The Mail Bag
Striker issues
Comments (63)
This has been a well documented issue this season; fans, pundits... even Moyes himself, moaning about a lack of quality striking options. I believe this is total rubbish and avoiding the real problems at Everton FC this season.
Firstly, how many clear cut chances have our strikers missed this season? What is our average clear cut chances ratio? How many quality crosses do we produce during a match? For example, against Man Utd at the weekend, we had one shot on target through the 90 minutes. I can remember a number of games where we have produced no more than 1 to 2 shots ? even against lower league opposition!!
The problem for me has always been a lack of craft from midfield and a serious lack of pace in the wings. We could have Messi upfront and he would struggle to get 20 goals with this team... we have no balance whatsoever: Coleman ? young, raw, a right back playing on the right wing, even though he has had a decent season; Bily ? not a winger (not even sure if he is a proper player) on the left wing.
Out of the midfield we have had, even when Moyes has had a full team to choose from, who is going to provide the chances? Who's gonna play the killer ball? Who's going to beat a man? Who's going to score 5-6 goals every season from outside of the box? Answers to them on a postcard.
The last time we looked a balanced team and played proper football was when we had Landon on the right and Pienaar on the left; now both have gone, we have zero creativity. I blame Moyes for that; every fan can see how much better we were with pace on the wings but he has done nothing to change that... in fact, when was the last time we had a proper playmaker? Or an out-and-out winger?
Get off the strikers' backs ? I'm sure if you look at the stats our strikers are not the reason for our poor season! This summer must bring too wingers full of pace and a playmaker; we have the workhorses ? now we need the craft. COYB
Sean McKenna, Posted 26/04/2011 at 13:35:27
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The real issue for me has always been pace and craft. I was saying since way before the season started that we needed someone like/or preferably Donovan himself. I have been pleased with Seamus, but it's a different animal all together.
The crafty bastard SHOULD be Arteta; we all know he has been more than capable in the past, but this season, besides the odd moment or two, he's been really forgettable.
A lot of players have had their moments, Osman for example... but, besides Baines, Distin and arguably Cahill at the start of season, we've not had continued class from anyone.
I really rated Donovan, maybe not the most technically gifted, although certainly not the least either. But I feel he really bought something to the table. The fans loved him, he had a great buzz about him that I think infected the rest of the team, and I think his work ethic was absolutely first class. I would love to have him back. Doubt it will happen though, which is a real shame I think.
Now Coleman, everyone remembers the wonderful runs past no other than Gareth Bale which dragged us single handedly back into that game. Apart from against Liverpool, where have they been this season? He seems scared to go on the outside anymore or drive into open field. Instead he infuriatingly slows down and looks infield.
Rodwell is the same, as a young player we saw his power and athelticism against Villa in the cup and Man Utd. All we've seen this season is sideways passing and not very accurate at that. I wouldn't care if he lost the ball if it was at the end of a 30-yard searing run that had got me off my seat. Distin is the only one in the team who seems confident running with the ball past players, and that's from centre back! Here's hoping all these windows of relative transfer inactivity have been building up for the capture of Donovan this summer... wishful thinking though.
The left side will have Gueye, and possibly Arteta. Yes, guile has been missing. When teams like Stoke and Wolves have come to Goodison, they've parked the bus, and we've been at a loss of what to do. The likes of Arteta I hope have learned from this.
He will undoubtedly want to freshen the squad this summer with pace and quality but unfortunately he will have to sell players first, hope he gets a reasonable wedge, and faces no competition from Spurs et al in the transfer market. Or he unearths another Pienaar, Cahill, Arteta etc ? easier said than done.
We haven't had a quality striker since Yakubu's first season.
If we had those, Beckford (or the current fat Yakubu) would score 20+ a season no matter how limited he was and how many he missed. Anyone remember Andy Cole at Newcastle and then Man United? He was not a special player, and he missed lots of chances, but he scored shed-loads because he had quality creative players making chance after chance for him.
We have plenty of need in our team, but the next three players I bought would be creative attacking midfielders for the wide positions and supporting the striker.
Nope. The board have already said that there's no money in the coffers. Sell-to-Buy policy once more.
Depressing stuff.
Sean, please go to any of our games, you will soon have your question answered.
