Joey Barton - Brat to Boss

Alessandro Del Piero joins Everton and the Premier League

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has joined Everton on a one-year contract, seeing him earn 27k per week until July 2012.


With his arrival at Everton, Del Piero, 36, brings a wealth of experience to Goodison Park, and will wear the No. 10 shirt for the Toffees.

"Pardon me for asking, Mr. Barton, but is the signing of Del Piero really a signing, or just one for him to sit in the Reserves and tutor the youngsters at the club?" One journalist from the Mirror asked, during the press conference officially unveiling the Italian as an Everton player.

"What a nonsensical question," Barton replied, shaking his finger at the journalist. "Of course I signed him to be with the first team. Only twats sign players to put them in the Reserves!"

"But what if things don't work out?" The Mirror journalist quizzed further.

"I'm very certain things will," Barton grunted. "Alessandro is a great player. He still has that spark even though he's 36 now and I'm certain he can score the goals for us."

More signings as Anderson and Bocchetti joins Everton

Anderson of Manchester United has arrived for 5 million from Manchester United, with Everton beating Roma, Anzhi, and Lyon to the Brazilian midfielder, who has found first-team chances hard to come at Old Trafford, and will wear the No 8 shirt for Everton.


Salvatore Bocchetti joins from Rubin Kazan for 20 million, with Everton manager Joey Barton breaking the transfer record of 16 million for Marouane Fellaini from Standard. He arrives as a replacement for Leighton Baines and can play in any defensive position, able to cover right-back, center-back, and left-back. An Italian international, Bocchetti has 5 caps to his name, the same number of English caps held by Baines, and will take Baines' No 3 shirt for Everton.


Meanwhile, with all the arrivals, Barton might sell some players. Real Madrid and Chelsea are both interested in Tim Howard, Milan and Inter are battling for Apostolos Vellios, while Phil Jagielka is being admired by Chelsea.

A very good pre-season I must say.


The Everton boys are all adapting really well to my tactics, as well as my 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations. Hopefully they can take their pre-season success on to the new season.

It seems like no other Everton player is going out of the club, with both Milan clubs losing their interest in Apostolos Vellios after I rejected several offers from them. Chelsea and Real Madrid are disgusted by my quoting price of Tim Howard while Chelsea also do not look like they are going to follow up on their interest of Phil Jagielka.

Anderson is a good signing, play him as a box-to-box midfielder or an AM-C. Be patient with him, though. His value will escalate, and you will be able to sell him for a much higher price later on, if you want to.

Greeat story so far! Cant wait to see what happens next

#64513 Gurdit : Anderson is a good signing, play him as a box-to-box midfielder or an AM-C. Be patient with him, though. His value will escalate, and you will be able to sell him for a much higher price later on, if you want to.

Alrighty. He got MOTM in his first game, but got injured in his second after only about 5 minutes... he's only out for 2 days though!

#64516 xXBlueXx : Greeat story so far! Cant wait to see what happens next

Always a pleasure receiving a compliment from my fellow countryman. Thanks!

Author's Note: Results are updated on a month-to-month basis. While the month is not yet finished, the updates will be transfer-related or off-the-field business.

A.C. Milan has regained their interest in Apostolos Vellios and this is getting annoying because they are making bids everyday. If I am rejecting all their offers every single day they should at least have a brain to know I want to keep Apos, but of course not. Dumb Italians!

Steed Malbranque, a 31-year-old French winger who spent 10 years in England playing for Fulham, Sunderland, and Tottenham between 2001 to 2011, is a free agent and has rejected a contract from us to go to Hearts! Hearts! Why would he want to skip Everton for Hearts!

After sitting back and thinking for a bit, I guess it's because he wants to be in the first team every week. At Goodison I can only offer him the assurance of a backup player and I think he knows that.

Anyway, my search for a winger has come to none other than the controversial El-Hadji Diouf, who joined Leeds just two months ago. However the Senegalese, who has 69 caps and 21 international goals to his name, is on a non-contract at Leeds, where he has scored 1 goal in 4 appearances for the club. I am hoping Everton's reputation will lure him to our side where I am able to offer him a proper contract, although he will surely be on the bench every week.

Everton complete summer swoop with El-Hadji Diouf

Everton and Joey Barton have surprisingly announced apparently their "last signing of the summer" according to Barton, El-Hadji Diouf.

Diouf, who moved to England in 2002 to join Liverpool before having spells with Bolton, Sunderland, Blackburn as well as a short loan spell with Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, will wear the No 26 shirt for Everton.

