Sharpys top lip
Player Valuation: £60m
McFadden might be a hero for Scotland but Evertonians won't lose too much sleep over Birmingham's swoopBy PETER JARDINE - The daily mail
Mikel Arteta commands huge popularity and would not be sold by David Moyes for anything less than £20million.
Everton fans also adore Aussie Tim Cahill, their midfield goalscorer par excellence, and England striker Andy Johnson, known universally as 'AJ'.
James McFadden, by contrast, slipped off down the M6 from Merseyside to Birmingham yesterday without the Goodison Park faithful threatening to chain themselves to the Royal Liver Building in protest.
A projected £5.75million fee for a player who is little more than a substitute is good business, went the arguments in the Winslow pub across from the office of Everton chief executive Keith Wyness.
And McFadden's departure to join his old Scotland manager Alex McLeish wasn't even the club's biggest deal of the day - a new sponsorship with Thai-based brewers Chang is worth £8m.
In short, Goodison legend Graeme Sharp believes there was no universal crying into beer by the Everton fans, even though he commended McFadden for the determination he displayed in seeking to crack his Premiership conundrum.
"It has been a difficult one for Faddy at Goodison," said Sharp, the Scot who scored more than 100 goals for Everton and still works for the club in a PR role.
"David Moyes has looked for a blend in his team and, more often than not, Faddy didn't play. He never really had a run in the side.
"Andy Johnson's arrival two years ago made it harder for him and when Yakubu signed in the summer it pushed him even further back in the reckoning for where he prefers to play - up front.
"All along, there has been the problem of what McFadden's best role is - is he a left midfielder, a striker or someone playing behind a centre-forward?
"For me, Faddy was never a left winger and he probably suffered a lot in the first year or 18 months when he was used out there. I feel sorry for him because he has made a real fist of trying to crack it with Everton. Nobody can accuse him of giving up on his dream of being a regular.
"He could easily have put his hand up and made it clear he wanted a transfer after the first year and the Old Firm could well have come in for him then."
Sharp went through something similar when Gordon Lee signed him from Davie Wilson's Dumbarton as a teenager and he soon learned the train connections between Lime Street Station and Glasgow Central.
"I went to Everton from Scotland when I was 19, so I know a lot of what Faddy went through at first," added Sharp. "I suffered from homesickness and initially went back up to Glasgow on Saturday nights after reserve games. My dad would come down to watch me, drive me home and then I'd take the train back on the Sunday evening.
"Home is where your friends are, your family and everything you have ever known. People think it is just a case of changing job but it is never quite as simple as that.
Contrasting fortunes: McFadden was never really given a proper run in the Everton team after moving south from Motherwell
"Faddy did score some spectacular goals for Everton. But, when he made the wrong decision and lost possession, there would sometimes be groans around the ground.
"Towards the end there, he was taking a bit of stick from the Everton supporters."
So how will the man Scotland fans hero-worship fare at St Andrew's after his big-money move?
"I see McFadden as a striker or a guy who can play off a big man," said Sharp, a good target man himself in his day. "Alex has a big guy at Birmingham in Garry O'Connor, so maybe the two Scotland internationals can help turn it around for City.
"It will certainly be fascinating to see how Faddy does getting a regular game in the Premiership. I think he will go to St Andrew's with the attitude that he wants to show people he can really play in this league.
"I hope he does well for his sake but also for Scotland. It could be great for the new national manager that Faddy is there with Big Eck.
"The expectation at Birmingham will be to stay in the division, which is not as great as it was at Everton. If James scores a couple of goals and gets off to a good start, then the City supporters will really take to him.
"There's an irony in the price Birmingham had to pay. I think you can add a couple of million quid to it because of McFadden's scoring record with Scotland - and Alex helped him do a lot of that when he was at Hampden.
"The goal in Paris against France was very special and that makes people notice you. He did well for Scotland when you think of the number of times he went back north without having had a regular game. It is never the same in terms of sharpness when you have only been coming on for a few minutes as a substitute.
"But the Everton fans will be split. Many will not be too unhappy, to be honest with you, and it is a very large fee for a man who was effectively a substitute.
"If Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta or Andy Johnson had been sold, there would have been a lot of unrest. Now they will just be looking to see who David Moyes brings in."
Sharp, on a personal basis, is disappointed at the loss of McFadden, having come to know the 24-year-old well.
"Faddy was still a better option than Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan, plus Yakubu is away at the African Nations Cup," he said.
"Now even Andy Johnson is under a bit of pressure because David has developed the 4-5-1 system with Yakubu as the spearhead. With Cahill coming through to score so many goals, it works well.
"But I like James as a lad and he has worked hard here. Hopefully, the move will help his career but not seriously affect Everton."
After living all his working life in the south, Sharp is content to note the inflated interest in Scottish players. The transfer value of one of the recent national squads is shooting through the £30m or £40m mark - even if McLeish is the one paying out the cash for McFadden.
"I think this does reflect well on Scottish players - even though it is a Scottish manager who is buying," said Goodison icon Sharp. "Craig Gordon went from Hearts to Sunderland for a huge fee in the summer and Alan Hutton at Rangers has attracted the bid from Tottenham, with Manchester United reputed to be keen, as well.
"So there's a wee bit more interest developing in the Scotland squad players.
"When I played down south, every club had a few Scots - and Irish and Welsh players, too.
"Then all that dried up. It is definitely a good sign that our players are starting to command big-money bids - and from what I hear, there are more players being produced."
Yet, the brutal truth is that McFadden, the national team's 'Cheeky Boy' under Berti Vogts, didn't do enough to persuade boss Moyes to play him every week in the Premiership.
