The Mail Bag
I almost choked on my cornflakes
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When reading that AJ in an interview seems to think they play the beautiful game down at Fulham, rather than longball at Everton. He clearly hasn't been there very long... As for talking about quality players that he is playing alongside now such as Danny Murphy and Simon Davies... It really doesn't do him any favours.
Well AJ, truth be known it never made me smile when we signed you, and I even bet that you would never score 20 in a season playing for us, ever. I won.
Jeremy Benson, Posted 20/09/2008 at 14:55:41
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I like AJ, he worked hard for us and I wish him all the best unless he?s playing against us! It?s his job to talk up his new club and it?s good he?s put the record straight in that he didn?t argue with DM. I?m sure he?ll get the good reception he deserves from our fans when he plays us.
Mark,
Correction: It's his job to talk his new club up. Not his old club down.
Correction: It's his job to talk his new club up. Not his old club down.
I feel sorry for Andy Johnson. Moyes?s long-ball tactics done him no favours, neither did playing him by the corner flag. Moyes?s fault this one really.
I will certainly give him a good reception on his return. And so should the rest of you.
I will certainly give him a good reception on his return. And so should the rest of you.
’We don’t ever play long balls"
You’re in for a shock AJ
You’re in for a shock AJ
Well I?ve just read that article and while AJ has talked up his new club, in a way he?s right, I go to most Everton games home and away these days and to be honest we don?t play good football. Most of the time it?s hoofball with Lescott and Neville being the worst offenders. The way I think about it, good players make time and space for themselves and don?t have to resort to hoofball every time which Lescott, Neville and other Everton players do.
There was no way AJ would ever get picked over Yakubu as first choice striker, so I guess he had to move on and we got a great deal for him. I really like the look of Anichebe on the right wing, he looks stronger, more composed on the ball, becoming a real threat and even coming back to defend well. I hope he?s not out for too long.
AJ took a step up when he joined Everton and he wasn?t quite good enough; see also Beattie and McFadden. His true worth is shown by the names of the clubs who came in for him ? Wigan, Sunderland and Fulham. Still deserves a good reception and I?m certain he?ll get it.
AJ is spot on in the interview in all he says about Everton we are a hoofball team. I doubt that 25% of the balls played out of defense went to a blue shirt against Liege and none of the rest had a positive hand in a goal scoring opportunity. The service AJ got and the position he was asked to play in restricted his goalscoring chances and so his confidence suffered, something that is common in strikers. He didnt whinge at the time and he didnt slate Everton in the interview, he told it like he saw it and that’s fair enough for me.
The Fulham bit is bollocks (great players.... Simon Davies & Danny Murphy) but as someone has already said, he’s paid to talk up his current club.
He’ll get a good reception from me.
The Fulham bit is bollocks (great players.... Simon Davies & Danny Murphy) but as someone has already said, he’s paid to talk up his current club.
He’ll get a good reception from me.
I’ve asked the question so many times, how do you actually play to his strengths? He was so one dimensional it was hard to play to his supposed strengths.
Defenders found him out and he failed to vary his game. All a centre half would have to do is stand off him and keep him with his back to goal. More than not he’d miscontrol the ball and give it away.
I watched Fulham today and I saw quite a few long balls to be honest. Nothing freeflowing about them.
I also do think our football will improve this season, I think we saw glympses of ball retention against Stoke and Standard.
We didn’t have many flair players on the pitch against Stoke but we definatly controlled possession, Fellaini and Castillo kept us ticking in the middle. Against Standard we played some good quick attacking football, sadly the defence let us down.
With Fellaini, Castillo, Arteta, Cahill, Osman, Pienaar and Rodwell we now have midfielders who are capable on the ball and can retain possession. It’s just about getting the right balance really.
Defenders found him out and he failed to vary his game. All a centre half would have to do is stand off him and keep him with his back to goal. More than not he’d miscontrol the ball and give it away.
