The Mail Bag
What a result!
Comments (19)
Firstly, let's get the facts out of the way:
- The conditions were appaling;
- A long way to travel in Europe;
- Yakubu is clearly a long way off match fitness;
- Six outfield teenagers on the bench, three of which had never seen a minute of first-team action;
- Our depleted squad was a joke;
- The performance wasn't great.
It was bad enough when we knew Pienaar would be out, unbelievable with Rodwell out, and words could not describe when I saw the teamsheet and Yobo was out. Hibbert at CB. Gosling at RB. Cahill at RM.
Gosling (despite numerous requests on this site) is not a right-back. He's too attack-minded and got caught out several times against a better team than Sigma, often with Hibbert (!) covering right-back as well as centre-back. Distin was immense and kept us in the game.
Baines and Fellaini's recent improved passing was tonight poor, but that could be put down to the weather conditions. Jo was his usual headless-chicken self as well as being taken off before half-time on a stretcher. Yakubu needs many more months as Moyes suggested beforehand and when almost through on goal seemed to pull up as well.
After I heard Yobo was out, I thought a draw would have been a good result. At half-time I was praying for a draw.
All in all, I can't believe we have come away with a win, but excellent result. We stuck in there whilst losing and got our rewards. COYB!
Matthew Lovekin, Posted 01/10/2009 at 17:14:45
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Agreed, credit to Tony Hibbert who was brilliant at cb !
Well I have to say, I found the game extremely frustrating to watch due to our inability to pass or keep the ball at times, but I kept reminding myself of the circumstances.... i.e. the weather and pitch conditions and the players missing etc. And so I have to agree this was a terrific result, and before hand I felt this would be a tough one without all the injuries etc.
I thought Hibbert was excellent at centre back, and typically defended really well.
I thought Gosling did well, but this game really did highlight the fact that he is not an ideal right back, due to his natural urge to go forward.
Distin was solid and really does look like he’s been with us for years.
Billy looks a real gem of a player, and can only imagine he will just keep getting better and better. So unlucky with that great strike !!
Yakuba showed glimpses of his old magic, but also showed he is way off full fitness still, and so needs plenty of time.
Jo was in my opinion awful. I like Jo, I think he has ability, and often defend his game, but tonight he was just dire !!
Cahill worked tirelessly, and did what he does best, popping up with a winner.
But for me, the star of the show, closely followed by Hibbert......was Fellaini !! I thought he was great tonight. He broke up so many attacks and was the one player who always kept the ball. In the second half you could see his frustration when BATE had a free header in the middle of the park, and he was the one running all over the shop trying to make something happen. Thats exactly what he kept doing....he kept getting stuck in and took the game by the scruff of the neck and tried to drag us back into the game.....it was his efforts that led to the free kick he scored from.
He really impressed me, and showed great desire tonight, and I can only imagine that when Mikel and Pienaar are in the same line up as him that he will really blossom !!
So all things considered, great result !! Well done lads....COYB
I thought Hibbert was excellent at centre back, and typically defended really well.
I thought Gosling did well, but this game really did highlight the fact that he is not an ideal right back, due to his natural urge to go forward.
Distin was solid and really does look like he’s been with us for years.
Billy looks a real gem of a player, and can only imagine he will just keep getting better and better. So unlucky with that great strike !!
Yakuba showed glimpses of his old magic, but also showed he is way off full fitness still, and so needs plenty of time.
Jo was in my opinion awful. I like Jo, I think he has ability, and often defend his game, but tonight he was just dire !!
Cahill worked tirelessly, and did what he does best, popping up with a winner.
But for me, the star of the show, closely followed by Hibbert......was Fellaini !! I thought he was great tonight. He broke up so many attacks and was the one player who always kept the ball. In the second half you could see his frustration when BATE had a free header in the middle of the park, and he was the one running all over the shop trying to make something happen. Thats exactly what he kept doing....he kept getting stuck in and took the game by the scruff of the neck and tried to drag us back into the game.....it was his efforts that led to the free kick he scored from.
He really impressed me, and showed great desire tonight, and I can only imagine that when Mikel and Pienaar are in the same line up as him that he will really blossom !!
So all things considered, great result !! Well done lads....COYB
To come away with a win was fantastic tonight with the squad we had available. Well done lads, a great attitude. Have to point out that I can’t wait for a fully functioning forward line with Bily supplying the balls. Given the conditions tonight some of his play was exceptional and I tell you this, I will love it, love it when we have a fit Yak to feed off them.
