The Mail Bag
Jacobsen move signals intent
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With the news that Blackburn have "swooped" (I like the idea of Sam Allardyce swooping!) for Lars Jacobsen on a two year deal, are we about to see moves in the market from David Moyes to shore up the right back position? If so are we looking at a young player in the mould of Kyle Naughton and has Jocobsen been allowed to go because at 29 he doesn't fit into DM's plans for young recruits?
Or is this a case of the player going because we can't offer him the right length of deal, rather than an issue of how much playing time he will get?
Or are we persisting with Hibbo in that position with Neville as cover with no intention of creating competition for a place in that berth?
Not expecting inside info, just opinions.
Daniel Marfany, Posted 29/06/2009 at 14:52:27
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Was Jacobsen just not good enough/fast enough?
Do we plan on a top class defensive MF player and move Neville back to RB?
Or as you say do we plan a raid on Kyle Naughton or another RB?
Moyes does always seem to get players out before going for new recruits.
I only hope we?ve got a decent transfer kitty this year.
I thought initially that extending Hibbert's contract by 4 years was a problem and I still think that... we definitely need a Baines equivalent on the right side. That will never be Hibbert and probably wouldn?t have been Lars either... plus he?s no spring chicken. The likes of Kyle would be the better alternative... he sounds very promising.
I?m getting tired of looking for signings though and there?s still a long way to go yet... oh, well.
Whilst it is unfair to single out one player for our Cup Final defeat, Hibbert going AWOL on that day didn?t help and was a perfect illustration of his tactical naivety and inability to read a game. My TV set still has finger marks dabbed into the screen from my pointing at the space Hibbert should have been occupying to the bemused girlfriend.
The FA Cup final was Hibbert?s revealing moment; he revealed what most of us have known for a long time ? he just isn?t a top class defender. If Moyes doesn?t know this now I?m baffled as to what will convince him.
On another point, our strength has come from defensive frugality... it looks like we?ll be losing Lescott, Jagielka may not come back to be the player he was (hardly any players do retain the mobility they once possessed after that sort of injury) Hibbert is... well we all know what Hibbert isn?t ? a good player. That leaves Baines; Neville and possibly Rodwell ? though I?ve never seen him play at centre-half... he?s still an unknown quantity.
Isn?t it great being an Evertonian - I?d just love to start one season ? just one season ? from a position of strength and the new players already lined up before June is out.
I have a lot of respect for his 100% effort and good
attitude and I’m sure he never causes Moyes a moment’s bother. With that in mind, it’s clear why the manager has a lot of time for him (Osman comes into that category too).
For me, Hibbert is the type of player we used to have during the "Dogs of War" period when avoiding relegation was greeted with relief and gratitude.
We’ve moved on now and our aspirations are higher. The ability to just be a "Water carrier" is no longer enough and we require some finesse to compete with the best.
I felt so sorry for Hibbert during the Cup Final. To be substituted at half time in the biggest game of your career must have hurt like hell.
Is Neville or Gosling the answer ? IMO - no. I think we need a new young, attacking right full back who can complement Baines on the left and give us the width we badly need.
I?d like to see Neville return to RB and sign a quality defensive center mid. Whilst Nev well there for the second half of last season, he also did great at RB early one, and I think in order to progress we need players more comfortable on the ball in midfield. For all Neville?s effort, he was poor in the final when we needed someone to put their foot on the ball.
IMHO, for the little he has played, he has been obviously a better player than Hibbo. When he came on against Villa and in the Cup Final, he helped stabalise that right side. He is far more comfortable on the ball too.
Given that we will be playing League, Carling Cup, FA Cup & Europa cup games, we need to hold on to decent players and I cannot see why he shouldn?t be getting plenty of game time.
We should be concentrating on filling the other key positions ? right side & central midfield. Instead, we are going backwards. Jeez, it's depressing following Everton at times!
Neville certainly isn't the answer to our DM problems... Ok, he did well there for us last season but, if we're to progress in years to come, we need better quality in there instead of him. Time for him to move back to right back IMO!
I have an innate fear we are about to see a repeat of last season?s close season ? sell a key player for a lot of money, then bring in people at the last minute.
I hope I?m wrong.
And Kevin Sparke ? tell the girlfriend to give the telly a clean!!!
Go figure.
It?s the goldfish attitude, you are only as good as your last game, what happens before is wiped out if you have a bad game.
Kevin, I thought a game of footy lasted 90 minutes. A lot of fans are blaming the defeat on Hibbert for his 45 minute contribution, I was of the understanding that it was 1-1 when he went off and I would say it was Ossie's failure to stop the cross and Lescott's poor marking on Drogba that caused the goal, yet far be it for me to point these things out because it was clear that an ageing injury-prone player is far better than our normal right back that seen us through to 5th again and Tim Howard breaking the clean sheet record this year.
Oh and one mention in the papers and Toffeewebers want that player or damn moyers for thinking about it.
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Editorial Team
1 Posted 29/06/2009 at 18:53:26
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No one knows at this point whether that means that Moyes has someone lined up (I desperately hope so) or whether he?ll persist with Hibbert (I desperately hope not) and slowly introduce Seamus Coleman while having Phil Neville as a third option.
But I think that this is merely Jacobsen, at age 29, going where first-team football is rather than any signal of intent from Moyes.