BARRY HORNE: Bids best kept quiet.

Byline: BARRY HORNE 

PRIOR to last weekend's trip to Bolton, there seemed to be a growing criticism of Everton's inability to attract new signings to the club.

David Moyes tried to offset that criticism by publicising failed bids for Michael Owen and the Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt.

Those efforts failed. The announcement merely gave fans a false sense of optimism - lessened the credibility of the club in the eyes of the press and supporters, and gave further ammunition to the doubters.

If a bid falls short of the asking price, or a player rejects the opportunity to join the Blues - that information is better left in the boardroom than printed on the backpages