The Mail Bag
A team too far
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In the midst of three appalling performances in a row and really no excuse for it at all in my opinion,despite the injury issues, I would pose the question to David Moyes: "If you had everyone fit, would you play the team below?" >{? My experience of Everton and the way we play would suggest not and the anti-Moyes contingent would answer it for him, therefore I open it out to fellow supporters not to create an endless list of other alternatives but to reason why he would not do it or why it would not work.
In my opinion, I would love to see it for all home games at least, however, I fear we would never be brave enough to attempt it.
Here goes...
Howard
Niell Jagielka Distin Baines
Bilyaletdinov Arteta Pienaar
Saha Cahill Yakubu
Subs: Yobo, Rodwell, Heitinga, Gosling, Osman, Baxter, Hibbert
I believe this team could beat any one on its day, so why would we not play it?
Paul Niklas, Posted 24/10/2009 at 10:28:20
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This year the League is going to be incredibly tight - we could be at either end of the spectrum really.
Coming to your team, Paul, Cahill has done nothing this season to merit selection over Fellaini/Rodwell/Neville. And where are the leaders in your team ?
IMHO, our strongest team WHEN EVERYBODY IS FIT AND IN THEIR BEST FORM (only in my dreams, I know):
Howard
Neville Jagielka Distin Baines
Pienaar Arteta Fellaini Billy
Saha Yakubu
SUBS: Cahill, Rodwell, Yobo, Heitinga, Hibbert, Osman, Nash
First on the bench you include Osman, Baxter and Gosling. These three are all similar players, and play in the same position. Did you pick Baxter and Gosling just so you could make a point of ommiting Fellaini and Neville?
For all of Fellani’s critics, he has still played better than Cahill over the course of the season and he’s 21 so there is much time for improvement, while Cahill is 29. Also, I bet if Fellaini hadn't cost €15 million, he would be in your team.
Second. Your midfield would be over-powered by most midfields in the Premier League. I guess you want Arteta in a holding role, but that is a waste of talent. He isn't a great tackler, can you imagine who would win in a midfield battle Arteta vs Mascherano / Cana / Essien / Diaby / Palacios etc etc. A midfieled with average height of 5’-8" or -9" will not cut it, especially as none can tackle.
Third, Cahill, Saha AND Yakubu? I think it's firmly established that Cahill is a forward, and you can only really afford a Cahill type off the striker player when there is only 1 lone striker. Cahill doesn't have the technique to play in a Diamond style formation behind 2 front men, so its basically 4-3-3 with no defensive midielders. Unless you believe Pienaar, Arteta and Bily will be given time and space to play ball into the box for 90mins then we would get mullered. You also fail to include Jo on the bench, or any striker for that matter... Anichebe/Vaughan? Again are you trying to make a point that you don't rate them, yet Baxter has done what to guarantee a place on the bench for a Premier League team?
Also, what is the point of your post? You say you don't want a raft of different team selections. So is this making a point of criticizing Moyes in our poor form of late? Then how does your team selection do this?
Arteta will not be fully fit for 3 months at least, and we may have to wait til next season to see his best form. Jags... ditto. Yak is far away from full fitness. Neill is not yet match-fit. Pienaar is currently injured. Bily is still adapting... so your post is (1) criticizing our recent form and saying injuries is no excuse, without anything to back up that statement, and (2) is playing Football Manager with our squad? Very confusing, so much so I think my responce lacks structure and also makes no sense.
What have you ’’supporters’’ got to say now who were slagging Everton for not beating these so called inferior sides but praising Villa, Spurs, and Sunderland? Ha and these sides nearly all had full strength teams out!
Everton have been appalling the last three games in my opinion, injuries have a say in that matter but the players that played the last games have been appalling simple as that.
By the way 6 attacking players at home has go to be better than 6 defenders playing in the last three games in midfield and attack.
Fran Mitchel- talk about pointless post, same to you really, I said if everyone was fit or do you not read and are you that blinkered you only see and read what you want too.
