COLUMNIST JOE JENNINGS
European Hangover
By
Joe Jennings : 08/10/2007 :
Comments (17) :
When we initially qualified for the Uefa Cup, back in May, I did wonder the effect it could potentially have on us. The prospect of playing away on the continent on a Thursday night, is mouth-watering to us as fans. However, returning home in the early hours on a Friday with less than 48 hours to prepare for the game isn't
Now I'm not going to ramble on how Moyes is to blame for this, far from it. I'm genuinely concerned the effect of games on a Thursday night can have, especially with a depleted squad. And although we can blame Sunday's defeat due to defensive errors, lapses of concentration, tactics etc in reality what was it down to. Fatigue? Jet leg? Motivation? You decide.
I looked into Middlesbrough's results from two season's ago and the games they had after their Uefa Cup exploits. Now I'm not saying we will reach the final but if I remember correctly they finished 15th that season. Although reaching the Uefa Cup final and losing is an achievment in itself, is finishing 15th? Would we accept that? I feel they at the time had a similar squad to ours, in terms of quantity and quality.
Ask yourself which would you prefer, all the way to the Uefa Cup final with the possibility of being defeated, or of course winning. And in turn finishing a lowsy 15th in the Premiership and not qualifying for the year after, I know which I'd prefer. I dont believe for one minute even if we did reach the final it would lead to us finishing 15th. But I wouldn't be surprised if we finished in the lower reaches. The size of our squad worries me and with a few injuries to key players (Arteta anyone?) then it could be our downfall. Even when Arteta was absent recently we lost to Villa and drew with Metalist. He hasn't been brilliant all season but without his creativity we are embarrassingly poor.
I expected us to lose yesterday, and we did so it was no huge shock. The schedule of the Uefa Cup is a pain but it's a sacrifice we need to take to increase our profile and to attract better players to our football club. I just hope Moyes can get the formula right when it comes to games after our European excursions or we could be in for a long season were defeats become frequent. I hope not, but it's a possibility. If we're still in Europe by January we will need to strengthen, without doubt.
As for the draw tomorrow, let's hope for some glamorous yet winnable ties. As for the European hangover situation, I just hope my assumption proves incorrect. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
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There’s certainly an element of it to be considered Joe but I think it’s just something we have to put up with. The only way we’re going to get over that hurdle is by getting used to playing in Europe and following it up with a league match a couple of days later. It’s one of those things that it’s tempting to complain about and look for solutions but realistically all we can do is hope the players and Moyes get used to the short recovery/preparation times as they do it more often.
Understand where you’re coming from Joe, but as far as Uefa is concerned we’re ?stuck? with it and, for now at least, the squad too.
You are right though to see how it’s affected other teams in the past and I only hope Everton have done their home work.
I would question though why Everton decide to fly in to Liverpool straight after the Metalist game, arriving 5am-ish. They were then loitering around the marriott lounge around 11.30am for at least an hour taking some kind of corporate sponsorship photos (new trackie?), then the coach came to take them on another 3hour journey to Newcastle.
This is a shocking way to treat the team,
Why not stay over Kharkiv and fly into Newcastle? Surely it wasn?t based upon a stingy approach to having the plane have to fly back from Newcastle empty and the coach having to go up from Lpool light? At the very least, if getting out of Ukraine was important, just fly straight into Newcastle.
Bad organisation.
But according to DM ? there was now post euro fatigue. Is this him trying to kid us and the players that such stupid travel arrangements are OK?
For years these so called professional footballers complain about the number/frequency of games yet if this opportunity arose for any of us we’d jump at the chance ! They are athletes and having to play 90 minutes in some foreign country, followed by a flight and then anohter game 2 days later is something they should be able to handle without any problem. To me it sounds like to ideal job so all this crap about being tired (poor things) just doesn’t wash, never has, never will. Try getting up for work at 6.00 and slogging your guts out for 10 hours, 5 days a week, THEN you can complain about being tired.
I understand your point Russ, but its all relevative. When we say the players are tired obviously somebody who is out on a building site would be much more tired. However the point is, in comparsion to the newcastle players on sunday our levels of conditioning were negatively affected by playing and travelling on Thursday
Please, don’t panic...we will finish 15th in the league and knock out in uefa cup after two matches...so don’t panic and relax, we are going to see our same old story...no step forward, no improving...
So which same old story is that Pietro? The one that hasn’t happened before or the one in your imagination? Seriously, things are coasting at the moment but it’s not like we’re in crisis just some unsolved problems that are stopping us being in the top 6 where we should be. We’re hardly plummeting into oblivion. Things need to improve but get a grip on the perspective.
