ToffeeWeb MailBag |
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 ToffeeWeb Letters from
August 2005 |
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Christ!! Martin O'Niell Ah, well never mind there is always a 'foreign manager'. The logic behind this sort of thinking is as lazy as it is baffling. Who on earth do the people calling for Moyes's sacking think is going to come in now and turn the club around? The Moyes-out lobby were noticeable in their absence when we finished fourth last season. I am sure they enjoyed a Moyes 'champagne' moment, the first derby win at Goodison in eight years, and the first win over the Mancs in ten. A season runs from August to May and the people now pulling statistics out of the hat from January to September (some including pre-season friendlies!) with an almost 'I told you so' zeal are misleading themselves and others. If they want to build arguments out of facts they might be better off
considering that since 1990 Everton have only finished in the top eight
three times. In his three full seasons (i.e, 38 games not six) Moyes has
been responsible for two out of those three. Some of my 'fellow
Evertonians' seem to have a very short memory indeed if they consider a
change in manager is going to be a quick-fix solution to our problems at
present and lead us into some sort of promised land of Champions League
football and top-three finishes. Get a grip on yourselves, please. Steve
c Re: Anthony Edwards Not sure Fans Last Night Alas it was not to be, but I, as well as the other 21,000 will not be
too disheartened. If the players can carry the passion and will to win
over to the Premiership, then we will certainly improve on the results
so far this season. I personally thought the back four of Hibbert, Yobo,
Ferrari, and Valente were excellent, Ferrari particularly stood out
(although this could be because he is a newcomer to the team). In
midfield Arteta was his usual magnificent self (I only wish Tommy was
still in our midfield for Arteta to play alongside!). Up front McFadden
was busy and Ferguson nothing short of colossal. All-in-all, the players
gave everything, the fans gave everything and, although it wasn't the
result we wanted, at least the performance was improved. Let's hope it
continues..... RE: Bigger Picture Still not convinced But then Arteta was moved inside and became ineffective. Similarly, McFadden was reading Ferguson's knock-ons very well but in the latter stages was moved outside and became ineffective. It was a joy to watch big Dunc last night... what a player he is given quality service from the flanks. I really do hope that Moyes takes note and continues to leave Arteta on the right and bombard that penalty area with quality. On the left side we do have a problem. I am afraid that Kilbane is struggling and has lost all confidence. Arteta's performance from the flank should be the measure for Kilbane. He should forget about trying to beat players and and whip in quality crosses or at least try. Watching Ferguson dash for the penalty box when the ball went out wide was a joy to see. Perhaps Bent and Beattie could take note and try to get on the end of things in the box instead of dropping deep. But it needs consistency from the flanks...and there are no
guarantees with the present bunch. So, all-in-all a good effort but
tactical changes in the second half blunted our attacking options and
left me disappointed once again. Getting down to business So let`s get ready for the ride... Methinks it will be a rocky road
but we`ve all been there before so I`m sure we`ll see it through. Oh
and, by the way, the correct spelling of what constitutes `the
management` and certain players at Goodison these days is "pantyWASTE"! Slightly Annoyed We tried and failed in Europe It's only a game Post-Moyes So let's look forward to the future without Moyes. A number of new managers are starting to be mentioned; my own favourite (just to start the ball rolling is Martin O'Neill and I just plucked that one from the top of my head). We need a manager who has plenty of Premiership and European experience, and understands the transfer market fully. Overall my instinct now is probably a foreign manager since they seem to do better in the Premiership, and preferably not another Scot since we have had two who have not won anything. I believe strongly that the headhunting probably has already begun and we need to appoint the new guy ASAP. I would like to thank Moyes for doing his best and wish him well in his next job. Finally some basics which Moyes I'm afraid has not grasped: 1 The idea of football is the side that wins puts the ball in the
back of the net; I am looking forward to EFC being very successful in the future;
reorganisation required instantly. Only one thing that matters On the way now! Mission accomplished Some fans will no doubt try to take comfort from tonight's victory, but I don't think 45 decent minutes is enough to start popping the Moet. Moyes is the architect of his own downfall. He has an uncanny ability to spot shit players and he signs them whenever he can. Kevin Kilbane is a prime example. What other Premier League side would he get a game for? Yet, week-in, week-out, there he is in an Everton kit! Tonight's display from him was farcical. Kenwright has already told us he has budgeted for Europe so what the fuck now. How will we balance the books? We are well and truly in the shit, going nowhere, with an average side. I just hope I am wrong because we have become accustomed to losing recently; we are used to that . What really hurts more than anything is that now, whenever you
mention Everton, people just laugh. The only ones not in on the joke are
the poor bastards who watch this shite every week. Someone somewhere
please do something, we are sinking fast but no body is launching the
lifeboats. If only... Other points: great team display and Phil Neville I am certain should be given the captain's armband on a permanent basis; great commanding display. Joe Yobo had a pearl of a game as did Arteta and Cahill; Kilbane is living on borrowed time with lead legs; Valente actually tackled but still pulled out of far more than he put in — I think 'pantywaist' was the best phrase so far! McFadden seems to have found his niche role and played great football again. Worrying points: how not-arsed does Bent look? Towards the end of the game, with Bent stood still, Dunc ran the length of the pitch to the Bullens Road corner to make a crucial tackle for a throw in; what was Bent doing? Beattie seems to be resting well during his absence and am sure is now friendly with every fast-food joint in Merseyside looking at the size of him; even on Question of Sport he looked fat... Can you not exercise any part of your body at all with a sore toe? How did a deliberate elbow to the base of the skull which could potentially sever Arteta's spinal cord and cause him to convulse/fit not warrant a straight red card? The referee had lost the game in the second half; the Dunc punch, the blatant assault on Arteta, each sub carrying 30 seconds of added stoppage time... god knows how many feigned injuries to Dinamo players collectively only got 6 minutes at the end. Arteta's injury alone must have been 6 minutes getting the spinal board out and carrying him off. My final comment isn't an original one; it was raised by a caller on the Radio City phone in on my way home. Wyness called every fan to dig deep and turn up to support the team. Given the first leg, the weather, the price and the fact it was on TV, I think the turn out and resultant atmosphere was excellent. Pity that wasn't reflected in the Director's area which was a ghost town with a pitiful take up on seats. Another great PR exercise by our caring money-grabbing management? Would love to hear fat-boy's comment on that but chances are we never will. If we can only play the next 30 odd games like that we'll be safe as
houses — let's hope Arteta gets well soon. Just as you thought it couldn't get any
worse... During that 25-minute period we had the will, the incentive and the initiative. We attacked, had all kinds of possession, but could not find the net once against a team of second-rate Balkan bog-bandits who would have a hard time wining promotion to the Premiership in an easy year. I fear something is going on behind the scenes of which we know
nothing, and which is destroying our confidence, cohesion and form.
Beyond that, the technical ineptitude of Bent, Kilbane and Beattie is
truly shocking at this level. Ominously, their skills are well suited to
the Championship. Some faith restored I was impressed with Fergusson's selflessness from the crosses, always laying on the ball for someone else when out of position. Cahill played his socks off, despite not getting the rest period he so deserves. Arteta? The guy was brilliant, holding up the ball well & running rings around the defence. Just two major problems remain. Kilbane & Valente. Sorry, but they just don't fit into the current team. Poor passing, bad tackles just won't help the cause. Bent? I know he tries hard but he just can't score goals. I'm afraid he's got to go. Beattie? Didn't see enough of him. The substitution came too late for him to get into his stride. Just one Dynamo Bucharest player to mention. Plesan. He should be charged with assault for that tackle. I just hope Everton put in a complaint with FIFA. The guy should be shot at dawn. My fading faith has been somewhat restored. If we play like that in
the Premiership, we'll soon be back in mid-table. I'm a lot happier
after the performance tonight. Well done Everton. Keep it up. The poll I'm really excited. David Moyes Damn statistics Shut up and Show! Great Website! Convinced I am of the opinion that DM is not capable of producing a good
footballing side regardless of transfer funds and whilst he is at the
helm we will go through the current traumas again and again. If he
stays, I don't think we'll go down but in the long term I predict more
grief. I really hope I am proved wrong. Brief Thoughts from Scotland 2. Regardless of results, Moyes should not be fired until December at least, as he signed the players who are underperforming. Not much point giving him the money then the sack. Luck will eventually go our way again, and there is no way Everton are one of the 5 poorest sides in the league. I have confidence that it can be pulled round. 3. No point loaning McFadden back to Scotland, he waltzed through the SPL defences and will do so again - it is no good for teaching him to play against better defences. I think his best position is that which 'he who is no longer spoken of' now plays for MU - minus the long-range shooting and strength, obviously. But then there are even more midfielders and less strikers! AAARGH! 4. Playing Ferguson with a small partner and lumping balls forward to
him is a trend with which I am all too familiar, being a Scot. I was
glad when he 'retired' in the late 90s as the national team's tactics
had become one sad desperate hit-and-hope routine. Sounds familiar to
weary Smith-era Evertonians? Thought so. Big Dunc has his uses but not
as a target man, not at his age, not in the Premiership... Contract was renewed Matter of Time Speaking of cash - in response to the Sunday Mirror article on
Kenwright's £20M... would you trust anyone who spelled half our players
names wrong? Richard Wright I think the whole team needs a shake up, and it has to start at the
back, and David Weir has been shown up for what he is as well a few
times — an ageing defender. Anyway, food for thought... and of course
COYB!! Just can't resist it ! Just got to go
Up until tonight I have had phone calls, text messages, e.mails, voice mails and finally one of Dunc's carrier pigeons sent a message... all urging me to think again and go and support them. How can I not go? It's like not going to see a close friend in their hour of need. We've all had our good times with Everton, admittedly so with a much better team and more passionate players but I just know that if, by that slimmest of slim chances we do get a 4-0 result, it would compare to me not being at the birth of my kids. So all those season ticket holders and supporters, I urge you to go.
I repeat that before tonight not even the resurrection of Dixie Dean
would have got me to Goodison, but tonight something has just clicked
and I'll take an obstructed view if I have to. Mad? Certainly it's all
about being a Blue: you don't choose.. you are chosen. Lets try and get
some pride back. Not Like The Rest Going a bit overboard Pitch Question Time! Twelth Man A packed and lively Goodison is a fearful place for any visiting
team. Just remember Man Utd last season and how it spurred the boys to a
vital win. It would have been interesting to see how a team playing a
long way from home and used to playing in front of 16,000 supporters
would have reacted to an intimidating atmosphere. Now we will never know
because the club consider that despite the small matter of a 4-goal
deficit and the match being live on ITV2, we are all still willing to
stump up £25. Time for the club to take a reality check. Turn on, tune in... drop out We need to put our farcical Euro misadventure behind us and concentrate on getting out of the shit we are in. Nothing else matters. Do we really want more worldwide humiliation every couple of weeks? To play in Europe at any level, you need to posses certain qualities: flair, pace, solid defence, goalscoring capabilities... everything we don't have in abundance. Moyes has fucked up bigtime in the transfer market, who else would pay £3.5M for Davies when no one else was bidding for him and Spurs wanted shut any way. When did Fergie, Wenger, or Mourhino or any other good manager sign 31-year-old defenders? Strikers who are nearly 30 for £6.5M??? They all look for young players with pace who will improve as they go along. DM signs washed-up players with no improvement left in them and wonders why we struggle. Let's get this non-event out of the way on Thursday, and get to Man City in the early hours of Sunday morning and try to score a goal, one fucking goal... please! This club is driving me up the wall. Anything can happen Let's be sensible Perhaps DM has lost the plot I guess to be fair to DM, he has tried to make some footballing
signings: the likes of Van der Meyde, and attempting to get Owen,
Parker, Bellamy. That would have made a very different team. But since
he has not managed to get them, and currently things are clearly not
working out, there has to be a throw of the dice. Surely? Not Quite! I am one who is calling for Moyes head to be served up on a silver platter. (It's the only silver we will see this season!) I have read the posts of those of the opposite opinion and I respect it, and I want to agree with it, but I can't. There are a couple of people to whom I said this at the end of last season: "Moyes has taken us as far as he can, it's time to get rid and say thanks." He has done his job but that job should now pass on to someone who can take us to the next stage, something that is beyond Moyes's capability. I think the world of Moyes, believe it or not, but I have Everton's best interests at heart. Sadly, I think we have left it too late — as this early season form is showing. Moyes' school report will read: "Tried all term, to the best of his ability, but needs to try that bit harder. Unfortunatley this teacher is of the opinion that this term was a bit beyond him. He is a popular boy who hides his shortcomings, to the extent that he is hoodwinking his peers. A nice lad who will do well in a lower class." 6/10. No doubt I will get bereated for this but the facts speak for
themselves. 16 defeats in 22 games. One goal scored this season. Coffee,
Up, Smell, Wake, The, And. Rearrange! Nil Satis be Optimistic Firstly I expect us to be leading 3-0 on 70 mins and the tension filled atmosphere will only spur the "BLUE BOYS" on, James McFadden will be penetrating the Bucharest defence, the tireless Tim Cahill will be covering every blade of grass in search of glory. The goodison crowd seem to expect defeat when "BIG DUNC" rises at the far post like an "Atlantic salmon" to power the Blues in to the group stages of the Uefa Cup. Thank you for listening, as "Joseph" would say: "I HAD A DREAM". Cloud Cuckoo Land Moyes has stated for this season he will continue to use the system that got the club to 4th last year and 7th the year before. In that case, can he explain what system he was using when we accumulated our lowest ever points total of 39 and were nearly relegated in the sesason in between? Perhaps that slipped his mind. We have played 6 games and got 3 points. It is often considered to avoid relegation a team has to get 40 points, which means we have to get 36 from 32 games, an average of 1.1 points per game. That average is higher than we have been achieving since January when arguably things started going downhill. So far our average is 0.5 points per game. Of course, statistics can be misleading; a few wins can change matters but surely when looking at the next 3 fixtures there is cause for concern. Those fixtures on paper look very dificult and if we get no result out of them, then that is 9 games played which is nearly a quarter of the fixtures. Okay I know you will say it is to early to look at this but there are fans who think it will be fine once we get to January and sign say Rob Keane but how many games will be left by then and what position will the club be in? I hope the system starts coming good for DM and the current injured
players come good when fit before January and no more injuries. Wood and Trees Get a grip and understand, when you the "informed pundit" points out rather obvious problems, try coming up with a solution. Slating signings and saying who we should have signed after the event is punditry that can be mastered by an infant. Moyes has taken us to 7th and 4th - we had a dodgy season 2 years ago when we were disgraceful. How many people could point out what DM was doing right last year? "Well we had Graveson" is not an answer, it's crap. Graves was good for 1½ years of the time he was here. The rest of the time he showed small glimpses of his talent. Moyes got the best out of him, Moyes was forced by let him leave - we got £2.5M for a player with 5 months left on his contract. How much was Arteta? £2.2M? Players come and go as do managers but I do not want DM to go. We are lucky to have him. He may have made a few mistakes but he deserves more from his players than he is getting - they have not yet got to grips with the European cup defeat and nor have we. You go out there and and work hard if you've just had a massive
dissapointment like the one Everton have had. They worked really hard
and now have to start all over again. Moyes is having to start all over
again as well, and he must be getting pretty fed up with it. Europe Cahilled out? Time to bring Tommy home Ticket Prices The Proven Goalscorer The right players were not available at the right price and we dont want to waste another £6M on another overrated player. A fully fit Beattie should get goals... but when? Has Bent's attitude on the pitch totally changed? Does he seem more lacklustre? Perhaps he knows he is on his way out and is showing the attitude that has seen him have so many clubs! I don't find it a coincidence either that the performances slumped when the new contracts are given out. As Evertonians, we are what fans should be! We are there for the long
haul! I honestly believe that in Moyes we will get there, maybe not this
season, but it will come. He deserves more respect than what we are
giving him, It means just as much to the man himself to do well for the
School of Science and a lot of clubs would kill for a manager like that.
At least I'm not as stupid as you The blameless player flies over the
cuckoo's nest. Desparate times call for desparate measures though and it may sound like I'm taking happy pills but I say drop him... at least for two-games... it's not his fault that he is behind a woeful defence and admittedly he has made a couple of terrific saves this season (kept us in both Villarreal ties) but perhaps he is just a little too old now to pull off those wonder saves that he was managing last year... at least not as consistently this time around? Perhaps this is an area that hasn't received any attention due to the lack of onion-bagging at the other end... and perhaps this is the margin of difference? Mental though it sounds - give Dickie Wright one last chance in a single game to prove that he can be our first-choice keeper and if he blows it (as we know he can) then throw Turner in and forever consign Wright to his place alongside Brett Angell and Mike Milligan in the worst EFC side of all-time... I am a firm believer that one great save can turn a match (as proved by the Wigan keeper at the weekend) ... Wright is a confidence player and if he has one outstanding game it could spell brighter horizons for both him and EFC as a whole (look at flapper Carrol's change of fortunes now he is at West Ham). I have no doubt that both Wright and Turner are more agile than Martyn and therefore (at least theoretically) more capable of that brilliant match-winning save that we need so much. Suffice to say that one of those outfield muppets still has to fluke
a goal... but there has been enough said about this already.. I must go
now as the nurse is coming back to put me in my straight-jacket...
COYB!! Body language. Now this worries me; does he know what's going on? Are his plans not good enough? Does he have it in him to improve us? Half-time tactical changes by the opposition leave us baffled. They up the pace and we are lost. We are chased down and forced to hoof the ball up field. Or, are we just poor that we don't know how to play the ball out. It's early on but worrying. All I want to know is: Does David Moyes
know what to do?. On what I've looked at this season, I see no evidence
that we will improve. I ask questions now rather than March/April. I don't get it Moyes to prevail Our current midfield is too lightweight. The return of Carsley and
hopefully Kroldrup will no doubt add more steel and pace; I guess we'll
all have to be a little more patient. Given time, Moyes will put things
right but the fans will have to resist the temptation of going over the
top in their criticism — however frustrating things become. No fat ladies yet I’m not a Beattie fan or ever expected more than 15 goals a season
from him (as we were warned by Southampton supporters before we signed
him), but he might just turn it round and prove me wrong with some
decent service from VDM and Arteta. Come on you blues: give the lads and
Moyes a bit more time. Presumably we haven’t even seen the first-choice
team yet so who knows, maybe we’ll be havin a laugh again next May. It
might be at my optimism, but then again… Stupidity Re: Poll Results While I agree that not signing a forward was a huge mistake, I don't belive that is simply our only problem. We are lacking in certain positions over the park. To start with, full-back is a big concern this season with Hibbert out of form and Pistone's unfortunate injury. Even his most outspoken critics (worst player to ever wear the shirt, etc..) have to agree that it has caused a serious disruption to our defence. Valente, bless him, has been thrown in the deep end without armbands. Ferrari has barely played in a year and Kilbane ain't no left back. Secondly, there seems very little creativity in central areas. I was hoping we would sign another midfielder like Arteta who can pass the ball. The jury is still out on Davies but in reality he was signed to fill the problem right-side position. Thirdly, left-midfield. Killer looks lead-legged this season and McFadden, who tries his best isn't cut out to play that position. Van der Meyde has been signed to cover both wings but isn't gonna be properly fit until November at best. Unless Moyes can conjour up a team that can cope in these critical positions, I can't see the rot stopping. However, the signs at Wigan on Saturday were, I believe good (considering some woeful performance of late). Jimmy Mac up front playing for his career is refreshing to see. If only Bent could pull himself out of his slump then I think we could start firing again. Come January, let us all hope we sign 2 new strikers with no-one leaving (though at this rate we may well be selling to fund purchases). Until then it's up to Moyes alone. Who in their right mind would let their manager spend £20M then sack
him 6 games into the season? Give the players he signed time to get fit
first; stop ranting and look at the team with a clear perspective. Moyes
isn't above criticism for sure but he certainly doesn't deserve the
sack. Not yet anyway ;) Thursday's match
David Currie, Liverpool (21/09/05) Worry ... How many teams have been bottom at the start of Nov, and stayed up? That list is even smaller, I suspect ... All I want is consistent mid-table finishes in the prem. Most Blues I know were laughing at me for this ‘humble ambition’. I’m sick of the relegation fights. I don’t want 4th, then down. WHY CAN’T we just hold steady in the mid-able for a few years? We SHOULD now be achieving that given the amount of money that has been spent by Moyes. I fear the worst. But I don’t know if sacking Moyes at that point (should it happen) will achieve anything much. I remember the embarrassment when Dave Watson had to stand in as caretaker manager for months because the club couldn’t find a new manager. Who’d want the job? What I REALLY worry about is the finances. Everton have spent big recently, and rather than hit out at the fans’ valid (NOT kneejerk) criticisms, Mr Wyness (whose wages are paid by the fans), should be worrying about where EFC will be financially if relegated. A ‘blip’ he says? Look at our record since January, Mr Wyness. Will he too join the proverbial, ‘rats leaving a sinking ship’ should we go down? Don’t worry Mr Wyness, I’ll still be going to Goodison to watch Preston, Hull and Cardiff etc.., so you can still draw your fat pay-cheque. Perhaps Alan Green was right after all.... Oh Jesus, no! `The Blip` is right! We`re stupid to drive up to 1200 miles in six days to watch shite; stupid to book club trips to Bucharest that don't materialise; stupid to buy expensive season tickets for seats we don`t want when we`ve been turfed out of ones we`ve occupied for decades; stupid to buy three new strips each year at exorbitant prices; stupid to queue for hours and then be sent away ticketless! But, Mr CEO, you don`t need to tell us we`re stupid; it comes with
being an Evertonian — and we`ll all still be so, long after your fat
arse has been kicked out of Goodison for good! Kaplin`s one of us! Apparently,having been shown the door at Downing Street, Lady Carol
has taken to watching many of Everton`s matches. She admits she knows
little about the game `but so loves the atmosphere and the wonderful
hospitality` Sounds a bit like our Leader himself, wouldn`t you say?
Still it`s nice to know the Club`s in safe hands! Answers, anyone? What exactly jusitifies the confidence of Dave being the man to turn things around? His scary demeanour? What then? ('look what we did last season' stuff is really becoming tired.') That was basically a lot of luck. Some decent football, but a lot it was the rub of the green. This year it has deserted us, and there isn't even any decent football to compensate. I am not even sure what he can do fix things. Is there any money left
in the kitty? And why do we have to be at the bottom of the league
before the genius figures out that hoofing up the park is not the idea?
And even if we actually win doing that, it is crap football and an
insult to the fans. Answers anyone? For those who want his head on a plate...
Yes we're playing crap and with no spirit but that's bound to happen
when we play so well against Villarreal and then get robbed. It's only
human that their heads will drop. It is our duty as fans to lift them
up. I belive we will turn it around. You never know... it might happen
on Thursday. YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE FAITH Great expectations Needless Pressure When I heard a rumour of McFadden in attack I was happy, which soon turned to dismay when I heard he was on his own.... against bloody Wigan at home! I understand you play what is available but surely, two strikers would have done something?? The best form of defence is attack; if their back four has something
to think about (two strikers) then it doesn't come back to us so quickly
and the defenders (and to a large extent the midfield) are not so
knackered at the end of the game. Message to Wyness.... I'm not advacating sacking the manager. I do, however, belive he has some major flaws which need to be addressed very quickly, in that he appears to be crap in the transfer market and is very reluctant to admit to mistakes (Wright, Bent, McFadden & others) and his reluctance to ditch a tactical system which has long since been found out, are proof of that. In defence of 'The Moysiah' I also do not belive that he can be blamed for the many GUTLESS individual performances we have witnessed since the turn of the year... Pride comes from within so only the players can take the blame for that one. My message to the many over paid, over-rated prima donnas we apparently now have on our books, ya'know those who keep making false promises to fans, the ones who tell us they are tired from to much travelling etc... If playing for Everton FC does not give you a tingle down your spine every time you pull on the shirt and/or performing infront of hundreds & thousands of loyal supporters home & away, who have stood by this club through some very thin times (particularly in the past 10 years!!) doesn't give you the will to win then I, for one, don't want you playing for my club. The majority of this squad got us to fourth last year, it's now time
for them to stand up and be counted, time to prove you're worthy of the
Royal Blue shirt. My question to each and every one of them is "Come
Thursday night I will be there shouting, screaming, cajouling, giving my
all for EVERTON FC: 4-0.... WILL YOU ??? Time for Scrutiny but also Time for Unity
We can not really lament the injury to Vaughan too much as he is still, as Moyes has stated, one for the future. He was to be used sparingly this season and given the same considered tutelage our former number 18 was given. In a warped way I am glad, for the sake of his development, he is injured because we cannot rely solely on an unproven raw talent to be our salvation and too much pressurised exposure at this stage might see his progress halted. I am putting my faith in a rejuvenated Beattie coming firing out of the blocks after his latest injury, looking for Van der Meyde to add pace and creativity to a lacklustre attack, and looking to Carsley (I thought I’d never say it) to bolster a flagging midfield and team spirit. Hopefully Carsley replacing Neville as he in turn replaces Hibbert or Valente at full back. This is plan Z and if it doesn’t work we have little or no options to threaten any opposition. Everton are full of endeavour and effort but ultimately lacking that cutting edge. When they go a goal behind the shoulders slouch and the body language is there for the opposition to see and exploit. Score first and the game is as good as won. I believe Moyes is very much the man for the job but I thought it telling this week Phil Neville admitting the boss reminded him of a young Ferguson. Reminded him of a manager involved in every aspect of the club. Picking suits for the first team squad. Neville suggested he should delegate more. Pleasingly he stated Moyes coaching was inventive and of a high standard. Somebody in the club hierarchy should recognise this as a very subtle hint from an experienced international who has played under a very successful regime at Old Trafford. Moyes needs to devote his energies solely to the team affairs and getting it right on the training pitch and that being transferred to match days. Moyes should be barred for dallying in such mundanity as approving team suits. As for Keith Wyness, there is a guy that should be seen and not heard. Just do what you are paid to do, Keith, and remove spin doctoring from your job description. Everton fans are entitled to voice their opinions because they support the club week-in, week-out with their hard-earned cash. To label the calls for the managers head as part of the disease that infects English football is an insult. Even the words of that smug salad dodging, face for radio, redshite fan Alan Green are proving prophetic. That entitles questions to be asked at the highest level. We Evertonians need to get behind our manager and team and hope for
that one goal (off Beattie's arse if necessary) to kick-start our season
or at least give the team belief that a goal from open play can be
achieved. Remember how that Adrian Heath equalier from a Kevin Brock
back pass away to Oxford Utd in Milk Cup in 1983/4 saved a certain
Howard Kendall and heralded that golden era. Oh for one from anybody
from a Richard Dunne back pass this Saturday away to Man City!! C’mon
the Blues!! Keep The Faith The Right Formula?? Now, it is crucial to bring some stability into the mid-field (the problem is who is going to play the role?) so that Cahill and Arteta or Kilbane can go forward. So a solid player is more important now. Phil Neville might be a solution but is still new to the club. But I would rather see Everton bring in some solid defensive veteran. Another solution is use as many players from last season as much as possible and introduce new players slowly. Hopefully Carsley will be back soon. Play Hibbert more often. In short, if we get a solid midfield, we can find some stability. Missing the point about missing the points
We have thrown away the money for Shrek on a carthorse, James Beattie - who I predict will now never justify his fee - Per Krøldrup and Andy van der Meyde, who are unlikely to play a significant role now until January or February; Simon Davies, who looks less and less interested with every game and Nuno Valente who is a pantywaist on and off the ball. Only Phil Neville is currently justifying his place. The idea that McFadden and Osman are going to carry an attack between them is plainly ridiculous and had to be obvious to Moyes within minutes of the kick-off if not before kick-off. I don't think Moyes should go, but I do believe he needs some serious
experienced help in the transfer market, perhaps from someone no longer
up for the trials of managership but who could act as a consultant.
Someone who could say - 'er, carrying a serious career threatening
injury, let's not buy him,' or 'mmmm, 18 months without a goal, let's
look elsewhere,' or, 'current club can't wait to get rid of him - red
flag there.' This is assuming there are any further funds available in
January. Maybe Davies and Beattie could be make-weights. They are surely
good for little else. What's formation got to do with it?
If you field 11 good players they will eventually find the recipe for
goal. And in being a 'good' player you need a number of qualities.