Strikers are supposed to put themselves into positions of opportunity. Beckford puts himself in good positions but misses too many sitters and, when he has scored, as he has done only 7 times, he too often punches out for the day. Anichebe just doesn't get into open positions; he doesn't control the ball and he rarely wins in the air. Saha has health issues we all know about.
The worst thing, however, is that our strikers are not partnered up. We need two strikers who complement each other and feed off each other's attributes. That's how matches are won. This season, we have had twice as many goals from defenders and midfielders than from our strikers.
Yes, some games we miss the odd sitter which is highlighted to the max due to lack of clear-cut chances... like another poster said, Andy Cole missed shedloads but scored 20 plus every year due to the quality of service. Most of our goals are from set peices etc.
Afraid, the poverty of our striking options was evident even during the good run at the end of last season and, criminally, nothing was done about it.
That quite simply isn't true. Check out the Opta stats: for shots on goal we're up there with the best of them.
As for quality crosses, you obviously haven't noticed that Leighton Baines has more assists than any other defender in Europe (bar Alves, who actually plays in midfield) in the last 2 seasons.
But you are not wholly wrong on either guile or pace. Those same stats show we are overly reliant on Baines and teams are realising this. And we have lacked real pace for so long that it helps to explain why Donovan made such an impression. As you say, a top class striker alone is not going to address the weaknesses in the squad.
Our stikers (if you can use the word) havent delivered. Simple as that. Saha doesnt stay fit long enough and didnt score til Christmas. As for the other two neither are good enough for the Premiership let alone Everton Football Club. Im just grateful they didnt give Beckford the Number 9 shirt as he would have brought that sacred shirt into disrepute with his abject performance on saturday and for the most of his appearances. Dont give me the line about hes got potential or hes taken a huge step up blah blah blah...
He was in League 2 for a reason......thats his standard. Its indicative of how far we have fallen behind the standards we all yearn for and cling too that he is even at the Club.
When someone who was a proper striker (Graeme Sharp) says hes simply out of his depth then we should listen and heed his advice. I cant think of a worse striker in the Prem than either Beckford or Anichebe. I hope we can maybe pick up one from the relegated teams at the end of the season because they would be an improvement.
The Yak and Vaughan are where they belong !!
Chris #2: You are very easily pleased if Beckford makes you happy.
James #3: Coleman is becoming a one-trick pony and most defenders have already sussed him out. Rodwell's sideways and back moves are symptomatic of his overall development which seems to have hit a brick wall. Both youngsters have gone as far as they can under Moyes. They now need a more attack minded imaginative coach.
Alberto #4: We may very well have a surfeit of midfielders but I would not class any of them as good. To be classed as 'good', they must play to a high level for 90 minutes in game after game after game. Arteta, Osman Bily, Coleman, Rodwell, and Victor fluctuate between average and bloody awful.
'Cahill and Jags were in the Championship for a reason'
'Coleman was playing in a no mark league in Ireland for a reason'
Yakubu is now playing in the Championship for a reason'
And the best: 'Dean was playing in the Second Division for a reason'
Arteta and Pienaar were not in top teams when we took them on, etc. etc.
David Nugent is available on a free at the end of the season. Is he worth a punt?
Lifelong Blue. Is he any worse than what we've got? Can he be any worse than some of the dross we have already?
I would keep Bily if we get into Europe; however, as I think he'll do well for us. If we don't though, I will be glad to see the back of him.
It's vital that we keep hold of Baines and Fellaini. I've heard rumours that Man United want our flying wing back to replace apparantly Madrid-bound Evra.
I'm so excited for the Summer as I believe we'll be seeing some fresh new talent grace the field of Goodison come next season. Daniel Studdidge and Matt Jarvis will do me fine and a young left sided centre back.
Fingers crossed for a strong finish lads and toes crossed that we start next season well.
It's nice to see a very positive posting about next season but I'm thinking totally the opposite.
We have no money and Moyes will get a percentage of cash from any sales made so certainly no Jarvis (who I would love at GP).
However, I agree with the Nugent comments above; if he is on a free then it's a no-brainer. He is better than any of the current crop of strikers in DM's matchday squad.
Key Word = FREE!
Rodwell ? two years ago, he was the player on everyone's lips as the man on whom the 2014, 2018 England World Cup team would be built around. Rodwell... not Wilshere! Today, he looks pedestrian and with a negative passing game. Tell me how it's done and tell me how Moyes and Co can stop this.
