The Mail Bag
2 points lost or 1 gained?
Comments (43)
Just over 31,000 braved the winter sunshine to watch the game at Goodison today.
It was one of them strange performances (again) where it was 2 points lost or 1 gained depending how you viewed the performance.
The first half was disjointed but we could have been well ahead or indeed behind by more than the single goal. Second half saw an improvement but nowhere near the dizzy heights of last season. Make no mistake, this time last year Boro would have got a good hiding.
There is something not quite right about the players this time around, attitude, body language determination especially at Goodison.
In turn, the crowd seems completely apathetic apart from sporadic moments. It has nothing to do with Carsley not being here, I think there is a deeper malaise, which Moyes alluded to a few weeks ago... Namely, January sales are likely to see more players leaving than arriving.
One of the most partisan crowds in the country have been all but silenced, but why?
Perhaps the summer of discontent has carried over and the fans are saying ?you can?t be arsed? so neither can we.
Whatever the reason it needs addressing and soon.
Anthony Dyer, Posted 16/11/2008 at 17:05:54
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Saha and Pienaar today epitomised that point. Saha just couldn’t find the right pass, no matter how hard he worked to hold the ball up and lay it off to other players. It was frustrating and unlucky.
Pienaar, and to be fair any player that was playing out wide today, just didn’t bomb down the wing, they preferred to cut in.
If we played at a higher tempo, regardless whether we improved our overall matchplay, we still would have won.
I was livid however at our crowd today. I can’t believe that the attendance was only 31,000 I’m sure a lot more were there. But why is it always a fucking morgue?
I accept the point that its a two way thing, the players need to give us something to shout about, but it comes a point like today when the players looked confused and didn’t know how to put things right, and all we did was boo them! How about getting behind them, because when we did, Boro seemed to buckle for a while, then we went back to being a library and Boro smothered the game.
We don’t have to sing all match, but at least get roused more than for a goal ffs Goodison.
Whether you agree with this stance or not people are voting with their feet. The summer sucked the life-blood out of our club and it will take a long time to recover. For me, we have to make serious decisions in January. Stick with Cahill, go back to 4-5-1 and sell the Yak or sell Cahill and stick with 4-4-2 are just some of the issues facing Moyes. Fellaini and Cahill are too similar and cannot play in the same midfield without introducing a serious lack of pace and a serious lack hole in terms of protecting the back four.
Why Arteta was not taken off plus Osman earlier and the likes of Vaughan and Anichebe not thrown on with at least 20 to go is beyond me ? they would have crumbled for me under pressure from three forwards earlier. We have the tools but we have failed to use them.
It may be that January will see one or two move on ? Yak, Arteta, Cahill, Baines even Lescott may be in the frame ? they all looked mighty pissed off at present. But clearly Moyes does not have enough craft in midfield to play that killer pass and something has got to give ? we may need to release one or two of our prize asessts to move forward ? as clearly there will be even less cash available with the ever decreasing attendances.
The way Everton are playing right now they?ll give someone a beating or they?ll take a beating ? something's got to give.
We played quite well but Cahill is still not sharp yet and Arteta is also down on his best form..The defence passed the ball through midfield and I thought we were much better. If we had played against Blackburn and Pompey like we did today, we would have beaten both of them.
Several things were confirmed in crystal clear fashion for me today though. Neville’s position is right back, nowhere else, Arteta may be the best little Spaniard that we know but he needs to be dropped now, and Lescott is woefully lacking confidence.
Jag’s goal-saving (probably) tackle after Neville’s mistake was one of the finest I’ve seen.
We also lack a solid defensive mid. And finally, the very obvious, a fast winger; need not be the trickiest of them all, just someone with pace!!
Today, we were much better, and towards the end when Pienaar played we played a lot of good one-touch football, but we lack the incision. We are very workman-like and do not have the finesse.
- a bit more football played,
- particular players, most notably Arteta, woefully out of form,
- we played at pedestrian pace and allowed Boro to get 10 men goalside far too easily when a higher tempo was needed,
- Fellaini’s best game by a mile, I might just be starting to change my opinion of him,
- Yakubu back to his laziest worst,
- Moyes was about to introduce two subs just before we score, then sits them back down! When will he ever learn that that subs can be used before the 80 minute mark?
- still far too much hoofball from the central defenders.
Overall still a poor, disjointed display as compared with how we know they can play and most definitely two points dropped, even if it was against a reasonable Boro side.