Attitude and passion are two important qualities. Sadly, both Everton
and England seem to lack this. Wyness Full Back to the future I thought his starting line-up on Saturday was brave. In the first half we looked like the team of last year, good football to feet and the mobile forward unit creating space against a side that had come expecting an arial bombardment. The only thing missing was the goal! The second half was scarry. Yes they were out early, looking keen, but no-one started to defend until after we were nearly 2-0 down. That's not the manager's fault Phil Neville; I am convinced is a Man Utd Trojan Horse. He failed miserably to make any real challange for a poor cross-field ball, that was the start of the move that lead to the goal. Worse still he jogged back (or is that him sprinting?) and never reacted to the unmarked man in the 6-yd box who had the fortune to toe poke it in! He's an awful buy and should be dropped on sheer lack of effort let alone skill and mobility! I can't remember him making a real tackle yesterday. The other joker/full-back had a good game until the second half, when he clearly lacks the ablity to communicate. Thus he was left marking space and not getting cover from the midfield. He looks like he might be ok, given a run in a successful side!!! So the team lacks confidence and full backs... where else would you
expect us to be! But I'd rather pay my money to watch them play football
than watching big Dunc get another yellow card for leading with his
elbow! Moyes In - How quickly we forget I do not casually brush aside the critics, particularly those who (unlike me) pay good money to cheer on the Blues at Goodison. I say give him time. Where were we before he arrived? Where did he lead us this year? How quickly we forget... Moyes has shown an ability to change as he matures as a manger. Two
years ago, we survived relegation by the skin of our teeth. He adapted
and the team had a very successful season last year. I think Everton
will survive this crisis and prosper. We may not hit 4th every year, but
with Moyes we will hit more ambitious targets than we would with anyone
else. What have I done wrong? Disappointed I have regularly predicted this scenario (although I didn't think it would be this bad) for several months and I would be disappointed if you do ration the opinions of blues - no matter how irritating you find them. I think Moyes has got until Christmas at the latest and if he does not turn things around then he needs to go. Finally you wrote: Craig McManus, Mold (25/09/05) A voice of reason among the clamouring mob... — Ed Could it be the clamouring mob are hurt blues who have had enough of
being shafted by the club? IMWT - In Moyes we have a manager who on
current form will take us down! Argghhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Wyness's piece in the Mirror is piss poor; the moment you start slating the fans who give alot to the club is the moment you've lost the plot... and £20M investment??!!! Bollocks. Be honest, Keith — as you promised — or be off! In a side note, me and the wife are expecting our first child; I
might name it after the next Everton goalscorer. However, the baby is
due in March/April so it's looking unlikely........ Reality Bites There aren't many Evertonians who are convinced by Moyes tactically but we never looked to him for that, did we? Pride in the shirt... When we've been expected to play expansive football, we have failed miserably. We'll never be Chelsea, Arsenal or United. But being the best of the Boro, Charlton, Villa league would do me. Heaven help us if Bungling Bill brings in one of his true blue alternatives: David Jones anyone? Let's give Moyes until Xmas. West Brom did it & we have a better
squad, although it doesn't look like it at present, so I think Xmas is
the time to judge. We are Everton, supposedly the club that sticks
together against the world. Well our true colours are now showing...
fickle bastards. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum doesn't just mean the knobs on
the pitch — it means US! So let's do what we are unbeatable at: extend
the middle finger, hold it up proudly at all and sundry, and get a few
backs up. COYB. The Only Way is Up The players who took this role last year have gone (Graevensen,
Stubbs), lost form or been injured. The replacements are either injured
or lack the necessary passion and understanding. Sacking Moyes won't
resolve this but it will rightly make Everton look fickle, capricious
and stupid. It is only four months since he was lauded to the skies for
taking us into CL and rightly won Manager of the Year. Get a grip. Your Reply to Moyes Must Stay Who could argue? Actually, you might not believe it but I'm quite an optimistic bloke really... honestly! But I know a bum team when I see one and the frightening thing is that I cannot see this bunch of players surviving a relegation fight... can you? If we are not in crisis now, trust me, we will be by 16:50 on Sat 29th October. If we are a little worried now then what will it be like then? Talk of sack the manager, back the manager? Hey, try anything if it gets us out of this slump and sometimes a change at the top is enough to turn things around. This club is far bigger than Moyes, Kenwright and Wyness — they are in fact irrelavant at this moment in time. The only people who can change this around are the players and, quite frankly, our dressing room is devoid of leadership and quality. Our record since the turn of the year is abysmal. We are in free fall. Those saying don't sack Moyes... will they be saying that come Sat 29th October? I think even his most avid supporters will be crying out for change at that point. I've heard Moyes has lost the dressing room... He is receiving a lot of critisism of late. Sadly he has brought this on himself. I don't critisise him for going after top quality during the summer and failing but I do critisize him heavily for not having a plan B and for not aquiring the services of a forward, one who was fit, early in the summer - this problem has been there since last Xmas so it should have been a priority. What I'd like to see is Moyes come out, hold his hands up and say "I got it wrong, but let's pull together as one. Back us until January and in the meantime I'll get you that striker or two on a pre-contract agreement." Instead of giving us waffle about playing well but not scoring, just say it as it is... we were shite... fact. If the players want to sulk when they hear his interview on the phone-in so be it. Let them do their talking on the pitch. No more 'from the heart, sincere' plattitudes in the local press, please. Just decent, honest hard work. We know they lack ability but let's see a bit of attitude out on the pitch, toughen up, roll their sleeves up and go for the 90 mins not in fits and starts. Make it sound easy don't I? Maybe it is. Unless Moyes comes out with more honesty then I can see him losing more and more credibility. I wish him all the best, he's a likeable chap and I hope he gets it right over the next few games, but I fear the worst... Better get that new Disk drive for your Mailbag... I can see it being
stressed over the next few weeks!!! Just having a moan So whom can I have a moan about? Wyness needs to brush up on his PR skills. Calling Everton fans ‘stupid’ isn’t exactly going to endear him to the fans. The ‘blip’ as he so aptly puts it, happened the first half of last season when we over-achieved, not during the last 6 games. Is his attention span so short that he has forgotten the humiliation post Christmas? Having watched yesterday’s post match interview with Moyes, he looked as if he couldn’t give a stuff, just so long as his wages get paid. I also noticed in yesterday’s Mail, that Kenwrong is currently under the spell of Carol Kaplin, Tony & Cherie Bliar’s ex-confidant & mentor. Now that really has me worried. If our financial benefactor and supposed leader believes in and trusts Kaplin, we are all doomed. So who else is there to moan about? Oh yes, the players. I’ll stop at this point, as I don’t like to swear on forums. Suffice to say that I’m not happy. So, as we are stuck with crap executives, crap management & crap
players, I suggest we field the Ladies team for our outing on Thursday.
They sure as hell play better than our first team. Just a guess... One from a ¨bill@evertonfc¨ that states we don't need one as we have a ¨miracle manager¨ And the other was from a ¨dave@evertonfc¨ that was sent on the last
day of the transfer window from his Blackberry as he was out all day at
a golf tournament. MOYES MUST STAY Blip??!! Yesterday was a new low for me. Beaten by an average Wigan and having the proverbial taken out of us by their pie-munching supporters. Watching a team that is completely clueless give at best a half-hearted performance; and then have Wyness tell us its all a 'blip' and he is angry with the supporters for being 'shortsighted'. This from a man whose only contribution since he arrived has been to alienate most fans with massive price hikes, incompetent administration and a complete lack of sensitivity (e.g. his comments in the Mirror and the treatment of supporters home and away in Europe). When will he (and Kenwright) decide this is not a blip but has become a full blown tragedy in the making? This is no blip. I still believe Moyes has a plan, but he is either
failing to communicate his ideas effectively to the players or (as I
suspect) the majority are just not up to it. Bucharest 2nd Leg Being 4 goals behind could be a blessing in disguise as we must now at least play McFadden and Bent up front together. I'd like to see Osman in behind the two of them with a midfield 3 of Arteta, Davies and Neville. Stick Ferrari at right-back (he is right-footed after all) and Valente at left back (c'mon who else have we got?). I believe we will score at least one during this game and with any
luck someone will step forward and take the game on. We just need a
slice of luck to kick-start our season. We're bottom of the league today
so this might finally wake the club from it's slumber. No more fucking
about, this is serious. The man who shouts from the back Response to Wyness I find some of these comments meaningless platitudes, and somewhat offensive to fans who have supported Everton over a long period. How long has this idiot been at the club? A year or two? How would he know about the fundamentals at EFC? He's just been appointed. Get real Wyness, Everton are in very serious trouble and I have a feeling that when Moyes throws in the towel so will you. Here's some harsh relity for your financial brain: as a result of Moyes spending £20M in the summer, we now have not a single player who can put the ball in the back of the net (1 goal scored), and we have one of the worst defences in the Premiership. Wyness says that this is a blip; stick to financial matters you do
not know what you are talking about. A side destined for the
Championship has been created, our only slight hope is that Carsley may
make a difference in front of the back four. I think though after the
next four defeats everything will change. If Moyes goes, who replaces him? I saw some saying that Moyes is the most financially backed manager at Everton. I really thought that was Walter and I think that Moyes's buys have been OK. The jury is still out on Beattie but all his other buys have been decent. Let's stay together as the 11 guys who pull on that blue jersey on
Thursday night will won't the 12th man, who has been lacking so far this
season. Hopeless The question now of course is: "Should Moyes stay or go?" I would give him 5 more games but if we don't win at least 2 of them he must leave. It is important that we look at the bigger pcture here. No doubt that if Moyes does leave, Evertonians will be demonised by pundits like Hansen and Lawrenson for driving Moyes out and not realising what a great job he'd done for us. Well, firstly, Hansen and Lawrenson don't have to pay and watch the shit we do every week. Secondly, Moyes' record since Christmas is a sackable offence in itself. So don't feel guilty if Moyes does leave. He has had more financial backing than any Everton manager in living memory, certainly far more than everyone's favourite bad guy, Walter Smith. Also, compare Moyes's performance this season with that of Sam Allardyce. Now, to be honest, I can't stand that balloon-headed publicity whore, but he has continued Bolton's progress from last season almost effortlessly whilst spending a fraction of the money that Moyes has. Who do you think is the better manager? What does puzzle me is why many fans continue blaming Kenwright for our current malaise? Apparently after the game yesterday he was confronted by fans telling him to resign! Does he buy the players, pick the team, give the team talk? He probably should go for not building a youth academy, failing to attract new investment etc. but don't blame him for Moyes's shortcomings. I just hope that if things do become suitably bad that Kenwright has
the guts to sack Moyes and appoint the right man in his place. Quality I was in a record shop in my home town and got talking about records
and had told the people in the shop I had got the original Z-Cars
theme tune to the TV series and they jokingly fell asleep. That is how
much we have become a joke. Without A Spine I think in many cases supporters are speaking from the heart and not from the head. He must be given until Christmas, especially now that the "bottom at Christmas" legend has been broken. {So has "bottom at the start of the final day" legend too actually}. I would urge my fellow Evertonians to show restraint, and to vote
with their feet rather than their voice. After all, if and when Moyes
does get it right, you can always go back, without feeling residual
guilt for having called for his termination. Support the Cause I believe that the over-acheivement of last season has altered the ambitions and hopes of the fans. Realistically we are a middle-table team fighting for a Uefa Cup spot... not a team to be challenging for the top four. At the moment we are feeling he pinch for having a small squad with many injuries. We only have three recognised stikers "fit"; as seen on Saturday, big Dunc has a reputation and the refs decide, if in doubt, it's a foul against him. Why Osman was preferred to Bent to partner McFadden, who knows? Did
we really need to rest him before Thursday? I have faith in David Moyes,
we will bounce back we will start finding the net and we will be playing
Premier League football next year. Fickle Fans For goodness sake it's just a blip, things will turn around, we are
never going to be Chelsea or Arsenal but given our limited funds etc.
he's the best we can hope for; whoever said football fans were fickle! Question........ Steve Hopkins and Ashleigh Jones, well said, Helen Mallard too, but
Walter is not the answer..... and Mike Price, as always, spot on with
everything you said! Personally I am not going to say anything bad about
my beloved Everton, apart from.... I am waiting for the change. All
Everton fans! Keep your chins up as he will dig his own grave and the
club will move forward. NIL SATIS NISI OPTIMUM! Class I've been with Everton since Cup Final day 1968 when, as an 11-year-old watching the telly, I decided I preferred amber to black & white stripes. Thirty seven years later I have this observation on the current hysteria. Last summer I 'knew' we were going to go down and had just about come to terms with it when my stupid team (as my rugby-loving daughter refers to us) started winning. For a while I harboured a dream the we might finish above the Shrek-stealers just so the dull bugger would realise the mistake he made in leaving... but their rise was inevitable; they were always going to overtake us. Having just seen Wigan (Wigan?!!?) deservedly win at our home I feel
strangely unworried. We have come a long way in the past few years and,
come the end of this season, will be in the top ten. We have the class.
Our rise is inevitable and I for one hope Moyes is still here to see it.
He'll Have To Go What really bugs me is that despite dragging us down to depths we
only feared plumming when Walter Smith was in charge, Moyes still
doesn't have the decency to resign. How much longer? A record to be proud of (not!) In Bill's Pocket? Maybe if the right people really cared we would still be in Europe. It's all a matter of moving on quickly when given a chance of capitalising on what most clubs would give their eye teeth for --- WE HAVE FAILED. Someone is to blame. All this business of new players gelling leaves me cold because if and when they do gel or we have to wait for the January window, then the points defecit will be such that its nigh on impossible to mount a challenge for anything. I would like to agree with you that we played better today except that would be having to admit just how bad we have been previously. Dont get me wrong I follow the lads home and away but If you can't see we are in real trouble then you will be aiding and abetting the jam tomorrow brigade. The ones who care are the ones who are willing to WAKE UP, SPEAK UP, and just maybe SHAKE UP that cosy love-in at Goodison. Being patronising of us who don't really believe... but who will
still be yelling for the magic four on Thursday night makes me think YOU
must be in Bill's pocket. Are you Kenwright in disguise? Then,on getting home, I read the latest pearls of wisdom from that
arch apologist of your`s, Rob Fox, and it came to me in a flash. He`s
Bullshit Billy in disguise! What a wheeze... infiltrate the `free press`
and brainwash us all: it ain`t really so bad after all. Perhaps if we`re
still losing every match in a year or so we might look to make a change
but till then... And he thought all that `red hair` bollocks would fool
us. Billy boy, your havin` a laff! On the road to Nowhere Secondly, the players have let you down. Their confidence is shot and
it is your job to pick them up and breathe new life into them. If you go
I hate to think where we will end up. Sure we will have a new honeymoon
period with another manager but within a year or two all these fickle
fans will be calling for their head too. David, you must get a win
before the Birmingham game, or I am afraid the Board will be forced to
sack you in fear of relegation from the Premier Leauge. Let's turn this
around and have the same fans calling for your head singing your praises
at the end of the season. Moyes quotes David Moyes Obituary In the near future, regardless of who returns from injury, the results are going to be dire. Moyes carries the ultimate responsibilty for choosing a side fit and ready for the first division. Let's face it that is where his origins lie. The Premiership table tells the truth; Wigan were spurred on by the Portsmouth result. I personally would have a quiet word in his ear and say go now, because the sacking could occur when they loose the next four extremely difficult fixtures. Paul Gregg wanted to sack Moyes the previous season and that was a very prescient decision. I stand by what I said: Moyes will be gone before Christmas and the
sooner the better. Sack Moyes Who cares? The only way is up I know things look pretty bleak right now and, if I had my way, I would replace Moyses tomorrow. The only problem is who would take the job on apart from someone from the lower leagues; there lies our predicament. If we fail to take any points from our next three games, Man City, Spurs away and Chelsea at home, I think Moyes will fall on his sword anyway and then who knows what will happen. One thing's for sure: Bungalow Bill won't sack him. So come on all you diehards out there: one last big deep breath for old times sake! Who knows... City are in a mini-slump; we might catch them at the right time next week. Mind you, if it all goes Pete Tong and we get fucked again, I will
join the rest of the suicide squad and become a doom mongerer myself;
that's what being an Evertonian is all about, isn't it? And we are only
four points behind the Champions of Europe. I am not ranting for once... Somes points I want to make: I loved the subtle (not) announcment at full time for us to all flock to Goodison on Thursday. Please, Everton, don't patronise us after a sore defeat we don't want the advert. We know what's happening on Thursday; trying to get us back to Goodison to get more revenue for a game which I won't be sorry to see us not be successful in. Yes, we could progress in Europe... but in present circumstances, no! I want improved league form and no Euro distraction — not to mention all the Sunday games... but if they do it (I'll light a candle in church tomorrow) I'll be the first in the queue for the next round. bitter-sweet, I guess. Nuno Valente - Did Moyes buy him off eBay? Leadership I hear the knives were out for Kenwright at the end of the game. Why?
How can Kenwright be blamed for what happened on the park today? All
that we saw today was down to one man. Mr D Moyes esq. HIS team, HIS
tactics, HIS crap. He has had the money - lots of it - and spent it on
crap. He has even bought two crocks who we are paying wages on for what?
Nothing! 16 defeats in 22 games. If you want to have a go at Kenwright
then carry on, but it should be to tell him to get rid of Moyes. Just go! We all know we were lucky last year; we worked hard, bored the arse off everybody, but chiselled out results and produced a handful of inspirational displays. All the 1-0s are now, inevitably, going against us; Moyes has no plan B, he cannot relate to, or attract, skillful, fast players and he has wasted all of the Rooney money. I also partly blame him for the begining of the end of this football club, and that was the departure of the World Young Player of the Year. Remember when Rooney turned 18 and so could sign a new 'adult' contract. He decided that he would decide contracts at the end of the season... well dickhead, special players sometimes need to be treated differently! Why do you think so many players don't want to come, even with the
'promise' of Champions League? Moyes was over-confident our fluke
position would attract them, but they could see we were only heading
down; he is not someone top players want to play for. He is a
Championship manager and if we keep him, we'll be dragged down with him. How much longer, II? I will get it in first, Ed - I believe that unless Moyes goes soon we will be in grave danger of going down. And no, I don't think this is ridiculous. We have lost 16 out of our last 22 competitive games - any other manager at any other club would have been sacked by now. Don't bother mentioning Ferguson at Man Utd because they were different times. The football we play is poor and when we appear to be playing Osman as a striker with McFadden then we are in trouble. Yes, we will get Beattie back soon but is that a plus? Krøldrup; I think he will be. Van der Mayde; who knows? Even if he was Pele, he would not look good with this lot. I will be made up if we get three points from our next four games but
it looks a hard ask. I can't even see where the next goal will come from
let alone the next win. WE ARE EVERTON FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! I honestly believe that Moyes has no idea how he manged it and this and his lack of understanding has come to roost this season. The fact is that most teams including the Wigans and Portsmouths of this world know that they have better than 50/50 chance of beating the mediocrity that Everton represent this season. The reality is that this is a first-division team, managed by a first-division manager, who got lucky last season. I think I speak for a large group of Evertonians who, inspite of the blind stupidity of people like Mr Kenwright (Smith anyone?)think Moyes has to go. Candidates? Mike Newell has the credentials. Let us not wait until we
are having the gut-wrenching end of season that we have been cursed with
for the most of our time in in the Premiership. A Man City friend of
mine actually predicted that we will go down this season. MAN CITY!!!
for goodness sake. It is time to take the medicine, however unpalatable,
otherwise we have the blind leading the blind i.e., chairman/manager
into oblivion. It WILL get better Let's be honest, only a crap ref denied us an equalising goal and his treatment of Big Dunc and Benty was nothing short of disgrace! We must keep the faith; we have half a team of stars to come in when
fit so let's not have any knee jerk re-actions at this stage. Just
remember, WBA were bottom at Christmas last year and still avoided
relegation so time is in our favour. So roll up on Thursday and cheer
the lads to glory - that might just be the kick-start our season needs. What's Wrong with Beattie? How long does it take to recover from a bruised toe? It seems like it's been well over a month. We've just succumbed to another humiliating defeat and all I want to do as a fan is get the kit on and show them how its done! Why isn't he feeling the same?? Its a FUCKING DISGRACE!!! Words Moyes out to save his reputation!!
Half-time moan What Plan? Last May, I read that said plan had been delivered two years ahead of schedule so I imagine it had some reference to `European qualification` But, and its a big but, does the aforesaid masterplan include selling off (albeit to save the club from meltdown) its greatest player since Dixie Dean and blowing the proceeds on a bunch of crocks and no-hopers? Also, does it say anything about totally rejecting the `School of
Science` tradition and adopting a style of play which is an abomination
to traditionalists like me and a massive turn-off to all but the
football `blind`? On second thoughts, why not tell `the Ginger Genius`
who, having achieved his goal so far ahead of time, is now free to go
back to Preston or Scotland - or anywhere - and bore the arse off them.
I`ll willingly pay his fare! Platitudes BUT, and that's a big but, I just had to read the Davey Weir exclusive interview in which he explains the importance of scoring first in a match... I mean, fuck me, that's totally revolutionised my idea of the beautiful game. Next he'll be telling us that if you score one more than your opponent then you'll win. I'm feeling really stupid now cos I thought it was simple really, silly me. Shouldn't there be more important things to be doing rather than
peddling this shit - I can think of a few examples: David Barlow We cannot be allowed to turn into Newcastle; it would pain me more
than any defeat ever could. Will people please stop trying to drive
Moyes out? So its caught up with us and we're having a rough run of results... so what??? It happens to every team - remember pre Moyes? We went on this sort of run for the whole season! We will pick it up again, no doubt. I'm no great fan of Moyes habit of buying injured players but I have
enough faith in him to let that pass and see how they turn out. (Won't
be long now before Krøldrup and VdM are playing). Lets face it, even if
we didn't have those players coming in, 5 games in is no time to be
sacking the manager unless you're Newcastle. Let's see where we are
November time before we rush to sack the man who took us to 4th and
Europe. In the meantime a lot of 'fans' would do well to remember what
Moyes has done for us and support him and the boys. COYB reply to Danny Broderick........ You're on Sky Sports! This restored my faith a bit, this straight talking reminded me that 99% of clubs would kill to have Moysie. OK, I'm the first to admit that we've had an awful start, but I believe the key to our season is the fitness of Beattie. He owes us big time, and unlike McFadden I'm convinced he has the quality to come good. This will also give us the chance to see if Moyes reverts to 4-4-2. Otherwise, we've had it until we sign a striker in January. The match against Wigan will determine whether we are in a battle against relegation or not this year, I really believe it is that important. It is difficult to climb the table once you get stuck in a rut, but my gut instinct is that we'll win on saturday and can still get a top half finish, which would still be a good season, especially if we get a cup run. p.s. I make no apology for trying to remain positive, it is this that
keeps me going! David France Collection Thomas Gravesen Just a Thought A Toon fan comes in peace Happy to be out of UEFA Cup Firstly, I believe our major aim should be to safely secure our Premiership place. Unfortunately this could be in jeopardy if we managed to get through to the next UEFA Cup phase as I reckon that from 1st October until 31st December we would have to play at least 19 matches ( League, UEFA, Carling) in a possible 11 week period( 2 Saturdays being lost in October and November due to World Cup qualifiers ). This equates to almost 2 matches per week and with our current squad riddled with injuries, lack of self belief and confidence I am seriously concerned that will find ourselves in a worse situation than we are in now. Secondly, as injuries clear up and belief returns we can always gain a place in next seasons UEFA competition by winning either of the F.A. or Carling Cups which I honestly believe is in our capability. And Thirdly, if we get past Dinamo Bucharest it means another 4 league matches being moved to a Sunday and I hate Sunday games!!! Finally, I feel a bit sorry for David Moyes. Last season he successfully introduced the 4-5-1 system to the Premiership and now some of the major teams in England and Europe have adapted it. But unfortunately the Press/Media see this system as being negative and boring and are blaming Moyes for this! Anyway as a tongue in cheek suggestion to David Moyes I have a well tried and successful attacking system which he might wish to develop.It's the old 1-2-3-5 system...Goalkeeper; Right Back, Left Back; Right Half, Centre Half, Left Half; Outside Right, Inside Right, Centre Forward, Inside Left, Outside Left. Everton had much success with this in the 60's, must be worth a try ...mustn't it? Keep together forever fellow Evertonians. Moyes's complete lack of ambition Oh really? What about about your team playing and creating chances themselves, Dour Dave? Perhaps he should really be off. Total change needed Moyes, after initially commiting to producing attacking, good
football, basically adopted the same philosophy last season. A hell of a
lot of graft and industry, not enough passing, attacking stuff. We eeked
out one-nils, defended like mad men, and had the lowest tally of goals
of any team in the top 8. Point is that style of playing takes a hell of
a lot out of the players, which is probably why Cahill is so knackered.
(Same thing happened with Royle's team the season after btw.) A total
change is required. If not the manager, then in this thinking. Is he
capable of it though? I really wonder. And do we have the players? The weak Wigan fixture? Wigan have had a couple of great succesees; Everton... it's been an appalling set of results so far this season. Wigan must really fancy their chances since virtually every game Everton have played this season they have lost. Wigan have achieved a great deal more and will come to Goodison knowing that, if Portsmouth can beat Everton, so can they. Get real, fellow Evertonians! This could be our toughest game of the
season. Cheer up, Mr Moyes I have a cunning plan Rip up all the players contracts & issue them with new ones stating the following: WIN = Full pay Attendances would rocket, fans would be happy & the clubs with the greediest players would do well. Which means Everton would do pretty well. Slap, slap. Ok, I'm awake. I know I was dreaming, but what a dream! Bent? "Arsenal are a great side, but we lost by a big margin last year, and with the way we have been playing the past couple of weeks, to lose 2-0 at Highbury was a bit of a bonus for us." What???????? The result last season was a disgrace but partly understood due to
the qualification to the Champions League. That should in no way
whatsoever be compared to the 2-0 defeat yesterday as progress. Shut up
Bent and show us you deserve to play on our pitch. I never thought I'd be saying this....
Okay, so we'd be expecting to win games like this in any circumstances, but who'd have thought that a victory would be so imperative at this stage of the season? I just dread to think what it will do for morale if we don't pick up
three points, regardless of the performance. Whilst Arsenal away came at
the worst possible time for us following last Thursday's Bucarest
debacle, a home game against one of the weaker sides in the Premiership
is coming at just the right time, and we must take advantage. Advice to Moyes The support will never die because we know Everton can do it. Give
the players a speech as if it's the last battle of Earth get to there
hearts give them what they need. I am 14 and I tell a 46-year-old we can
do it, so please don't let me down. Have to disagree Do you honestly feel that Cahill, Valente (I still can't believe he dived under the ball), Wright and Beattie (to name several) are really putting it all in when they play? Ferrari looked bright last night, as did MacFadden, Neville and the hardworking Bent but I cannot believe most are really trying 100% (think about the collapse at Bucharest). For me they have won their contracts and it is back to the easy life.
If the majority had any pride they would not be where they are now. Verbal Rubbish What do I tell my lad? He also keeps referring to Beattie as "Busted", suits fine from what
I've seen, or not. Earn your money What is going to the match about? Surely it's about seeing your team wanting to play entertaning attacking football. I am 43 years old; since I was a little boy of six I have never been to less than a dozen games a season. Sure I've seen bad and boring games before but never ever before has Everton's philosophy been to play boring sifiling football hoping to nick a goal from a set piace. I don't mind the odd game being played (even though I dont like it)
just for the result. But after four years in charge Moyes still sends
his team out terrified of every other team. When Everton play the likes
of Fulham, Charlton, WBA, Pompey, Blackburn we send out the message that
we hope we don't get beaten. What about "We are Everton and we are
coming here to show you what were made of"? Play football not chess. Re 'time for a new gameplan' Moyes to adapt Moyes has certainly developed the club in the years he has been in charge and although he certainly never going to win the league I do think that a successful future (regular top 10 finishes) is only possible with him at the helm. His signings on the whole have been excellent with the obvious exclusion of McFadden and Beattie. But even his bad buys can be explained away. Mcfadden for £1.2M represented a decent bet; Beattie I don't think he particularly wanted but was forced into a panic signing at January. A careful analysis of the side on paper most of whom are Moyes
signings make positive reading. Neville, Arteta and Cahill have the
makings of a great midfield and a defence including Yobo, Kroldrup,
Ferrari a rejuvinated Hibbert and Martyn a sound defence. The only area
and a rather crucial one at that that needs seriously addressing is the
attack. If we are to persist with 4-5-1, 4-3-3, then it is imperrative
we sign three pacy forwards. Players which Moyes was trying to sign
(Bellamy, Keane etc). When these players are brought in, hopefully in
Jan then I think a top 10 place is realistic. Do You Want To Tell Him Or Should I? Sigh! Having lost confidence with so many defeats, we're sitting further
and further back and we're too stretched to get the ball to Bent.