Rodwell may well have been the name on a lot of people's lips but he has shown nothing to justify this. A couple of decent performances does not a £20m player make.
I feel Heitinga still would be "world class" if he played in the back 4, it's just that Jags and Distin have formed a solid partnership so why break it up just to make a player happy?
I reckon I would look good playing in that Arsenal midfield. I have actually watched Wilshere quite closely this season and he is not as good as all his adoring fans seem to think he is. He fits in well with Arsenal though, as he is a diving cheat.
As for width, think it's tricky ? don't see much about in English league that would make an instant impact and those that are ? Jarvis for example ? likely to cost £5m+. More likely we'll see someone we've never heard of from the french league or somewhere for £1-2m à la Gueye and then wait to see if they come good.
We tend to think that, to sign players who can "cut it" in the Premier League you have to try and match Chelsea or Man City in the transfer market. You don't always have to do that. Maybe Everton need to look at increasing the number of scouts. How many players has Wenger signed that have seemingly come from nowhere to be top players? Was Fabregas a headline signing ? Hardly.
We can't compete with the "Mega Rich" clubs in the tranfer market ? so we should stop trying to do so.
Is it the strikers' fault?
Do we need pacy wingers (plural)?
Is our MF not creative enough?
IMO the answer to all three is Yes.
Our strikers are not good at holding the ball up and bringing others into play while racing into the box for the return pass and their conversion rate from chances created is poor. Saha mostly doesn't even get in the box. He does most of his work in the middle of the pitch. Beckford does a lot of futile running and when given chances goes for the spectacular rather than the simple. Yak was the only true striker we have seen in recent years.
As for our MF creating chances is not a problem when we have Fellaini and Rodwell in the middle and also up for spot kicks. So what we really need is an Aaron Lennon or Theo Walcott. I think Landon Donovan has had his best days and would only be a short-term solution.
What about Aaron Ramsey on a season loan or even Stephen Pienaar for £2 million.
Doyle came to Reading from Ireland ? like his effort and workrate but he needs to be in a pair with the other one scoring a lot as he doesn't bag anywhere near enough.
Jay (#32) ? Would love Ramsey on a loan... I think he'll be a starter for them next season though.
But perhaps most can claim these loans were forced on Moyes by financial realities... Again, I don't believe anyone can confirm either story, so it's more a case of which sounds more plausible... perhaps a combination of the two?
If remember rightly, Yak played a couple of games and was starting to look okay. Then he was dropped, despite our need for someone up front that could produce goals.
Whether you like Yak or loathe him, he has got goals in him, as he has proved throughout his career.
Still, what do I know? It's just a guess! But I can't think of another plausible reason why he suddenly became surplus to Moyes's plans. I agree that Yak is probably past his best, but I'm confident that he had enough to remain with us this season, and that loaning him out was a big mistake.
I suspect that some of the younger players are being confounded by being played out of position; by having their confidence sapped by being selected one day and not the next; by being given just a 10 minute sub's appearance to shine and being confined to a narrow tactical role.
I know that when Rooney was breaking into the team, for example, Moyes pressured him to stop shooting from distance, which he did often in training. He gets his chance against Arsenal and ? wham, a memorable goal. Not every young player has the confidence to defy a manager like that.
Get real, you can't ignore the facts, we are not as bad as you pretend, we just are not anywhere near as good as we would like to be.
It is probably of no interest to you that Moyes is building a strong youth squad, hopefully in order to provide Everton with players that can move us forward, against the odds.
This team had Messi, we'd be right in the PL Trophy hunt. Right there.
It IS Moyes bashing because that's ALL you ever do!
Personally, I think that some of our great strikers from the past ? guys like Royle, Latchford, Sharp and Lineker ? would struggle to do well in our present "system". Moyes seems to struggle when it comes to strikers ? they don't seem to last longer than 3 seasons... is that because they are all bad players? Personally, I think that even a world class striker like David Villa would struggle at Everton.
Can't see Klose coming, is that rumour a goer???
Anyway, a summer of freebies, cheapos and blokes from Greece, Austria and Latvia awaits.....
Without Saha ? and we usually are ? we have by some distance the worst strike force in the Prem.
