Posts Tagged ‘Everton’
Will the dream become a nightmare for Blackpool?
Back in May, on a baking hot day at Wembley, Blackpool stunned the football World by clinching an unlikely promotion to the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Cardiff.
Their plucky underdog tag, plus the presence of the affable Ian Holloway at the helm, should ensure they will be everyone’s second favourite team this coming season. But being popular doesn’t win your points and for a competitive man like Holloway that just won’t do.
The Premier League relegation odds make the Seasiders favourites to go down, but Holloway would at least like his players to give it a good go.
However, with just three weeks to go until the new season the club are yet to sign a single player, although a deal for Israeli defender Dekel Keinan is believed to be close.
Also, many of last season’s loan stars, such as Leicester’s DJ Campbell and Everton’s Seamus Coleman, have now returned to their parent clubs. This means Blackpool could start the season weaker than they ended last campaign.
They are only going to go one way if they fail to add to the squad both in terms of quality and sheer numbers. No one wants to see the team struggle badly and, despite the strong team spirit at the club built up by Holloway, Derby County’s record low points total could be under threat if they don’t add some new faces.
To a certain extent, I applaud Holloway’s patient approach. He has no doubt been offered hundreds of players desperate to claim a piece of the Premier League pie and his reluctance to sign them up is the reason why he has formed such a strong nucleus of a side - he will only buy the right players. However, the football betting suggests they are in for a really tough season.
Now is the time to start taking a few risks, not necessarily to gamble the club’s future but to ensure that if they do go down, they will at least win a few games on the way.
Tags: Derby County, Dj Campbell, Everton, Favourite Team, Football World, Holloway, Hot Day, Last Campaign, New Faces, No Doubt, Parent Clubs, Patient Approach, Premier League, Relegation Odds, Reluctance, Seamus, Sheer Numbers, Team Spirit, Team Struggle, Underdog Tag
Newcastle go for Gosling
After one of the most bizarre transfer stories of the summer, it looks as though Dan Gosling will sign for Newcastle this week.
Gosling was released on a free from Everton earlier this summer. A tribunal decided that although Everton had verbally offered Gosling a new contract, they hadn’t made a written offer for the player.
The result is that Everton have lost one of England’s most exciting prospects, for absolutely nothing and Premier League betting pundits are certainly questioning the club’s policy on contract renewals.
Newcastle are believed to have won the race for Gosling’s signature, ahead of West Ham and Sunderland. He will be Chris Hughton’s second signing this summer, after James Perch was brought in from Nottingham Forest.
Everton have appealed the courts decision over Gosling. The club are trying to claim some compensation from any transfer that goes through. The compensation figure being reported by the press could be as high as £4million.
Everton will need the money to find a player to replace the versatile Gosling. The 20 year old can play in the middle of midfield, as well as right back and on the right wing. After playing for England at U17, U18 and U19 levels, Gosling made his under 21 debut against Portugal under Stuart Pearce.
While Newcastle fans will be happy with the capture of Gosling, they’ll have to wait a while to see him in action. Gosling suffered a serious knee injury for Everton against Wolves in March.
The timescale for the injury is between seven and nine months, ruling him out till around Christmas. The Geordie faithful will be hoping their new signing will be able to defy the Premier League betting odds and help their side cement their place in the Premiership after a year away from the big time.
Tags: Betting Odds, Big Time, Contract Renewals, Everton, Knee Injury, Lost One, Midfield, New Contract, Newcastle Fans, Nine Months, Premier League, Premiership, Pundits, Right Wing, Stuart Pearce, Timescale, U18, U19, West Ham, Wolves
David Moyes not tempted by World Cup stars
Everton will not be dipping their toes in the post-World Cup transfer market, according to their manager David Moyes.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, he explained that although the tournament is a good place for young talent to emerge on to the scene, there is little value in signing players simply on the basis they performed well in the competition.
Moyes did spend some time in South Africa working as a pundit before his club commitments meant he had to return home. The Scotsman used the opportunity to run the rule over some players, but if he does make a move it is unlikely to be soon and the man in question won’t necessarily be a household name. Anyone with a betting system will have to bear this in mind.
He said: “Overall [the World Cup isn't] a good place to buy from. What it does offer you is the chance to see the emerging talent. Players who have made their squads and are coming through.”
However, the Everton manager refused to be drawn further on the issue, so just who he is tracking remains to be seen.
Of course, Moyes has every right to be this coy. His success at Everton has been achieved on a shoestring budget and he will want to make sure that, if he does swoop for someone, other interest hasn’t led to the player in question becoming more expensive.
Despite this, the non-committal nature of his comments will still worry Everton fans. So far this summer the side have done a decent job of hanging on to their best players, but the squad will need to be strengthened further if they are to compete next season and the best betting site odds reflect this.
Moyes could have something up his sleeve, and although it would be hard to complete a deal without details leaking out it’s not impossible. However, it does seem that Everton fans may have to wait a little longer before they are able to greet any new faces.
