Time machine to May 1995....

[Furey1878]

Give big Joe any signings he wants, get shut of the board before we get shut of him please.

 

[Mitch Ward's Minder]

How many of that squad at that moment of their careers would get into our midtable team today? I'd forgotten how crap we were.

Amazing how the right manager can galvanise a poor side. Obviously the poor squad and inept signings (on the whole barring some gems) to follow would condemn us to a few seasons (after 96) of being relegation fodder.

Who would I have signed back then to put in a good league and CWC run, based on who moved during that summer:

- Southgate (24) £3.4m (decent fee considering we spent the same on Short and Hottiger combined)
- Kinkladze (22) £3m / Ginola (27) £2.5m
- Juninho (22) £4.9m / Gascoigne (28) £4.3m
- Kanchelskis (obviously)
- Kewell (16) - free
- M Hughes (31) £1.7m

Would have shifted on Amo, Rideout, Barlow, Samways, Limpar, Ablett to raise funds for fees and wages. Even though I'd love to say Bergkamp I just don't think we'd have the funds to secure him at the time, as well as trying to create a good squad.
Southgate to play alongside and eventually take over the reigns from Watson, Hughes for experience up top and he still knew were the net was, and the others for pure attack and excitement (worked for Newcastle sort of). Secure Kewell for one of the next seasons (was class for Leeds).

Southall
Jackson, Southgate, Watson, Hinchcliffe
Kanchelskis, Parkinson, Juninho (Gascoigne), Ginola (Kinkladze)
Hughes, Ferguson

Add Speed the following year and the midfield looks potent. And then over the next few transfers bring in shrewd acquisitions - Martyn (CPal £2m), Gudjohnsen (PSV free), Di Canio (AC £1m), Boateng (Feyenoord £220k), LeBoeuf (Strasbourg £2.5m), and add in youth players like Jeffers, Dunne, McCann.

So hopefully by 1997-99 team looks like:
Martyn
RB??, Southgate, LeBoeuf, Ball
Kanchelskis, Boateng, Speed, Kewell
Gudjohnsen, Di Canio

I've had too much time to think about this!

 

[Groucho]

Well we signed Andrei Kanchelskis. This time wasn’t the bad bit, it was when Peter Johnson refused Royle funds for Tor Andre Flo a few years later. That was the pivot for us to be crap for a while.

 

[Harryflashman]

I hope he rings me and tells me to start shifting my assets away from my then wife into my name , I’ll deffo owe marcel a big drink or two if he does .

 

[Billy Dean]

Amazing how the right manager can galvanise a poor side. Obviously the poor squad and inept signings (on the whole barring some gems) to follow would condemn us to a few seasons (after 96) of being relegation fodder.

Who would I have signed back then to put in a good league and CWC run, based on who moved during that summer:

- Southgate (24) £3.4m (decent fee considering we spent the same on Short and Hottiger combined)
- Kinkladze (22) £3m / Ginola (27) £2.5m
- Juninho (22) £4.9m / Gascoigne (28) £4.3m
- Kanchelskis (obviously)
- Kewell (16) - free
- M Hughes (31) £1.7m

Would have shifted on Amo, Rideout, Barlow, Samways, Limpar, Ablett to raise funds for fees and wages. Even though I'd love to say Bergkamp I just don't think we'd have the funds to secure him at the time, as well as trying to create a good squad.
Southgate to play alongside and eventually take over the reigns from Watson, Hughes for experience up top and he still knew were the net was, and the others for pure attack and excitement (worked for Newcastle sort of). Secure Kewell for one of the next seasons (was class for Leeds).

Southall
Jackson, Southgate, Watson, Hinchcliffe
Kanchelskis, Parkinson, Juninho (Gascoigne), Ginola (Kinkladze)
Hughes, Ferguson

Add Speed the following year and the midfield looks potent. And then over the next few transfers bring in shrewd acquisitions - Martyn (CPal £2m), Gudjohnsen (PSV free), Di Canio (AC £1m), Boateng (Feyenoord £220k), LeBoeuf (Strasbourg £2.5m), and add in youth players like Jeffers, Dunne, McCann.