Beckford has missed no end of sitters this season; Saha is made of glass, but let's not forget he's missed his share too. Victor may not miss any sitters ? but then you'd have to get into the box to do that. Vaughan is struggling in the Championship and The Yak has just been dropped for stinking the Championship out.
This is not an attack on the players; Vaughan, Anichebe, Yakubu, have all had carreer threatening injuries... none have been the same since, Saha has had his share too ? although I think he's a bit of a tart and it doesn't take much to rule him out. And Beckford shouldn't be too harshly criticised because he gives his all.
But, in an age when average strikers change hands for £20M+, you would not get £5M for ours, even if you sold them as a job lot.
Now stop having digs at fellow Evertonians and get back to "Tossing Off" over the negative football you obviously adore.
Baines isn't an amazing defender himself so playing Coleman and Baines at right back and left back against a side that have decent wingers, eg. Aston Villa, is like giving them a goal head start in my opinion.
Off the point, I know, but where do people get the idea that Coleman is more of a defender than a winger? He's said himself that he prefers the right of midfield.
http://www.toffeeweb.com/season/10-11/news/article.php?ID=9988
Stuart Barlow
Brett Angell
John Spencer
Joe-Max Moore
Phil Jevons
Francis Jeffers
Tomasz Radzinski
Daniel Amokachi
People get the idea that Coleman is a right back because that's where he's played all his life until Moyes put him right mid! Look at when he was a revelation at Blackpool they played him at right back, attacked teams and reaped the rewards of promotion!
However, I hope Moyesy gets rid of that good-for-nothing player Anichebe. He sucks bigtime on the field, what a waste of space (and salarymoney ).
I do think the big Greek may develop into a class player. Yakubu is not coming back, Saha is made of glass, and is soon to retire.
I guess Moyes will buy two players this summer. I just wish he'll find someone stupid enough to sign Anichebe. Please, please.
In the last few weeks, he has missed some almighty sitters, not surprised he was dropped.
I heard a Leicester supporting reporter on a radio station bemoaning his record which, whilst 1 in 2 overall, includes a significant barren spell. He was saying most Leicester fans would rather have Heskey back and Yak isn't particularly wanted by the fans.
Yes, he was decent in his time, one of our best goalscorers in recent times, but mainly because we're so shit when it comes to buying strikers. He'd have been bombed out by most clubs before now. Let's move on.
Get rid of Yak, Vaughan, Anichebe ? although I'd say £5m tops for the lot. Keep Beckford as a squad player, glass legs for the odd impact moment when he can be arsed, and lets sign a couple of strikers with pace and hunger. But not Nugent...
As for the Yak, imo he's hardly been setting the world on fire, even at Championship level. The fact that he was dropped does suggest a possible attitude problem. He was reported to be one of our highest earners, hence he was shipped out to get his wage off the bill (and also to see if he can still play at all).
Last stat I saw (admittedly quite a while ago), we'd created amongst the highest number of chances in the league for one of the lowest number of goals (around Xmas time). Can't really see many swapping our strike force for theirs myself.
"I got absolutely the reaction I wanted from him," said Eriksson. "He is a great footballer and a great goalscorer, there are no doubts about that."
"But the reason he was sitting on the bench was because I didn't think he had been doing very well in the last games."
Maybe if Moyes did the same with underperforming players eh?
I recently recieved an eleven word email from from our E Midds branch, it simply said "When are you going to take this lazy fat fucker back?"
One of our internal sales girls is down there as holiday relief and to be fair she is prone to putting on a bit of timber, but she`s shit hot, so I don't think he was talking about her.
Players in form don't get dropped, they get rested sometimes but not dropped.
Just a few names to think about...Darren Bent, Kenwyn Jones, Davies, Elmander, Sturridge, Zamora, Odemwingie etc etc etc...ALL play for teams below us and are not just scorers in some cases.
If we had one or two of those players we would have won a lot more games that we have drawn.
OUR DEFENCE HAS CARRIED US !!!!
Saha is the only striker with genuine premiership ability but he is injury prone and ageing...Man Utd let him go when he was considered surplus.
Now the talk is about Nugent who already failed in the premier...I screamed for Zamora when he could have been signed very cheaply !!
Take stock of our strikers and tell me that they are better than the players I have listed and dont forget that they all play for teams below us !!
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1 Posted 26/04/2011 at 15:29:51
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What strikers?