I also agree defensively it is wanting therefore Neville for Cahil/Fellaini is for me the only change you could make.
Heitinga has yet to prove himself however I do see him as the holding player at some stage.
I agree Fellaini could replace Cahil in my selection, he has been poor also but on a goal basis only I would opt for Cahil.
Are you one of those "people" who derive some sort of "satisfaction" from being able to denigrate others through the merciless use of "punctuation"?
If someone really disagrees with you, do you bring out the genitive apostrophe as a weapon of last resort?
The big question is what do we need? Are we pushing for Europe fighting for safety or mid-table mediocrity? The other question is how Arteta's return will affect the team?
I would like to see Arteta sitting back picking the ball up from defense and spreading the play, let Rodwell use his young legs to be a box-to-box midfielder, Fellaini to add height and strengh, Bily and Pienaar's attacking invention and King Louis as the ’coupe de grace’.
I do think you’ve picked your favourite players before thinking of how they would make a team; 11 Messi’s would get slaughtered every week. Great to watch though.
Are you one of those ’’supporters’’ who derive some sort of satisfaction from a poor result so you can stick the knife in and use words like ’’coward’’?
It does not compare with calling Moyes a coward. If someone thinks the team selection is cowardly, that’s a matter of their opinion. Do not come on here simply to denigrate other supporters.
As I say, it's a matter of opinion, but if I have offended any fellow Evertonians then I apologise, but I feel it is my duty to defend and support what I think is right and if I think Moyes and the team are harshly done by I will do everything I can to support them.
People haven't called Moyes team selection cowardly they have called the man himself a coward, would they say it to his face I wonder? I wouldn't like someone to call me a coward so if Moyes is not here to defend himself then I will feel the need to do it for him. Is that not fair?
Looking at those definitions I could understand somebody else using that term, if they believed Moyes was afraid to take the perceived risk of his team playing more attractive football. Whether they would say it to his face seems completely irrelevant to me, as is the point you make about Moyes not being here to defend himself - if he was that arsed about what the "supporters" say about him he could choose to defend himself, but I suspect he’s got more important things to do.
You are of course free to defend whatever position you wish, as others on here are free to attack or critique such things, within the limits set by our Conditions of Use. Neither represents any value judgment of one's degree of "support", which is a given — that support is what you directly impugned in an attempt to belittle their comparative analyses of Everton’s recent poor performances — performances which David Moyes himself described as poor.
We all support Everton — that is why we are here, reading and contributing. Do not denigrate that.
And I've just realised — your post was nowhere near the topic of this thread... Behave!
End of.
If you was there you would have seen no blinkered views and excuses for Moyes from those fans.
We have terrible injuries but that does not mean the players and manager where pathetic that night.
Our full backs were getting murdered and he done sod all about it.
At half time I said he should have moved Hibbert over brought Rodwell into defence pulled Cahill inside and moved Gosling futher forward, it was so easy to see and yet look what followed.
He is making a tit out of Cahill playing him out wide where the boo boys are starting to get at him, as they have with Osman being played in the same out of position.
He has ballsed the whole team pattern up by buying a player he obviously had no clue about in Fellaini and he has to somehow fit him in to justify the money he spent on him.
One of my friends i spoke to told me of a chat he had with a Benfica fan and the fan said along the lines dnt worry when we get 1 no mater who we play we score 3s 4s and 5s, we have been unbelievable this season. Apparently they have scored a rediculous amount of goals so far this season.
And Moyes and Billy bullshit are 100% to blame for that after another disgrace of a summer....
Taxi..!
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1 Posted 24/10/2009 at 17:13:25
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If you have no flair players, it's hard to break down teams like Stoke and Wolves, who at the time of writing have also taken points of our fellow top 4 contenders.
As for the team... are we brave enough? 3 days on from being beaten 5-0 and you plan on playing 6 out an out attacking players and no cover to the back four? WTF?