Everton are in the race to sign Crewe Alexandra youngsters Nick Powell and Max Clayton, according to The Sun.

The Blues sent scouts to watch the pair, both 17, this week.

Powell, an attacking midfielder, scooped the Football League’s Young Player of the Month award for December and has netted six times in League Two this season in 22 appearances.

Clayton, a centre forward, scored his first goal for Crewe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win over Macclesfield in October 2011, and netted a late winner at Morecambe in November.

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard believes Royston Drenthe’s ‘craftiness’ and ‘guile’ can help Everton keep climbing the Premier League table in the coming weeks and months.

The Real Madrid loanee netted within 49 seconds to put the Blues 1-0 up in their FA Cup Fifth Round tie with Blackpool on Saturday.

The USA stopper said: ‘Royston has been a spark for us. Often he’s been coming on late, but when he started against Fulham he got us the goal, and he got us the goal against Blackpool.

‘He’s lively and the amount of fouls he draws is incredible – he makes defenders miss. He’s always, always attacking.

 ‘It’s a mixed bag from him but if he does pick the ball up on the wing and faces you up, nine times out of 10 he’s going to beat you, or you’ll bring him down.

‘That’s a big plus for us to take the sting out of the game, and get us up the park. He just needs to play his football. He’s got a different attitude than most, but we’ve often relied on him to give us something different.

‘We’re not really a flashy team by any stretch of the imagination but he’s got that guile and craftiness to him that can set us apart in certain ways. We need that.’

The Blue Union, while having a growing support, has come under  criticism lately from some fans for being negative and counterproductive towards the club.

At the previous two home games, supporters gave out leaflets with a very simple message to remind us that the club, not the team, is still facing self-inflicted problems that undoubtedly require serious attention and urgent solutions.

While most fans appreciate the need for change, some still believe that we are best waiting for Bill Kenwright to find the right buyer than encourage change through protest. Some see the marches, leafleting and social media posting as having a negative effect regarding the possibility of a takeover.

Perhaps there is an element of truth in that, why would an investor want to see negative press, protest marches and the like. He would surely question what he was getting himself into.

At the risk of upsetting those that think this way; it is rubbish.

I make a real sweeping assumption in saying that any investor rich enough to entertain a Premier League club is no fool. He has gone through life making more correct than incorrect decisions and as a result has amassed a personal wealth that most of us only dream of. He is therefore, by definition, clever.  He will no doubt approach the decision to buy Everton FC with the same criteria used in the past to select his investments and make his money – I don’t think any of that presents unreasonable assumption. So with this in mind, it is easy to see how an investor would not be afraid or deterred of a fan group that is protesting against the current ownership. Instead he would realise two things:

1. The protests would cease should the takeover complete, provided that it was satisfactory (and why would he think it not satisfactory)
2. He would be better having liaisons with the fan group and perhaps even using its standing amongst fans to his advantage.

The Blue Union is not a small fan group; it is growing daily as more fans become disgruntled at the reality of the club’s plight. Any investor, that is REAL investor, would embrace such a group as an ally rather than enemy. Being in communication with pressure groups is often something used to bring a better deal or drive the price down.

Personally, I also believe that the presence of a group such as The Blue Union, while alone it will not cause the removal of the current board of directors, may serve as a big enough thorn in their side to help them make that vital decision to sell when the time does come.

I therefore reject the opinion that The Blue Union’s actions deter investors. I actually believe that it could attract one.

Moving on, The Blue Union has also been accused of having a negative effect on the team through its protesting. The accusation stems from fans believing player performances waver as a result of the protests, the chants, banners and ultimately the low attendances.

Players are professionals, working in a business that pays them a lot of money to perform. Regardless of fans, those players are the core product of the business that is Everton FC. They turn up, perform and go home. If they do not perform, the very business they work for suffers and eventually so do they. I do not believe there is an effect on players from a protest march taking place before kickoff and outside of the ground. The banners, of which there have only been a few, go away as play starts and chants are few and far between. Have you heard mass ‘Kenwright out’ chants inside Goodison? I didn’t think so. Despite the very limited exposure to The Blue Union, the players are the ultimate professionals of sport, trained and educated to ignore anything other than their own game. They should and do get on with it.

