From My Seat: Leyton Orient

Ken was at Goodison to see the Blues run riot against the League One side

Ken Buckley 29/08/2012 32comments  |  Jump to last

Everton 5 - 0 Leyton Orient

A wet night down Goodison way with great numbers milling about outside with less than 15mins to kick off so it was no surprise when the game was delayed for a quarter of an hour.

Six changes made from the Villa game saw a team that represented experience and promise with Jags, Baines, Neville and Osman the only regular first teamers. New boy Mirallas was given a start and most inside the ground were pleased as the buzz that was audible each time he was on the ball testified.

The Ref. was a Mr East and he got us underway. Within a minute Baines was to quick in taking the ball from an Orient player which meant his boot was late in arriving and left Baines hobbling which he continued to do for a good fifteen mins before finally seeming to run it off. Should be ok for Saturday.

Within a few mins good interplay between Naismith and Mirallas saw the Belgian have a shot blocked. This set the tone and it was all Everton but everything a little to hurried. Gueye hit one over the bar and then put a good cross in for Big Vic to head wide – the Ref. gave a corner- came to nothing. Then Vic hit a strong shot which was aided by the slickness of the turf in the heavy rain and our ex trainee keeper Jones made a good save.

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On 15mins the fans got what they came for, a Mirallas goal. In a good build up Neville was fouled but the Ref gave advantage and Naismith played a delightful through ball to Mirallas who rifled a right foot shot into the far corner of the Park end goal.

This sort of settled us down and we became less frenetic and more composed and this paid off on the twenty min. mark when after some near misses by Gueye and Mirallas a good build up down the left saw Naismith played in but he sort of made a mess of it but the ball did break off him and there was Osman to make no mistake much to the delight of those assembled.

Less than ten minutes of Blue dominance passed when more joined up footy found Gueye who controlled well and slid in Mirallas to hammer home for his second. Just six minutes later and Big Vic was on the score sheet when he received the ball in the box and took one touch to control and the next touch was a thump that bulged the net.

Although we pressed at will for the remainder of the half another goal was not forthcoming much to the disappointment of the crowd who were baying for a Mirallas hat trick. Still

H/T and 4-0 up can’t be sniffed at.

At the start of the second half something took place that had never happened under the guidance of Moyes. Three subs at once. A move not favoured by many managers but it showed the confidence the manager had in his players and the chance for him and the fans to run the rule over all the fringe players. Baines, Jags and Osman off with Barkley, Duffy and Garbutt on.

For 15mins the subs had made us disjointed as they settled into the rhythm. Barkley trying hard to impress early tried a long shot that went over the bar when a more measured approach was called for but the lad was trying as we saw when from a good cross from Coleman both Barkley and Mirallas tackled each other. After the quarter hour mark Orient had a shot on goal which deflected off Duffy and missed the post by inches for a corner which caused havoc in our box which culminated in a fine save by Mucha on the line.

Mirallas was now showboating when a more clinical approach was required (I bet the manager noted that) Then after the hour mark the fifth goal came, Naismith linked well with Coleman and the ball was fed to Gueye who powered home for the best goal of the night.

Orient came right back at us when Coleman had left his man and then charged after him but showed him inside onto his strongest foot but his shot was charged down. That sort of sums Coleman up, he had grown into the game and was looking great when going forward but I have to say his defensive game was iffy at best.

Having made the three subs at half time caught up with us with Neville going down holding his thigh, he handed the armband over then came off went back on had the physio have a look then limped off. Was it cramp or a strain? Anyway it was come on the ten men!

Having ten men never showed such was the gulf in class and just before the end we were treated to another joined up move with a comical ending. Naismith put Coleman down the right and he did very well getting past his man and putting a ball back across the box to Mirallas that almost begged him to claim the match ball on his first start. I think he thought he had scored before he swung his boot because he didn’t seem to take the care that he should have and miss-kicked and the ball looped up high and spinning dropped on the top of the net much to his and our disappointment.

Although so one sided right at the end Orient attacked, had a shot and forced a fine save from the vastly underworked Mucha and at the final whistle it was Everton doing the attacking again.

M.O.tM – Mirallas

The attendance as announced at 24,124 saw a an entertaining game that was as easy as the score line suggests but interesting in seeing how some of our fringe and up and coming players fared.

Mirallas showed up well and suggested he may be a very good signing as he settles to the pace and requirements of the Prem. His two goals should send him home happy and eager for more. Gueye took time to settle but came up with the goal of the night as well as promising more to come. Coleman had a great game going forward and got better as the game went on but I have to say looks a bit of a ball watcher defensively sort of a bit naive. Naismith did his cause no harm at all. Barkley showed loads of promise and self confidence but a bit inconsistent and may well profit from a loan spell. Big Vic, Been with us a fair while now but somehow does not seem to have improved in any way

Duffy some good things some poor.

