Abacus

Attendance bragging has always been a bit of a weird thing. It's probably because neither of us have won anything in living memory, so when you get into a debate with a rival fan, it's the one thing you've got going for you. E.g. we're bigger than Wigan because we've got more fans. Which then means we need to squabble between ourselves about how fan numbers are reported, like dancing on the head of a pin. That said, Sunderland are shite, their fans are shite, they don't turn up and their bones are made out of cheesy chips. More seriously, I'm quite interested in their owners. Donald and Methven seemed to have a clear plan to get them into the championship and then flip them for a profit. The current owners (whoever they even are with their opaque ownership structure) I'm not so sure about. I assume it's to get to the PL and sell them then. But I'm guessing there, not sure they've ever stated their intentions? Also, not even sure that's a good idea right now as it seems like a good chunk of established PL teams are up for sale at the same time. It's important because it makes a difference to the message throughout your whole club.

He's the greatest, he's fantastic Wherever there is danger he'll be there

Dyche would be a great appointment for them. Keep them up, see how it goes in the summer. You might still then get rid of him and appoint Bielsa in the summer if they do drop for a full rebuild job, which they desperately need. I've got no great animosity towards Everton, there are a few tossers in every fan group. So, the main thing that annoys me is that I'm sure there's a joke to be had about "a finger in the Dyche" and I just can't think of it.

I'd rather they slaughtered a goat or set alight a wicker man in the centre circle.

It's only been a year since we became a better run club, but it's already frustrating to be dragged into Everton's maelstrom of mess. It used to be our job to be the basket case club that doesn't seem to know what it's doing and has no money.

Was thinking this earlier. But then I guess a lot of loaning clubs end up subsiding wages too. So if you're being partly paid by the home club, someday expect / hope to go back there and play for your old team after the loan, and then drop a genuine clanger against them in a tie...hard to think it wouldn't look like a conflict of interest. Players get done for betting on games they can't influence for less. Probably rightly so.

Good luck to him - I'm sure he can do a job there and hope he does. Partly for him and partly for us because he also needs a permanent move as he's presumably 4th choice at the moment behind Dubs and Karius. And I think his contract runs for another 2 years after this season till June 2025 and I can't imagine his place in the pecking order will improve over that time, so it can't do anyone any favours staying till then. Slight tangent but it's really interesting looking at when some of the other contracts end. The ones ending in June 2024 will have a few choices for both them and the club to make this summer as they enter the last year of their deals. Almiron is one - I'd imagine we'd want to have him signed up on a new deal if he carries on like he has, rather than risk losing him cheaply. Likewise Wilson and Trippier's end in 2024 too. Age may be a factor for both, injuries also for Wilson. I can't really imagine the team without either right now and in particular Trippier, all I'm saying is it'll be interesting how they play it.

I think some of the disappointment being felt is that, yes, he's definitely someone that people could see Howe working with and improving. But that's clashed with the fear that we've got a genuine chance of a cup and a top 4 finish and people want something closer to a finished article to get there, given our squad isn't the strongest. I get that some people don't rate him, I'm not 100% sure myself, but that's maybe affecting people's thinking. Come up with a blammo signing out of nowhere as well like we have before and I think this would be looked at a lot more favourably, and all of a sudden as a great window.

This is the problem with Chelsea having made a daft £60m bid. It's put that price in Everton's mind, and they know they'll look stupid accepting less just a few months later. Frankly, if we don't think he's worth that much, walk away. Who knows how desperate they'll be by the summer.

I think a little camp wave for a deserved and stupid sending off is less bad than a potentially ankle shattering challenge by that same player earlier on. I remember when Keane got sent off and Shearer laughed at him. Even Keane admitted Shearer had got in his head.

I mainly don't like his trousers. But, as a footballer, what I've seen is that he's fast, works hard and can buy a foul. That's pretty much all I've noticed, so remain to be convinced. Maybe that's unfair taking account of how badly their whole team has been doing. Plus of course I'm not a scout. I do wonder, though, why he's not playing - not good enough, not fit? Or being protected for a sale? I'm often not too convinced there's much to a lot of the speculation, though there does seem a lot of it here. But anyway, I was reading the other transfer thread about the FFP benefits of selling a home grown player. From Everton's point of view, they definitely need to strengthen to stay up and have very limited FFP wiggle room. So that would make sense to sell a home grown player, so that sort of clicked. Or, I could be reading too much into that.