Attendances are seriously down this year but not simply because people are protesting with their feet. I am sure there are some not turning up due to protest but does it matter? They are more than likely season ticket holders, meaning the club has had their money already – the joke is surely on them for wasting it. However, the majority of fans are staying away because the football has been terrible and ticket prices are high during a time when we are all experiencing the ‘pinch’.  This is apparent in the backlash Robert Elstone received from his blog when he accused fans of being saboteurs. Many took offence at this when they genuinely cannot afford to waste money on an underperforming side.

The next fan hurdle that the Blue Union faces is the opinion that it has achieved nothing. ‘What have you done? What have you proved?’ Well, quite simply, The Blue Union does a great deal to highlight the clubs situation and educate fans as to the ongoing crisis it faces. Remember, this is a long-term effort, taking each small success in the hope that they will one day lead to the achievement of the goals and objectives set out back in August.

The Blue Union is expanding and is received well across social media sites, during protest marches and when giving out leaflets. More fans are questioning the validity of Kenwright’s tenure as chairman and more want to learn about the happenings behind scenes. As a result, fans ask more questions of the current board, serving to bolster the support of The Blue Union. More fans, more voices, more pressure, more success.  Protest marches have made it into the media and it is clear from Bill Kenwright’s ‘betrayal’ comment and Robert Elstone’s/Jon Wood’s snub towards questioning, that Blue Union is applying pressure.

Success isn’t easy to achieve as it is an uphill struggle against an opposition with greater resources and influence on local (and in some cases national) media. Therefore the fact that The Blue Union is applying pressure; is growing in support and is now making it into the media are successes worthy of celebration and not to be overlooked.  Why did Robert Elstone write his ‘Where the Money Goes’ blog?

http://www.evertonfc.com/evertoninteractive/where-the-money-goes

 Pressure from The Blue Union forced his hand. While you can argue it may not have been direct pressure, the questions they asked did make others listen and wonder. More fans wanted answers and Elstone could not continue to ignore them. Blue Union achievements both big and small are plentiful.

The Blue Union is far from negative.  

If anything, the group is too positive toward their passion for the club and the will, want and need for it to regain its past successes. Recently I attended my first Blue Union committee meeting having been invited due to my pro-Blue Union stance. I spent most of the time observing as I didn’t know these people or what to expect. When I did speak or have an opinion, they listened and discussed my points.  I left feeling positive and assured that things where being prepared and organised that will help the club and its fans move on from this era.

While I will not mention what we talked about directly (I don’t believe it is my place to do so in this blog), I will say that the meeting was not fuelled by hatred or ego (as is the opinion of some opposing fans). It instead aims at expanding on fan suggestions from its open meetings and discussing future plans. The committee consists of passionate fans that together work towards trying to better the club they/we love.

Ask yourself if a stance aimed at NOT accepting or settling for second best is positive or negative.

Jamie Rowland

Everton forward Denis Stracqualursi believes he has overcome his early-season struggles and an extended run in the team has boosted his confidence.

The Argentinian striker arrived on loan from Tigres in August and admits he took time to settle in and adjust to life and football in England.

However, he has started the Toffees’ last five matches and has repaid manager David Moyes with three goals, all of which have been in victories.

“When I first got here, it was difficult to adapt to the different style of football,” said Stracqualursi, who was on target in the weekend’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Blackpool which put his side into the quarter-finals.

“But now I’m getting games and getting time, I’m scoring goals and that’s the main thing for a forward.

“I’m very happy with the goal. It’s very important for forwards to score goals for confidence. The main thing, though, is that we won. It’s a team effort.”

The atmosphere at Everton has been transformed over the last six weeks and even though injuries continue to be a problem for Moyes the team remain on an upward curve.

