ToffeeWeb MailBag |
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 ToffeeWeb Letters from
September 2005 |
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Wind-up merchants? And whilst I`m greatly encouraged by our getting four points from the last two League games, many of our shortcomings were still very much in evidence and I`m still pissed off about the way we were rolled over by Borough last week. Team spirit and effort are, of course, vital ingredients in the mix, but, and it`s a very big 'but', we shall not climb the table unless we SCORE GOALS!!! So, in the euphoria surrounding the return to 4-4-2,let's not forget that our fantastic `Bruise Brothers` have still only managed an own goal and a penalty between them this season. Oh, and another thing, Van the Man may actually be CLASS but he has played less games in the last seven seasons than Darren `Sicknote` Anderton, so we may not see that much of him. So call me a curmudgeon, if you like, but we`ve been here before - so
let`s be little more measured with the praise and optimism if you don't
mind. Get a grip, boys As for Matt Willey of Northants saying we won the FA Cup in 1995 playing shite football,did you go to Elland Road in the semis and watch us destroy Spurs 4-1 with the best football we have ever played? Then to beat Man Utd in the final was a dream. There is no way any one can make comparisons between this current
bunch of lightwieghts and the boys of 1995. It's just not on. Chefs Choice If anyone can shed some light on that and why the groundsman wasn't getting rid of the leaves before that would be helpful IMWT One swallow doesn't make a pint Is it me? Am I being too negative? I was happy we won at Birmingham. It was a crucial win. But the outpouring of self-congratulary nonsense following it is making me heave. We fielded one of the most attacking line-ups David Moyes could field and we scored one goal against one of the poorest performing teams in the Premiership. And that goal came from a goalkeeping error following a long range effort that had "Hail Mary" written all over it. Okay, so the prayer was answered. But I'd like to see some attacking creativity with some conversion at the end of it. Beattie incidentally, almost gave the whole circus away - again -
with a totally unnecessary bull in a china shop foul just outside the
area. Not impressed. Onwards and Upwards (Hopefully) The most important thing is making sure that it is not another false dawn like the Bucharest home game. I read on this site that “top 6 is a possibility.” Whilst that is true it is also a long, long way off yet. I would hope that going into Christmas we are around 12th place. This to me would mark that we have found a bit of consistency and are looking to be on the way up. If come the January window we were to sign Keane and Gravesen (who said that he would never play for another English club other than Everton) then we would be in a position to rest Cahill and use Big Dunc as he should be used: coming off the bench. Add to this a new right back (although Hibbert is a good player he needs cover). To move forward, why not bring in a better player and use the existing player as cover? This is surely the best way to improve your team gradually? I reckon that Glen Johnson is a quality player who is having trouble with both Chelsea and brick walls, but the reason he’s having these problems are lack of first-team opportunities, I’m sure that Chelsea would be willing to sell or even to loan with an option at the end of it. Also I know we haven’t been linked with this player but Mathew Upson’s contract is up at the end of the season; if Birmingham are still down at the bottom in January they may want to cash in. Now this is the long shots of all long shots and I have been playing football manager too long but Crespo’s contract is also up at the end of the season! We don’t have a hope in hell of getting him but I’m just trying to state the caliber of players that are available at knock-down prices. I don’t believe that all of these deals will happen but we can still
dream and rumor their possibility. If Owen signed for Newcastle then
anything is possible. Of course we could get stuffed against Boro and go
bottom again, but lets enjoy a win when we get it, and look onwards and
upwards. I still have faith in Moyes and think to get rid would be
stupid. So let’s hope we really have turned the proverbial corner. Optimism Keep me smiling One other thing: I've noticed a few people going on about style of
play. I've only been supporting the toffees since 1991, so I've been
well acustomed to boring/crap football right from the start. So I've
learnt to care only about the result; as long as they win I don't care
how they do it. If they do play well, it's a bonus. Just keep me in
bragging rights... and keep me smiling! Dave Charles & Mike Price On paper (and hopefully soon on pitch) we have a very good side — particularly when they are all fit and firing on all cylinders... the team at least have shown that they are now capable of getting results (long may it continue) — even if it takes a backs-to-the-wall performance. The truth is that Royle played this way too and nobody will deny it. Even the great sides of the mid-80s had highly combative players such as Gray, Van den Hauwe and Reid who were just as much about hard-yards and harder tackling than slick passing or dribbling. Yet, I don't think we are short on class: Van der Meyde, Arteta, Cahill, Yobo, Neville — even ,dare I say it, Beattie, Valente, Davies, Osman and McFadden (given some more encouragement). All these players are going to be around for a while to come, and they are all Moyes's players. When it gels it will gel brilliantly. But Rome wasn't built in a day and to accuse them of playing shite and unattractive football just isn't productive (shall we cross-off the FA Cup victory in 95 cos it wasn't pretty football???). We can start playing School of Science stuff when we are guaranteed to be safe every season and have a squad of 30 players to choose from week in, week out. For the moment I don't care how we win, I just want to see us win - first and foremost! Be honest even fucking Chelsea were accused of the very same 'dull /
unattractive' thing not a month ago! Yes; It would be lovely to see an
Everton side demolish a top side 4-0 playing attractive football but
until such a time I am happy with scrappy 1-0s. We are now more likely
to see an attractive performance from the players we currently have on
our books than the ones we had previously under Wally. Cause for optimism Superstitions He's only two but I took him to wigan game and got him the home and
away strips. But we lost as he still had those trainers on. So I thought
"Enough's enough!" — went to town and brought him the first pair of
plain blue and white trainers I could find. No sooner had he taken his
old trainers off, we went a goal up, no lie. Needless to say, I dont
want to see him in those again. Honestly things like that matter far
more than tactics! Better, but still some way to go! Unfortunately his lack of match fitness resulted in him being subbed for Kilbane early in the second half. Kilbane, true to his form, lost the ball numerous times, cocked up a great breakaway and missed a sitter, which wasn't shown on TV for some reason. We created enough chances to have won the game 3-0, but 1-0 and three points will do all day long. The defence was solid with Yobo mopping up almost everything and Neville securing the dodgy left-back role. If we can continue to build on the last two league performances, there is no reason why we can't be out of the shit before christmas. Obviously there's a long way to go, but with players coming back to fitness, a bit of confidence now regained and competition for places, we should be climbing out of the depths. I overheard a few Everton lads who collared Kenwright at St Andrews ask him "Where's the Rooney money?" He replied, "Apart from the £24 million we've already spent you mean?" and walked away. Fair comment Bill, but what about the £9M for our 4th-place finish,
the £250k-400k for each time we're on the box, the record season ticket
sales, the extra sponsorship money for 4th place, the £2½M for Tommy
Grav, massive new kit sales, etc etc. All we want is a proven striker as
a late crimbo present, so get your hand in your pocket and get us a
quality goalscorer, you Nugget! Richard Dodd: Wait till May... At Birmingham, we played a team in a situation like ourselves and came out winners. The season is going to be like this until the end and in May let us see then. We don't have time to try fancy football now, and I don't think we have the players to try it. The fancy football should have been planned pre-season. Instead we started with what we finished last season and were found out. I'm not saying sack Moyes now but this season I have witnessed total shyte too many times already. If we stay up in May, and make no excuses, it's going to be tight. Is he the man to take us further as most of the players here now cannot be blamed on Walter Smith? Good football bings a good atmosphere, not only to the fans but the
players as well. It's simple but we make it look hard. Reach for the stars! Feel I might even be able to add a fourth to the list tomorrow because they all tell me that Villa are as crap as Birmingham! Shame, though, as it`s taken our Manager two months to discover Phil
Neville is a great left back but if Andy Pandy can go the distance in
front of him, I have a feeling 16th or 17th is not beyond us! Reach for
the stars, I say! My fault It's down to me — just me. For years I followed a ritual on match days of making my first morning coffee in a Charity Shield winning mug and it seemed to work reasonably well. In August I bought a 1966 Cup winners mug and have been using that for the match day ritual since then. Yesterday I decided to revert back to the original mug to see if it would have any effect and... well you know what happened, we won! So all this season's problems have been down to me after all and nothing to do with the litany of excuses listed above. I can only apologise again, hold my head in shame and promise that only the Charity Shield mug will be used in future. Just watch us go now! ps Will I get a letter from Rob Fox pleading for me to be given more
time? In My Coffee Mug We Trust! Any room on the bus? Birmingham were abysmal and we were little better. Talk all you will about the Moystro opting for two up front, neither of the so-called `Bruise Brothers` seem to know when to shoot or even where the bloody goal is! Getting up to flick balls to nobody and `holding the ball up` does not, in itself, constitute the striker`s role and if Moyes didn`t know that before the season started, he couldn`t have been paying attention last season! So can we please keep things in perspective; surely our aspirations
haven`t fallen so far at Everton that avoiding relegation is the only
measure of achievement? IMWT--- you bet! Here's to the positives In our position each tweak either way influences reaction so let's get positive, folks — until such time as 1-0 is 0-1. UP THE BLUES Stephen Burton Anyway we won today... we can all be happy for once, even if it does
mean delaying Mr Moyes's departure! Rob Fox Talks Some Shite Early on his piece, Rob writes "I don't believe David Moyes should be sacked but clearly something has to change..." This had me intrigued, as I initially assumed that Rob would then actually suggest some changes that could be made. Errrm...he didn't bother to. My question is the blindingly obvious one. With the transfer window slammed shut, exactly what should we change without changing the manager? All Rob seems to do is ask "Who do you think can do better?" He then makes a pretty piss poor case for their being nobody. Well aren't you even worse Rob? At least the fans calling for Moyes's head can suggest a change that could be made to improve results. You concede that changes need to be made, then don't bother to specify what! {Oh, and then rubbish the one suggestion that has been made}. I know you're a true Blue Rob - and I respect that. But I honestly feel the club has enough paid apologists on its books. Everton FC really don't need an enthusiastic amateur to defend the shite the paying public is being served. A fortuitous three points is better than an unlucky defeat, but don't
let that fool anyone out there. We're still in it - the shit that is -
and we're in it pretty deep. Mike Price Last chance Mr Moyes If we were at least scoring the odd goal I would be a little happier, but we are not. Well Davie, you have been saying for our season starts here for the last 6 games; now it really does! If we lose today, I think you should do the honurable thing and resign. I was as chuffed as anybody last season with fourth place, I even bet
my eldest son we were certs for relegation at the start of the season,
and I quite happily ate my words. Now I am saying it again, and this
time I can't see a way out. Please lets get 3 points today, and get out
of this mess, I can't take much more. The Annual Appraisal However, we cannot ignore our present plight and regardless of personal feelings of affection towards the man, the real focus of my football life is our great club, Everton. With this in mind, it has to be inevitable, therefore, that without massive improvement there will have to be a change at the top. Otherwise, the Leeds scenario so well set out by an earlier correspondent will be horribly re-enacted at Goodison. But when to draw the line? In my job, the annual appraisal takes place immediately after
Christmas when my own performance is looked at in the context of the
company`s results over the year just finished. That, I submit is the
timescale on which any decision about the Manager`s position should be
made. Until then, he will retain my support and I urge all Evertonians
to think likewise. Devils Advocate Still it's nice to hear such positivity, definately from 'the glass is half-full' brigade, and I'm sure all of us hope he's right and that all this support of Moyes doesn't just keep him lingering at our club until we are completely doomed. Trouble is, he asks in his article.. that compared to the past, is it really that bad? Yes it really fucking is! I'm 40-ish too and have seen good and bad, but no-one has ever screwed up such a fantastic opportunity to move us forward. Okay, part of that opportunity came from our 4th place finish, which was partly down to him, partly luck, other teams failings, underdog players forming a spirit, as well as other factors. He says no-one moaned when we were playing crap football but getting results... Well, lots of us hated the style, but saw it as the only option considering the quality of our players; it was a stepping-stone to the future. So we finally get into a position to move forward — 4th place credibility, extra money from that, the Rooney money — and what happens? he self-destructs. Overpays for journeymen — bad in itself but as an aside, destroys team spirit and harmony. Playing a fat, clearly unsuitable James Beattie as a solo striker in place of the 'impressive ('til Christmas)' Bent, was the first example of this. Signing players back on like Weir, Kilbane, Naysmith and Pistone who are just not good enough to move us forward, whilst letting the one good character squad player leave under a cloud. He assumes CL qualification will have quality players beating a path to Goodison; a clear mistake that led to no striker being signed when it was our number 1 priority. It wasn't just the loveable Mr Green that saw the writing on the wall... The fact that Wigan outplayed us at home is virtually a sackable offence by itself. It's not that we have slowly been left behind by the evolution of 'new football'; it's because — despite spending 10 times what Wigan have — we are left with a pathetic squad that, in Rob Fox's own words,'currently only lacks pace and power'!! Is it just hindsight which tells us that Camara and Darren Bent have pace and power... and that James Beattie doesn't!? It isn't just the fact that we're bottom, play terrible football and couldn't get a fraction of the money back if we tried to sell on; it's the fact that many people are allowing this fully developed crisis to tick along with not one thing having improved since Walter's last game at 'Boro. Still perhaps there's no-one out there that could do a better
job!!... They may even make it worse!! CMON YOU BLUES! Let's face it, our current plight is down to a lack of fire power. No decent strikers = no goals = no points, it's as simple as that. Pick up a decent amount of points for the remainder of the year and buy a good striker for Christmas; we're safe. If neither occur, I'll worry about that at the time. Changing managers won't get the striker we need. Hopefully Big Dunc
with give Brucey and his arrogant Board (remember our Robbie Savage bid)
a scare and bring home 3 points. Either that or its Forsell banging in a
brace. It's Friday so I'm feeling good - I'll take the first option. Turn out the light I ask because I admit to throwing in the towel after we lost to Tranmere. I never set foot inside Goodison until the Fulham game (Moyes's first in charge) and have been ever-present ever since. That period was dire for me on a personal level and I was frustrated by the gates we continued to get under that idiot. If everyone had taken that stand, the change would have happened sooner; lack of money talks. However, I felt isolated and gutted at not following my beloved club. I was a fraud, not a real fan anymore. Judging by the mailbag, as Rob Fox highlights, all of a sudden people are in uproar at the state of the football on show (18 years too late...). So I return to my question, do I stay or go? Only sing when were winning? If it's time to walk in protest, will the last one out please turn
out the light.... and then what? Rob Fox Rob, please keep up the good work; it is appreciated —even if your
most recent article's starting paragraph is your current opinion of fans
reading your column. PLEASE! Words of wisdom from the wife Anyway, during the match we had brought Marcus Bent on to the pitch, and he was doing his normal chasing of the ball down the Gwladys Street end. Eventually he got hold of the ball and was doing everything but having a shot, when my wife turned to me and said in all seriousness, "Why doesn't he just score?". Now I had no answer to this... why doesn't he just score? Why waste so much energy running around players, then either being tackled or making a bad pass? Can anyone answer my wife's question? Rob Fox's column I too have been accused of similiar on the forums. Since when was stepping back and taking the long view, detaching yourself from reality? It's easy to understand the passion being built up with every bad result, and the human condition of a wide spectrum of the fans means, they can only move on when blame is apportioned and dealt with! There is more to football, indeed life, than cold hard statistics.
They are merely symptoms, not the cause. Ask any doctor: it's much
easier to spot a symptom than a cause. Love hurts Now it`s my turn to suffer as, every day, he points out the similarities between us:-
Meriel Lampitt, Harrogate (28/10/05) Where are you now, kidda? Where are you, lads? I don't want to incite a slanging match, far from it. I would like to hear the latest rant in favour of Ginge. I fear it has come to a head now. Even the diehards are starting to question the "Moysiah's" ability. Admit it, lads: you can't back him for much longer... surely? I want Everton to win games as much as the next blue, but I, along with a load of other blues, could see this coming 4 games into this season, and for most of the arse end of last season. In a piece I wrote the other day, I wrote that teams like Derby, Coventry, Man City, Bolton etc all have new stadia and are making efforts to "move with thte times"... while EFC are stuck in a timewarp. The regime in place at the moment has not taken us there (the damage was done long before) but they have ensured we've stayed there, and that is where we will continue to stay unless a radical turnaround is put into place at the earliest opportunity. Blue Bill wont sack Moyes. Remember, Smith left by "mutual consent"
because Kenwright loved him. Bill's standards do not even come close to
mine. Why is he still in charge? We've got no fucking chance while he's
there. Poor Directors, poor Mananger, poor coaches, poor players. End of
story. Sort the fucking drivel and put us all out of our 20-year misery,
Bill. What`s changed,Rob? Well, what's changed then, Rob? You better believe it! "I know, for an absolute fact, having sat next to Bill Kenwright both when Everton have won and lost that he has total faith in David Moyes and even if a fatality should happen — I mean relegation, although we don't think of that at Goodison — he will stay with him on the basis that 'you got us into this, so you get us out!`" So now you know - and you better believe it! Taking the Piss More serious than I first thought I've put on here a few times that the football tactics are negative and need to improve for us to score. What I watched last night was enough for me to see that things won't improve. No matter who is in charge there are players at Everton who just cannot pass to save their lives. Hibbert, Kilbane, MacFadden just cannot pass, even an easy lay off is hard work. Well, we're stuck with them and the endless hopeful hoofs that go with them. Beattie tried but service to him was poor. Davies saw nothing of the ball in the second half as the ball was just hoofed past him and I think he was glad to get off. I honestly cannot see how we will improve even if we had the world's
best coach. (No Bill, we don't already have him.) With players who have
poor ability and lack pace, that lingering toothache feeling will get
more painful every weekend. Disappointed I have long since given up hope of hearing an Everton manager saying
things like, 'I was really delighted with the quality of our passing,
the speed of our movement and the intelligence in running off the
ball... and I think our fourth goal exemplified that!' With the current
regime... in my dreams! Latest Poll. The players? They have in my view, not shown the commitment that started last season’s run of good form. They always seem to run out of steam after 60 minutes & their skills in general, seem to be under par. Moyes's tactics? The persistence of the 4/5/1 & choice of starting players always amazes me. The last 2 games, the change of that formation seems to have improved slightly, but the choice of starting line-up has merely negated the possibility of attacking strongly & getting those illusive goals. Moyes's transfer dealings? I think we all know that there were failings in not signing a decent striker. Enough said. Lack of investment (Board)? During the summer, there were funds available, but what of the previous seasons when there was promised funding that never materialised? Bad luck? OK, so we have had our fair share of that. Disallowed goals & claims of penalties, but no more than most clubs. Injuries? This is the main factor IMHO. When all of the first team choices are available, the team most suited to killing off the opposition should be chosen. For example, against Chelsea, a strong & committed defence helped secure the draw. Against lesser teams, a more attacking strategy is required if Everton are to gain the points required to avoid relegation. So, my vote is for a combination of ‘all of the above’. I still feel that Moyes will be gone by Christmas if things don’t turn around. However, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this doesn’t happen & that by then, we will at least be out of the relegation zone. Just a final message for Moysie if he’s online (doubt he ever looks
in here but hey, you never know). If Thomas Gravesen becomes available
during the transfer window, do not revert to ‘dithering Davie’ again.