Personally, I'd give Cahill a month's rest (or use him sparingly) and
play McFadden behing Bent, so that he can break with the ball and float
left and right to find space. We'd then have two solid banks of four
behind him, like this (4-4-1-1): Martyn; Hibbert, Yobo, Ferrari,
Valente; Davies, Neville, Arteta, Kilbane; McFadden; Bent. Different this time I have never felt so let down by them as this time. We all finally thought we had cracked it and were approaching our best condition both on and off the pitch since 1987, only to have all our expectations explode in our faces. It's different this time because we all really thought we were 'back' based on the success of a whole season not Mike Newell scoring 9 goals, or Andrei K tearing up a few left backs, this time we thought we could put our feet up enjoy the media coverage associated with a half decent team go the match and enjoy it not worry too much about how to reply to the lovable kopites mickey-taking and not be on a total downer all weekend because of another dismal defeat. However, we were all wrong; it's as bad as ever — no, it's worse
because we didn't see this one coming did we? We trusted them this time
not to do it again. It's like your wife having numerous affairs but she
has behaved for the last year or two, you come back from work early and
there she is in bed with next door neighbour, is it time to ring your
solicitor/chairman or is time for one last chance because they promise
not to do it again? Wrong Personnel for Right Tactic My suggestion? Drop Weir and play Ferrari next to Yobo. With the added pace, we can afford to defend higher up the pitch. Move Neville to right-back and give Hibbert a breather. Play Arteta in the midfield anchor role with Osman and Cahill breaking from midfield. Kilbane and Davies on the wings with Bent in his customary lone striker role. Wishful thinking? Well, nothing much more we can do expect hope for
some changes to rejuvenate a flagging formation. Thanks I was amazed at Blue Kipper. It is a site full of abuse for anyone who dares to question Moyes. At least on here you can actually read well constructed posts that offer reasons for Moyes to go. I would like to add my tuppence at this juncture - Moyes is looking increasingly out of his depth and if we continue to lose points he will have to go for the sake of the club. He is not solely to blame. The players are not fit to wear the shirt with few exceptions. They do not give a damn and I am sad to say that we are in serious trouble. Keep up the good work boys. Doubts growing....... Can't attack - shooting practice anyone? Can't defend two identical set pieces - defending practice anyone? Just what the hell do they do there anymore? We are becoming a bigger joke daily. Action, not past achievements At the moment, the manager simply doesn't seem to have a clue of what he should do. I did not watch the live game between us and the gunners. I just came to the office and asked my colleague how many goals to nil was the result. BUT, to have Moyes head chopped is not a solution. We will just have to wait and see what he does in January. And how many points we can get during the second half of the season because we won't get that many until then. Colm Kavanagh, let those poor guys relieve their frustrations. They
will each become a "True Blue" again once we win the next game. HA! All I have to say is... Moving on from 4-5-1 What little football we did manage was when late substitutions were made. We had something of a 'diamond' in the midfield and two strikers. The five man midfield has long had it's day. It's no longer an unknown commodity. We're being easily beaten. This 4-5-1 has to go. A blind man on a galloping horse can see that. Either it goes or I do. I could probably benefit from a break. Maybe
things will be different when I come back. Wigan or bust CDS is no joke, thousands are currently suffering from this terrible affliction and defeat at the weekend would only make this epidemic spread like wild fire. A victory or three, preferably on the bounce is the only known cure for this disease and we need our medicine very quickly. Will the 6.5 million dollar man Beattie come to the rescue and actually stop hiding behind his sore fucking toe? Get a jab, crawl on all fours if you have to but don't fucking hide when we need you, you big lump of shit. This player is a prime example of the way our once great club is going, and he is the worst buy we have ever made. Make the twat play or fuck him off, just do something, Moyes, he is making you look a right prick. Come on boys save us all from CDS. Sorry Colm - you are wrong! You mention Alex Ferguson but they were respectably placed in the top ten - not languishing in the bottom two. We look devoid of ideas, skill and energy. A friend of mine said on Saturday that Chelsea don't look like shipping a goal, let alone a point. In our case we don't look like getting a shot on target, let alone scoring or even gaining a point. The confidence of the players is nil and their effort is scandalous. Where is their pride? It is Moyes who signs (or in his case doesn't sign ) the players. It is he who decides tactics. You say that if we win our two games in hand then we will be seventh. Well we lost the first of those two games and Wigan do not look like a lay down side to me. They will come to 'fortress' Goddison full of hope - not fear. My challenge to you is to popint out the bright spots in our recent
run of losses. Go on...you know you can't do it!! Progress Unfortunately couldn't watch the game as I'm at work so could be
talking out of my arse. Considering I wasn't going to be interested
after last week, I still find myself drawn to the boys in blue. Pity
we're a bit shite though. I'm currently expecting the call from my
ex-pat Arsenal mate but thankfully I don't know any Wigan fans so at
least I'll get a respite this weekend! Better things to do. Mr. Kenwright, our club and team are in turmoil and all we get is
platitudes and false promises. I probably will return to the match later
and I hope that people who read this letter will be able to say, 'You
should have kept watching to see our fightback'. But I very much doubt
it. For now I've got better things to do! Bravo Colm Don't get me wrong I'm not immune to the horror that was our European
adventure but compared it to the dark days of the 90's I couldn't be
happier. Players do not become bad over night and neither do managers. I
find the quick fix solution these so called 'loyal' supporters have in
there minds, in that get a new manager and everything will sort it self
out, to be juvenile and rather sad. Moyes Out? Get a Grip It was obvious the quality was never good enough and so Moyes has taken adequate steps to fill the squad with some good quality and he has done. The midfield has genuine quality to it, we could do with some lightning pace, but who couldn't. This current team need time to make mistakes (that they are currently doing hand over fist) and gel as a team. There is a very good bedrock of quality players and they only need 1 or 2 players to spark them into life (whether it be Krøldrup, AvdM or the incoming DaSilva or a January transfer target). This team has got some good years ahead and they need time. 1 or 2 may be changed/replaced during the course of this time, but please control your expectations, with a virtually whole new midfield, quality additions on the bench and out injured. We cannot build a team with cash (like Mourinho); Moyes will buy mistakes, they are only highlighted more because we haven't got £20M to buy another mistake. If you are expecting every one of Moyes's buys to be top of the shop, you are kidding yourselves. He has bought quality; let the dust settle and then make an informed decision at the end of next season. This is really Moyes's first squad (after ridding itself of Walter
Smith's chaff), so giving him 2 years is the least we should be doing. I
am writing this before the Arsenal game and am confident of getting a
win. I remember beating Arsenal 2-0 with a bare bones squad at Goodison
with the likes of Gemmill, so keep the faith and you never know what's
round the corner. At least try playing good football There is also no-one in their right mind, who is growing up, who
would choose Everton to support, looking at what's on offer. The blood
and guts, spirited performances and all the rest of that stuff is
becoming lame. Has been that way for a long time. Our blip of last
season not withstanding. And yes, a Manager does influence the way his
team plays. The players he chooses to buy, and put on represent his
vision of the game. It looks like Moyes vision is actually pretty
limited. And of course now that were occupying the nether ranges of the
Premiership, he won't be trying anything different. It is early, and
knee jerk perhaps, but if this is really the way he sees the game, it
will just be another crap season really. That sad, he should get the
opportunity to put right his mistakes.The long ball stuff should go. It
clearly doesn't work either, so try anything else. Uphill battle When a well-known former footballer of some note comes out making it plain in his article of the failures and points directly at the limitations of our manager, some one should be sitting up and making notes. It will not be easy for Moyes to swallow what is said but the truth usually has a way of sticking. It really looks like the club is in a similar predicament to a few years ago. Money was available but not spent wisely leaving the club with a big debt and poor players. Moyes seems to have placed the club in this same unenviable postion. When someone like Cascarino points at the poor buys and he is after all on the inside so to speak, then it is really worrying. People say he is a young manager learning... but at whose expense? As a footballer he was never big time, in fact had anyone heard of him outside Glasgow? Our results since last Christmas have been dire but this seems to have been lost on the Moyes fans when they talk about giving him a chance. To bring anyone who remotely knows how to score goals or create chances will have to wait for the 4 week window in January. Remember last January? What a cock up — is the next going to be any better. Will Moyes be leaving it until the last day again or will he be off playing golf. By that time it could be too late for Everton, and what money is left in the kitty. We have played 4 games, so out of a possible 16 points we have 3. It
is going to be an uphill battle away from relegation and to
respectability. Who'd have thunk it? Keep keeping on He is still the best manager to lead this team. He is not a fool - he
is still learning. Some of our players don't deserve the blue shirt so
lets hope they'll either be out at the end of the season, or they'll
realise where their bread is buttered at the moment and start committing
more consistantly. I hate what we're going thro' at the moment but I'm
not prepared to give up! Hell - after a few seasons fighting relegation
- this period is still lined with blue brightness! The way it is I need help! One year 15th then 7th, the next 17th then 4th. This year? Well using a perverse logic (Moyes in charge / final league position / odd or even year) we ought to finish 19th. This is because, since Moyes has been manager, the good years (i.e those ending in an odd year) we've improved 3 places on the last g0d year and then in the bad years (those ending in an even year) we have dropped 2 places compared with the last bad year. So is this a realistic prediction? Well we have been shit in some games this season and we haven't played badly in others. The Villarreal away game second half we were a poor refereeing decision away from heading into extra time and possible Champions League proper. On the other hand in Bucharest we were absymal second half. But neither of these were league games, so we instead we were quite good against Man Utd in parts and shit against Bolton. Oh, hang on that doesn't work.. So what do we do? Sack Moyes? We could... and then what? Get a 'world-class manager? I saw Howard Kendall in Formby Village last week and I believe he is free. The upshot is stick with Moyes. And you know what? I predict 10th place this year. But hang on, that
fecks up all my up 3, down 2 logic! Billy Liar 1. Is it really 12 months since he went into overdrive with his bullshit rhetoric? 2. Given the current climate at our club, was it wise not to renew,
because surely it's only a matter of time before his contemptuous
claptrap starts again? Support We have been agreed for some time that Moyes is not our favourite, this is based on the fact that we regard EFC still to be a massive club and our gripe with Moyes is that he doesn't set out to play big club football; in fact we feel he would be more comfortable at the likes of Blackburn, Bolton, WBA etc. However, unless the man resigns or the chaiman gets shut we fully understand that it is counter-productive to be anything other than supportive. To that end, we are geared up for Monday then Wigan and come the 29th
it will be shirts, scarves, hats, flags and banners. Is there anyone out
there in ToffeeWeb land up for it with us? Home leg Lee Carsley, where are you? Trying to be positive Martyn, Neville, Yobo, Kroldrup, Ferrari, Davies, Carsley, Arteta, Van der Meyde, Beattie and Vaughan. There would be no Hibbert who I believe has gone backwards and isn't Premiership standard. Also Valente looks to me suspiciously like a latter day Marc Hottiger. And where is Tiny Tim I hear you ask? Well at the risk of being lynched I don't think he fits into the way that Everton should play. Yes, if you play five men in midfield, Cahill is ideal but most Evertonians hate this formation. Cahill reminds me of David Platt, a player who can score goals but otherwise offers little to the team. The only way that I would accomodate him is by playing him as an out and out striker but this would be a last resort and the sort of thing Walter Smith would probably do. For the record I don't believe that the Uefa Cup tie is totally over
yet. If Everton score the first 2 goals at Goodison I think we'll win
4-0 and go through. Its just a gut feeling but you heard it here first!
We asked for it 'Why We Follow Everton' I am old enough to remember the days of the Golden Vision and the School of Science. I remember our triumphs and tragedies of the last forty years vividly and can recall them all along with the emotions that they instilled. We are a club that is built on glorious history and past success but within that foundation is an equally long tradition of failure and defeat. The thing that makes us true supporters is how we deal with that defeat. I'm completely in favour of discussing tactics and player selection - we would all like to be the one choosing the team every week and we all feel we could do a pretty good job. But, at the end of the day, that isn't our job. Our job is to support Everton FC and show to the rest of the football world that passion and commitment is what makes us who we are. We don't change our alliegence because another club offers a better hospitality package, we dont wear another team's colours because their season tickets are cheaper than ours and we don't go and support another team because the chairman has a bigger yacht. It's a fact of business that money is what brings success in football these days and that's all due to television. But we don't watch our football on television - we turn up at the ground week after week because we are passionate about Everton and we want to feel that we are able to make a difference. The way we make that difference is by cheering the team on when they are winning and believing in them when they are losing. I still get a tingle down my spine and a lump in my throat when I hear Z-Cars and see those royal blue shirts at 3 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon - and whether we've won, drawn or lost come 5 o'clock I know that I'll feel the same when I hear that tune and see those shirts next time. We all do - and that includes everyone associated with the club. You can't explain to someone else how it felt to see Wayne Rooney loft the ball over David Seaman's head from the edge of the Park End penalty area. There are no words to convey what it was like to watch Duncan Ferguson charge into the Manchester United box and bury a header into the Gwladys Street net. And if you're not an Evertonian you wouldn't understand the emotions generated by watching Lee Carsley sublimely stroking a perfectly placed shot into the Liverpool goal. What I've now come to realise is that because we're used to defeat, because we sometimes expect it, then those moments of sheer delight are so much sweeter. We enjoy our triumphs far more than any Chelsea or Arsenal fan ever could because we don't necessarily expect them. That's what makes all the bad times worthwhile and that's why we
follow Everton. Worried Blues Last season we did for the most part. We got in a ship full of crosses for Tiny Tim who is at his best in the air. Why not do the same this year? I know many people WILL disagree with me when I say this next bit and I can understand their view but I believe Li Tie should play a role in the games. I know technically he is poor at times but he is the only one in the team willing to switch the play to stretch defences. Gravesen used to do that last year, when he left there was a gap left. I also think Moyes has made a mistake in buying James Beattie. Not through any fault of James Beattie's contribution though. when you buy a striker who has scored 40 goals in 2 years at So'ton it is obvious Moyes should try to make the team play to his strengths, and it is 4-5-1 that suits his play but only if we get crosses in. Being honest Beattie will never score for us at this rate, he can't be slated for missing sitters because he is never set up with shots on goal is he? Watch the next time he plays, he is never set up for a shot on goal. He put away his only good chance this year aginst Villarreal and cannot be critisised. Big Dunc is finished too, Bent is woeful and I believe if we did play 4-4-2 McFadden and Beattie have to play together because Ferguson and Bent are terrible together and apart. Moyes you have got to get their spirits up again this season, thanks
for the nightmare the other day in Bucharest, if you dont buck up
Kenwright will make his desicion and fire you by Christmas. I hope you
can turn it round because at the moment our luck has ran out from last
season so lets create our own chances instead of being gifted them like
last year. Seeing the wood for the trees The perilous state of Everton's finances will very soon be back to haunt fans and the club alike due the the disasterous waste of opportunity European football gave us. The majority of fans, no matter how rose-tinted your Moyes glasses are, realise we will probably never win the title again in their lifetimes; it's all about money and we have sod all, fact. In order to maintain at least eyesight of the top slice Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea then regular European football provides income way beyond a regular Premiership season; television rights and marketing opportunities etc. The niaivity and disgraceful mismanagement of this chance will lose the club income of approximately £10M-£12M at a conservative estimate this season. At the end of last season Everton could have been had for a song, a bright club on the up, young manager just polished a turd into Champion's League qualifiers and a healthy fanbase. No thanks to the mismanagement within the walls, and I add Moyes to that, season ticket purchases have dropped by several thousand but the increased price appears to have equalised that loss, still less fans is less income whilst they are there. If the team plays as it has been for the rest of the season then even more will leave. I can't see any obvious investment from Wyness's new tent-housed chums or those with the ridiculous mini balconies now obstructing swathes of the family enclosure. The European adventure has been harrowing; even qualifying for CL groups and getting knocked out at that stage would have earned desperately needed cash to the club's coffers but it wasnt to be. The least said about the Uefa Cup game the better. Both matches did show Moyes's basic and unforgiveable mistake of providing the club with insufficient strikers to score more than an opposition and thus win at least one of the games, basic Mr Moyes. Not letting the opposition score doesn't win it gets a draw at best, european football isnt marked for hard work its marked out of who scores the most goals. My real worry now then is as an outwardly failing team who will be lucky to finish top half, note I didn't say relegated but I am also not blind as to just how crap our squad is, no potential buyer would want to invest in us. Not even BS Billy could make another one up, we also no longer have any crown jewels to sell, even if you put Cahill and Yobo out for bids come January you have two problems, what do you charge for best players out of a bad squad near foot of the league (worst case scenario) and who would you replace them with? So what would happen at the end of this season? God prevailing,
Everton will stay up, but I envisage lower half; we lose income; we have
long lost the potential for new investors; can we balance the books
after the Rooney money has been pissed away? Yin and Yang Everton doesn't have the squad to play 2 games a week. Other then Chelsea, I doubt any English club or possibly any club on the planet does, but it is certainly true of Everton. Everton have sold all its season tickets, if anyone doesn't want to go and watch them anymore, I'm sure there are lots of people who will take their ticket. Everton were offered the choice when it looked like they would be finishing 4th, as Liverpool had paid big money for them to win the EC, of either (a) Have Liverpool take their place in the CL, or (b) get a high profile tie in the qualifiers and have it fixed for them to lose. They took the latter course, which explains why the FA supported them so strongly, and Uefa broke all its rules to let Liverpool in. Do Evertonians even care about the Uefa Cup? Now we are out of it, isn't that good? No one cared for it, not sure why people think it matters now when it was irrelevant before? I hope Moyes threw the game, since a win would have put us in the crappy league and 2 months of 2 games a week football. If you saw the joke that Boro were after a long Uefa Cup campaign, they looked like a team who's players were thinking of the beach 10 weeks from the end of the season. We didn't play all those meaningless Uefa Cup games and yet we were already ragged at the end of the season. I hope all our league rivals go as far as they can in every cup they are in, and play twice a week for as long as they can. I for one will be cheering them all on, to more and more games, spreading thiner and thiner the squad they don't have. I'm delighted we are done with the Uefa Cup, I hope we play the kids
in the return leg, and the best manager in the world can get back to
doing what he does best, putting a team out that will out-want,
out-fight and just plain out the opposition. Reply to ED I have seen & been through many realy bad times before and always stuck with the lads. Including Second Division football, 10-4 at Tottenham (yes I was there), numerous cup-tie let downs etc. In return, I have had some fabulous times, like coming back up to the old First Division after a great win (4-0) at Oldham in a midweek match and walking home afterwards; a wonderful FA Cup semi-final performance though a defeat at Maine Rd to Bolton when we were in the Second Division (Dave Hickson days), Titles, FA cup wins in the 60s & 80s, Bayern Munich, it goes on & I did say through thick & thin... Now I have serious doubts if the good times or even regular watchable performances will be seen again, believing it very unlikely with the present regime (and I do hope I am proved wrong). I was a season ticket holder for many years, which unfortuneatly I can no longer afford & with a disability which does not help; it takes a great effort and financial sacrifice to get to a game now and despite your unjustified taunts about not supporting it's just no longer worth the effort. Indeed perhaps a drop in the gates may be the call this board needs to awake from its complacency. Its so very true as so many people say we Blues can never `stop` Loving the Club & I will always (despite lots of ridicule) continue to talk them up & watch all I can on the box. But, even after a few days to cool down, I repeat, my days of going to Goodison to watch Everton are over. *Time is definatly up*.... PS..perhaps you are correct regards the airline, however like the
many recent ticket-sales farces isn`t it just a little odd, always seems
to happen to EVERTON these days. There's a right way to do it....... In all that time, supporting Everton has been a rollercoaster ride but every 10 or 15 years we would win something with a more than memorable side and have a few years on top. Will I be giving up on them after the European "we're having a laff" fiasco? No. It's not even an option. However, I accept the post-mortem in the bar after the game has always been part and parcel of that support and these days, for many, your website seems to have become that bar. I am not of the opinion that Moyes should be sacked over this but I would prefer to read that, instead of hugging him on the tarmac at Speke Airport and whispering sweet nothings in his ear, Kenwrong had requested Mr Moyes's presence in his office at 9am to discuss team tactics, selection, performance, what is expected and what his employment prospects might be if we are not at least 9 points clear of the third last team by Christmas. I would like, also, to hear that, as Mr Moyes left, he passed Mr Wyness, whose presence had been requested to explain why some of the club's supporters, after paying good money, were left stranded at Speke Airport, and what steps would be taken to ensure this would never be repeated. In other words, when and by whom, is this club going to be put on a
proper business footing so that everyone knows what is expected of them
to facilitate the final aim of providing a winning and entertaining
football team. In this way Everton may, at least, not repeat some of the
avoidable errors. Pain I think the Bucharest game has a few fans feeling as empty as I did. Sad to say, if you feel like I did when Rooney left, you never recover the love for your club. Fourth place and fourteenth place inspire the same reaction - yawn. I can't get excited about Everton or football anymore, and it appears
more than a few people are starting to feel the same way. The games
fucked. {Not fooked. FUCKED}. But who cares about that? Get a grip, eh! From the Doc not giving Kendall the money for Dion Dublin in '91, to taking Kendall back again, Mike Walker, Johnson etc * 100. Who do we think we are? We are nothing and so we do really well last season winning one-nil and we think we rule the world. Best team in this city? Oh, yeah, of course we are... and let's let in seven the next game. The buck stops with the manager, eh? Maybe... maybe not; the truth lies in how far this guy has brought us. We could and should have gone down the year he came in. I told him last year when I had the pleasure of meeting him that I was proud to wear the shirt again — thanks to him and his staff. Do you lot actually remember Walter Smith or what?! We will get there with this man as he is a winner. Cahill needs to
stop flying round the fucking world and put his club first for a start.
I am devastated, as we all are, but just get some perspective. In Moyes
we should ALWAYS TRUST. Let him suffer Shut up! Pure Genius Player, take a hint, stop talking obvious crap and get on with what
you do best. Unless talking obvious crap is what you do best. shambles
Hibbert.....confidence in his own ability to pass the ball to a blue shirt is rock bottom, when he gets the ball he just doesn't know what to do and inevitably ends up hoofing it to no-one. Yobo.....far too many unforced errors have crept into his game and the sooner the better that Kroldrup is fit. Weir.......Far too slow and his days as a premier footballer are long gone.Replace him and quick. Valente......He is obviously going to take time to settle but that said, we seem to have found a left back that doesnt actually like being on the errr \left.Caught wandering on numerous occasions and what in the blue hell was that pansy dive all about? Jury is definitely out for now. Osman.....tires too easily and only has 50 minute legs. Maybe a fitness issue but needs to improve as he has no influence on the game at the moment. Davies.....Impressive in the first couple of games but against Portsmouth and Bucharest has maybe been found wanting a little.Has he got anything different than we already had before he arrived? Cahill.....Whats up with the guy? A world beater turned into someone who looks as though he doesnt want to play anymore. Totally anonymous for the whole game apart from his constant niggles and moans with referees. Neville.....Great first half, dictating play and tempo of game. Did he show for the 2nd half? McFadden....Oh dear. The lad gets his start and blows it competely. The only thing I can say in his defence is that hes better than Kilbane......but so am I and I'm 50. Bent....Is he really interested? He is far too casual and his 1st touch is shocking.His 2nd is worse (if he gets a 2nd) Not good enough at this level I'm afraid.
All of that said, the tactics leave a lot to be desired.We are showing no ambition in actually going out for a win and seem to be hoping that we may pinch a goal and hope not to concede.Last season was a fluke.Thats obvious.A long tough season lies ahead but we are Evertonians, what do we expect?
I've watched this team for 44 years and for about 35 of those years we have been crap.Ive accepted now that we'll never be world beaters, we probably wont ever win any more major honours but i'll still be there in 2 weeks praying that the impossible is errrr possible. It's great to be blue innit? Shut up!
Pure Genius
Player, take a hint, stop talking obvious crap and get on with what you do best. Unless talking obvious crap is what you do best. Dejected ? Yes ! Giving up on it ? Never !
To be blunt, the second half performance on Thursday was inept. My mate who watched the game with me ( a Norwich Fan) thought we'd decided to play with only 6 players such was the space we gave them, whilst the lack of closing down for their 3rd goal and fourth (Osman didn't even pressurise the player) seemed to give the impression that some of the players didn't care.
As for giving up, no, I won't be doing that. I have never been a glory hunter and I am proud to be part of a group of supporters who can say that we support our team through thick and thin. Try finding a Liverpool fan when they are having a poor season ! Now is the time to wear our tops and show that whilst some of the players don't care, they will be long gone when we are still watching and supporting. Not so on top of the world mar...
Most of what I have to say I have read on this website already, so I am going to make one quick point instead. Not four years ago I would have been happy not to have been relegated, this season I am bitterly disapointed because we failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, and look like we are going out of the UEFA cup. Hang on, I'll say that again. We got knocked out of the Champions League and look like we are going out of the Uefa cup, Jesus. Are these not good things to be disappointed about? Or do readers and fans prefer getting knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup? Couplked with a relegation dog fight year in year out? We have come a very long way under DM my pedigree chums, and it is only going to get better as he constantly continues to raise oiur expectations and sooner rather than later he is going to deliver.
Keep your focus people, top ten and a good cup run, that would be a good season, top 7 and another crack at the UEFA cup, that is what I'm hoping for, and it really isn't that unrealistic. Support the manager...
I want you back
Do any of you remember getting drubbed 5-0 at home to our wonderful neighbours back in the eighties? Well, I was there and I wanted to spew it then. But hey, here we are 20-odd years later and for the first time some of my fellow Blues want to jack it all in. Let me tell you, it's never easy being a blue but we always come back for more; it's in our blood. What's the alternative for the men who want to jump ship now, spending match days shopping with your bird. Glancing over your shoulder looking at the latest scores in shop windows; don't go there — it's torture. I know things are pretty much fucked up at the moment and we have got loads of shit players, but when was it any different for us? It's always been the same. Look lads, I am 43 and have been watching Everton home, away and abroad for most of my life; apart from a few good years in the eigthies, we have always been shit and that's a fact. So come on all you suicide merchants: get a grip! At least we are not Geordies. There's always tomorrow and there's always another school disco. EVERTON for ever Shambles
Hibbert.....confidence in his own ability to pass the ball to a blue shirt is rock bottom, when he gets the ball he just doesn't know what to do and inevitably ends up hoofing it to no-one. Yobo.....far too many unforced errors have crept into his game and the sooner the better that Krøldrup is fit. Weir.......Far too slow and his days as a premier footballer are long gone. Replace him and quick. Valente......He is obviously going to take time to settle but that said, we seem to have found a left back that doesn't actually like being on the errr... left. Caught wandering on numerous occasions and what in the blue hell was that pansy dive all about? Jury is definitely out for now. Osman.....tires too easily and only has 50 minute legs. Maybe a fitness issue but needs to improve as he has no influence on the game at the moment. Davies.....Impressive in the first couple of games but against Portsmouth and Bucharest has maybe been found wanting a little. Has he got anything different than we already had before he arrived? Cahill.....What's up with the guy? A world beater turned into someone who looks as though he doesn't want to play anymore. Totally anonymous for the whole game apart from his constant niggles and moans with referees. Neville.....Great first half, dictating play and tempo of game. Did he show for the 2nd half? McFadden....Oh dear. The lad gets his start and blows it completely. The only thing I can say in his defence is that he's better than Kilbane......but so am I and I'm 50. Bent....Is he really interested? He is far too casual and his 1st touch is shocking. His 2nd is worse (if he gets a 2nd) Not good enough at this level I'm afraid.
All of that said, the tactics leave a lot to be desired. We are showing no ambition in actually going out for a win and seem to be hoping that we may pinch a goal and hope not to concede. Last season was a fluke. That's obvious. A long tough season lies ahead but we are Evertonians, what do we expect?
I've watched this team for 44 years and for about 35 of those years we have been crap. I've accepted now that we'll never be world beaters, we probably wont ever win any more major honours but
I'll still be there in 2 weeks praying that the impossible is errrr... possible. It's great to be blue innit? Shut up!
Pure Genius
Player, take a hint, stop talking obvious crap and get on with what you do best. Unless talking obvious crap is what you do best. Dejected ? Yes ! Giving up on it ? Never !
To be blunt, the second half performance on Thursday was inept. My mate who watched the game with me ( a Norwich Fan) thought we'd decided to play with only 6 players such was the space we gave them, whilst the lack of closing down for their 3rd goal and fourth (Osman didn't even pressurise the player) seemed to give the impression that some of the players didn't care.
As for giving up, no, I won't be doing that. I have never been a glory hunter and I am proud to be part of a group of supporters who can say that we support our team through thick and thin. Try finding a Liverpool fan when they are having a poor season ! Now is the time to wear our tops and show that whilst some of the players don't care, they will be long gone when we are still watching and supporting. Not so on top of the world mar...
Most of what I have to say I have read on this website already, so I am going to make one quick point instead. Not four years ago I would have been happy not to have been relegated, this season I am bitterly disapointed because we failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, and look like we are going out of the UEFA cup. Hang on, I'll say that again. We got knocked out of the Champions League and look like we are going out of the Uefa cup, Jesus. Are these not good things to be disappointed about? Or do readers and fans prefer getting knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup? Couplked with a relegation dog fight year in year out? We have come a very long way under DM my pedigree chums, and it is only going to get better as he constantly continues to raise oiur expectations and sooner rather than later he is going to deliver.
Keep your focus people, top ten and a good cup run, that would be a good season, top 7 and another crack at the UEFA cup, that is what I'm hoping for, and it really isn't that unrealistic. Support the manager...
I want you back
Do any of you remember getting drubbed 5-0 at home to our wonderful neighbours back in the eighties? Well, I was there and I wanted to spew it then. But hey, here we are 20-odd years later and for the first time some of my fellow Blues want to jack it all in. Let me tell you, it's never easy being a blue but we always come back for more; it's in our blood. What's the alternative for the men who want to jump ship now, spending match days shopping with your bird. Glancing over your shoulder looking at the latest scores in shop windows; don't go there — it's torture. I know things are pretty much fucked up at the moment and we have got loads of shit players, but when was it any different for us? It's always been the same. Look lads, I am 43 and have been watching Everton home, away and abroad for most of my life; apart from a few good years in the eigthies, we have always been shit and that's a fact. So come on all you suicide merchants: get a grip! At least we are not Geordies. There's always tomorrow and there's always another school disco. EVERTON for ever False prophets
Everton will be destroyed by Arsenal on Monday, double figures is a serious possibilty. Then Everton will remain probably second from bottom for at least 1 to 2 months. Moyes I predict will be gone — Note, Ed — before December and EFC will appoint a manager who is capable of radical reform. Under Moyes EFC will be relegated that is certain, and I am sorry to say that Rob Fox is misguided in his analysis, EFC will cease to exist as a Premiership club under his hopeless management. Moyes does not have the ability to take EFC to the top and the sooner he goes the better. On a slightly positive note I am grateful to Moyes for at least keeping EFC in the Premiership so far, but go gracefully rather than be fired. Under Moyes the Toffee website philosophy is that we should stick with him and eventually things will improve. I utterly reject this nonsense. Radical reform is required now, and the sooner the better. All I am interested in is the success of EFC and I stongly believe that this is possible under new management. I have supported EFC all of my adult life and I want the very best for EFC. Moyes does not work. Get rid and the sooner the better. EFC is declining rapidly. Think of the money that Moyes has cost EFC already, he has become a serious liabilty. Each time EFC loose, the financial implications magnify. I am looking forward to EFC being successful once more without Moyes. Moyes has done all he is capable of and that is fine, but Kenwright, Gregg do the honourable thing and the sooner the better, he'll get a great pay off and a job within months. Finally I wish to quosh another ridiculous ToffeeWeb idea which is that Moyes needs more time to achieve success. Four years is more than enough, and all he has achieved is another relegation struggle and massive financial losses. I rest my case. Response to Ed.
