David Moyes is “desperate” to add more quality in attack as his side laboured and languished in the 1-0 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday night.

It was a dispiriting performance from the Toffees in their season opener. Although the makeshift backline looked solid until a “bizarre” penalty call from referee Chris Kavanagh effectively decided the game, there were precious few forays into the opposition box.

Despite signing Charly Alcaraz, Thierno Barry, Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, among others, during this transfer window, the Toffees are still without a natural attacker on the right wing.

Speaking after the loss to Leeds United, Moyes complained, “The attacking players, we are desperate to get more quality. But let’s be fair, it’s something I think I’ve been saying for a while that I’m having to try and find ways of getting that better.”

While they did have half-chances here and there through James Tarkowski, Jake O’Brien and Alcaraz, the side created little danger of note. They effectively had zero xG in the entire first half and their first shot on target was after 75 minutes.

The Everton boss’s first change of the night was also left late. Jack Grealish came on at the 70th-minute mark to replace Tim Iroegbunam. When asked whether Grealish was ready to start a match yet, having been left out of Manchester City’s summer schedule, Moyes said, “Jack’s trained really well. I want to try and bring him in at the right time. I don’t want us to put him out there and the expectations be too high, too quickly for him.

“I think if you look into it, I think he’s very rarely played two games in a row, he’s rarely played three games in a row, so if you actually look into his history you’ll find that he’s not done that, so we’ll have to bring him on and we’ll need to do it at the right times.”

While Moyes was disappointed with referee Chris Kavanagh’s penalty decision, he also accepted his side’s poor performance and that they deserved little from this match. Injuries to Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko led to a major defensive shakeup and James Garner slotted in at left-back.

“We had to play someone there,” said Moyes.

“Well, look, we’ve lost two of our better players that were in the back four, so that happens. Other teams will lose players at different times of the season. We’ve lost a couple at the start here, which is a blow.”

Curiously enough, Adam Aznou, the teenage left-back signed from Bayern Munich, was missing from Everton’s squad despite the injury to Mykolenko. Asked whether either Mykolenko or Aznou would be available for the match with Brighton at the weekend, Moyes said, “I don’t know. I’ll tell you when I find out.”

 

Reader Comments (60)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

Bobby Mallon

1 Posted
19/08/2025 at
14:14:34

He’s such a twat.

Is Aznou injured? And if not, why was he not played???

Robert Tressell

2 Posted
19/08/2025 at
14:25:56

Yes he is being a knobhead.

He either tried to be over clever with the formation etc and ballsed that up.

Or he is trying to send a message to TFG and seems to have ballsed that up too.

For an experienced man he’s not handling himself well.

Pat Kelly

3 Posted
19/08/2025 at
14:56:40

So our “marquee” signing is going to cost us a shedload of money per game played if he can only be used every other game. Half the time, we may as well not have him.

Sounds a bit rich but, compared to the other bench warmers we’ve brought in, he’s already streets ahead.

Anthony Hawkins

4 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:04:16

Has Moyes just said that Grealish is essentially the same as James? He’s not fit enough to play a match each week?

Kieran Kinsella

5 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:09:53

Anthony

Exactly in which case why pay him 250k a week if you think he can’t play two games in a row and can make the odd appearance sparingly.

Tony Abrahams

6 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:12:03

After we had rode the storm and looked to be the more likely team for a period during the second half, it soon became apparent that we never had enough craft, desire or technical ability, to go on and win the game.

N’Diaye, produced a lovely little flick but Dewsbury Hall, never had quite enough drive or options, Alkaraz, played a nice give and go, that saw him get booked for being kicked, but other than that we had very little movement, so yes…. We are absolutely desperate for more quality in attack.

Kevin Molloy

7 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:13:05

I think Kieran he is hoping to bring him on gradually.

