The Mail Bag
Missing Carsley
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Amongst the current rancour between Evertonians on just who is to blame for our summer of discontent and rubbish start to the season, there is at least one consensus: we badly miss Lee Carsley and need to replace him urgently.
Top of everyone?s shopping list for the Summer was a ?Carsley replacement? to protect the back four and give Cahill, Arteta and Pienaar the freedom to attack. And we were right: loosing Carsley has meant this position has been filled by Jags and Neville, two players who are more effective as defenders (if Pip is effective anywhere that is) and by Rodwell who looks one for the future, rather than the present.
Carsley is one of the most under-rated players in recent Everton history. He was the man who gave us balance. His unselfishness and discipline made the other players around him look good, from Gravesen onwards. He was the rock around which our solid defence for the last few seasons has been built and now he?s gone, so has the solidity that characterised Everton under Moyes.
And here?s the point: when we first signed him, many Evertonians said exactly the same things that are currently being said about Saha, Castillo, Jacobsen etc. e.g. not good enough, a stop-gap at best, a panic buy as the team collapses, not an ?Everton type of player? (despite them all being internationals and filling obvious gaps in the squad).
God alone knows, we all wanted more from this Summer. Unless in the next 24 hours we do sign Moutinho (which I don?t think we will but I?ll still stay up until midnight on Monday like an idiot just hoping that some late good news will break) all of our buys this Summer will be, to put mildly, underwhelming.
But then that?s what we thought about signing Carsley too and look what happened to him. So lets not allow our anger with the Board mean we take out our frustration on the new signings as one of them could just turn out the be the next unsung hero.
Richard Watts, Posted 31/08/2008 at 17:00:40
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