Just like to respond to this rather flippant comment from ed. in response to my post about "Broken Blue." At what point in my post did I say I was happy with last nights performance? I just happen to have a bit more belief and guts than that fella, and not give up at the first opportunity. Do you mean you don't know why half of our signings havent played yet? You are supposed to be the editor of an Everton website, I suggest you start reading your website, but since I am kind I will tell you.
Kroldrup - Injured in pre season
But I am sure it's all Bill's fault as most things are on this site False prophets
Everton will be destroyed by Arsenal on Monday, double figures is a serious possibilty. Then Everton will remain probably second from bottom for at least 1 to 2 months. Moyes I predict will be gone — Note, Ed — before December and EFC will appoint a manager who is capable of radical reform. Under Moyes EFC will be relegated that is certain, and I am sorry to say that Rob Fox is misguided in his analysis, EFC will cease to exist as a Premiership club under his hopeless management. Moyes does not have the ability to take EFC to the top and the sooner he goes the better. On a slightly positive note I am grateful to Moyes for at least keeping EFC in the Premiership so far, but go gracefully rather than be fired. Under Moyes the Toffee website philosophy is that we should stick with him and eventually things will improve. I utterly reject this nonsense. Radical reform is required now, and the sooner the better. All I am interested in is the success of EFC and I stongly believe that this is possible under new management. I have supported EFC all of my adult life and I want the very best for EFC. Moyes does not work. Get rid and the sooner the better. EFC is declining rapidly. Think of the money that Moyes has cost EFC already, he has become a serious liabilty. Each time EFC loose, the financial implications magnify. I am looking forward to EFC being successful once more without Moyes. Moyes has done all he is capable of and that is fine, but Kenwright, Gregg do the honourable thing and the sooner the better, he'll get a great pay off and a job within months. Finally I wish to quosh another ridiculous ToffeeWeb idea which is that Moyes needs more time to achieve success. Four years is more than enough, and all he has achieved is another relegation struggle and massive financial losses. I rest my case. Response to Ed.
Just like to respond to this rather flippant comment from ed. in response to my post about "Broken Blue." At what point in my post did I say I was happy with last nights performance? I just happen to have a bit more belief and guts than that fella, and not give up at the first opportunity. Do you mean you don't know why half of our signings havent played yet? You are supposed to be the editor of an Everton website, I suggest you start reading your website, but since I am kind I will tell you.
Krøldrup - Injured in pre season
But I am sure it's all Bill's fault as most things are on this site Broken Blue I totally sympathise with the predicament you have found yourself in. Unfortunately I made the same regretful decision two weeks ago to break away from the club I love and support with such passion through thick and thin. As you mentioned it's a decision taken to stop any further heart ache. I love this club dearly but cannot bear to see another wasted opportunity pass by which will result in further years of torment and demise. For the first time in years Everton had the chance to be a 'Big Club' again. However, poor management at board level, average transfer acquisitions, not cementing your place at the top with a 15 goal a season striker, and not realising that our Manager needed help when buying bigger players as it's one experience he does not have all led to this sorry state we are in now. I can see where this will lead and I cannot follow down this road again. The money has been spent and when it fails to bring the rewards it so clearly won't we will lose the best coach we have had for years and become a selling club once more barely avoiding relegation if we are lucky. Sorry blues, I just can't torment myself any longer and feel for
anyone who struggles to break this bond. A Reply to the 'Open letter to all Evertonians'
Secondly, although I don't agree with the calls for his head, last night DM was clueless. Did you see any change of plan after they scored their second or even their third when the tie could have still been salvaged? The 4-5-1 system is supposed to be defensive Gerald and yes we should ditch it once in a while (like in the second leg). Yes it is his fault we haven't signed a striker Gerald, he's the bloody manager for God's sake! He walked away from Forrsell because of a dodgy knee - he scored a hat-trick for Finland last week! Yes you're quite right he should have invested heavily to stay in Europe. Oh, sorry Gerald. I've just read the next bit about 'smelling the roses'... you were being sarcastic there... By the way Gerald, I didn’t see any of our players 'press opponents' or 'harry them out of their stride’ in the second half and I certainly didn't see them 'break down attacks'. Christ Gerald they scored from 5 of them! Anybody who calls themselves an Evertonian will be embarrassed, angry and frustrated about last night's result and everybody has the right to express their opinion on sites like this, Gerald. I don't agree with most of them, but they have the right to voice them without having to read your nonsense about whether they are going to walk away... We can't and won't walk away Gerald because we're Evertonians. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum Gerald. Oh sorry I'm being sarcastic now... Over-achieving
The season before we finished 17th with virtually the same players so the difference was only in attitude. Also we badly missed Gravesen when he left in January. A bad start this season has knocked confidence and as a result things are not going so well. Again we are struggling to score and are not quite as solid as last year. David Weir is a great servant and you can't fault his commitment, but it lools like age is catching up and he looks painfully slow against pacy strikers. A top striker is a priority but that would mean paying silly wages to somebody like Owen for eg or Robbie Keane, Bellamy and the like. What we need is a hungry young forward who would fit into the team ethos and not want £60k a week. Finding such a player is not easy. We must back Moyes and trust his judgement; after all he got us 7th and 4th in 2 of 3 seasons and got us into Europe in the first place. The next logical step is trying to break into the top 3 but let's face it they are miles ahead and getting better. The rest of the league are nowhere near as good so a finish of anywhere between 4th and 17th is possible as demonstrated by the last 2 seasons such is the fine line between sucess and failure. Moyes must stay unless an outstanding candidate emerges. We must back him and trust the players he has signed will gel and results improve. Last year we finished 4th yet were still 34 points behind the champions. We lost both games very heavily against Arsenal and 1-0 both times vs Chelsea. Only againts Man Utd did we perform well.
Let's back the team and hope things turn around. A long hard season awaits...
The 7-0 at Arsenal was no coincidence - the total collapse of Everton when faced with offensive, incisive play riducules the word professionalism. Professionals - you are having a laugh! The last time I recieved so many texts it was my birthday! However, Friday was not my birthday, instead another opportunity for others to piss themselves with laughter, whilst 'us' Evertonians are forced to endure another embarrassment and question our committment. This time it feels different - the total lack of creativity and control was shameful. Even at our worst, Everton still displayed courage, but Thursday night was spineless. I recall being devastated as a child when beaten 6-0 by Villa and I'm sure Evertonians will recall their own tragic experiences, yet years later the shitty experience continues. We desperately need more winners in the team who will be genuinely wounded by that defeat but we cannot point the finger at Moyes, since the guy has all the attributes of a winner who has simply been restricted with a system designed to generate results and accomodate for average players - the manager has the abilty to experiment and succeed, but do the players have the passion, skill and belief to respond in times of crisis. A long hard season awaits... Everton just don't care
Combine that with rip-off ticket prices, shambolic ticket arrangements with 5-hour queues over-priced merchandise, the list is endless. I know it is the same at other clubs - but somehow I always felt we were a cut above the rest. Moyes says after last night he knows how the fans feel but he doesn't because he isn't treated like we are. We should go and rip down the People's Club banners outside the ground because they mean nothing now.
Chris Dunbar says in his excellent piece that his heart is broken. So is mine; it is in pieces, but it has been ripped apart not so much by one result but by the way I am now treated by the club. We have the most wonderful fans and we would do anything for everyone of them. But our hearts need mending - better results would help but mainly we need some love and attention. Wyness, Kenwright etc seem to have hearts of stone and until we bring in people who deep down understand the heart-wrenching agony of the fans then this club will keep sinking further into the depths and deservedly so. Lay off Davey
The season is only 5 games in, and to those who don't go to Goodison we have played well (bar last night & Saturday). Let's not bemoan all our bad luck, and get behind our fuckin team; remember we are Everton. Davey has proved before he can get the best out of a bad bunch, give him time do pefrom his magic again. Evertonians are born, but life is cruel
I have supported the blues for 50 years and sat with my 2 sons last night, hoping that it was all going to come right. Reasonable first half and we were optimistic about a result. Then came what must have been the best half time team talk in the history of Everton. That second half was Arsenal last season all over again. My eldest son stormed out when the fourth goal went in – he couldn’t take any more – and I knew exactly what he felt like. I’ve been there so many times. The end was almost a salvation – we were that bad. We have lost 14 out of the last 20 games and have been clueless since Tommy Graveson left. It’s not just this season – the back half of last season was almost as bad. We got into Europe because the others were crap too. Champions League? Yeah, what a laugh it was... The team we have is woefully poor. Valente is probably the worst left back I can remember, Hibbert is all over the place and gets caught out of position too often; Kilbane, McFadden, Bent, Osman and Weir are nowhere near good enough. We have all idolised Ferguson over the years, but time is now up for the big fella. What else do we have in reserve? Naysmith? Pistone? Wright? Carsley? How many of those would have got in the 1985 side? How many would get into the top 3 sides? Right – none. So why are they good enough for us? Positives? Thank goodness for Nigel Martyn – I dread to think where we would be without him. Krøldrup, from what we have seen of him, looks decent. Arteta is class and Cahill, when he can have a rest, will come good again. After that, errrr....
So where do we go from here? Sack the manager? Sack the Board? They all have to hold their hands up and accept responsibility for what is happening. Other teams are leaving us standing and we have a relegation fight looming. Our ground is one of the worst in the league and promised funding is all pie in the sky. It’s not a great time to be an Evertonian – but there are very few times when it is. Yet once we get over the hurt, we will keep coming back, because it’s in our blood. But we need action soon. We’re dreading Monday against Arsenal, as we’re worse now than when we got beat 7-0. Can it get worse? You bet it can... I think we need a new motto.
What do they do in Training?
The players can't string three decent incisive passes together in a row before somebody takes the classy descision to hoof it aimlessly up the pitch in the hope we may win the third knock down. Why can't our high-earning Premiership players find space on a football pitch to offer their teammate a decent option, and I don't mean a sideways pass! Fitness-wise we look a joke. I always knew and grudgingly accepted we had the slowest bunch of players in the Premiership, but took solace in the fact that they could keep an even pace for a full 90 mins. This season they all remind me of dead-legs Reid in his later years. But without the ability and will to win. I'll just finish by saying that I don't ever want to see James McFadden or Kevin Kilbane in an Everton shirt again.
Moyes, I watch with interest your next moves as I have this horrible feeling that you're not a very good manager - just been a very lucky one, and that luck has now all run out.
No more hurt.
I want answers!
Have the coaches ever given Hibbert extra training to work on his passing / crosses? If not, why not; if so why isn’t it working? Moyes has said that Cahill needs a rest, so why won’t he fucking rest him? Moyes said before the game that Dinamo are good going forward, so why the hell did we sit back at 1-1? What the fuck was said at half time? I demand one of those ‘public inquiry’ things. Anyone want to buy a ticket for the 2nd leg? And finally, do you think Kenwrong will give me a refund on my ‘Everton in Europe’ wristband?
IMWT. (I’d like to dedicate that to those fans who need to get a fucking grip and stop calling for his head)
Part of the learning process
It is about gaining experiance in Europe and we are just learning - look at Man Utd in Bracelona (0-4) some years before they went back to that same stadium to win the whole thing. I know the Romanians were no Barce but then we're no Man Utd - it's all relative.
At least DM has recognised that something drastic has to be done. He still has my faith but it was a painful night - just makes those good times all the better, I suppose. Wait and see.......
Moyes must go???
It's that simple, this squad is top ten — maybe top eight at best. If you're looking for someone to blame for our poor start to the season and for last night's pathetic capitulation, blame the players!!!
Moyes can only do so much from the touchline, after that its in the hands of the players. If you are that blind that you can't see this, I recommend you go support Liverpool and get it over and done with because seeing us sacking Moyes can only help them be the top team on Merseyside for another fifteen or twenty years. Europe
Stubbs Missed?
Hurt
To be a blue is to put yourself in a special position. Many of us growing up in Liverpool could have easily gone over to the Reds. They had great teams and great success and have continued to do so. But for whatever reason we chose blue and god have we paid for it. The trouble is we cannot change now. Once a blue always a blue is often used, occassionally by players unworthy of it. I feel better this morning after utter despair last night. Was it the team, was it the manager, are we cursed? Fuck, I don't know... I have seen so many matches where we start strong and play good football only to lose a goal and the tide turns on it. It's like an FA cup tie every week. We never have the ability to turn a team over. The more I think about it, the more I believe it's down to a lack of goals. The Reds played Betis this week; two early goals and they were cruising. Confidence lifts and the other team is on the backfoot. We never caplitalise on our better play. We need goals. Since the days of Lineker and Sharp we have not had a player who could score 20 goals a season. Until we are scoring a couple a game we are in desperate straits. Cahill and Kilbane look knackered. Osman and Faddy more often than not look out their depth. Bent and Ferguson try but which other Premiership team would swap their front two for ours ?
I still believe Moyes is the man for us, my only hope is that we do not lose him. There is no one to replace him and we do have a better squad than we did in the days of Walter. However, everyone else is improving as well. Investment we need, but no one on the horizon. The test of the manager and the players is how we perform at Arsenal! The test of ourselves is how we perform at Goodison for the team on our next 2 games! We did it when Man Utd visited; let's see if we can do it again!
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
The week after that first away game he took me to the home match at Norwich and I just fell in love with the club. It's those days of seeing a team in blue play the game the way it should be played that is the reason I'm still a fan to this day. Let's face it, we all put ourselves through the dross we've been served up since the early 90's because we all believe that one day we'll all witness the likes of the 'School of Science' and the 80's Kendall era sides again. After last night, I'm pretty certain the only way we'll see football of that sort again from our beloved team is on DVD. With Wayne Rooney, I thought we had a chance. At last a young Blue who was born to play for our club and would push us on to great things. Then agents got hold of him and we were left looking again for the next false dawn. Don't get me wrong; last season was brilliant but I'm pretty certain it was a one-off with players playing for contract extensions and to the limit of their abilities. There's only so far you can go without real ability before you get found out. We should know by now that whenever we're optimistic pre-season, the Blues never fail to let us down. Last Saturday I ran into a complete stranger who noticed my Everton shirt and started laying into the Toffees. He happened to be a kopshite. His typical uninformed and inaccurate arguments started to make my blood boil. 31 years of experience defending Everton taught me to countereact with the usual cliches about "lack of financial backing" and "best young manager in the country" and how Heysel cost us dear, Collina etc. etc. Last night left me thinking "is it really good enough to set our targets on finishing above Liverpool?" I personally don't think it is.
Do you know what? I just can't be bothered anymore defending Everton to outsiders when it seems it's only the fans who care about our (once) great club. I wonder how long it is before some ITV pundit next week uses the phrase "you never know. An early goal and it's game on"? Big Characters required now
Wake up, Ed
Yobo not to blame
Yobo WAS NOT to blame. If Hibbert and Valente did their jobs right the ball would be nowhere near Yobo. Countless number of times I saw Joseph out of position covering for the fullbacks because either Hibbert or Valente were left on their arses in the midfield. Why the hell did we offer Hibbert a new contract? Just looking at the ugly twat you can see he's a shite player. Fickle Fans
But at the end of the day it's football and I can take it. We will win again and it will get better ... what really depresses me and pisses me off is the immediate 'lynch Moyes' 'I'll never watch Everton Again' bollox. David Moyes is the best manager we could have at this moment in time and will continue to be for at least the next few years. Who else you going to bring in , Maybe we can prise Arry Rednapp from Scummers to keep us up for another season. Big Ron is free at the moment maybe he can fix it. The problem is two things at the moment: the confidence we had last season in getting some of our results has deserted us and we can only hope it will come back soon; we need a bit of luck somewhere along the line that leads to confidence and confidence wins games. Secondly, if I ignore the injuries (which have had a huge effect) we've lost a leader in Alan Stubbs. He bled Blue; he led from the front [Uh? — Ed] and although I agree his legs were going he has not been replaced (Carsley being out doesn't help either); you need a leader on the pitch!
Having said all that, I was a Blue on Saturday and a Blue last night... and I'll be Blue tomorrow. Giving up is NOT an option !! 'Broken Blue' the article by Chris Dunbar...
Whilst the adenalin will still flow prior to kick off time, as regards actually attending now.... I just couldn't be arsed. How many games during last seasons 'success' did you come out with the juices flowing after witnessing a magnificent performance? Villa away, Man U home.......erm, erm ???? Football (The Everton way). Not for me now, thanks.
(A regular home & away since 1971) Disgrace
That was unforgiveable and I am now another fan of a Premiership club who has lost interest. The game is an insult to fans, on the most part dull, financially inexcusable and a pale shadow of other sports. It is never easy to admit that you've been taken for a mug. But I have and for far too long. All I have to say is...
Lack of Focus
Moyes seems to make a big thing about determination and effort but the players seem to have switched off. We have been crap for coming up to nearly a year now. Arsenal, Fenerbahçe, Dinamo Bucharest... hammered without even a whimper.
There is nothing good I can say about Everton these days apart from the fans. What worries me is that, as I understand, our mortage is based on the fact that they guaranteed the bank they could get 30,000 every match. Gates are already falling and if they continue to humiliate us like they have (god help us against Arsenal), then they ain't gonna get 30,000 masochists every week anymore. Wow !!!
As well as being known as the whipping boys by teams such as Portsmouth and Wigan, we are also known as the contract club by players as all that seems to happen is a player has a good run, we give him a big contract and then he instantly becomes crap - ring any bells? But once again, I will be on the M6 on Monday full of hope; and then the long drive back full of disappointment. And if we get a shock result on Monday, what then? Kenwright saying it was only a matter of time and we have turned the corner? I think not.
Once again Moyes's men, thank you for nothing... Ouch!
I think the current status of the squad shows that last year we were very lucky with the number of injuries sustained. We have got a shit load of them this year and even more games to play in. At this level you just can't compete with an injury-ravaged squad, as it's hard enough when you have all of your best players available. A lot of coach's will tell you that if you loose even 1 player from the side it can completely throw out the balance of the squad, especially when you haven't got an equivelent player to slot in. When you look at the Everton squad, there are lots of injuries and a fair share of new faces as well. It's going to take time for them to get used to playing together and it's going to take time for Moyes to get a balanced first 11 this year. Hopefully next year, or the year after, we'll have a re-built squad that can at least challenge in Europe, where we only need to buy 1 player in the transfer window.
Dare I say roll on Monday and roll on Arsenal? Probably not! Although a win would put us on the same number of points as them! Shopping at the Aldi again
I will say it again Simon "Milligan" Davies and Phillip "Harper" Neville are the most horrendous players I have seen for the money in an Everton shirt for years. The writing was on the wall when the sicknote Italian and the ex-Sunderland boo-boy target Kilbane were allowed to extend their stay.
Never mind... I have heard that in January we will get Keane, Saha, Richardson..... Only joking! What did Moyes say last May, "It wont be like last year on transfer deadline day, buisness will be done early". An open letter to all Evertonians
Sack Moyes cos he's clueless? Ditch the 4-5-1 formation cos its too defensive? It's all his fault that we don't have a striker whocan score 20 goals? After getting into Europe this season, we should have invested heavily to stay there? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES!!! Yes, we finished 4th last season and qualified for the Champions League. Doesn't everyone realise by now that that was a herculean achievement by a side short on talent and skills, but big on effort and application? Yet somehow everyone is expecting us to take Europe by storm this season. You really freaking expect us to build a team like the top 3 in one season? To have a team that can consistently challenge for europe in ONE FREAKING SEASON??? Everyone wants us to play free-flowing attacking soccer. I would love my Everton team to play like that as well. Unfortunately, we do not play free flowing attacking soccer. We press opponents, we harry them out of their stride, we break down attacks and then we counter. Moyes is having a difficult time right now as he is trying to slowly transition from our football of last season, to the type of flowing, possession-based football that he wants Everton to play. We've all been through bad players, bad managers, bad chairman, bad results, bad seasons. For once in a long bloody while, we have the best crop of players around, the best young manager, a very supportive chairman and we're not going to give them even a fighting chance. Yes, the capitulation to Dinamo was embarrassing. But am I going to stop supporting what I love so dearly? No. In fact, I'm going to give them my support even more cos at times like these, we are all that's left for the players to fall back on. The fans, the lifeblood of any club. Cut that out and Everton Football Club would cease to live and breathe anymore. If you think you can go on in life without EFC around anymore, then I say carry on and leave. Shout it from the rooftops that your allegiance is not to the blue and white anymore. I've heard it said before that Evertonians are born, not bred. This is the time now, to show your true colours, whether you're part of the family or just a visitor that is passing by.
I'll be the first one to say that I'm here to stay. Now its time for you to make your stand. Enough is Enough!
LETS SET IT UP. Send your votes in to our Forum. It is not a question of results anymore, it's a question of pride and all the history that comes with what was once a great club. We are a laughing stock once again. It's not that we were so good last season, but it's more to do with the other clubs not being able to win more than three games on the trot. Basically, its down to all these over-paid and over-idolised players deciding when they want to turn it on! Its not just a problem at Everton; Look at Liverpool! Look at Newcastle, Bolton and Blackburn. The last two, I watched that meeting and fell asleep before half-time. Crap, I miss the old 1st Division and good games of football. Sunday league is better! Lads playing because they want to win.
MOYES MUST GO BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. This is not a fuckin knee-jerk, it's time for a change. Don't buy the 3rd shirt, we already look like a bunch of yellow-bellies. 4-5-1
Today, I am so low after seeing my team getting trounced by Dinamo Bucharest. Leaving football aside, were our Everton players not man enough that they took a beating to that extent? Our European adventure is turning out to be joke. Everton are prime candidates for the European football farce of the decade. Everybody is having a good laugh at us. I do not intend to give David Moyes (DM) a lesson after seeing the number of beatings Everton has taken recently. DM has brought so much success to the club that, undoubtedly, in my opinion, he is one of the most successful Everton managers forever. Everything is right about DM except his 4-5-1. Why do we care so much about a 4-5-1 when our players do not even know how to score a goal, how to defend their goals, how to pass the ball around, and how to construct a move and finish it? Should I remind DM that on the pitch players are expected to PLAY football? Should I remind DM that to be able to PLAY one should have FUN at doing it? I am sorry DM, but I believe that more than the 4-5-1, Everton players need to know how to play football and have fun at playing it. Breaking from the conventional might pay off in the short run but not always as it is unconventional. To score goals we need strikers. That is why strikers are paid to do. To feed strikers we need midfielders. To defend our goal, we need defenders. The equation is very simple. When the equation is so simple, then why bust our head with too much of strategy thinking and breaking from the convention in the 4-5-1 way? What Everton really need is to get the basics right, i.e., play football and have fun at doing it. The players should care less about their opponents at this time and care more about their own play. Even if we get beaten from doing it, at least we can pacify ourselves that our team tried its best. It is better to lose 6 - 10 than 5 – 1!
Please do not get me wrong DM; it is my love for Everton that prompted me to write the above. I just want to help. O'God
European Tour 2005
Let me just say that I am a Moyes fan but for as much as I like him, the guy is not above criticism. Why we are persisting with that god-awful 4-5-1 formation is beyond me. DM attempted to justify our style of play after the 4-4-2 defeat to Portsmouth but at least we only got beat 1-0. Is the point of 4-5-1 not to close down the midfield making it difficult for the attacking team to play? If that is the case the why were Dinamo passing the ball round us while our midfield watched them as 1-1 turned to 5-1? As I say, I am a Moyes fan but he seriously owes us an explanation for that result. I know we have an injury list even Spurs fans would envy but some of the selections last night were baffling to me. A few questions for our beloved leader: 1. Why bang on all week about Cahill needing a rest (which he obviously does as he was god-awful) then play him? Yes I know Arteta cried off but Li Tie and Kilbane are on the bench; are we gonna rest him against Arsenal? Doesn't look like it to me. Perhaps we should just wait till he drops dead before giving him a few weeks off. 2. Why persist in playing McFadden at left midfield? Jamie hasn't exactly impressed since he's been with us but for Christ's sake, how bad could he really be up front? Less potent than Bent or Ferguson? Give him half-a-dozen games in his proper position, I doubt Beattie will be back before then anyway. 3. Are you brave enough to make the drastic changes the team obviously needs? A spell on the bench for a few our first-teamers may actually do us good in the long term. Hibbert, Cahill and Bent: I'm thinking of you. Weir too though not likely until Krøldrup gets fit. Before I top myself, let me just say that I really believe DM needs to seriously look at the team for this season. 4-5-1 doesn't work (and hasn't since December) and unless things change soon we need to find a new formation. Whether that be 4-4-2, 5-3-2 or whatever I don't know but one thing is for sure, we are not scoring nor are we creating chances. We just sit back and wait to go behind, we really need to nip that in the arse right now. I don't have any solutions only questions at the minute but I suppose on the bright side we did make it through to the third round of the Carling Cup. Bring on whoever.
God, I'm so depressed. Verbal diarrhoea
Let's face it, anyone would have been an improvement on Walter Smith, and in his first full season things looked promising. There followed a campaign against relegation and then, against all predictions, HALF A SEASON when he got some cracking results which ultimately took us to fourth position. But the post-Christmas results do not lie and since then — with just a couple of exceptions (Villa and Man.Utd) — things have been dire. The money wasted on unfit players: Beattie, Davies, Krøldrup, Van der Meyde, indicates bad judgement to say nothing of Wright and the re-engagement of Naysmith and Pistone. The failure to add to a totally inadequate strike-force and the incapability to inspire the players in the European games begins to smack of more than bad luck and the reality is that the club is once again in the mire. What makes it worse is that we have flogged the crown jewels and squandered the proceeds on Ratners fakes! Managers come and go and Moyes will be no different. The chop will come when the mob start to scream ``Kenwright out!` In the meantime, it is incomprehensible that things will not improve — they can hardly get any worse, after all. But PLEASE, PLEASE save us from long-winded apologists like Rob Fox who seems to glory in defending the indefensible.
Methinks I have gone on too long....... One for the history books
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can avoid the sneering & sniggering of opposition fans for the next few days. I can’t wait for our run in Europe to be over so that we can concentrate on survival in the Premiership. I’m afraid that survival is about all we can hope for based on current form.
But all is not lost. If we can avoid conceding too many goals against Arsenal, we then have Wigan where we can surely get all three points. We CAN get all three points, can’t we? Please Mr Moyes, say we can. That might be just enough to get us out of the relegation zone.
Time for a change
Last Sunday I watched on TV as Flintoff bowled non-stop for 2 hours bursting his lungs in his team's cause. Pride, determination, I WILL NOT BE BEATEN no matter what the odds. This was Everton back in the mid-eighties and for much of last season. Unless I see these qualities return I'll be over to Sky - to watch the cricket. Sorry State of Affairs
We had professional footballers playing a game of football out there, and looking at them you would have thought they had never played together in their lives. They could not pass the ball to a blue shirt, they could not control the ball, they had no confidence in themselves to take players on. And their fitness was not there. We have Arsenal coming up and we all know what happened last year. We got beat 7-nil. God help us! Rock bottom
Moyes should have offered his resignation as a point of principle. He prides himself on his sides showing effort / desire (not skill!) and that was totally lacking last night, so he's not getting his message through to the players any more. Out of Time or contract?
Last year a large majority of the team knew they would be out of contract at the end of the season and some played as if their lives depended on it (which I guess they did). Now, some of them with fat new contracts and new players with long contracts seem to be a different group altogether...has the fire gone? Or do we miss the bald-headed wonder so much? Soon it won't be a case of "out of contract"...but "out of fucking time"...cos we'll be out of everything else.
Just a thought.
Managing
He came in at a time when we were at our lowest ebb, when just about anybody would have been an improvement. He gave us something to cling on to with his soundbite and along with Rooney we had some hope. He managed a set squad of limited, basically Championship players and we stayed up, then we got lucky last year and all got carried away. Only now can we look at his MANAGEMENT abilities...he has spent a lot of money and has built his own team, he has formulated a style of play and has developed his own fitness requirements for the players...and it is quite clear that he is not very good at this most vital aspect of management! The spending of 25 million pounds on players like Beattie, Wright, Davies etc and the re-signing of Naysmith, Kilbane, Ferguson and Pistone shows him to be completely useless in the growth and development of our club. The tactics and lack of a plan B have made us one of the most depressing teams to watch and are driving Evertonians everywhere to despair, or even more damaging, away from attending games. He has thrown away the opportunity our luck and hard work gave us from last year, has thrown away a ridiculous amount of money on sub-standard players on fat contracts that we couldn't even give away now. So apart from a basic ability to manage a given squad of players... a bit like a good PE teacher... he is crap at every other aspect of management. We are back to Walter Smith again when he wasted all our money on rubbish just before he left with his own fat payoff. He has spent more than the majority of Premiership managers but our squad is one, if not the, most one-paced, unskilled, least threatening squads in the league. I honestly think we would struggle in the Championship never mind the Premiership and a long, painful season lies ahead. I pray that we can survive and that the next manager recognises the importance of pace and skill as well as workrate and commitment. Gobshites
I surely can't be alone in having to suffer the mass of RS who, over the past 5 years, have banged on about how amazing their managers are and then the next minute want them out. Haven't we all laughed at them and hasn't it just confirmed how petty, uninformed and simply pathetic they are? Just arm-chair supporters? We don't care what the RS say. You're born a blue. Others simply don't understand. However, if I was a red I would absolutely love reading what has been written here. Moyes out? Do you honestly think that's the best thing for Everton now? If so, then you have no understanding of the game and, to be honest, sadly misdirected passion for Everton. I'm not trying to put a positive spin on the results so far but look at the team we have now, and look at what we had 2½ years ago. We've actually played pretty well up to Saturday and did ourselves proud against Villarreal. Everton are not suddenly a poor side. Moyes is not suddenly a poor manager. We all have the right to vent our anger but just have a reality check… Did you all bet on us winning the Champions League? Winning the UEFA cup? Finishing 4th again? Why not? Because realistically we're not going to do any of them. Get rid of Moyes and we'll take the biggest step backwards since Mike Walker.