Kieran Kinsella

8 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:15:31

Tony

What strikes me is that it is a reminder of what separates great players from OK players: Consistency. N’Diaye and Alcaraz can look great offensively on their day but they don’t perform like that every week. Same with McNeil. If you have enough of those kind of players you can try and shuffle them around and if you’re lucky you pick the right guys at the right time. We don’t have enough to shuffle the pack so we have to wince most weeks and wait on the occasional “great” performance.

Kieran Kinsella

9 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:21:47

Kevin

If he is not match fit after no preseason I understand that. But Moyes is talking about “expectations being too high.” This is a guy who played in and won the European cup, played in the European Championship final. I don’t think he is some shy lad who needs to keep a low profile because of “expectations.”

Tony Abrahams

10 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:23:40

I think it’s about getting a better balance Kieran, and a few better players, because both of these things should help bring us more consistency.

I was reading ToffeeWeb, on holiday and when we sign a player, some people start writing other players off.

It’s crazy, because we simply need a bigger and better squad of players, if we are to ever truly start moving forward.

Get the players in the squad and then find out, who compliments who.

We need creativity, we need pace and we need to be a lot more direct down the sides, imo.

Charles Brewer

11 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:24:19

Last night was dismal.

Even when the Everton players got the ball in a potentially attacking position, they were invariably caught by at least two Leeds players before they’d gone a couple of metres. They looked like a team of old men up against athletes.

There wasn’t a single player or performance that looked more than adequate for a Sunday pub team, and as for motivation and fight, I’ve seen more aggressive duvets.

The relegation battle started last night, and the first skirmish was a rout.

Alan McGuffog

12 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:25:01

Well bloody well do something about it, you’re supposed to be a manager. Manage for Chrissakes!

Kevin Molloy

13 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:28:07

this is why Moyes released the statements he did. Cos he knew these utter barmcakes were exposing him to this sort of criticism whilst they continue to piss around on deals. I still can’t believe the Friedkins spent a billion on Everton, then thought, ‘right, let’s put everything in the hands of some yorkie from the Championship so he can appoint a bunch of his no mark mates,, and then we’ll route all our decisions through that’

Kieran, he’s barely played in two years, I’m sure you’ll agree the last thing we need is him breaking down with an injury. I never expected him to start last night, he’s not match fit, how can he be.

Michael Kenrick

14 Posted
19/08/2025 at
15:33:37

Did the Echo say anything about Aznou’s absence from the squad?

I can’t bring myself to read the bloody thing with all that shite talk down the side of every fucking story they post about Everton.

Or I could just ask my little electronic friend… who tells me:

As definitively confirmed by Everton themselves in their official match report, and reiterated by manager David Moyes in his post-match comments, Adam Aznou was absent from the Leeds United game due to an injury.

The lack of specific detail for Aznou’s injury is a notable omission in the available information, suggesting either it was less severe, or the specifics were not deemed necessary for public release at the time.

Hmmm… he’s starting to sound more and more like Big Brother!

Raymond Fox

15 Posted
19/08/2025 at
16:01:10

They can try again to buy Dibbling, he is plenty expensive enough and I don’t know how much our kitty is but we need players from somewhere.

Other teams now know if they didn’t before, we are very keen to buy players so prices will be high.

Ian Pilkington

16 Posted
19/08/2025 at
16:14:37

Since the end of last season until the Dibling deal stalled, we were constantly being “linked” with player after player.
Now, with many of those players having moved elsewhere, new rumours have largely dried up.
Southampton will surely agree to a compromise deal at around £44M so just get it done. We don’t want him coming in on the last day of the window then sitting on the bench for a month until Moyes adjudges him to be match fit.
Meanwhile, the failure to sign a right back is equally damning, with Patterson endlessly injured and evidently not good enough when actually deemed to be fit.
Finally with DCL foolishly rejecting a new deal and Chermiti giving no impression that he will make the grade, we are short of striker options.
I don’t fear a relegation battle just a disappointing lack of progress.

Jim Wilson

17 Posted
19/08/2025 at
16:50:02

We need a right back immediately!