Tags: Betting Odds, Betting Site, Club Commitments, David Moyes, Decent Job, Emerging Talent, Everton, Fans, Household Name, Liverpool Echo, Man In Question, New Faces, Odds, Pundit, Scotsman, Shoestring Budget, Success, Swoop, Time In South Africa, Toes, World Cup Stars, World Market
Is Pienaar the shock answer to Liverpool’s problems?
With only a few weeks to go until the end of the season it is no surprise the summer transfer rumour mill is beginning to lurch into gear.
Football writers and journalists are either very clued up on who clubs are after, or simply take a scattergun approach when it comes to reporting transfer rumours.
Therefore fans aren’t particularly surprised when a player actually signs as it is usually reported several weeks before the event.
However, there would be one transfer which, if it happened, would send shockwaves across the Premier League and Merseyside especially.
Reports this week suggest Rafa Benitez will make a move for Everton’s Steven Pienaar.
Stories about the South African leaving are not new. With just 14 months left on his current contract and talks with the Toffees still ongoing, it is a becoming increasingly likely that Pienaar will seek a move elsewhere, especially if he has a good World Cup with South Africa.
At 28 it would be the final big contract of his career and three good years with Everton mean he could leave Goodison with his head held high.
However, if he chose to up sticks and cross Stanley Park, he would guarantee himself villainous status across the Blue half of Merseyside. They would see it as the ultimate act of treachery and Pienaar would never be forgiven.
Just ask Nick Barmby. The former England man outraged Toffees fans in 2000 when he rejected a new deal at the club and announced he wanted to play for Liverpool. Stunned Blues supporters looked on as he donned the red shirt and promptly scored against Everton in his first derby for Liverpool.
Even at 36 Barmby, now a Hull player, still endures the taunts of Everton fans. Pienaar should take note if he decides to make a similar move.
I think Pienaar would do a good job wherever he plays, including at Everton. After a shaky season at Dortmund in Germany he has proven to be a fantastic player in the Premier League.
But a move to Liverpool would be too controversial for me, if Pienaar chooses to leave Goodison there would be easier and, given Liverpool’s financial worries, arguably more attractive options for him out there. A club with a real chance of challenging for the Premier League title might come in for him.
This rumour could be nothing more than tabloid hot air.
Of course, first on the players list of priorities will be this year’s World Cup.
The World Cup online betting makes the host nation rank outsiders for the tournament, but they may be able to cause a few upsets along the way.
Tags: Act Of Treachery, Benitez, Dortmund, Everton, Football Writers, Good Job, Journalists, Liverpool, Lurch, Merseyside, New Deal, Premier League, Scattergun Approach, Stanley Park, Steven Pienaar, Taunts, Toffees, Transfer Rumour Mill, Transfer Rumours, World Cup
English teams regain Eurovision
This might be the season that an English team finally wins the Europa League. There have been only three Premier League finalists in the UEFA Cup since English teams returned to Europe, with Liverpool’s victory in 2001 the first in the competition since Tottenham Hotspur’s in 1984.
An English champion in the first season – in the year of the 2010 Football world cup - of the Europa League would be appropriate. Spurs won the first ever UEFA Cup in 1972, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final, and whilst it might be too much to expect both Liverpool and Fulham to go all the way, both teams have a good chance of glory.
English teams have struggled in the UEFA Cup recently due to their inexperience in Europe. The so-called big four monopolise the Champions League places to such an extent that no one else gets the chance to regularly sample continental football, because the battle for fifth and sixth places in the league is so competitive.
Liverpool’s presence in the event his term has changed that. They know how to win in Europe and their Champions League pedigree, combined with a recent upturn in domestic form, makes them worthy favourites. Steven Gerrard’s improving form should help favour England’s World Cup Betting Odds too.
Fulham do not have the same European experience, but their impressive victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 32 proves they can compete at this level. No one gets an easy game at Crave Cottage, so Juventus must be on their guard in the last 16.
Everton missed out after a late collapse at Sporting Lisbon, robbing the competition of the prospect of a Merseyside derby at some stage, but the Toffees neighbours will not be bothered – Liverpool know they cannot look down on the importance of any trophy at the moment and that the Europa League is there for the taking.
Tags: Ascii, Cambria, Champions League, Div, Donetsk, English Champion, European Experience, Eurovision, Everton, Font Definitions, Font Format, Football World Cup, Footer, Fulham, Good Chance, Impressive Victory, Inexperience, Lt, Merseyside Derby, Mso, Orphan, Panose, Paper Source, Pitch, Premier League, Props, Sans Serif, Sporting Lisbon, Steven Gerrard, Style Definitions, Style Name, Style Type, Theme Font, Times New Roman, Tottenham Hotspur, Uefa Cup, Upturn, Wanderers, World Cup Betting Odds