The Mail Bag
Moments of Destiny
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We seem to have a moment of destiny each season from which we kick-start our season or we use as a springboard to move onto better things. Last season’s was the Neville tackle on Ronaldo and the disastrous Wigan away game. I would like to think that last night’s Benefica game will act as our moment of destiny for this season, but I have this nagging feeling that it won't, and we will be subjected to another few months of misery.
Why? — because I don’t see the players in the current availability list who can force this directional change. It needs the Neville, the Jagielka, the in-form Cahill... We don’t have any of those characters there at the moment. We have the quiet/shy brigade — Fellaini, Rodwell, Hibbert, Baines, Yobo, Bily, Ossie, Jo. I suspect that Heitinga (given time) could become that forceful player but I think it’s too soon just yet, particularly with him still adjusting to the pace of the Premier League.
But is there a possibility that maybe, just maybe, Neill can provide that leadership/forcefulness we need at times like this to grab hold of the fragility we have and force it round, and maybe just maybe it would re-ignite Cahill again, as the Aussies duo take Everton forward.
As I stated in a reply to a recent e.mail on this site, I just cannot understand why we have 8-9 major players injured. To me, there must some underlying reason, which hasn’t been detected and resolved, but we cannot go on like this. We are a team which, like it or not, gets results by sheer willpower, force, doggedness, and with the ability to overcome/overpower lesser teams, but to do it we need our generals out on the pitch — not in Rathbone’s parlour.
A debate about the type of team, players, coaches, manager, finances we need to crack into the Top 4 is just a pipedream at the moment. We have come a hell of a long way with Moyes since the dark periods of the nineties and then Walter, but Moyes's philosophy is all about effort, commitment, hard-working players with the odd quality player thrown in, and that’s the way it's going to stay until something dramatic happens at the very top of this club.
Mike Oates, Posted 23/10/2009 at 09:16:27
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It has been said by folks on here who seem to understand physiology that the kinds of injuries we seem vulnerable to perhaps points to our training methods, or some lack.
Some of the over reactions beggar belief. There was so much obvious mitigation that it hardly merits listing it. The reality is, we had the better of the first half and lost it all in 5 crazy minutes. And the problem was a young lad making his debut (much too early as he’s also been out for a while injured) facing their best player and losing his bearings.
Shit happens, especially to us, but we move on. We will qualify from this group. If we get any of our players back for the return in 2 weeks then we can still even win the group.
Benfica is gone. As you say, it’s ALL about Bolton now and can we get a team out.
Gosling on the other hand was woeful. Admittedly he was up against Di Maria who was just on it on Thursday but he has now proved to me he will never be a RB.
We were smashed 5-0, you prick of a manager!
As Dan Parker said, I too am sick of this backs-to-the-wall shite. For those who complain about our injury list, look at what happened 1 year ago. When we had a full strength squad, we were dire. Once our injury list topped itself, starting with bone-idle arse up front, we started to improve greatly.
Despite the 2nd half turnaround against Man United, Moyes refused to change his ways and instead went back to that old dross. It took a woeful performance at Wigan to wake him up.
And for those who say how good Moyes would be with money, well let us look at his big-money signings: Beattie was a failure, Johnson wasn’t much better. Yakubu to an extent has been a success but far too many barren spells and he contradicts Moyes's team ethic. And Fellaini... heaven help us with him. He is a joke. We broke the bank to sign this moron when we could have signed Defour who is on another planet to this shower of shite. Also consider Per Krøldrup who in his 1 and only game was roasted by Milan Baros and what about this lighting winger that we were gonna sign? Urm... not sure I have seen him.
Believe me we are another couple of months away from anything good. Watch as Spurs chuck us out of the League Cup on Tuesday.
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1 Posted 23/10/2009 at 14:37:41
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We got tanked by a team who took advantage of a makeshift back four. It's not nice but ever the over reaction on these pages.
A win against Bolton and all this will be forgot.