Sign him! Just A Quick One Well I'm shitting myself now; there goes another 3 points. Sorry I
mustn't be so negative. Err... Come on Killa, you've got my full
support. There, that's better! Let's be serious Shurely shum misftayke, eh, Ed? Not funny any more Under Davey Moyes we have become the football equivalent of Norway at snooker, France at darts or Saudi Arabia at ice hockey... How much lower can this guy take us? How bad do you need to be at your job to get the bullet these days? Last night was the limit for me, listining to Middlesboro fans laughing at us at Goodison Park — not Man Utd or Arsenal fans... fucking Boro fans! What the fuck is going on? Any one out there who still thinks Moyes needs more time to turn it around, put down your crack pipe and get some rehab! It's insane allowing this joker to self-destruct at our expense, get him out of here so he can learn his trade in the Conference League. Tha'ts where most of his signings belong anyway. If we lose our next game, like we are all expecting, Moyes should
quit out of embarrasment. Don't hold your breath. Master Plan revealed Heard it on the grapevine Things can only get better (surely?) How long are we to endure what we are witnessing? The longer this run goes the easier it will be to plan my flights to Cardiff, Southampton, etc. Moyes, should have no more than 5 more games for things to improve. He can't keep kidding the fans saying confidence is high... Bullshit, the stats don't lie. The only good thing about this season is that Liverpool are doing
almost as bad!! Come on Blues make my journey more worthwhile than just
the Duty Free section. Time for a change.... I've always been a Moyes fan, he used to look hurt after we lost, show passion on the touch line. Now you can see he has empty eyes, the fire has gone, he's a rabbit caught in the relegation headlights. If we don't act quickly and replace that rabbit, he and our dear football club will be flat out against the road. But replace him with who? It's not hard to decide that; if ever
anything happens for a reason, this is it. Burley is a free man; let's
hope he doesn't find a new club before we need him... Take her if you will! Look at Sunday; she was full of promises and gave it her all and I went home feeling we had - at last - got it together. But then, last night, she let's some twat from the North East go all the way with her and left me desolate. The problem is she lacks real class and rolls over for anybody. So
take her to Brum, by all means, but don`t expect her to give YOU what
you`re after! Am I being cruel? After a bright start, then the inevitable happens: they score, and we go to bits. But my little lad is still sitting there with a big smile on his face, looking proud to just be there, like all us fans must have felt at our first game. After the game, he said he can,t wait for his next game.When we got home he couldn't wait to tell his mum, he was so excited. His mum then turns to me (she is a Man Utd fan by the way) and says, "Is it right to be condemning our son to a lifetime of misery, heartache and pain, which no doubt Everton will give to him? After that I lay in bed awake for about an hour, wondering if I had
done the right thing taking him. Because Everton are like the devil;
when they get a grip of your soul, they don't let go. Whatever next... This defiance to take note of the events which are unfolding is puzzling. What does Nil Satis Nisi Optimum mean anymore? If I hear "Don't forget, this is the same bunch of lads who got us into fourth place 3 months ago" once more I think I'll be sick. It's like staring down the barrel of a shotgun with this team. Why can't a team which probably costs near £500k a week in wages score a goal? It's disgraceful! I don't care what needs to be done, but it needs to be done fast. If it means bringing in a mentor, do it. If it means wiping the slate clean and starting afresh, then do it. If you are as blue as you say you are Bill, sort this crap out. It's
your responsibility. Even if they won't admit as much, the IMWT brigade
wont stay resolute for much longer. Davies - inspired signing? He doesn't look like he has the stomach or performances for the fight that lies ahead. He was on the official site months ago saying crap like "If we don't win soon the pressure will be really on." Hmmm... well, mate it's getting to fever pitch now. We've had Blue Bill saying how wonderful Davie and the players are and Moyes backing them all to come good with "more hard work on the training ground" but it would be nice to hear things like "Davies was shite last night, he deserves a right slap". I know it will never happen, honesty and football dont mix. On a side note how long have we got until this season is almost unrecoverable? How long has Davie got?? Will Bill ever make a serious sincere statement about the current plight of EFC??? Will Davies have a good/average game???? Answers on a postcard to........ Roll on Saturday! What we so desperately lack is class, and all that remains is the desperate, desperate hope that the introduction of Van der Meyde and Krøldrup `The Benchwarmer` can somehow supply that vital ingredient. Truth to tell, if they don`t do it over the next month, methinks it will be too late. So it`s off to bed with the thankfully short trip to Birmingham to
look forward to on Saturday. And, believe it or not, I am looking
forward to it because my Brummie neighbour tells me they are absolutely
dire. So maybe, just maybe, as the Man keeps telling us, `Our season
starts here.` .... Or not! Meanwhile back in Bill's world... "Off the pitch massive, gigantic, huge strides have been made in securing substantial investment into this glorious, magnificent, famous club. I can promise fans this, there will be a massive and I mean massive investment into the club from a group of die-hard Blues in the next 24 hours. That's all I can say. We haven't said anything yet because we don't like to talk ourselves up via the media at this club. Just look at our transfer dealings, the first time anyone gets to hear about them is when we parade the new signing. "In my view, actions speaker far louder than words and that's what I've always practised and believed in with this massive and I mean massive club. The glory years are here again. I know it, Davey knows it and all real blues know it. We may be out of the Champions League, The Uefa Cup, the League Cup and bottom of the Premiership but these are all minor blips and it's only October. "Remember the glory games, Bolton away, Chelsea at home and don't forget Bucharest on one of our magical and famous European nights. So we may have lost 11 of our 14 games this year and failed to score in 8 of them. But let's not forget that this team finished 4th last year (Copyright David Moyes 2005). "Ok we may only have won 3 of our last 14 games last season and that
makes it 5 wins in 28 games since 6th Feb. But remember we have only
failed to score in 14 of those 28 games so that's a 50% scoring success
record. We have scored a massive 22 goals and only conceded 45 in those
28 games. Yes the facts speak for themselves and the fact is this great,
proud and massive club is back where we belong." My views on the game Van der Meyde got 30 mins and showed that he can cross a good ball and let his teamates know in no uncertain terms of how best to supply him. Despite some late on efforts — none more worthy than Mikel's free kick — we didn't really threaten and that is a worry. Come Saturday it will be a different game so lets just hope with a few adjustments we will have something to cheer. I hope we will give it a good go as I dont want us just getting up for the games against the big teams. In our position, points are vital against all teams. See you Saturday. UP THE BLUES D-Day Looms I was a self-confessed Moyes fan at the start of the season and still believe that he should be given a chance to turn things around; after all, I don’t think there’s a Blue out there who wasn’t far happier with the squad at the start of this season than they were at the same stage last season. It’s dead easy now to be critical; everybody’s an expert with the benefit of hindsight and all that. Sure, most of the contributors to this board voted on your poll at that time that not signing a striker would cost us, but we’d all have accepted no new striker had our start not been so poor. Anyway, Moyes fan or not, this run cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely and there must come a point in time when enough is judged to be enough. No more points on the board following the West Brom game in November (only 3 games away and very possible given our current inability to defend and score!) would mean that we’ve played a third of our games with roughly a tenth of the points required to keep us in the Premier League. Very simple sums that don’t add up. It’s fine arguing that there’s no-one to replace Moyes, but that argument will carry very little weight when we’re travelling to Cardiff and Brighton for away games next season. Although he has my full support (pending immediate future results!) – surely the best option is to be decisive and at least give ourselves a chance of survival. Whether this is by bringing in somebody to work alongside Moyes (ala Venables & Robson at Boro a few years ago) or by banking on the impetus that a new manager normally brings, I don’t know and I’m fortunate enough not to have to make a decision of that magnitude. Either way, D-Day is looming and it’s looking increasingly likely
that such a decision will need to be made - bright young manager or not,
the survival of our club in the Premier League is this season’s number
one priority. Moyes must go now Here was a competition there for the taking... Well I wish someone had of told this to Moyes as in all honesty I don't think we will win another match with while he is in charge. "Over the top" you say; I don't think so... It is time to have a shake-up all over the club, from top to bottom. The club is rotten, mistreating the fans, a heartless defeatist team on the pitch, an inept manager leading them, and sections of the crowd clinging on to wee Moyesie... awwwwwwww! No, I'm afraid with Moyes in charge we will be in the Nationwide... but "We'll sign a striker in the transfer window!!!" Will we? They wouldn't come when we were offering them Champions League; I'm sure there must be some supporters who agree with me. Lastly here is something for the pro-Moyes gang: Moyes thinks Kilbane
is good enough to wear the Royal Blue jersey that Kendall, Harvey, Ball,
Young, Dean, Reid, Southall, Ratcliffe, Watson, Sheedy once wore...
Ferguson still wears... I rest my case. Moyes's supporters Two years ago we had our lowest ever Premiership points total and this season promises to be even worse. We go out in the first round of practically every cup competition, play negative, predictable football and are unable to score. After four years in charge and spending all our money, he's guided us to the bottom of the league. Being an Everton fan is about following Everton, it's not about any
individual player or manager. This seventy odd per cent who are loyal to
Moyes are responsible for the demise of the club they pretend to
support. They are following him at the expense of the club. What do you expect? A goal? He was in the wrong place every single time. There was plenty of good service to the centre. Not only did he not work hard enough up front, his laziness led directly to Middlesbrough's goal. The man is a striker alright - the problem is he's on strike. I know
we can't get him off the books after David Moyes's psychological and
financial investment in him, but can you at least take the useless
carthorse off the masthead? Rubbish! NO GOALS.... NO HOPE..... Biggest critic can be biggest fan Firstly, I would just like to point out that, despite gaining a creditable point against Chelsea, we are still rock bottom of the league. This makes us the worst team in the league regardless of any excuses, i.e. injuries, Collina, luck, Kilbane's haircut, etc. Therefore any criticism is totally merited and is generally designed to suggest ways in which we can improve the current debacle. Many of the fans lambasting us for our criticism seem to be in some
gross form of denial and it seems to me they would rather watch us
struggle than give a critical analysis of the situation and suggest a
way that we could make things better. Have people never heard of the
notion that your biggest critic can also be your biggest fan?Those of us
criticising the current regime are doing so because we want to see our
team succeed, not because we are eternal pessimists. Polls Apart They may argue that he hasn't had the players to produce good football but he's spent a decent enough wedge to assemble a team that should be able to play some occasional good stuff. I just don't think he has the nouse; no matter what players he has at his disposal, it won't make a blind bit of difference. Also it would have been interesting to see the same poll result before the Chelsea game and if we had lost at Bolton which if we are honest should have been a defeat and would have left us on zero. I really want DM to be a success but it ain't gonna happen regardless
of the time / funds provided for him. I really for fear for us and hope
somebody at the top lightens up soon. Get Real! Then there's people saying 'I told you so' about Moyes. Give your head a shake... we were at home, we played piss poor football but competed, we were lucky to draw, and are still bottom of the league, yet Moyes is a genius! When are people going to realise the Emperor is stark bollock naked! I can't believe we celebrate a draw as if we've just won the derby or
a cup final... well that's great for lemmings, but for the Evertonians
who expect decent football, assured top flight status and the occasional
chance to win something, it just is not good enough. This is just one
long nightmare, that according to your Moyes happy poll, is only being
truly endured by a minority who see the writing on the wall. ToffeeWeb Poll: Another Reason If he had allowed the goal in Villarreal, I think it would all have
been different. Bit like the good luck we got at Palace at the start of
last season. Sorry we don't all moan all the time Sorry some of us choose a slightly more positive slant, where it's
due (not very often this season I concede), on the lads. You don't
become a shit team overnight (this has been going on for years). One
game and we're 17th. Be happy! Whingers and whiners Why do you lot bother to follow the team? You hate the players, the
chairmen, and, usually the manager. I'm with Richard from Formby on this
one - stop moaning and let's hear a bit of support for the team - this a
big hole to get out of - no room for whingers and whiners! Travel sick? What about the travelling the team has done over the last couple of months? Many players (eg Cahill, Yobo) endured hectic summers with a very short breaks to recharge and these players have looked a little tired in the last few weeks, but could the club have actually helped fan the flames of fatigue? It started with a pretty dire trip to Asia when arguably two games in Europe (Belgium? Holland?) would have been better (Yes financial commitments do take some blame). Next: Turkey, and another pretty dire experience in preperation for our season of hope. What did the players actually get out of these trips except a couple of thousend extra air miles? Then the traditional Austrian training camp... Now if the Lakes is good enough mid-October then surely it's good enough mid-summer! In the space of three weeks the team have flown half way around the world and back, to Eastern Europe and back, plus a mainland Europe get together! Then a further pre-season jaunt in Sscotland, a CL game in Spain, and a Uefa cup game in Romania must have taken their toll. The fixture list decided to pit us in London following our CL and Uefa cup away games and following our home Uefa cup game a 11:15am kick off on a Sunday! You can see how fatigue could be a problem. Anyway, enough of my whinging and heres to onwards and upwards! ps: I didn't even mention the recent international games... Re Ed's reply to Smelling the Coffee I live in Harrogate but don't know anyone called Joe Blow. Perhaps my son and I could get a lift to the match with him (as the cost of petrol currently just about doubles the price of our season tickets)? Then again, if he slags off Killa like you say, I'm not sure I want to share the same car with such a negative influence on my young lad. By the way, totally agree that we shouldn't be getting carried away with the Chelski result; I for one will feel a lot better about things if we get the 3 points from Brum. Nice to see Jose and his (admittedly excellent) team on the ropes a
bit though, wasn't it ?! For-sell Beattie's Weight Loss Diet Where have all the 'He's so fat', 'Fat waste of cash', 'Fat bastard' comments gone??? Scoring a brilliant Shearer/Le Tissier-esque penalty seems to be the newest 'fad' diet of preventing people commenting on your weight!!! Oh how fickle some of us are!!! OTT The players only did what we expect them to do every week - get stuck in and give 100%! Heaven knows they're paid enough. If they've no pride in the shirt they should at least have pride in themselves. We all know we haven't got the players to compete at the highest level and last season's 4th place was an amazing achievement but as much as we over-achieved last season we have totally under-achieved this one so far. Have Wigan better players than us? I don't know because I have only heard of about 3 of them. Sadly, last season's achievement was secured on 2004's early season form before we got found out and our record for 2005 reads W10 D3 L20. Out of a possible 99 points we'd have 33 - and be heading for relegation. Ominously, there seems no change in team tactics (can DM change tactics before we're getting beat?), the goals are as rare as a good singer on The X Factor and we seem to sign anyone as long as they're not fit and aren't a striker. I've watched teams like West Ham, Man City & the afore-mentioned
Wigan (who I don't believe are better than us) all play entertaining
attacking football but when was the last time our team did anything but
grind out a result? But I sure hope they grind out a few more soon.
Let's hope 2006 will be better because one thing Evertonians are used to
is hoping for better days ahead. Your turn to smell the coffee! Yes, we`ve got off to an inexplicably bad start but at least two thirds (your poll!) of Evertonians are prepared to see it as just that and not get swept up in the tide of doom and gloom merchants who monopolise not only ToffeeWeb but the the phone-ins and letters pages of the local Press. Okay, so Blue-eyes Bill does get a bit carried away, but just like so many of Harry Meek`s `Gwladys Street neighbours` he lives and breathes Everton and has staked his fortune on bringing the Club success. Many of us DO believe Davey is a great manager - and so do his peers by voting him tops in two of the last three years. So prehaps we can now move on by backing him to the hilt and not chipping away at his - and the players` -confidence all the time? Hate to say `I told you so` but can I suggest it`s ToffeeWeb`s turn
to `wake up and smell the coffee!` The trouble with email... My point I was trying to make is that having an Evertonian as manager, or player, doesn't guarantee anything... Hence the 'inspirational' label for Simon Davies... Apparently a survey in a broadsheet last year had Moyes on the lowest wages of any top flight manager. A 'mere' £400k (I put the mere in quotes in case you didn't spot the sarcasm....) Granted this situation has now been addressed, but I'd still wager he's not in the top 10, and it doesn't alter the fact he was recruited on a low package to begin with. Hoping the team push on from Sunday - the letters page is in danger
of becoming bearable again! David goes back to school? Spotted He really does bleed blue yer know! But hold on... Over 35,000 fans cheered and screamed for us yesterday, spending thousands in the process... How about giving them some praise? — and the thousands of fans at home and away who keep in touch with Everton anyway they can Praise to the manager and players definately, but credit to the best fans in the football world. Up the Blues and Toffeeweb Christmas fixtures: too many games Great, great, my arse! By all means talk of promising signs of improvement and togetherness but "great, great"... - who's he trying to fool? Or he is so far up Moyes`s arse that he`s stopped having any judgement of his own? It`s this sort of sycophantic crap that got us into the mess we`re in
because too many people started telling a bright young man that he was a
genius. He ain`t, believe me. And that`s why - great, great week or not
- we`ve still got only 4 points out of a possible 27! Hold on a minute... In terms of results, it was better. In terms of performance, we were outplayed. We fought, which is what we have been asking for since the opening day of the season, but, as a fan, do you expect anything less??? Chelsea had an off day, let's be honest. On another day, we could have gone down 4-1 or 5-1. We have a huge, huge taske ahead of us, make no mistake. I will probably be slated for this piece, but I don't care. I will tell it how I see it, and one 1-1 draw is not going to make me euphoric. David Moyse has a lot of work to do to turn us around. We are still one-dimensional in attack, and our frustrating inability to close players down is worrying. We looked knackered at the end yesterday, whereas Chelsea looked like they could have played on for another 90 minutes. I am aware of the gulf in class. I accept it nowadays, but we should still be able to keep up with the pace, close down and tackle. Thats basic stuff isn't it? Anyhow, a point is a point and I'll take it off the best team in Europe. The point of this rant: don't get carried away people. We haven't turned any corner yet. Let's see how we fair in the next 3 games, starting Wednesday. I am not negative, and I am hoarse after yesterday's game. I want
Everton to storm up that league as we don't belong down there with
Sunderland et al. We are better, much better than that. But I am not
deluded enough to anticipate a 10-game unbeaten run now. Some of the
lads on County Road yesterday, you'd have thought we won the FA Cup.
That boys, is a sign of how we have fallen. I hope DM gets it right, I
really do. Two Sides to Loyalty Argument Appreciate it’s all about opinions, but I think we have to be realistic here. When DM was given the job after Walter went, it was something of a gamble – but a gamble that the Chairman felt was worth taking. We’ll never know BK’s real sentiments (get him on low wages, prepare for life in a lower division) and it really depends how much you love conspiracy theories. I do think Moyes has shown that he has feelings for the club (and I’m not counting the early proclamations that in reflection he probably regrets). There’s always an element of luck when young managers become great managers. And sometimes, an element of judgement on the part of the Board – by not pulling the trigger too soon. Had Alex Ferguson been given the bullet if they’d not won the 1990 FA Cup replay against Crystal Palace, who knows what Man U would have achieved in the 1990s? One thing that still amazes me is when I read interviews with ex-players, and many look back fondly on their time at Goodison, even to the point of coming back to watch games. Some of them weren’t “stars”, or even stayed that long. They just got the bug. For the record this isn’t a pro-DM stance. The opinion I’m slowly
coming to is I think he’s gone as far as he can, and seems limited
dealing with ‘big-time’ players. But mostly, I just want to watch
attractive football again. Now where’s me video of Villa away last
season…? I Fookin Love Everton Great site, Great people that produce it, and great people on it;
Proud to be part of the family. Hope in my heart Obviously, we made few clear openings and I suppose, in reality, it was only Chelsea`s profligacy in shooting that stopped them getting a hat-ful. But we looked like a team for a change and let`s just hope it`s not a false dawn. Oh how I hope Moyes can ram all my bad mouthing down my throat! Strange that when I got home, the letter from Rick Tarleton reminded me of my finest non-Everton moment-Worcester City`s defeat of Liverpool in 1959. I was undergoing Army basic training on National Service at the nearby Norton Barracks at that time and managed to skive off for the game. Nobody, but nobody, cheered louder for the home side - they even played in blue - than me that day, I tell you! I always toot the horn as I pass the site of the old barracks and
tonight it extended to a blast because of my lightened mood. COYB ! Back from the game... Now I believe we have the core of a half decent team. If only they will take it on from today. To the players, I would say you have shown you can compete with the best: now go on and beat the rest. I still think it may be a difficult season but isn't it going to interesting both on and off the field as the protaganists for Moyes (In or Out) make their plays and those who either love Bill or hate him have their say. Me? I just love going and will accept results will determine our destiny as I hope the manager and all his squad reciprocate. Board, manager and fans can achieve our aspirations. Us fans and the players made a start today. The rest... catch up!!! See you Wednesday! UP THE BLUES!!! What a battling performance! However, it was a re-run of Shrewsbury's cup tie win, of Yeovil beating Arsenal, Hereford beating Newcastle and Worcester City beating Liverpool. It showed that on the day, the desire can overcome the skill. What it doesn't do for me as an Evertonian who loved Wally Fielding, Bobby Collins, Alex Young, Roy Vernon, the magnificent Colin Harvey, Duncan McKenzie and Wayne Rooney is reveal where the Bouef Wellington is. It shows me we have the shin, the "Dogs of War" if you prefer, but I believe with Danny Blanchflower that the game isn't just about winning, it's about glory. Congratulations for to-day, let's make sure that if we need this kind of display, we'll do it again, but let's look to a future based on the skill and confidence shown today bt Yobo, Arteta and Beattie's superb penalty, the best penalty I've seen since Roy Vernon left the scene. We can't go down, we are the greatest team in the history of the
game. Survive the season, Mr. Moyes, use the tactics we need, but
remember, the tradition of the School of Science. Nil satis nisi
optimum, nothing is good enough but the best. Alan Khan 4-5-1 next week All those doubters out there... The main thing that happened was that Everton played with heart, for the first time since the Villarreal game away. We showed that we were not willing to roll over and die against a team who are probably the best in Europe at the moment, let alone England. Before we went into this game I said that Everton must make sure that, after the game, Chelsea knew they had been a in a game. I for one am sure that the Chelsea players will be bruised, battered and tired on their way back to sunny London right now. We gave it everything today and for all those people who have been saying Moyes should be sacked recently, did you hear 30,000+ Evertonians singing 'Davey, Davey, Davey Moyes' at the end of that game? We have not performed since the Viallarreal game... until now, but that is down to the players. A team that shows heart goes a long way —for proof look at. Wigan! I just hope we can now continue. Great performances by Beattie, Yobo,
Hibbert, Neville and Arteta are needed again at the Borough wednesday,
then at Birmingham. A fantastic team performance today. Onwards and
upwards! Let us build Moyes doesn't fear the axe "I'm not going to accept being at the bottom and sometimes it takes big decisions and big changes." "It's not an easy club to manage. But whatever happens will happen." "I have good people here and whatever happens I will still work in football if that should be the case." Quote one, lets hope this means an end to dreary negative football and we at least go out fighting, a change to the 4-5-1 that simply isn't best suited to our current squad. Quote two, is Moyes hinting at trouble with the board? He has splashed a lot of cash this summer, admittedly too late and on questionable signings but they are his signings unless he wants to admit they aren't. Quote three, is Moyes saying if he does get bladdered he has options
elsewhere? Please dont put words in my mouth People have a right to disagree but this loyalty to a non-Evertonian
Scotsman is hurting, almost beyond repair, the thing we all supposedly
care about the most, Everton. If that opinion is arrogant then so be
it...but I am right and you know it! Farewell Jim Wilcox I share Jim's suspicion that the love of his and our lives has never loved us, but by God do we love it, so much so that no matter how many times it cheats on us, how much less attractive it's got since the day we met or how much we don't think their heart is in the relationship, we will always be there. Now's the time that we need to devote ourselves to the team, rather
than indulge in self-pity. We will get out of this mess, and maybe this
is heart over head but it might even be against Chelsea. Even if we
don't, Everton Football Club will still be there. And so should we. Keep
the faith. Dark Times Indeed, Paul Coleman He'll never remember, but I e.mailed Brian Viner the season before last when we were in the same shit. It was in the small hours & he had written a similarly lachrymose piece as today's. He was kind enough to reply and apply balm to my tortured soul. I can't exactly recall my tearful plainsong but the thrust was along the lines of why, since Heysel, have we Evertonians been singled out for such malevolence on the part of the footballing gods? Maybe it is the pessimist in me that urges dark musings into the written word but here I go again. I certainly recall saying that through those dark days two years ago the one strand of hope we had to cling to was a manager whose ability, determination & integrity was enough to see us through. He agreed. And so we survived. Not only did we survive but we went on to shove the slings & arrows that inevitably came our way straight down the throats of the sceptics out there who wish us ill. I still feel the same admiration for David Moyes now. Just. But what I also feel is that even the abundance of qualities he brings to the job, this time will not be enough. Those capricious forces Brian Viner speaks of are more in evidence than ever. But more importantly the deep-seated malaise that has affected the administration of our beloved club for the past two decades has not abated one jot. From investment in the Grand Old Lady of Goodison through to youth development, domestic exploitation & fingers in the overseas pie there has been little movement of any note. Stagnation Rules, BK! Whatever miracles DM achieves in Everton’s immediate future will in the grand scheme of things count for fuck all. If we beat Chelski tomorrow & put brief pause to their 100 year Reich it doesn’t matter. If we go on to win the next 20 games on the trot & qualify for the CL again IT DOES NOT MATTER. NONE OF IT MATTERS because we are well & truly fucked & in all honesty have been since John Moores quit this mortal coil. The succession of self regarding parvenus who’ve been given the breathless privilege of looking after the love of our lives have seen to that. And it is here only that I would disagree with Jim Wilcox. ‘The
Peoples Club’ is not the cheating hussy he describes but the victim of a
drawn-out gang-rape. And what fortune he has spent has gone not to the
lady but to the pimps who control her. Loyal to a fault! I can only put it down to the fact Evertonians think of themselves as different to many other groups of supporters and so are showing some kind of kamikaze-style loyalty to our ridiculously over-rated manager. There is no other reason that can't be shot full of holes by anyone with a football brain. The recent article which mentioned that whether 4th or 20th, the style of football is a major turnoff, is a view I think held by many Evertonians. With this manager there really is no hope. The style of play since he has been here is a disgrace, he is terrible at man-management and contributed to the best player we ever had leaving, he cannot attract any flair players, and is an absolute disaster in the critical area of the transfer market. He and he alone has plunged this club into the worst crisis I can ever remember, he has put us in a terrible financial plight with crap players on long contracts, and the outdated, ugly football has made us the laughing stock of football. Unlike most other clubs though, we are blindly, stubbornly almost,
defending the indefensible! Is this the People's Club, 'born not
manufactured',' we're different... not like Newcastle etc' rubbish, the
reason why an unbelievable number of Evertonians are choosing to ignore
the blindingly obvious? Dear Editor, I only came to know of your website recently and I must say a very big THANK YOU to you and your team for this excellent website. It does provide us EVERTONIANS with a very good source of up to date, interesting and most importantly, wide ranging pieces of information, reports and views. It is definitely important during these depresssing and critical moments of our Club's history that we get unedited information to know what is really going on in the Club. Keep up the good work. Best Regards Don`t do it Jim! Bill so loves the Club that he even re-mortgaged his house to prise us from the clutches of `Peter the Red` — and how many of us would do that in the cause of love, I wonder? In my very limited experience I have found `true love never runs smooth` and yes, we are going through a difficult patch at the minute. But most of us still believe we have `the Best Man` in charge and that he will be wise enough to see us through. And Jim, don`t forget your vows — `In sickness and in health`,
remember? Farewell my love These are dark times, but can we not just try and stay a bit positive
on ToffeeWeb?? It all a bit too heavy on here at the moment guys. What a difference a year makes Well I think that the blame lies firmly on the doorstep of Mr Moyes. Why? I think there are obviously many opinions on our current plight, but I believe there are a few simple facts that could be attached to our situation. (i) Mr Moyes's lack of ability to bring a regular goal scorer to the club, since the days of Tony Cottee (99 goals in 5 seasons - do the simple maths!!).I think Mr Moyes knows he has missed the boat big time and HIS disappointment is showing all over his players. Whilst calls for his head are obviously borne out of our supporters' anger and disappointment, I think Mr Moyes needs to find a rabbit and a hat from somewhere — and fast. The only situation in my eyes is that he now puts all his effort into correcting our dire league position and then puts every last effort into winning one of the two cups on offer. This will then put us back where we were before the dismal performance in Romania. To quote Mr Moyes, "we need to be careful, as we have seen with Leeds, who shot for the moon and didn't quite make it." Well David at least they shot for it... our players don't even shoot!!! What a difference a year makes? Bet Your House On It 16 halves of football. 12 hours of football. One goal. One clean sheet. I can still get you 3-1 on the Blues going down, and if I was a
professional punter I'd be stacking some wedge on it. Doing their talking off the pitch Only Neville and Arteta come away from press interviews with any
dignity or value at the moment (including management) - off-the-pitch
form matching that on it. Moyes should censure the rest until they do
someting positive on the field, otherwise they just irritate. (I notice
Capt marvel has shut it since his comments about enjoying playing for
Scotland more than us were so well received.) Arteta ideas Players' fault But why is all this flack on sacking the manager? We've played, Arsenal (a), Man U (h), Spurs (a), Bolton (a) and after Sunday Chelsea in the first 9 games. In the corresponding fixtures last year we got 3 points and guess how many we've got this year from those fixtures? Yes 3 points. The blame is solely on the players not the manager; I mean you can't polish a turd! Bent - Championship player at his best Kilbane - past it. Weir - why is he still playing? Sorry, he's never been that good and now he's sitting pretty on a 2-year contract. The players Moyes has bought to make a difference i.e. Beattie, Kroldrup, Van der Meyde and Neville have not played together yet - so stop panicking and let’s hope that when they get fit the deadwood playing will soon become driftwood... Phil McNamara, St Helens (21/10/05) Thats ok then Well, on hearing this I've bet the house, job, car, dog and the wife on us not only beating Chelsea but winning the premiership as well!! Bill's changed my mind on this season with his actions. He and Wyness
are right: it's only a blip. Can't wait till Sunday!!!! Just another stat... I`m not sure, but if we can`t we`re done for - with or without Moyes.