It was an embarrassing performance from the boys last night but it's an embarrassing performance from the fans today. Stop acting like the RS.
Broken hearted
Lee Gray, Wirral (16/9.2005) Was Mao a Bluenose?
Losers and geriatrics
Ok, so there were glimmers of hope in the famous win over the Mancs, the Champions League clincher over Newcastle and the
destruction of a dreadful Villa side but the rest of the stuff thrown our way has been bad. Awful, dreadful, diabolical. We have a team full of losers, second-raters and geriatrics. I can´t see any light at the end of the tunnel and forgive me for thinking about relegation in September but we are gonners this time. Prepare yourselves for a change of altitude... It's my fault
Last week at the Portsmouth game my lad takes his brothers and sister to the game as normal, parks in Cherry Lane where he has parked for years, same spec. He comes out after Portsmouth beats us to a parking ticket; everyone had one. People were going mad. He is not renewing his seaso next year.
I watched last night's game on TV with my 9-year-old son and I was absolutely furious at the tactics and the display, not to mention the worst Everton side I have ever seen, and I was there in the 70s. My son was sitting there at the end of the game crying his eyes out. When he woke up this morning the first words out of his mouth was, "I'm not supporting Everton any more." Next season the club loses 4 season-ticket holders from one family. Anyway, not to worry the club has supporters on the season-ticket waiting list ready to step in! Pass the aspirin
The defeat was so humiliating and it was on TV as well for millions to witness our beloved club falling to such lows. This for me is the sickening part, I am a blue through and through, have been for over 50 years and my father before me. This is why it hurts so much too be a laughing stock, but the performance was so diabolical. I can barely think of any positives to take from this game, except hopefully the team cannot play so badly all at the same time again. Although this was so bad, I would never turn my back on our club, that is what being a supporter is all about. We all have to hang in there. A great deal has been said about the club and last night's game. The article by Rob Fox is right which makes it the more important come what may, we stay with it. As regards the game, it was a whole lot of bad things all at once and nobody including the players, manager and board can be blame free. We have to move onto the next game which is about as tough as they come. I do hope Moyes has the courage to really think about the selection and tactics. We are still short on front men, with BT crying off again, so be it, we will have to live with and suffer it for the moment nought else to do. But now is the time for the fans to come out and cheer and not walk away, that does not help anybody. Even if we ended down in div 2, I would still be there. Equally to call for a new manager is somewhat short-sighted. This would be catastrophic for the club at this time and who would we get to replace Moyes? Those fans calling for Moyes to be sacked should consider that vital point.
What has happened is not the end of the world, not the end of Everton FC. Come the next match, get out there and support the team!!! Players not good enough
It seams the only players we sign are other club's cast-offs or players with that many injuries it would pay the club to have a team trip to Lordes. He should ask himself who bought these players and open his eyes to Moyes's faults, for he as a few. Not least the transfer market and his blind spot for sticking with the same deadwood week after week. Something must be done now or we are in for another season of religation fights and humiliation because, once again, Everton have failed to strengthen a small squad with quality and streangth in depth instead going for sicknotes and journeymen. Get a Grip!
I'd also like to support what Rob Fox had to say, another excellent article from him! Blue blood
I wasn't fortunate enough to be around to sample the mid-80's the way I assume you did. Never for a moment has my love for the club lessened; my love for the team lessened at times of course, like the rest of us, but not for Everton. My ancestors were some of the founding shareholder's of the club, the shares are still in my family today. Season ticket's through generation after generation... still dozens of them attend the match with their season ticket's in hand — includiing my nan, who is well into her 80's — still a season ticket holder, ever since she was a young girl. You think you have experienced any more hardship from Everton than any one of them? BOLLOCKS! Yet still their support in unswerving. So, if you want to bury your head in the sand when the going gets tough, you go ahead. I'll see you next time we have a season like the last, eh? Don't tell me your life wasn't better than it has been for a long time 'cos of the blues - you wore that cheesy grin like the rest of us, didn't ya? But, for you other blues out there, I'll see you in London on Monday night; if not, I'll see you at Goodison against Wigan.
We are born, not manufaactured. If there's one aspect of the club I've always been proud of, it's our support ... WE ARE NEEDED NOW. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. We're playing our part.... I live in hope the players will one day too. Blue blood? You bet! David Moyes
Rob makes a number of excellent points, as usual. Last night I hazily remember ranting about David Moyes being a shite manager blah, blah, and have now controlled my jerking knee. Before I jump to any conclusions about Moyesey I realise we have to give him time. Practically all of our new signings haven't even played yet, and I cannot believe people are calling for his head. I think when Krøldrup and Van der Meyde are fit again, and (dare I say it) Beattie, results will start to pick up again. Moyes needs time to sort the players out. Come on people were 4, yes 4 games into the league season and people reckon we'll be relegated for fucks sake! All I can say is IMIT — and so should you. A month's pension on dross
Big criticism of Bent, a £400k player, but just lumping it to a bloke, with poor control, surrounded by 3 defenders, and no supporting midfield is useless. No real pace, strength or ability to get to the byline for proper crosses from midfielders and Hibbert. How about free tickets to the second leg for us 800 poor sods who made the trip to Bucharest? Think public relations for once EFC. David Moyes - A sensible argument
Let me start by saying I agree with some of the constructive criticism. I too feel Moyes has dissapointed in the transfer market. Not buying a striker in the window is hindering us badly, and our lack of goals are there for all to see. If we can struggle through until Christmas, then I believe we will sign the 'elusive' striker. What sort of quality will depend I guess, on our position in the table and how much money DM is given. The formation debate is also one DM has got wrong. 4-1-4-1 suited Thomas Gravesen as it diminished the defensive responsibilities. In 'the hole' it also allowed him more time and space to be creative, which ultimately, led to us seeing his most consistent form for EFC. Since January, we have struggled with this formation and the only benefit we gain from it now (although admittedly not last night) is having a holding player sat in front of our frail back 4. DM and AI need to get back to the drawing board and discover our most potent formation - that is their responsibility. Once they get that right (4-4-2 / 3-5-2 or whichever it may be) it is then up to the players. In my opinion, once the players cross that line - the buck stops with them. DM and his staff can motivate before kick off but once the game begins he is then powerless. It is up to the players to perform. Again, in my opinion, the blame for last night's debacle lies solely with the players. During last night's second half, we lacked heart, passion, astuteness, tactics and effort - everything. It was heartbreaking and it hurt us all badly. A friend of mine called me this morning to discuss the game and he admitted he had had trouble sleeping, replaying the match over and over in his mind. I bet a few TW readers went through the same. I wonder to myself if the players managed to sleep? We know it doesn't mean as much to them, but I honestly think it does mean almost as much to DM as it does to us. He is a proud man, and he openly admits that any defeat hurts him. He knows he has to lift morale - he has already said so. Whether you like him, agree with him or not - you must get behind him. Imagine how much harder your job would become if nobody had any confidence in you and didn't offer the necessary support. Like it or not, DM is our manager, and he gets my vote everytime. What are the alternatives? Bring back Walter? No thanks. This is a man who only 4 months ago was awarded Manager of the Year. I don't recall too many people asking for him to be replaced then. If you are going to berate anybody - berate the players. Look what happened when the Echo slated them after another 5-1 defeat at the end of 2003-04. It got up their noses and they didn't like it. If I recall they then bonded together and propelled us to 4th in the table. Even if a new manager does come in, he'll then take 3 years to build up his own squad, at which point you'll want to get rid of him after another poor run.
The fans asking for Moyes's head are probably the same ones who wanted Kendall's in '83. Get behind the team. We know it's not good enough for EFC but by acting like this we are not helping. So Fickle, So Naive...
What really pisses me off though, more than bad refereeing decisions and poor performances, is so called fans getting on David Moyes's back. This is the same David Moyes that was being hailed as 'The Moyesiah' last season. It was only the season before we avoided relegation beacuse there where three worse teams than us. What Moyes did last season was nothing short of a miracle: silk purse, sow's ear, etc. For people to have expected us to continue full throttle is both naive and unrealistic. I had a strong feeling of deja vu when I logged on earlier, and read some of the anti-Moyes posts. No doubt these are the same people who called for his head the season before last. The same people who sang about his ginger barnet last season.
Wind your necks in. Miracles don't happen overnight. Everton are a team heading in the right direction, so get behind your team and your manager when they need us the most. Things could be a lot fucking worse. Two words: Mike Walker. Remember we are Everton Football Club, not Newcastle Utd. Leave this type of behaviour for the Sky Sports Barcodes in the North East. Response To 'Broken Blue'
I am not going to predict a top-6 finish because on current form we're not a top-6 side and we will need to buck our ideas up. But we have got the best squad (on paper) we have had for many a year, added to the fact we haven't seen half of Moyes summer signings. If you wish to cry and whinge go ahead but I suggest you stay away from Goodison Park as we don't want whingers like that in the ground. We need to get behind the lads 100%.
That lad said at the beginning he supported us through thick and thin; well, this at the moment is a thin patch... prove your words and support us through it. Absolute disgrace
People still defending Moyes
All I ask is, try something different, add a bit of urgency to the game. We are talking professional football here not Sunday league. Why Bother?
Did they listen to me when they gave me an obstructed view season-ticket and I went back to complain? The answer to all of this is of course a resounding NO. So why bother? Do you think anyone at our club gives a toss what we think? But, if it makes you feel better rant away, relieve your burden on other pissed off fans. It's like watching Walter's wonders all over again... we've been here before. League One vs. Dynamo Bucharest.
I have spent 15 years down here, mixing with southern Man Utd fans, watching Chelsea buy an entire fanbase overnight. Putting up with "kopites" from Devon, Bournemouth, Reading, Windsor... all tellin me my club are shite when none of them have ever set foot in Liverpool. (usually coupled with a Harry Enfield "calm down"). I have battled endlessly on behalf of my club...usually with a level of decorum befitting a proud and honourable club like EFC. After last night, I dont know if I can go on anymore. I have capitulated my will to defend the Blues. My colleagues have been okay but there is a rednose upstairs that I am dreading bumping into, because, for once, I have no argument .... I have nothing to defend. I really dont know what to think or do anymore.
My club (work) are currently second in League One.
For Sale
Jesus Wept!
Following on only from two (Paul Kish and Mike Keating), look at where we are and the resources we have at our disposal. Yeah, it was a great season last season but we were exceptionally lucky with injuries. With an increase in games (even with the players we managed to bring in) we were/are going to struggle. Infact, going onto the BBC's score predictor thing, I went through and while trying to be optimistic things look bleak. I am however a realist... we were lucky last season, and IF, only if we stand by Moyles we stand a chance. Basically, we don't have the resources to get a manager in who could buy big-name players because well we don't have those resources (funds) in the first place. Or we could get a Curbishley-style manager... but what does that change? We'll still will have the attritional (Dogs of War) style. Worse still is that we should be backing what the manager has tried. Yeah the summer's signing spree was not great but we still got some good players. I don't want to end up like Southampton! I agree, Cahill needs a break - but if DM had of dropped him for this match, and even if the scorline wasn't as bad, he would have been berated.
If anything, being out of Europe may well be a blessing - look at Middlesbrough last season and the squad they had which in the end became nigh-on a youth team. We're not far off that and we've only played 3 European ties. Down and out — but not yet dead
Finishing 4th was beyond mine and most Evertonians dreams but realistically we need to concentrate on the league. It would have been nice to better in Europe but it would have probably been to our detriment. Let's get behind the manager and the lads instead of calling for their collective heads to roll. Who?
We can win the home leg... no wait...
I'm not saying we'll win the home leg, but what are we going to do? Curl up and die? There's a saying that goes 'if you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right'. It might be hard to imagine Everton scoring four, but that's the job they face. Moyes is the only manager in decades that's instilled some belief in the team; he definitely shouldn't go, ever... IMWT (Fuck off)
Time
Granted Europe hasn't panned out, and in spectacular fashion, but this time last year I would have settled for last night's result as at least we got there. (Some won't agree but losing in Europe has got to be better than 3-2 to York in the Carling Cup on a wet Wednesday night at Bootham Crescent.)
I know not everyone will be happy; it's the nature of football and people will call me naive etc... but just look at two clubs who have stuck with managers during hard times:
Sacking Moyes now would effectively end our season, as a new manager (god knows who) would have to come in and wait till January to sign his players. This season is probably the first that every player is wanted by Moyes so we have to give him time.
I have absolute faith that Blue Bill won't get rid of Moyes — one of the only decisions he has got right. The dissenting voices will always be there but I suppose it's therapy for all the 5-fingered gestures I have
received this morning from Toon fans — of all people! Time is up
The last 15-20 yrs have seen so many huge horrors, in personnel & results, you all know them so I don`t need to go thru them again. Let's be brutally honest; take just last season, we grossly overachieved, with some good results and a large degree of fortune re: injuries, last minute goals, other`s results etc. We were virtually safe by Christmas, managing to finish fourth opened a great chance to resurrect our dignity & finances. Once again we have totally blown it. Since Jan we have bought nine players, four have not even been seen in the team; Beattie has been injured or suspended for more than he has played, the others Davies (very average) Valente (jury still out but a large ?) Arteta (good in spells but hardly likely to spark a revival) which only leaves Phil Neville as a worthwhile looking buy. We all know we desperately need a striker; there are so many names we might have had. The games this season have been an embarrassment (we did not even deserve to win at Bolton), so who is to blame? Moyes, the Players Kenwright, Gregg, Wyness... it doesn't matter; it has been building up collectively as supporters have been told "lies" and conned for many years. What other club would allow a cock-up like the fiasco at the airport on Thursday? The CLUB (forget the "Peoples" gimmick) generally has nosedived over years & at the moment it is in freefall to the lower leagues. We we need players, particularly forwards, possibly a new manager who WILL spend the money available sensibly but most of all we need to be taken over by a new owner & Board who WILL seriously look for a new ground or a complete rebuild of Goodison. Other clubs with far less potential & history than Everton have done this.
Should our current run of results (study them) & performances continue, it is relegation already by next Christmas. As I said "time is up" certainly for me; we have become a "lost cause". I`ve had enough; I`m finished. Perhaps more important to all Evertonians, after all my years, I am so sorry to say I firmly
believe we have just passed the Last Chance Saloon and Everton are finished as a "big club". Everton just don't care
Combine that with rip-off ticket prices, shambolic ticket arrangements with 5-hour queues over-priced merchandise, the list is endless. I know it is the same at other clubs - but somehow I always felt we were a cut above the rest. Moyes says after last night he knows how the fans feel but he doesn't because he isn't treated like we are. We should go and rip down the People's Club banners outside the ground because they mean nothing now.
Chris Dunbar says in his excellent piece that his heart is broken. So is mine; it is in pieces, but it has been ripped apart not so much by one result but by the way I am now treated by the club. We have the most wonderful fans and we would do anything for everyone of them. But our hearts need mending - better results would help but mainly we need some love and attention. Wyness, Kenwright etc seem to have hearts of stone and until we bring in people who deep down understand the heart-wrenching agony of the fans then this club will keep sinking further into the depths and deservedly so. Lay off Davey
The season is only 5 games in, and to those who don't go to Goodison we have played well (bar last night & Saturday). Let's not bemoan all our bad luck, and get behind our fuckin team; remember we are Everton. Davey has proved before he can get the best out of a bad bunch, give him time do pefrom his magic again. Evertonians are born, but life is cruel
I have supported the blues for 50 years and sat with my 2 sons last night, hoping that it was all going to come right. Reasonable first half and we were optimistic about a result. Then came what must have been the best half time team talk in the history of Everton. That second half was Arsenal last season all over again. My eldest son stormed out when the fourth goal went in – he couldn’t take any more – and I knew exactly what he felt like. I’ve been there so many times. The end was almost a salvation – we were that bad. We have lost 14 out of the last 20 games and have been clueless since Tommy Graveson left. It’s not just this season – the back half of last season was almost as bad. We got into Europe because the others were crap too. Champions League? Yeah, what a laugh it was... The team we have is woefully poor. Valente is probably the worst left back I can remember, Hibbert is all over the place and gets caught out of position too often; Kilbane, McFadden, Bent, Osman and Weir are nowhere near good enough. We have all idolised Ferguson over the years, but time is now up for the big fella. What else do we have in reserve? Naysmith? Pistone? Wright? Carsley? How many of those would have got in the 1985 side? How many would get into the top 3 sides? Right – none. So why are they good enough for us? Positives? Thank goodness for Nigel Martyn – I dread to think where we would be without him. Krøldrup, from what we have seen of him, looks decent. Arteta is class and Cahill, when he can have a rest, will come good again. After that, errrr....
So where do we go from here? Sack the manager? Sack the Board? They all have to hold their hands up and accept responsibility for what is happening. Other teams are leaving us standing and we have a relegation fight looming. Our ground is one of the worst in the league and promised funding is all pie in the sky. It’s not a great time to be an Evertonian – but there are very few times when it is. Yet once we get over the hurt, we will keep coming back, because it’s in our blood. But we need action soon. We’re dreading Monday against Arsenal, as we’re worse now than when we got beat 7-0. Can it get worse? You bet it can... I think we need a new motto.
What do they do in Training?
The players can't string three decent incisive passes together in a row before somebody takes the classy descision to hoof it aimlessly up the pitch in the hope we may win the third knock down. Why can't our high-earning Premiership players find space on a football pitch to offer their teammate a decent option, and I don't mean a sideways pass! Fitness-wise we look a joke. I always knew and grudgingly accepted we had the slowest bunch of players in the Premiership, but took solace in the fact that they could keep an even pace for a full 90 mins. This season they all remind me of dead-legs Reid in his later years. But without the ability and will to win. I'll just finish by saying that I don't ever want to see James McFadden or Kevin Kilbane in an Everton shirt again.
Moyes, I watch with interest your next moves as I have this horrible feeling that you're not a very good manager - just been a very lucky one, and that luck has now all run out.
No more hurt.
I want answers!
Have the coaches ever given Hibbert extra training to work on his passing / crosses? If not, why not; if so why isn’t it working? Moyes has said that Cahill needs a rest, so why won’t he fucking rest him? Moyes said before the game that Dinamo are good going forward, so why the hell did we sit back at 1-1? What the fuck was said at half time? I demand one of those ‘public inquiry’ things. Anyone want to buy a ticket for the 2nd leg? And finally, do you think Kenwrong will give me a refund on my ‘Everton in Europe’ wristband?
IMWT. (I’d like to dedicate that to those fans who need to get a fucking grip and stop calling for his head)
Part of the learning process
It is about gaining experiance in Europe and we are just learning - look at Man Utd in Bracelona (0-4) some years before they went back to that same stadium to win the whole thing. I know the Romanians were no Barce but then we're no Man Utd - it's all relative.
At least DM has recognised that something drastic has to be done. He still has my faith but it was a painful night - just makes those good times all the better, I suppose. Wait and see.......
Moyes must go???
It's that simple, this squad is top ten — maybe top eight at best. If you're looking for someone to blame for our poor start to the season and for last night's pathetic capitulation, blame the players!!!
Moyes can only do so much from the touchline, after that its in the hands of the players. If you are that blind that you can't see this, I recommend you go support Liverpool and get it over and done with because seeing us sacking Moyes can only help them be the top team on Merseyside for another fifteen or twenty years. Europe
Stubbs Missed?
Hurt
To be a blue is to put yourself in a special position. Many of us growing up in Liverpool could have easily gone over to the Reds. They had great teams and great success and have continued to do so. But for whatever reason we chose blue and god have we paid for it. The trouble is we cannot change now. Once a blue always a blue is often used, occassionally by players unworthy of it. I feel better this morning after utter despair last night. Was it the team, was it the manager, are we cursed? Fuck, I don't know... I have seen so many matches where we start strong and play good football only to lose a goal and the tide turns on it. It's like an FA cup tie every week. We never have the ability to turn a team over. The more I think about it, the more I believe it's down to a lack of goals. The Reds played Betis this week; two early goals and they were cruising. Confidence lifts and the other team is on the backfoot. We never caplitalise on our better play. We need goals. Since the days of Lineker and Sharp we have not had a player who could score 20 goals a season. Until we are scoring a couple a game we are in desperate straits. Cahill and Kilbane look knackered. Osman and Faddy more often than not look out their depth. Bent and Ferguson try but which other Premiership team would swap their front two for ours ?
I still believe Moyes is the man for us, my only hope is that we do not lose him. There is no one to replace him and we do have a better squad than we did in the days of Walter. However, everyone else is improving as well. Investment we need, but no one on the horizon. The test of the manager and the players is how we perform at Arsenal! The test of ourselves is how we perform at Goodison for the team on our next 2 games! We did it when Man Utd visited; let's see if we can do it again!
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
The week after that first away game he took me to the home match at Norwich and I just fell in love with the club. It's those days of seeing a team in blue play the game the way it should be played that is the reason I'm still a fan to this day. Let's face it, we all put ourselves through the dross we've been served up since the early 90's because we all believe that one day we'll all witness the likes of the 'School of Science' and the 80's Kendall era sides again. After last night, I'm pretty certain the only way we'll see football of that sort again from our beloved team is on DVD. With Wayne Rooney, I thought we had a chance. At last a young Blue who was born to play for our club and would push us on to great things. Then agents got hold of him and we were left looking again for the next false dawn. Don't get me wrong; last season was brilliant but I'm pretty certain it was a one-off with players playing for contract extensions and to the limit of their abilities. There's only so far you can go without real ability before you get found out. We should know by now that whenever we're optimistic pre-season, the Blues never fail to let us down. Last Saturday I ran into a complete stranger who noticed my Everton shirt and started laying into the Toffees. He happened to be a kopshite. His typical uninformed and inaccurate arguments started to make my blood boil. 31 years of experience defending Everton taught me to countereact with the usual cliches about "lack of financial backing" and "best young manager in the country" and how Heysel cost us dear, Collina etc. etc. Last night left me thinking "is it really good enough to set our targets on finishing above Liverpool?" I personally don't think it is.
Do you know what? I just can't be bothered anymore defending Everton to outsiders when it seems it's only the fans who care about our (once) great club. I wonder how long it is before some ITV pundit next week uses the phrase "you never know. An early goal and it's game on"? Big Characters required now
Wake up, Ed
Yobo not to blame
Yobo WAS NOT to blame. If Hibbert and Valente did their jobs right the ball would be nowhere near Yobo. Countless number of times I saw Joseph out of position covering for the fullbacks because either Hibbert or Valente were left on their arses in the midfield. Why the hell did we offer Hibbert a new contract? Just looking at the ugly twat you can see he's a shite player. Fickle Fans
But at the end of the day it's football and I can take it. We will win again and it will get better ... what really depresses me and pisses me off is the immediate 'lynch Moyes' 'I'll never watch Everton Again' bollox. David Moyes is the best manager we could have at this moment in time and will continue to be for at least the next few years. Who else you going to bring in , Maybe we can prise Arry Rednapp from Scummers to keep us up for another season. Big Ron is free at the moment maybe he can fix it. The problem is two things at the moment: the confidence we had last season in getting some of our results has deserted us and we can only hope it will come back soon; we need a bit of luck somewhere along the line that leads to confidence and confidence wins games. Secondly, if I ignore the injuries (which have had a huge effect) we've lost a leader in Alan Stubbs. He bled Blue; he led from the front [Uh? — Ed] and although I agree his legs were going he has not been replaced (Carsley being out doesn't help either); you need a leader on the pitch!
Having said all that, I was a Blue on Saturday and a Blue last night... and I'll be Blue tomorrow. Giving up is NOT an option !! 'Broken Blue' the article by Chris Dunbar...
Whilst the adenalin will still flow prior to kick off time, as regards actually attending now.... I just couldn't be arsed. How many games during last seasons 'success' did you come out with the juices flowing after witnessing a magnificent performance? Villa away, Man U home.......erm, erm ???? Football (The Everton way). Not for me now, thanks.
(A regular home & away since 1971) Disgrace
That was unforgiveable and I am now another fan of a Premiership club who has lost interest. The game is an insult to fans, on the most part dull, financially inexcusable and a pale shadow of other sports. It is never easy to admit that you've been taken for a mug. But I have and for far too long. All I have to say is...
Lack of Focus
Moyes seems to make a big thing about determination and effort but the players seem to have switched off. We have been crap for coming up to nearly a year now. Arsenal, Fenerbahçe, Dinamo Bucharest... hammered without even a whimper.
There is nothing good I can say about Everton these days apart from the fans. What worries me is that, as I understand, our mortage is based on the fact that they guaranteed the bank they could get 30,000 every match. Gates are already falling and if they continue to humiliate us like they have (god help us against Arsenal), then they ain't gonna get 30,000 masochists every week anymore. Wow !!!
As well as being known as the whipping boys by teams such as Portsmouth and Wigan, we are also known as the contract club by players as all that seems to happen is a player has a good run, we give him a big contract and then he instantly becomes crap - ring any bells? But once again, I will be on the M6 on Monday full of hope; and then the long drive back full of disappointment. And if we get a shock result on Monday, what then? Kenwright saying it was only a matter of time and we have turned the corner? I think not.
Once again Moyes's men, thank you for nothing... Ouch!
I think the current status of the squad shows that last year we were very lucky with the number of injuries sustained. We have got a shit load of them this year and even more games to play in. At this level you just can't compete with an injury-ravaged squad, as it's hard enough when you have all of your best players available. A lot of coach's will tell you that if you loose even 1 player from the side it can completely throw out the balance of the squad, especially when you haven't got an equivelent player to slot in. When you look at the Everton squad, there are lots of injuries and a fair share of new faces as well. It's going to take time for them to get used to playing together and it's going to take time for Moyes to get a balanced first 11 this year. Hopefully next year, or the year after, we'll have a re-built squad that can at least challenge in Europe, where we only need to buy 1 player in the transfer window.
Dare I say roll on Monday and roll on Arsenal? Probably not! Although a win would put us on the same number of points as them! Shopping at the Aldi again
I will say it again Simon "Milligan" Davies and Phillip "Harper" Neville are the most horrendous players I have seen for the money in an Everton shirt for years. The writing was on the wall when the sicknote Italian and the ex-Sunderland boo-boy target Kilbane were allowed to extend their stay.
Never mind... I have heard that in January we will get Keane, Saha, Richardson..... Only joking! What did Moyes say last May, "It wont be like last year on transfer deadline day, buisness will be done early". An open letter to all Evertonians
Sack Moyes cos he's clueless? Ditch the 4-5-1 formation cos its too defensive? It's all his fault that we don't have a striker whocan score 20 goals? After getting into Europe this season, we should have invested heavily to stay there? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES!!! Yes, we finished 4th last season and qualified for the Champions League. Doesn't everyone realise by now that that was a herculean achievement by a side short on talent and skills, but big on effort and application? Yet somehow everyone is expecting us to take Europe by storm this season. You really freaking expect us to build a team like the top 3 in one season? To have a team that can consistently challenge for europe in ONE FREAKING SEASON??? Everyone wants us to play free-flowing attacking soccer. I would love my Everton team to play like that as well. Unfortunately, we do not play free flowing attacking soccer. We press opponents, we harry them out of their stride, we break down attacks and then we counter. Moyes is having a difficult time right now as he is trying to slowly transition from our football of last season, to the type of flowing, possesion-based football that he wants Everton to play. We've all been through bad players, bad managers, bad chairman, bad results, bad seasons. For once in a long bloody while, we have the best crop of players around, the best young manager, a very supportive chairman and we're not going to give them even a fighting chance. Yes, the capitulation to Dinamo was embaressing. But am I going to stop supporting what I love so dearly? No. In fact, I'm going to give them my support even more cos at times like these, we are all that's left for the players to fall back on. The fans, the lifeblood of any club. Cut that out and Everton Football Club would cease to live and breathe anymore. If you think you can go on in life without EFC around anymore, then I say carry on and leave. Shout it from the rooftops that your allegiance is not to the blue and white anymore. I've heard it said before that Evertonians are born, not bred. This is the time now, to show your true colours, whether you're part of the family or just a visitor that is passing by.
I'll be the first one to say that I'm here to stay. Now its time for you to make your stand. Enough is Enough!
LETS SET IT UP. Send your votes in to our Forum. It is not a question of results anymore, it's a question of pride and all the history that comes with what was once a great club. We are a laughing stock once again. It's not that we were so good last season, but it's more to do with the other clubs not being able to win more than three games on the trot. Basically, its down to all these over-paid and over-idolised players deciding when they want to turn it on! Its not just a problem at Everton; Look at Liverpool! Look at Newcastle, Bolton and Blackburn. The last two, I watched that meeting and fell asleep before half-time. Crap, I miss the old 1st Division and good games of football. Sunday league is better! Lads playing because they want to win.
MOYES MUST GO BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. This is not a fuckin knee-jerk, it's time for a change. Don't buy the 3rd shirt, we already look like a bunch of yellow-bellies. 4-5-1
Today, I am so low after seeing my team getting trounced by Dinamo Bucharest. Leaving football aside, were our Everton players not man enough that they took a beating to that extent? Our European adventure is turning out to be joke. Everton are prime candidates for the European football farce of the decade. Everybody is having a good laugh at us. I do not intend to give David Moyes (DM) a lesson after seeing the number of beatings Everton has taken recently. DM has brought so much success to the club that, undoubtedly, in my opinion, he is one of the most successful Everton managers forever. Everything is right about DM except his 4-5-1. Why do we care so much about a 4-5-1 when our players do not even know how to score a goal, how to defend their goals, how to pass the ball around, and how to construct a move and finish it? Should I remind DM that on the pitch players are expected to PLAY football? Should I remind DM that to be able to PLAY one should have FUN at doing it? I am sorry DM, but I believe that more than the 4-5-1, Everton players need to know how to play football and have fun at playing it. Breaking from the conventional might pay off in the short run but not always as it is unconventional. To score goals we need strikers. That is why strikers are paid to do. To feed strikers we need midfielders. To defend our goal, we need defenders. The equation is very simple. When the equation is so simple, then why bust our head with too much of strategy thinking and breaking from the convention in the 4-5-1 way? What Everton really need is to get the basics right, i.e., play football and have fun at doing it. The players should care less about their opponents at this time and care more about their own play. Even if we get beaten from doing it, at least we can pacify ourselves that our team tried its best. It is better to lose 6 - 10 than 5 – 1!