I watched Fulham today and I saw quite a few long balls to be honest. Nothing freeflowing about them.
I also do think our football will improve this season, I think we saw glympses of ball retention against Stoke and Standard.
We didn’t have many flair players on the pitch against Stoke but we definatly controlled possession, Fellaini and Castillo kept us ticking in the middle. Against Standard we played some good quick attacking football, sadly the defence let us down.
With Fellaini, Castillo, Arteta, Cahill, Osman, Pienaar and Rodwell we now have midfielders who are capable on the ball and can retain possession. It’s just about getting the right balance really.
Still upset we had to let him go.
He’s the reason I tune in to watch Fulham games these days.
Still, had to flick back now and then to see Liverpool score 0.
;)
He’s the reason I tune in to watch Fulham games these days.
Still, had to flick back now and then to see Liverpool score 0.
;)
Someone said on here that when AJ had his drought of goals you could see his confidence drain ,whilst Yak going through a drought still talking as if he was going to score every game ,thats it in a nutshell for me .AJ nice bloke and all that ,Yak class and a winner.
Craven cottage the new school of science,watch this space.
Craven cottage the new school of science,watch this space.
AJ was asked to chase long balls pumped up to the corner flags, we all saw it, so he has it spot on. The football we play most of the time, involves the ball being hoofed up, and coming down with snow on it.
We had a player in AJ with pace to burn, and instead of playing him down the middle, where he could use that pace, we ask him to run around like a chicken with no head.
I wouldn’t have a problem with him feeling slightly bitter, because he was playing to Moyes’ instructions, so Moyes (for me ) played a big part in his dip in form.
We had a player in AJ with pace to burn, and instead of playing him down the middle, where he could use that pace, we ask him to run around like a chicken with no head.
I wouldn’t have a problem with him feeling slightly bitter, because he was playing to Moyes’ instructions, so Moyes (for me ) played a big part in his dip in form.
Jeremy, i couldn’t agree more. As far as i was concerned i could never see what the fuss was about with AJ. Ok, so he worked hard, but anyone can work hard for forty grand a week. When you put him next to Yakubu the gulf in class is immense. Playing for a bottom half prem team is AJ’s standard.
Brian Waring,
Lots of players have pace, if you haven’t got the intelligence and good movement to go with it you’ll get nowhere.
Even when we played well AJ very rarely ran down the middle, his game was about running the channels. His quality when he got the ball was fucking awful, he struggled to control simple 5 yards passes alot of the time.
He’s also lies in the interview, we never played him 9/10 games in the right wing. If we did please well me which games? He played outwide once or twice from what I remember, he’s just being a bitter bastard in my opinion.
He came here for 8.6 million and he failed to deliver. If a team doesn’t play exactly to your needs you vary your game and adapt to the situation. He never did that which is why he will always be a lower level Premier League striker.
Yakubu, Cahill and Vaughan where all better than him. Victor will be better than him and Saha when he returns is streets ahead of him. That’s just the way it is, we’d outgrown Andy Johnson.
Lots of players have pace, if you haven’t got the intelligence and good movement to go with it you’ll get nowhere.
Even when we played well AJ very rarely ran down the middle, his game was about running the channels. His quality when he got the ball was fucking awful, he struggled to control simple 5 yards passes alot of the time.
He’s also lies in the interview, we never played him 9/10 games in the right wing. If we did please well me which games? He played outwide once or twice from what I remember, he’s just being a bitter bastard in my opinion.
He came here for 8.6 million and he failed to deliver. If a team doesn’t play exactly to your needs you vary your game and adapt to the situation. He never did that which is why he will always be a lower level Premier League striker.
Yakubu, Cahill and Vaughan where all better than him. Victor will be better than him and Saha when he returns is streets ahead of him. That’s just the way it is, we’d outgrown Andy Johnson.
We had a striker with "pace to burn", but never really lived up to the billing and didnt score the hatfull expected for us. I guess we had other options with new players through the ranks and quality signngs, but gave his all.