Come on you Blues! `Don`t you come knocking on my door` All these attempts to convince us that `Moyes is the best manager since Howard Mark 1` mean absolutely nothing when you are bottom of the bloody league! `He got us to fourth in the table and a taste of the European Champinship` means sod all when you`re exposed as inadequate in both resourses and tactics when you get there. For Chrissake, even Mike Walker got that far with bloody Norwich! Yes, Moyes averted relegation when he took over from Woeful Walter — ins't that what he was employed to do? Yes, he had a good first season and gave us hope that better things were in store. And then he bombed big time and we were back to relegationsville teritory. I firmly believe he was clueless in his handling of Rooney and made it easy for outside forces to turn the lad`s head. But the money was a godsend. It saved Moyes, it saved Kenwright and, if truth be known, it probably saved Everton. So he hits on a plan. We`ll make ourselves hard to beat and hope to sneak a winner — for five months, it works... and for once in how many years we`re `safe` by Christmas. Unfortunately, however, you then have to play all the same teams again and their managers aren't daft. The rest is history. Clueless, absolutely clueless in the transfer market and, having done bugger all in three years to encourage and develop young talent, he blows all the Rooney dosh and again sets out his stall to maintain the league position and tackle the European challenge with a style that every other manager knows back to front and that most are resourced to play better. Promising young manager? More like one whose severe limitations have been viciously exposed, I`d say. So, to paraphrase the song, `Dont you come knocking on my door and
tell me it`s Moysie who saves....` I promise you, this club is going
nowhere with this man in charge... although come to that, I could say
the same about the sad buggers who employ him! Why?? Why link the news that Claudio Ranieri has said he would like to manage again in the premiership?? This would only ever be Everton news if the manager's position was vacant which it is not. Tony Adams has said in the Mirror this morning that he would also
like a job managing in the Premiership. Are you going to link that???
Is that Slaven Beattie or James Bilic? Wouldnt that be nice? Facing the inevitable The fact is he has made a number of good signings. What now has to be done is to get them to gel as a team. However, that task is all the greater given the numbers of personnel involved. Personally, I expected us to do no better than mid-table this season given the circumstances. For me this was inevitable as we are a team undergoing major transition from perennial relegation candidates to a club aiming to break into the top six with the intention of staying there. I still believe we will achieve this. It is often said there is no gain without pain. One thing is for
sure: Moyes will be left in no doubt about the character of the
individuals within his squad — perhaps the most valuable lesson of all
to be learned, if we are to achieve the success so many of us crave for. Off with his head? I fall into the pro-Moyes camp. Our current manager has got a lot more right than he has got wrong since he's been at Everton. He has restored our pride, getting us to 4th and playing Champions League football. He is without doubt the best manager we've had since Kendall's mid 80s team. He has shown his potential as a manager here at Everton by steering us into 7th and 4th in previous seasons. I can see quite clearly that he has his faults, and it is clear now that he should have got a striker in the summer. He also shouldn't have offered certain players contract extensions. But a lot of the things that I praise him for are indeed now in the past and we are on an awful run at the moment. Abysmal even. However, I believe in David Moyes, more so than any manager I have seen in charge these last 20 years. Throughout that time, we have chopped and changed manager, and where has it taken us? Throughout the world these days there is a thought process of 'Off with his head' in pretty much every walk of life. If a company isn't performing they sack the director. Tony Blair has had calls for his resignation over the war in Iraq. That's the way of the world, but it's a policy that I don't always agree with, primarily because you lose the benefit of any lessons learnt if you sack the boss when things are going wrong. David Moyes was definitely a better manager last season after the experience of the previous year when we finished 17th. And he will be a better manager next year for the experience he has gained so far this year. Yes, he has made mistakes. Yes, we are playing crap at the moment. But long term I believe David Moyes has the potential to be a great manager. I would prefer that to be with us, rather than another club getting the benefit of his experience here. He has made mistakes, but because of the potential shown by Moyes here, I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt in most cases. I voted for Tony Blair in the last elections because I believed him to be the best man for the job, in spite of the fact that I can now see he made the wrong decision over the war. And so I will continue to back David Moyes, even if the unthinkable happens and we are relegated, because I feel that he offers a better long-term bet than any other names being mentioned - Ranieri, Newell, Reid, Royle etc. ps: I am a realist too, I know we are in a crisis at the moment, but
I'm just hoping that our first-choice team is good enough to lead us
clear of this mess ie, a team including Beattie, Van der Meyde and
Krøldrup. It's just that until I see a better prospect than Moyes, I
would prefer him to stay than chop and change and repeat the mistakes of
the last 20 years. Many a truth..... John Paul Kissock It's Black Cats 'NOT' Red Cats. Is this Everton thing affecting everyone. Can anyone do anything right. Will we see quick throw-ins and catch opponents on the back foot like they do to us. Will we take quick free kicks and pass to a player in space who will run at the opposition. Can we spread out and use the flanks on the pitch when in possesion and pass and move and create chances. I don't recall seeing much of the above but would love to. If DM
reads this, DO YOU GET THE HINT. Good Enough? There is no doubt that DM is a good manager and maybe even a decent bloke, but is he good enough for our club? Let us assume for a moment that super Dave is left in charge and does manage to avoid the drop. Say we finish 17th, that will be four full seasons in charge: one reasonable top ten finish; one good top-four finish, and TWO bottom half avoid relegation finishes; is that good enough for Everton FC? Remember, next summer the "Rooney" payments from Man U dry up, there has been no windfall from the Champions League or Uefa Cup AND we will have budgeted for a much higher placing, I can not see Sky wanting to put us on the box as often, so do any of you really think there will be any money in the kitty to go buy Robbie Keane or such like? Are we going to be able to build on the limited success we had last season? Are we hell as like. So, boys and girls, what will we be left with? Another few years of relegation dog-fights to look forward to? The fact is we had a chance to take a major step forward this season; like it or not we failed big time. We can blame "Uncle Fester" for that disallowed goal, but not for the spanking in Romania; we cannot blame him for buying or not buying (as the case may be) the right players to do the job; and we certainly cannot blame him for being bottom of the league having scored one goal. Last season, good as it was, has now become just another "missed opportunity" for Everton FC. "Everton are one of the biggest clubs in the country and I know that if I get things right there, the sky's the limit." — The words of the last "Promising young manager" we had, Mike Walker in January 1994. Maybe big ideas work at a little club, but it would appear that those same ideas don't do so well at a big club. How much more time do we give him to "turn things around?" More to
the point do we have that time to give right now? In response to a response Where does he get off calling people names for having an opinion about our football club? The letter writen by anon may or may not be accurate but surely he is allowed his opinion be it informed or uninformed. Juggler you come across as one of those narcistic tossers you meet in the pub who thinks he has the answers and solutions to all our troubles. I like many others have been watching EFC for over 35 years and have seen many changes in the club both good and bad. But regardless of this and the state of football in general I would never insult anyone for having an opinion. The bottom line is the club does have massive problems both on a managerial and player basis and and all the papering over the cracks will not make it go away. Even in the dark days of Bingham, Lee, Smith et al I had enough optimism to feel we would survive but this time I and many other longstanding blues are genuinely scared. As for your comment about youngsters not being the saviour of the club, let me remind you that young players are the future of the game and we have a duty to nurture them and not discard them because it is easier to buy — remember the Man Utd team of the 90s? It is you Juggler that needs to look at the bigger picture and take
your ostrich-like head out of the sand because, if we do go down, it
will be narcistic fans like you who will be sitting in the pub saying 'I
knew this would happen' etc etc etc. Losses the key Having checked the records since the Premiership went down to 20
clubs, I find he`s spot on because the average losses suffered by teams
finishing 17th IS 18 - although Bolton got away with 20 to survive in
99-00! So, folks, you'd better believe it: another 11 games lost and
we`re doomed! Those were the days Ironically, it seems pretty similar to Davie Moyes's style (although much less successful). He ruled with a rod of iron, trained them hard, pissed the players off when they didn't show 100% commitement or loyalty, and didn't really like dealing with the press. However, like Joe Royle points out, times have changed and you can't treat players like Catterick did anymore... but the incident in which Catterick gathers all the reserve team together after they got beat by Bury and bollocks them for insulting the traditions of the club does make me yearn for the days when we were the richest (thanks to Sir John) and the most stylish (thanks to Harvey, Ball and Kendall). Right, who's up next... Chelsea? Bugger! John Paul Kissock Luck? My arse! If we shoot more, we'll score more — both directly and indirectly through rebounds etc. And if we score more (more! - oh the fucking irony) the opposition will need to score more to beat us. You know, the simple stuff. Paul says, "It seems that every time we give the ball away we get punished." Yep! more simple stuff there - if you give the ball away you run the risk of getting punished and when you're playing shit that risk increases. I say don't wait for a favourable bounce of a ball, keep a fucking hold of it instead! Maybe I'll concede a bit on the injuries argument but that aside, the concept of 'luck' will not change by itself - we have to start getting it right on the pitch first. I'm just about still in the IMWT camp but the Royal Blue tinted glasses brigade need to wake up and smell the bleedin' coffee! We are fucking poor and if there isn't radical, tangible change soon, we'll all need a new road map for next season! Until we can all hand-on-heart say that our team is performing the
best that it can and things are still not going our way, then I say:
Luck? My arse! Paul Traill - Things Will Change In addition to this, you ask how the top teams would compete without their "best left back..." you give that accolade to Pistone! Come on? Do you seriously miss the guy playing, because I don't. Then you go on to mention how we have been missing our "main goalscorer" in Beattie. Paul, if you consider him to be our main goalscorer then we are doomed. The fact is we don't have a main goalscorer. Erase that.. we don't have a goalscorer — full stop. As a lot of people have commented on here, the time for excuses has long gone. Yes, I would like to see Krøldrup and Van der Meyde in the line up; they can't possibly do any worse than those wearing the shirt at the moment. However, two new players (both coming back from extended injury lay-offs) won't change our situation overnight. We need to call on everyone to play to their strengths, whatever they may be. We need everyone to over achieve, play out of their skin. Do you think this squad is up to that challenge? I'm not so sure, but I wouldn't bet money on it. To people like me and you Paul, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum means something. I bet half of that team don't even know what the crest translates to. I hate to be a doom merchant, and being sceptical all the time, but these lads just do not live up to what I expect in Everton players. I've said before that I don't expect to win leagues and cups right now, effort and commitment should never need to be requested though - it should be there from the off in every game. There are no excuses for a lack of that. If the reason we play so badly is down to the players' ability, then
they shouldn't be on the payroll. If this is the case then the fault of
that lies with the manager. If it's the manager's inept ability to
change tactics or game plan, then he should be shown the door. It's time
for action now, not words. How many games will the "our season starts
here" war cry stay valid for? I'm losing patience. Response to Adam Bennett - Fear of Relegation
Fight!? But what if? If this is the chosen path to destruction, it rather hits on the head that great soccer pastime of `Choose the Successor`. But what if, by some miracle, the great impressario emerged from within his `amazing technicolour dreamcoat` and did something sensible for once? Who would he go for? Most of the has-beens mentioned so far would hardly light up Goodison, but Ranieri - in England this week to discuss his future with his agent - would at least cheer us all up!Can you just imagine those substitutions from the fifth minute - there`d be no waiting for Big Dunc deep in the second half - and the press conferences to follow... God,at least we`d all go to bed with a smile on our faces with the Tinkerman in charge! I see the college boys down the road mentioned Ian Dowie - Christ, he
uses more energy in a game than his whole team and, although he has
confused nationality syndrome, at least he was a striker and ain`t
bloody Scottish! Either would do a job for us if ever the day came...