It’s no hangover,i just don’t think moysey has found his best team. He is not use to a bigger squad,he will have more problems when they are all fit.Personally i would play the jag at centerback alongside Lescott and Vaughn with Johnson upfront when they are fit.( in moyes we trust) i hope !
As any supporter of any club knows performance(s) in europe is pivotal to the subsequent weeks domestic action. After the adulation of the ukraine win i was hoping for a result on Sunday. Hopefully with thursdays draw, the inevitable grouping with one of europes bigger names will steady ourseleves for stiffer opposition. Im secretly hoping we get drawn against Aberdeen as i supported them during the Ferguson years and still have a soft spot for them. I was slated a month or two back for saying it is not feasible that this club will win the uefa cup outright. Entitled to your opinions of course but lets have a bit of common sense. I just hope we dont do a "Liverscum" in europe and end up getting the wooden spoon in our respective group. This club might not win diddly squat this year but with all due respect i and the rest of our supporters have become sadly accustomed to this statistic over the recent years.
Come on you blue boys!!!
Group A
AZ Alkmaar
Zenit St Petersburg
EVERTON
Nuremburg
Larissa
We have got what looks like a easy group (although saying that Metalist were suppost to be easy) so hopefully we will be able to rotate are squad so are best players can play in the important games. I don?t want to be shot down here but personally i would profer Everton to win somthing and finish lower in the league than to finish in the top 6 and win nothing. I?m fed up with the BIG 4 always winning everything!!!!!
John, having read your post, I would contest to the D&G merchants that to plummet towards oblivion, we need to have been out of it first. Moyes is trying his level best to lift us out of the footballing equivalent and put us back on the map.
We are progressing - just at a slower rate than people anticipated/expected.
Why is it that fans moan about playing in europe when it is what we have played for all year.Every game is experience gained.We as evertonians still have high expectations ( myself especially ).The excitement of being there is enough for me.
So lets get behind them and don’t rip them to pieces if they come a cropper.I’m sure thet want it as much as we do .
COME ON YOU BLUES.
AZ Alkmaar looks formidable. Dont really fancy a trip over the north sea for that one. A year or two ago they were as good as PSV and feyenoord. Larissa must not be underestimated after the rovers games. Nuremberg of germany dont know too much about them but they cant be on a par with the Dortmunds and Munichs. St Petersburg. Thought for a minute we were going over to florida then realised that a trip to russia, especially this time of year will be a tall order. Im not 100 per cent sure by all this group formats but by math if we finish in the top two of our group we progress into the quarter finals or is it last 16. If the likes of spurs and middlesborough can go a long way whats to stop us. Dutch battles aside we can progress. Im looking forward to some european excursions. will make a nice change from 10 years ago making trips in the rain to Barnsley and Leicester. Also if we reach the final (err...) think of the support we can take to Manchester City. it will almost be like a home tie. (Unless we get Bolton in the final) . lets see what transpires.
"Ask yourself which would you prefer, all the way to the Uefa Cup final with the possibility of being defeated...and in turn finishing a lowsy 15th in the Premiership and not qualifying for the year after."
err, Uefa cup final please.
How dare you leave me out of that cup final line up in 66. What were you thinking.
The problem is Jason that we are going to have to play our best players in every game (EUFA and league),the reason being we just don’t have the quality in depth to rest the better players.
Oystein Heggelund
Posted 09/10/2007 at 21:18:16
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I partly agree with you, Joe, that there is a genuine possibility that we will suffer in our post-Europe matches this autumn with the current squad, even though the situation is bound to be somewhat better as players return from injury. I cannot see us having this many injuries on average all season! We’re not as skint in depth as we have been, and should be able to field at least three or four entirely fresh pair of legs for the league matches
That aside, looking at the fixture list, I’m not as concerned as I might have been. After the first home match against Larissa, one of the group’s weaker teams, we face Derby away. Derby have been desperately poor this season, albeit more so away than at home, and I cannot see us losing that one. Then, three days after Nuremberg away, we travel to Stamford Bridge. Not that I’m lacking ambition on behalf of the team, but that’s a fixture we wouldn’t expect to get too much from anyway. Fulham at home after facing Zenit at home should not frighten anyone. The toughest fixture by far looks like AZ away just before the Christmas period - that’s the one that could give us most trouble not only in the following match but in all four fixtures against Manure, Bolton, Arsenal and ’Boro. I’m pinning my hopes on three points in both UEFA home games, thereby qualifying and not having to field a very strong team in Holland :-)
Greeting from Norway
IMHO, I think that DM should rest the better players like Arteta and Lescott against the stronger UEFA teams and play to draw.
I think with this strategy, people like AvDM and Da Sliva (Once he’s back) can get some play time and have a chance to push for regular playing spots.
COYB!!!!
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1 Posted 09/10/2007 at 08:15:06
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