Finally off that bandwagon...

PHIL NEVILLE IS A FOOTBALLING LIABILITY!

There?.that?s better.

When I first heard the rumour that Pip was coming to Goodison, I was actually quite excited. England international ? albeit much maligned ? still in his prime, coming from a winning culture, with extensive experience in Europe and at winning games against ?big? teams. This is a guy that could alter the whole course of our club, I thought.

And I still think I was right to an extent ? looking at where the club are now: extended campaigns in both Europe and at home on the cards, and strong performances in the league, with a definite ?in to win every game? type of mentality. Some of this, I think, has to come down to Neville?s influences. The guy knows how to win.

I wasn?t even too concerned that Moyes openly said he would play him in midfield ? Ferguson played him there for United, and if it?s good enough for Sir?. but slowly, slowly, that anticipation & admiration, became concern, frustration, & eventually, after yesterday?s 45-minute debacle, resignation.

Whilst he was great for the team when he arrived, Everton has grown around him, and Pip has been left behind.

The two main features of our team nowadays are discipline & liberal smatterings of skill ? both of which Neville lacks in any great quantities. Yes, he can cross a ball quite well, but that?s about it, skill-wise. His inability to hit an accurate 15-yard pass is well documented, but his control, his constructive heading of the ball (as opposed to just clearing it with the head), and his tackling are all adequate at best, diabolical at worst.

His discipline is a perplexing issue. I think that as a full-back & in midfield, he organises those around him very well, as he is obviously well schooled. However, he still seems to have that ?I?m Manchester United, you can?t do that to me? attitude when it comes to physical confrontation. Prime example in the last game, late in the first half, when Mikel (I think) robbed him of the ball in a hard but legal challenge, after a brief moan that the ref rightfully ignored, he sprinted 10 yards to bluntly shove Drogba, giving away a free kick 20 yards out.

It?s great that he loves the physical side of the game ? we need a captain that will lead us into battle, so to speak ? but Pip so often steps over the line from ?hard? to ?reckless?. Then, after the inevitable yellow card, he becomes somewhat of a spectator, as he can?t ?lead the line? physically anymore.

Despite this, I think that he still has a huge role to play at the club. He is, after all, a model professional. Always fit & ready to play, always seems to have a positive attitude, and by all reports, the undisputed leader of the dressing room.

But therein lies a problem: he?s a fine captain, but isn?t an automatic inclusion at either fullback or midfield. Is it really feasible to have your captain play the game, just because he?s your captain? He doesn?t, for mine, line up as a first ? or even second ? choice at either fullback or in midfield.

Not the influential player he was, but still a huge influence. So what to do with our captain?

I would suggest that at the end of the season, presuming Pip?s place within the depth list at the club stays roughly the same, he could show true leadership, and rescind the captaincy to a deserving player that does play every week: Yobo, Lescott, Cahill etc. Neville will still have his seemingly huge influence on the club and the playing group, and will probably enhance it by very publicly putting the team ahead of the armband.

I would hope that he continues as captain this season, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Phil Neville the footballer, no longer matches up to Phil Neville the professional.

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