but, like Mark says, I fear we`re in for a long wait! Simply the best So keep up the great work — long may it continue. ps: thought I would
just say, God we're a bag of shite. Seeing the Point Orienteering? Anyone one else think the time would have been better spent learning
how to shoot, cross, pass and tackle?????? Underlying theme The contract saga surely demotivated some of the players who now just turn up and get paid. Why worry about winning things when you can earn a cool million kicking a bag of wind aimlessly around Goodison Park on a cold saturday arvo? Beattie can score goals but we have to service him with quality final ball. The style of football we play is not acceptable. I heard Moyes's comments after the Spurs game saying that they had come to contain them. What has happened to the "we expect to win every game" philosophy? He cxomes out and says his team lacks quality! Yeah well Kilbane was signed by Davey and of course McFadden — who is not a midfielder. I think Davey has lost the plot. I dont mind losing if we play good football and have a go but at the moment confidence is shot, on field leadership from Davy Weir... don't make me laff. The best defence is attack and unless we go out to play to win then
we are in for a winter of discontent. The Unsigned Letter Come clean, Davie. Wasting your time... Our Bill is not like others; he has made a living by backing productions that the critics have panned to the world-but as long as the punters turn up he`s prepared to take the shit that flies his way. He says it`s the price you pay! So save your breath and your keystrokes, `Moysie` is the star of our show and, even if he`s bombed and forgotten his lines, the impressario can`t afford to pull the curtain down on him now - or in the foreseeable future! Sorry, but the show WILL go on..... David Flynn - I've had enough If you like spending your money to watch shite, and you applaud it, then fair enough. I, along with many others, don't. Our problems are more deep-rooted and we have lost our way spectacularly over the last 2 decades. Nevermind your Chelseas and Arsenals, we are way behind Middlesborough, Sunderland, and Bolton. They have all moved on and have plush new stadiums. Commercially they are in a very enviable position when you compare Everton's situation. The club has fallen by the wayside due to bad management and bad infrastructure. Too much money has been wasted on mercanaries who do not live up to the "star" tagging they so easily attain. That money was badly spent by the managers in place at the time. That money was sanctioned by the chairmen and boardrooms in place at that time. It all culminates in one thing: we are stuck in a vicious circle. We have no investors, we have no chance of a new stadium. That sends out a message that we aren't ambitious. That prevents the "big name" players from wanting to come here. And around and around we go. We should be investing heavily in our youth policy and the Academy. That is where our future lies at the moment. Growing our own fresh, young talent. Moyes has completely dismissed the whole youth/reserve options since he arrived, as has every other manager we have had in the last 15 years. Rooney was a one off, and he's gone onto better things, sad, but true. The buck doesn't stop with the manager, but his approach is flawed in
many, many ways. The heirarchy upstairs, have to bring in investment,
and substantial investment at that. If they cannot do that, then they
should go, every last one of them. Investment is needed, not to waste on
more shite, but to take this club forward. This is what should have been
done 20 years ago. The end result is what you pay £30 to watch every
time you step inside Goodison. All fans are entitled to their opinions,
and being critical is not neccesarily negative. Open your eyes and have
a look at the bigger picture. Kilbane's concern: TW Tues 18/10 Take a look in the mirror Mr. Kilbane. Your performances over recent times have been inept, clueless and simply embarrassing (just like the team's). 'Zinedine'......My fuckin arse !! Manager of the Year The Real World The team was a disaster in 2003-4, barely escaping relegation. Many questions were asked of the young manager who responded brilliantly by taking the team to unprecedented heights (in the Premiership) during 2004-5. By Christmas relegation was out of the question and by signing Beattie hopes were high for a top four place - which was achieved anyway (and without Beattie!). If I was the chairman of Everton I might start to worry that my young (and successful) manager might be lured away to, say, Manchester United or Celtic about the future of whose managers rumours were rife. My reaction might be to award the young (and successful) manager an enhanced contract to ensure that he stayed around to build on his achievements to date. We all knew that there had to be a clear-out of senior and deadwood players at the end of last season. Between keeping a couple (weren't all offered new contracts but at realistically reduced wages?) and letting the rest go, I reckon Moyes did what he was tasked to do. As for bringing in a new striker, why should that be the highest priority during the Summer? He had Beattie (and no reason to think he would get injured in the first game of the season); Bent had a good season in 2004-5; Vaughan was coming through (and there was no reason to think he would get injured early in the season) and the old warhorse, Ferguson, was there for cameo displays as super-sub for another season. Cahill scoreed freely from midfield last season and McFadden was still unproven but always seemed to do the business for Scotland when played as a striker. The goalkeeping situation was looking good with 4 vying for the slot. The back four was strengthened and even Pistone came back after his best season only to get injured very early on while Naysmith succumbed to a long term ankle problem. Still Valente was picked up in time but buying two additional International centre- backs to replace Stubbs can't be considered a negative move. And who could have guessed that Kroldrup would get injured before he could play a competitive match. Midfield was strengthened with Neville, Arteta, Davies and VDM so all in all things were looking pretty good up to the end of August, despite the mixed results in the League. The hopes, which we all had, that Everton was back in the big time were cruelly smashed in the Champions League and Uefa Cup games. A rash of injuries and suddenly it's all the manager's fault. Confidence is zilch and rumours fly. Of course morale in the dressing room is low, despite any claims to the contrary. None of the players is going to put his hand up and say, "It's my fault, guv". It's always going to be, "Moyes made us do extra training and he shouted at us loudly. He even criticised us for not concentrating during the match and going out on the town". You bet he did! It's a cruel world but I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as many have convinced themselves. I came back from my summer break to find that 3 of my 13 staff had resigned to go to higher paid jobs with salaries we could never match. Another's fixed term contract was coming to an end shortly afterwards. Morale among the rest was plummeting. My chairman told me to get a grip or else. Two months later I've hired 5 new staff, morale is on the up and we're motoring again. It can be done - and my guess it will be - and probably by David Moyes. Take heart . . . Grip - get one One article mentioned Smith coming back: Ho Ho! And another McCarthy
being a viable replacement What a joke!!!. If Moyes goes then sit in
judgement of the next manager and rue the day Moyes left - a bit like
Royle really. And don't say you didn't want him out either - hypocrites
to the last. GET A GRIP PLEASE or we will all suffer. Back Moyes till
Xmas and then see... ok????? Well I never... I have it on good authority that Everton are about to re-sign Wayne Rooney on money donated to Everton FC by a Polynesian trifle magnate. That he has offered $95 million to ‘Blue Bill’ for a controlling share of the club and a seat on the board. I’m also informed by the same person who is 'inside' the club that this bid is subject to certain conditions being met, including a new £300 million purpose built stadium being erected on the site of the old Kirby ski slope to be named ‘The Fruit Bowl’ and the immediate sacking of David Moyes to be replaced by Kevin Keegan. I’ve also been assured by the same person that the Loch Ness monster does indeed exist because he has seen it; Gary Naysmith was bitten by a werewolf three seasons ago (hence the facial hair)… and that The Jam are about to reform. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal my source… but this is all true…
honest! Getting in some help I would imagine that in private David Moyes is wondering just what to
do and how to do it. My point is why not for the rest of the season
bring in Bobby Robson to mentor David Moyes to work along side him in
developing his coaching and tactic skills. The position would still
leave Moyes in charge and allow him to work along side a world class
coach (it did not do Mourinio any harm). The More You Know??? A question of confidence We all know that, post-Gravesen, we got lucky last season with other team's poor form, and hung on in there to scrape CL qualification with a negative goal difference by the skin of our teeth. The players were motivated by a number of factors. No doubt a big part was the confidence that came from the winning buzz they had created, the chance to play on a bigger stage and for some the chance of a new contract. The biggest motivation surely had to be the chance to be part of something exciting. To have a real chance of success. For that Moyes, as the architect, deserved nothing but praise - and he got it from all corners - but we need to question what, if anything, he promised the players. Now maybe, just maybe, that was where everything went wrong. Whilst our players were all confident that the manager would deliver them a squad that they could win things with, by now it was surely over-confidence by DM in his negotiations that let almost all of his primary targets slip away this summer. Remember Cahill's "we'll have him if they don't want him" about Kewell? What's that if not confidence in your club and manager? By Fenerbahçe that had gone. The players aren't soft - they knew we needed goals just as much as any of us and now they're becoming as desperate as we are - keeping one eye on the recovery list at all times to provide some fresh attacking ideas or the salvation of the odd draw. Now as it's his job, they should be loooking to Moyes. If they've lost confidence in him, it's this he needs to rebuild by finding out from them how they want to play and then picking a captain who can marshall them on the pitch. If it's Neville, and that looks likely, then so be it but lets get on with it. Now maybe that won't work overnight but at least by playing some open attacking football he's going to win back the players and the crowd. We can't do any worse than bottom, can we? So what's it matter? And maybe, just maybe, if we get a draw on Sunday and we get a few
players back then the confidence we all so badly need can return. COYB.
Give Over!!! I have every faith that David Moyes will turn it around —even if its not this weekend against Chelsea. After all we have played four of the teams at the top of the league so far, so perhaps Lady Luck will turn her smile on us again. As for the Champions' League [an old chestnut I know!!], we all knew
once they let Liverpool back into this year's Competition that the
writing was on the wall for Everton. There was no way Uefa were going to
have five British Clubs in the Competition and I do truly believe that
Collina was told to make sure we didn't go through... hence Dunc's
disallowed goal. It makes me spit every time I see him on the current
Vauxhall advert... I always admired him and thought what a marvellous
referee he was; now we all know different. It's a good job he's retired. Oars anyone? "Blues boss David Moyes..... has taken his players to an Outward Bound centre in the Lake District this week - as they prepare for the mountain they must climb this weekend. The Everton players have been fell-walking, riding mountain bikes and canoeing down-stream." I assume that its canoeing downstream as you don't have paddles when you are up shit creek! But I'm a bit worried about that downhill canoeing... might get another injury. Seriously........Don't give up. IMWTed... now it's time to start
earning back that trust, starting Sunday.
Mystery Benefactor? Alan Stubbs "Who should be top of Moyes's list of players to retain this summer?" Reading through the mailbag many people appear to have claimed that they believed that Everton should have re-signed Stubbs, but this obviously wasn't the case at the end of last season. Oh, hindsight is a wonderful thing!!! Re: The More You Know... I don't recall any rumours of Moyes losing the repect of his players, even from Alan Stubbs, who was one of those waiting on a new deal and was later prepared to have a pop at the club over the summer and to whom this would have made a very easy target. And many of those out-of-contract players signed new ones; why would they have done so having lost respect for their boss? On the subject of Moyes's own contract, wasn't he already signed up until 2009 by the time of the Liverpool-Arsenal match? Harvey and Harper left on bad terms? Is this common knowledge? Harvey retired on the grounds of his health, if I recall - or was this just a cover-up? Competent people within the club are "frightened to speak out"? Who?
Has the author any evidence of this? Who in an important position within
Everton Football Club has a season ticket at Anfield? Can their names,
or their positions, be given? Moyes Out? Frankly, I would rather keep faith with Moyes, who has shown he realises he doesn't know everything and is a student of the game. Like a sponge absorbing everything, he wants to better himself all the time as a coach. Like everyone else, we all learn from our mistakes, but at least he has shown there is light at the end of the tunnel — not like King Wally! But I'll leave that subject for another time. I still believe he will do the stuff, but he realises our situation,
knows the people, frankly has built a better side than I have seen in a
long while. Once they settle and bond as a team, he has the werewithal
to be a great manager in charge of a great time at a great club. Now,
back to my hole in the sand until we turn Chelsea over as they are
getting close to being beaten, right? Where is the evidence? Now if people are made to leave the club, players and staff, then that is the choice for the management team, they have been put in charge and they take the responsibilities with result and direction of the club. Surely we do not expect them to stick with a system (which in fairness has not created much success in the past 10 years). We could sit here and highlight players which Everton has let go for pennies and then discovered they were quite good, but then we can do that with most clubs, spotting, selecting and investing in talent is not easy and therefore mistakes are made some you win some you lose. The article only sounds like a bitter person who dislikes change, things have to change, training techniques, diets, financing. A reason why we are so far behind the successful clubs is due to the fact we never changed quickly enough when the Premiership started. Change happens; face it and stop being so bitter. People call for Moyes’s head, but let him do his job and structure the way he requires. If in time it looks as if the 5-year plan has not worked then you can say it did not work, but we have to have faith and the next manager will come in aand change things again. Be patient. Things I believe will come good. We were one of the first
to master the 4-5-1 and we hope that Moyes will get the team to master
another formation and success will come back. We are two point away from
safety with 30 games to go!!!! Moving The Deck Chairs on the Titanic We are a club that's been in structural decline for nigh on 20 years and our problems are that deep-seated. In the grown-up world, oil tankers take years to turn around. Remember, in the last 15 years this faltering oil tanker has only finished in the top half 3 times and two of those are under Moyes. Issues around the academy, new stadium and generating a supply of revenue to jsutify our 'big club' status require long-term structural change which is starting to happen under Wyness and Moyes. The Academy is waiting to be rebuilt and planning permission granted on a new site in Halewoood, Wyness is shaking up the organizational elements and the JJB and Chang deals, plus 2 new megastores are good moves forward, but you still won't notice the difference on the pitch this time next year. I did say you wouldn't want to hear this. The start to the season has been dire but we need to separate fundemental 15-year issues from whether or not we should have got a striker in the summer – we finished fourth with Marcus Bent yet we have added some quality. Albeit we could do with Van de Meyde, Beattie and Krøldrup getting on the pitch. Moyes can’t win – if he’d spent the summer signing up lower division hopefuls he would have been accused of lacking ambition, not signing the right players for Europe etc etc so he bought experienced players for Europe and the gamble backfired. Virtually every club did their main business in the 2 weeks before the window so let's not wheel out the dithering charge. My view is he should have forgotten about foreign players and treated Europe as just a bonus and instead strengthened the grass roots with the likes of Curtis Davies and Aaron Lennon but in the Summer I was a lone voice. Interesting that there’s a stream of knobheads blaming Arsene Wenger for Arsenal’s ‘crisis’ and saying he shouldn’t have sold Pennant, Upson or Jerome Thomas – yeh right, whatever! My issue with Everton is the same as it was this time last year – where’s Fortress? – if that’s dead, we need new investment or forget about whether we should have signed David Nugent. But that's too complicated to say on a phone-in or moan about in the pub after another defeat. On second thoughts let's sack Moyesie and errrr... offer Howard Kendall a fourth spell in charge at the club. YES!! Mark Hanson, London (18/10/05) A Gnome's Eye View Many of us are talking about a magical "plan B"... errrrrrrm... excuse me, plan B? Shouldn't that have been put into operation after the mess that was the 03-04 season? Instead of which we went back to super Dave's tried and trusted 4-1-4-1 style of mind-numbing drivel and (as with the 02-03 season) we GOT LUCKY! So I would suggest that living in hope and waiting for "Plan B" to arrive is going to be a long wait, while super Dave continues to say things like "we want to be hard to beat". (Putting the opposition goal under threat and scoring a few in the process kind of does that anyway.) And "Our season starts here" (Why Davie? Are we that good we have the give the rest a head start?) Things are not going to change. So who is to blame? The Board? Errrm, is their job not to supply the cash required for the signings that the MANAGER wants to buy? Have they not done that? The Players perhaps? But do they not go onto the park and play in the style and to the tactics the MANAGER tells them too? Is it not the MANAGER'S job to motivate them and bring the best out of them? Okay so super Dave has more badges than an 80-year-old boy scout... so what? They all equate to the same thing: 4-1-4-1 and a load of luck to get a result. How many times did a couple of world-class saves by Nigel keep it at 1-0 last season? Our luck has run out and there IS NO PLAN B! Something has to change; super Dave has had long enough to change his ideas and not done so. As the person in charge of the football team, he has to take responsibility for this disaster and go. So, who to replace him? Well, Big Joe, Ian Dowie or Mike Newall are
names being thrown around... how about Claudio Ranieri? He said at the
weekend he wanted to manage in England again, personally I don't care if
it is Coco the bleedin Clown — anything is better than this garbage. I think its a bit late Kev! As far as dissappointments go where do we begin, let's start with your ineffectual marking resulting in Spurs scoring on Saturday. What is really sarting to grind on my nerves is all the shite that our highly paid players are coming up with after every defeat. The time for talk has been and gone; start earning the money hard-working fans pay every week to see the tripe that is being served in the name of EFC. Maybe Mr Kilbane realises that in a certain Andy van der Meyde is a left-winger who "may" end up banishing him to a bit-part player around Goodison. A news flash to all EFC players: Shut up and put up, we are in BIG TROUBLE! Holding the faith
Paul Little, Ormskirk (18/10/05) Thanks for that, Paul. It shows a wide variety of opinions are out there, which is exactly what we try to reflect, despite the repeated claims of some readers that we push a "proaganda-fueled agenda" or some such nonsense. If Evertonians could only realize and accpet that (1) there are a huge range of opinions out there, and (2) we are all Evertonians — none better or worse than each other — then at least we'd all get on a bit better and stop calling each other silly names. Show It Unlawful propoganda I admit that if you took a straw poll in my alehouse, Moyes would get an overwhelming vote of confidence - he`s got them all fooled with his `People`s Club` bollox - but the table don`t lie. For some obscure reason this manager is more popular than both Joe and Howard (II & III) but saying he`s a true Evertonian is akin to claiming Teflon Tony is a socialist!But the common feature is that both these con-merchants have got Kenwright`s support and that`s what counts! So, Mr Hall,don`t go round saying nasty things about `The Moysiah` or
you`ll get the same treatment as that poor old chap at Blackpool! ... the more you know I've read other responses by you that stress your commitment to
journalistic integrity - well there ain't much on show here. Results since 28th December 2004 So, since 28th December 2004 we’ve played 27, lost 17, won 7 and drawn 3. Our goal difference is –19. Anyway, my maths was never great but as I understand it, over the past 27 league games we average 0.88 points each game. We lose 0.7 goals each game. Applied to a 38 game season, we would finish with 33 points. Our goal difference would be –27. Below are all our results from 28th December 2004. It does not make pretty reading. You will note that the results get steadily worse over the weeks and months: 1. Tue 28 Dec, Charlton (A): 0 – 2 (LOST) = 0 (GD –2) The numbers game Since the Premiership went down to 20 teams, the average points total required to stay up is 38(not 40 as most pundits suggest).The average number of wins required is 9 and only WBA,last year,managed to survive with less.So to reach the magic target we require 35 more points and 8 further wins. With 30 games to play and 8 wins to achieve we would also need to draw 11 to be safe, leaving us to complete the season with NO MORE than 11 further losses. Whilst various combinations of wins and draws could obviously do the trick, it is, I think, this latter stat — NO MORE THAN ANOTHER 11 GAMES LOST — that we need to keep our our minds focussed on. It all becomes nonsence of course, if, as in 2002-03 we need no less
than 43 points to survive! Answers needed Low aspirations However, one thing which has always been there is the Evertonian’s desire to see good football, combined with a feeling that we should be competing at the top. Granted we may have been kidding ourselves but, rightly or wrongly, the basic premise that we are a top-class club, expecting decent football, has always prevailed. Nowadays we seem to have settled for acceptance of second, third (?) best; currently we have a manager who, in the minds of many fans it seems, is the ‘best young manager in the game’. "Give him time and he’ll come good" is the mantra. Whether or not he is the best young manager is a matter for debate, I’d hate to be supporting the club with the worst young manager if DM is the best, that is for sure. One thing which hits me in the face, however, is the apparent lack of ambition amongst Evertonians who are actually giving him any credence whatsoever. Can anybody realistically see fans of the top teams supporting a manager with the record, and playing style, of Moyes's sides? If Moyes had appeared 20/30 years ago he’d have been shoved off long before now. Gordon Lee was much reviled but, on reflection, Gordon Lee’s sides were world beaters compared to the shite Moyes produces. Give Moyes time and we’ll end up exactly where we’ve been looking to be headed, for too many years: relegated. Almost a quarter of the season gone and we’ve got 3 points; personally, I can’t see where we’re going to get another just now. Extrapolating the current record to a full season would see us relegated with about 14 points. At least that would see Moyes with yet another ‘worst’ record to his name. It’s interesting to compare this season to last year at the same time, all the relegated clubs, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Norwich were better off than us at this stage. IMWT? You're having a laugh. Aren't you? Still a minority view! So exactly what qualities does our esteemed manager posess that gives him these Blair-like qualities of survival? It seems no blame attaches to him - it's all the fault of the players and the Board who didn`t provide enough funds to `buy quality`. `Who the hell could we get who`d be better?` seemed the question posed by most of my antagonists and they seemed relatively unimpressed by my response of Ian Dowie! I didn`t really get the chance to explain the rationale behind that suggestion so perhaps I can get a better reception here! Dowie took Crystal Palace from the bottom of the Championship to promotion via the play-offs, something Moyes failed to do with Preston. Although his team were relegated on the last day of the season, he had been given virtually nothing to spend but played attractive football and re-organised all aspects of the playing side most effectively so that Palace are again challenging for promotion this season. A Lancastrian Irishman, I believe he still has a home in the county following his days at Oldham. Worth consideration? But I`m not fighting anybody over it... it`s
only football,after all! Joe Royle!! Moyes can do it.. just! For his part, Moyes keeps saying `the season starts now`. OK, let's assume he`s right. With 30 games to play, we need another 37 points to reach the generally accepted safety mark of 40. That means a mathematical return of 1.23 points per game. Over his Everton career to date, Moyes averages 1.34 per game and if he can continue that ratio until the end of the season that will provide another 40 to add to the 3 gained to date! But phew... it`s going to be close! ps: I just realised to get 1.34 points from every game you have to
score at least ONE goal and we ain`t very good at that! Where is Hans Segers when you need him? Played 26, Won 8, Drawn 3, Lost 15; GF 23, GA 40 This is 27 points in 26 games, marginally better than 1 a game. More than likely it's going to go to the wire, and I just hope Chris Kirkland doesn't want to go to Germany and have a point to prove on the last day! What worries me most is in the last 4 seasons: we haven't had a decent striker who scores goals
Hugh McKillop, Belfast, N Ireland (17/10/05) Squad Size He answered!! and said that it was 19. My point was that I thought that having a large squad of average players adds to the negativity of the camp. I said this because Moyes had been very good with a small squad when he arrived and did well in his first full season. Next seson he brought in a number of players on the last days and shuffled his pack a lot. The result was that we struggled for the whole season.
This season, Moyes has brought in a number of players again and I really wonder what effect this is having on the players' confidence? Before you say look at Chelsea or Spurs, consider that you can't compare as they have a bunch of completely arrogant players (and good luck to them for that) who couldn't really give a toss about how they play as long as their hair looks good and they get their picture in the paper. However, hard workers are that... hard workers — and haven't got the arrogance of being extremely arsy to fall back on. Anyhow, back to my point. Is Moyes a bad man manager who can handle a
small squad but finds it difficult with a large squad? C'mon Ed, no
comments about injuries please. Correct my English though. Keeper I know everyone loves Martyn and he's played extremely well in the past, but he's looking pretty shakey and the guy must be feeling pretty negative at the moment. Perhaps a change would help? Wright must feel he's got something to prove.... give him a chance. Anything, something might help. Hope springs eternal. We are not going down Stick or Twist I can't see for the life of me how things would improve if we sacked DM now. Sure we may pick up a few results in the short term but is it really that sensible over a longer period? We have sacked quite a few managers over the last 15 years with each bringing in his own brand of (shite) players. In the end, we're no better off than when we sacked the guy before. We have been playing dull, dour, unappealing football for 95% of this time so what has changed this season (except ticket prices). Unless Sir Alex is available immediately I don't see Kenwright making any rash decisions in the near future. If the league is a marathon and not a sprint then it seems obvious that the best thing to do would be to hold our nerve and wait for things to get better. You have to remember that we have played only 8 games so far this season. We may be in relegation form now but at least be thankful it isn't the other side of Christmas when it really counts. Reading some of your mail has been pretty depressing lately with every defeat intensifying the extreme responses. Some people have valid points of view while others blather on in a blind panic about things which may or may not happen in 7 months time. Others criticise the manager for trying to take positives out of the shambles that was another defeat. Imagine we had finished 10th last year. Would Moyes have been sacked by now? Try to detatch yourself from emotion and consider it. Is Davie, the team and all of us suffering from last years heroics? That truely crushing defeat to Villarreal has brought with it an enormous shockwave we have yet to recover from. How long it takes us to recover I don't know but I am prepared to stick with the manager for the time being. If we get to the Liverpool game in Decemeber with no sign of improvement then perhaps the time will have come. One more thing, if we somehow pulled ourselves out of our slump this weekend against Chelsea, where would you be satisfied finishing in the table? In other words, do you demand a top-6 or top-10 finish for the manager to keep his job? In Moyes We Doubt. Time Gentlemen, Please! Of course it's more complex than that but at least it is something
that the Board might even understand. One goal in eight games is
pathetic and almost worthy of investigation under the Trade Practices
Act or taking monies under false pretences, but for all our sakes
somebody needs to get something sorted out, and now. Come back, Gravesen! The poor end to last season showed us we were a diffrent team to the
one at the begining, and although Moyes has strenghend the team he has
not replaced Gravesen's ability on the ball, tackling strength and his
vision to pick out the killer pass which was essential to the way Moyes
plays. Unless Moyes changes his tactics, the best we can hope for is
Gravesen coming back in January, but will it be to late by then? Answer! Ref - Ed's Response to John Taylor You know this for a fact do you, Editor? Funny no press has talked of
any rift. Smells of another conspiracy by this site. To be depressing, or not to be People can put up with shite performances (Arsenal did it for years before Wenger turned up) but if we pick up the wins we will keep quiet... but it doesn't mean to say we ever liked it. Now we have the worst of both worlds... shite footy and hardly any points. Sorry, but there is no logical way you can defend Moyes at the
moment. I hope he turns it around but I dont think he will I'm afraid. Paul Tran - Hard Work In Battle "In 30 plus years of watching Everton, I've seen more failure than success, but I've never seen such poor football. I rarely go to games now, because we are so dull to watch and Moyes is scared of entertaining players. This season I expected no more than a top ten finish and more attractive football." That immediately disqualifies your opinion as you're that much of a
fan you can't even be bothered going to watch us. Take up knitting
then!! Time for a change Everton's success last season was based on Revie's slogan and this
seems to have prompted a growing number of clubs to do the same. To
avoid another decade of decline the FA should once again take action. My
suggestion is not to award a point for a 0-0 draw and to add a point for
every goal scored. This radical idea and would not solve Everton's
immediate problem. On the other hand it would force Moyes and other
managers to be proactive rather than adopt the negativity of Don Revie.
