COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY
From my seat: Fiorentina (A)
Comments (22) : Writing a pro Blue report when we didn't create a clear-cut chance all night, nothing wrong with the ref, and opposition that didn't look that much out of our league, nor were cloggers, is not that easy.
First half, the one moment of note that comes to mind was early on when the Yak went past two and just as he looked to break clear on goal from the third his touch let him down and that was that. The rest of the half was basically Tim Howard being forced to make saves to keep us in it.
At half time I expected that the riot act would have been read and the normal Everton to turn up but it was not to be. Once more, no chances on goal except on two occasions long after the whistle had gone for offside we put the ball in the net, not even contentious decisions.
In the last twenty minutes they scored two; we rang some changes to no avail... so what went wrong?I
I have been for some time of the opinion that we need a midfield general good enough to dictate things, a wide man of Kanchelskis-like skills, and a right back. No doubt this would have helped last night but I have to say that the real reason was that, for the whole match we just could not pass the ball to players with the same colour shirt. No matter how good or otherwise the opposition, if you spend most of the ninety minutes giving them the ball then it is inevitable that they will capitalise. The fact they did it only on two occasions may yet be a bonus as four or five was a possibility.
It was a game where it wasn't just two or three players having an off one but the whole of the outfield and the fact that only Carsley and Hibbert looked remotely steady says it all. Why was it like that? Maybe freezing on the bigger stage due to lack of experience? Nah ? they are nearly all internationals. Could it have been the inclement weather and gusting strong wind? Surely not. Did the manager pick the wrong team? Certainly no evidence of that. I put it down to not having the craft,guile and confidence to take great care with their passing on the night.
We and they know they can pass and move better than that and let's hope lessons have been learned for the second leg where I am sure I will not be the only one going more in hope than expectation.
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Fernandes maybe potentially talented lad but if we are going to spend £12 million we could buy two or even three midfielders of his quality... and as Peter said although Neville's passing is sometimes woeful, he?s one of the few players who believes we can beat the bigger clubs ? and I include Fiorentina in that. For some reason almost the entire team didn?t seem to have any self belief on Thursday, even after everything they have achieved this season... Why?
The real problem is that there are too few trophies to go around and the same four teams, until this season, have been winning all of them. That may now be beginning to change (though money is still doing most of the talking) with the emergence this season of once proud, challenging teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham as well as ourselves. But it will still be very difficult as the British Premier League continues to be more and more dominated by greed, corruption and envy and the lure of permanent success. On that score Everton are still holding to some of the old values but for how long? There is far more to supporting your local team than clamouring for victories. Reader Comments
If Neville tried to pick his nose he come out with ear wax ! His distribution is rank.
I don’t like having a go at individuals in the team when they were all bad but it’s clear that at the present stage of the Moyes revolution, Everton are in the 2nd tier with tghe Villas, Blackburns and Spurs of this world.
When up against a team like La Viola or Chelsea they’re continually found wanting.
I agree about a dynamic Kanchelskis type wide man and a new right back.
A Peter Reid type skipper would be a boon as well.
I can’t imagine artists like Arteta and Yak feel motivated by an artisan skipper like Steptoe.
I think Eastlands in May was just a dream. Lets just try and get Uefa football for 2009 and try and build and what we’ve got.
Manny hasn?t been as good second time around but Moyes need?s to give him a decent run in the side when he returns back. At the end of the day he always looks to play the ball to feet and get play moving which is more than can be said for certain players. Never thought I would see the day that Evertonians would continually praise galutes such as Carsley and Neville and slate players like Fernandes which has happened in recent weeks!!
Carsley is not good enough and can only play one way and offers little else, Neville should never be in Midfield ever again, Hibbert should never be in the starting line up again. Can anyone remember the last time he went past a player and passed a ball forward?? I can?t. We will never compete for honours with this calibre pf Player IN OUR TEAM. It?s not rocket science is it!!!
Moyes has been great this season and has really made great strides and deserves a lot of credit but he needs to be ruthless with these puddings and get rid in the summer. All sucessful managers just lash anyone who?s not up to the job.
We haven?t got a player at the club who when the chips are down can raise his game and lead the side and take the game by the scruff of the neck. We need a leader and a proper footballer in the middle of the park end ov story.
Over to you Kenwright to come up with the 20 million needed for that type of player!!!
Our transfer policy this year should be to buy 1 top player that will significantly improve the side not three or four 5 million pound footballers like what we have done every year.
"Manny hasn?t been as good second time around but Moyes need?s to give him a decent run in the side when he returns back. At the end of the day he always looks to play the ball to feet and get play moving "
Every single game he has played for us since he came back (with the possible exception of a half against Blackburn), he has been a liability. His passing has been Nevillesque. The team as a whole have been doing exceptionally well. We do not need to accomodate passengers who may or may not ?come good? in time. If I was thinking about spending £12m on one player, then that player shouldn?t need 10-15 games to show even a modicum of his so-called ability. People are just reporting what they?ve seen with their own eyes. It?s obviously devastating to some, but unfortunately, that?s the reality.
"Our transfer policy this year should be to buy 1 top player that will significantly improve the side not three or four 5 million pound footballers like what we have done every year."
This past summer we signed Yakubu (?1 top player?, I do believe) and he has yielded 18 goals to date. We?re clearly headed in the right direct, and one poor result shouldn?t cause people to lose sight of this and try to ?throw the baby out with the bath water?, to coin a phrase.
