The Mail Bag

Post-Match Analaysis

Comments (28)

Moyes got the selection wrong starting with 2 defensive midfielders. Only one was needed with probably Fellaini starting in their place. 4-5-1 can be fine IF you have an attack-minded midfield, which we didn't have to start off with.

The second half improved mightily especially with the Heitinga - Bily combo down the right. You can see how the team will in future line up with these two on one side, and Baines -Pienaar on t’other side, with the full backs encouraged to overlap all the time. Question is: who to play in the 2/3 middle slots? ... and that I don’t think Moyes really knows.

Perhaps the most annoying thing for me was taking off Saha and bringing on Jo. Yes, I know Jo set up the goal but, besides that, did very little (I know that’s what subs are meant to do but I could easily have seen Saha making that run as well) plus the Yakubu - Saha partnership was making real inroads. I don’t quite understand this substitution... but then I don't understand the team that started either!
Nick Dommett,     Posted 17/10/2009 at 15:47:30

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John Martin
1   Posted 17/10/2009 at 19:10:28

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I blame Moyes for today's result. At home to the mighty Wolves and we play a defender in centre midfield. This would be bad away versus a top 4 side but at home to Wolves is unforgivable.

We did have options: Gosling on the right would have allowed Osman into the middle or we could have actually played 4-4-2 from the start although that's far too ambitious for Moyes.

We’ve lost 4 points in the last 2 home games against teams we should be beating and Moyes's tactics have played a huge part in that. I still stand by my belief Moyes will never make us a top 4 side as he lacks bottle to attack teams... it's always caution with his sides. We won't finish in the top 6 now, not a knee-jerk reaction — I thought that anyway — but losing points like today will cost us big time.

David Hallwood
2   Posted 17/10/2009 at 19:14:52

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I agree with you John except that I’d add he put out a similar formation against Fulham; I don’t know what DM sees in this ultra defensive-formation but it isn’t points. One up front and two holding midfielders against the mighty Wolves... FFS! To quote Frederick the Great: "He who defends everything, defends nothing."
Colin Malone
3   Posted 17/10/2009 at 19:12:00

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I agree, Nick, Heitinga was having a stinker and with Rodwell's crab like passing, Osman should have been moved into the middle.

We missed Phil Neville today. Saha wants too much time on the ball. Give me the Yak any day. Bily boy Is CLASS, can't wait to see him with Arteta and Pienaar.

Steve Pugh
4   Posted 17/10/2009 at 19:22:16

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As everyone is feeling totally depressed, I was wondering if anyone caught Matt LeTissier on SSN before the game? He basically said that everyone looks at Liverpool losing Gerrard and Torres and thinks they will struggle, whilst we have lost Arteta, Jags, Pienaar, Neville et al and we can still win. He said no other team in the Premier League would cope with the loss of so many of their top players as well as we have.

Maybe one day we can see the team DM wants to play, with Pienaar, Mikky, Rodders and Bily across midfield, with Timmy linking play up to the Yak or Saha.

As there is a whole thread on the defence, I won’t even go there.
John Brennan
5   Posted 17/10/2009 at 19:22:48

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Typical Moyes. I and many others say the same thing time after time BEFORE we play the so-called weaker teams!! He defends first, and thinks about attack last. We didn't deserve to beat Stoke, and although I wasn't at the game today, it seems Wolves deserved something from the game.

Saha and Yakubu should not have been separated for Jo. I expected us to win today, but either we have players who are not as good as I think they are, or else they are hamstrung by Moyes’s tactics. We shouldn't have to rely on Pienaar and Arteta to break down defences.

We seem to have built up a good number of capable defenders, but perhaps it has been achieved at the expense of at least one more creative midfielder who could unlock defences for Saha and Yakubu.

We should be winning these games if our ambitions are to be realised. How many times do we have to keep repeating it, OPEN UP MOYES, SHOW SOME ATTACKING SPIRIT AT HOME AT LEAST!!!!!

Andy Crooks
6   Posted 17/10/2009 at 20:07:09

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Steve, whatever team David Moyes has available, we will still be served up the safety-first formations that are his speciality.

Too many Evertonians are grateful that DM has turned the club around and that we are no longer in relegation battles. Frankly he has, over the years, served up some truly abysmal football. This is not a knee-jerk response to another poor result, I said a year ago that I’d have been happy if he hadn’t signed his contract.

We have had an easy opening to the season and have failed against Stoke, Burnley and now Wolves as well the humiliation by Arsenal. Injuries do not excuse today. The players were good enough to beat Wolves. The manager's tactics were not.

Martin Paice
7   Posted 17/10/2009 at 20:29:18

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Thought we really missed Pienaar and Arteta today. We had no-one in midfield who could put their foot on the ball, look up and play a penetrating ball forward.
Sam Higgins
8   Posted 17/10/2009 at 21:05:30

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I'm sorry, but at the moment we seem to be just one thing.... absolute fucking shit.