I would appreciate input to my suggestion, in particular from those who
study statistics from previous years. One reason...? I'm sick to death of saeeing him holding his head in his hands whenever a goal goes in against us, when what he should be doing is holding his hands up saying 'That was my fault.' The van Nistlerooy goal and the second Dinamo Bucharest goal were as a direct result of his lack of pace in covering a near-post cross. The crosses for both goals on Saturday went over his head. He can't run and he can't jump: fundamental requirements for a central defender, I would have thought. This might seem a bit harsh but I feel that our whole style of play is based on his dreadful lack of pace at the centre of our defence. This causes us to play deeper than we should, means that the midfield also plays too deep resulting in a lack of support for our striker(s) up front. (Is, in fact, Moyes choice of 4-5-1 a direct result of a lack of confidence in our defensive qualities?) Witness not just the lack of goals but the lack of chances that we create. (In my view, this is a problem that we have had since Kevin Ratcliffe left but maybe that's me.) I was disappointed when Stubbs and Weir seemed to be David Moyes's preferred pairing last season and pleased when we bought Krøldrup who, by all (limited) accounts seems to be a good buy. But this optimism was dampened when Moyes made Weir captain! I don't see him as either an inspirational player or man and I
believe this makes it more difficult for Moyes to drop him. However, I
hope that Krøldrup's return to fitness and a pairing of him and
Yobo/Ferrari can enable Weir to be pensioned off. Maybe starting this
weekend - something's got to be done - and given the fact that we're
playing Chelsea, what have we got to lose? Mercanaries I am not entirely sure if a "cup throwing" manager is better than one who defends his players to the hilt. What I am sure of is that this team cannot be defended anymore. I am fed up with hearing that we were "comfortable at 0-0". I think Moyse has used this 'quip' after every game this season. In addition, the "season starts here for us" rallying call has been used 5 or 6 times now. The end result: we haven't even managed to score a goal let alone win a game. Games which have been 'bread and butter' even in the seasons where we were playing badly and in the bottom 5 or 6 for the best part of it. Moyse's inept ability to change tactics is now beginning to show. He is like a boxer with a poignant weakness which all of his opponents can see, and capitalise on. I do believe that we do not have the worst squad in this league, far from it. I do beleive that this team is showing the least effort and desire, however, and I don't fully beleive that to be the fault of the manager. I think a change is inevitable. Be it now, or January or next summer. If he is to remain in order to try and salvage anything from this crippling start to the season, then I think a few home truths are due. Does the club not have any sort of right to fine or withold pay from playing staff for diabolical performances? Anyhow, David Moyes should perhaps shame his players into performing. Publically hurting them into playing for the fans that pay their hefty wages. A lot of you will probably say that will only make the situation worse, you may be right. However, it seems Moyes has no other idea but to carry on hoping that the displays of these "Premier League Proffessionals" will drag us out of this mire. If it were down to me I would consider bringing in a half a dozen
reserves against Chelsea and making those who are dropped sit in the
Gladwys St with the rest of us. A short sharp shock is needed, Davey,
not more defending of an overpaid, overrated bunch of twats. 'Nothing Was Created in Open Play' If David Moyes wants to know what is wrong with his team, that clause
sums it all up. Extra training days, the "Dogs of War" mentality, the
repeated cries for more fight from our supporters are all irrelevant. We
need some flair, some class, some creativity: the strikers are crap, but
Henry and Ronaldo (Real, not United) would be crap with the service we
offer them from our anonymous and defensive midfield. Stubbs come back! Moysie should sit by us!! When Moyes first arrived, we all thought it was great that he got on the pitch before the match doing the warm up and pumping the players up and that he stood on the sideline during the match and barked out his instructions. By now we should have moved on... I think he should be up in the stand at least for the first half because I'm convinced he's not watching the same game as us. On the sideline he is too involved with the match, nit-picking with the referee and the 4th assistant, and generally losing his control; if he sat in the stand, he could take a more objective view of the game and think or plan his way to change things at half-time. It's got to be worth a suggestion; at worst he may appreciate the
absolute dross that we are continually being forced to witness every
weekend. Not because the squad ain't up to it — I think we've much more ability overall than last season. Not because (and it has been obvious for some time that) the manager has lost it, the dressing room, the plot or whatever (appalling buys of crocked players at high prices; constant playing of players before they have recovered from injury; the consistently piss poor tactics with no sign of being able to change the track, never mind the record; and of course the dreadful record from January this year: played 26, won 7, drawn 3, lost 16, scored 23, conceded 39, points 24 — and this season, as we all know: one goal in 8 games). No, it's because that spineless Board of ours won't have the balls, the nous, the wisdom and the guts to do what they need to do right now — get rid of Moyesie and bring in someone now who can steady the ship, get some points in the frame and stop the Club being pissed down the drain. Bill Kenwright is sentimentally attached to Moyes and won't let go until we are already beyond saving, whilst there is no-one else in our Boardroom of ineffectual journeymen who will force the decision. Get an old hand in until the end of the season and plan for the future when we know we are safe. Before you ask, there are plenty of available managers out there who could do it, and very few who would be likely to do worse than Moyes's atrocious record this year. I like Moyes for many reasons, but relegation will be more than a humiliation for ourselves and the Club, it is potentially an event we may never recover from, given the total-ineptitude state of the Club and its finances. Moyes is not bigger than the Club, and we cannot afford to hang on until it it is too late through some misguided sense of loyalty. Football managers know that they live and die by the sword — that's why they get paid so well. It's part of the job. They all bounce back and no doubt Moyes will too. And he'll get a nice big payoff as well, so don't shed any crocodile tears for him. I'm shedding real tears right now over our future... This needs to be done right now, sadly. Bet it won't though. Steve Malone (17/10/05) This was taken from ToffeeNet, the mailing list. I offer no applgies for posting it here to a wider audience. As the crisis deepens, it hits harder on a number of key issues that I believe to be fundamental. — The Editor Check this out Wright; How any manager could sign that many players of the same calibre (ie, average to poor) and still think we would do anything but struggle is beyond belief. When I put that lot down on paper I nearly started to cry,that was followed by uncontrolable laughter. My bird thinks I am a madman. Why did Kenwright allow it? He is supposed to be one of us and should at least be able to spot a dud (or eleven) when he see's them. All Moyses has done since he came here is replace deadwood with driftwood and it's a scandal. Alan Stubbs must cry himself to sleep at night. He still comes to Goodison when he can; it's a disgrace what happened to that lad. So, anyone out there thinking Moyses is a good manager... think again. In the past few weeks, he has been quoted in the local press as saying Richard Wright, Tony Hibbert, and only last week James Beattie are worth an England shirt. Just about says it all. Ruminations On Sky they commented that Chelski had now gone the equivalent of a whole season unbeaten, so it got me thinking as to where we would be in a season long-table ending today. Sadly we would have a total of 45 points, although this would keep us clear of relegation it would be a dreary season again. However that was the good news; if we look at the last 20games of last season and the first eight of this then we would have amassed a meagre 24 points from 28 games, that would give us an average of under 33 points for a season. Relegation fodder, in the last two seasons that has been the low standard that got clubs relegated. So what do we do? Sack the manager? Let him loose on the transfer market? Accept an injury plague has been the problem? To be honest, if I knew the answer then I'd get a job as a manager. In the whole scheme of things, it's not our call; it's "Blue" Bill's and it'll be a financial one. Basically, relegation means "no money" and Bill has little money as it is. If Bill opts to let Moyes go, who comes in? Who will be better or who will be worse or who would want it? No money; a "tired" team; relegation beckoning; taking over from a Scotsman who won't criticise the team - that'll be the next Davey Moyes, then... because, as memory serves, wasn't he the guy who turned around the failing Walter Smith team? So we know one thing: he knows how to keep us up. I am worried; I'm truly concerned, of course I am... but we shouldn't jump for the eject button after 8 games of a season. We have seen sparkles of potential: second half against Villarreal; first half away at Bucharest; home leg against Bucharest; and, when all said, the Spurs game did show some gelling of players — Valente actually did his defensive bits ok and Ferrari started to show his class. We can't pick or change the manager but we can support him and at the
moment let's look forward to players coming back and a Dutchman's debut.
Then, hopefully, the change of luck. Oh and a goal would help, but at
the moment I'd be happy with a clean sheet. Why Moyes should go NOW I have been a strong advocate of Moyesie and still believe that he has a long-term vision for the Club; a vision which is light-years away from the dross currently being served up each week. However, time to let this plan materialise is not on Moyes's or Everton's side anymore. Chelsea arrive next week; who can believe 3 points (or even 1) will come our way? After that, Birmingham and Boro... again, can you see the points tallying up given the way we are playing? I've invested too much emotion (and money, quite frankly) in Everton to see the Club (and as importantly it's supporters) dragged down into the lower divisions without a fight. At the moment, an appetite for the aforementioned fight is only one of a number of qualities this team lacks. However, other contributors have discussed this aspect of the situation ad nauseam. Moyes must be sacrificed to save the Club from relegation. Three points from a possible 24 is ludicrous (and could soon be from 30). The Board need to act now. A new manager will hopefully give an initial boost which could get points on the board (a change of style and tactics or just a new boot up the backside). Moreover, he would also have time to assess the needs as he sees them well before the transfer window opens. Money in the coffers? Probably not much... but Wyness and Kenwright must back the new manager. Who to bring in? Thankfully, the transfer window doesn't yet apply to managers. It needs to be someone inspirational and, without wanting to sound xenophobic, I don't think a coach from abroad could step up to the plate quickly enough (he'd need the rest of the season just to come to terms with the Premier League). Martin O'Neill would be fantastic, but he has far more important priorities at the moment. So, for what it's worth, I say get Joe Royle back. His recent comments would lend you to believe that he sees his time with us as unfinished business. He is a proven motivator and (whilst it wasn't always like watching Brazil) we played solid attacking football under Joe. Oh yes. And we won something too.
The FA Cup. Never Mind The Quality... Moyes seems incapable of raising the morale: our captain talks about playing for Scotland as being a relief from the mood at Everton... So what has gone wrong since last season? Surprisingly my answer is: not very much. Goal Difference does not lie and is a very good indicator of the quality of a team: we had GD = -1 despite our exalted position. Last season, we played a brand of counter-attacking football (it won us few friends and to be honest that was fair enough) that utilised Carsley in the holding position and Gravesen as a constructive play-maker; we had Stubbs and Weir playing solidly, Martyn was outstanding and Cahill nicked some goals in his Martin Peters ghosting role. Stubbs has gone; Weir looks slower and older; Carsley's been injured, and may find it hard at this stage of his career to come back to speed; and Cahill should be rested by Moyes until he's fit to play — although I do feel that his success is dependent on being in a team that creates one or two chances, rather than us expecting him to create chances himself. He is paradoxically a very good player off the ball. Moyes needs to look at a way of getting Beattie on the pitch for 90 mins; he wants another player with pace (McFadden? Bent?) alongside and he needs to get some confidence into a team that has lost all belief in itself. Unfortunately, the manager gives the impression that he has lost belief in both his team and his own ability. I read that Newell will be our next manager. He may be the one, but the record of managers like Newell and Moyes coming up from the lower English leagues and succeeding in the Premiership is very very limited. Can you name one? My panic is growing. I've been a supporter since our promotion in
1954 and this team is lost. The manager has got a problem or two.
Unfortunately, one of the problems may well be himself and his attitude
to flair and skill. Fickle Fans OK we're rubbish, and we are all tired of the kopites cracking the jokes in the local. But give Davie a chance, he has earned one. It was before my time but the legend of the Adrian Heath goal against Oxford still remains. I'm sure that, if he was fit and able to see past his huge man-chest, Beattie could produce something similar [... to what? — Ed] and Van der Meyde must be better than Kilbane on the left. With Krøldrup to come, the return of Carsley — and even the
possibility of Gravesen in January — It ain't over yet! The Awakening Over the summer Moyes dithered on transfers. We all expected a couple of players signed pretty early on but Moyes only seemed to have a hard-on for Simon Davies! The failure to sign a striker was, and still is to me, shocking. Moyes at one time could boast a rich pickings in frontmen. He has let go from our Everton Radzinski, Rooney, Campbell, Jeffers (loan), Chadwick and even McBride. In return he has signed Bent and McFadden which is the worst partnership in the Prem. Our hopes are pinned on Beattie... I think we are fucked! So as I watched the game yesterday I awoke to the fact that we are going down. My favourite line to the gobshites last season was 'the table doesn't lie'. The table is now taking shape as we are almost a quarter of the way through the league season and it doesn't lie because we are the worst team in the Prem. Up until yesterday I could have been described as a blind supporter of Moyes but yesterday I awoke to the fact that this is his fault and he has got us in this mess and unless Beattie gets fit and starts shootting goals we will go down. His substitutes yesterday were bad. The plus from yesterday were
Ferrari looks a better right back than Hibbert (didn't Moyes say he was
a left back?) and Valente looked less like Pistone yesterday. Why can't
Moyes awake to the fact that Kilbane, McFadden and Weir are shite?
Everyone else seems to know. Progress of sorts Less positive aspects were the performances of Neville, who always looked under pressure and lacked composure on the ball, whilst the body language of Bent suggested he had little hunger for the fight: amazingly he was spared substitution. Weir was once again a huge dissappointment, failing to organise the back four. On to the hope: the availability of Per Krøldrup will hopefully lead
to the replacement of Weir. With Andy van der Meyde available on the
flank, Mc Fadden can be deployed up front, with Kilbane assuming a more
central role. Enough Already "OK? OK?!!" I exploded. "We were equally bad in both halves - the only difference was that Spurs didn't score in the first half!" I then pointed out the dead cert penalty they should have had, the save Martyn had to make and the clearance off the line.... "Oh yeah mate, you're right." End of conversation as I jumped a bus back to Seven Sisters to start the long journey home. How much more of this can we take? I'm reaching the end of my tether. Football fans have notoriously short memories but some of the performances this season are among the worst I've seen in nearly 30 years. A pal rang me at half-time yesterday for a report and ended the call with: "Let's hope we can hang on for a nil-nil then." That's what we have come to this season because we look completely incapable of creating a decent chance — let alone scoring a goal. Unfortunately, this is no "blip" in form as our record in 2005 is appalling having lost 17 out of 27 league games since our last defeat at Spurs on New Year's Day. Many managers have lost their job for less! I am incredibly reluctant to call for Moyes's head as it is now pretty well accepted that continuity breeds greater success than not. However, some of our manager's decisions have baffled me:
I should now be going into the details of my plan to sort all this out and push us up the table, as all fans have a plan... don't they? But that's the problem - I can't think of one. Well, other than waiting for January and signing about five new players — but I'm not sure the Premier League will let us postpone all our games until then. And, given our European failures, how much money will now be available in January anyway? I suppose this is just my way of getting things off my chest. I'll still be there against Chelsea on Sunday hoping for a miracle to kick-start the season, and then against Middlesbrough, and Birmingham etc etc. No doubt we all will.... I see we've been linked with Gravesen again this week - maybe that's the answer. I know he divided opinion whilst with us but just have a watch of last season's DVD. How many times was his name mentioned in the run which took us to 40 points? More than once or twice. That was achieved on Boxing Day when we beat Man City. He only played for us three times after that. Hey, maybe I have got a plan after all! Oh Davey, oh Davey, Oh Davey!