Please do not get me wrong DM; it is my love for Everton that prompted me to write the above. I just want to help. O'God
European Tour 2005
Let me just say that I am a Moyes fan but for as much as I like him, the guy is not above criticism. Why we are persisting with that god-awful 4-5-1 formation is beyond me. DM attempted to justify our style of play after the 4-4-2 defeat to Portsmouth but at least we only got beat 1-0. Is the point of 4-5-1 not to close down the midfield making it difficult for the attacking team to play? If that is the case the why were Dinamo passing the ball round us while our midfield watched them as 1-1 turned to 5-1? As I say, I am a Moyes fan but he seriously owes us an explanation for that result. I know we have an injury list even Spurs fans would envy but some of the selections last night were baffling to me. A few questions for our beloved leader: 1. Why bang on all week about Cahill needing a rest (which he obviously does as he was god-awful) then play him? Yes I know Arteta cried off but Li Tie and Kilbane are on the bench; are we gonna rest him against Arsenal? Doesn't look like it to me. Perhaps we should just wait till he drops dead before giving him a few weeks off. 2. Why persist in playing McFadden at left midfield? Jamie hasn't exactly impressed since he's been with us but for Christ's sake, how bad could he really be up front? Less potent than Bent or Ferguson? Give him half-a-dozen games in his proper position, I doubt Beattie will be back before then anyway. 3. Are you brave enough to make the drastic changes the team obviously needs? A spell on the bench for a few our first-teamers may actually do us good in the long term. Hibbert, Cahill and Bent: I'm thinking of you. Weir too though not likely until Krøldrup gets fit. Before I top myself, let me just say that I really believe DM needs to seriously look at the team for this season. 4-5-1 doesn't work (and hasn't since December) and unless things change soon we need to find a new formation. Whether that be 4-4-2, 5-3-2 or whatever I don't know but one thing is for sure, we are not scoring nor are we creating chances. We just sit back and wait to go behind, we really need to nip that in the arse right now. I don't have any solutions only questions at the minute but I suppose on the bright side we did make it through to the third round of the Carling Cup. Bring on whoever.
God, I'm so depressed. Verbal diarrhoea
Let's face it, anyone would have been an improvement on Walter Smith, and in his first full season things looked promising. There followed a campaign against relegation and then, against all predictions, HALF A SEASON when he got some cracking results which ultimately took us to fourth position. But the post-Christmas results do not lie and since then — with just a couple of exceptions (Villa and Man.Utd) — things have been dire. The money wasted on unfit players: Beattie, Davies, Krøldrup, Van der Meyde, indicates bad judgement to say nothing of Wright and the re-engagement of Naysmith and Pistone. The failure to add to a totally inadequate strike-force and the incapability to inspire the players in the European games begins to smack of more than bad luck and the reality is that the club is once again in the mire. What makes it worse is that we have flogged the crown jewels and squandered the proceeds on Ratners fakes! Managers come and go and Moyes will be no different. The chop will come when the mob start to scream ``Kenwright out!` In the meantime, it is incomprehensible that things will not improve — they can hardly get any worse, after all. But PLEASE, PLEASE save us from long-winded apologists like Rob Fox who seems to glory in defending the indefensible.
Methinks I have gone on too long....... One for the history books
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can avoid the sneering & sniggering of opposition fans for the next few days. I can’t wait for our run in Europe to be over so that we can concentrate on survival in the Premiership. I’m afraid that survival is about all we can hope for based on current form.
But all is not lost. If we can avoid conceding too many goals against Arsenal, we then have Wigan where we can surely get all three points. We CAN get all three points, can’t we? Please Mr Moyes, say we can. That might be just enough to get us out of the relegation zone.
Glad its all over
Getting slaughtred every other week in Europe would not be much fun, lads. As for that wank of a competition Uafa Cup they can stick it up thier arse; they didn't want us in the CL so fuck them. We are better off out of it. Apart from being a drain on our shite sqaud, the financial rewards are non-existant, unless you make the final... Ha Ha.
So fuck Blatter and his subbuteo cup there are more important things ahead, like staying up this season. Do any sane people actually think Moyses's MFI wardrobe impersonators could actually play in two leagues at once and do any good? NO! They would have fucked up bigtime. So we are better off out of it. I see no reason to feel bad any more; it all makes sense. Boy am I glad I lost my pazzie. Fuck! We're in trouble!
Hibbert was shit! Valente was shit! Weir looked past it. Why isn't he playing Ferrari? McFadden should take Terry Butcher's advice and fuck off somewhere to get his confidence back and Cahill looks fucked.
I'll bet he still plays 4-1-4-1 at Goodison in two weeks time! Go for it
But that was not the whole story. How does Neville get 'Man of the Match' (what match?) on Radio Merseyside when his passing was so poor? and what future can there be for the likes of Mc Fadden, Osman and Kilbane? On top of which, Cahill looks knackered — as does Bent — and Big Dunc is finished while Beattie was a complete waste of dosh in the first place. Nuno was too slow in the tackle but good going forward while Hibbert is good in the tackle but useless as a crosser of the ball.
Where do we go from here? I have not got a clue - but you don't get rid of Moyes (who would replace him?) and you don't automatically assume that we will get relegated. Get behind them and turn up for the return leg on the 29th - who knows it could be fun overturning a half-time defecit of 4 goals!
Let's get real
But I'm flabbergasted at the level of hostility and calls for blood letting being directed at David Moyes and the players. People, it's time to wake up and bring our expectations into line with our station in life. We are NOT a top 4 club. Haven't been for years. How can any team that's had just two decent top-ten finishes in more than 10 years be expected to challenge for a European place on a regular basis? It takes time to build a squad that can get into Europe. Look at Newcastle, Charlton, Middlesboro, Villa, Tottenham and, arguably even Bolton, they can't consistently crack a top-5 place, so we why are we expected to? There's only three who can and we know who they are. As for Dinamo, David Moyes has a squad of 30 players. Of those about 7 are really youth players and another 8 are injured. If you throw in Lie Tie, who's head doesn't seem to be right, by my calculations Moyes was able to choose from a grand total of 14 fit and able players. That's not even enough to cover the bench in a European game!! (Which explains why young Hughes was there.) And that obviously places extreme limits on tactical choices. Also, when was the last time many of these players played in European club competition? It's a learning curve for almost everyone at the club. They need to adjust to new match day routines and travelling. There's food and hotels. Training also needs to be modified so that players recover in time for league matches. (And the same 14 players will be there to choose from again.) There's little doubt everyone will be better for the experience and will have learnt from it. It's not ideal, but can anyone tell me when was the last time a club just missed relegation in their domestic league and then made a huge impact in Europe with roughly the same squad) a year later? Give the man, the players and the club time to get it right people. Judge Moyes at the end of the season after he's been able to field a full strength team. And until then, let's get real about where this club actually stands in the great scheme of English, and for that matter, European football.
I want Everton to do well, I want Everton to finish in the top half but it's not going to happen in a hurry, at least not given where we're coming from.
Mr Fox
I want my mum!
Can't for the life of me think what's going wrong. I honestly believe we've got a good group of players there. No striker, obviously, but that wouldn't mean conceding 5 silly goals. Getting at Moyes probably isn't the answer but its up to him to fix this slide and fix it quick or we'll be dusting off our maps of Stoke, Bristol and (dare I say it?)... Leeds. To much Crap
Leave it to the myopics
However, now I am here, I have a better idea. I am going to say nothing. I am also, tough though it may be, asking fellow contributors (such as Tom - Wirral, Gavin Upholland) et al, to follow suit. Leave it to the IMWT brigade. We have been lambasted morning, noon and night by sages who believe we are 'knee-jerkers'. Well over to you my IMWT friends... I look forward to reading about just how positive we should be. Just tell us how we are going in the right direction and tell us that the plan put in place in May has capitalised on the single biggest opportunity to come our way in 20 years.
Oh yes... while you are at it... tell me how you win matches without strikers?
Had enough. Utter abject shite
I'm very, very concerned about our saftey in the Premiership this year if we can't buck this trend (of playing totally rubbish). To paraphrase Kevin Campbell "Right now, if I was offered 17th place, I'd break your fucking arm off"
Oh well, onwards and upwards, IMWT etc. etc....
Can you please...
All I need to hear now is...
Deja Vu
I have told them to support a playground team like Man Ure or Chelski but, just like me, they would never turn on our Blues, so if we have fans — even six-, nine- and ten-year-old girls that want to support the club — is'nt it about time we had some fucking players that want to play for it? IMWT!!!!!!!!!!!??????
After watching that 2nd half shite tonite, I've had enough. DM has lost the players and the plot totally, just how deep did we need to defend when it was 1 - 1????? I'm sure his answer will be "More hardwork on the training ground" or "I feel really sorry for the fans blah, blah, blah" It won't cut it for me or any like-minded/reasonable Everton fan. All the players have talked about is how confident they are or how well we've played but not got the rub of the green. Yet the simple fact is they looked shellshocked after the 2nd Dinamo goal and no player or DM could change anything.
Can't wait till Monday nite! should be a cracker! Glad its all over
Getting slaughtred every other week in Europe would not be much fun, lads. As for that wank of a competition Uafa Cup they can stick it up thier arse; they didn't want us in the CL so fuck them. We are better off out of it. Apart from being a drain on our shite sqaud, the financial rewards are non-existant, unless you make the final... Ha Ha.
So fuck Blatter and his subbuteo cup there are more important things ahead, like staying up this season. Do any sane people actually think Moyses's MFI wardrobe impersonators could actually play in two leagues at once and do any good? NO! They would have fucked up bigtime. So we are better off out of it. I see no reason to feel bad any more; it all makes sense. Boy am I glad I lost my pazzie. Fuck! We're in trouble!
Hibbert was shit! Valente was shit! Weir looked past it. Why isn't he playing Ferrari? McFadden should take Terry Butcher's advice and fuck off somewhere to get his confidence back and Cahill looks fucked.
I'll bet he still plays 4-1-4-1 at Goodison in two weeks time! Go for it
But that was not the whole story. How does Neville get 'Man of the Match' (what match?) on Radio Merseyside when his passing was so poor? and what future can there be for the likes of Mc Fadden, Osman and Kilbane? On top of which, Cahill looks knackered — as does Bent — and Big Dunc is finished while Beattie was a complete waste of dosh in the first place. Nuno was too slow in the tackle but good going forward while Hibbert is good in the tackle but useless as a crosser of the ball.
Where do we go from here? I have not got a clue - but you don't get rid of Moyes (who would replace him?) and you don't automatically assume that we will get relegated. Get behind them and turn up for the return leg on the 29th - who knows it could be fun overturning a half-time defecit of 4 goals!
Let's get real
But I'm flabbergasted at the level of hostility and calls for blood letting being directed at David Moyes and the players. People, it's time to wake up and bring our expectations into line with our station in life. We are NOT a top 4 club. Haven't been for years. How can any team that's had just two decent top-ten finishes in more than 10 years be expected to challenge for a European place on a regular basis? It takes time to build a squad that can get into Europe. Look at Newcastle, Charlton, Middlesboro, Villa, Tottenham and, arguably even Bolton, they can't consistently crack a top-5 place, so we why are we expected to? There's only three who can and we know who they are. As for Dinamo, David Moyes has a squad of 30 players. Of those about 7 are really youth players and another 8 are injured. If you throw in Lie Tie, who's head doesn't seem to be right, by my calculations Moyes was able to choose from a grand total of 14 fit and able players. That's not even enough to cover the bench in a European game!! (Which explains why young Hughes was there.) And that obviously places extreme limits on tactical choices. Also, when was the last time many of these players played in European club competition? It's a learning curve for almost everyone at the club. They need to adjust to new match day routines and travelling. There's food and hotels. Training also needs to be modified so that players recover in time for league matches. (And the same 14 players will be there to choose from again.) There's little doubt everyone will be better for the experience and will have learnt from it. It's not ideal, but can anyone tell me when was the last time a club just missed relegation in their domestic league and then made a huge impact in Europe with roughly the same squad) a year later? Give the man, the players and the club time to get it right people. Judge Moyes at the end of the season after he's been able to field a full strength team. And until then, let's get real about where this club actually stands in the great scheme of English, and for that matter, European football.
I want Everton to do well, I want Everton to finish in the top half but it's not going to happen in a hurry, at least not given where we're coming from.
Mr Fox
I want my mum!
Can't for the life of me think what's going wrong. I honestly believe we've got a good group of players there. No striker, obviously, but that wouldn't mean conceding 5 silly goals. Getting at Moyes probably isn't the answer but its up to him to fix this slide and fix it quick or we'll be dusting off our maps of Stoke, Bristol and (dare I say it?)... Leeds. To much Crap
Leave it to the myopics
However, now I am here, I have a better idea. I am going to say nothing. I am also, tough though it may be, asking fellow contributors (such as Tom - Wirral, Gavin Upholland) et al, to follow suit. Leave it to the IMWT brigade. We have been lambasted morning, noon and night by sages who believe we are 'knee-jerkers'. Well over to you my IMWT friends... I look forward to reading about just how positive we should be. Just tell us how we are going in the right direction and tell us that the plan put in place in May has capitalised on the single biggest opportunity to come our way in 20 years.
Oh yes... while you are at it... tell me how you win matches without strikers?
Had enough. Utter abject shite
I'm very, very concerned about our saftey in the Premiership this year if we can't buck this trend (of playing totally rubbish). To paraphrase Kevin Campbell "Right now, if I was offered 17th place, I'd break your fucking arm off"
Oh well, onwards and upwards, IMWT etc. etc....
Can you please...
All I need to hear now is...
Deja Vu
I have told them to support a playground team like Man Ure or Chelski but, just like me, they would never turn on our Blues, so if we have fans — even six-, nine- and ten-year-old girls that want to support the club — is'nt it about time we had some fucking players that want to play for it? IMWT!!!!!!!!!!!??????
After watching that 2nd half shite tonite, I've had enough. DM has lost the players and the plot totally, just how deep did we need to defend when it was 1 - 1????? I'm sure his answer will be "More hardwork on the training ground" or "I feel really sorry for the fans blah, blah, blah" It won't cut it for me or any like-minded/reasonable Everton fan. All the players have talked about is how confident they are or how well we've played but not got the rub of the green. Yet the simple fact is they looked shellshocked after the 2nd Dinamo goal and no player or DM could change anything.
Can't wait till Monday nite! should be a cracker! Yobo and Valente to the stand please!
To Joseph Yobo:
To Nuno Valente: Many fans have been talking of a crisis prior to tonight's game, and I though those thoughts were a bit premature, but tonight we can't deny that we are in freefall. We have now lost 6 out of 7 games this year, and last year ended poorly.
Finally, there has been a lot of talk about our lack of striking options. While I agree wholeheartedly that we are crying out for something up front, we also need a key to open the door. I don't care who was up front tonight for us, van Nistelrooy, E'too, Henry, Ronaldo, they would have been spectators. I hope and pray that Van der Meyde is the answer, and that he gets fit soon. He'd better be better than Valente too, who is good on the ball, but forgets that he's a defender. IMWT? — You're havin' a laff
This has to be down to failing to sign one or two strikers who would have had some idea upfront. This goes back to Moyes; for the sake of a few extra million to sign a couple of players, look what we have lost. Now it's down to a relegation battle because that is where we are — in the relegation zone. Let's be honest, apart from one or two games, our performances have not been very good since January.
So where are all the TMWT now??? In the name of god, Go!
Some of the recent defences of this idiot amaze me, seriously he will turn out to be the worst manager EFC have ever employed if the Board continue with this entity. The decline of EFC will increase if they continue to employ him; Paul Gregg and family please take note. All my negative predictions about efc will take place unless this idiot is instantly dismissed, please put the failure out of his misery before we are relegated, I hope the Board read this letter before it is too late. He has kept efc in the premiership, no doubt but let's get rid and start again.
I am constantly amazed at people on this website who seriously think that this pathetic apology for a manager will succeed, I am absolutley certain that he has already failed. I am looking forward to the next EFC manager who will improve on last season, because this one is not Premiership material.
I repeat my prediction that this apology for a Premiership manager will be gone extremely soon. The future for efc is great without the present incumbent. Everton have gone too far this time
After going out to Villareal in suspicious circumstances we had the chance to try and rebuild our European hopes in the Uefa Cup. After drawing Dinamo Bucharest I was barely worried; surely an easy enough tie? W-R-O-N-G. We play the first half well enough, go behind to an unfortunate goal (that seems to be happening a lot this season!) but the important thing was - we pulled a goal back immediately. My thoughts change from doom and gloom to those of a battle cry. COME ON LET'S HAVE 'EM!!!! Second half we go out thinking we have already won the game 5-1, yet we end up losing 5-1. I can't understand what has happened. All I can say is Valente was SHOCKING. He was well out of position a lot of the time and played hoofball most of the time and generally in the wrong direction. No matter what, I am in for a verbal murdering from friends and foes alike tomorrow. My patience as not only an Everton but as a follower of football have been severely tested tonight. I want answers and I want them now as to why we capitulated in such spectacular fashion. Sort it out.
On a final note, 7-0 to Arsenal won't be as bad as 5-1 Bucharest so it can't get much worse. Time to go...
Kenwrong and the Ginger one will take us in to the Championship - we are on our way down. He has bought like a fool (injured or just plain not wanted) and has neglected to buy the most important commodity of all - a striker!
How many more chances does he get? I make that 9 losses in 10 competitive games. I cannot remeber a run like that - ever! The skunks can have him. I am one ashamed blue tonight. Spineless
The lads that missed the plane had a lucky escape....
IMWT ... no longer I am afraid. ... But I don't trust anyone else. Pray for miracles in 2 weeks but can we honestly go and get 4 goals? Palace last season was a one-off... we don't look capable in any department. What's happening?!
For those who still trust in Moyes...
Enough
All I can say is...
Bastards.....
"A knee-jerk" — I hear from the back, you can fuck yourself too... wake up and smell the coffee! Even the sight of Bullshit Billy getting interviewed and heckled by a fan before the match was an ill omen; his utter bollocks about "Mr Wyness has budgetted for Uefa qualification"... Erm... hello, Bullshitter? Where's the Fortress money? Where's the Russian money? In fact, cut to the chase, why the fuck are you still the chairman playing Championship Manager when you are clueless at how to take this long since decrepid and failing club forwards? Oh and while you are at it can you ask your manager where the fuck our strikeforce is? Fat turd Beattie must have dropped his wallet on his toe; Vaughan crocked playing for the Swedish pornstar's underling; Duncan waiting too late on the bench and our other signings just bullshit to put bums on seats as usual.
Well, Bullshitter, and your lapdog Wyness and Mr "4-4-2 failed everybody" Moyes, guess what: you are fucking humiliating every Evertonian on the planet. Yobo and Valente to the stand please!
To Joseph Yobo:
To Nuno Valente: Many fans have been talking of a crisis prior to tonight's game, and I though those thoughts were a bit premature, but tonight we can't deny that we are in freefall. We have now lost 6 out of 7 games this year, and last year ended poorly.
Finally, there has been a lot of talk about our lack of striking options. While I agree wholeheartedly that we are crying out for something up front, we also need a key to open the door. I don't care who was up front tonight for us, van Nistelrooy, E'too, Henry, Ronaldo, they would have been spectators. I hope and pray that Van der Meyde is the answer, and that he gets fit soon. He'd better be better than Valente too, who is good on the ball, but forgets that he's a defender. IMWT? — You're havin' a laff
This has to be down to failing to sign one or two strikers who would have had some idea upfront. This goes back to Moyes; for the sake of a few extra million to sign a couple of players, look what we have lost. Now it's down to a relegation battle because that is where we are — in the relegation zone. Let's be honest, apart from one or two games, our performances have not been very good since January.
So where are all the TMWT now??? In the name of god, Go!
Some of the recent defences of this idiot amaze me, seriously he will turn out to be the worst manager EFC have ever employed if the Board continue with this entity. The decline of EFC will increase if they continue to employ him; Paul Gregg and family please take note. All my negative predictions about efc will take place unless this idiot is instantly dismissed, please put the failure out of his misery before we are relegated, I hope the Board read this letter before it is too late. He has kept efc in the premiership, no doubt but let's get rid and start again.
I am constantly amazed at people on this website who seriously think that this pathetic apology for a manager will succeed, I am absolutley certain that he has already failed. I am looking forward to the next EFC manager who will improve on last season, because this one is not Premiership material.
I repeat my prediction that this apology for a Premiership manager will be gone extremely soon. The future for efc is great without the present incumbent. Everton have gone too far this time
After going out to Villareal in suspicious circumstances we had the chance to try and rebuild our European hopes in the Uefa Cup. After drawing Dinamo Bucharest I was barely worried; surely an easy enough tie? W-R-O-N-G. We play the first half well enough, go behind to an unfortunate goal (that seems to be happening a lot this season!) but the important thing was - we pulled a goal back immediately. My thoughts change from doom and gloom to those of a battle cry. COME ON LET'S HAVE 'EM!!!! Second half we go out thinking we have already won the game 5-1, yet we end up losing 5-1. I can't understand what has happened. All I can say is Valente was SHOCKING. He was well out of position a lot of the time and played hoofball most of the time and generally in the wrong direction. No matter what, I am in for a verbal murdering from friends and foes alike tomorrow. My patience as not only an Everton but as a follower of football have been severely tested tonight. I want answers and I want them now as to why we capitulated in such spectacular fashion. Sort it out.
On a final note, 7-0 to Arsenal won't be as bad as 5-1 Bucharest so it can't get much worse. Time to go...
Kenwrong and the Ginger one will take us in to the Championship - we are on our way down. He has bought like a fool (injured or just plain not wanted) and has neglected to buy the most important commodity of all - a striker!
How many more chances does he get? I make that 9 losses in 10 competitive games. I cannot remeber a run like that - ever! The skunks can have him. I am one ashamed blue tonight. Spineless
The lads that missed the plane had a lucky escape....
IMWT ... no longer I am afraid. ... But I don't trust anyone else. Pray for miracles in 2 weeks but can we honestly go and get 4 goals? Palace last season was a one-off... we don't look capable in any department. What's happening?!
For those who still trust in Moyes...
Enough
All I can say is...
Bastards.....
"A knee-jerk" — I hear from the back, you can fuck yourself too... wake up and smell the coffee! Even the sight of Bullshit Billy getting interviewed and heckled by a fan before the match was an ill omen; his utter bollocks about "Mr Wyness has budgetted for Uefa qualification"... Erm... hello, Bullshitter? Where's the Fortress money? Where's the Russian money? In fact, cut to the chase, why the fuck are you still the chairman playing Championship Manager when you are clueless at how to take this long since decrepit and failing club forwards? Oh and while you are at it can you ask your manager where the fuck our strikeforce is? Fat turd Beattie must have dropped his wallet on his toe; Vaughan crocked playing for the Swedish pornstar's underling; Duncan waiting too late on the bench and our other signings just bullshit to put bums on seats as usual.
Well, Bullshitter, and your lapdog Wyness and Mr "4-4-2 failed everybody" Moyes, guess what: you are fucking humiliating every Evertonian on the planet. 4-5-1 and Marcus Bent And he's been really poor since post Villarreal, after a solid start to the season. I was surprised to see in the Bucharest match preview the view that it is Bent who is being failed by the midfield, when for the last couple of weeks it's been his failure which has been a frustration for the midfield and Arteta in particular. At Fulham, for example, I lost count of the times when Arteta was
forced to run the width of the pitch, keeping possession and desperate
for a run. He'd run down the keeper to challenge for possession no
problem, but was seemingly uninterested in making himself available for
a through ball. Similarly against Portsmouth, the running into space
that made Bent so good last season seemed to be missing. Ticketing - Yet Again! Who in their right mind is going to make travel arrangements to go over to Europe and commit to paying the associated travel costs BEFORE they know they will get a ticket? What are the club worried about? It seems to me that the worst things that can happen are that a supporter might buy a ticket and then not go because he can't arrange travel! Or perhaps he will sell it on to another Evertonian desparate to go to Europe and watch his beloved blues. I am a lifelong fan who now lives in Norfolk (I've set up a Norfolk Blues Supporters Club) and have waited 20 years to watch Everton in Europe. I am desparate to go to a big European away game and want to be in the Everton end. I am not a season ticket holder but am an Evertonia Club member which I hoped would entitle me to some form of priority and notification of Away European ticket availability, but this looks to have been a false hope. I can't get over to Goodison on a minutes notice and queue up for hours in the hope of getting a ticket for games ( I also have a day job and indeed it is this day job that pays for my trips to watch Everton at weekends) and so it looks like I will have to travel independently without tickets to a big European game if we get one and buy from a tout or get tickets in the home end. What happens if we get a really big tie against a European giant and 10,000 plus fans want to go? Will they be checking 10,000 supporters for their travel details before releasing tickets? Our ticketing arrangements are a shambles, it has to be sorted as
soon as possible, for me preferably BEFORE we get a plumb tie in Europe. Having discovered that Rooney had been sent off for United at Villa Real, it confirmed in my mind that we are well shut of him. Let's face it, if Rooney wasn't a talented footballer, he'd be a
street thug serving time. He has no control whatsoever & sets a very
poor example to youngsters & football fans alike. Whatever the final sum
is for his transfer, it was a real bargain. IMHO anyway. Nick Armitage's 'Chill out' article Dont expect an apology! Last week I moved house and today applied for my Dynamo Bucharest ticket by phone as I am a long-standing season-ticket holder. Ticketmaster stated they cannot issue the ticket to my new address until the club have altered it on their computer. Rang the club and they said I would have to send in the change of address slip out of the season ticket and it could be dealt with next week. Could I fax it in? - No! So my priority as a season-ticket holder has evaporated, just like
for the Villarreal game. I might write again to Wyness but will I get an
apology? - no. The People's Club - they're havin' a laff. Where is the entertainment? Well I'm sorry David but I want to see my Everton side play positive attacking football. Dwindling crowds suggest people who, unlike Moyes, don't earn millions of pounds a year are turning away from football because they aren't getting value for money. I don't think that Everton can realistically expect to finish in the top 4 again anytime soon but Evertonians should expect to watch a team that gets them on the edge of their seats every now and again. It goes without saying that Everton lack pace and guile. Can anyone say that if we had a forward line of Darren Bent, Lua Lua and Boa Morte, it would not be a massive improvement on what we now have? All three of those players could have been signed in the summer for less than £10M. There WERE players out there this summer available at the right price that would have given Everton what thay so obviously lack. David Moyes and David Moyes alone must take the blame for not bringing those players in. He should not lose his job but should lose this negative attitude which betrays everything he appeared to represent when he first arrived at our club. Incidentally, our next few games are Arsenal, Spurs and Man City
away, and Wigan and Chelsea at home. Playing as negatively as we are
now, how many points do you think we'll pick up from that little run of
games? I'd say 4 if we are lucky. No change at the top We are playing in Europe and signing some quality players. We all
know things at the moment are not going well, but let's get everyone fit
and judge Moyes and his team then. It's bad enough listening to the
gobshites giving it loads, but bitching Evertonians make me laugh. Sack
Moyes... then what? Get a reality check, please! We would be well and
truely fucked. Get behind the lads and stop the dreaming. We have been
shite for twenty-odd years yet people expect us to be world beaters
after one decent season. This is the real world the world where hardened
Evertonians live and we can take it. Where's my fucking pazzie? Moyes beaten up with the People's Club
Transfers Perspective Needed If in the next two years we become a regular challenger for Europe
and get the odd cup under our belts, Moyes will have done what he
promised. Some time in the next few years we need to put the challenge
in as to ‘where next?’, but now is not that time. Certainly not on the
back of just four league games. The only excuse for disappointment and
negative comment is that Moyes has raised the bar of expectation and
that has got to be a good thing. The downside is that this has probably
happened sooner than he had expected and whilst his Plan for Everton is
still a ‘work in progress’. Do the stats lie? Root of all evil We had our day in the limelite folks, it was awesome. But now back to ground, we were 17th, the year before. A good aim would be a top-10 finish this year. It would show slow but consistent improvement over 2 years. I think it's definitely acheivable, with the squad we currently have. Plenty of games still to go ... THAT'S IT! Give him just a little more time If we take a look back to when he took over in April 2002, we we’re in a mess. So much of a mess that if he hadn’t taken over we’d have gone down. Since then he has improved the squad, got rid of some of the big-time charlie’s and got us into Europe for the first time in 10 years. Granted the 4-5-1 might be negative but we cannot play 4-4-2 at the minute, Pompy being the prime example. Granted we didn’t buy a striker, but it wasn’t through the want of trying. Granted one or two of his buys (Wright, Beattie) and non-buys are open to criticism, but he’s also brought in some quality (Martyn, Cahill, Arteta, Neville – and when Van der Meyde, Valente and Krøldrup are fit and playing next month, they’ll be really excellent players). Granted we haven’t got off to a good start but that’s all it is – a start. There are still 34 more games to go. So let’s just hold on until January when we can buy a striker and start calling for Moyes’s head at the end of the season if you really want. Remember it took Sir Alex 5-6 years to get a decent side together and Man Utd haven’t looked back since. And more so with Howard Kendall. If he’d have gone in 1983-84 when everyone wanted him out we’d have two less titles and no European trophy to look back on. I just wonder whether the success of last season has got too many
Evertonians thinking above themselves bearing in mind the some of the
dross we’ve had to watch for the past 10-15 years. It will take time and
I honestly believe that if we can get a decent striker and a strong,
driving midfielder in January then we’ll have a really good side that
will get us to the top end of the table regularly. Perspective Unfortunately Moyes's tactical acumen in using the 4-5-1 formation has now been matched by many others. It's a great system for stifling more creative attack-minded teams; it's a poor system when you are the team who needs to be creative, unless you have a front midfielder rather like Bergkemp, and I don't see his ilk in our squad. I'm sure Moyes will make the system work better than it has done, because he did so last season, but I don't feel it is a system that will win us anything. It may help us to avoid defeat, but it's a system that is essentially negative. However, a 4-4-2 sytem requires pace and talent and they are precisely what we lack. Our lack of pace, particularly up front, is frightening. I'm nearly sixty and I could out-run Beattie and Ferguson, and although Bent has pace, he lacks control when using his pace. Moyes loves whole-hearted team players, don't we all? They accept his work ethic, they fit in, they don't ask too many awkward questions, and they don't ask for big wages. However, unless we see some pace and individuality injected into our team we are going back to a season where we will be constantly glancing anxiously at the bottom three positions. We have, when fit, 27 centre-backs and goalies, can we not sell one
or two of them and get a creative attacking-midfielder, and a fast
striker? These must be our targets in the January transfer window. Time Machine Found in L4? I'm not one for blaming the manager for what happens on the pitch, but team selection is all his responsibility. Are Ferguson and Bent really our first choice 'strike force'? Look at their respective goal tallys throughout their careers - both poor. Why was Cahill not rested? Why is Kilbane picked even though he has about 3-4 good games a year? Why does Hibbert never get dropped even when he simply can't pass or cross the ball? We paid £6M for Beattie to warm the bench and McFadden will never come good unless he gets a proper run in the team. We have been in complete free-fall since Christmas 2004 (someone do the stats on that one plz — it'll scare us all)... when Mad Tommy left. I was never his greatest fan, but there is a spooky correlation between his departure and our form since. There's only so far that huff and puff will get us. We need more
creativity and guile to even beat teams like Portsmouth these days.