Jay Harris

18 Posted
19/08/2025 at
16:52:54

Lets be honest for years we have all said e need more goalscoring ability in the team and we need full backs.

As for this new “Elite” recruitment team the mind boggles.

One man handles our recruitment reasonably well with a negative budget.

This crowd cant even make it happen with 150m. Does anyone rate our acquisitions apart from Dewsbury Hall.

Second rate forwards, second rate full back and second rate goalkeepers and no wingers.

So much for the new revolution.

Robert Tressell

19 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:00:32

Jay in fairness the club management have said judge them at the end of the window.

Although that doesn’t help the initial fixtures you can see why they operate that way. It’s a daft system unfortunately.

And it is very early to judge Barry and Aznou – both of whom could prove to be v good signings (as might Travers if Pickford gets injured).

Who knows we could see Gallagher, Dibling, Rensch and George (or other random options) arrive in the next week or so. That would cheer us up.

John Williams

20 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:13:51

To be truthful, I never thought this group who have taken over Everton, have spare money. Its borrowed
like all the previous takeovers of clubs ie the Glazers at Man Utd.
Remember the first Yanks who took over the Reds, that nearly finished them.
This group are interested in the stadium and what they can do with it and by the way, clubs don t have managers anymore, they are coaches, you get the players you are given.

Tom Bowers

21 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:21:18

Idiot Moyes. You had more quality in attack but chose to sit in your own half. Only Beto remained up, wasting his time.

Grealish, Barry, and Chermiti on the bench. What a waste.

Joe McMahon

22 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:32:08

Tom, you say “What a waste” — I assume you mean Moyes, or the Ian Drury song.

Tony Abrahams

23 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:32:41

I think they have got a lot of money, John, but it doesn’t mean that they want to spend it on anything other than growing their portfolios.

They are ruthless businessmen and, reading between the lines, if it’s true that Everton have approached loads of players and been told No, then it must be about more than the club not being able to offer European football.

Mike Price

24 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:34:52

The recruitment process is abysmal.

We sign big, slow, clumsy, unskillful strikers. It’s been years now that we’ve been crying out for some proper fullbacks and some serious pace on the wings. None of these things have been addressed.

But it was deemed a good idea to re-sign Coleman on another contract when he’s done nothing for the last 2 years. So much for the new, hard-edged American professionalism.

Kieran Kinsella

25 Posted
19/08/2025 at
17:56:17

Robert,

The thing about Aznou and Barry that worries me is Moyes’s comments. Seemingly, we tracked both for a while which implies they’re Thelwell era targets.

Moyes’s comment on Aznou was “This boy’s a young boy, maybe not quite ready yet,”. Reminds me of when we had that young Greek striker who scored a few goals and Moyes then dismissed him as “just a kid.” Or Moyes’s handling of Ross Barkley.

Then there is Barry, a guy roundly described as “raw” – a term previously applied to Stracqualursi and Niasse which doesn’t inspire confidence. Then he said he was “disappointed” with Beto and last season said he had gaps in his game that you’d say will develop if he was a young lad, which he is not.

So in essence, we have several young or “raw” players and a manager who has no history of developing or improving real talent. He has done well at getting average players to work hard, to be organized etc. But he has never seen a fledgling talent come to fruition, whether it be Jose Baxter, Barkley, or anyone else.

So I am not sure our recruiting is aligned with his skill set. We’d be better if he is the manager to scour the Championship or lower-level European leagues for hard working 25- or 26-year-olds who have a basic skill set but are never likely to be superstars.

Nick Page

26 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:01:20

Summary by club of transfers and spending. Man Utd spent >£200M with no European football. Sunderland and Forest have spent 2x what Everton have:

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/transfers/wettbewerb/GB1

Quickly getting left behind again by ambitious clubs with a plan. Shameful.

