Deals that just go on and on

Aug 23 2007 Blue Watch by Mark O'Brien, Liverpool Daily Post

EARLIER in the summer, Bill Kenwright talked about signing players ‘the Everton way’, meaning with the minimum of fuss.

Presumably he was harking back to the mythical time that dads and granddads talk about, when, altogether now, the first you heard about a player was when he had signed and his photo was on the back of the paper.

In fairness to the Everton chairman, that’s how our rather hirsute new keeper, Stefan Wessels was acquired, but the same really cannot be said about the proposed big money deals for Manuel Fernandes and Aiyegbeni Yakubu.

The Portuguese international has seemingly been on the cusp of becoming a fully-fledged Everton player for months now. Presumably David Moyes thinks the wait is worthwhile; we probably could have done with a bit of Fernandes’ guile last Saturday as Everton struggled to break down a Reading team willing to match their commitment and work-rate.

A big striker likely to bundle home a goal might have done the trick as well. Whether that’s to be Yakubu or not, only time will tell.

The Nigerian’s goalscoring record in English football speaks for itself, but there do seem to be some doubts about other aspects of his game, especially given that he is going to cost around £11.25million. The fact that he clearly sulked in Middlesbrough’s defeat at Wigan never painted him in the most favourable light, and neither did stories suggesting he had missed training.

Boro fans’ assertion that the player is a good goalscorer but contributes little else to the team also gets alarm bells ringing – if Moyes expects one thing from his players it is effort.

After all, we already seem to be in the process of getting rid of one player with a serious attitude problem, in the shape of Andy van der Meyde. No doubt everyone has sympathy for him regarding his sick daughter, but the club are clearly tired of giving him chances to resurrect his career now.

Not turning up for training is inexcusable – it’s not as if footballers have the most taxing working day, after all. The manager seems totally exasperated with him now, and it would surprise no-one now if the club came to some arrangement regarding settling the rest of his contract and letting him return to Holland.

It’s a shame, because in that perverse Everton way, where some players who give everything can never shake the whipping-boy tag but utter wastrels are afforded heroic status, the crowd took to the tubby Dutchman.

Unfortunately, it seems, he will be remembered instead for getting his drink spiked, having his dog kidnapped and getting sent off in the derby.

More pressure

THE news that Rob Styles is being ‘relegated’ for his decision to give a penalty to the away team at Anfield is being seen as somehow healthy for the game.