The transfer was completed just two days after Toffees manager Joey Barton offered Diouf a formal contract. The forward's transfer has been met with caution by many Everton fans, who have pointed out that Diouf's behavior and lack of discipline could see the move backfire on Barton.

"I don't see a problem," Barton said on EvertonTV, just hours after finalizing the deal. "We have signed El-Hadji on a one-year contract. If he does not make it, or wants out of the club, he can leave next summer. But if not, we might offer him a new contract of course. There is no risk."

Diouf was also interviewed after completing his medical and move to the club. "I think the Everton fans should just sit back, and watch what I can do before slating me," the Senegalese, who has 69 caps to his name, said. "I was planning to stay at Leeds for the long term and hopefully be offered a proper contract but when Everton and Joey came in, it was a no-brainer to accept their offer. I know I won't be playing week in, week out, because Everton has some quality players, but I still believe I can make an impact. I want to succeed, I am only 30, I have a few years left in me."

August
My debut month as a manager and as Everton manager has been very successful I must say.


I have led Everton to wins in all three Premier League games I have played so far... making us top dogs for the moment, but there are still 35 games to be played.


The end of August means the end of the transfer window...


I think I got myself some really good deals.


Having led Everton to wins in the Second, Third, and Fourth Qualifying Rounds of the Europa League, we are now successfully in the Group stages. Our aim this year is to get to at least the First Knockout Round, which I am quite confident I can achieve....

Sam Johnstone has been farmed out on loan to League 2 side Bradford to gain first-team experience. If I have any keeper trouble, he is available for recall. I want to develop Sam into a solid backup keeper, and maybe if he starts for a club every week instead of being third-choice and starting every week in my Reserves, he could become pretty good.

The Everton fans crying about how the El-Hadji Diouf transfer was a poor one, have stopped, simply because he has scored 2 goals in his first 2 Premier League appearances for Everton. We kicked off our Europa League campaign against Gladbach of Germany and Steven Naismith suffered an injury that could keep him out for at least a month, so Diouf will be featuring more for the month of September.

My other signings have also shown no signs of flopping at all, well, except Emile Heskey who is still yet to make his first official appearance for Everton as he struggles to recover from his lengthy ankle injury suffered in pre-season.

Del Piero is proving to be quite a strike partner for Nikica Jelavic, while Salvatore Bocchetti in his last few games for the club is showing what he's capable of.

September
When I took over as Everton boss, I expected something of a challenge. This club was one that I supported since I was a child, and I always dreamed of putting on the Everton shirt and playing in a professional Premier League game for them, although they thought I couldn't make the cut and sold me away to Manchester City when I was a youth. With this drive, I wanted to get Everton back into the Champions' League, where they rightfully belong. My successor David Moyes has had somewhat of a problem finishing higher than the Europa League spots because of how all the big clubs have come along and poached his key players, as well as his lack of funding from the chairman.

But it has been a very easy two months.


We stand 3rd in the Premier League, only behind to the great Manchester two.

My first run-in with a big boy in the Prem was against Manchester United, where a Nikica Jelavic goal was the only consolation in a 3-1 loss, and also our first loss in about five Premier League games.

But I played Arsenal in my first match of the month of October and it resulted in a 2-1 win.


I'm very pleased with how the lads did, especially since I didn't field a few first-teamers, with Sylvain Distin taking John Heitinga's place in the starting 11, as well as Ross Barkley starting the game ahead of Anderson whose form has been poor lately.

Emile Heskey also made his first Premier League debut, coming on as a substitute for Nikica Jelavic, after recovering from his ankle injury.

Unfortunately, Magaye Gueye will be out for at least six months until April, which is a big blow as he has been very good in the matches he has played this season. It was a disgraceful challenge by our former man Leighton Baines. Magaye was already playing with an injury when Leighton cut in. A few of the boys are already condemning his challenge on Magaye in the dressing room.

Magaye, however, must be the most disappointed. I know how it feels not being able to play for six months and I immediately tried to comfort him after the match and told him how there was still years ahead of him to forge himself into one of the best, a six-month injury was nothing, and that he had to keep himself determined. It seemed to have worked, and I'm sure we'll get a healthy Magaye back in April.

Mag is the second injury currently on our injury list, and to make it worst the two-man injury list are both wingers. Fortunately, Steven Naismith will not spend as long as Mag will spend on the treatment table, with the Scottish forward due to return in about two weeks' time after suffering the injury a month ago against Gladbach in the Europa League.