Stu Gre

27 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:03:03

I think Moyes is a big man baby, doesn’t like the fact that he isn’t in charge of recruitment, and refuses to play the new players because they weren’t his. Can’t stand his excuses and his buck-passing. His only saving grace is that he isn’t Dyche.

I suspect the new recruitment team would much rather work with an innovative young manager who can get the best out of young players and attacking talent, in spite of their inexperience and weaknesses.

Carsley anyone?

Nick Page

28 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:04:46

Areola all day long.

Robert Tressell

29 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:05:04

Kieran # 25,

Moyes didn’t play Vellios because he was shit. A shit player who went on to prove it by having a shit career.

Moyes talks a lot of rubbish so I wouldn’t pay too much attention. Despite these annoying sound bites, he wasn’t shy about playing the likes of Vaughan, Anichebe, Rodwell etc as teenagers.

Barry will play once up to speed but Beto is the more likely starter for now. Aznou will get some game time but late sub at first now and again and maybe also left midfield with Mykolenko behind him for cover. The plan will be for Aznou to inherit the left-back spot over the next 18 months, I expect.

Jay Harris

30 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:15:00

Robert,

I love your optimism and wish I had it but if you buy players for the future that is what you get and having dispatched players for the here and now Young, Harrison, Lindstrom, Calvert-Lewin and Doucoure we now find ourselves in a short-term pickle.

I often remember a quote from one of my business mentors years ago when talking about long-term planning.

His quote: “Without short-term success, there will be no long term”.

Let’s hope you are right:- “Who knows, we could see Gallagher, Dibling, Rensch and George (or other random options) arrive in the next week or so. That would cheer us up.”

Personally, I think it’s more likely we’ll see Harrison and Vardy.

Martin Berry

31 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:15:01

Wolves have just signed a fast right-back from Serie A without much of a problem it seems, so what’s our problem?

We need a right-back and right-winger in by the end of the week, we cannot leave it to the last minute as it would be a disaster.

I wonder whether Vardy will now be our Andy Gray or Kevin Campbell, should he arrive on a free?

Something serious has to happen and I am sure we are all hoping in anticipation.

Mark Tanton

32 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:15:29

We’re going to have to accept that we had the free spending days and spent tens of millions on several players who all played in the same position.

Sadly we’re all going to have pay the price for the idiots who were running the show.

Danny O’Neill

33 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:26:45

I don’t think Moyes is helping himself with public comments about the players. He’s basically said the forwards aren’t good enough. Maybe so, but that is hardly going to motivate them ahead of Sunday.

Stu @27, I think Carsley has previously made his position clear. He enjoys coaching and is happy staying in the England setup with the U21s. I’m not sure he wants to go into full-time club management.

I’ve read with interest the calls for Vardy. Not sure I get that. I’m no ageist, but at 38, the one key attribute he had was his pace to get behind and beat defenders. Not for me.

Mike Price

34 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:27:36

I wouldn’t be happy with Moyes if I was the owners. We need to get rid of Beto but he basically calls him rubbish and then he says we’re desperate to sign attacking players!

Not exactly a good poker player; he’s making it harder to unload our rubbish and more expensive to buy anything that would improve us.

Mike Gaynes

35 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:27:58

Nick #26, you heard of PSR?

Man Utd has 4X the revenue we do and therefore can spend far more on players than we can.

Forest qualified for Europe and has more revenue incoming than us.

And Sunderland are simply gambling, mostly on players we wouldn’t pursue, by overspending to stay up. If they fail, they will be in deep shit.

Comparisons are pointless.

Conor McCourt

36 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:42:42

Please stop talking, David; as Kieran points out, you can’t have everything you want. You are not Alex Ferguson.

How do you think Keith Andrews is feeling when he has a front four of Milambo, Lewis Potter, Igor and Carvalho as his frontline as well as no backroom team?

You are our manager, you are not head of recruitment, fortunately. Here’s an idea: play the Senegal right-winger at right-wing. You have Beto, Barry, Chermiti, Ndiaye, Grealish, Alcaraz, McNeil and Dewsbury-Hall in the building… and likely one more big signing and a loan to come.