If only Birmingham played their home games not at St Andrew's but the Parc des Princes.
That just about sums it up!! spot on piece.
Mikel Arteta commands huge popularity and would not be sold by David Moyes for anything less than £20million.
Everton fans also adore Aussie Tim Cahill, their midfield goalscorer par excellence, and England striker Andy Johnson, known universally as 'AJ'.
James McFadden, by contrast, slipped off down the M6 from Merseyside to Birmingham yesterday without the Goodison Park faithful threatening to chain themselves to the Royal Liver Building in protest.
A projected £5.75million fee for a player who is little more than a substitute is good business, went the arguments in the Winslow pub across from the office of Everton chief executive Keith Wyness.
And McFadden's departure to join his old Scotland manager Alex McLeish wasn't even the club's biggest deal of the day - a new sponsorship with Thai-based brewers Chang is worth £8m.
In short, Goodison legend Graeme Sharp believes there was no universal crying into beer by the Everton fans, even though he commended McFadden for the determination he displayed in seeking to crack his Premiership conundrum.
"It has been a difficult one for Faddy at Goodison," said Sharp, the Scot who scored more than 100 goals for Everton and still works for the club in a PR role.
"David Moyes has looked for a blend in his team and, more often than not, Faddy didn't play. He never really had a run in the side.
"Andy Johnson's arrival two years ago made it harder for him and when Yakubu signed in the summer it pushed him even further back in the reckoning for where he prefers to play - up front.
"All along, there has been the problem of what McFadden's best role is - is he a left midfielder, a striker or someone playing behind a centre-forward?
"For me, Faddy was never a left winger and he probably suffered a lot in the first year or 18 months when he was used out there. I feel sorry for him because he has made a real fist of trying to crack it with Everton. Nobody can accuse him of giving up on his dream of being a regular.
"He could easily have put his hand up and made it clear he wanted a transfer after the first year and the Old Firm could well have come in for him then."
Sharp went through something similar when Gordon Lee signed him from Davie Wilson's Dumbarton as a teenager and he soon learned the train connections between Lime Street Station and Glasgow Central.
"I went to Everton from Scotland when I was 19, so I know a lot of what Faddy went through at first," added Sharp. "I suffered from homesickness and initially went back up to Glasgow on Saturday nights after reserve games. My dad would come down to watch me, drive me home and then I'd take the train back on the Sunday evening.
"Home is where your friends are, your family and everything you have ever known. People think it is just a case of changing job but it is never quite as simple as that.
Contrasting fortunes: McFadden was never really given a proper run in the Everton team after moving south from Motherwell
"Faddy did score some spectacular goals for Everton. But, when he made the wrong decision and lost possession, there would sometimes be groans around the ground.
"Towards the end there, he was taking a bit of stick from the Everton supporters."
So how will the man Scotland fans hero-worship fare at St Andrew's after his big-money move?
"I see McFadden as a striker or a guy who can play off a big man," said Sharp, a good target man himself in his day. "Alex has a big guy at Birmingham in Garry O'Connor, so maybe the two Scotland internationals can help turn it around for City.
"It will certainly be fascinating to see how Faddy does getting a regular game in the Premiership. I think he will go to St Andrew's with the attitude that he wants to show people he can really play in this league.
"I hope he does well for his sake but also for Scotland. It could be great for the new national manager that Faddy is there with Big Eck.
"The expectation at Birmingham will be to stay in the division, which is not as great as it was at Everton. If James scores a couple of goals and gets off to a good start, then the City supporters will really take to him.
"There's an irony in the price Birmingham had to pay. I think you can add a couple of million quid to it because of McFadden's scoring record with Scotland - and Alex helped him do a lot of that when he was at Hampden.
"The goal in Paris against France was very special and that makes people notice you. He did well for Scotland when you think of the number of times he went back north without having had a regular game. It is never the same in terms of sharpness when you have only been coming on for a few minutes as a substitute.
"But the Everton fans will be split. Many will not be too unhappy, to be honest with you, and it is a very large fee for a man who was effectively a substitute.
"If Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta or Andy Johnson had been sold, there would have been a lot of unrest. Now they will just be looking to see who David Moyes brings in."
Sharp, on a personal basis, is disappointed at the loss of McFadden, having come to know the 24-year-old well.
"Faddy was still a better option than Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan, plus Yakubu is away at the African Nations Cup," he said.
"Now even Andy Johnson is under a bit of pressure because David has developed the 4-5-1 system with Yakubu as the spearhead. With Cahill coming through to score so many goals, it works well.
"But I like James as a lad and he has worked hard here. Hopefully, the move will help his career but not seriously affect Everton."
After living all his working life in the south, Sharp is content to note the inflated interest in Scottish players. The transfer value of one of the recent national squads is shooting through the £30m or £40m mark - even if McLeish is the one paying out the cash for McFadden.
"I think this does reflect well on Scottish players - even though it is a Scottish manager who is buying," said Goodison icon Sharp. "Craig Gordon went from Hearts to Sunderland for a huge fee in the summer and Alan Hutton at Rangers has attracted the bid from Tottenham, with Manchester United reputed to be keen, as well.
"So there's a wee bit more interest developing in the Scotland squad players.
"When I played down south, every club had a few Scots - and Irish and Welsh players, too.
"Then all that dried up. It is definitely a good sign that our players are starting to command big-money bids - and from what I hear, there are more players being produced."
Yet, the brutal truth is that McFadden, the national team's 'Cheeky Boy' under Berti Vogts, didn't do enough to persuade boss Moyes to play him every week in the Premiership.
If only Birmingham played their home games not at St Andrew's but the Parc des Princes.
That just about sums it up!! spot on piece.
