Johnny Sixpence...
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Great performance today... couldn't fault one player in a blue shirt, while the likes of Arteta, Pienaar, Baines, Jagielka and Co get a most of the media headlines, I thought Johnny Sixpence was EXCELLENT. One other thing with Heitinga is his will to win. We were 4-1 up in total control... then up popped a 50/50, now most players would've said "Nah, I'll leave that one because we are cruising..." but not our Johnny — he thundered into the challenge won the ball, took the man, stood up and puffed his chest out, as if to say, "This is my fucking patch. son..." Fucking great stuff. All-in-all, Johnny Sixpence for the captain's roll — A legend in the making. COYB
Sean McKenna,
Ireland Posted 07/03/2010 at 21:46:32
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We all expected the worst at the Bridge earlier this season, we hadn’t been playing well — Johnny included - and each time time Chelsea took the lead the travelling blues feared the worst, but my mate kept pointing to Heitinga, "That's what we’ve been looking for" he said, "Arrogance, he will be a legend at this club."
Each time Chelsea threatened to run away with the game, JH stepped up to the plate, gesturing to the travelling fans throughout.
At the time, I thought my mate was getting a bit carried away with a good performance, but the Evertonians have taken this fella to their hearts and his is the name they chant after every away game.
Heitinga believes he belongs amongst the very best, he fears nobody and it's beginning to rub off.
Tommy Gravesen comes to mind when he was in his prime, I love players such as these two that have participation with the crowd, ill never forget looking forward to corner kicks so much when Tommy G used to come over and get the crowd going sick!
Dogs of War
Totally agree about Johnny’s tackling. I watched on telly, and was a nervous wreck at that stage when we went through that 10 minute iffy phase. However, when Heitinga crunched into that tackle I jumped up from the couch and screamed "YES" - my wife came running in thinking we’d scored.
His tackling at times reminds me of watching a certain Colin Harvey - meaning 100% effort to win the ball HARD, but FAIR.
Agree.
His confidence is growing, you can se getting more ’involved’ - he could be a real asset with that attitude.
And Gerry your Colin Harvey comparison - spot on.
Because CH had a great brain, people can forget what a great tackler he was.
I fucking love John fucking Heitinga! I fully second giving him the captain’s armband. Whilst he didn’t get the goals yesterday, he put in the crunching tackles and his passing is quality. Long live the King!
I couldn't agree more, he actually went into three fifty fifty challenges in the game like that. Hard but fair as stated earlier.
I actually like to see an Everton player win a good fifty-fifty even more than I like to see an Everton player nutmeg someone! Especially when it's one of those that you see coming from miles away.
JH is without doubt our best buy of the season. His overall game suits the EPL, and with his attitude and commitment it makes him a very special Evertonian.
Yesterday’s game showed you do need a general in midfield, people will remember the fluid passing and movement but without JH doing the dirty work this would not have been possible. Even when he was outnumbered he pounced from one player to the next.
Top engine, fantastic tackling and above all else plays hard but fair.
Thank you, JH, for having the ball’s to leave La Liga for us.
I totally agree with you Sean.
Although Mikey got the MOM award my MOM was Johnny.
That was one of the best performances I’ve seen in a blue shirt for several years. Not only did he get stuck in and battle for the full 90 mintes his composure after winning the ball was superb and I believe a lot of our good attacking started with with him.
He ran himself into the ground yesterday and he deserves all the compliments due to him for it.
....And his passing is out of this world.
World Class !!
I was amazed he could play that well in midfield
I know Johnny is scary and a class act but could somebody please tell him not to shoot from freekicks as he’s totally crap at them!
The thing I noticed about JH yesterday (apart from how well he played) was how absolutely shattered he was for the last 10 minutes or so. Watching the extended highlights on Sky last night made it even more obvious as after winning the ball about five minutes from the end and going on a circular, weavy little run with it before making a safe little pass, the camera zoomed in on him. He was absolutely breathless! He was doubled up trying to catch his breath! And we were 5-1 up by then!!
If anybody recorded the highlights but didn’t notice....take another look...I rewound it and watched it about 5 times. That’s what makes an EVERTON player for me. Slogging his guts out for the shirt. And for us!
Absolutely first class. Okay so it was only Hull but Heitinga has been an excellent stand in for Jags and now returns to the pocket in front of the back 4 where he excels. He is better than Carsely and Graveson because he is quicker. Definitely should be captain because of his inspirational play.
By the way... how good was Jags yesterday? Boy, we have missed that.
I hope Moyes reads these comments about JH because I for one will be disapointed if he isn’t captain next season.
Totally agree with everything about our Johnny. I found myself shouting encouragement at him when we was awarded a free kick when 5-1 up. He was grapling with a Hull player to get the ball back so that he could take a quick free kick! The most totally comitted player in a blue shirt for a long while
Great performance today from JH. Having someone with his adaptability, skill, strength and drive in the team is huge for us. He’s the natural sucessor to Neville, with the advantage of being a superior footballer.
I hope now we’ll finally have an end to the complaints from some on here about Heitinga being played "out of position" whenever he’s played in midfield...
