We could do with some more quality to give competition for places and cover for injuries. I would like to see two or three additions, because I don't think that the squad has enough strength in depth. It could be worse it could Park Hampers again. Then we would be in the shiiite!

It's stoked interest for sure and hopefully augers a good season. It's a sign of maturity that we know we can no longer deal at any level transfer table but we are moving on with self conviction and belief and making the best of the players we have. DM is unique and no on else in the Premier League is on a par for what he has achieved on pork scratchings, Chinese coins and rivets. For sure I'd love some proven quality new blood at the club but it's gonna be highly unlikely this side of 2011, even 2012. I'm sick to death for years of the bull shit bingo and rumours linking us to some very good and realistically untouchable players . It's a long way back but with existing finance constraints means we must be patient. I hope in my life time we win some more trophies - the Premier League would be great but for now I'd say a Cup is our best chance and UEFA qualification is good for the fans and the club but does it stretch our threadbare resources too far? Still I'd settle for Euro zone regularly and our banter on this site. One day salvation but soon. Still rather be a Blue than a RS ... say no more... COYB

We havn't lost anybody major and kept hold of our squad. The biggest problem for Everton for many years has been keeping the majority of the squad fit. I can't even remember a season without an injury crisis. Remember some of these clubs spending money have sold their best players for big money which is going to help their transfer kitty. Keep everyone fit, have the same attitude as we do in January onwards and I'm convinced we can can be up there in the champions league spots.

Don't want to follow that idiot Wenger at Arsenal. Look at the mess he's created there, now Nasri and Fabregas are leaving. Must be short of investment when they have to sell their two best players.

John, we have reason to be optimistic (7th with all the faults you yourself stated). It's the moaners that make that make things look bleak. I take some of your points (aka Vic) but careful with the criticism of DM - his achievements are not to be scoffed at. Not since Howard have things been this good. We actually made the champions league one year. We must be optimistic - DM is building and with investment and a few new players (not a complete rebuild like Sitteh) we'll be up there.

The young players are worried to leave after what has happened to Gosling.

This time last year we were chomping at the bit, full of high expectations and we were let down by the same players who had finished the previous season on such a high. We are now in the same position with no new signings but without the expectation. These players are only one year older and with a bit of luck(injuries) there is no reason why these players can't fulfil our expectations even if its a year late.

We have a good first 11 but there are weaknesses. When we get injuries we are stuck. We need to grow the squad and put some invention in the side. I would give Arteta until Xmas to find form if not sell and replace.

Chris C, marvellous. In my view the chairman and the board are keeping Everton Football Club ahead of the cost of debt, and doing it well. Your observations summarize that. It's the injury shark, not the loan shark that worries us.......

Chris C. Excellent summary, well done mate. The only players that will improve us are ones we can't afford. But there is no denying our best 11 can compete with anyone, including the so called top four/five.

I have to agree with most coments really, most of these players aren't worth buying, so nice statistics, but as with all statistics, it's a bit like reading the News Of The World and expecting true stories! Pablo, I'd suggest you check out the BBC website's club by club preview: - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14118794.stm Because if you do, you'll see that most of the clubs have received more money from player sales than actually buying players, which isn't a great state of affairs for all premier teams, including ourselves. Of the teams, who have spent more there are reasons: - City (obvious, they have unlimited funds). Utd, (champions and despite debts, 75,000 crowds every week). Chelsea, (see City), The Shite, (still have Torres money and new owners have to buy, or they'll soon be out, will it work? No!). Swansea, QPR & Norwich (newly promoted, trying to stay in premiership and the extra money they get is worth a gamble), Sunderland (Still had Bent money, so a bit of surplus). Of the rest Arsenal (about to sell best players, but Wenger will have to spend). Newcastle (spent 300k more, wow, they sold carroll for 30mil). So finally, Wolves are the one club ahead of us, as they have actually spent more in reality. So this one club have done more than we have in the transfer market and if you bother to look at all the ins and outs, from all the clubs, most are outs, so it's telling you what state the premier league is in! Finally, I'm sick of people saying his one target N'zogbia Moyes didn't get, Moyes has said, if you don't hear it from me, it's probably not true, also is N'zogbia the man? The 20-30 goal a season mythical striker we are after? He might help sure, but he scored 9 league goals last season and 5 the year before?? There aren't any 20 goal mythical strikers and they don't cost £9 million, if they do they aren't cheap. In the last five seasons only 8 players have scored more than 20 goals, Drogba, Rooney, Tevez, Bent, Lampard, Ronaldo, Adebeyor, Torres, Bent is the only one we could have bought (if we had any money, but he might have considered us, the rest wouldn't) and he cost Villa £18-24 million and surprise, surprise, this year after he scored 17 goals, they've become a selling club having sold £36 million worth of players and spent £13million!