Sadly, it's lacking all too often. It can't be..... can it? But should we be concerned with the current start we have had? I don’t need to answer that although I do feel people need to put it into context. I was under no illusion coming into this season that we would have the success of last, nor that we would get an easy ride. Our football was tight and if you changed 6 results last year by a goal we would have found ourselves further down the table. Our style of play is limited and we rely on getting the run of the ball at times. But it also took hard work. Once we get a few wins under our belt I am sure some confidence will come back and we will start to get those close games and walk away with the 3pts. This is not brain surgery, in fact I feel like I am talking to my friend a Manchester United fan who doesn’t know what its like to struggle or battle in this league. Are we so advanced from one season that we can now act like glory supporters? Can we hold such high expectations when in truth our club has been in such disarray not less than 3 years ago that a bad run means the end? I spent years following a team that struggled in the bottom half, fielded a barrage of comments from friends about our relegation battle (note: I won a few quid betting on our guys each year to my friends dismay). We are still a team in transition that is heading in a direction. Now compare the club to Newcastle, Birmingham and Bolton. Newcastle - Spending money like theres no tomorrow on players who care more about money and international reputations than the club. Birmingham - scouring the market for every mercenary just because they once came through the ranks of a top team, then allowing them to behave like hooligans. Bolton - Investing in players that have spent 15 years playing at a high level and want a final pay cheque, that will leave within a year or two and thus need to be replaced. This seems to be a recurring theme for me, not by choice but to create a reality in our situation. I spent more than 15 years watching a team struggle in the bottom half of the table, with every passing manager and millions of pounds disappearing from the club. Not once have I ever had the opportunity to think about CL footy. But more importantly for me, is that I am not supporting Everton this season, nor am I supporting them for the next 2 seasons. I am in this for life. I will support them till I die and if it takes that long for us to progress then so be it. It is clear we have progressed more so these last few years than the 10 before that. Let’s not expect to suddenly be a top 6 team. It needs to be earned, worked for, developed and nurtured at the club. Can anyone honestly say they believe the man who didn’t buy a striker is not doing that? Would anyone ask for Walter back or Walker? Those guys would have signed Johnson in a flash for £12M and then blamed the player when he didn’t perform. However you feel, whatever you want from supporting Everton, mix your
trepidation caused by the start of the season with reality of our
situation. We are still building and we don’t want to put up the walls
before the foundations have set, or the whole building will eventually
fall down. {Ill try to think of a better catchphrase next time :OP } Knee jerk? I don't think so! We have sacked more successful managers for better sequences of results than that! As for the claim he is the best manager in the world — the trophies
he has won as a coach speak volumes for his ability... don't they? Leadership The answer isn't to constantly threaten sackings. Then you just have
to start again. Did the knee jerkers learn nothing from the success of
last season? Ipswich I do not for one minute, think that we are in the same position that ipswich found themselves in a few years back. There is though a 'sting in the tail'. I am now firmly of the opinion that Mr D Moyes esq is no longer capable of taking Everton Football Club forward. I got caught up in all the hype about the Champs League, Euro Hols etc but then as we all do from time to time, we take a step back and scrutinise what it is exactly we are doing and where we are going. When was the last competetive game Everton won apart from Bolton? 7th May against Newcastle is the answer and our record since then? P7 W1 L6 Goals For 5 Against 17. Now I'm sorry to shatter the illusion, but Mr (IMWT) Moyes is teetering on the brink of our worst run of form EVER. My rose-tinted glasses have long since been ditched, as have all my hopes of moving forward into 'the next phase' I'll go back to the start for a moment before I finish. We are in the midst of a worse run than Ipswich ever faced. They went down, I don't think we will. However, I still think that the 'Moyesiah' is falling way below mine and oher Blues' expectations. My other fear is that when the rest of you cotten on to Moyes' inadequacies it will be too late, and by that time Mr Kenwright will be looking back at his People's Club interviews and wretching. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum? (I wish!)! 45 yrs a Blue, and counting! Time!!! I wrote a few weeks back saying I would not go to away games (after Fulham) and this I will stick to. I could not make the Portsmouth game (my wife was very ill) and that means I have missed just four home games in the last 17 years, so I had to make do with hearing the match on the radio. And thank god; I do not blame the manager or players I just feel the Board have no ambition, always citing the lack of funds, yet they expect fans like myself to pay out good money and watch games like that!!! I am not having a go at anyone at Everton FC, but I have found by missing the last home game I have not missed much, so I am sorry to say I for one will not be paying good money to Everton FC anymore. I feel that my funds could be spent better, just like the Board should tell us about their money and were it goes. Mine will be staying in my pocket, I can suffer embrasement by listening on the radio rather than sitting in the stands. I really think Everton will pick up and play a lot better in the future and I wish them all the best and I do hope they manage somehow to get back in Europe next season or they can get though in the Uefa Cup. But it is time for a parting of the waves for me. This is not a knee jerk reaction on my part; I am just fed up with a club that is happy with what it has got, instead of trying harder. We have all seen it before: a few good games followed by dross and as
far as I can see it will be the same this season!!!! All the best on a
great website. Amazing (continued) Break it down: So let's get the start we've had into perspective. I agree with the Editor's comment... if we are still there at Christmas then let's worry, not in mid-September for pity's sake !! Moyes's biggest problem was in raising the bar after so many years of underachievement. Apparently, the implication is that he needs sacking for this. Amazing! I also don't like the increasing undercurrent (emerging over the last few weeks) that we were 'lucky' last season (both from Evertonians and others outside the club). Stop it now! Everyone goes on about the 1-0 wins as if that is tantamount to luck. Rubbish! We finished 4th on merit. We had more points than other teams; we defended well and took our chances when they came. We played for the full 90 minutes when other teams didn't. We frightened the crap out of every team we faced. Don't belittle what we achieved, which is a disservice to the Club,
it's manager and it's fans. Moreover, given the context, don't knee-jerk
the Club into crisis by over reacting to results from barely a handful
of games. School of Science? A lot of this was down to circumstances (no money, relegation battles, lack of skillful players), but we have had a few occasions where we have actually had money to spend and a decent enough finish to the season (FA Cup winners, 4th place etc) to start afresh. The reason why I highlight this is because I just can't bring myself to watch the team anymore. I'll watch the goal highlights on Sky but I can't bring myself to fork out for the crap that is on offer. It's a bit much when the most memorable thing about going to Goodison is the atmosphere generated by the crowd rather than the football skills on offer. We used to be known as the School of Science FFS, now we are the School of Shite. (Is it any wonder Sky don't give us much airtime... how the hell do you try and market a game like Everton v Wigan to the nation?) If I was a player, not only would I be put off by the poor wages (because I'm a greedy twat), and the likelihood that Everton would not do as well this season (because I'm a realist), and the possibility that I would never get picked by England (because I've never really been a big England fan since they stopped picking Ried, Steven, Stevens and Lineker). No, Id be put off because the team plays awful football. I'd get pissed off harrying the feck out of the someone like Scholes or Keane only to look up and be faced with the depressing option of passing to either Davies, Kilbane, Bent, or Beattie. Davies and Beattie are fitness disasters (and have been even before they came here!). Kilbane is now in Sunderland mode. And Bent... well, he used to cover for his poor finishing with this work ethic, but even that has gone now. I'd be interested to see how many of our goals in the past 3-4 years were actually well crafted goals that didn't rely on a mad scramble on the Penalty box, or a dubious backpass and penalties. Our most dangerous attacks now are when Arteta takes a free-kick. I wont go on as many have you have already stated what seems obvious to most of us. Moyes recently said that the team is not yet capable of containing a flair player. Very true Davie...but who's fault is that. Yes, you created a team to get us out of the expecetd relegation battle last season, but did that team formation come about because you didn't have the players (or the bottle to blood youngsters)? You have now bought a number of players (even a semi-skillful one in van Der Meyde) but you still persist in playing 4-5-1...and therefore we still rely on the other team making a mistake to score. You should not spend as much money as Moyes has to continue with that style of play. Everton will never be able to attract the first-choice players (although I'm quite glad in the case of Owen), and the second-choice players are usually has-beens on the last gravy train or players who think they are better than they are (Beattie, Nevin, McCall, McDonald, Cottee, Short). So when EFC get in a position to spend money again (January?) they need to buy someone with either pace or inventiveness. Easier said than done, but that's what the manager and the scouts are paid to do.... whoever they are. I dont think Moyes should be sacked but I think he should realised
that with the 4th place finish last year his five year plan was ahead of
schedule. Close season should have been the dawn of the final year,
instead I think we have gone now back to Year 2. Moyes and transfer activity You have answered several people with the fact that we have a bad injury list. However, the only players now missing from last season's after-Christmas squad are Carsley and Pistone [Wataon? Stubbs?? — Ed]. But Davies, Valente and Neville are playing as replacements. Regarding injuries, most have been to our new signings with most carrying an injury when they signed for us (quite ironic really when we refuse to sign Forssell for injury problems and he might have kick started the season). What is the sense in the ginger one buying players that are carrying injuries? Our supposed policy of signing uninjured players has resulted several carrying injuries when they signed for us: Beattie (injured when he joined), van der Meyde (injured), Krøldrup (a groi problem he alreadfy kneww about that the medical presumably missed), and Davies (injured when he joined - shin splints and likely to go off injured some time soon) all making little contribution to the cause. The fact is that Moyes has gone as far as he can. We had a number of lucky 1-0 wins last year that could have gone either way. This year they probably won't. I will say it again - Davey, you are tactically inept. When we go a goal behind he has not got a clue what to do. It is Moyes who seems to be the only person to miss the fact that we need a decent striker who can actually score. If a team scores one against us this year then we will not get more than one point. We have not got the firepower to score more than 1 per game. The fact is that Moyes is not up to it and the IMWT brigade need to take a look at Moyes's overall record since Christmas. It makes grim reading. I know I will get asked who would we get in his place - simple really. Curbishley would have been a great replacement, as would Stuart Pearce. There are a number of alternatives from abroad also. One lucky season and a soundbite does not mean that we have made progress. Indeed, on current form he is taking us backwards. My message to Moyes - either get it sorted or go. No other club would put up with a manager with Moyes recent record in terms of form. My message to Kenwright - this club is not your plaything. The money you have given to Moyes is not 'new' money. It comes from the sale of numerous players and even then you have got change in your pocket. I never thought our club would come to this but we are in real danger of going down because the dithering one cannot rectify matters until the transfer market reopens. How depressing when it could have been an exciting new start and a springboard to push us back where we surely belong. The current team would not even get close to the teams that Catterick, Kendall, Harvey, Bingham and (God forgive me) Gordon Lee presided over. You trust in Moyes because I don't! Non-event? I travel to Bucharest this week with hope in my heart(as ever) but fear in my guts. If we bomb out of Europe, all we can look forward to is the battle against relegation and every thing achieved last season will be confined to history. Until now, I have been a great fan of Moyes but my eyes are beginning to open and I fear just another `jolly promiser` who through uncertainty or ineptitude has failed to build on temporary success. Please, Davey, wave your magic wand and inspire the lads to some
measure of success on Thursday and thus kick-start a season we have all
looked forward to so much. 4 Games The season hasn't gone to plan yet but we are only actually 3 points
down from the same fixtures last season so give the team time to gel and
they'll turn it round with the Moyesiah leading us. Kilbane the curse of the left backs. Not a clue Kilbane is absolute garbage and McFadden is shite too but at least
when he came on he looked the only player on the pitch willing to have a
go. This sounds like doom and gloom but what have we got to look forward
to for this season? Moyes after the match saying we were hard to beat,
this is because we will be playing 4-5-1 and have 10 men defending for
the rest of the season. The players are starting to look dejected the
fans are all frustrated. We should give Beattie and Bent a good run
up-front and see if they can form a bit of a partnership. Sounds crap
but they are probably the best strikers we have and anything is better
than Bore-Five-One! It was only a matter of time................
All the talk about players we are about to sign and others we are talking to is a load of crap! I think David Moyes's days are numbered and rightly so, but is it all his fault? The club and the Board want you to think that they are chasing every player available, but is that completely true? With the massive debt that haunts the club from other stupid managers with no business sense,(buying for millons and giving players away) because they were shite to start with! I believe the club doesn't really want to suceed too much, and doesn't want to take it to the next level because that all costs money. Money that's owed to the bank, and to take it to the next level, you have to spend a little or a lot (Chelsea) to make a little! Bill Kenright see's this club as his baby, but he doesn't have the funds to get this kid through college. Moyes is a puppet and does and says what he is told. Everything needs to change because it is just like the WALTER SMITH days — the same board without red nose bastard Peter Johnson. Reasons for not signing some good names - not fit.... so we buy shit that isn't fit, good job. Please don't reply with this is a knee jerk or we have 30-odd games left etc, etc... It all has to change, because Everton fans are not idiots, and how much bullshit and lies are we suppose to take.
2nd-rate players give 2d-rate peformances
Perhaps Neville's and then Carsley's return - whenever that may be -
will stiffen this bunch up a little and perhaps when van der Meyde and
Per Krøldrup finally join us - whenever that may be - there will be some
improvement, but I fear what Dinamo Bucharest will do to us if we play
like that. A better team than Portsmouth would have won 4-0 and not have
broken sweat. The most disturbing thing of all is that all around the
Prem clubs have strengthened their squads. We appear to have weakened
ours. TIME?? Lost legacy Moyes is out of his depth; this isn't a knee-jerk — I've been worried about his evolution for a while now. I hope he goes soon, with thanks for stabilising the club, obviously, but he is just not good enough for us. And no, obviously we dont want Souness!... which is a ridiculous retort from the 'Ed' ... with all due respect of course; just because there is a worse manager out there doesn't mean that Moyes is our only option. Yet again we've missed a golden opportunity and this time you can't
really blame the Board. They have backed the manager with a significant
amount of money, this is HIS team, HIS tactics, HIS fault! We are a poor
team and I honestly think that the bottom 3 is a lot more likely than
the top 3, dont you!? Just how much are we losing? I'm inclined to agree with some of the earlier posts. David Moyes has lost the plot & will inevitably join Mc Fadden in the SPL before the year is out. If not, he'll be taking a large pay cut when we drop down to the Championship next season. Much as I'd like to be more positive, current form is showing Everton
FC at the level it's been at prior to last season's blip. For those who
might disagree, just look at our record since Graveson left. It left me
feeling depressed. The only bright point this weekend was seeing
Newcastle still below us & Owen not scoring on his debut. Small
consolation I know, but I tried to find something to cheer me up & that
was the best I could come up with. Now I know how it feels to be 'truely
blue' The end of David Moyes The actual decline began when Everton lost 7-0 against Arsenal at the end of last season. My belief is that Moyes will be gone sooner rather than later; without him, Everton will then improve. Radical reform of Everton is required as soon as possible since a relegation struggle is imminent. Moyes has had a couple of relatively successful seasons, but what has
he actually won for the club - precisely nothing! Note well what
happened to Ipswich and Newcastle when they were eliminated from the
Champions League. Die-hard Evertonians will be disturbed by these
comments but the truth hurts. After the next series of inevitable
defeats, Moyes should tender his resignation before he is sacked. How much longer? Our supposed policy of signing uninjured players has resulted in Krøldrop and Valente (both carrying injuries when they signed for us), Beattie (injured), van der Meyde (injured), and Dvaies (shin splints and likely to go off injured some time soon) all making precisiely nil contribution to the cause. Cahill has been poor and Kilbane awful yet neither are dropped (or should I say rested). We continue to leak silly goals and don't look like we know how to score. Moyes is taking us backward and will take us down and then all the idiots who keep abusing the true Evertonians who can't stand the dross we see on a regular basis can think about their 'IMWT' rhetoric being absolute crap. I am fed up of the 'we can see no wrong in Moyes' brigade. How blind are you? We play a formation that has been well and truly sussed out by the opposition and our great leader seems unable to think of a way out. In the transfer market he is a disaster. We need a striker and what do we get - three defenders and a defensive midfielder. He needs to change or get out because he will take us down on current
form. What's that? 8 losses in our last 9 competitive games and soon to
9 losses out of 10! Moyes is lost Is this it? Davies, are you a winger or a central midfielder? If the former can you please explain to the fans just where you were the majority of the game today? Kilbane, you are playing on borrowed time; slow lethargic and pitiful imagination on and off the ball. Hibbert can you please ask Davie Moyes and his staff to teach you how to cross a ball at Bellfield — and what's more, practice it week after week. For a side that hasn't won at Goodison since the 1950s and only won one of their last 12 games, today's footballing lesson is the harsh reality that Moyes needs. Our two strikes on goal came from a left back. Even a pub side can defend against Route One balls to Ferguson's head and nodded directly to an eagerly awaiting defender to hump clear. Several contributors (myself included) have rattled our chains for months calling for a striker. We have been admonished by counter postings saying look at our other signings... well, unless Moyes wants to start Valente up front, on today's performance, I can't honestly see any significant amount of goals or chances coming from Ferguson - he is too slow and Route One is a disgrace. Bent works hard, he just can't finish and Beattie simply doesn't look like he can be arsed unless the ball lands right at his feet. Maybe a knee-jerk reaction to a poor result but it's not just myself
who could see today that this could be a very long and painful season
ahead of us. Contract Carrot If we can't beat teams like Fulham and Portsmouth then we have got no hope when it comes to Chelsea, Arsenal & Man Utd. You can't offer any arguement against these points as the score lines have yet to prove me wrong! Playing a good game and not winning won't get titles or silverware or
push you up the league. Everton will definitely be in the Championship
next season.... The one below the Premiership. Keep it up; we might get
taught how to score down there. Lies, damn lies, and statistics Everton Memorabilia Please feel free to visit our sites. All of the Prints will shortly
be sold in the Club Shop at Goodison as well. Butcher's advice to Jamie Mc..... McFadden came to this club with a huge reputation and just hasn't been up to the job. Those who cling on to the hope that his talent will prevail... what talent?? His best games have been against Stockport (now a League 2 club) & Leeds (relegated), both two seasons ago!! Against everyone else he looks well out of his depth. I really wanted him to be a success; y'know... best young player in Scotland and all that... but it just hasn't happened. I think Moysie would win a lot of his critics back if he held his hands up and admitted a mistake with this one (as he should with Wretched Wright!!). If McFadden is the best the Scots have to offer, it's no wonder they've struggled for so long. I take no pleasure in writing this as I DO NOT enjoy criticising any
Everton player, but I feel it just has to be said. James please go back
to Celtic/Rangers with my blessing, and for the sake of YOUR career. I'm
sure you'll be a roaring success and I wish you the best of luck. Striker woe Smith On this point of Moyes I feel we are losing sight of his achievments
and the strength of the squad now compared to when he arrived. Anyway
great site and always first point of call, many thanks. Oh and I thought
Smith's last throw of the dice was going to be Ashley Ward??? Oh what
could have been. In Response to Mike Price.... Mike makes some good points there about the similarity between Moyes and Walter. Think of Moyes when he started as Everton manager. Moyes had fresh ideas and in his own words wanted to create a young talented attacking team like Newcastle were at the time. Moyes used to never mince his word and would quite often criticise his players on television and brand sloppy performances as unacceptable. You only have to look at his comment after the Man City game at the end of the 03/04 season where he said something like 'at least I won't have to work with the same players next season'. To the players this comment must have felt like a kick in the balls but to me I thought great Moyes means business. That was the summer that Moyes evolved though. I used to like the way that Moyes would come out and say they played shit. I used to think to myself 'what a top bloke'...say it how you mean it BUT the players didn't like it and as we all know it destroyed morale in the dressing room and must have been a big factor in our 17th place finish. So yes, now Moyes comes out and says the players gave it their all when in fact they were useless. That is the new Moyes who is trying to keep spirits up by not slagging the player off in front of millions of viewers. Do't get me wrong it winds me up when he does it but I suppose at the end of the day it is for the right reasons. Moyes simply uses the best tactics he thinks he can with the resources he has available. Maybe when a few come back from injury we will see some good attacking football??? As for the team he is building, I think he is just building from the
back and I am confident that within the next few years we will have that
nice attacking team that Moyes talked about not so long ago. Forlorn Hope I see now after defending his 4-5-1, he goes on to to say he will continue to use it. Yes, I had a forlorn hope. He states other top teams are using it, but they are a lot better off when it comes to strikers. However SAF has come out and stated he is droppong it. Has DM got blinkers on, can he not see that we need to win games not just not to lose!! As regards the international last night, England lost the first 45 minutes due to playing 4-5-1. It was the frustration of this that got to Rooney, and if you are going to play a lone striker I think you need some one with a bit more weight than Owen. Back to DM, if he persists in this, I can see that it is EFC that are going to come unstuck. DTIM (don't trust in Moyes) Fortunate we lost ... 'Hughes' R YA As a lifelong Blue and season-ticket holder, I have seen a fair few players ply their trade for us and taken a particular interest, as we all do, in the strikers (I was brrought up lovin Big Dunc, and will leave this world lovin Big Dunc). Given our current style and formation, a player with Mark Hughes's first touch and ability to hold up the ball would be greatly welcomed. The man must have calves of steel the amount of times I saw them kicked. A player like that would surely have brought Cahill, Arteta, Davies et al in to play far better than a ball-chasing Bent who is then isolated. It's harsh to call Hughes a failed signing when I felt he was one of the better decisions of Walter's admittedly poor time at our club. If we are going to have a striker who won't break double figures in a season (a la Hughes or Bent) then I would prefer one who brings others in rather than leaves them for dust in to the corners. Who should the new man should be in January? How about the new Alan
Shearer... Dean Ashton? Norwich are having a bad time and surely we can
hit the £15k a week or so that he will be on. He can offer something at
4-4-2 and 4-5-1 so whip out the chequebook and — in the words of his
current Chairperson (very politically correct) — "Let's Be 'Avin Ya,
Deano!" Jamie McFadden The lad has talent, there is no doubt about that, and it would be sad
to see him leave Everton. I think the best move for the club and for
McFadden would be a season-long loan, to a Scottish club. This would
hopefully give him the first-team experience he needs to show his best
position and to boost his low confidence levels. Walter Moyes Apart from the fact that they are both dour, stubborn Scottish types; they both say we've played quite well when we were absolute crap; they both overpay for average players; they don't believe in pacy players; they love defenders; they rate players like Beattie,Naysmith, Kilbane, McFadden and Wright; they play not too lose until we concede and then change the system to actually try and score with 20 minutes left; and they both had/have lots of fans supporting them whilst making us suffer this type of football. I really hope I'm wrong about 'our Davey', and that we eventually
start to play a dynamic, pacy, skillful brand of football that
entertains and actually wins any kind of honour... but I'm not holding
my breath! Young instead of Neville? The new Pat Nevin? I know that there have been doubts about where to actually play McFadden to get the best out of him, but much better up front in a 4-4-2 role at Everton than anywhere in the SPL. With the recent influx of (in theory) quality players to Everton, surely McFadden should be seen more as another genuine creative option rather than the lost soul he currently is? I can dream! I think he's a star in the making, and if the powers that be at the
club actually take heed of Terry Butcher — we could rue letting him go.
Wally Smith For the following season, he saved us from almost certain relegation albeit only just. For that reason, I will always be thankful. For his later efforts in his term, I agree, he was crap. That 'Boro FA Cup game was shocking and made me sick to my stomach. Gazza actually did pretty well for us and if you remember Moysey wanted him to stay. Other fairly good signings were Gravesen, Stubbs, Weir, Campbell (apart from stupid wages), Radzinski (ouch), errr, that’s it. I guess my indecision in writing this shows why it’s such a debatable topic. No-one else would touch the poisoned chalice at the time either. I think most Evertonians have a mixed view on Walter but he wasn’t all bad. I hope the whole Walter Smith topic comes to a close in this forum
shortly and we should concentrate on the future rather than the past. A
top 10 finish would be a reasonable consolidation effort considering
we've not had back-back top 10 finishes for a very long time. Miopic Moyes How short sighted can he be! Having chosen to sign a team of
defenders and midfield players and to overlook our obvious priority, he
then has the cheek to say tactics are decided by what he has available!
