Also I’m wondering where your quote is taken from as it’s not included in this article or any of the comments – nevertheless I’ll bite.

I think it’s a sad situation that the smaller clubs can’t keep hold of their players – but unfortunately a realistic view. It’s especially true in South American and continues right up the food chain to 2nd tier European teams such as Atletico. The question has to be begged – would Atletico have been able to keep together all those talents at once? Once Torres left, that was time for Aguero to shine – sure they could have all played together but at the smaller clubs you normally see one top player with a supporting cast rather than big name after big name.

I think from your quote – the players move to big teams to win silverware. Rooney at Manchester United has won 3 Premier Leagues and a Champions League – in all seriousness if Everton had held on to him would they have done the same? You have to remember that the money that Everton got for Rooney has been spent towards the team as a whole. They would have not have had that money otherwise.

One comment that always annoys me but is always true throughout is that all the top players have won the World Cup – this means essentially you have to play for a team capable of winning the World Cup such as Brazil, Italy or France. I can admit Ryan Giggs never made it to the very top of the sport but it was always the case that he wasn’t going to win a World Cup.

I feel that alot of people won’t truely rate Messi as the one of the greats unless he wins that World Cup – but in all honesty he’s probably the best player I’ve seen in my lifetime for his age, even if he doesn’t win the World Cup surely he’s going to have some career?

To summarise – top players making their small teams big (by winning silverware) is not the ordinary. Teams are struggling to break in the top tiers of their league because of the financial prowess that the top 3 or 4 teams possess. There will, as always, be exceptions to the rule but in general I think your views are based on a fantasy attitude towards the game – nothing wrong with that at all, but maybe it’s time to take a pragmatic stance on the situation.

This is rubbish. People with dignity and integrity have loyalty to their teams if the teams and managers have loyalty to them. There is just as much honor as bringing a small team to glory (see Sampdoria, for example, or Villareal) as in playing for Liverpool or Madrid.

Commentators said Fernando Torres had to leave Atletico to make it big. Yet Liverpool has won nothing in his time there, and had he stayed with Atletico he could have formed one of the most deadly attacking tridents in world football for sure, with Torres/Kun/Forlan being spoken of in the same breath as Messi/Eto’o/Henry or Kaka/Ronaldinho/Pato or Rooney/Ronaldo/Berbatov. Who is to say that Atleti with Torres wouldn’t be as good as Liverpool.

In short, this whole “to attain true success, he has to move to a bigger club” attitude needs to be discarded. Don’t move to a big club, make your club big.

Moyes really seems to have become a true Evertonian in his time at the club, which I think is the main reason while he’s still at the club and I think he genuinely wants to break through that roof that Steve mentioned. But with the money that the likes of Man City, Tottenham and Aston Villa have at their disposal, I think it’s only going to get harder.

Perhaps it’s just the romantic in me that sees great football and winning teams not just being based around money? Hopefully Everton can press on, bring more quality young players through and push for the top 4 this season. If they do it once, they can attract one or two big names and push on potentially. When Arteta and Cahill are both fit, if they had a consistant centre forward, and perhaps another winger they would have a very exciting attacking unit.

It’s a shame for Everton really but as Bill Kenwright said – Everton need a billionnaire and until they get that they’re going to struggle to break into the next level.

Do you think Moyes is there forever now? Building a legacy? Surely you must do all you can to keep him.