Then he left and went to fulham and seemingly the world is better in london. Then look now.
Radsinkski.
Shrug.
Funny old world...
Conor, you have it one, poor control is Johnson’s key failing. I also think missing 2 penalties against Metalist completely screwed his confidence, he was never the same player after that match. Not the worst striker Everton have had by a long chalk, miles ahead of Beattie for example & he will certainly get a round of applause from me when Fulham come to Goodison.
You Guys talking about AJ, has reminded me of the time we hammered RS 3-0
Get on this
Despite the nightmarish summer we went through, despite our hot and cold kinda start and despite RS finally beating Manure and having "their best start ever in the prem"
We could easily be above them next sunday
Funny old game
Get on this
Despite the nightmarish summer we went through, despite our hot and cold kinda start and despite RS finally beating Manure and having "their best start ever in the prem"
We could easily be above them next sunday
Funny old game
2-2 now! Sounds like we woke up after 70 odd mins and are now all over them, Cahill and Osman goals have pulled us level and now we are all over them...Saha linking well with the Yak apparently....
How quickly some folks choose to forget. All of those mindless punts upfield by the likes of Jagielka that were chased down by AJ, most of which were aimed at the corner flag! This may explain his observation that he was playing wide right as he always seemed to be chasing the ball in that direction? I for one wish him the best of luck at Fulham.
AJ is a good honest pro that is an average Prem league striker at best.
I remember a couple of seasons back when we beat Spurs 2-1 away and we made a couple of long clearances up the field in the general corner flag direction, some passionate followers of "the hoofball" debate will be quick to jump on this, however every team no matter how much champange football they play have to resort to these measures from time to time. In the couple of years previous Beattie would have been so slow to put pressure on the opposition full back they would have cantered out like Roberto Carlos and put us under pressure again straight away. It was great to see AJ close them down and win the odd throw in deep in the opposition half, I think one of them may have led to a goal.
This was AJ’s game, I think despite what some would argue, we have moved on from this to a large extent. A pacey striker is most effective making good runs from deep. or as somebody said previously if they make good runs in the channels. AJ did not make enough progress in this area and the arrival of The Yak would shatter most strikers confidence.
Best of luck to him at Fulham and he deserves a decent reception at Goodison, but on the whole I’d say a good bit of bussiness this summer gone.
I remember a couple of seasons back when we beat Spurs 2-1 away and we made a couple of long clearances up the field in the general corner flag direction, some passionate followers of "the hoofball" debate will be quick to jump on this, however every team no matter how much champange football they play have to resort to these measures from time to time. In the couple of years previous Beattie would have been so slow to put pressure on the opposition full back they would have cantered out like Roberto Carlos and put us under pressure again straight away. It was great to see AJ close them down and win the odd throw in deep in the opposition half, I think one of them may have led to a goal.
This was AJ’s game, I think despite what some would argue, we have moved on from this to a large extent. A pacey striker is most effective making good runs from deep. or as somebody said previously if they make good runs in the channels. AJ did not make enough progress in this area and the arrival of The Yak would shatter most strikers confidence.
Best of luck to him at Fulham and he deserves a decent reception at Goodison, but on the whole I’d say a good bit of bussiness this summer gone.
Perhaps now that Andy J is playing for a Southern team, he won?t be accused of diving and will get those penalty awards.
I wasn?t sorry to see him go because he did run around like a "headless chicken" those last weeks but still remember him for the greatest afternoon I had when he scored two goals against the Shite - for that I will forgive him anything!
I wasn?t sorry to see him go because he did run around like a "headless chicken" those last weeks but still remember him for the greatest afternoon I had when he scored two goals against the Shite - for that I will forgive him anything!
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1 Posted 20/09/2008 at 16:53:25
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News just in from RSville. 0-0 against the "mighty Stoke". Makes our result look a bit better doesn?t it?