However one or two positive points to take away. It is only a defeceit of two goals to overturn at Goodison and we are in a better situation than say Tottenham taking on PSV.
Secondly they did not play fantastically it was mainly that we were extremly poor and for a team that has progressed so much this season that made it the worst bit, and we can improve.
If we do not get through lets try and get fourth and rub it in those rich red shites faces
EFC FOREVER
There seemed to be no shape to our midfield: Pienaar and Osman not linking up with any one. For us to play well we need creativity in the middle and on the wings so we can PASS the ball. Was ii me or was Neville all over the place? Central and on the right? Carsley got a few important blocks in but the just gave the ball away. the passing was so negative.
I agree with people when they say we need a controller in the middle of the pitch. Big, strong, can put his foot in. pass and score...... dare i say it, Gerrrard type player. or even lampard. We can't have Pip as captain. Baines has to be played and we need to buy a RB aswell.
Regarding the transfer policy yes Yakubu was a top signing and apart from his workrate at certain times i have no complaints about him but we have been crying out for a top midfielder in the middle of the park for years. Every one of the sides above us has a boss player in the middle of the park that demands the ball is comfortable on the ball and gets the side going. We haven’t got one player like that.
I’ve been made up with this season Peter and think Moyes has really done well but in games that really count(Carling Cup Semi, Fiorentina) our players are found wanting. We are again chasing a cup tie against a very good side. It’s trophies that count mate not finishing 4th or beating Reading, Bolton etc.
Just sick of being frustrated. Just hope we can turn it round but i can’t see us scoring 3 to their none on Wednesday. I pray i’m wrong.
Message to David Moyes - get Mikel Arteta fit !!! He could have had an op weeks ago and maybe been fit by now. It is not helping him or us by trying to get by week to week.
Next week will need us to actually play and show that we can pass the ball to a teammate. To do that we cannot have carsley and neville in midfield.
On top of the match we were not exactly welcome in Italy were we? On arrival at Florence Airport all english had their passports taken off them (about 50 people) and we were basically shoved off to 1 side. No explanations at all. Then security took all passports away before returning and demanding to see hotel reservations and match tickets. All with carabinieri present with their guns and dogs. Welcome to Italy - yeah right. No explanation at all and this took 45 mins.
The treatment at the ground was worse than the match all over the top and nothing short of provocative. We were all stereotyped as english hooligans and treated like shit. What a contrast to Nuremburg !!! Future euro jollies will not include Italy for certain.
I know, it's no excuse but he was piss poor!!!!! Stop-start all bloody match. No pyhsical element to the game at all. He put a stop to that.
I agree that the ref was dire: but he wasn’t biased in my view, he was just as bad for both sides. Far too fussy, far too whistle-happy.
The stop-start nature of the game (it was like watching Rugby Union at one point) I think had a serious detriment to the fluidity that we’ve seen in our game of late.
And I believe it had a major effect on Pienaar above all others because he really needs the space that a continuous string of passes affords him to play expansively and switch the play.
Every time the whistle went, both sides reformed and closed up the gaps and spaces. Hence any creativity was heavily countered. Fiorentina sussed this but Everton just couldn’t get to grips with the ref, with not a few of them reluctant to throw a challenge in for fear of getting a yellow.
The ref was a major factor no doubt; but Everton have got to learn that European refs operate differently to the balloons that we have in Premiership. European refs generally get the big, big decisions correct (unless it’s right at the end of their career and they’re called Collina!) but I believe a lot of this is down to their innate conservatism.
Explain... British Premier League... what are you talking about?????
Liked your comments about not enough trophies to go round.
Yeah let?s have a trophy for every team in the British Premier League.
Corruption in this British Premier League? Any proof out there or is that also a figment of your fertile imagination?
Love that last sentence!
It’s alright putting in good performances against the like’s Bolton, Sunderland etc but against top opposition this season our players have not been up to the task it’s as simple as that because they do not have ability to. Every top side we have played this season we have huffed and puffed but never have had enough quality to turn them over.
Phil Neville can believe whatever he wants to believe but at the end ov the day the painful truth is we do not have enough quality to turn these sides over and that has been evident this season.
I’m as dissapointed as you about the other night and if we do go out well that’s life isn’t it but as long as we learn from this experience then it won’t have been a worthless exercise.
Carsley, Neville, Hibbert etc are good honest pro’s and most of the time throw a good shift for the blue’s but if we are to play in europe on a regular basis and try and break into the top 4 regulary then we will require better footballers than these end ov story.
Peter Smith i’d still persist with Fernandes mate but your right not for the money their asking for.
I remember well a conversation before an Everton home game with season ticket holders at the possibility of the self-self-sected leading British and European clubs breaking away to form a European super league-without relegation. One comment was good riddance. That would give us back our game! It is sad to see proud Liverpool’s traditions being trampled on by foreign investors and the supporters accepting anything which would guarantee permanent success. The same seems to be happening at Manchester City, its new owner using club ownership to smooth out corruption allegations in Malaysia.
Incidentally, my first match at Goodison Park goes back to 1948. We beat Newcastle!
Too many players not fully fit.
Too many players not playing to within 50% of their capabilities.
Two games to put it right - Sunderland and then Fiorentina.
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1 Posted 07/03/2008 at 22:10:52
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