We should be sweeping Stoke and Wolves aside at home. We are not doing this. Something is horribly wrong... we are absolute fucking complete shit, and I don't know why.
Andy Codling
9   Posted 17/10/2009 at 21:09:43

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Early days with Bily the Russian but at present he looks like he has no pace and he’s scared to take a man on.

Dreadful decision to take Saha off and why the fuck do we have EVERY man back behind the ball when defending corners?

Poor team selection from Moyes again for the first half, I'm sick to death of this one-up-front shite.

Arteta cant get back quick enough!

Trevor Williams
10   Posted 17/10/2009 at 21:29:37

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Osman summed up the game for me -

6 minutes in he lost the ball and chased back. Their big shitouse left back zoomed past him. From that moment on Osman may as well have not been there. He never once tried to take out the brick shithouse.

Pathetic.

A guy on Radio 5 (caller) on Monday said he was a dark horse for the England Squad... Amazing.
John Talbot
11   Posted 17/10/2009 at 21:26:03

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Martin, Yes we missed Pienaar but Arteta he hasn’t kicked a ball in ages. We should be taking the game to these sorts of teams and battering them into submission — something we failed to do today.
Keith Glazzard
12   Posted 17/10/2009 at 21:28:34

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Definitely not good enough.

It’s far too simple to say that the finishing line-up would have won the game from the start, but I was praying for Fellaini sooner rather than later.

The first half team was supposed to battle the new boys. They didn’t, and couldn’t. A bit more guile — brain, if you like — was needed. Saha has it, but was sorely misused today. The Yak has it, and came close to making a difference. Jo has it, and did make a difference. Bily made the difference because he was used more intellegently. And they had no answer to Fellaini’s muscular ball control.

Yes, Pienaar was badly missed (mainly for opening Baines’s magic down the left), but we had much more talent than was used today.

A missed opportunity, and it could have been worse.
Gavin Ramejkis
13   Posted 17/10/2009 at 22:25:38

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A few posters already hit the nail on the head as to why we don’t destroy shite like Stoke and Wolves; DM plays his ultra-dour defensive football at home, no matter who we play.

Osman had another mare yet stayed on the park until the match was virtually over. With very few exceptions, Everton don’t have players who can actually go past a man, Pienaar, Arteta and to some extent Saha and Yakubu but without any creativity in midfield it was endless lumping the ball and hoping today. How can you expect the fans to get behind such utter defensive shite?

No wonder every visiting team outsings the place for the majority of the game when the fans are sat pondering another dreadful game they have paid good money to watch. Today was no exception, we should be battering dross like Wolves and playing attacking football against them, get a handful of goals then use the remainder to blood the kids or players on the bench.

What we got today was another get-out-of-jail card which we barely deserved.

Trevor Williams
14   Posted 17/10/2009 at 22:34:05

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Three poor teams played, two at home and all we can show is 2 points, which is not good enough...

Nov & Dec are frightening months for us.
Martin Paice
15   Posted 17/10/2009 at 22:37:36

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John - completely agree! At the moment, everything bypasses the midfield and we’re lacking that little bit of quality.

Bily scored, but the delivery from him up to then was poor. For me, the jury’s still out.
John Martin
16   Posted 17/10/2009 at 23:09:01

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This season, I have seen our near rivals City, Villa & Spurs all take on top 4 teams playing 4-4-2 and have a real good go at them and get wins. We all know Moyes is scared stiff of the top 4 and will set up ultra cautious 4-5-1. I really fear big beatings by them.

We lack pace and power in midfield but we’ve lacked it for 4 years and Moyes hasn't solved the problems yet. It's the biggest reason why we won't finish in top 4 and to be honest — based on how we have played this season — we'll be lucky to finish top 7

Ian Tunstead
17   Posted 18/10/2009 at 00:04:27

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What's all this crap about Bily not having any pace and not being able to beat a man? The most important thing is end product and the lad must have about 6 assists and a goal in about 6 appearances! What's wrong with you people?

I don't remember Beckham having any pace to beat a man, but that's not important when you have a great cross, which Bily definitely has also.

Why do fans feel the need to jump on players' backs who have only just arrived when in the settling-in period? Moyes has said it will take Bily and Yak a few months to get to their best. Just like it took Jags, Arteta, Baines and Pienaar about 4-6 months to realy establish themselves in the side.

Dick Fearon
18   Posted 17/10/2009 at 23:32:36

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After removing the dog from my recliner and with a coldie close to hand, I settled in for a night of TV football.

The first game between Villa and Chelsea was a feast of fast and furious football. Both teams were going at it hammer and tongs. Numerous passages of absolutely brilliant play had both sets of fans roaring their appreciation. It was 90 minutes of excitement and a wonderful example of what is best about the Premier League.

Here in West Oz, it was 10pm and 37C when I raided the fridge for a few more coldies. The beer and the Villa game had wetted my appetite with anticipation of another great game.

The appearance of Osman in the starting line-up dented my enthusiasm but hey, our opponents were lowly Wolves, the sort of opposition that everyone says Leon does well against.