Well, unable to watch this live or taped I had to resort to reading the live text from the first minute to the last minute (slowly reading up the screen without knowing the result) ... awful, albeit somewhat suspenseful, way of "watching" a game .... 0-1 - oh, shit, then 1-1 (gotta love Mophead!) and then our plucky little Ossie guy doing his thing again!!
Brilliant result, and somewhat surprisingly Benfica lost too....a long way to go yet but one can’t complain looking at our group right now!
COYB!!
Brilliant result, and somewhat surprisingly Benfica lost too....a long way to go yet but one can’t complain looking at our group right now!
COYB!!
That was our best win of the season so far. I couldn’t be prouder with the way the team dug in.
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John..... Osman played well?
I must have been more out of it than I thought!
I agree that Hibbo was outstanding at CB, but as far as I could see, Ossie was BATE’s best attacking player in the first half, coz on at least 3 occasions we moved the ball upfield to the edge of their box, Ossie fucked around with it and the next thing BATE were sweeping up the field on the break.......
I must have been more out of it than I thought!
I agree that Hibbo was outstanding at CB, but as far as I could see, Ossie was BATE’s best attacking player in the first half, coz on at least 3 occasions we moved the ball upfield to the edge of their box, Ossie fucked around with it and the next thing BATE were sweeping up the field on the break.......
It just goes to show what a lot of posters have been saying for years, Hibbert’s detractors are constantly calling him "Shite" for his attacking play and conveniently forgetting he is a defender.
In the centre back position he is there solely to defend and not worry about getting up the lines and putting in crosses, and what happens? he gets awarded the man of the match and some of his worse haters are begrudgingly giving him praise.
Ganted I watched it on a dodgy PC link that stuttered but wasn't sure that Osman was actually on the pitch! Hibbert was great though! May not be top four material but he’s being unfairly hammered for a bad first half in heatwave conditions against the prems equal best team, IMHO.
Great result and I thought we actually played the conditions well.
Can't believe the lack of faith in Cahill on here! Some very very short memories!
Great result and I thought we actually played the conditions well.
Can't believe the lack of faith in Cahill on here! Some very very short memories!
Stephen Parris, I agree completely.
Fellaini came in for a lot of stick in some of the other threads, yet it is a toss up between him and hibbert for man of the match, in my opinion.
Apart from bily who was really our only forward thinking player with the ability to go past people and make stuff happen, fellaini was the only other midfielder to play well over the 90 minutes. As you say, he worked really hard, probably as we were effectively a player down in the middle of the park with Osman’s performance.
Fellaini came in for a lot of stick in some of the other threads, yet it is a toss up between him and hibbert for man of the match, in my opinion.
Apart from bily who was really our only forward thinking player with the ability to go past people and make stuff happen, fellaini was the only other midfielder to play well over the 90 minutes. As you say, he worked really hard, probably as we were effectively a player down in the middle of the park with Osman’s performance.
Steven, I too saw Felli getting frustrated in the middle with that header but he kept going and I have to admit his close control is probably as good as anyone, he can get it down with one touch and he’s away. Still got a lot to learn but he is still only a nipper!
How Osman was Captain is beyond me, he is a good squad player and I suppose given the lack on numbers last night he was always going to play, but Capt FFS!!
That’s two matches in a week where Leon has been practically anonymous. We all know his ability is not the best but his effort has always been what’s kept in the team and his recent lethargy is amazing for a man who is surely fighting for his place more than anybody else in the team.
They did what they had to do with what they had available in terms of experience. Although Bate are not top notch Europa despite their prowess last season I am glad we were not playing a top notch team. Hopefully this predicament will not arise again. Having said that there were still some disappointing performances. It was however a chance to get some valuable match fitness for Yaks.
Obviously pleased with the result but what I watched was them play decent stuff, us play shite and us get lucky.
Oh and as I watched Yakubu I was thinking ’someone I know runs exactly the same way but....I can’t think who’
Eventually I realized who it was — fucking me! (A fat 50-year old-smoker, who considers winding my watch and scratching my arse, exercise!)
Oh and as I watched Yakubu I was thinking ’someone I know runs exactly the same way but....I can’t think who’
Eventually I realized who it was — fucking me! (A fat 50-year old-smoker, who considers winding my watch and scratching my arse, exercise!)
Hibbert was man of the match. But, how the fuck it was a toss up between him and Fellaini for it was a joke, right? Apart from the goal he did fuck all else. I would love to see what some of you see in him, but for me, because we paid a wad of cash for him, some of you watch him through blue tinted specs.