Frankly I'm sick to death of hearing the same old optimistic crap. You know the stuff that goes something like 'if everybody stays fit'. ' If Mikky finds his form of two years ago again'. 'If the youngsters come good'. 'If we get off to a good start'. Well I've news for you, we already have significant injuries to two of our few creative players. We have one forward who couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo (Vic). I mean have you seen his goals to games ratio? We have another who plays five then misses ten through injury. We have no wingers worthy of the name. Coleman is still a RB being asked to play further forward. DM has already started messing Barkley around. like he did to JR last season, by playing him wide right. He's a centre midfielder FFS !!! Has anybody actually seen DM during preseason? Is he still our manager? I mean he has been conspicuous by his absence, has he not? The lack of investment in the team for the last couple of years is nothing short of criminal. We can't even afford a loan signing at this stage, and it is debatable if we'll be able to even when the next tranche of sky money arrives in the next ten days. We really are in that much of a financial mess. So can everybody please wake up and smell the coffee. We are in the shit, big time !!

If Moyesy is after a winger he should watch a re run of norn iron's game last night. A certain Celtic winger called Patrick McCourt was playing and he is a genius. Check it out on youtube .

Absolutely spot on everyone. David would have liked, I'm sure, to sign a good player - just that what's available is not good enough. Fellaini upwards - if not, it's really not worth it. He's waiting for a big one.....

Is Chris Eagles any replacement for Steven peanut Pieneer? .......No! Do we need more central midfielders like joey Barton on £60k a week? ...... No! And do we want Shane Long as our number 9 ? ...... I hope not! Top quality loan signs like in the past i.e. Like fernandes and peanut (try before you buy) or bargains i.e. Cahill, Coleman, Saha, Neville........ Keep up the good work Mr Moyes and long may it continue

I don't want Jags to go, no one does, but if he did, who would you want to spend the money wisely? Cahill, Mikky, Jags himself, Peanuts, Baines, Lescott, Seamus - I could go on (and on). There's no one better at turning a potentially good player into a good player. Jags should/would get 15-20 million. 3 or 4 players at 5 million each would suit DB fine but if we didn't sell, hey, we've got a world class centre half playing for us. He got stick for Billy but I reckon this season might be the one for him. Would it be that bad if we started the season with the players we've got? We've got a good side and we know we have - a few players (Beckford, Billy etc) need to show what they can do but we know they're capable. IMWT, FTRS.

I'm quite sure if Moyes seriously wanted someone like Eagles he could have got hold of £1m. The truth of the matter is the only players who would improve our squad would cost at least 10 times this amount, and we simply haven't got £10m to spend.

No trouble from a playing point of view - 7th is good - an improvement is needed for Europe, ok, but it's possible with the players we have - if we can keep the injuries at bay that is.

Of the MASSIVE 10 players Sunderland have brought in....would you have been happy to see any of them arriving at Goodison just because its a signing...I wouldn't.

Everton still have time, but they have to move fast and find someone before i'ts too late. We don't need some mega-signing, this team can win things. It's come close. It could just use some extra depth for the coming season.

You posted, "but it can't be doing any Everton fan any good to know that every other club have improved their squad from last season..." It would be more correct at this stage to suggest that every other club have added to or altered their squad. And on a really different tangent and using the maxim 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it,' none of knows for 100% certain that Moysey actually did/does want to make any changes. Show me one shred of evidence that he wanted N'Zogbia, Crouch, Upson, Barton, Long or any of the others that have moved around. He said it himself, 'if you don't hear it from me, it ain't true.' And neither has he come out and said he's fed up with not being able to spend any money. Maybe he's still got faith that this 'best since the 1980's squad' can still live up to that billing. COYB

Sunderland's "massive" 10 new players can be explained by losing Darren Bent (thereby gaining some loose change to spend) and the woeful Jan-May that followed. The newly promoted clubs were always bound to strengthen - because they need to. WBA have a new manager, which always means losing dead wood and adding his own players. Anyone else is either loaded beyond comprehension or have lost key players in order to fund signings. Arsenal losing Fabregas and Nasri would be without direction; whoever they sign to replace them (which won't be Jags) will take a while to settle in. Yes, a fresh signing can offer a mental lift and give the club a new name to print on everyone's shirt, but is it worth risking bankrupting the club for? Moyesy can pinch a loan deal or two, a la Manuel Fernandes, but otherwise, we're not badly positioned. I'd much rather be Everton than Arsenal at the moment, while much of Liverpool's team is untested. We can look upwards, not downwards. Europa League by virtue of league placing this season.

First of all probably most of the 75 linked to Everton would have been paper hype because they had nothing better write, and 95% of them would not get in the side anyway. Yes we do need a striker and a good wide man but we should not panic buy. I still think we only need a couple of decent players to make us a top 4 team, but we know we are short of money, and I hope Moysey pulls a rabbit out of the bag before the window shuts. I think not selling any of our top stars will be a bonus and if our injury jinx stays away (although Seamus has been hit already ) we will do quite well.

According to the Guardian we have lost the scout who spotted Coleman.

I wouldn't want Chris Eagles or Shane Long. There's a reason they have signed for Bolton and WBA, they wouldn't improve our squad.

Stop moaning..... it's about quality not quantity..... we may not have the quantity at the moment but what we do have is plenty of quality. Quantity has been a issue for a long time with Everton, having said this the only positions that we are short in is a winger and top quality striker. I am confident Moyes will get a cheeky loan in that will fill one of those positions so it's looking positive. MASSIVE season for Anichibe and Rodwell.... if they rise to the occasion and we avoid injuries it could be a good one. Remember the team that finished 4th..... if that was possible then this lot can finish in the top 6/7.