bt95

Why don't you post the last few months and the run that got you into Europe and broke your points record for the second successive season mate? How sour do you like your grapes?

yeh we're tiny. Those 9 league titles just don't match up to your Johnston's Paint tilt :/ Best of luck for next season, in all seriousness. Good club, turns out some of the fans are just as bitter as anybody elses (though I include Everton in that as well).

You're using the logic that Everton have finished below you in the past few seasons to say that your bigger, yet then you claim an upwards move for Koeman would be Liverpool. Good point lad. Anyway, chuffed with Koeman - any arguments over who's bigger aside, it's still a bit of a coup for us considering that over the past two seasons we've finished 11th. But the new majority shareholder/owner has shown his intent and gone and got the man he wanted. As for your mob, pretty sure you'll be there and there abouts next year again. Looks like Emery is off to PSG, so I imagine that leaves FdB as the favourite (though I did see he'd been linked with Lazio?).

Ah, yes, my mistake. I can remember the 03-04 season, we finished 17th, so you obviously did come above us. No, we haven't been a 'powerhouse'. Nobody should be claiming that. However, in the same breath, football didn't start when the PL began, and even in the PL era we have had more relative 'success' than Sotton. I wouldn't say we have a better side. I'd say they are about equal on paper - and that while your side has performed brilliantly, ours has underperformed in the last two seasons. I think you've got a fantastic squad, and over the past two years you have certainly been the better team. I have said that before. However, that doesn't make you 'bigger'. Tbh, I think the plan with RK will be to see where he can get us. If he gets us in a position that a massive club comes calling, then we'll most likely be in the top four, which means we can attract a replacement that is of equal quality. I suppose that's the hope, anyway. As for whoever you end up with as your new man (should this RK deal not implode at any minute), then the best of luck. You're in a great position to attract a very good manager, and Europe to boost. I've been entirely civil in every post on here. I'm not going to be oversensitive about any snarky comments - whatever, it's the internet - but usually it is good to get the views of other fans (apart from Liverpool). I just really don't get the whole 'Sotton are bigger than Everton' argument... they ain't... and that's not to be rude or even to say it's a reason RK has moved (I don't think it is - I think money and the 'project', whatever that may be, is what made him want to join, and maybe a lack of support from Saints' side?). Anyway, I'll have used up my post allowance with this, but if people are willing to have a reasonable discussion I'd like to stick around. It'll be interesting to get the views once all the dust has settled...

We are a bigger club. On everything you gauge a bigger club on... However, the current situation of the club's differs. I wouldn't say the squad is inferior at all, just underperforming. Would you say Liverpool's squad is inferior, or Chelsea's, just because they finished below you? Youth academy - you have a fantastic academy that has produced some brilliant players. However, of this current crop, only three to me seem to be good enough to make the step up (and none are 'superstars') - Ward-Prowse (very good player), Reed (looks decent), Targett (defensively raw but looks to have all the right attributes). I;m sure there'll be more that i'm unaware of and you will be able to fill me in? Everton have recently produced an England regular in Barkley. For all the stick he gets, he's scored 14 goals and got 12 assists this season, despite being crap from March onwards. There's also some very promising prospects (and they're just that) coming through - Dowell, Davies, Browning and Pennington to name a few, and there's players we've signed but then developed (e.g. Stones, Holgate, Garbutt). So to belittle the academy is ridiculous. In fact, I'd say they are very similar in set-up. The fact that the best two British players of the last decade or so (Rooney and Bale) came from the two academies says a lot? We aren't a Liverpool, or Newcastle, who barely produce a thing, so stop acting like it. Sotton are a good club, but this bitterness is so strange. You have finished above Everton twice in your history as a club? Twice. in the last two seasons. Objectively speaking, as I've said before on this forum (and got slated for though I can understand why as that seems to be the default reaction from any fanbase) I can see why the RK move could be viewed as a side-ways step. But think about it - he's getting paid (rightly or wrongly) a lot more, he's been promised a 'bigger' budget and, with the fact that there are three other huge managers now in the same area, you can certainly see the attraction. Also, before even more hate gets directed at Everton, I can confirm (and this is solid info from the person who has been the most up to date (actually, ahead of the press) throughout this entire process) that Sotton gave Everton permission to speak to RK at the end of the season. We opened discussions through the club, and there was no trickery or tapping up. Initially, it seemed Koeman was happy to remain at Saints, but something happened (most likely we switched our attention to Emery) to change his mind - he basically didn't want to miss out. We didn't up our initial offer or anything, the first offer (at the end of the season) was the same as it is right now.

It would be ironic if you lot got Emery, simply because it would send some Evertonians into the loony bin I think! Apparently, he turned our offer down - though that did coincide with reported interest from PSG. Koeman was always first choice, but there was at one point a straight toss-up between him and Emery. RK came back to Everton when he found that out, I do believe. Whoever you get, though, will be a good manager. I've seen rumours of Eddie Howe, although tbh I think you'll aim higher than that? FDB would seem logical - or as logical as it did for Everton anyway.