If you can’t make chances with those, you are in the wrong job.

Brian Harrison

37 Posted
19/08/2025 at
18:54:57

I think maybe Moyes saying he needed 9 or 10 new signings has caused some displeasure in the ranks, and maybe those comments might have been better kept in-house. But he is absolutely right about needing more goals and quality from our attacking players; for me, that includes our attacking midfield players.

There has definitely been a difference in attitude since Moyes took over; we started most games pressing high, and the team seemed to enjoy that, but in pre-season, we haven’t seen any of that and have looked quite lethargic.

Talk of Vardy by Stubbs is madness: a good finisher with pace in his heyday which has long since passed. Surely there has to be better attacking options than Vardy.

The injuries to Mykolenko and Branthwaite haven’t helped, but it was the lack of a cutting edge that cost us the game, not defensive errors.

Nick Page

38 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:00:15

“Nick #26, you heard of PSR?“

No Mike, I’ve never heard of that. What is it?

Robert Tressell

39 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:07:05

Mike # 35, I wouldn’t dismiss Sunderland’s business so quickly. I’d have been pleased with Mukiele, Talbi, Diarra, Xhaka and Adingra. All five of them might have played and improved our side last night.

Conor # 36, I agree Keith Andrews has a hard road ahead at Brentford but his attacking options aren’t as bad as you make out. Yes they will miss Wissa and Mbeumo but they have £30m Thiago (the Toney replacement who was injured last season), £22m Schade, £40m Ouattara, £10m Nunes (the 19 year old Brazilian), £27.5m Carvalho, £17m Kean Lewis-Potter and £13m Damsgaard. Brentford are definitely weaker and could well go down this season, but they are not short of players. They have a bigger squad than us – and two players at least for every position.

Paul Smith

40 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:10:39

So just seen an info-graphic on money out and money in during this transfer window:

Everton have spent £75 million – 13th biggest spenders so far and money received through sales – £3.4 million – 18th in the Premiership.

Basically we are not buying players with sell on value.

Conor McCourt

41 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:24:04

Robert I get your point about Outarra he’s class but he wasn’t available for Saturday and Schade wasn’t fully fit so only made the bench. I like you think he will be ok even if I totally disagree and don’t even think it’s close between squads.

For example, Collins, whom I rate quite highly, I don’t think he is as good as O’Brien, especially in terms of potential, even if he’s more experienced and further along in his development – and I’ve followed their careers closely.

Of the team he was able to put out on Saturday, the front four had a combined total of 7 Premier League goals and 4 of those came from Potter. Once Schade gets fit, he will provide more and certainly will Outarra but we will have to see about Thiago as he looked really off it at the weekend and we will have to see how he adapts to the Premier League as well as coming back from injury.

My point was look how under prepared they were and Andrews hasn’t spent the whole of preseason bitching and reneging on all accountability.

Robert Tressell

42 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:25:37

Paul, just for wider context too – our spending over recent seasons looks like this (these figures are from end season 2021 to today):

Everton – 25th place in net spend (a positive figure of €20.03m)

Over the same period this puts us behind every other club who has been in the Premier League except for Sheffield United and Watford.

Again over the same period it puts us behind:

8th – West Ham (€355m)

9th – Forest (€335m)

10th – Palace €208m)

11th – Brentford (€190m)

12th – Bournemouth (€167m)

The figures in brackets are by how much the club has outspent us.

This is why I don’t think it is fair to say (yet) that TFG have backed the manager. All they have done is switch spending back on to fairly modest levels – compared with year upon year of extreme cost cutting and negative investment. Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted that they have – but it’s pretty modest stuff in Premier League terms.

Craig Scott

43 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:27:09

Brian @37, you are right we did look better when we were pressing high last season. But since Branthwaite’s injury late last season and this one our defence has had to sit deeper to compensate for his slow replacement so this has affected our whole setup.