Due to Liverpool’s involvement in Sunday’s Carling Cup, the Merseyside derby scheduled for the weekend has been put back so the Toffees do not have a match now until the trip to QPR on March 3.

However, Stracqualursi insists they cannot afford to allow the untimely break to interrupt their momentum.

“It is a bad thing, although in a way it could be a good thing for the players who are injured to recover,” he told evertontv.

“But the next time we play we need to put the same effort in and keep on going.

“There’s a lot of confidence in the team and we need to keep it up and take it into the next games.”

Former Everton defender Michael Ball knew Glasgow Rangers were toiling financially the day Sir David Murray asked him to pay £4000 every time he played for the club.

The lifelong Evertonian – signed by Dick Advocaat for £6.5million in 2001 – believes it was the start of a money meltdown at Ibrox which has left them at crisis point.

Ball was just one of the big-money buys in an era when Rangers spent beyond their means in a bid for European success. He was even told by Murray when he arrived in Glasgow that the English Premier League beckoned in the near future.

But when that didn’t materialise and Alex McLeish replaced Advocaat as manager, Ball insists the club was a shadow of its former self.

And when he had to fork out £4000 of his own money to Everton in order to continue playing at Ibrox he feared the worst for Rangers.

It all came home to roost this week when owner Craig Whyte put them in administration with debt spiralling out of control.

And despite foreseeing trouble ahead a decade ago, Ball admitted he’s struggling to comprehend just how perilous his old club’s predicament really is.

He told Record Sport: ‘It’s sad to see what’s happening. Because I’m not in Glasgow I’m watching it on SKY and it’s as if it’s not really happening. It has taken a while to digest the fact they’re in administration.

“Rangers are 140 years old and you don’t expect this kind of thing to happen. But when I compare what the club was like when I first signed to when I’d recovered from injury and started playing again it was totally different.

“Murray wanted to be successful in Europe and a lot of money was spent. But a few clubs have tried that in England with Leeds the top example.

“It was a great time for the players and fans, we all wanted to be part of it. But at some point you have to think of the bigger picture.

“Eventually, when I had to pay Everton £4000 with every game I played I thought there might be problems ahead for Rangers financially.

“There was an agreement that when I played 60 games Everton were due more money. It was only four or five games before I hit the number I found out. I didn’t know about it – it was between Murray and Bill Kenwright.

“It took a few weeks of talks before we came to an agreement and it was Murray’s idea. He said, ‘I want you to play but can’t afford to pay the money’. For him to pull me in and say that it was clear the finances weren’t there.

“I suppose alarm bells should have started ringing but back then no one could have imagined it coming to this.

“Murray actually called Kenwright but he wouldn’t waive it. So we agreed it would be paid in instalments. I paid £4000 every time I played and Rangers weighed in with the same.’

Sacrificed: Mikel Arteta was sold to appease Barclays

As the club introduced Jelavic to the media, the fan boards and forums were alive with positivity and expectations way beyond any we have whispered this season. And rightly so! A signing of such money represents good times doesn’t it?

But now it’s time to get over it and again focus on the problems that still remain inside Goodison. At what cost have we signed Jelavic? The reported fee of £5m (or was it £5.5m or £6m?), while peanuts in premier league standards, represents a large outlay for a club that has struggled to balance the books. I think it goes further than that. Financially, times have been so difficult that we have had to, in my conspiracy theorist opinion, loan out players for entire seasons to help our plight, all of which was still not enough.

We sold Steven Pienaar for £2.5m and lost his wages (he wasn’t replaced) from our bills. The Yak, loaned out at first, was eventually sold, as was Beckford. We also saw Arteta leave for pastures new and more recently Bilyaletdinov. All in all, the combined transfer sales come to a decent figure of around £25m – without including the saving on wages.

In return we have signed Darron Gibson and Nikica Jelavic for around £7m (after add-on fees).