Garbutt Unspectacular but highly effective, not a Baines yet but this lad has a chance and may well save the club a few pounds as Baines cover.

Whilst beating a league 1 side is nothing to get carried away about you can only play what is in front of you and in that respect they did well in fact much better than more illustrious teams put out against the likes of Shrewsbury etc-etc.

The ones we saw tonight may not yet be ready to be first team regulars but certainly I don’t think they would let us down as cover.

WBA Sat and if we have a full and fit squad for the manager to choose from then it could well be a corker with 3 points not out of the question. We often find the Hawthorns a bit of a bogey ground but I am optimistic for the weekend

UP THE BLUES

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Reader Comments (32)

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James Flynn
1 Posted 30/08/2012 at 01:31:29
Good stuff as ever Ken. Thanks.

As we say about the NFL over here, WBA better have their helmets screwed on tight. A great squad coming in this weekend.

Mike Gaynes
2 Posted 30/08/2012 at 01:47:11
Thanks for the usual good reporting, Ken. Mirellas sounded scintillating on the radio account. I can't wait to see him play.

Neville's injury is a concern because of Hibbo's neck problem. We may see Coleman at RB against WBA, like it or not. The only alternative would be to play Heitinga or Jags out of position.

Mike Gaynes
3 Posted 30/08/2012 at 01:47:11
Thanks for the usual good reporting, Ken. Mirellas sounded scintillating on the radio account. I can't wait to see him play.

Neville's injury is a concern because of Hibbo's neck problem. We may see Coleman at RB against WBA, like it or not. The only alternative would be to play Heitinga or Jags out of position.

Ciaran Duff
4 Posted 30/08/2012 at 03:17:32
How was Heitinga?
Martin Mason
5 Posted 30/08/2012 at 03:55:04
This is still very much pinch me performance as this was the type of game that Everton would have made heavy weather of in the past. We're still a couple of players away from being in a position to really break through but the figures being quoted for players like Adams (5.0 MM) make it unlikely that we will actually get the type of player in that we need to truly strengthen the squad
Jay Harris
6 Posted 30/08/2012 at 04:03:55
Thanks for the report Ken.

Although we were playing a lower division side this is the sort of game we have slipped up on in the past especially with throwing quite a few second choice players in.

If we are honest I think quite a few of us would not have been surpised if we squeezed through 2-1 or even a 1-1 based on the past.

I am therefore delighted with the effort and mentality being shown at the club right now which is reflected in the scoreline.

Paul Gladwell
7 Posted 30/08/2012 at 07:33:15
Thought Coleman was MOTM,Mirallas will prove top draw in time and another Moyes bargain, but what can you say about Anichebe? Yet again he looked his same old self,poor control and can't be arsed body language, I hope to god Wigan come calling tomorrow.
Keith Glazzard
8 Posted 30/08/2012 at 07:26:03
These games have never been easy - ask a Stoke supporter - and the outcome was far from being a simple prediction. Which Everton would turn up? Well Ken, the names may have changed, but the style of play remained the same.

New boys Steven and Kevin. Naismith is giving the impression that the's been playing for us for ages, and Mirallas - still with much to learn - couldn't have shown much more promise than he has already. His 'offside' at Villa was a very tight decision so he could have had three already. Played all game, he won't start on Saturday, but the prospect of him, Fellaini and Jelavic together must have many a manager sending for the brown trousers.

Moyes has more faith in Gueye than I do, and in these cases I am very willing to be proved wrong. So, Baines and Neville's knocks excluded, a very good night all round.


Lee Gorre
9 Posted 30/08/2012 at 08:47:31
Paul, very harsh on Anichebe. Don't get me wrong I don't think he is good enough to challenge for a permanent place, but he showed some deft touches last night and scored. He also chased and harried back numerous times on the left hand side 2nd half when Mirallis was tiring and we were down to 10 men. I don't seen any benefit in moving him on and reducing squad numbers further, he does have the knack of scoring off the bench and that may be useful as the season rolls on.
Kase Chow
10 Posted 30/08/2012 at 08:55:58
Re: Anichebe - does he suffer because our hopes/expectations of him after he first broke through (and stunned Europe) are now too high?

Or is it because we love to knock our own (see Hibbert, Osman)?

What is it we expect of him? Decent goal return? Well he's produced that in the last 12 months (if you look at his goals vs minutes on the pitch). Great performances? Well he's played great against Citeh in the past and also the Shite.

Maybe it's cos he's so darn inconsistent? (if truth be told we all know there's a player in there somewhere: strong, reasonably mobile and quick, knows where the goals is)

Mike Allison
11 Posted 30/08/2012 at 09:07:20
I think Anichebe is unbelievably hard done by on this site. As a centre forward he's got a lot of good attributes. Not the highest praise I know but he's like an Emile Heskey but with goals instead of crying on the floor all the time.