Steve Newbould, Manchester (16/10/05) Baffling Substitution I realise he has got more badges than a Butlins redcoat and should know far more than us fans but I must admit he leaves me bemused when substitution time comes around. On the plus side, I thought both full-backs looked to be settling and adapting. On the minus side, I thought Tim is suffering from that mysterious footy complaint of second-season syndrome. Chelsea next... and that doesn't fill me with great confidence. But could it be that the very fact it is unbeaten Chelsea that will motivate and charge up the players more than the manager seems able to --- hope so!! See you Sunday. UP THE BLUES! Quo Vadis?? But please don't put the blame all onto Moyes - those same players who got us into 4th place last season are a disgrace at the moment. Why doesn't anyone recognise that Yobo is not a natrual defender? Last season we never kept a clean sheet when he played except for Man U away when he played right back. He cost us goals in every game. The re-signings in the summer were perhaps made with the heart rather than the head: Ferguson, Weir, Naysmith, Pistomne, Kilbane should not have been given either new contracts or had extensions granted. Stubbs should have been given a 2-year deal even if just to give some backbone to this team of nancy boys. Drop Weir; make Neville captain, let him dictate the play and allow him to change things to Plan B if there is one when things are not working. Is Wyness still at EFC? He, along with Kenwright, should resign now - they have been suckered by agents and players. Kilbane has not had a good game for the club since 2004. Can anyone remember the last time he beat a man and crossed a ball? If the fans could see the weaknesses in the team from last season, why could not the management at the club see the same? And one other thing. Take the whole squad to Anfield next week to watch Anderlect. Make them sit in the stands and take the abuse from the gobshites and maybe, just maybe, they will begin to realise what football means in this city. And maybe, just maybe, they might think that they owe us — thier supporters — some commitment and stop wallowing in thier own self pity. Get out and at Chelsea next Sunday and win a fucking game. You take
the money; start earning it! Sickening! Personally, I lost all faith in Moyes when I realised he thought Beattie was what we needed, but I never expected him to continue on this sure fire path to destruction; buying crap players for too much, destroying team morale, playing the worst football the Premiership has ever seen, and then going into denial after every defeat. He really has turned into Walter Smith but far, far worse. He has overseen the biggest missed opportunity in Everton's history; he will take us down and with this team, make no mistake, we would struggle in the Championship. We'll never get another Rooney; there will be no more £20M windfalls,
and we aren't ever likely to get a sniff of the Champions League ever
again. He has been incredibly lucky but has blown it bigger than you
would if you were actually secretly trying to sabotage the club. For
Gods sake go, and at least give us a sniff of a chance to not go down! Time some people woke up This is the worst ever, I've never felt so down about it like I do now. Other times we had a bit of hope but these players and tactics give me no hope as yet again we are beaten in the second half as the opposition up the pace and we are run out of it. The way it's going I can only think a miracle is needed for us to improve. I dread next week as 'boring' Chelsea (who are scoring for fun) visit Goodison. This will not go away easily; wake up before it's to late. Lunatics running the asylum We have not become a bad side overnight, I keep hearing. Well, if you go back to last January, that's one long fucking night. Sack him now and bring someone in who understands the basics of football. "Who will we bring in?" people keep asking. "Who would want the job?" What a load of shit. We are Everton! — anyone would be an improvement on this joker. There are plenty of good managers in the lower leagues who would jump at the chance to come here. What's the biggest gamble: bringing in a Mike Newell or a Peter Taylor or even Dave Watson? Or sticking with a terminal loser like Moyses. Knowing bungalow Bill, he will wait until the game is up before he makes a decision. Only Everton would employ Stevie Wonder as a coach driver and stick with him until we were hanging off the Runcorn bridge. We need to move on quickly and grab that fourth from bottom spot, yes
that's how bad it is. Sorry, Davey but your record stinks, so do us all
a favour... Its only a blip!!??!! On a positive note Football is only a game The answer is quite simple really. We follow the team of our choice from a young age. Parents & other family members influence our choices, as do friends & our proximity to the club of choice. Other factors include the club’s ability to play ‘good football’ & to score goals, which, after all, is the whole point of football. So where do the current Everton FC fit into this scenario? Quite simply, they don’t. Four strikers on the pitch at the same time & still no goals? Many fans complain about the board, the manager & the players, yet they don’t seem to grasp the fact that without the fans support, the club cannot continue on it’s current course. The fans have the power to make changes. By not paying for entry to the match, by not buying merchandise, they can force the club into changing things. Yet so many fans turn up, week after week, only to be disappointed. Well, I’d be disappointed too if I’d just paid £25 to watch shite. Which is one of the main reasons, that, despite being a supporter for 45 years, I don’t care as much as some of the fans seem to. I’m an armchair supporter see. I refuse to pay good money not to be entertained. My £25 is better spent for a couple of tickets for the theatre, cinema, or a meal for two. Even a piss-up down the pub is more entertaining than 90 minutes of boredom, waiting in vain for that elusive goal that none of our current strikers are capable of. For those of you that hanker after masochism week after week, be my guest. If you are only slightly masochistic, watch it on MOTD. But if you really are as sick of crap football as I am, just don’t watch. I know it’s hard. A bit like seeing a car accident & not wanting to look, but you feel you just have to. I’ve managed to limit myself to just getting the result at pools time. I know what the result will be even before it’s revealed. It’s just a matter of the scoreline. But at least my Saturdays are no longer blighted by the disappointment of endless defeats. I’ve learnt to accept the inevitable. As for the future of Everton FC. Who cares? It’s only a game after
all. There are more important things to worry about in this world than
football. Only asking... I have a similar question about Krøldrup. Is he injured or not? If he
isn't, then let's being see what £5M gets you; and if he is, having him
as the sole defender on a benchful of ineffective strikers seems like a
foolish choice. What if one of the defenders had been injured early in
the match? It's bad enough that we are the only Premiership club who
buys players pre-injured, but then to put them on the bench... Lone voice? Who is going to come in? Smith? Graham? Reid? Whoever was brought in would need time to settle after the initial "honeymoon" win or two then swap and change half the side in January. I just heard Moyes on the radio on the way home home and he doesn't sound desperate; he's not flapping or making excuses. What I heard was if we stick together it will come good, and it will! I honestly believe we have our best manager since Kendall (1st time)
and before anyone writes in telling me what a load of crap I'm talking,
be honest, you thought the same last season. He doesn't become a bad
manager overnight. Yes, we have had an awful start, but if we DON'T
PANIC we'll get through it. Passion Low! Strangely enough, I do't think we played too badly today as the away team. But Weir and Yobo as a partnership is too flimsy. It's a year too much for David Weir in my opinion, as well as he has done for the club. And Yobo, while he can be outstanding on his day, loses concentration too often for a defender. Mido should never have got to the ball before Yobo for the first goal. That would never have happened with a tough old British centre half, like Carragher, Terry, Southgate etc. Africans do not make natural defenders and, while Yobo can make an outstanding tackle, or win a great header, or nullify an attack with a burst of pace, he is often asleep where it matters most - in the box. Up front,we struggled again. We have a lot of huff and puff, but cannot score. Bent does too much work away from the goal, and is often out wide when the ball is put in the box. Our midfielders don't shoot outside the box, and there's a lack of quality with the final ball a lot of the time. Kilbane works hard, but should not be a first choice player. Cahill played just behind Bent today and was anonymous. We are crying out for Beattie to get a run of games, and I must admit I believe he is a good player, but he needs to stay fit. I know he has his doubters on this site, but I just pray he comes good, and I believe he can - he has to. I see Chelsea won 5-1 today, and they're next up. Can we do the
impossible? I just hope we give it a right good go. At least the players
gave it a right good go today. Last year we might have had a point from
today's game with our defensive solidity, and while our scoring problems
are well documented, I fear that unless we stop leaking goals then we
are fighting a losing battle. And so say all of us Where are the points going to come from? Recent fan views diplomatically posted pro- and anti-Moyes had points we could all agree or disagree with. In all honesty ,does anyone think for a minute that Beattie (who strangely hasn't trained again this week — even patients recovering from serious illness and accidents are given water-based physiotherapy — swimming) will ever come good before disappearing together with our other useless shower of shite first-team squad on "get out" clauses at the end of this the most miserable season I have ever been unfortunate to ever endure in 36 years? I'm no expert with answers but it doesn't take a genius to say what
we are currently doing is simply not Premier league standard and will
condemn us to an early plunge to the Championship then oblivion like
Sheffield Wednesday. Moyes must go One goal in eight league games is a disgrace and I fear that unless their is a change in the top job we will be relegated. ps Where is the FSF cash injection? Groundhog day Believe it or not, we are not quite as bad as the Mike Walker start
in 94-95. Can anyone honestly see where the next point will come from? I
can't.... perhaps it will Southend away ...opening day of 06/07! Stick with Moyes First off, most of the "solutions" proposed by Mr Dwyer occur in the past tense. For example, "The squad from last season should have been kept together". Ok, genius, the same squad that fell across the finish line at the end of last season and endured a run of results not too different from what we're going through at the moment. Clearly, and even the hardest Moyes critic would agree, that additions were desperately needed during the summer. Fresh legs, creativity, and a goal scorer were needed. For this to happen, some players had to be shown the door, so be it. I'm a big fan of Stubbs but that's modern day football for you. So, we come to the crux of your argument. That is, and its a fairly valid one, that the signings so far have been unsuccessful. Fair enough. However, your solution to the problem, and here is where I have a problem with your piece, is that we go back in time and sign Michael Ball, Darren Bent, Nicky Butt, and Kevin Phillips?! Now, while none of these players (Bent aside) has been tearing up the Premiership this season, explain to me, along with the idea that someone (say Martin O' Neill I believe you suggested, more on that soon) can travel back through time and rebuild your idea of a good Everton squad, again all of this happening during the international break. Are you off your head?! Martin O' Neill left management because his wife is ill, so no such luck there. Michael Ball's form and career have been ignonimous since his transfer north of the border. Nicky Butt?! I'd take Phil Neville anyday before him. He's younger, more versatile, and he doesn't get suspended for cursing at referees. Kevin Phillips, likewise, is over the hill and has never rediscovered his form that made him an England international when he was at Sunderland. Darren Bent would be nice, but who knew he was going to be playing so well this season? Surely you weren't advocating his signing back in August were you? Didn't think so. While it's easy to sit around and complain about the signing of
Beattie being "foolish" and Moyes' tactics being "ameteurish" I am
firmly in the camp that believes none of this moaning and groaning is
going to accomplish anything. Neither is the sacking of Moyes. He is
here to stay and we need to support him and the team. Stop wasting your
time wondering "what could have been?" because it's irrational and
counter-productive. Let's get behind the boys, Beattie and Moyes
included, and roar them on tomorrow at White Hart Lane. CMOYB!! I want some Spurs Match Preview God bless the Blues! Battleground As far as firing Moyes is concerned, you might as well save your angst for the team as there is no way he will get the boot unless it's January and we are bottom and out of everything - remember, Bill only sacked Walt Disney in March. Who saved us then by the way....... My own 5 quid's worth is that the now ill-fated Champions League "dream" is at the bottom of it all; Moyes/Bill/We/The Players all believed in its seductive riches and games against Europe's best - in reality we were ill-equipped for it and our failure has hit really hard and deeply. In Clive Woodward's book "Winning" he says that "success doesn't come in a straight line". I know what he means as our line over the past 3-4 years has been like a bloody corkscrew. I recommend this excellent piece in The Guardian from Niall Quinn for a players view on sacking Managers. Spurs away anyone? I was there in '85 when Links scored & we last
won.... only 20 years ago. James Hanlon - Taking The Piss?? Is the new match previewer part of ToffeeWeb's new positive aproach? Well it gave me a laugh anyway. Was it supposed to be serious or did I miss the sarcasm? So many questions I know. Here are a couple of quotes: James Beattie: "BT is chomping at the bit to regain his full fitness and match sharpness that will have him banging in the goals in no time" apparently "we cant wait" - understatement of the millenium. "The Everton players will definitely be up for this one, ready to prove once and for all that the Premiership table really is upside-down" The only way we're gonna be top of the league this season is if you stand on your head. The more I think about the more convinced that this definately a piss take. The safe bet would certainly be for us to concede our 700th and 701st Premiership goals without reply. I guess the optimism hasn't quite rubbed of yet! Still, we've got the
thought of Beattie chomping at the Pizza Hut sorry THE BIT. A Valiant Effort Gravesen rumours As I sit here in my room in the heart of the French countryside at a cracking university and generally enjoying my time here, there is one thing that is dragging me down. Everton FC. The euphoria of last season almost made me forget the one big howler David Moyes made. However, this season has highlighted that he should not have signed James Beattie Well, maybe that is a bit unfair on James. Or is it? Nine months ago I wrote an article about whether he was the right choice for Everton as a big-time Charlie who would disrupt the influence of the team. Now I think is a good time to assess his performance for Everton in what is generally known as the honeymoon period. Well, what performance I hear you ask? Exactly the point I was coming to. People might have a go at me for being terribly anti-Beattie at this point, but it goes without saying he’s spent more time on the treatment table in the past nine months than he has been on a football pitch. I don’t think even Duncan Ferguson has seen Big Basil as much as Beattie has, and that’s saying something. It does make our £6million investment somewhat of a laughing stock, and Southampton, despite them being in the Championship, are laughing all the way to the bank. What has Beattie actually done in nine months? Decide to do a bit of head-banging, except using William Gallas as the wall, and then getting injured and never playing bar a few goals in the Champions League or the Cup competition. His scoring record in the Premiership for us is pathetic, one goal in I don’t know how many games. If you want me to show how bad that is, he is making Emile Heskey look prolific. Second point, he has an off-the-pitch problem. There have been plenty of stories in the press about him since he joined Everton, such as deciding the best place to practice his fledgling career as a boxer was a Birmingham nightclub. Now, what footballers do in their spare time I don’t usually care about, but as a professional footballer (serving a suspension at the time may I add), what was he doing in a nightclub in the first place, getting absolutely hammered, and paying no attention to keeping oneself fit. I’m not suggesting grown men and footballers shouldn’t have the occasional drink now and again, but the other pain is why try and start a fight? And as for his effect on the team? Has anyone noticed Bent’s record since Beattie joined has absolutely plummeted? I think he has scored maybe twice since Beattie’s arrival, and his workrate this season has been singled out for criticism on a lot of the forums I peruse throughout the day. Not having a go at him, but it is obvious the arrival of a big name had a big effect on a guy who was fantastic the first half of last season. Do not get me wrong, I want Beattie to start scoring and getting us up the league table; I want a goal on Saturday against Spurs, even if we lose 2-1(!). At least we’ll have found where the onion bag is, and maybe that will encourage us to get the momentum going we had at the beginning of last season. We just need a few players to get their acts together, and that includes you, James Beattie. Peter Roberts, Poitiers, France (05/10/14) When Saturday comes I believe it is for his employer to determine if the man they hired to run the playing side of the business is performing in a satisfactory manner and on course to deliver that which will delight both club and supporters. Their judgement will impact on us fans for many a day if it is not based and measured on the model put forward at the time of hiring. As for the game on Saturday, at a ground that's not been kind to us for a long time, I just hope the big jessies that pull on the blue jerseys stop sulking, grow up and play with the ability that they have all been telling us they possess and just maybe we will have something to cheer about. UP THE BLUES Transfers Possession possession possession Part of this giving away possession is careless passing, either to a closely-marked colleague or straight to an opponent; part is over-use of the long ball... but much appears to be an inability/unwillingness of our players to make dummy runs to pull defenders out of position or to make themselves available by dashing into any such spaces. Running like this could greatly reduce all the running after opponents to whom we have gifted the ball so wantonly. Possession, possession, possession. THE OPPOSITION CANNOT SCORE WHILE
WE HAVE THE BALL! They will be the ones getting knackered chasing after
us for it! Let's make keep-ball a way of life. Can I be honest for a moment We all have lived through these times and watched poor football mixed with the odd brilliant performance. After last season the majority of us believed that with a few new signings (a striker was a MUST) we would continue to improve, not necessarily finish 4th or higher, but at least be a top-5 or top-10 club. I've seen most of the games this season and have seen nothing that makes me think anything positive has happened or is likely to happen anytime soon. We aren't even creating real chances and once we go 1 down it's never looked like we will equalise or even go on to win. If anyone can say "we battered Man Utd" or anyone else for 20 mins, it means for 70 mins we didn't. I believe in Everton and playing attractive football (something we haven't done for a long, long time) but the team and management must give me and you a reason TO believe. I'm not in the "get Moyes out know" camp but we are in serious trouble and he is running out of time. And If anyone again says "Its a blip", think again. The Cup in 95, finishing 7th in 2003 and 4th in 2005 might be the REAL blips. Up the Blues and Toffeeweb Relax Ask what the players can do for you Yes we can live in hope and support the team and players and cheer them on even when losing. That won't happen. The proof has been in full evidence too long now. We are playing shit, and shit football has never been cheered on in any ground to my knowledge. A change in tactics is a first. Let's try and play football on the floor with passion and pride and movement and ideas to beat the opposition. The follow-on to that is the crowd get excited and cheer the team on to perform even better. That's how football works, it's simple. I ask the players to perform to their best and ask the manager to employ a tactical style of passing football where players can pass and move into space. I have not asked for the manager to be sacked, just to employ better
tactics than he is using at present. This will be enough to get the
support of the fans. Past a joke! Anyway, as far as the `failure` of Moyes to bring on players, what about Hibbert, Rooney and Osman? All became established first-teamers under his careful tutiledge and Vaughan would now have joined them had not injury intervened. That`s four players brought through in less than four years - how
many other clubs in this day and age can boast such an achievement? Some
people just want to pick on things to gripe about! Fair comment This website is accused of being too negative. Has there been anything since Bent's winner at Bolton to be positive about? I'm a journalist on a weekly paper whose duties include interviewing football players and managers. They rarely have anything to say other than the blatantly obvious. Looking at the Everton FC and Post/Echo website articles, the words from Moyes and the players are just what you'd expect and generally not worth repeating on Toffeeweb. I think your comment articles are excellent and the match reports realistic assessments. I believe there is enough talent in the ranks and ready to come in from the treatment table to pull us out of this crisis. I don't believe Moyes should be sacked, but the criticism is deserved. The fact is - apart from the occasional high spot - our form since December has been poor. The players are virtually all Moyes's signings and they are failing big time to deliver. Keep up the good work. Ref: When is Enough Enough? Could not agree more Facts: I do not want to see Moyes go. However, look at the facts so far: Did we actually create anything against Man Utd? Were we lucky against Bolton? Were Villarreal not more clinical in both games (are we going to blame the next 20 years of crap football on a ref with a bald head?). Did anyone see anything in the Portsmouth and Wigan games to suggest the players had any idea of what they were doing? Again how many shots, balls cleared off the line, posts and crossbar did we hit at Fulham and Man City? And finally you are 1-1 away from home in Europe with 45 mins to go... what should we do? All behind the ball don't concede another and if you get a chance great but let's hold what we have and get them back to Goodison; well no further comment needed. So who is to blame for the above? Something is very wrong when you
finish 7, 17, 4 and so far, bottom with a very lucky 3 points to date.
Come on Davie, what's happened? I for one really hope he does know the
answer and has a Plan B. ....and another bloody thing! What has this manager been doing for four years? If, as we are led to believe, he controls every aspect of the playing side, does that not include the development of youg talent? Is the cupboard so bare that Holden is forced to throw 16-year-olds straight into the bullpit of Reserve team football? What the bloody hell DID appear in that famous five-year plan if there wasn`t somrthing about preparing young talent for first team football? Whatever the apologists may come up with, I positively assure you
this is no budding Alex Ferguson suffering a few temporary set-backs -
this is a man in deep shit who is dragging a once proud club deeper into
the mire of his own making as every day goes by! Please,somebody, do
something! Negative In Moyes I Trust With our paper-thin squad the invetible happened: form dipped, results stopped coming. But just somehow, Moyes steered the creaking ship through the icebergs and we finished 4th. Even those below us spending £100M couldn't catch us. That wasn't luck, it was great management considering the resources. We all knew it and accepted it and celebrated Moyes as the saviour. So forget January to August, there is a reason for that form. I agree with John Prior about this season's form. We haven't played badly and fans who go will tell you that at half-time against Wigan, we were upbeat. 'Failing' to get a striker in the transfer window happens. I wouldn't want a Bellamy-type deciding what position he wants to play in or a Nugent for £5M who can't live up to the hype. Beattie has been down that road! I am literally appalled at the call for Moyes head. Look back a
little, take stock of what has happened and let's hope that the players
yet to figure and those to settle and return to form will lift us. Now
is the time not to panic, but to back our manager, the man who made us
proud again last season - Come on get a grip! It won't be long now Man Utd and Villa apart, we were woeful through the run-in and any true blue would admit the same. Kevin Latham has just posted an article rallying the fans to get behind the team and to Support Beattie now more than ever before. What?? "How many other teams have turned the corner with the fans on their backs?" he asked. How many other teams get 40,000 fans turn up to watch the shite that we do Kev, week in, week out? Season in, season out I honestly cannot offer up a suggestion of what to do next, because I don't know. But continuing with this is not an option for me. The football is so negative it's beyond belief, and the fact that we are seriously asking ourselves where the next goal is coming from is a sign of our demise. We finished in 4th last year not because of fancy football or because
we twatted teams week in, week out. We finished there, with a negative
goal difference, because we fluked 1-0's left right and centre. We have
had no prolific goalscorer in 20 years and it's time this long-suffering
fanbase were given performances to be proud of. I don't expect us to win
the league, but for my hard earned money to be put into this club, I
expect effort and commitment at least. They have had enough support,
Kevin Latham, its fucking pay back time on their part, not ours. Enough is not now! 1) You have to let him field his strongest 11. To deny him this opportunity would be to deny him a fair chance. You have to wait for Krøldrup and Van der Meyde (and Beattie, dare I say it!) to feature. 2) No matter who was appointed, he couldn't suddenly be expected to make this team score bags of goals. 3) Any new manager needs to be able to bring in his own players, so there is no point in even considering a change of manager until near Christmas time. I thought the author was a bit harsh in writing, 'The only half
decent performance this season was against a travelling Dinamo Bucharest
outfit that had little intention of getting involved in a game of
football.' Did he not see the Villareal games prior to that? I agree
it's not been good, but sacking Moyes now would be premature, and we
would be worse off for it. Let's wait and see how we do until nearer
Christmas... Options? And, clearly, one of the fundamental needs of EFC is a revamp of our scouting network - do we have any? Do we have any whose opinion the manager is prepared to trust? To dispense with the services of Moyes may be a shame - I love the attitude he sometimes exudes and the 'best club on Merseyside this season' quote was pure class (even though it was shattered within a week) as was the 'Everton are the People's Club' quote on day one of signing. He pissed a lot of people off and didn't give a shit....maybe he has this attitude on a daily basis and when the going gets tough the players don't like it — hence don't perform. Moyes has something but has made too many mistakes for the status quo to continue so how about a revamp at the top? He stays, bring in a head coach and we see a Director of Football appointed to run the rule over future signings and the club's footballing recruitment structures. Moyes would then be the figurehead he would still pick the team but would benefit from experienced input from someone who has been there and done it..a Robson, Hiddink, Venables, Advocaat, Rehhagel (Greece Manager), Santini, Koeman... you get the idea. What about Gullit as a head coach? Big issue is Moyes may see
bringing in these sweeping changes as acknowledgement of his failure and
would walk anyway... and I have real doubts that Bill could persuade
someone of that ilk to come on board. Anyway, we'll see how it pans out
over the next few weeks... but, as I have commented before, a change is
needed soon... not just a win here and there but a fundamental change in
the way we approach the game as we have simply been found out and there
are no fresh ideas coming from within. Hold on for a bumpy ride. What a surprise! At a conservative £20k per week each for those three, wages alone will have cost the club half a million without a ball being kicked in anger by any of them so far this season. When you cost in the £15M paid for them in transfer fees you begin to see the unbelievable profligacy of this manager. For that alone, he should be sacked - and now! Enough is enough indeed! Anyone is better than Moyes Being an Evertonian I want the best man for the job. The above are clearly not great managers. But one thing I believe that they have, unlike Moyes, is the ability to relate to players (basic commonsense, really). I believe the rumours that Moyes has lost the dressing room again are true. If any of the above men can gain the respect of the current squad then they are an improvement on Moyes. And since the current Everton squad is too good to be in a relegation
battle, it makes sense that the only way to remain in the Premiership is
to replace Moyes immediately with a man who will not continually poison
the dressing room. It does not matter that this person will not be our
first choice since the improved atmosphere should be enough to
revitalise a team worthy of Premiership status. Moyes's Quotes "James is still working with the physio," said Moyes "and there is no way I can consider him for Saturday unless he has some training under his belt. He is a naturally fit lad, but he needs some match practice and without training the best we could hope for is a place on the subs' bench again at the weekend." Has Moyes been misquoted really saying "naturally fat lad" or are we
to be led to believe Beattie has actually done anything other than
gained weight and done sod all exercise since he joined besides getting
his hair done and appearing on Question of Sport? Possible alternatives... My concern with him is that he seems to favour a 3-5-2 system. He has always played this way, and I don't think you could have any success in the Premier league playing this way. He used it to keep Leicester in the division, and he got away with it in Scotland where the standard is a lot lower. My point of view is that we should stick with Moyes come what may
until Christmas. I hope he can turn it around, and I think it would be a
bit harsh to sack him before he has had the chance to field his
strongest XI, which would surely include Kroldrup and Van der Meyde...