Howard 7 ? reliable, cant blame him for the goal and made one crucial save in the second half
Yobo 6 ? solid, but really should have scored
Jag 8 ? wow, didn?t put a foot wrong
Lescott 5 ? shaky and lacking confidence
Neville 7.5 ? great going forward and defensively
Arteta 5 ? don?t know what is happening with him, he was hiding throughout the game, didn?t take any responsibility, however his set pieces were better today
Cahill 6 - battling performance in unusual role for him, should have also scored though
Osman 5 - anonymous
Fellaini 7 ? tidy in possession and good going forward, unlucky not to score
Yak 6 ? missed a lot of chances and his body language is not right for me
Saha 7 ? decent performance, battled hard without end product
I must admit, my relative optimism is starting to dwindle! Its worrying times when Neville and Jags seem to be the only players with any urgency. They?ve shown good character this season, but Arteta, Ossie, Joleon, Cahill and Yak are all misfiring.
So get off Lescott's back. Get off the Yak's back.
Sorry but Moyes ain't a clue when it comes to picking a BALANCED midfield.
I am blaming no one it was just my opinion on the game, I am a staunch Arteta supporter and have had arguments about him with many people on these pages and defended him fiercely but today, it appeared to me that he wasn?t that much involved and didn?t produce the form we know he is capable of.
I can’t accept any criticsm of Arteta - he’s my favourite player.
Also, although I think Fellaini played quite well, his passing does seem slow. It seemed to take the ’fizz’ out of our attack.
Fancy playing Cahill in a HOLDING role, behind Fellaini.
Ridiculous.
Clearly they both can’t play together in a 4-4-2, we need a holder behind one of those two, with the wingers overlapping.
Wouldn’t have thought it’s rocket science....but the teamsheet speaks for itself.
As with Cahill and Fellaini not being able to play together, I personally though Tim was our man of the match, especially in the first half, he was the one pushing the team forward (Cue Ciaran with his "Cahill is no good in a 4-man midfield" rant).
ps: Jan transfer window, Wigan's De Ridder, That's if Moyes reads these posts.
Cahill is not good enough for 4-4-2; too many similar palyers in midfield; it?s so obvious that we need a Lee Carsley clogger type player; there must be one around
When is Moyes going to understand the art of substitutions? It must do Vaughan and Anichebe?s heads in to only get a few minutes play. My dog realised very early on that we needed to change it.
Ossie has not got pace for a winger - but been one of our best in central midfield recently.
Arteta has played so badly all season, how does he justify a place? Have you seen his, in the main, pathetic deadball delivery. Why is nobody else allowed to take one!
Cahill cannot play in 4 4 2. Ineffective.
Fellaini - good prospect, attacking midfielder, not defensive.
So we have a midfield 4 of which 2 shouldn’t be there and 2 are in wrong position.
Castillo - why are we bothering to pay his wages? From the brief time he has played he looks the defensive midfielder we need. Why didn’t he play today?
Pienar should have started.
Vaughan should have been on for more than 5 mins.
Surely most, if not all, my points are obvious. So why do we start with such a badly balanced team? I just wish Moyes would explain his thinking. Maybe then I would understand.
Moyes - you cannot argue with his results/league position. But cups record! His tactics ruined Beattie, then Johnson and now Yak is suffering. He has built a good squad - but is not making the most of it.
That being said.... Cahill, good lord, I once thought that I?d never have a bad word to say about him... but he is fucking lost. And Peanut should have started in place of Osman. They are similar players, true, but Pienaar is quicker, more fluid in picking the ball up and moving it and possesses a slightly better touch.
Speaking of game little Leon, OK, he scores a wonderful goal about once every eight games or so, but his first touch is amateurish and his sense of where the opposition is when he actually does control the ball is, well, non-existent. Is there a midfielder in the league that can turn attack into defence as quickly, or as often, as he does?
And Howard. Fuck me. OK, the midfield was at fault all day long when it came to tracking back (I thought they were going to score on every counter-attack, they had that much space, and they probably would have were it not for the three defenders we had on the pitch). And on the goal, it looked like Neville was slow getting back and the other three shifted over, leaving Lescott to try and cover two men. But Howard?s effort on O?Neil?s shot was just woeful. It wasn?t even that hard of a shot, and it went right under his bloody arm. That?s my major complaint against him: when the back four fail he never, ever, ever bails them out with a great one-on-one save. Like pretty much every other keeper in the league does! Like Turnbull did a few minutes later when the Yak was through. But we?re unbeaten in five, so...
One other thing..... why does DM persist with bringing Anichebe on before the far livelier Vaughan? Anichebe will never be a Premier League quality striker, but Jimmy V might..... if he ever got a chance to play more than three minutes a match.