I believe we have the midfield players to create more opportunities but unfortunately even if we had City’s midfield, we’re still lumbered with that carthorse Beto to convert most of them.

Robert Tressell

44 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:31:34

Conor, fair enough about your Brentford point. I see what you mean about players available.

On the managerial moaning, I think Keith Andrews knows he is lucky to have a job. His time for bitching and arse covering will come. Moyes really stunk out the last few weeks with it unfortunately. As an experienced manager he really could have handled it all much better.

Brentford really do have a bigger squad than us though (32 players valued by Transfermarkt at €414.20m). This compares to us (24 players valued at €340.40m). They have spent a lot more to assemble that squad too.

Conor McCourt

45 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:40:38

Robert value is based on age so the likes of Gana and Grealish (loan) qualities aren’t taken into account. Pickford may be less valued than Kelleher. While I rate both highly I don’t think they are close in value yet as Pickford is top class while Kelleher has still to prove he is.

All that tells you is Brentford have a smart recruitment policy which Everton haven’t had. We will see how TFG fare on that score.

Robert I posed a hypothetical on the other thread but if we sign Dibling wouldn’t that make us 3rd in net spends this summer as we currently stand (Spurs about you usurp that)? Would that be backing the manager in your eyes?

Brian Harrison

46 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:45:40

Alan Myers has just put up this last of what each club has bought and sold so far in this window.

Spent club Received
291.9 Liverpool 185.5
240.1 Chelsea 205.7
197.2 Man Utd 0
192.6 Arsenal 6.9
153.4 Man City 53.7
147.7 Forest 102.1
141.9 Sunderland 41.7
127.9 Spurs 31.5
125.6 Newcastle 26.7
107.8 Burnley 30.0
86.4 Bournemouth 197.5
84.8 Brentford 83.8
75.0 Everton 3.4
73.5 Leeds 6.5
71.2 West Ham 54.8
69.6 Brighton 104.7
67.9 Wolves 98.7
31.8 Villa 44.8
2.0 Crystal Palace 0
0.4 Fulham 0

Obviously 2 weeks still left but it just shows some of the biggest buyers are also the biggest sellers and thats were we trail most clubs in what we sell.

Ian Bennett

47 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:46:59

There is nothing left to sell.

Robert Tressell

48 Posted
19/08/2025 at
19:53:32

Conor # 45, yes I agree the individual valuations tend to be a bit awry on Transfermarkt but each squad wins and loses in the same way. It probably undervalues someone like Janelt in the same way it does Gueye, for example.

It is also independent / objective too (which you and I might try to be but are not). And like I say, you’d expect the Brentford squad to be better since they have spent over £150m than us in assembling it.

In terms of your hypothetical, if we spend £45m on Dibling that would put us at 21st place in all spending since 2021 – just behind Luton Town. In terms of this season, it would put us third in the net spending. At a similar sort of level to the RS, Man City, Sunderland, Newcastle and Spurs.

I think that is probably as much as can be expected of TFG (PSR probably stops them doing more – and we’d fill up other places with loans and frees). To that extent it is backing the manager. But against the backdrop of chronic / extreme underinvestment – backing the manager to do what? It would still leave us with the 15th best squad (according to Transfermarkt at least).

Conor McCourt

49 Posted
19/08/2025 at
20:02:43

No Robert I’m still curious to know why you think Moyes hasn’t been backed by TFG. I don’t want to know about 2021. Why has he not been backed ? Is it just financially and if we signed Dibling today would that alter your belief?

Ian Bennett

50 Posted
19/08/2025 at
20:04:43

You could spend another £200m and youre still going to be way off. Net spend is a useless statistic.

Liverpool could have a net spend of zero. But if they’ve a class squad, bought 4 or 5 world class players and harvested the youth team, then they’ll be further ahead than a net zero spend would imply.

Bottom line is our base is way too short. We don’t have players to punt on either.