Well, they are all of his choice so if it doesn`t work out perhaps he
can officially adapt to 4-6-0 which ,in reality, is what it`s been since
last Christmas! I write in response to the recently posted article by Nick Armitage. Having read it there is only one thing I can say.....ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON FELLA. In my mind there is no doubt Walter Smith is the worst Everton manager of all time. (Before anybody throws Walker's name into the ring, lets not forget he only got 10 months; Smith got four years!)... I shudder to think where we'd be now if he hadn't gone when he did. Also, is there any coincidence that Man Utd didn't win for the first eight games after Walter was given his 'jobs for the boys' role by his old mate Fergie... soon got shut, didn't they? Walter Smith 'a good manager'....MY ARSE!! I can't seem to find any evidence to whether our further venture into Europe is going to be televised. Five seem to be showing Bolton... no news from Sky or BBC. I'd love to go but I am holding out for a group game and .... of course the final in Eindhoven (room is booked on 7 day cancellation policy.. now there's optimism for you !!) Could it be they are awaitng kick off details given that it has only been announced today ?? I cannot believe we will be overlooked... but then I am an Evertonian
and its something I get used to !! All In Price I must admit to a bit of a chuckle when I read some letters on here. Everyone is panicking about a lack of striker, then bandy names like Camara and Phillips around. I see Darren Bent is the next best thing, because he got off to a good start. Baros and Bellamy have gone, and it's 'Dithering Dave'. We need a pacy striker, then the manager is criticised for not getting Keane. Having quoted all those names, I would suggest that DM should be criticised for letting Radzinski go because his goals record stands with comparison to most, if not all those names. He also posseses the quality the doubters cry out for..pace. Yet, I seem to remember he was slated when he left. The fact is we needed a striker in January. We got one in Beattie. His record again, is better than most previously mentioned. Unfortunately our qualification for the qualifying round of the CL made many fans arrogant and I detected a sense of a divine right to enter the group stages. We were beaten by a better side over two legs, and there would have been plenty more of that if we'd have got through. We are not great, but we are not bad. The progress made is marked. We have finished two of the last three seasons in the higher echelons of the Premiership. We were NOT even close to relegation in the middle season. The players were a disgrace in the last five games. Both Moyes and Kenwright deserve credit for this progress. They are not perfect by any means, but the majority of clubs would love to be where we are. Personally, I am old school and I will swop progress in both Euro
competitions to win the Carling or FA Cup. Again, I now detect that the
Uefa Cup and the likes are not good enough for some. Get real! Whose life was hell? The season we are now in is 2005-06; the past is over and we look
forward to the future, so where are we now? To quote a phrase: Yes, Everton fans, that's where we start now... so where next? Portsmouth is an absolutely must-win game; Arsenal, referring to my previous comments, is an even more must win game [note, Ed!] The season before last springs to mind. Under dithering Dave we are
not, once again, looking like winning anything. Get rid of Moyes now;
he's reached his zenith. Tickets for Dinamo Bucharest My friends have been banging on about the way the club has been
mismanaged for what seems like forever but I really didn’t want to hear
anything negative about Everton as it would seem well disloyal in some
way. Well, I (amongst, I presume, many others) are all getting more and
more disillusioned with Everton Football Club and they really need to
sort themselves out and soon! There are only nine days to sort out
travel etc. Mr Wyness has been asked to comment on this ticket fiasco on
the local radio tonight on 95.8 FM. I am looking forward to his take on
this but I won’t hold my breath as I would probably be dead by 10pm
tonight!! Keane and Tactics As regards tactics, I see SAF has dropped the 4-5-1 formation because:- a) It does not provide enough attacking options, and by inference not enough scoring opportunities. b) The lone sriker tends to be isolated. Clearly the 4-5-1 is a defensive tactic for not losing a game rather
than going out to win. Enough said. Dave Randle's Great Lettter Apology Sorry for jumping to conclusions, of course I remember reading those
very same reports. Eddy. Reading the comments of late I don't want to be brainwashed with positive thinking across the board or read a site with a completely positive outlook on the club. But please, can we not get a better mix of objective views? I see the effort that goes into keeping an open environment that doesn't restrict opinion, but perhaps the mix of positive and negative could be better managed. If this site is being labeled a pessimistic environment can it not be
addressed by countering every pessemitic arguement/article with the
optimistic side? Whether that be in the same piece or as a rebuttal or
completely separate piece? Such objectivity will go a long way to
improving the overall impression of a site I used to check every day,
when I awoke. Thank you, Rob Fox Cynicism Not so Keen on Keane I have to say I am not impressed by Keane, he is not an out-and-out striker and I was under the impression that is what is needed. I am trying to see what it is that DM sees in Keane and all I can come up with is that he puts in a lot of effort. Keane strikes me as being very similar to Beattie. However isn't Keane a lot older, I have to admit that I do not know his age but am pretty sure he is closer to 30 than we would really like. Can anyone out there in Toffeeland explain what is so good about
Keane and what Moyes sees in him? Never Happy People talk about boring tactics but he's using the players he's got to get us results. What do people want? To score 70 goals a season and get relegated or continue to progress? We've been bitching about not spending money and he's spent money, Ferrari and Krøldrup look like class signings. Valente and van der Meyde look like steals... Neville has made impacts in all the games hes played in, so what's the big gripe!! I agree we need striking options but to be honest Beattie has had
zero service (which hopefully AvdM can fix)... so in my view the jury's
still out!! Rob Fox The Forum TV Schedule Dermot Duffy This site is all about opinion. The contributors to the site seem to be split between two camps, the first being the doom-mongers (that’s me!) and the second being those that are steadfast in their refusal to consider anything that’s said or written that bears even the slightest hint of negativity about our club. I don’t think there’s an Evertonian alive that would doubt that we have made significant progress under Moyes, (I’d personally give him a ten-year contract and fast) or doubt the wholly (striker and goalkeeper excepted) improved quality of the squad for this coming season, but does that mean Moyes or the club are above criticism? I certainly don’t think it does. I truly believe we have missed the best opportunity we have had for years to cement our place as a genuine regular contender for a European place. Why? Because, come the New Year when our lack of goals means we sit in mid-table, we are immediately a far less attractive proposition for potential transfers, which in turn means no European place, which means less cash, which means not competing at the higher end of the transfer market, which means we sit in mid-table……………ad infinitum. Aside from the very recent transfer market issues that have been well publicised on this website, my status as a cynical blue is not something that came into being over night, it’s the result of years of boardroom lies and disappointment. The result of the 1995 FA Cup Final ticket debacle, King’s Dock failures, Fortress Sport Fund failures, bogus bids (Barry Ferguson, Michael Owen and Alan Shearer — remember that one?!), collapsed NTL deals, the giveaway of WR to the world’s richest club and even my perception that our Chairman is nothing but an egotistical megalomaniac. Given the fact that all of the above took place while our current chairman was on the Board, am I not right to treat every statement he makes and deal in which he is involved with a touch of suspicion? (Any one else hiding behind the settee with embarrassment when he gave that pitch side TV interview prior to the Villarreal game???) So am I a doom-monger? I really don’t think so, I’m a blue who cares passionately about the club, but who also feels that our off-field activities and the executive management of the club still leave a hell of a lot to be desired. (Villarreal ticket fiasco anyone???) I also believe these issues should be spoken about and that ToffeeWeb is just about the best forum in existence for airing such opinions. If I want absolute positivity, I’ll visit the official site. If I want some uncomfortable truths, I’ll come to Toffeeweb. As long as our motto remains, I’ll keep on expecting and accepting nothing but the best. So to Lyndon, Michael, and Colm, keep on keepin’ on. You’re doing a
fantastic job! What happened? Pessimism "so you can't keep harping on about them being crap. I want to see Everton play pacy, skillful football and think the money he's spent should have us a lot closer to that than we are." From a physiologically point of view, this is a knee-jerk reaction to our bad start from a pessimistic person. Don't you think Moyes brought in Van der Meyde, Davies and Arteta to bolster our attacking options?? Even Krøldrup was signed to help us play more on the ground. Keane will sign in January and Beattie will score 15+ goals this
season.
Keep up the good work, negativity an all. Anderson Silva da Franca Cynics and Sycophants As ever, your correspondents seem divided into the two camps. Those who, like me, feel pissed on and let down so often that they have faith in no-one in authority at Goodison, and the others who think Moyes walks on water and really believe in all that People's Club twaddle! Whichever line you follow, you are entitled to your opinion and have every right to express it. Our thanks to ToffeeWeb for providing the forum for us to do so! We all spend a fortune in the cause of following our club and once kick-off time arrives we seek only one outcome regardless of who is in the team and in what bloody formation they line up! For the first time in his Everton career, Moyes has a playing staff of his own choosing. Every player has been signed-or re-signed by him! Who he could have signed or should have signed is totally academic and we can now concentrate our energy on supporting OUR team in Europe and the Premiership. With thousands of miles to travel between now and
January (when the whole bloody nonsense will start all
over again!!!) I have resolved to put all judgements on
ice. By then, we shall certainly know which end of the
table beckons and Moyes will be well on the way to being
either hero or villain. I know what I think, but I pray
that I`m wrong and, if I am, I`ll willingly join that
other camp... if they`ll have me! On top of the world mar...on top of the world.. I cannot write articles dissecting the mind of David Moyes, a man who will forget more about the beautiful game than I will ever know, but one thing I do know is that, whether fighting relegation or challenging for the title, Champions League or Uefa Cup, I will be behind the blues 100%, and it is definitely going to be another roller-coaster. As for my opinion on a missing goal scorer? The words
ring in my ears: 'We're gonna score one more than you!!'
And this season, I truly believe that — whoever plays in
whatever formation. So sit back, strap yourself in and
enjoy the ride!!! Lest we forget Waiting until the summer means waiting until after the World Cup. The only players left within their price range will be scraps or crap. Yes the signings are positive moves in the majority of areas that needed strengthening (although Valente could have replaced Pistone before the Italian was re-signed), a striker will be sorely missed. None of the strikers the club has could be called
world beaters and certainly in Duncan and Marcus from
last year's efforts you cannot doubt their commitment
but if they were to leave can they be replaced with
anything better? The time for prudent change methinks
has been missed. In defence of Lyndon I do not accept Lyndon`s assessment, however, that Beattie is a 20-goal-a-season striker, his average is less than a goal every three games, this very rarely improves with any striker; never do business with Redknapp. We have added bodies to the squad but delving a bit deeper all the clubs we acquired players from wanted shut of the same. Think Davies; they get Routledge as his replacement and end up financially on the deal. Similarly this habit of buying on tick will only be sustainable if we turn the model of the club into a profitable one highly unlikely in the short-term. By my assessment, having committed for approximately £25M of staged payments on players, we are, once again, spending future revenue. It is worth noting that Moyes has scuppered his own potential deals (Baros: personal terms agreed, a fee agreed with his club, then at the last minute Moyes, yes he alone, offered £1M less!). I for one am deeply uncomfortable with a manager being that close to the finances of the club, quite simply other than the trust issue it is a recipe for disaster. His remit is that of a coach and he should identify targets and express his interest to the Board. This nonsense of Kuyt and Owen was simply an exercise is misleading akin to Ravenelli and Shearer, I despair at the short memories of Evertonians. Keep up the good work Feeling Negative? Now I'm usually a big fan of ToffeeWeb, especially the Rumour links to other sites and the archived match reports, and sometimes the articles as well. But since the transfer window was pulled shut and locked from the inside, I've found ToffeeWeb's negativity and over dramatics a bit irritating. With quotes like 'Dithering Dave' and 'the wheels on the "In Moyes We Trust" bandwagon falling off' being branded quite regularly, anyone would think we're in deep shit. Far from it from what I can see. I can just about remember the team of the mid 80's, and the rest of it's filled in with my Golden Goals vids and stuff like that. But more fresh in my memory is the the Team of the 90's and the constant flirtation with relegation and players like Terry Phelan, John Spencer, Vinny Samways and Stuart Barlow. I was going to mention Barry Horne as well since I was never his greatest fan but he's part of the '95 Cup-winning team so I'll let him off. Anyway, looking at the team that we have now compared to those days and this is definitely the best team we've had in about 15 years, and it's all down to David Moyes! Sure I'm a little frustrated with us not getting what many of us see as the last piece in the jigsaw of a team, but I can also understand how difficult the transfer market's been this year, and really I think Moysie has done well. We've just signed 3 World Class internationals, the highlight of which is surely van der Meyde. All of which have cost less than £4M! I'm sure that, when the transfer window re-opens in January, Moyes will be looking to bolster the strike force — but not with just anyone. And hopefully, whoever the target is, let's hope they don't get priced out of the market by their clubs, just so they can pay for that midfielder they always wanted. Here's to the Future Sledgehammer!! I'll admit that I am no tactical expert (not even on CM! I tend to download formations ;)) but I don't think a 4-man midfield would suit the players that we have available at the moment. I would guess that DM switches to a 4-4-2 after we have conceded because you are more likely to create chances with 2 up front. Although I agree that to win a game you have to score more than your opponents I also have to say that last year we won a lot of games by scoring few goals but conceding less (except for the odd drubbing by the Arse :(). Who would you want to play in the 4-4-2? Davies seems to be the best right sided player we have; on the left, a fit Van der Meyde has to be the preferred option. Neville has shown that he can play the Carsley defensive role but with better distribution, so should play in the centre. Now who would bring the creative spark in the centre? I think that Arteta has more ability on the ball than Cahill but Tim has a habit of arriving late in the box and scoring crucial goals. Would Tim be able to do this with more defensive duties? I hope you haven't hit the monitor with that sledgehammer yet! If not I will just try to defend my last point. I wasn't trying to slate any Everton fans when I asked them to stop attacking DM, I was trying to point out that although we haven't got the striker we all wanted we do have probably the best group of players Everton have seen for many years. It's still not the School of Science but it's a shite load better than some of the squads we have had in the past. I guess for a change I am trying to be positive
regarding EFC and their transfers; hopefully I won't be
proved wrong! Phew! I shall continue to keep ToffeeWeb as my homepage,
but sincerely hope that the TW team's "frustrated
negativity" spiked in tandem with the closure of the
transfer window — and will not become a permanent
editorial stance on what is still by far the best
Everton related website. We did finish 4th from top didn't we?! This so-called Everton website constantly errs on the side of despondency; just look at the smartarse editors replies and the current downbeat ToffeeWeb poll entitled Own Goal (I thought it should have read Owen Goal).. I do agree that it's all about opinions but for chrissakes what do our supporters want? Unless a manager has the supreme luck of the devil (like Beneathus) it takes 3-5 yrs to build a solid team which can challenge for honours, just look at the records of all the great managers... and as for the comments about Newcastle/Spurs/Man city/Charlton, can someone tell me where they finished last season and who they have signed to make their squads stronger than ours? Make no mistake, though we all have players we like
to slag off, this current squad did what it had to do
last season under severe pressure, they've proven to
themselves that they're a good side and we've just added
quality to it. Do people really think we've taken a
backward step? Boyhood Blue My Arse! What I don't get is this. I'm Michael Owen and I'm a so-called boyhood blue. I get picked up by the shite and think, OK it's not ideal, but how else am I going to make 100 grand a week. I then get transferred to Real Madrid. Now at this point I've got more money than I could ever spend unless I'm married to my missus... but if I WAS Michael Owen I wouldn't be. I get told that I'm not going to get a game this season and I could move back to England. The three teams in for me are the shite, Newcastle and Everton. Now think about it. I'm a true blue. How long would it take you to decide? Fuck me if I was Michael loadsamoney Owen (and I was a boy-hood blue) if we were playing in the Nationwide Conference League I'd sign for Everton before the Shite or the Bar Codes. I could have explained the fact that I played for the Shite and scored against Everton on the fact I was young and didn't know what I was doing. Why? Because I'm a fucking Evertonian!!! I hope his fucking hamstring snaps in his first game
the little red nosed twat! The same goes for Rooney!
Boy-Hood Blue My Arse! Colin - Northampton The day after the night Reading all the mailbags and comments on the forum it is fantastic that there are so many supporters out there who are so passionate about our club irrespective of what view you hold or camp you are in. It is this which makes the website so great. The reading of all the comments has for me been tremendous, they each have their own value not only can we have digs at the Board, the Manager but also the Editor and contributors. It is this sort of contribution which keeps the site alive and kicking. However, moving on and looking at the question of tactics... Yes, I have criticised DM in the employment of 4-5-1 but perhaps I may have misjudged him. Could it be that DM is ahead of his time? Consider since DM sprang this on the Premiership and got some results, even people like SAF, Mourhino and others have copied!! Even Erickson is going to use this against the Welsh with Rooney upfront. So have we so called doom and gloom merchants been guilty of misjudging DM? It is a very difficult question to answer. Also consider in a match if both teams are playing 4-5-1, is this the pattern of the future to have highly mobile and skilful attacking midfielders who can sprint forward, score and equally fall back to clog up the midfield when required? Are we seeing a fundamental change in the game just as Sir Alf Ramsay sprang on the world with his wingless wonders or (if you like) 4-3-3? Could it be that DM is collecting those players who can successfully operate this tactic and discarding those who have fallen short, such as Kilbane perhaps McFadden? Perhaps it is us the supporters who have been blinded by our own aspirations or hopes that have not had the foresight to appreciate that maybe, just maybe, DM has a masterplan. Of course, masterplans have to be kept secret otherwise they are useless. One cannot rightfully expect DM to reveal all. So yes, all us so-called doom-and-gloom merchants
should perhaps be a bit more cheerful and appreciate
that we do have a manager who does make mistakes but is
ahead of his time — and really is the
future. Get off his back There is a saying: "You can't put lipstick on a pig."
This is true in most cases, however, I feel Moyes did
this last season he turned a team full of grafters into
"a top-four side". It is time to back Davey Moyes in his
bid for silverware and I don't think we will be waiting
long. Less of the depression Robbie Keane for 7/8/10M? Nugent for 2M or more? I don't think these would be value. One respondent thinks we should have picked up Camara and Phillips. I certainly don't. Maybe Andy Johnson would have worked, but maybe not. Bellamy ditto. Govou was rumoured to be coming if we'd made CL, which would have fitted. But we didn't get through, so we missed out. Boro have spent over 30M in last few years looking for that 20-goal-a-season man, and it hasn't worked yet. We can't afford to do that. If we end up playing 4-3-3 with Davies and van der Meyde supporting from wings this year, that's a big improvement on 4-5-1 with Kilbane and Osman/Watson/Carsley last year. And if we stay as solid at the back, with extra attacking potential, then I'll be happy. So cheer up; Villarreal was a tough draw, that is what cost us the CL, not Moyes's dithering. If we can make it through next year, we'll be back in for the likes of Kuyt again. And maybe we'll get them then. But seriously, less of the depression. Eight [or five
anyway] decent signings. Not a bad summer's work. A little rational thinking, please 1. Keane: At first, didn't want to come. Then Spurs held up any deal because they couldn't sign the one from Livorno they were after. 2. Nugent: A diehard Blue, wants to come here but Preston slaps a silly 5M price tag on him. He's worth 1.5M tops and will be even cheaper in January if Preston's promotion hopes are fading. 3. Forssell: Talented, sure, but with a knee held together by little more than twine. One mistimed tackle and he's history. Definitely not worth the risk on our finances. 4. Bellamy: If a player starts demanding to be played in a certain position and wants to know who else you're signing before he will, who's running the team? The player or the manager? 5. Owen: Get serious. The fact he became a star at Anfield means he'd never sign for us. There's no way he'd subject his family to the resulting abuse. 6. Kuyt: 12M? If we'd gone for him (or Owen), would we have been able to land all the players who have improved the team in other areas: Valente, Ferrari, Neville and van der Meyde? 7. Anyone else: Were we even bidding on anyone else, or was it media drivel? Bottom line is we'll never know why none of these deals materialized unless Moyes himself tells us and I fail to see how any of the above are his 'fault.' And I believe it's far better to spread the goals throughout the team (and Beattie will start scoring in a 4-4-2 with improved service from/or a partnership with van der Meyde) than rely on one main man who could be lost through injury, which would set the club much farther back. This team has traded up a long way from the Ford
Focus that was two seasons ago, yet too many of us can
only see the fact the new model doesn't have a CD
player. There's gratitude for you! Yes, we were all hoping for another striker to give us some more attacking options, but you can't expect the manager to panic-buy when the right players obviously weren't available at the right price. DM has got to show faith in Beattie until Christmas at least — £6.5M demands that he does. Let's have some faith in the lad - Beattie is a
confidence striker, and history shows that the goals
tend to flow for him once he's got into the groove. And
to the wag who suggested that we had a decent
strike-force in our relegation years, you've got a very
short memory! Brett Angell, Paul Rideout, Stuart Barlow,
Daniel Amokachi, Ibrahima Bakayoko, Mickael Madar — all
mediocre at best, but mostly useless. The importance of being optimistic I went through the whole spectrum of emotions whilst spending the best part of a Wednesday with the circus that was the Sky Sports News Michael Owen love in. There was relief at the signing of van der Meyde, amusement as Sky Sports proclaimed how the Barcodes were the best fans in the world. Our team need our support, not our criticism leave that to the media. Moyes will not, should not, cannot afford to buy the wrong player for our team. We want players who are hungry for success, who are on the up, and that love the club (if such a player truly exists). I have to admit I was disappointed by there being a perceived lack of approach for Nugent, whilst I cant understand the mass hysteria surrounding party-boy Robbie Keane. Whilst I agree a striker is a priority, our existing ones contributed well to get us here and will now benefit from the increased creativity that our midfield possesses. OK, so maybe the Champions League seems a long way away, but relegation fodder were not. There are enough goals in the team to challenge for a Uefa cup place; this is a more realistic goal and something that we can sustain. Were running the risk of being buried under an avalanche of our own making. We all need a bit of a reality check. This is the best Everton side in years and easily better than last years team. Sure others have improved but so have we and its early days yet. We are the best fans in the league, we need to get behind the lads so they can come out all guns blazing; there will be time for inquests later. So what I'm saying is, be brave enough to be an optimist. In Moyes I still trust. Invisible signing? Wot!! No Striker!! Does anyone else seriously believe Everton FC offered
that cash for Michael Owen? I don't. I think it is all a
smoke-screen to keep us poor sods hoping and praying.
Anyone for cricket? Transfer window blues! Last season our back four did a good job but weir and Stubbs weren't getting any younger. We now have Yobo, Krøldrup, Ferrari and Weir to cover central defense with Valente finally pushing Pistone back onto the bench. The midfield is looking stronger than ever although we do miss Tommy. We don't appear to have a player who can grab hold of a game and control it like he did at the beginning of last season but the overall quality is much improved. Before we can risk playing a 4-4-2 we need to ensure that the defense and midfield are strong enough to cope without having Carsley or Neville just sitting in front of the back four. If we had of signed a top-class forward, who would we have wanted to drop from our midfield to allow him to play? Would Cahill or Arteta be dropped or would we look to drop our dedicated holding player? I don't see Cahill being half as effective in a 4-man midfield as he wouldn't be able to get forward as much as he would need to worry about defending more. My rambled point is that we have had a successful
season based on the 4-5-1 which suited the players that
we had at the time. We still don't appear to have a
group of players who would fit well into the 4-4-2 but
we are slowly getting there. Instead of attacking DM why
don't we appreciate the good players that he has signed
for us and get back to supporting the team! Moan, moan, moan We've come a long way under Moyes; highest place finish from 1996-97 to 2001-02 was 13th — they were the years (and there are a lot of them) when it was time to have a moan. Moyes has had us 7th and 4th (with one bad year in between) and built a squad of players that far out-ways the dross of the previous years. Moyes has built well, and a striker would have been the icing on the cake but that's not to be. Moyes believes Beattie is the man and I believe in Moyes. If he looked at other strikers but couldn't find one to suit then well do with what we have. All those banging on about Keane would do well to remember his contract is up next year so perhaps even a cut-price deal for him in January may still happen; our season wont be over by then (those thinking he is a 20-goal-a-season man, look again at his record: he's not!). This club is progressing under Moyes. Instead of
moaning, start getting behind the team the manager and
dare I say it on this website Bill Kenwright. Enough of
this negativity, give me some positive thoughts. The names of the players that Davie dithered over I'm in agreement that dithering David Moyes is to blame for the lack of a new striker. Christ, the man had 3 months to get it sorted out. Now, I realise that ToffeeWeb is privy to information that many fans do not have access to. But still, the comment below is unsubstantiated:
Please confirm the identity of the 5-10 players that
Moyes pursued only to change his mind on at the eleventh
hour. I would also like to say that your coverage of the
last week of transfer activity and speculation was
exceptional. Well done! A Striker??? Weir pushed another year out; Yobo, Naysmith and Hibbert stayed... and our newly acquired Krøldrup came in with a groin strain. I know eventually Pistone came back for that sweet sweet contract, which I'm sure by the way he is chuckling to himself about now as he sits at home with his feet up (for the next 6 months!). Thank god (Moyes) we got those two defenders in and Neville to cover... otherwise we'd have a back line as strong as David James's England record! As for up front I would like to see James Beattie earn a bit of the 6.5M we splashed on him, when he returns. Ferguson can cover; Vaughan looks promising;, Bent goes at it like rabbits in spring, god bless him... if only he scored a few more. And finally I still have a faith in McFadden, when he plays up front. To sum up we've got strikers for now that will
suffice, and if you're still panicking about up-front
well have a look at the nightmare we would have had at
the back if we hadn't had picked up Valente, Ferrari and
Neville (yes Neville for cover, although so far he has
impressed in midfield). van der Striker On a separate note did anyone else know we had signed
a Brazilian Midfielder on a free??? The lights have gone out I expressed doubts regarding Moyes in his dealings in the transfer market and his tactics. He has signed a number of players and (apart from and der Meyde) all have been defenders. Probably Moyes will alternate between Kilbane and vdM so whichever one is playing will be expected to contribute to the 4-5-1. Moyes is not about to abandon this tactic, in fact his signings and lack of a striker appear to reinforce this tactic. It strikes me that Moyes's philosophy is not to lose games but whatever happened to going out to win games? To get anywhere you have to win! Moyes is counting on repeats of last season and stealing 1-0 wins as at Reebock. But the evidence at Craven Cottage shows how risky this strategy is and reflects on how negative Moyes is. The players signed do show in some cases potential for the future. Those that have years on their side but Neville and Valente? They may well be good additions for a year or two. Valente was forced on Moyes because of Pistone's injury. Moyes suddenly knew he needed a left back but didn't have a clue. It was clearly Mourhino who came to his aid. If Pistone had not been injured there would have been no Valente. What about Boumo though, just shows again Moyes lack of knowledge of players. As for Neville, I think this has something to with Moyes being quite chummy with Sir Alex. We needed a striker, this was common knowledge and when you look at the names that were linked, what happened. Moyes happened, I think this highlights his defense orientation and his poor knowledge of players. To hear when we it is common knowledge that we need a striker that on deadline day, Moyes was out buggering about says it all. He had clearly given up, why because he is so indecisive and rather than face up to it walks away. Whilst Moyes has built up some foundation with the players signed, he seems to lack that little something to be able to step up onto the next rung, call it what you like flair, spark or imagination. It just does not seem to be there. Perhaps it is now time to find a manager who has that little bit extra. It could be argued with the players that Smith had available and signed or Royle before, that a nucleus was there but all went downhill, so it could easily happen again this season. But this summer has been well I don't know what. I mean to ring Owen up when Toons have just agreed 17M with Real and apparently to pay Owen 60k to 90k per week. I ask you, Moyes really is a JERK. Before anybody carps on about Moyes taking us to 4th, remember he also very nearly had us relegated! However support the players we have in the coming
months because they are going to need it. Doom and Gloom I don`t think Robbie Keane was ever available, Spurs are missing Mido for a few games and have sold Kanoute so I don`t think Spurs wanted to sell. I also have some niggling doubts that he would have been what is needed, he is a very good player but not ideal for Beattie. Nugent was a risky buy; he has had a couple of very good months then all of a sudden he is the answer? Owen turned us down as did Kuyt, that leaves Benni McCarthy who I think would have been a decent signing but again Moyes obviously sees something about the deal he doesn`t like.... Apart from those players there isn`t much quality around at this time. I say Moyes was right: better to keep the powder dry till January when more players will be available. Don`t underestimate what an impact van der Meyde could have on the team; he is very versatile being able to play on both wings and behind a striker.... and it was heartening to hear him say in his interview yesterday that he is happy to play in all those positions I wouldn`t be surprised to see him deployed in a free role just behind Beattie; although Osman could do it, I have a sneaking suspicion that Moyes may have this role set out for van der Meyde. He is a quality player who was rated at £5M just a couple of years ago... obviously for different reasons his career hasn`t gone the way he wanted, but yesterday he sounded very keen to kick-start his career again and I think he might have a massive impact in the months to come, especially the home games when at times I have felt we have needed a creative spark. So yes, we are all a bit gutted a striker wasn`t signed but in van der Meyde I feel we have a very important part of the jigsaw and I sure over the next few months he will prove an inspired signing by Moyes. I for one am extremely excited to see how the new
signings blend into the team. Jesus Wept Moyes didn't buy a striker because he didn't feel that anybody was available who was better than what we have already got. Simple. I would imagine it is not easy trying to secure the services of new players prior to a deadline. The selling club would have insufficient time to acquire their own replacement and therefore will not sell other than for silly money. We came 4th last season relying largely upon Bent and Ferguson up front. A fit Beattie can be added into the mix at some stage and allied to the potential of Vaughan. The remainder of the squad has been strengthened significantly. I presume those having a go at Moyes
are the same people who wrote letters to
him last summer slagging him off?
Perhaps you would prefer Walter Smith
back? I'm sure he would have conjured up
a £5M super-striker for us before
the deadline?
Peter Rea, Bangor, Co Down (1/9/05) Letter of the Day, and no mistake! Strikers' graveyard A few facts may illustrate the problem:
The system Moyes plays is geared to
stop the others scoring and if we nick
one... well that's the icing on the
proverbial. What I would say to all
blues fans is, please don't blame
Beattie, Bent or anyone else playing in
the opponents half — we really should feel
sorry for them. What the ... ? Dithering Dave? More like obstinate Dave. What use is a team of midfielders and defenders? He has neglected his duty and we will pay dearly for this. Bent is useless as a goalscorer, Dunc too old and Beattie, a total waste of money. Interestingly, Baros scores on his debut and Nugent knocks in two in his last game. What would we give for someone like that? It is about time blues came to their senses and protested at:
I disliked Lee and his tactics/attitude towards flair players and Moyes looks to be the same. One final rant. This man refuses to countenance a striker of the ability of Forssell yet signs injury prone players for fun (Davies, Beattie, Wright, Naysmith etc). I think he has taken us as far as he
can and we need to get rid of him and
Billy Bullshit before we revert to
relegation-haunted Everton again. Why the panic? Nail in the coffin ? Moyes has addressed the more urgent concerns of the back line and wing and has made some very impressive signings, yet it seems that everyone's forgotten about that already. We certainly haven't gone backwards in terms of the calibre of the players in the squad. Give these guys a go. See how they gel first. I am sure the next thing on Moyes's mind is a striker. The team will lose a few in the beginning. I have no doubts about that. That is not necessarily due to lack of a striker. Incorporating 6 new players into an already tightly knit unit will take time. Couple of the guys won't even be ready to play by the end of September. Now Moyes can focus purely on
football (at least till January). Let's
leave him to what he does best ... Wake me up in 2006! The facts are, he has spent around £25M since last January but we have no decent strikers. He was over-confident that the Champions League qualifiers would lead to players knocking his door down and so has dallied all summer. We could easily have had Darren Bent, Henri Camara, Kevin Phillips and Nugent...all for around 8M, that's just 4 off the top of my head who would have given us pace, skill and threat. The best we can hope for are some closely contested, dour wins between now and the end of the year, with probably one or two good home performances. I'd be surprised if we even get close to the top 4 again this season and I really believe you can't blame the Board this time as they really have backed him with a lot more money than most Premiership managers have spent. He appears to not relate to flair players and as another writer wrote, I've always had an inkling that his relationship, or lack of, with Wayne Rooney certainly played a part in him leaving so soon. Flair players almost seem to be an afterthought to our manager and can you really blame Robbie Keane not wanting to come and play in a Moyes style of team? The writing is on the wall and if we
are in the bottom half at Christmas its
Moyes's fault, end of. New Striker No Striker "We tried to get Smith" and this
season "We tried to get Owen" Give it a
rest. The Board are very happy at
keeping Everton a mid-table side and
don't forget if things go wrong, it will
be Mr Moyes that gets the chop, not our
Board and Blue Billy. Ha, my Arse.
Sorry, folks, same old story. What a let down We got beaten by the Mancs, why?
Don't ask. What happened at Fulham?
Bolton was smash and grab but we were
soooooooo lucky. Approach play has
improved but defence has been shaky to
say the least. What will Moyesy play
now? 1. (Nige); 4 defenders (if we can
get them fit); and 6 in midfield. I'm
off to bed now but don't know if I will
get any sleep. |
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ToffeeWeb Letters from
August 2005 |
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