Thought Neville was fantastic today, credit where credit?s due. Fellaini is getting better and better (although doesn?t get any favours from Referees).
Arteta (despite providing the ball for the goal) has been very disappointing. His set piece deliveries were poor. Maybe a few games out would do him good, bring in Pienaar.
As for Lescott, he was marking no-one for their goal, getting dragged in by ball watching. He did seem like a man possessed after that point though to try and get forward to rectify it.
Really, what more could you ask for from an opposition player?
The reason why our passing seems slow at times is because there’s no runs been made beyond the player with possession. This means that we always have to play the ball either sidewards or backwards the majority of times. Hard-working wingers like James Milner, and Shaun Wright-Phillips are what this team needs. How many times did we get behind the Boro defence? I’m sure that good wingers will offer us more options going forward and will also create more gaps in opposing defences. If you look at all the top teams, they are filled to the brim with quality wingers.
By any standards we had a bad summer and early season as the manager understandably pondered on his future. BB was always confident that, given the right security for his family, Davey would commit to the Club long term. And so it has proved. Once the deal was finalised, Davey got the team firing on all cylinders and there can be little doubt that another challenge for a European place is in store.
Let?s not critise just for the sake of seeing our names in print. Please!
True wingers are hard to come by though, but maybe Aaron Lennon would be available from Tottenham for the right, and the left is tricky, I am not a big fan of Downing, Baines is not a winger, but Morten Gamst Pedersen of Blackburn could be an option or Damien Duff.
Arteta is not cutting the mustard, out of the first 10 corners only 2 got past the first post, that?s not good enough and put is under pressure, every time they broke free. I also noticed that they picked up everything on the edge of the box, they seemed more prepared for this than us.
I think Moyes stuck with Lescott as one moment can lead to him getting his confidence back, that moment should have been West Ham last week; on this performance clearly not. I think we can do with dropping Lescott and Arteta to the bench, take them out of the firing line for a while. Then make the fans demand to bring them on rather than take them off? It certainly can?t do any harm.
And why?
1. Still miffed with whole club about missed opportunity in summer to build on excellent season ? which translated thru to early Euro exit like when we finished 4th.
2. Money is whole lot tighter this year.
3. Not willing to spend money on home games until our form improves as I can't risk losing and wasting time/money.
4. We have been on telly enough to keep me satisfiied and I can also watch games over internet even when not on TV.
If I lived nearer and didn't have kids it would be less of an issue BUT it's not worth it this year yet...
And yes, to all you hardened fans still turning up, I deserve a bit of stick ? but that?s life!
Something else Richard, don?t give us this family security nonsense please ? I consider it insulting comparing Moyes?s earnings with most of us mere mortals ? he can afford to secure his family?s future after six months of his contract for goodness sake!
And let?s not have all this ?ye, but the players don?t do enough to make us sing' shite. I went to a Colchester game a few seasons ago, fucking awful game, awful ground, awful team ? the crowd sung more in that game than they do in a season at Goodison. Stop blaming others, if you want to sing, want an atmosphere, sing, make some noise ffs.
Alan, I thought Fellaini and especially Cahill got in quite a few tackles yesterday. But I think we should be closing down more, being a bit snappier. Should have got all 3 points, but it was nice to see us play some football. We played decent at times, a positive to take away. Against West Ham we were shite and got all 3 points, so it happens.
Our MF is totally unbalanced.
Why move Ossie out to the wing when he?s done well recently in the centre.
Cahill and Fellaini cannot be a central MF pairing.
Either play Cahill in support of the YAk and leave Saha on the bench or leave him out.
I cannot for the life of me understand what Baines has done wrong to not get a starting place in this team.
I have said for a while that playing him left MF gives us wide options that we currently don't have and when Saha and YAk are playing would give us good crosses from the wing and he could also cover for Lescott which Arteta patently didn't do for their goal.
If the rumours about Castillo having a fall out with Moyes are true then that needs resolving too as he could be a useful addition to the squad at the moment.
Moyesy seems to fond of spitting his dummy out of the pram and leaving it there.
How about the game saver he made later, you clown?
I know there were problems with the midfield but we had two quality forwards up-front and we actually tried to provide proper service, especially crosses, to them. We created a decent amount of proper chances too and I just think that we will start to take more of them once our team actually gets used to having the them in the first place. I think that Moyes is looking to make the most out of a fully fit Saha, the guy is genuine quality after all. His partnership with Yakubu could blossom given enough time.

