Everton To Offer Shirt Refunds

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has offered to refund supporters who purchased 2011/2012 home or away shirts with the names Arteta or Beckford printed on them.

This once only offer has been made to fans after Mikel Arteta and Jermaine Beckford left the club at the end of the summer transfer window. Fans who wish to claim a refund should return the shirts to the club, with proof of purchase by September 30th.

Well done to everyone involved for respecting the fans who pay their hard earned money to support their team.

For more information head over to the official Everton F.C. website.

Everton F.C. Facing A Tough Season

As an Evertonian of the best part of 30 years, I've seen my fair share of ups and downs. From the ecstacy of championships and european glory of the mid to late eighties to the seemingly continual battle to avoid relegation from the premier league for the most part of the nineties.

Then in 2002 David Moyes was appointed club manager, year after year he has overcome the limitations of a (by premier league standards) shoestring budget to take his team to highly respectable finishes, with a blip in the 2003/2004 season seeing the club finish in 17th place, which was more than made up for the following year with a memorable 4th place finish in the 2004/2005 season.

During his time at the club, Moyes has had the support and backing of club chairman and theatre empresario Bill Kenwright, who has done, in my opinion, a decent job of acquiring funds for player transfers in the climate we now find ourselves in with oligarchs and sheiks who have seemingly bottomless pits of money to fund their pet projects.

This year prior to the start of the 2011/2012 season a group of fans secretly recorded Kenwright during a meeting where he admitted that the club's finances are not in great shape, and that the banks are looking to recoup their overdraft repayments with potential player sales, leaving David Moyes with no transfer kitty to bring in new players during the transfer window.

Mr Kenwright has made no secret of the fact that he is looking to sell the club to a wealthy investor who can take the club forward, but he is unwilling to risk the club's long term future by letting any Tom, Dick or Harry come in and destroy the foundations that have been put down during his tenure.

The one glimmer of hope for evertonians is the club's academy which has brought through some very promising young talent in recent years in the form of Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley (and some kid named Rooney?), but I wonder if these talented youngsters should be put under this sort of pressure so early on in their career?

Finally a special mention for Leon Osman, who although not a big money transfer is an evertonian through and through, and, in my opinion, is integral to the midfield. Which is some feat with the likes of Cahill, Fellaini and Arteta in competition for midfield places.

In Moyes we trust.