and dare I say Beattie?! Your ideas? Credible alternatives?! At the moment, David Moyes has zero credibility and is making a fool of himself and the club, so can we actually find anyone who is less credible to assume the manager's post than him?? I honestly believe that no other manager could have started this season as poorly as him given the team we have. Therefore 99% of managers would be better suited to the job than him at this time. Other people suggest that there are better managers out there but that they are not 'available'. Well, in my opinion, every manager is available, in the same way every player is available. I take it an 'unavailable' manager is one who is already in a job. Since when did that start to matter? How often do teams appoint managers who were out of a job at the time? Answer: not very often. The reason being is that the credible managers always have jobs and the fact that they are doing good jobs gives them that credibility. This does not mean, however, that they are unnapproachable and that we must stick with Dithering Dave. The credible alternatives are out there, but if some fans want to
blindly support the dross that we're watching and want to make excuses
every time a transfer fails to materialise then I suggest they continue
to laud the 'fantastic' job Moyes is doing... but please don't tell us
that we have no choice other than to do this when, in my opinion, we
clearly do. Now you see him...... EFC 2005 I think you are bloody naive to think it is because the chat with David Moyes wasn't inspiring enough. Do you really think the modern footballer considers the manager that much these days? I doubt it. What the agents are telling "their" players is that Everton have under-perforned for years and are still clinging to the past. They are saying that despite the odd blip (like 4th last year), the infrastructure of the club is not good at this time and the club is likely to feel under pressure from fans to sack their manager when things don't go well. This will lead to uncertainty for any promising or established player which could have financial implications. So let's go ahead and sack Moyes. We would have the pick of Graham, Royle, Robson, Venables, Pleat etc etc. But a manager like Moyes, who may not be a finished product but is hungry and under 60. No chance. Still at least when we sack him we'll win two games under David Pleat. I can see the e-mails: "What a breath of fresh air. Beattie was fantastic with his goals. True historical Everton centre-forward. Great to see Big Dunc. Like the good old days. I love Dixie Dean. Goodison forever...blah blah" Headline Jan 2005: Moyes signs Arteta from Everton. Pleat under
pressure from Everton fans. New signings promised. Nick Armitage Alternatives?? For Better, For Worse? If results keep goin on the way they have been since December 28
(this is no knee-jerk reaction; that's 10 months ago) and the football
played continues to be as bad, then the question we might want to
consider is: Who could be doing worse? Never sign as Aussie! Could it be the reason why nobody else moved in for him whilst at
Millwall? But I guess Moyes wouldn`t be that switched on anyway! Any alternatives? Newell has made a good start to his management career, but he does not have the credentials yet. And the other three would be a backward step and also do not have the credentials. So that pretty much explores any ex-Evertonians as boss, and it's a non-starter. Elsewhere, I've heard George Graham mentioned. Well for my money he's
a dinosaur, and wouldn't improve on any of the faults discussed about
Moyes - negative play, bad transfers etc. Is there honestly anybody out
there better than Moyes? Moyes Loses the Aussie vote Australia play 2 important games every four years. They are the World Cup qualifiers versus 5th place South Americans due to take place in 4 weeks. Unlike most (all) other countries, Australia doesn't have any meaningful competitive games leading up to these matches. It is therefore especially imporatant for them to get their squad together to prepare for these games. This is especially important this time as Guss Hiddink has been their coach for only a matter of months. My understanding is that the recent "camp" was mainly tactical, developing new systems of play (hey there's an idea for Everton) etc. So, the emphasis was not on fitness or workouts. The end result, was plain to see for Australian fans. The team (with the same players) played a completely different type of game. I don't mean that they changed from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1, I mean that in their link play, passing, fluidity, swapping of roles (imagine Eveton starting to play like Arsenal). It was obvious from their play, the comments of players after the game, that Hiddink had drilled the team all week with a new system and new roles. Presumably, Tim Cahill has missed out on most of this. From an Australian point of view :- * Everton were the only club who would not release their player This has not gone down well in Australian football circles. Big deal,
I hear you say, but the worrying thing for Everton should be Tim
Cahill's attitude. Tim has made it obvious that playing for Australia
means a lot to him. I wonder what he thinks about the gaffer holding him
back from preparing for Australia's most important game in 4 years? Stick to Pravda! Living at the other end of the country I have no easy access to Everton gossip in local newspapers although from distant memory and current matchday chat it was never that positive - regardless of results. The Official website neecessarily smacks of Pravda and is, at best, asinine - witness the current News page made up of two `Wyness Whines`, a piece on `Blues Supporters` and details of a `ladies Cup triumph`. I bloody ask you, in the current situation are we not entitled to a bit more than that? What the much vaunted-and no doubt expensive-media department do God only knows but they certainly don`t relate to everyday, every-breath Evertonians like me! I need ToffeeWeb like others need cocaine! I need to have access to the reality of my club`s plight. Does RD think we`re enjoying the pressent situation? Does he seriously believe that the `great majority` actually pray for a bad spell so we can call for the manager`s head? Get real, Richard, I'm sure even you would admit to being worried by the present situation. Support the manager by all means, but don`t question the loyalty of others who see it differently. And, by the way, the missus says both she and the cat enjoy a much
better life since I started sounding off to ToffeeWeb! On daring to be different NO, NO, NO!!! NOT PETER REID! I think the performance is going to be closely watched at Spurs. I don't expect to win there (who does after the last few years?) but if we play the way we have been then questions will have to be asked and decisions made. No one wants the manager under pressure but if he can't get them to
play football without having to hoof it anywhere, then sentiments will
have to go and the league status of this club must come first. Evertonian Donkeys We are now in a worse state than under Smith. We have even more one-paced journeymen, unskilled, uninspiring, boring players than we had then. Moyese's judgement of players is beyond belief, but the joke is on us. He has overpaid to an almost criminal extent, and bought absolute shite on fat contracts, the prime example being Beattie. The trouble is we now have to wait another cycle of 3 or 4 years before we can get shut. We really are like donkeys following a fucking carrot on a fucking stick and I cant believe we've all got to suffer this abuse all over again! The only thing that Moyes could do to walk away with some credibility
is resign and give up his contract rather than wait for the inevitable
lucrative payoff. He has been both a footballing and financial disaster
for this club and the ramifications are likely to last years... if we go
down it could be for longer than that!! The manager Let's face it though, we are playing the worst football any of us has ever seen and, for the first time ever, I have a feeling of complete hopelessness. Moyes is proving to be dour, uninspiring, stubborn and clueless. Qualities we could do without with a probable relegation battle looming. Moyes has shown that he is unable to attract quality players and cannot seem to see where things are going wrong, i.e. chasing scores of defenders when we are crying out for stikers. Whilst he has been at the helm we have progressed very little in all honesty. We have consitently played out dull one-goal affairs and our end results have therefore been determined by tight decisions and on plenty of occasions, luck. Can anyone remember the last time we can honestly say we played a team off the park and thoroughly deserved to win? No? Me either. It now appears to be a question of when he will go rather than if.
Hopefully it will not be left too late. There are other managers out
there who I'm certain would be capable of guiding us to safety and
instigate some attractive football and thus restoring hope to the hearts
of many an Evertonian. I feel the likes of Mike Newell, Neil Warnock and
possibly Peter Reid should be approached before the crisis deepens. Resign? No chance! Like an increasing number of Evertonians,I have totally lost faith in this manager. Not just because we seem to lose every match but also because of his stereo-typed tactics and total naivity/ignorance of the transfer market. Think what we will of him, the one man who stands to lose most from relegation is Bill Kenwright. Not only will he become even more reviled by supporters of his `beloved` Everton but he will also say farewell to a very juicy wedge. So when wil he act? I suspect he will give it to Christmastime - unless we suffer a string of four-goal defeats - and what true Evertonian wants that to happen? Then, if things look no better, we shall suffer the `Davey`s such a straight bloke, he came to me and said he felt he`d taken us as far as he could` speech and the Great Moyesiah will go off to the promised land to spend the dough! So where will we go from there? I suspect we shall then suffer the
inevitable `caretaker` period - which always goes on weeks longer than
it should - and then some shister agent will come up with an out-of-work
`has been` to supervise the path to relegation. So who are we left with, given that our position will already be
perilous by then? I know! Jose Flamingo! You remember him, he got Villamorante into the qualifiers of the Uefa Cup before going off to manage Tonga to World Cup elimination. He`s our man; his agent swears by him and his wife`s an actress to boot. And let's remember, all the top clubs go foreign these days! Oh god, how will we bear all that`s ahead of us? I`m weeping already.
Do you know I`m suddenly beginning to hope a miracle happens, we win
every game and that `the future`s Orange` after all! 9-0-1 Re: Steve Callaghans Letter That said, it's got that feel about it now doesn't it? It's not like the past - to me anyway, I really can't see us getting out of this one. Prove me wrong you inept group of mentally fragile confidence
players. For once, prove me wrong. Genius It's Inevitable Let's speculate for a moment - If true, why would he have done this? Maybe he has run out of ideas? Maybe he feels he has made too many bad mistakes and a clean start elsewhere in the lower leagues would be the place to continue learning — not in the top flight of British Football? Comments like 'Hibbert is ready for England' and 'I've been happy with Simon Davies's performances of late' are giving out bad signals. Actually, I like the guy and he did succeed in giving us back our pride - albeit briefly. But Big Joe gave us the FA Cup and he did not receive the adulation from some quarters of our following to anthing like the same level that is afforded Moyes. Luck plays a massive part in football. Look at Liverpool for instance... the worst team to win the Champs League and, as has proven since, probably not worthy winners. It has also been proven that Everton's luck was in last season and they were perhaps not worthy of 4th in the Premiership. Only an idiot would not agree that, if it wasn't for the ineptitude of those below us, then we would not have even made Europe. An indication of Moyes's present desperation to me is that Beattie is clearly overweight yet he is allowed to get anywhere near the first team in that condition. He has big tits for Christ's sake! Moyes should be wipping him into shape in the gym instead of desperately throwing him into foootballing action. Yes, ok you need match fitness but you need fitness first... and now he's injured again! What did he expect.. .weigh him, test him - he's no athlete at the moment. Ominously, we have been averaging less than 1 point per game since 28th December 2004. Keep that up... what does that mean? I'll tell you: At best, rounding it up to averaging a whole 1 point per game, it means we'll end up with 34 points at the end of the season which will not be enough. Can you honestly see that average improving with the present group of players? Honestly? Can you see it improving between now and Xmas? Can you see us getting a win out of, say, the next 8 games? Well, if you can good for you but I can't with any confidence anyway. If we don't, that takes us to mid-December probably without double figures in terms of points on the board. If you still believe in Moyes then I, for one, would think you have also lost the plot. So who do you bring in if he walks? Personally, I think we're fucked! Maybe someone like Warnock would be interesting but I think he'd get the back up of these present group of players. Imagine Valente's face if Warnock let loose on him? Maybe a short term stop-gap would do... a Kevin Ratcliffe, a Peter Reid, a Joe Royle; someone who could put a bit of passion back into this group of players between now and the end of the season and then perhaps look for a longer-term replacement. I am loyal but loyal to Everton not any one individual. A time for a
change is nigh... and before you jump on the counter offensive and call
me mad for doubting Moyes, try to restrain yourself and wait a couple
more weeks... you will see where I am coming from. The bloke that came to sort my leak is
right.... I was downstairs making a butty in the kitchen a couple of days ago and water was pissin through the light fitting. Got a firm in through the insurance to help. The chap seemed a right jobs-worth to start with... then the sound of Z cars came from his mobile. Knowing he was a blue, I got on to the subject of the current climate. His face lit up as we didn't have to discuss boring old leaks in the house but more leaks in our defence! One thing that he mentioned that I am astounded I never really thought about is that we never shoot. I got thinking about recent games and he's right. We don't shoot. Last one I can remember was Valente v Portsmouth... and as he said... after that rasping effort which I have to admit I thought was a good effort... the management team will have told him that we don't have any of that at Everton! Last Thursday nobody shot.. they just tried to cross and hope someone got a head or a toe to it. Surely nobody would get on their backs if when we get in that danger zone just outside the box that a pile drive is put in... we'd be made up for the effort. OK, if the shot hits the corner flag we'd give some stick but providing it made you sit up and think 'at least we're having a go' Well at least we get a break this weekend. I can go to work/pub/school gates in comfort I won't get any stick on Monday. You watch Phil Neville will come and get crocked... oh the cynic in
me! Davey Moyes: Manager Hope not because they went on to lose their next away game 2-0! Mind
you, it could be worse - we once borrowed the call sign from an American
cop show when the Spurs game ended 10-4! Dropped off to sleep, then,
realising it couldn`t happen again... after all, how the hell would we
ever score FOUR? From not a Beattie fan To the game. Beattie took a free kick and it took a wicked deflection and went in the net. Victor Anichebe was playing up front but soon tired and up against a taller centre-half did not win many aerial challenges. While Beattie was on, he did not look at all interested and after 23 minutes went off. To be fair to him he did carry his left leg when walking off at half time. How can such an athlete/player be so unfit? He might have arrived at Goodison unfit but how long ago was that? Surely by now he would have lost some weight and regained match fitness. I now start to question this players committment to the cause. It is not often that I say this but he reminds me of Bilic and Ginola who were only interested in the dosh and not the hard work. Why is Moyes standing for this? I thought Moyes was a fitness fanatic. He knows that he has to perservere with Beattie as he has no other options and no one else would buy him. We were outpassed and outplayed by MUFC but at least the lads carried
on trying to the end. Biffa's true colours Moyes you must realise we are shafted for goals and your white
elephant, literally and metaphorically, is a disgrace and not going to
save us. Investment Opportunity? I'd interpret this as the fans being asked to loan the club £5,000
interest free, and the only way that they can benefit is from the sale
of the club's most valuable assets - ie, the best players being sold at
a time when they are supposedly in their prime. Maybe I'm getting
cynical in my old age and have got the wrong slant on the scheme and so
I'd be interested in opinions of fellow Evertonians regarding this
matter. Young Blue View.... I find it pretty unimpressive that many fans say we are failing, our form has been crap so far, but there is something good around the corner, much better than the last 9 years I have watched. The first game this season against Villarreal I enjoyed particularly, as I had simply never seen an Everton team challenging at that level, and although my father and uncle, with whom I sit, described the performance as unimpressive, outclassed, and so on (as they did the first day defeat to Man Utd) I was proud my team were competing at that level. Having not been alive to see the years we did dominate and win trophys, it is the nearest I have ever been to seeing a vaguely successful Everton side, and things are looking bright for the future. You can rubbish my opinions as I'm 'just a kid', but some of the comments on here about us being crap are not worth the time to read. We've got to face it, and I can, we are not a team capable of challenging the best at this point; we haven't been for nearly 20years! Last season we were winning games, it was exciting, we got lucky at times, we did great. This season has started poorly but we're not a crap team, we are a team that should be in the top 10, but probably not the top 4. I know it's a bitter pill to swallow for some of you that Everton aren't challenging for the title; they haven't for over a decade... and, after one good season following 10 crap ones, we're not in a position to. Some of us have never seen us win titles, cups, leagues and it makes us proud to see us even play Villarreal in the qualifiers, it was bad losing but how far did we come last year, miles? Yes. Keep the faith. The glory years have been over a long time, but this club is going in the right direction, I can say that having seen the last 9 years of rubbish, and we are getting somwehere. We're improving on relegation battles, not declining from championship winning years, they evaporated a long long time ago. I wasn't even born, so count yourselves luckier than me. Steve Maunder, Telford, England (05/10/06) Nice thoughts, Steve and they may help to keep you positive, but they are unlikely to kid anyone who takes a look at the table and knows that we are now right back in it. "It" being the releagation mire. No matter how much you may want to focus on the achievements of last season, they mean nothing in the context of today's sickening predicament. No, that's wrong; they do mean something. They intensify the pain of seeing where we are here and now, and knowsing that, yet again, it was another false dawn because we have got to go out there and climb that mountain all over again. But this time, the starting point is actually a good few rungs lower, irrespective of any "progress" the club may have appeared to be making. The future is here What we have in Moyes is what we will always have if we keep him. This is the Davey Moyses way of doing things, like it or not. Throw any amount of money his way and it won't make a blind bit of difference. His ability to attract decent players doesn't exist, so what will change. People who think he needs more time need to wake up to whats going on at Everton. It was this man who drove away most of our summer targets with his lack of appeal and downbeat persona. Most players want to play under a manager who will inspire them and improve their game, no chance of that with our Davey. Forget signing any one decent in January; no fucking chance. Get
real, boys the future is here; the future is orange. Toffeebag Bias Of course there is concern over the early exit from Europe and the current league position but to constantly push a line that relegation is inevitable and that the club itself is in free-fall is so wide of the mark as to border on the ridiculous. The truth is that after an excellent season and, say what you will, we finished fourth over TEN months not FIVE, our hopes and expectations were raised to a level beyond all reality. For once the Board saw fit to back the manager with a high level of funding and although the settling-in period is proving to be more difficult than we all hoped, most of the signings are a great improvement on the players they replaced. Admittedly, we lack a potent strike force but few of us were not originally delighted with the James Beattie signing and, once fit, I am positive he will deliver the goods. Let us also remember that it was not for the lack of trying that Moyes failed to land another `big fish` this summer. So let`s keep a balance here and not just focus on the negatives.
Otherwise, I shall start to suspect that only the `doom-mongers` log
onto ToffeeWeb. Programme sought - Wigan friendly 1985 Can anyone i) confirm the exact date and score and ii) let me know where I might get a programme from. Thanks in advance The Numbers Game Wright, Naysmith, Weir, Valente, Ferrari, Pistone, Davies, Kilbane, Bent, Beattie, Ferguson, McFaddon...they all fit into that category on current and, in the case of several, overall form for the past nine months! That`s more than a complete team not `fit for purpose` and there is no way any club can hope to compete for honours consistently carrying so many passengers. As you say in your editorial, we have all been prepared to overlook the Club`s -and,in particular, the squad`s -shortcomings so long as they were winning, or more accurately since Christmas, clinging to a top four position. Reality, however is now beginning to dawn even on the most ardent Moyesiah worshippers that what has been assembled is just not good enough. Millions have been frittered away on sub-standard additions, many of whom smack of second-grade players toted around by agents. Who else would sign no less than four players: Beattie, Davies, Krøldrup and Van der Meyde -who the whole world knew were carrying long-term injuries? Neither do I believe that Moyes is the Mr Motivator and tactical genius he has been made out to be. I know, absolutely, that Alan Stubbs had much to do with the 2004 pre-season re-appraisal of the Manager`s methods and the team`s changed outlook - and look what reward he got for that! Sadly,I see no answer to what is rapidly becoming yet another EVERTON
crisis - a crisis brought about by an easily fooled chairman, a stubborn
and inadequate manager and, worst of all, supporters like me who, as
long as we`re winning will put up with absolutely anything. Not fooled anymore We went a long way last season with a bit of luck, willing if not particularly skilful chaps such as Bent, marginally more talented Cahill, and the rest of the grafters — with grafter-in-chief Gravesen leading the way. It was a hell of an achievement. One of the most extraordinary, I would say in the history of the Premiership, to take a monumentally untalented side such as ours into Europe. A team which, largely unchanged, and after selling England's best player in a generation, had ended in 17th position the season before. From there on, we wanted to see an improvement. Not neccesarily in our league position. I think some of us had a sneaking suspicion that fourth was not our natural place in the table. Not yet anyway. Signs of ambition. A revival, not only in the clubs fortunes on the pitch, but I believe, also in the way that Everton FC approaches football. I think a lot of people were looking to a different type of footballer being once more attracted to the club, too. A team you would want to watch, not only for the gritty victories, but also for that which Everton took pride in many, many years ago. The way in which the team played the game. Wasn't that what the whole School of Science thing was about? (Too young to remember the 60s/70s stuff, but I'm assuming.) These hopes have been completely, and utterly, dashed. On the rocks. How can a team which is 4th in the English Premier League, not attract quality players, and the one who came, is injured, whereas the likes of Villa, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, yes, Birhingham, attract better players. The fans are not stupid. We who have been watching for 20 odd years,
have seen plenty of promises, and recognise the lowest ebb, which
frankly is right now. Or a few games from now, after coming up against
freight train Chelsea, or our traditional nemesis, Spurs. (What is with
that anyway? Getting hammered by Spurs, who then proceed to lose to
anyone else.) Wyness can talk DM up all he wants. I am not fooled. And
believe myself not to be alone in these sentiments. Downhearted I agree with previous contributers that Moyes is obsessed with defenders and midfield players - and the team still continues to ship goals. But what is so obvious is that there is such a lack of talent, pace and committment from the likes of Kilbane - change our strip to green and he would be outstanding!. Davies is a 'has been' - why else was he not in Spurs first team? He is seriously lacking in talent. Weir has passed his sell-by date and must be the slowest defender in the Premiership. Bent is not another Campbell, and Ferguson is not up to it - except for giving the occasional elbow. However one positive comment: Arteta is definitely more suited to being a winger - as proved with his great crosses last Thursday. All in all Everton must be the most unattractive, predictable and luckiest team - as even last season they achieved 4th place through default (courtesy of Liverpool and Bolton). In over 35 years supporting the Blues I have never seen such a bagfull of shit. Once Everton was called The School of Science - The 60's/70's sides would cry looking at this bloody lot. One piece of advice I would offer David Moyes - read Brian Clough's book. Then perhaps you will learn some football managerial skills and how to build a team: Clough's philosophy was go for the best goalkeeper,the best central defender, a great midfield 'play maker' and the best goal scorer. The rest of the positions can be moulded in around this pool of talent. It worked for him at Derby and Notts Forest so why not here. The only problem would be - DM's talent for buying crocks like Beattie etc. I rest my case. . Half Full One of the critics claimed that only five of his signings were up to scratch. Given the resources made available I don`t think that`s too bad and if you accept that, on past record, Krøldrup and Van der Meyde are capable of bringing that figure up to seven, we`re well on the way to a good side. Maybe I`m an optimist but I firmly believe that given a decent run James Beattie will come good and what team other than Chelsea can boast ELEVEN top-notchers?.. Remember, you need only a point a game to avoid relegation, so with three points so far we`re only a win and a draw behind schedule. Be mascochistic all you want but my glass is half-full for another
celebratory drink come May! COYB. Crisis talks? 1. The majority of the squad we have is shite, players like Kilbane have no competition so they play shite every week without fear of being dropped, we have the same size squad despite blowing over £20m, how about depth for injuries, Davey boy? 2. David Moyes's tactics are negative and defensive so two guesses why we don't attack. 3. David Moyes didn't address the lack of a goalscorer since January last year - no goalscorer = no goals - mathematics even a three-year-old could understand 4. Despite Moyes and BS Billy's claims otherwise of no last day panic buys, Moyes's dithering left us scraping the bottom of the barrel buying players he appears to know sod all about... and he still didn't buy a striker (as per 3 above) 5. Speculative - players like Bent see Beattie sitting on his fat useless arse earning a decent wedge and think "Balls to this; if he does nothing for his cash, why should I?" And I'm sure there was a lot more to Stubbs leaving than we will ever
know; he was the one defender we should have kept. None of the above. The Heavy Brigade did out and score by the way - if you know your
history? I vote for 'None of the Above'. None of them are worth the
steam off a Gnat's turd. Cheers lads The fact is that Moyes made judgements that will very possibly cost us our Premiership status. He decided that Bent, Beattie, McFadden etc. could score sufficient goals between them... They can't. Moyes decided that Kevin Kilbane, Pistone and Naysmith were worth new contracts... They weren't. Judge this man on his record over the last 10 months, not the
previous four before that. And as for those Moyes apologists who tell us
that he cannot suddenly have become a bad manager since the end of last
season I would ask them this question; can he suddenly have become such
a good manager last season after we had finished 17th the season before
that? Deserves Better Player Of The Month Vote Arteta the Winger It's tough times lads Deadbeats Facts I can't imagine many other managers surviving with a record like that. Whether you think Davie is doing a great job or not, the facts say he isn't. If there where signs we where improving, I'd back him fully... but the fact that he says he's tried/trying everything makes you wonder what else he has left. Very little in my opinion The Parlimentary Debate Change has to come Player Unity Last close-season, when we were reputedly after AvdM, his agent (pinch of salt, granted) claimed he would only be interested in joining a team in Europe. Oops! Poor bugger hasn't even kicked a ball yet. What price he starts
griping about being off in the summer, can't see us qualifying for the
InterToto (though that would be a blessed relief at the moment). Player of the month? Fuck Moyes off Yes we had a good finish last year but it was based on defensive football that was boring to watch. How many times did you rush home from the pub to catch Match of the Day because Everton had battered some team earlier that day? I am 41 years old and can never remember supporting Everton being so painful. Everton are presently not only bottom of the league but are also the most predictable and least attractive side to watch. Moyes is a nice fella but you need more than that to manage Everton. He's had time and he's had money. We need to raise our aspirations.