You cant go into a season with a squad of 14 to 15 decent enough outfield players. You’re going to pick up injuries and suspensions, and compound it by making it worst

Beto is a laughing stock, but if him gana, and Tarkowski pick up a red or injuries where are we left? Unlikely? Gana is 36 next month and Tarkowski is 33 after a nasty hamstring

Robert Tressell

51 Posted
19/08/2025 at
20:15:21

Sorry, Conor – I see you’ve asked the Q here that I’ve just answered on another thread but indirectly. Cut & paste…

If the question is “have TFG backed the manager” then I would say “to do what?”

Q. backed to avoid relegation?
A. yes. They have helped to correct nearly 5 years of extreme negative investment.

Q. backed to finish in the top 10?
A. as things stand Transfermarkt ranks us as having the 15th best squad, so that’s open to debate. Certainly we have a chance. But Moyes hasn’t been given one of the best 10 squads (yet) so hard to argue he’s been “backed” to finish top 10.

Q. qualify for Europe (7th place?)
A. not really no. We would have to massively overperform. It doesn’t mean we won’t do it – but I don’t think you can say we have “backed the manager” by providing a squad that should qualify for Europe.

Q. qualify for the Champions League?
A. no, we’re absolutely miles adrift still.

Q. win the title?
A. nope.

So that’s why I say TFG have only “backed the manager” if you set your sights very low.

I get that PSR means they can’t do much more – but that doesn’t change what Moyes has been equipped with. He’s been equipped with a bottom half squad.

Christy Ring

52 Posted
19/08/2025 at
20:44:50

Looking at a team with no shape, O’Brien RB, Garner LB, can someone show me where Grealish, Ndiaye, Alcaraz and KDH can play together in the first 11. If McNeill was fit for the bench, why not 352 with Garner in midfield.

Iain Johnston

53 Posted
19/08/2025 at
21:15:18

4231 will win nothing especially with a striker such as Beto or Barry. For the amount of end product they produce we are basically playing with 10 men.
All of the goal scoring Premier League clubs now play with 3 in midfield & 3 forwards.
As for siginings, for me it’s back to the good old days of being linked to players we have zero hope of signing or vastly overpriced one hit wonders no one has ever heard of.

There are quality right sided players out there who would perform far better than what we have now but for some obscure reason the club isn’t interested.

We agreed terms & a fee for Fellows in January only for West Brom deciding they wanted to keep him as the still had a chance of the playoffs. We could sign him tomorrow for well under £20m. Whats changed?

Mick O’Malley

54 Posted
19/08/2025 at
21:53:51

I’m sick of us buying players who are deemed not PL ready, Sunderland had new players at the weekend who never played in the Prem before but their manager puts them straight in the team, they then wallop West Ham, Leeds had new players from abroad who played last night and none of them looked out of place, if they are bought for the first team get them in the side, I refuse to believe that Barry would have played as bad as Beto did last night, I thought he was an embarrassment last night, he contributed absolutely nothing, it’s sad to see him with the number 9 on his back bumbling around trying to bring the ball under control, ok he’s a nice fella and tries his best but ffs if he is leading the line this season I really fear where the goals will come from, he cant hold the ball up, he’s terrible in the air and he was completely dominated by their centre halves last night, he didnt have a clue when to press, when to drop off, he looked completely out of his depth.i know Gana has his fans but I thought he was awful as well last night, he was sloppy with the ball, charging all over the place trying to win the ball, Leaving big spaces behind him, his shooting was abysmal, I’d like him to sit in a bit more, Tim wasn’t any better, he looks a red card waiting to happen

Mark Boullé

55 Posted
19/08/2025 at
22:59:36

Now Dibling is linked with Palace, who will shortly need to replace Eze and will be flush with cash to do so…

Other than Fofana, whom I see no hope of us getting, all our rumoured right-sided targets have gone, or are likely going, elsewhere.