So hopefully by 1997-99 team looks like:
Martyn
RB??, Southgate, LeBoeuf, Ball
Kanchelskis, Boateng, Speed, Kewell
Gudjohnsen, Di Canio

I've had too much time to think about this!

Limpar was miles better than Kinkladze IMO

 

[Mitch Ward's Minder]

Limpar was miles better than Kinkladze IMO

Agreed, but he was at the end of his career and Georgi was at the beginning. Scored quite a few mazy run goals if I remember.

 

[Tipp blue]

You could of course sign some of the younger players who turned out good and hope for the best in the alternate timeline. Frank Lampard for example, and just for the crack I'd go for Gerrard see how it pans out.

 

[zukai12_]

Think there's a promising french manager about, might be worth a punt

 

[Darth Toffeeman]

Well we signed Andrea Kanchelskis. This time wasn’t the bad bit, it was when Peter Johnson refused Royle funds for Tor Andre Flo a few years later. That was the pivot for us to be crap for a while.

Indeed. We were level with Arsenal in 96.

We made a rash decision regarding Royle, and then brought in Kendall for a 3rd stint and invested money in Bilic, Williamson, Farrelly, Oster, Thomas, then Ward and Tiler a couple of months into the season.

Arsenal brought in Wenger, added Viera. Rid the club of fast food and alcohol and changed the whole clubs mentality.
Then added Anelka, Petit, Overmars and Grimandi.

For roughly the same amount spent, the clubs went in hugely different directions.

 

[Groucho]

Indeed. We were level with Arsenal in 96.

We made a rash decision regarding Royle, and then brought in Kendall for a 3rd stint and invested money in Bilic, Williamson, Farrelly, Oster, Thomas, then Ward and Tiler a couple of months into the season.

Arsenal brought in Wenger, added Viera. Rid the club of fast food and alcohol and changed the whole clubs mentality.
Then added Anelka, Petit, Overmars and Grimandi.

For roughly the same amount spent, the clubs went in hugely different directions.

Agree entirely

 

[Darth Toffeeman]

As football had began to see a wash of money influx the game so the mentality needed to shift in regards to diet, fitness and professionalism.

The mess made in not signing Nigel Martyn was the begining of falling behind.

So many mistakes where made after that fairytale cup win. The club just didn't move into the modern era quick enough.

 

[chrismpw]

You could of course sign some of the younger players who turned out good and hope for the best in the alternate timeline. Frank Lampard for example, and just for the crack I'd go for Gerrard see how it pans out.

They'd both do their ACL in their debut year and that would have been the end of them. Just average plodders from then on.

 

[Lloydystark]

It’s May 1995 and Everton have won a glorious FA Cup final against the best team in England (sorry Blackburn). Things are looking up and there’s a buzz about the club, with the hope of Royle guiding the Blues to more success. Fast forward 25 years and the bubble has burst, reinflated and burst several times over.
You’re Marcel Brands and you’ve been sent back in time to May 1995 in a time machine built by Blue Bill and Joe Royle. You’re quickly appointed the DoF by Peter Johnson and start to draw up plans to overhaul the squad and you’ve convinced the board to part with the clubs money to do so.
Who do you sign, who do you give the boot to, and who do you plan to sign for future transfers to make Everton regular contenders again?

Squad (May 1995):
GK – Southall, Kearton, Reeves
DF – Jackson, Hinchcliffe, Barrett, Watson, Ablett, Holmes, Moore, Unsworth
MF – Samways, Horne, Ebbrell, Limpar, Parkinson, Grant
ST – Stuart, Ferguson, Amokachi, Rideout, Barlow

I’ve started playing different championship managers/football managers from years back and playing it out on there, downloaded championship manager 2 the other day (1996 I think) it’s free to download get on it!

 

[Lloydystark]

How many of that squad at that moment of their careers would get into our midtable team today? I'd forgotten how crap we were.

Yet we won the game cup with that team lol

 

[Lloydystark]

I actually thought we were pushing on quite well after the cup win. At the end of 1996 I think we were 3rd or 4th in the league then around Xmas both Hinchcliffe and Parkinson picked up long term injuries and we plummeted down the table after that. Shame, I thought we had a shot at the title that year.

Strange I was reading this earlier pretty much everything you said is in this l