Somewhere the club has swallowed in the region of £15-18m. Robert Elstone, our CEO, blogged that some of the money went toward giving new contracts to current squad players. This doesn’t wash with me, while increasing salaries does add significant cost, we shaved around £200,000 per week due to the loss of the aforementioned players. All of whom would also have been on significant appearance, loyalty and win bonuses. By my reckoning, unless Fellaini and Rodwell where both given pay rises of £100,000 a week each, we are more than a few quid better off this season than we were last.

If you believe this money has gone to the banks/creditors, surely next year we will see a considerable decrease in our debt liability when the club releases accounts? If we don’t, you would ask the question again to the CEO – where has the money gone?

I have no agenda other than a will for change. Everton’s finances are closely monitored and audited, therefore we will ultimately find out where the money has gone but not until it is too late to do something about.

The point I am making by listing these rounded figures is that there are still issues, unanswered, surrounding Everton’s finances. I can imagine that Jelavic and Gibson will come at a much heavier cost than their stated transfer fees. As the summer approaches, finances seem to get tighter and the pressure mounts once more on the club to perform in the transfer market. Bill Kenwright has already told us that the banks will no longer fund our progression (used loosely), meaning that something will have to give before the club can gain.

If you haven’t followed that, I simply mean that we have to sell to buy. Gone are the days of buying because we can afford it. When you look at our subs bench (particularly this season), it is easy to see that we just manage to scrape a first team together, bolstering it only when we have to – a signing happens at Everton due to necessity, not luxury. That is to say that Gibson and Jelavic were not brought in because there was surplus cash available to give to our ever-pressured manager. They were instead signed because we had to fill the widening gaps made due to the loss of key players. Those gap filling motives, no matter how you dress them up, owe to desperation only. There is a reason that our squad is small and lacks quality in-depth – We cannot afford a bigger squad of capable professionals. What happened to the Mersey Millionaires?

To add further weight, when Sir Alex Ferguson, Robert Mancini and even Martin O’Neill are short of a centre back (due to injuries), they sign one. When David Moyes is short, he has to recall one from loan; (I mean no disrespect to Shane Duffy as he looks a good player with bags of potential), it’s hardly an ideal situation having to recall an inexperienced youngster to fill the ranks.

At Everton, we were the envy due to our ability to raise the stakes, sign the best and have money remaining to progress. Now, and since the birth of the premier league product, we have suffered failing upon failing. Sir Philip Carter clearly lacked the ability to re-mould the clubs strategies to fit the new era where football clubs became businesses. Peter Johnson joined during a transition period where Millionaires need multi millions. He too failed to change the club’s internal structure to mimic the Manchester United and Arsenal’s. While they were maximising revenue streams, we were infighting and making grave mistakes. Kenwright…the ethos continued, only this time he has borrowed and borrowed until the club has reached a breaking point. We can’t sign top players any more and our transfer record is a sum surpassed by most clubs (of similar standing) many years before us. Liverpool paid £8.5m for Stan Collymore in 1995. We didn’t spend that amount on a single player until we signed Andrew Johnson (for £8.6m) in 2006, some 11 years later. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Spurs and even Sunderland out spend us and they regularly and easily find £20m for a single player. We haven’t even broke the £20m mark yet.

Our desperate condition has to fall at the feet of our boardroom. They are in charge of the club in so much that they say what can and can’t happen. A golden rule of business is always be in the position of strength, especially relating to your own finances. Everton are certainly not in that position and again the inability to spend the club’s money is a failing of the current boardroom. They inform us that they want only the best for the club and yet they haven’t removed the very reason we are in this mess; themselves. At the risk of patronising some, is it so difficult to see how much there is a need change?

Where there is want, you will find a way. Where there is not, you will find reason. Everton is full of ‘reasons’.

The Blue Union, working with want and will, are at least trying to find a way. Please do not allow a transfer window of activity make up for the issues that are still a hinderance for our once great club.

Jamie Rowland

Reasons to be cheerful?

Bill Kenwright is still chairman, despite rumours about ‘some fella with a few bob and a suit doing a stadium tour’ there’s no sign of a buyer or new investor, there’s the dire home games with attendances falling dramatically – for the first time in the Premiership under Moyes, against Bolton, the gate was below 30,000 and for Blackburn it was 3,400 down on the corresponding fixture last season.