Ken, thanks for the report, can those who saw the game just confirm the starting positions for me? I'm assuming Coleman played at right back at last, rather than midfield, with Naismith ahead of him and Mirallas down the middle off Anichebe. Is that all correct?

Paul Gladwell
12 Posted 30/08/2012 at 09:15:22
Lee, Everyone to their own opinion, but he did a couple of good things and quite a few poor things to me, he miss placed passes a few times and just looks like he has a massive gripe and against shite like that he should be strolling head and shoulders above opposition like that and every time he plays against teams like that (Tamworth etc) his Premier League experience is barely recognisable.

I totally agree Lee, he is a useful sub, as well as not wanting to reduce our squad further, but we need our subs to be threatening to break into the first eleven and he will never make that first eleven, how long do we have to keep waiting for him to push on? and if we got £3.5M+ with someone else coming in I would bite their hands off.
George McKane
13 Posted 30/08/2012 at 09:20:30
I enjoyed the game and the score last night. Seen us slip up too many times in this Cup against Lower League opposition so it was good to get through at ease really. Mike I see that you couldn't get to the match last night. I did. I think I am unbelievably hard done to by Anichebe, paying to watch a big sulking, not very good footballer with a dreadful touch and attitude. Reminds me of frank Bruno, looked like a boxer, great physique but not very good in the ring. But certainly didn't put a damper on my feelings about last night's game. and I certainly wouldn't use language like "hate" or such but certainly not very impressed with him at all and have seen most of his games for Everton.
Good win and lovely start to the Season with decent football being played.
Keep going Everton - lovely to watch at the moment.
Andy Mack
14 Posted 30/08/2012 at 08:58:21
Great to see us finally getting results like this... How many times have we been dumped out to the amusement of the pundits?

The squad is really shaping up to be something special now, with skill and workrate all over the team. Hopefully nobody out and one more in in the window and we'll be in for a season to remember.

Call it sentimentality but I want Vic to stay and prove himself. We always seem to have a youth striker on the verge (Branch, Cadda, Chadwick, Vaughan, Jevons, Jutkewicz) to come through and not plummet. He does have his days both good and bad, but Christ, we've had number 9s not score for most of the season.

Anyway, looking good!
Paul Gladwell
15 Posted 30/08/2012 at 09:26:24
Kase, Hibbert and Osman work hard, the both of them have suffered in the past with being pissed about and actually paired with each other.

Put a quality right sided player in front of Hibbert and we will see and appreciate how good he really is and now Osman is playing in his rightful posistion with ball players look how well he is looking, in fact most lads I speak to at the match have nothing but respect for these too, it's more the internet lads who have more gripes with these.

I too believe Anichebe has something but how long do we wait? The thing he obviously lacks is desire. Count how may good games he has had.
Paul Gladwell
16 Posted 30/08/2012 at 09:34:35
George, nail on the head.
Gareth Hughes
17 Posted 30/08/2012 at 09:32:15
My main observation from last night would be that we must not let Barkley go out on loan. In a small squad it would be a silly waste of a player who undoubtedly has huge talent. When you see him play close up he just LOOKS right, the way he moves, his balance and touch, all added to the fact that he is a seriously big unit, not a lightweight in any way.

Yes, he will make mistakes but he's a great option off the bench or playing in a winning, confident side. I'm still prepared to think that he could be a regular come season's end. And he definitely has more in his game than Rodwell. Only concern is the maori tattoos appearing on one arm and Miss Liverpool WAG on the other!
Stephen Davies
18 Posted 30/08/2012 at 11:10:48
Anichebe dissapointed last night, firing into the side netting when a simple cross would have found someone in a decent shooting position.

Duffy impressed when he came on, seemed to be talking and looking across the back line, aware of where he was in relation to the other defenders and their attackers.

Garbutt was better than I was expecting, finding space when we had the ball and being available, perhaps left back is covered after all. There was a lot of good overall but Anichebe needs to use his head.

A word about the O's: I thought their goalkeeper did well to keep the score down
Paul Joy
19 Posted 30/08/2012 at 11:21:27
I have been very critical of Vic on here in the past – quite fairly too in my opinion. Last night he played really well in the first half – as did the the team.

He tailed off in the 2nd half as did the team too. The criticism of him seems to be that some watchers are seeing only what they want to see.

Leon Osman suffers from this too on this site. In the first half last night he ran the game and was outstanding and yes before the usual replies fly in it was Orient and not major opposition. But the team missed Osman after he went off and our play was well below our 1st half showing in the 2nd half.

Heitinga was immaculate too – 1 great diagonal pass in the 1st half out to Coleman on the touchline stood out – he gives us an added dimension when he passes like that and personally I prefer him as a starter to Distin.