Is there a 'like' function on here? Haha, don't mind that at all. Wouldn't expect anything less!

He wants to come to Everton mate. Reliably informed it was RK's agent that made the move in the last day or so which put him back in the frame alongside Emery. From what we've been told, it's done. Though I suppose there's always a chance of another twist in the tale...

Hi lads, Everton fan here. I was actually on here a few weeks ago saying how I wanted Koeman the most out of the targets realistically available. Without getting into an argument, I said at the time that Everton are the bigger club (we are, based on everything that is deemed to make a club 'bigger' than another), I believe that Southampton, over the past few seasons, have been better - and that's proven by your league finishes. So, I can see why many people would objectively see this as a sideways move - and I said that a few weeks back. However, it seems we have now got our man. From what we Evertonians know (and it's very little, as the club has been extremely quiet in all this), RK was Moshiri's no.1 target from the start, but supposedly RK overplayed his hand slightly last week, and we made extensive contact with Emery from Sevilla. He was offered the job but until today it was not clear whether he would take it. In the meantime, RK came back into the reckoning. So I suppose there was a bit of bluffing and double bluffing from all parties involved. If it goes through, and by very reliable sources on our side, it has been done, then I'm delighted. I think the majority of our fanbase will be. Many seemed to have jumped on the Emery bandwagon, but for me Koeman's PL experience was possibly the factor that made us offer that bit much more to RK than Emery. We can't be sure on that. I'd have been delighted with either. Interesting to see where you go next. You have the Europa to at least attract a big name (as if the Prem alone wasn't enough to do that). I imagine that De Boer will now shoot way up in the reckoning, or do you perhaps even see yourselves going for Pellegrini? My posts per-day are still limited on here, so I tried to fit as much as possible into one response!

The budget as it stands mate is supposedly fairly sizeable. Nothing insane but enough to get started, let's put it that way! The caveat there is that if Koeman comes in but Stones and Rom do go, then it's not actually a hit to his system - as he's never had them anyway, so it wouldn't as such be devastating to his team.

I think the priority for EFC has to be to get the job of appointing a new manager done quickly. I suppose only he then would be able to have a chat with the players. Personally I think Koeman's style suits both Lukaku and Stones down to a tee. Neither of them are ready for a huge move yet despite what they might believe, and a talk with a new manager may be what is needed. However, if Stones goes, we'll get £40mil. If Rom goes, it'll be £50mil. Mad valuations but that is the going rate. So combined if they both left that's £90mil plus for whatever new man comes in. All that money is going to be put back into the playing squad, which hasn't been the case in the past. Looking at it from another fans' pov, I completely agree about him waiting another year to move to a perceived 'huge' club like Arsenal, or a CL regular. But I think if Koeman genuinely feels like he cannot succeed at Sotton next year and he feels his stock may fall in that time so he would then be out of the running for a big job, he would seriously consider any hypothetical offer from Everton.

Hi, Everton fan here. Just wanted to first off, congratulate you lot on a great season. To finish top 6 shows what a job Koeman is doing considering you've been pilfered of your best players for the last few years. Straight to the point, I think most Evertonians would love Koeman to be at Goodison. After Mourinho/Pellegrini - who seem unlikely but you never know - then I don't think there's many other realistic options that would almost guarantee improvement. Emery, maybe, but who knows if he'd leave Sevilla. De Boer would be a gamble though he's a big name in the game. For me, after Mou (dreamland, probably), Koeman would be my ideal choice. Some Evertonians have questioned his record which, in fairness, has been rather up and down. However, I'm firmly of the belief that if you learn from your mistakes then they only make you stronger. It's what Martinez's main failing is/was - his inability to adapt and change top the situation of the games and we've stagnated over the past two years. Koeman got off to a flying start with you but I think his best attribute this season has been to try different things but mainly always adapt on a game-by-game basis. That's exactly what we need right now if we're to get back to where we want to be and to make the most of the good young players we have. Many Evertonians do seem to struggle with the idea that really, at this moment in time should Koeman move to Everton it could be considered a sideways step. While Everton are a bigger club traditionally (and in recent years), the fact remains that quality wise the two sides are very similar, though it has to be said the EFC team has drastically underperformed in the past two seasons while Southampton seem to have been playing consistently at their best for large parts of each campaign. So, I can understand the views of Saints fans if they felt that it would be unreasonable for Koeman to want to leave for Everton. I think, at the end of the day should we move for Koeman, it will come down to A) ambition of the respective boards. EFC are now actually in a position with the new majority shareholder to build. We'll have a sizeable transfer kitty, most likely made larger by sales of Lukaku and Stones (I believe only a 'big name' appointment like Mourinho would keep both of those at the club, unfortunately) B) money on offer in terms of wages C) Southampton again looking to sell their best players (or, at least, the best players looking to leave) - e.g. Mane, Wanyama It's going to be very interesting to see and I wanted to garner your views, and put the EFC perspective across. It can all get very petty about which club is bigger etc, but really it won't come down to history etc if Koeman does decide to join us - if indeed we are in for him.