They won't be writing in to their MPs since they've already used their one stamp to complain about Look North instead.

Yeah, 7 probably for us. I reckon 12 for you after that little run. It depends how you react after yesterday, as that (probably) puts title talk to bed. Ten Hag is decent, though, so I can't see any collapse coming. To be fair, I don't see either team collapsing, for us the issue is much more about being able to unlock teams setting up to defend.

In the Times match report today, the reporter picks out that Howe referred to incoming transfers in the singular - "Were keen to bring a player in that can help us...there's no guarantee..." Admittedly that might be a reach from the writer, and Howe is always cagey with this type of thing. He also said he had "no issue" with the size or strength of his current squad - though that slightly contradicts how he came across on selling Wood. So what would I guess? Maybe one first team forward / attacking mid like e.g. Maddison, maybe a couple of youth prospects. And possibly an opportunistic buy if someone becomes available late on, with more serious rebuilding in summer, depending on where we land up. Clearly, we all want everything tomorrow, but January is always a weird one.

The empty brainers.

You know, watching their game yesterday I was convinced I was watching a pretty drab contest between two poor teams. So, it's cheered me up no end to discover that what I was actually witnessing was one of the finest footballing teams in England, if not the world.

ASM didn't do much wrong yesterday, but I also think that's part of the problem, because he wasn't in many positions to make mistakes and/or by the same token change the game. He was clearly doing what he's supposed to do, and passing, being part of the team etc. But in doing that he was nowhere near the dynamic game changing dribbler that he has been. For all that having a defined and definite way of playing has improved the majority in the squad, I think it's taken away from a natural risk-taker and maverick like him.

I was looking forward to that game, thought it might be a bit spicy. Maybe due to the early kick off, but it was a bit of a damp squib and then over as a contest with the sending off. Sunderland played better and deserved it, tbf, but Boro didn't really turn up. If they're a play off team, that league is wide open.

If the safety officer really was a "mag" he'd have definitely let them do their shite display. Honestly, I could have done with a laugh

Papal infallibility

Nobody is going to boo him at all. I think he leaves with everyone's best wishes having dug in here and done his best. Did a job for us, but better for everyone that he moved on. It'll be interesting to see how he gets on - I'll be keeping an eye out for him. I do think we need a replacement as he was a reliable squad player this year at the very least.

The response in that BBC article is pretty shocking, like. It starts off saying the EFL have full confidence in Wednesday's safety procedures, before stating; ... Bob Eastwood said blaming dangerous overcrowding was "premature". Speaking in front of MPs at a committee meeting about safety at football, Eastwood, the head of security operations at the English Football League (EFL), added: "The club have done a very quick debrief of their operation and have already instigated a number of measures in order to reduce some of the issues that caused some concerns for some fans, which didn't amount to overcrowding At this moment in time I think it's a little premature to agree with media and social media reports that there was overcrowding." I wasn't there and don't much care about Wednesday one way or the other (quite liked them with Waddle in fact so no axe to grind), but that response makes no sense. 1. We have no concerns. 2. Let's not be premature about having any concerns before we've had a full investigation. How can points 1 and 2 be squared? 3. Ahead of a full investigation, the club have done a very quick debrief. 4. There are already a number of new measures in place as a result of that Why put in new measures as a result if there was nothing wrong to start with? Why conclude there are no issues on the basis of a quick 'debrief' - is that not also premature? In fact, does it not suggest that "some fans" had a legitimate point? Also, "some of the issues", "some of the concerns"? That's infuriating. So, they acknowledge they haven't even addressed all the points in their "quick debrief", despite already apparently making several changes that presumably weren't even needed. And why say that this "didn't amount to overcrowding" definitively - before you've checked properly? Is that not totally premature? Whereas people's real experience that there was overcrowding in real time is dismissed as being exactly that? I know which response is more potentially dangerous. Any Wednesday fans using that to reflexively defend their club need to give their heads a shake, because whether there was overcrowding or not, that explanation is nonsense.

Can't imagine he'd have given too much thought to the "what if" scenario for a ridiculous bid for Chris Wood, though. It probably features a unicorn, father Christmas and a leprechaun.

Light show What they need is one of these.

£30m for Madueke to Chelsea. Trolley dash Todd has now spent nearly £450m since taking over there, I get the feeling this will end in tears. But a word of warning, be careful if you go out to play 5 a-side this weekend in case you end up at Chelsea.