Predictably the club have retreated into the bunker of denial with Bill Kenwright accusing the Blue Union of ‘betrayal’ and then there’s the misnamed ‘Fans Liaison Officer’ Graeme ‘One Man And His Dog’ Sharp, who doesn’t ‘liaise’ with any fans outside of the ‘Bill Kenwright Fan Club’. Even the shareholders have been frozen out, with AGMs cancelled in favour of ‘consultative meetings’.

Let’s be grateful though, without ‘Keep Everton In Our City’ (KEIOC) by now cement would have been poured into the foundations of the Tesco-Value Kirkby Stadium and thousands of Evertonians would have been preparing to ditch their season tickets. In response to the ‘There’s nothing we can do, let’s just go the game and support the team’ brigade, let’s remember that KEIOC took on the club hierarchy, Knowsley Council and Britain’s largest retailer, Tesco, and won. During the public inquiry the club’s case for Destination Kirkby fell apart – Tesco described it as ‘mediocre’ stadium, it wouldn’t generate extra income, infeasible targets for fans arriving by public transport had to be realised and rather than Tesco helping Everton it was the other way round.

Bill Kenwright has been busy trawling through his extensive network of media contacts, so we’ve had long articles praising, ‘the greatest Evertonian’, ‘True Blue’ and ‘Romantic Evertonian’, with stories about the boys pen and tearful reminiscences. Then there’s the Echo, the self-styled ‘voice of Liverpool’ since 1207. The defining moment for me came in 2009 when they printed a sanctimonious editorial condemning Royal Mail for moving letter sorting from Copperas Hill to Warrington, ‘social responsibility… jobs lost forever… duty to the city… etc, etc,). Weeks later without even blinking an eyelid and surely qualifying for the Hypocrites of the Year (Corporate Award) they announced that the Old Hall Street site would close and printing would be moved to… Oldham. For good measure they also axed 70 of the 400 journalist’s posts. There’s also that ‘relationship’ between the Echo’s owners, Trinity Mirror, and the club, because they print the club’s programme and magazines. Who is going to bite the hand that feeds them?

Inevitably the debate has centred on Bill Kenwright and there is a big difference between the protests at both Man United and Liverpool and Everton. Nearly all of the supporters were united in opposition to the Glazer Brothers and Gillett and Hicks, even some of the former players who are desperate to stay on the clubs’ hospitality gravy train, saw the way the wind was blowing and voiced their disapproval. With Bill Kenwright fans are divided, he’s still got a line of credit for removing Agent Johnson, appointing Moyes and then leaving him to get on with the job of managing the team.

The most important thing we have to do is to win the propaganda war. We need to convince the fans and not alienate them; above all we’ve got to support the team at the games. Both Blue Union protests have been marked by their peaceful nature, dignity, humour and passion for the club.

At the meeting in the Casa the issue was raised about protesting inside the ground, whilst I wouldn’t rule it out, apart from the logistical issues, I just think it would be the wrong tactic at the wrong time. It would be a gift to the club hierarchy, they would be able to claim that the Blue Union wasn’t supporting the team. It is of course all very well to demand ‘unity’, just that the different fans groups have been trying to talk to the club for years. Only after negotiations had failed did they agree to launch the Blue Union.

Let’s be clear, however, the façade of the Kenwright regime is beginning to crumble, there was the spectacular resignation of Ian ‘Comical Ali’ Ross with the admission about ‘paranoia’, ‘working in a kindergarten’ and ‘financial meltdown’. Then the stunning admission, not from the Chief Executive Robert Elstone, but the manager David Moyes that the money from the sale of Arteta would not be spent on new players. There’s also events on the pitch where the limitations of our threadbare squad are there for all to see.

Just as no ruling class leaves the scene of history without a struggle, so Bill Kenwright seems desperate to retain control of the club, whatever the cost. Maybe it’s stubbornness or personal vanity, possibly like other rich people he’s used to being indulged and is surrounded by sycophants and ‘yes-men’ who don’t want to point out that the Emperor has no clothes.

