Anorak

John Stones

Posts Tagged ‘John Stones’

Transfer balls: John Stones, Everton, Manchester City and Neymar’s sister

Footballers are always hinting at things. Long gone are the plain-speaking days when they’d tell you to ‘f*ck off”. Nowadays it’s all subtlety and codes. From Everton to Manchester City and Barcelona, footballers are holing their hands over their mouth and giving it the eyes.

The Metro says “Neymar’s sister hints at Barcelona exit with cryptic Instagram post.” Neymar’s sister doesn’t play for Barcelona, but player power is high and if the Brazilian player made his sister’s inclusion in the side a condition of his patronage, would we be surprised?

Neymar’s sister, Rafaelle, hinted at a huge transfer by “uploading a picture of a train carriage with the caption: ‘I hope you’re going to a place that makes you happy.’”

Hints. They look a lot like bollocks.

 

neymar sister

 

The Sun spots another hint. Everton’s John Stones could be off to Manchester City. “Everton ace hints deal to join Pep Guardiola is close as he crosses M62 for shopping spree,” says the paper.

Stones’ hint involves walking about Manchester with “long-term partner Millie Savage” – “Stones looked extremely relaxed as he marched around with a number of bags including one from Dior.” Nothing relaxes the mind like a good march to Dior.

Stones to Manchester City it is, then. We have peered into the crystal balls Dior bags and seen the future.

Posted: 19th, July 2016 | In: Back pages, Manchester City, Sports, Tabloids | Comment


The Sun shows Everton’s Toffee Terrorists where Chelsea target John Stones is hiding

Working on the murderous spurned lover’s premise that if you can’t have the one you love, then no-one will, the Sun says Everton fans are out to harm John Stones. The Sun says angry fans have forced Stones to “flee” his home.

Like you, we are a bit doubtful. After all, it’s best not to rely on the Sun for news of Liverpool football clubs.

But today the paper says it has “proof” Stones has moved into a hotel for security.

JOHN STONES sneaks out of a hotel hideaway yesterday — after fleeing his home over safety fears. SunSport’s exclusive pictures reveal the Everton star, 21, was seeking shelter having been terrorised by his own fans.

How thoughtful of the Sun to show the Toffee Terrorists where Stones is now living. The loons can now book a room on the same corridor and get that much closer to their target.

Everton have, of course, rejected Chelsea’s bids for their player. Everton chairman Bill Kenwright says Stones is not for sale and “will remain a highly valued member of our first-team squad”.

But the Toffee Terrorists are not listening, says the Sun, which seeks to further prove that Stones is in hiding:

The club admitted they are beefing up security around their player after they turned down a transfer request from Stones plus FOUR bids from Chelsea.

They did. Everton manager Roberto Martinez said after Stones was berated by a few irate Everton fans following Wednesday’s Capital One Cup win at Barnsley:

We will keep an eye security-wise as a football club and every club in this position would do that. During the transfer window we have to be more aware because we are exposing our players to emotions that are normal in this situation. John is in the middle of that storm. Well, he was.”

But the Sun twists the words, presenting them as if Martinez was responding not to a few fans mouthing off, but to its news of terroristic attack on Stones’ home:

“In this case with John we know where we are, you’re not going to have an issue as per yesterday. That issue is gone with John but security is something we need to be aware of in future windows.”

 

 

That ‘yesterday’ is a reference to the aforesaid Capital One Cup match where a fan called Stones a “f***ing rat”. It’s not about Stones “fleeing” his home.

Such are the facst.

Posted: 29th, August 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment


Everton: Chelsea target John Stones ‘chased out of home by irate fans’

The Sun says Everton star John Stones “has been forced to flee home — after being terrorised by furious Everton fans.”

Really?

The Toffees turned down Chelsea’s latest £37million offer for the defender and insisted they will not sell the England star.

But Stones asked to leave the club.

Yet Stones, 21, was targeted by Everton supporters at his home in Widnes, Cheshire, and is now living in a hotel to avoid the problems.

 

Really?

That sounds like balls.

More to follow…

 

 

Posted: 27th, August 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment


John Stones: Everton’s ‘new Rio Fedinand’ will be a Chelsea great

John Stones is football’s player in demand. The Everton and England defender is being stalked by Chelsea. The Londoners say Stones is worth £30m. Everton rejected an offer for that sum. They want more. He’s that good.

The Times‘ Jonathan Northcroft has bene speaking with David Moyes, the then Everton manger who signed Stones from Barnsley.

The scouts picked Stones. They told Moyes: “That young defender at Barnsley you’ve had us tracking — go and get him. He has a real chance.”

What did Moyes see?

“He looked this young, thin boy, but he had a natural comfort on the ball, a comfort that didn’t look coached or taught but was just something he’d got. You could see he’d need to get stronger and work on his speed, but his ability to take the ball was special. It’s something you don’t see a lot in British defenders and that’s what made him stand out. He’s the most comfortable English central defender on the ball I’ve seen since Rio Ferdinand. He reads the game and he’s calm in possession, a natural footballer. He has an ability to not look under any pressure.”

Moyes says Stones was bought for £1.25m.

Says Moyes:

“I have to give credit to my recruitment department at Everton. They were always looking exhaustively in the lower leagues. We always looked for British players, English talent, because that formed such a huge part of the identity of the club and the teams I built.

“We had John watched from the start of that season and the reports always came back positively and, because the deal was at the lower end of the financial scale, I was trusting my scouts anyway. But when I saw John for myself I didn’t take much convincing.”

 

 

Moyes reminds us that Stones is just 21.

“As a young boy, John took some risks, but his decision making got better and better and we played him at right-back for experience. He will need time and, at his age, he’ll make mistakes. There’ll be days he does things that he will learn from, so people need to be patient. But England could have a top, top centre-back if he’s allowed to develop.

“The way football is getting played now, the centre-backs have more touches than midfielders do. It’s often their job to start the moves and John’s attributes are perfect for that. And he’s got a good personality. He’s calm in himself and gets good support from his family. The first day he came in and said to our fitness guys ‘Whatever I have to do to get into the first team, I’ll do it’. He immediately impressed you as a likeable boy with a great aptitude for learning. Self-development is a vital quality in a young player.”

Stones is ambitious. He can’t stay at Everton. Chelsea look favourites to sign him. But surely we can expect others, chiefly Manchester United, to compete for his signature.

Posted: 23rd, August 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment