THE days when football managers used to disguise themselves and stand behind the goal with supporters to check out potential targets have long since gone (Howard Kendall watching Trevor Steven, for example.)
As have the days of cloak and dagger transfer deals hatched at motorway service stations.
Haven’t they?
Not if this week’s evidence is anything to go by.
Here is the team line-up printed in The Scotsman for Tuesday night’s reserve team friendly against the Bully Wee (Clyde FC to you heathens who don’t know your Red Lichties from your Gable Endies): Davies, Thompson, Garbutt (Bidwell 46), Wallace (Savic 80), Nsiala, Mustafi, Schepers (Akpan 60), Barkley (Craig 69), Vaughan (Hope 73), Silva (Kinsella 54), Baxter .
And here’s the team line-up from the official Everton website: Davies, Thompson, Garbutt (Bidwell 46), Wallace, Nsiala, Mustafi, Akpan, Barkley (Craig 69), Vaughan (Hope 73), Silva (Kinsella 54), Baxter.
Spot the difference? The Scotsman seems to have invented a couple of chaps called Schepers and Savic.
Except a Dutch trialist called Bob Schepers definitely played, as did a Montenegran youngster called Stefan Savic.
Are Everton trying to surreptitiously run the rule over a couple of promising youngsters without alerting Harry Redknapp – always a man happy to jump in on an Everton transfer?