Naismith had a marvellous 90 mins and would have been my MotM.
David Graves
20 Posted 30/08/2012 at 11:38:45
I believe that any criticism aimed directly at Vic for his performance last night is harsh. He certainly doesn't play to his physical attributes but his performance last night was, I thought okay – for a third choice striker.

Naismith is the man for me though. Great feet, sees the pass early, clever movement off the ball, and is going to be an outstanding addition. Agree with Paul's (202) MotM shout.
Anto Byrne
21 Posted 30/08/2012 at 11:24:12
Anichibe looked quite good and contributed in 4 of the 5 goals with some nice one-touch play. I hope he gets more game time and his confidence grows. Moyes must see something in him we don't.

MIrallas's first goal wasn't spectacular but certainly effective. Not sure how he is going to be kept out of the side if he can finish as well as that. Naismith looks an absolute bargain, a bit like the Cahill signing all those years ago, hope he can go on as do as well. Is he only 24? We didn't break the bank on this freebie?
Philip Roberts
22 Posted 30/08/2012 at 12:07:50
To be fair to Coleman, it's hardly surprising he looks a bit naive defensively, as he hardly ever plays there. He's not going to turn into a decent Premier League full back unless he actually plays there regularly.

It's time Moyes made the decision as to where he sees Coleman's future. He"ll never get used to the attributes needed to be a good fullback when he spends most of his time on the wing.
Shaun Kinnair
23 Posted 30/08/2012 at 12:27:13
Another new signing from BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19423536
Mike Allison
24 Posted 30/08/2012 at 12:39:19
Okay George, fair enough. Can you confirm my guess at the organisation of the team in my post above?
George McKane
25 Posted 30/08/2012 at 12:45:08
OK mate, it was a good game – the football as I said was tidy and on the floor and creative. Naismith uses the ball very well and also allows the ball to "run" making space for himself. Coleman looked very lively when he came on.

Moyes made three changes at the start of the 2nd half – quite brave. Neville went off injured with about 10 minutes to go.

Sorry, just a quick response busy at work. I run my own Charity that I founded – see Facebook – YellowhouseEngland... and also for football see FB The Dark House Blues.

Best wishes and cosmic grooves.
Ajay Gopal
26 Posted 30/08/2012 at 14:11:02
Thank you for the report, Ken. A real pleasure, as always.

I am scratching my head about the Brian Oviedo link. Why would we need another left sided player? Our left side is quite well sorted out, isn't it? Baines & Pienaar with Garbutt/Distin & Gueye as decent back-ups. Plus Mirallas, Naismith and Osman can play anywhere across the midfield can't they?

The right is where we need sorting out, IMHO. Lewis Holtby would be a fantastic option (from what I read about him).

In Moyes we trust.

Steve Green
27 Posted 30/08/2012 at 14:11:08
I would prefer to keep hold of Victor at the moment, but fuck me man, at least smile when you score for Everton FC instead of this sullen bastard impression, or is it an impression?
Keith Glazzard
28 Posted 30/08/2012 at 16:45:47
Steve - I've just watched the highlights on ETV and the goal 'celbrations' were a bit odd anyway. I think Moyes players are so bloody professional they are a bit embarassed about scoring against 'lower' opposition, especially with a blue lad in goal.

But the players seemed to like Gueye's goal much better than Victor's. Was it the nature of the goal (two very good strikes) or, as you suspect, Vic is actually a miserable bastard and they don't like him?

Col Noon
29 Posted 30/08/2012 at 17:53:01
Great report as always. Re the Victor situ: he got picked up front (as a striker) and scored. That will do me very nicely, admitidley against opposition of a pretty poor standard. All this "he looks moody", "miserable bastard" and so fourth. WHO CARES??? if he is picked and scores then I am satsifed. He is third choice and does a job. Get over it.
Jamie Barlow
30 Posted 30/08/2012 at 19:32:11
He shouldn't be happy with 3rd choice though Col. The size of the lad, he should be putting the shits up defenders and smashing them all over.

I know it doesn't matter but his non celebrations and miserable fuckin face is really starting to piss me off.

Peter Askins
31 Posted 30/08/2012 at 20:29:25
Whenever Anichebe scores, and looks thoroughly underwhelmed in his celebration, I have a flashback to that fantastic goal scored by Justin Fashanu, for Norwich against Liverpool. A deft turn, then smashed a volley into the far top left-hand corner. He just raised finger in celebration, no smile, and a little gulp. Marvellous !
Ernie Baywood
32 Posted 01/09/2012 at 00:37:24
Just watched the extended highlights on the OS.

Is it just me or does Gueye look bigger, leaner, and a bit more urgent? Looked like he played very well.

We may have been a bit quick to write him off. He's still maturing.


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