style of play under MON.

Lets see how we do for the rest of this season, and then give Houllier the summer to bring in his own players and get rid of the dross that are leeching from our club, and then we will see a change in style and pattern of our football.

[SoccerHQ]

I actually think Everton have been playing much better football over the last year than when they were finishing 5th.

I think Moyes has taken them as far as he can without substantial investment. Wouldn't say no to him being our next manager or Owen Coyle.

[villa for life]

Yes, given the investment, Moyes has worked miracles keeping them up for so many seasons and took them to 4th not so long ago...

[KevinGage]

I see O'Neill and Moyes as being fairly similar. Difference is O'Neill had huge great piles of cash, as far ast the eye could see, Moyes has to make money for transfers by selling stolen car radios at car boot sales.

True, but however good you are at signings, it doesn't matter if you have the same mediocre football ideas. I very much respect what Moyes has done at Everton, much like I respect what MON did here, but I still don't think he's 'next level' material yet.

Yet the passing and movement on display from them at Villa Park this season was far in excess of anything we'd seen under MON. 

They still lost of course, which tells it's own story and is indicative of their campaign to date.  But their style of play last season and this rather than just the results indicates to me that Moyes can be a progressive manager and develop with the times.

It never troubled me a huge amount that MON's sides at Leicester and even at Celtic played a pretty basic brand of football. You cut your cloth accordingly and I envisaged/ hoped that -like Sir Brian when he made the move from Leicester to Villa- the standard and style of play would improve with better resources. That didn't happen.

Everton's results this season would put many off him, I can understand that. But you'd have to say that on balance for the eight years (that in itself is rare in the cut throat world of topflight management) he's been there, he's done a fantastic job.  Perhaps he's stayed too long, to the point that Everton's ongoing financial handicap is now harming his reputation.

By all accounts we made informal enquirers soon after MON left, only to be told that he wanted to remain there and finish the job. I wonder if he now regrets that.

[villa for life]

Yes, Moyes is a very loyal man and I think that is why he has managed to persuade/inspire so many players like Arteta and Cahill to stay on even though they could have gone on to clubs with more chance of silverware.
That loyalty can only go on for so long and as the previous poster has mentioned, Everton's lack of investment is starting to harm his credibility, and so we now see a few people starting to doubt his ability, all this despite what he has achieved.
Randy and Moyes would be a match made in heaven.

[peter w]

I'd go for a summer recruitment of:

Mexes
Lescott (if Agger won't come)
Gibbs

then let the rest sort itself out.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Would still love Tim Cahill.  Exactly what we need .......

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Itchy chin emoticon

Aston Villa are lining up a summer offer for Basel winger Xherdan Shaqiri - but will face stiff competition from across Europe for his signature.
Full story: talksport.co.uk

[WikiVilla]

Moyes very good manager, been solid for Everton
They normally go on a good run from now til season end and finish 7th or 8th.
I see this season being no different

[eastie]

Thats true wiki but a lot of everton fans would feel they should be better than 7th or 8th , I think moyes has now probably hit the same wall now that o neill hit after his 4 years here and it's probably best for a parting of the ways this summer.

[WikiVilla]

possibly eastie from Moyes perspective but not Everton FC. He's kept them in the top half of the prem for years

[TimTheVillain]

Thats true wiki but a lot of everton fans would feel they should be better than 7th or 8th , I think moyes has now probably hit the same wall now that o neill hit after his 4 years here and it's probably best for a parting of the ways this summer.

And you know what - I would love it, love it if he came to B6.

[Ad@m]

Itchy chin emoticon

Aston Villa are lining up a summer offer for Basel winger Xherdan Shaqiri - but will face stiff competition from across Europe for his signature.
Full story: talksport.co.uk

Never going to happen.

Most of the Holte couldn't pronounce "One Xherdan Shaqiri, there's only one Xherdan Shaqiri, one Xherdan Shaqiiiiiiiri...."