Sancho worth a punt? Tick tock, 11 days to go and with the rumour mill deathly silent, there won’t be anybody in for the next game either…

Jerome Shields

56 Posted
19/08/2025 at
23:07:15

To have a Quality Forward line you need a quality pass.Iroegbunam was played in a position he normally does not play.He lost possession 41 times in that game. Don’t even go down about providing a quality pass.Drewsbury Hall would have been better as the attacking midfielder as he can pass the ball.Hoof ball does not work for Beto. He learnt his football I. Portugal. Nadiaye obviously did not get a sniff of the ball.

I don’t think Moyes knows what to do with Grealish and he seems to have given up on the right back position.

What a Horlicks he made of that game.

Ernie Baywood

57 Posted
19/08/2025 at
23:30:09

Moyes seems like he’s going to be very coy with player news, possibly as a result of the Branthwaite leak. I’d be surprised if it didn’t emerge that Aznou has some kind of issue.

Granted, if that’s not the case then it’s a weird decision to not even bench him. When do the U21s play? If he’s fit but ‘not ready’ then you’d expect him to get a run out there.

Not sure I like his Grealish comments. Fine to suggest he’s simply under done for the first game given he’s had no pre season, but to suggest he can’t play a couple of games straight is a bit of a different statement. I don’t know what we’re paying per week but, if it’s true that we think he can’t play consecutive games, then he’s probably not worth it.

I’ve no idea how you fix the forward line. Barry might be for the future but what is the plan for this season? It can’t be Beto.

Jack Convery

58 Posted
20/08/2025 at
03:04:04

The one thing EFC do not do well is risk assessment. What happens if Myko and Branthwaite are injured ? Well we play Jake and er, er anybody at LB. What if the Patterson is unfit ( quite likely these days ), we play Seamus. Can Seamus play week in week out ? No, but don’t worry we can fill in with Jake or Garner.

So if we end up with Keane, Taks and O’brien in defence and an emergency LB, we will need to play deep, won’t we. Surely this will leave the CF isolated as Gueye, N’Diaye, Alcaraz, KDH and the Holy Greal, can’t leave a great big gap between the defence who are too slow to cover fast forwards.

The solution – plan ahead. Don’t buy slow defenders. Get in at least 2 fast defenders defenders who can cover LB / CD and RB / CD. Loan out Keane, sell Patterson or at least arrange a loan. Rangers may take him. Tavernier can’t go on forever.

It maybe 3am and I’m not thinking straight, due to tiredness, caused yet again by this f n team of mine, embarrassing us all, once again on Sly Sports.

PS: Spit the dog and the son of Neville Neville can go and feck themselves. Spit thought grabbing Lescott and dragging him to the floor, wasn’t a penalty – some pundit.

Kieran Kinsella

59 Posted
20/08/2025 at
03:17:15

Jack

The one thing? What about recruitment? Youth development? Board management? Marketing? Playing politics so we don’t volunteer to get banned from Europe and get the government to build our stadium a la WHU, City or Man U?

Ernie Baywood

60 Posted
20/08/2025 at
03:31:52

Jack, the things you are talking about have been overlooked for a long time. But that was the price we paid for the profligacy and stupidity shown by our leaders.

I’ve no doubt Moyes will want pace in the back line – it’s exactly what he did last time. And full backs who can contribute. And midfielders who can take the ball. And strikers who can control a ball.

But this is one transfer window since the last owners and Moyes came on board. In fact, it’s not even one complete window as the main part of the window is still to come.

And of course we can complain that we haven’t got our business done early but that would come with accepting some combination of higher fees or lower quality in exchange for speed of transaction.

I’m still exactly where I was a few weeks ago. We can realistically judge this transfer window when it completes. Not sooner. If we’re after the best we can get then that will probably happen closer to the deadline. The season is much longer than 2 weeks… hopefully we’re looking at signings who improve at least the next 10 months rather than just next week

How to get rid of these ads and support TW

© ToffeeWeb