My eagerness restored, I looked forward to the game. What I actually got from dear old Goodison was a 90 minute dollop of pure unadulterated shit. Apologies to Wolves who did exhibit some passion and were most unfortunate not to win.

It was only after going behind did our team show any kind of fighting spirit. They displayed none of the previous games' vitality or skill. Such was the total lack of zest I reckon the squad tours Anfield cemetery as part of its pre-match motivation.

Andy Codling
19   Posted 18/10/2009 at 00:38:55

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Ian... no-one is jumping on Bily's back, just voicing early observations of the lad; as I said in my post, it is early doors with him.

However he does appear to lack pace, which is great to have in a winger and also in our team, which takes an age getting up the pitch. Also, I'm yet to see him take on a full back and beat him, which he hasn't done considering he is very skillful on the ball. So calm down.

Ian Tunstead
20   Posted 18/10/2009 at 00:47:18

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Fair enough, Andy, but it does irritate me when fans don't give the players a chance to settle in and find some form.

I can still remember fans slagging Jags, saying he wouldn't cut it. Then, when he put in a few MotM performances, the fans needed someone else to have a go at, so Baines became the whipping boy... and now that Fellaini is starting to show some promise, it's now seems like it's Bily's turn to be poked and prodded.

If Bily never beats a man for the rest of his Everton days but continues getting the assists at the rate he has, I for one will be delighted.
Graham McCann
21   Posted 18/10/2009 at 02:55:08

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I’ve always been a fan of Moyes, but after watching that game today, I cant say that I’m a fan of him anymore. Far too over cautious... 4-5-1 at home. Why play Heitinga in midfield when he is so much better at RB? For god's sake, play 2 strikers, go for the win. Why did we only get some urgency about us when we went a goal behind?

Same old Moyes, play for the 1-0 and hope that the opposition don't score first.

We are so much better than Wolves & Stoke, well we should be

I give up.
Dan Brierley
22   Posted 18/10/2009 at 05:49:48

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Bad result again, but hardly suprising given that we have lost our two most creative players. It is definitely two points dropped, but it's also 7 games unbeaten. And we also have more points at this stage than we did last season.

Looking forward to seeing Moyes having a selection dilemma with our midfield. The reality is, we are a very average side without our best players. The same can be said for most teams in the world though to be fair.
David Chait
23   Posted 18/10/2009 at 06:51:02

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Can I ask — haven’t seen too much of it, tried Iraqigoals... but anyway — Did we have chances and poor shooting cost us? Or did we actually play for a draw hoping to snatch a win... a la against the CL teams?
Steve Pugh
24   Posted 18/10/2009 at 08:16:07

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I admit it was a poor match but I get the impression that some people would play Fellaini from the start despite the fact that he had his wisdom teeth removed midweek; obviously you’ve never had your wisdom teeth removed, it drains you. Saha was clearly knackered when he was replaced, but why should that be a reason to replace him and the Yak is not fully fit still.

As I am not one of Gosling's biggest fans; DM put out the strongest midfield that was fully fit. He was probably hoping that Felli wouldn’t have to come on at all but the players on the pitch didn’t perform. He spent most of the match screaming at them to get the ball down and pass it, but they kept giving it away.
Dick Fearon
25   Posted 18/10/2009 at 09:37:25

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Steve Pugh, regarding your comment about Gosling, I would add that if he is not good enough to replace Osman then get rid of him now. To do that would save a fortune in wages over the years and create opportunities for others.
Graeme Bradman
26   Posted 18/10/2009 at 12:09:17

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The starting line-up was very strange. The issue is not 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. Loads of top sides make 4-5-1 work in a very attacking way.

The problem today was playing Heitinga in midfield. It was obvious at the start of the season that Rodwell and Neville was not working, Neville got injured and Fellaini and Rodwell were forced together with an improvement in the football.

Heitinga and Rodwell was far too defensive for today's game, and, like many others, I was crying for Fellaini to come on within minutes of the start as the defense had no passing options and were forced to lump it long.

Just a mention about Jo, he may lack strength but he showed good pace and awareness for the goal and also won us the game against Blackburn. It seems that many are determined to destroy players before they have had a chance and are only prepared to see the bad points and not give credit when its due. Same with some of the comments about Bily and Osman.

Jon Gorman
27   Posted 18/10/2009 at 13:04:35

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Anyone else wondering why we paid £5.5M for Heitinga?
John Martin
28   Posted 18/10/2009 at 14:27:55

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Jon, I am wondering why we signed him. He is an okay right back & centre half but is lost in midfield.

The reason why I wonder why we signed him is he is supposed to be the replacement for Hibbert. Yet he isn't much better, if at all.

Everton are skint and we can't afford to be paying that much money for a player who won't improve the 1st team. Rather improving the 1st team Moyes seems only interested in buying players who can play 3 or 4 positions... mastering none of them.

I can imagine next summer when we are still crying out for a dominant midfielder or pacey winger, Moyes doesn't sign them but delights that we sign John O’Shea as he covers lots of positions... and, instead of pace out wide, gets Gary O’Neil as he can play all across midfield.

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