So, where now? I think we need to be patient and prepare for the long haul. The Blue Union should try to make its presence felt at every game, not necessarily through a demonstration, but with leaflets, stalls and petitions. If you go to Old Trafford the anti-Glazer group have covered the approaches with banners and stickers. Above all we need to build the base of the Blue Union. Here’s some suggestions:

1) Start a membership scheme with a nominal fee of ₤5.
2) Create a supporter’s group, with no extra rights or privileges, who will make a regular monthly donation.
3) Launch a mass petition for change.
4) Hold regular monthly meetings.

On the last point the Internet has its uses but the people tapping away on their keyboards aren’t always the ones who will be prepared to take action. You can’t beat the exchange of ideas at a meeting. It wasn’t Twitter or texting that got rid of Mubarak but the thousands of demonstrators in Tahrir Square.

Are we getting anywhere? There is frustration because the club have put up the shutters and are trying to ignore the demonstrations. When I was awake in the R.E. lessons the one story I do remember is Joshua and the Walls of Jericho, faced with the seemingly impregnable city walls the Israelites marched around them for six days, on the seventh day they let out a might roar and the walls crumbled to dust. Joshua 6:21 ‘And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.’

Er… not advocating that, but still, let’s keep on marching.

Richard Knights

Tim Cahill has hit back at criticism that he is a puppet for the board of directors at Everton Football Club.

The Australian talisman has always been quick to defend theatre impresario Kenwright, and in September described the applause the chairman received when his face appeared on the screen during the Aston Villa game as ‘special’.

Cahill told the Echo after the 2-2 draw with the Midlands side: ‘We try not to get too much involved because sometimes it can get thrown in your face, but today it was special for the players to see that for the chairman because he’s as passionate as everyone else and sometimes that can be a hindrance more than a positive.

‘I suppose in general, the protests, if you look at it now, was probably something which shouldn’t have happened, but I know deep down they really do appreciate the chairman.’

Speaking with Sky Sports prior to last night’s televised victory over league leaders Manchester City, Cahill discussed his goal drought which spanned 30 Premier League games and the fans’ frustration at the club’s stagnation.

Cahill told Geoff Shreeves: ‘It’s a serious moment for the club. I take criticism very personally for the football club because I’ve been here for so long. When you see a club struggling and you’re a player and you can’t do as much as you can to help make things change, you’ve got to look at yourself. You can’t just say it’s the chairman, it’s the gaffer…..you have to look at yourself as players.

‘The fans seem to think that maybe the players are puppets, certain players are puppets, and I suppose when you’re so passionate about a football club it works in reverse. Anyone that knows me knows I’m not a puppet and I always speak my mind.’

AEK Athens defender Kostas Manolas has rejected a move to Everton, despite the Blues agreeing a fee with the Greek giants believed to be in the region of £500k.

David Moyes is desperate to bolster his defensive ranks given the injuries to stalwarts Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin but Manolas will not be moving to Merseyside during this tranfer window.

Stavros Adamidis, the president of AEK Athens, confirmed: ‘Manolas is staying. We had told the player that if he and Everton agreed terms we wouldn’t stand between them. It didn’t happen’

Nikica Jelavic will today demand to be allowed to move to Everton, according to Scottish newspaper the Daily Record.

According to ‘Record Sport insiders’ David Moyes made his move yesterday when an official bid was tabled with Rangers for their top-scoring Croat.

It’s understood the opening offer fell as much as £3million short of the Ibrox club’s £8m valuation of the 27-year-old.

But Jelavic is determined to push a deal through and has told his advisers he will not take no for an answer.

The 27-year-old will demand showdown talks with the club’s owner Craig Whyte today in an attempt to force the issue and open the door to a deadline-day move to Merseyside.

The insider said: “Nikica is very close to his agent and he has made it clear to him that Everton is the move he wants.

“Rangers could be left with a very unhappy player on their hands unless Craig Whyte is prepared to do a deal.”