Apart from his goal, he also won the ball in defence, played it forward to Jo, then when BATE won it back a few seconds later in central midfield he was the one who came in the with a crunching challenge to win it back again and set off the attack for Cahill's goal.
Generally his play was tidy all night, he found his man with simple passes rather than hoofs or balls played in at match that can’t be controlled. He worked hard and broke up a lot of play.
He’s still only 21 and his English is probably not great, so he will improve. He can’t have any say in how much was paid for him (we probably did pay over the odds), but to say he did fuck all last night is a bit harsh to say the least, especially since he looked like he’d been told to be the holding midfielder and our defence were obviously keen to play it long.
He’s had good games and some bad ones since he joined — probably more good imho — but even the commentator last night said he’d been a star.
Generally his play was tidy all night, he found his man with simple passes rather than hoofs or balls played in at match that can’t be controlled. He worked hard and broke up a lot of play.
He’s still only 21 and his English is probably not great, so he will improve. He can’t have any say in how much was paid for him (we probably did pay over the odds), but to say he did fuck all last night is a bit harsh to say the least, especially since he looked like he’d been told to be the holding midfielder and our defence were obviously keen to play it long.
He’s had good games and some bad ones since he joined — probably more good imho — but even the commentator last night said he’d been a star.
"I think it’s easy to characterise other teams as being clueless or not offering much against us."
This happens an awful lot on ToffeeWeb, particularly from people who like to slag off Kenwright, Moyes, Hobbert (that’s a mis-type not a deliberate pun, although I did see a bit of Lord of the Rings the other day, and...) and Osman. Its becoming a bit of a bugbear of mine. We were told by quite a few correspondents after a fantastic performance against AEK that they were simply no good. Well, Thursday’s result, AEK 1-0 Benfica, should put our victory into better context.
Its time some of our naysayers just accepted that if teams look shit against us, its may just be because we make them look shit.
I’m also getting annoyed about the slagging of Fellaini. Last year he wasn’t great, but he proved an awkward lump for defenders and scored some useful goals. This season he’s beginning to look like a really good all-round footballer, strong, quick, good touch, sees passes, makes challenges etc. What’s not to see in him? What do people want him to do, pay back the €15M from his own account? As far as I know from what people have said, he didn’t even cost that, a lot of it is in potential add-ons.
This happens an awful lot on ToffeeWeb, particularly from people who like to slag off Kenwright, Moyes, Hobbert (that’s a mis-type not a deliberate pun, although I did see a bit of Lord of the Rings the other day, and...) and Osman. Its becoming a bit of a bugbear of mine. We were told by quite a few correspondents after a fantastic performance against AEK that they were simply no good. Well, Thursday’s result, AEK 1-0 Benfica, should put our victory into better context.
Its time some of our naysayers just accepted that if teams look shit against us, its may just be because we make them look shit.
I’m also getting annoyed about the slagging of Fellaini. Last year he wasn’t great, but he proved an awkward lump for defenders and scored some useful goals. This season he’s beginning to look like a really good all-round footballer, strong, quick, good touch, sees passes, makes challenges etc. What’s not to see in him? What do people want him to do, pay back the €15M from his own account? As far as I know from what people have said, he didn’t even cost that, a lot of it is in potential add-ons.
Mike — Fellaini ’quick’???? I think you need to get your telly looked at mate!!!!!
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1 Posted 01/10/2009 at 23:33:23
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player slot so seamlessly into an Everton side as Distin has since, well, probably since Davey Weir. His reading of the game and penchant for staying on his feet, not doing anything stupid and having pace to recover if necessary is terrific.
I think it’s easy to characterise other teams as being clueless or not offering much against us. But if truth be known very few teams keep their shape & discipline like an Everton team. We make it so fucking hard for teams to get through us and, whilst I want a bit more adventure, I just love having having that solidity when it matters.
Moyes was spot on about Hibbert. Just gets on with whatever he’s asked to do, no complaints. He deserves the plaudits.
But all in all, to travel so far and play in such conditions without almost a full team of first choicers speaks volumes. I have no doubt that those in the know will have seen Everton’s result, and the conditions in which it was achieved, and taken note. And so they should.
With the exception of the Bayern SF, our next Europa game is probably our biggest European night for 40 years. A win in Lisbon would be a great statement of intent. Another one a fortnight later at Goodison and we’re through.
Great stuff.