Totally agree, he has been my favourite player this season. Not a lot of the media picked up on how well he played yesterday, most giving him a rating of 6... but what do they know, and were they actually at the match?! I and it seems most Everton fans beleive that he was actually man of the match.
Mikel was obviously class and he deserved it just for the stuff he’s been through recently but Johnny was immense: his tackling, his long range and short passing and the fact that he played the same from the 1st to the last minute. I wouldn't be ashamed at all to have him represent us as our captain!
...now let’s make him our player of the year!!
Absolute, pure class. The way he reads the game, his footballing brain, his composure and exquisite range of passing. Not to mention his hard as nails, straight from the Vinnie Jones handbook of great tackling and his tireless engine make Johnny Heitinga a legend in the making.
I thought when we signed him that this guy is a bit special but then he began playing at centre back and showed his true class. Now he is showing it in the middle and suddenly Fellaini’s loss doesn’t seem quite so hard to take. I’m not one to get too easily carried away but recognise class when I see it. And Johnny is just that. A class act.
COYB!
Sorry Dave, Vinnie Jones was not a great tackler-he was just a thug.
I agree with all the positive comments re Heitinga. I remember Moyes years ago saying he wanted to sign adaptable players who could play in different positions to make us a better footballing team.
At the time most people seemed to interpret this as meaning versatile to give us flexibility within a small squad, but the type of football we are now playing shows the value of having a number of players who are comfortable in different parts of the pitch.
Maybe total football is stretching it a bit but all over the pitch are players who can interchange and cover for each other. When Distin or Jags ventured forward Heitinga was able to fill in, we are seeing similar with a lot of our fluid attacking play.
Even the specialist role of full back sees us with wide players who naturally work back and provide overlapping opportunities.
Credit again to Moyes for his judgement in recruitment. Donovan’s impact and the way he has fitted into our team ethic and style of play with such ease are testament to that.
Keep the squad together this summer, with Moyes maybe sacrificing 1 or 2 of his choosing to fund other signings and we can have a real good go next year.
Haha, he was too slow, a suspension waiting to happen and a waste of money a few short months ago. Some people should try supporting folk from the start.
Have always loved Johnny and knew a bit about him before he came to Everton. After his first few games I couldn’t believe how bad he was - remember Pompey. Just goes to show that there really is a lot to be said about settling in. Hoping Billy will come good too but may not see the best of him till nextseason, hopefully!
Heitinga has found his home. Donovan has too, but that’s a different story.
Memories of Harvey? Oh yes, with more than a touch of Kendall about him. And to continue the idea, how much of a Ball role did Arteta play yesterday. He occupied the same area of the pitch, controlled, passed, created and scored. Comparisons aren’t necessary. Great is great.
If you haven’t seen The Holy Trinity for a while, you can watch a very big chunk of the Everton vs Man Utd game, August 1967, Kenneth Wolstenholme and all, at
www.vimeo.com/8968127
Alex Young fans might also be quite pleased.
Thanks for the link Keith, just seen Ball score and got a shiver up my spine...
I was certainly one that at first thought WTF have we got him for? Panic buy, one paced, turns like the Titanic, BIG wage and why leave a club 12 months after joining? Looked like he’d get more yellows than Fellaini.
But that IS what I and many others saw and thats what I commented on, now what I see is a very good footballer who compliments the silky skills of Arteta and Pienaar with a bit of steel.
A nice quandary to have for next season where do we play him when Fellaini’s back? Everton = very good options, must be dreaming.
Johnny Sixpence is the man. Not only does he have captaining skills and qualities that I think are at least on a par with Phil Neville, he has the ammunition in his locker to back it up.
His performances of late have been awesome and some on here have talked about a little bit of arrogance and aggression and the ability to get the crowd going. Bring him on I say. Isn’t it great when, even at 4-1 up against Hull, job done, he still throws himself into a 50/50 and comes out like his life depended upon it.
I think if Everton want to stop hitting their head on the glass ceiling above which the top four live, then we have to recruit and hold onto players of the Johnny Heitinga mold. Excellent excellent player.
Crikey! It’s not often you see a positive wank-fest like this on Toffeeweb! Heitinga must e something special.
I agree he is a class act, and yet again it goes to prove 2 things:
1. Moyes knows a good player when othes don’t.
2. You have to give all players, especially ones from abroad, time to settle in.
Rob Fox;- One of those I would have no problem moving on so as to fund new recruitments is the Yak. I think his time is up at Everton and getting say £6 million for him (£10m if its Spurs coz they’ll buy anything that moves), could fund the recruitment of a young Belgian striker they call the next Drogba. Can’t remember his name now but he’s only 17 I think and judging from the footage I saw recently of him on U-Tube he looks pretty dam good. Aparently Moyes flew out to watch him make his debut for Belgium last week and was very impressed.
Only problem is, all the other big boys are also monitoring him so the price will no doubt go sky high. A great catch though if we could pull it off.
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1 Posted 08/03/2010 at 01:36:39
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Each time Chelsea threatened to run away with the game, JH stepped up to the plate, gesturing to the travelling fans throughout.
At the time, I thought my mate was getting a bit carried away with a good performance, but the Evertonians have taken this fella to their hearts and his is the name they chant after every away game.
Heitinga believes he belongs amongst the very best, he fears nobody and it's beginning to rub off.