It's not a miracle finishing fourth; it's not good enough! This is
Everton, we need a manager who will apologise for finishing fourth and
predict improvement, not a top-ten finish. We need a new manager and I
would go for Glen Hoddle. He may have some strange religious ideas but I
would love to watch Everton with him as manager. It's not just us! But if you have a look at our neighbours they are on 7 points and in their worst Premiership start in 13 seasons and they did buy a striker in the summer - meaning no guarantee of goals coz he ain't scored yet! This on the back of a total of £63M net spent since the summer Moyes joined EFC. To sack Moyes coz of a really bad start to this season, you're having a laugh. Is he beyond criticism, No! Does he make mistakes, Yes! But who else is there? Who else will come? Answers on a postage stamp please! But I reckon we will finish in the top 10 and that from last season
will be a little bit of consistency, something we haven't had in many a
season. Bad Luck? You're 'avin a laugh! However, despite this still relatively positive outlook, I just can't buy Paul Coleman's argument that our present situation is down to bad luck - even if I do subscribe to the view, freshly renewed on 25/05 this year, that God hates us! Paul's article prompted me to think of a quote from some business book I read once which went something like, "Luck is the product when the prepared meet with opportunity!" and also of the champion golfer Gary Player's response to suggestions that he was lucky: "It's funny," he said "the more I practice, the luckier I get!". Fair play, winning is a habit and all that and undoubtedly a run of results like we're having will no doubt impact morale but it's down to the players to turn it around - to be prepared and to dig in and work to make their 'luck'. Coming to work for the whole 90 minutes each week (like we did in the
first half of last season - with overtime!) would be a start! Kids It reminded me of a post by Dick Fearon last week which was about our lack of talent in reserves. It really struck home watching City's kids tear us apart time and again. I took a look at the players departing section of your fine website and sure enough we have released almost an entire generation of kids over the last few years. Names like Schumacher, Symes, the two Moogans, McLeod and O'Hanlon who were with us for years are now all away. If they don't make the grade that is one thing... but for all to be released leaving us with with virtually fuck all in reserve smacks of cost-cutting to me. And speaking of which, what ever happened to the long-planned Academy/Training ground that Sir Philip announced to much fanfare about 3 years ago? Granted, we have pro-signed a few kids from the Academy, but on 1-year deals. You can be sure most of these guys will disappear before ever seeing the first team. Over the past few years only Tony Hibbert and Wayne Rooney have come up from below. Leon Osman is lucky to still be playing for us given the contract talks last season. So to sum it up, either there is no talent out there or we simply
cannot afford to have youngsters here. Both of those statements send a
shudder down my spine. Catalogue Buys? Big money buys like Wright and Beattie were soft options who other
Managers fought shy of and there no longer seems any interest in
developing - and blooding - our own young players as does Pearce at Man
City. In short, as Colm might put it, we`re fooked! Serious Doubts For the first time in three years I have to reluctantly accept that I believe David Moyes is perhaps not the right man to be leading us. Why ? 1] His refusal to seriously address the chronic lack of 'goals' in the side is plainly evident. OK, he was perhaps a shade unfortunate to lose out on his summer transfer targets, but what about Plan B? Why can other lesser teams find half-decent strikers around Europe for a reasonable price tag, but Everton fail miserably? His pre-occupation with bolstering the defence and mid-field is criminal, when we are crying out for more attacking options. 2] Can a Manager get too close to his players? I watched Kilbane struggle woefully from the first minute to the last, yet Moyes perservered with him to the end. He was crying out to be taken off, such was his lack of confidence. 3) The signing of Simon Davies has so far failed spectacularly; he brings nothing new to the team at all when it's obvious we are crying out for pace or width up front. I look at the progress (and playing style) of Charlton and weep. Ask yourselves, which team would would you get most pleasure from watching home or away? I honestly hope Moyes proves me wrong, but given the finances made available to him in the last six months, we have not spent wisely. The salary packages and length of contracts given out recently to mundane journeymen could come back and haunt us in the months ahead. Prove me wrong, David! Of Christmas and Christmas Trees I say December because then a new man would get a month to assess the squad (although it probably takes significantly less time than this, usually about 45 minutes) before he gets to spend the left-over cash, and maybe try to sell some of the deadbeats (pun on our No 8 intended) at far smaller fees than brought them to us (although, on their wages, it will be tough). Personally, I think Moyes will have sorted it out by December, and can do his own destroying and rebuilding of this failed squad in the January sales, hopefully with better results than were managed across the long, painful Summer. What can we do for the intervening months? All this thinking about December put Christmas Trees in my head. The formation, that is. Terry Venables’s long-maligned set-up of the England team may actually suit our current squad and address some of its shortcomings. Of course, the Christmas tree is notoriously narrow, and it wont sort out our total inability to reach the by-line and make crosses from there. But what will? I think we must sacrifice out-and-out wide men for the time-being and concentrate on getting bodies in advanced central positions. Anyway, if the formation is working well and the team is on top, it's up to the fullbacks to get into wide positions and supply crosses, which they can do because the Christmas tree provides plenty of midfield cover. I propose, therefore a deep and relatively narrow midfield three (probably comprising Arteta, Neville/Carsley, and Kilbane, who is far more successful in central positions for Ireland) in front of a back four of Ferrari, Yobo, Koldrup/Weir and Valente/Neville. The two players given license to support the fairy at the top of the tree – the front man, Beattie - would come from Cahill, Van der Meyde and McFadden. Is it desperate and likely to fail? Probably. We’re in the mire, after all. Was this whole piece one long exercise in likening Beattie to a fairy and getting it on the site? Definitely. Advance Warning For Rob Fox Know your left from right It's not that I don't see some potential in Ferrari, more that Moyes
obviously doesn't have a clue what he's buying, and we're now stuck with
only that plonker Valente to fill in on the left. I can't believe I am
counting the days 'til Naysmith's fit again! Come In 4-5-1, Your Number's Up Currently our wide players, Kilbane and Osman/Davies tend to cut inside all the time and never beat the opposing full backs. This results in a congested midfield and by constantly involving the central midfielders in the build up of an attack, players such as Cahill and Arteta never get chance to get into the box and on the end of decent crosses. So, Moyes, time to call an end to 4-5-1 because you don't have the
quality of wingers for the formation to work — and every team now knows
how to play against it anyway. What a difference a year makes Take the first sentance of this quote, cahnge the word relegation to Europe and thats how far we have fallen from last year, remeber how all the players and Moyes were playing down our chances this time last year? Well guess what, it happened... we said it coudn't, so lets not be so complacent as to think the same can't apply to relegation. Paul Coleman's "When you're luck is down" article sums up the atitude of many around the club, blaming bad luck, injuries, referees, etc. If you can only score one goal in 7 games then it is not bad luck that you are bottom of the league, it is poor play and mis-management. We're in a relegation fight, as simple as that. When I hear people saying our quality will prevail and we'll come good, you need only look at a few examples of teams who supposedly would do that last year, or in seasons gone by. This is our squad until January...that's frightening! Why not attack the games we play, get shots on goal and play with
nothing to lose in the next few games? It's not like we're winning
anyway, the most boring team in the league as well as the worst? That's
just unacceptable, bad luck or no bad luck... What now? DM appears now to be reverting to the age-old tactics of the desperate, which you will recognise at all levels. Focus on a physical, direct style, which is intended to nullify the superior skill of the opposition. Sadly, the era of that sort of dross is over. All the teams in the Premiership want like hell to stay there, and are fighting tooth and nail. All of them are well capable of dealing with Route One. That is how they made it to the Premiership in the first place. So we're going to get absolutely nowhere if this is DM's master plan. Makes one wonder whether this is what he had in mind four years ago,
or whether his thinking has evolved into this conservative, robotic,
pretty soul-less stuff currently on display. Why is it that others are
happy we are no longer in Europe, and not just because we are Everton
(and not talking about Liverpool fans) and nobody can stand to watch us,
yet can muster enthusiasm for watching virtually every one else? Has
Moyes, and Kenwright made a once proud footballing club into the
Wimbledon of our day? For that alone, he should be be considered for the
boot. Or just plain given it. Injuries.... Something different He's looked the most likely to score, can play with both feet and seems as committed as anyone when it comes to scoring the goals we need. The supply to the front men is woeful but i believe Tim (with a partner) would make more than most when given the ball in the box. A central midfield of Arteta and Neville might work in his absence. Its not a solution, but it might work till January, let's face it the
lot we have upfront at the moment are making Stuart Barlow look top
class.... Any better ideas??? `Trust Me` When the chips are down If it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at
al Also, I would add the following: who'd ever have predicted Sol Campbell scoring BOTH Arsenal's goals against us? As if that weren't improbable enough, you know it's not going to be your season when Danny Mills, of all people, takes aim from 30 yards and hits the top corner instead of the top deck. And what are the odds of this happening to the same team in the space of two weeks? If this is our punishment from the football gods for daring to
challenge their established order by qualifying for the Champions
League, surely we've suffered enough. Our penance must have been served
by now... only it seems they're still not happy as we have Spurs away
next, and we all know what kind of luck we can expect at the Lane. And
then it's Chelsea... Paul Coleman: You make your own luck. We are in a serious situation, waiting for 'luck' is not the answer.
21 points in the last 23 games is proof of that. You're having a laugh ....aren't you? Hey, Ken of Buckley... Taking on board... Normal service resumed We are back were we were under Walter Smith... only this time, we have spent a shitload of money to get there. Davey Moyses has had his day and some. Losing as many games as we have done since January is surely enough to get any manager the chop, so why not DM? Who will replace him? I don't know... I don't really care. No one could do any worse! Not only are we losing game after game... the football we play makes me ashamed to watch it. Get big Joe Royal back before it's to late. He is the only one out there who would take the job on. At least we would go down with a fight. DM and his shambolic transfer policies are just not acceptable to any of us who care about the club. Forget last season; it really wasn't that good: we had four months at the start. The rest was shite apart from the odd game here and there. Dogs of War! We need you back were ever you are. Please Save Us Bill Come on, all those who are starting to shake their heads: Kilbane, Ferguson, Weir, Jamie Mac, Naysmith, Yobo and others simply would not be employed at the top level of Football in England were it not for Granpa Everton. David Moyes has had three full seasons to build a team in the image he wants and has proven himself to be (in my opinion) completely unfit to handle such a responsibility. In each of the last three seasons Everton have been one of the absolute worst clubs in the league after Christmas. Out of gas, out of luck,and out of ideas. Whose fault is this? Who assembles the squad? Who picks the team? Who chooses tactics ('ok lads get out there and give it your all' might be more more effective than actually attempting tactics')? Yes we had higher expectations going into this fall. And why the hell not? When you finish fourth, it is assumed that you deserved it. In retrospect, it seems obvious that we didn't so much earn fourth place as much as the injury-riddled campaigns of Bolton, Boro and Liverpool put it on a plate for us. So again, why was the team not sufficiently strengthened over the summer? Does Moyes perhaps have a reputation as an asshole amongst players? Why did no one of real quality seem to want to come to Goodison this summer? How can Bolton afford to pay Nakata's wages if we can't? How can Villa buy a player of Milan Baros's quality (stop laughing; he's miles better than any forward on our books) without us even being in the running? Didn't Michael Owen say pretty early in the summer that he would NOT play for Everton (presumably under any circumstance)? So why was Moyes wasting time calling him on the eve of his transfer to see if there was any chance? What, did he just happen to have £16-17M in his pocket at that moment? Give me a break. This fool couldn't pull us out of a crisis two years ago and we were a single match away from going down. He will not pull us out of this either and the sooner the change is made the better, or else it's Crewe away next August... with Marcus Bent up front alone. With less enthusiasm than at any other single point in my 33 years of
support for the Toffees I say... Come on you Blues! Nil Satis Nisi Optimum Oh shit I'd also like to ask how come everyone who fails our medicals goes on to be ok at other clubs but loads of people who pass it are never seen in a blue shirt - Beattie, Krøldrup, Van der Meyde? So what's the answer - well we could sack Moyes but then what? Who is going to come in and change things around, risking their reputation on a club bottom of the league and with all the money spent by Moyes? Think Peter Reid at Leeds; think Big Ron at Forest. We are stuck with dour Davey, like it or not. We have to face facts, it's going to be a long hard season and all we can do is sit back, shit ourselves with every game that goes by, prey it all comes good, and carry on wasting our hard-earned every week watching this crap. I've just posted my mate in London a cheque for £48 to sit with a bunch of annoying cockneys in two weeks time pretending to enjoy watching us lose. 'Nil Satis, Nisi Optimum - your havin a laugh' Nail on the head Dont take my Everton away I hope I am wrong and things improve becauae we deserve better. I
still believe there is no better feeling than "Being a blue" but at this
current time I feel we are pushing water up hill with a rake and are
waiting to be beaten. On a personal note, I am trying to stop smoking...
"Oh fuck it, 20 Lamberts please!" Lack of Quality and Pace Moyes is an excellent tactician: last season our miserly defence, the deployment of Lee Carsley (who was our real player of the season) in the defensive mid-field role in which he was outstanding, and some fortuitous goals from a range of players, gave us an outstanding season. We lacked creativity, especially after the exit of Gravesen and we lacked a pacy attacker. Beattie was not the answer to that particular problem. We have lost Carsley, Weir is at least a year too old, and the new defenders, Kroldrup excepted, have not exactly looked solid. We spent a profligate £20M on defenders and defensive mid-fielders and one Kilbane clone in Simon Davies. We do not have the players to play a more exciting formation, until Vaughan is fit again and he is probably too young for the massive role we need him to perform. I fear for the immediate future. We could soon have a managerial crisis (Could we be really lucky and see Kenwright go?) and the current crop of players do not have the creative and attacking ability to improve our situation. They don't lack effort or commitment, but they lack flair. Only Arteta and Cahill (who needs to be rested by Everton, not Australia) and Yobo have the necessary skill. Neville is a sound and effective defensive player, but after that I'm struggling to praise any of the squad. They try, but that's it. David Moyes, think your way through this. There are some situations
in which hard work and the team ethic are not enough. A Riddle Still, out of Europe before October and rooted to the bottom of the
league... then the only way is up! COYB. It's Bad, But It CAN Get Better So it is bad, but it is still early in the season. I am not a member of the sack David Moyes crew but I hope he realises that Kilbane, Bent and McFadden are not good enough. Kilbane these days is an embarrasment, everytime he tries to knock a ball past a man and run around him it makes me cringe. Bent escapes criticism because he plays upfront on his own with no service but I just wish his name was Darren. McFadden has been given chance after chance and now I beleive the best thing for Everton (and James himself) would be to sell him to whoever whilst we can still get some money for him. I am eagerly awaiting the return to fitness of Beattie (if he has ever been fit for us) and for Van der Meyde to start playing. I don't expect Kroldrup to do much when he gets fit, how could you? For him he must think he is having a nightmare, getting crocked right at the start of the season is bad enough but when its for your new club its even worse. When he does return its to a side bottom of the league whilst in the mean time Udinese rub shoulders with the elite in the Champions League. He must be gutted. So for now we must stick together await the availability of injured
players which will give Moyes some much needed options. Hopefully a few
hard earned 1-0 wins will go our way before the January transfer window
opens up because how will we attract the likes of Robbie Keane when
we're rooted to the foot of the league? If Kenwright makes the funds
available to Moyes for Robbie Keane in January then they should do
everything they can to get him because we are crying out for a player
like him with ability and character. Couldn't score in the Grafton Maths and Statistics lesson Fropm the next games, on current form, we may get a win against West Brom on 19 November by which time we could have played 11, conceeded god knows how many more goals, and have the staggering total of 6 points. If that finally kick starts the season then we have 27 league games left to score the magical 34 points, 1.3 points per game. A few wins needed as that lot includes games v Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal game and Liverpool. They cut us down to 22 games - 1.5 per game. Even if we win EVERY game by a single goal that would mean 24 goals, going on league goals only, Everton's last 24 league goals took from January through May which makes it barely achievable on current form. By January we will need to be fighting for every single point, every single goal. Can anyone honestly say a decent striker would sign for a bottom-three side when they wouldn't sign for us with European games? I don't rate Beattie as ever coming good and Bent simply can't give a toss, Dunc is too old to play all season. I'm bricking it now more and more, I don't have the answers but this
club is breaking my heart more this season than it has ever done before
in 36 years. I'm also getting fed up sick of being patronised with the
shite "great display", "played well" and "great performance", especially
the latter as a bleeding musician gives "a great performance" and gets
paid beforehand. Football is about results Moyes has already bled
skillful and entertaining off the Goodison pitch but even his dour brand
of football is now earning us just humiliation week in week out. Team Spirit A general rant Today's performance at City was not been unique in the pattern of a game. An okay first half where a few decent passes are strung together but the final ball is the one that is lacking. Second half we're left wanting and as we have no natural goalscorer we run our arses off and lack legs. Somehow the fitness levels are very poor. We throw on the £6M man who quite frankly, needs a good long spell in the reserves. He is just crap and we're stuck with him, so try another tactic and see if he can knock some goals in the 2nd string so that he can remember what it's like. Yes, he got the Villarreal goal but that aside he's been abysmal... I know he has been injured but he gets too many of these. Valente was marginally better today... there were one or two deft touches that showed a little class... maybe the adjustment to the Premiership is harder than he thought. Ferrari seemed uncomfortable again at right back but I think he can do job for us. I think the buggest concern is having the likes of Kroldrup and Van der Meyde come into a losing side. We will all expect miracles and I am not sure they are the type of players to perform them. If they don't perform then we get on their backs and it spirals again. So what's the answer?? I wish I knew but I think a bit of the Neil Warnock school of team building is called for... The Sheff Utd lads were playing cricket today V Yorkshire XI. A bit mad but it would get their team spirit buzzing. Not sure what Moyes will do with these guys for the international break... a few days off no doubt. My suggestion would not be a trip to the Majorca for a break but perhaps a few trips round schools in the Liverpool area offering their services and talking to the fans to hear about what its like on the terrace side of Goodison Park. Then maybe the passion that's tapping notes out here and those previous to me can be shown and they might respond. Yeah, right; how fickle of me.... enjoy the break boys... come back
refreshed and ready for a whipping at White Hart Lane and a spanking at
the hands of Chelski a week later. Could this be worse than the Mike
Walker start?? So What Now? Forget injuries and bad luck - others manage to deal with things like this. Although I do respect Moyes for what he achieved last season with a mediocre squad, he does not seem to have a Plan B. The tactics and the buying decisions are down to him. I'm not looking for him to be sent packing (who else would want the poisoned chalice?) but we may as well play a true 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 and lose than this awful 4-5-1 which plainly is not working and is boring us to death. So what now? Where is the next goal or point coming from? Don't tell
me there were promising signs against Bucharest, that performance was
born out of necessity after a dreadful 45 minutes over there. Things can
only get better? Not until some of the average journeymen in royal blue
realise what pride and spirit really mean. Football isn't a sport, it's a business The Board selected Moyes, who so far has failed more than succeeded. Moyes selected the players, who so far have proved worthless. Therefore, running Everton FC like a business means the Board & the manager have failed miserably. Despite the claims that Moyes should stay by many of the fans, there is without a doubt just reason for wanting shut of him. Along with the board. If Everton FC is a business, then it's comparable with the Rover group. Finished! I don't have the answers to the current problems. I doubt anyone
does. But something needs to be done. And soon. Trophy Taboo More hard work on the training ground!!!???
On a very serious note did anyone of us think that we'd score once City went 1 up? Dave is very concerned about our lack of goals according to the official site. Maybe a touch of creativity might not go a miss too?? Best fans site on the web, maybe one day we'll have something
positive to discuss... maybe. Inevitable If you look at the squad of players assembled, at great expense by David Moyes, you see an astonishing lack of quality and speed. Every other team in the Premiership except perhaps Sunderland has more skill and pace than us, and hence we are in deep trouble. I would rather last seasons 4th had not happened because it appears to have convinced some that ugly, boring, kick and rush football can be successful. well its clear that it cannot... we have been sussed, our luck has run out and other teams simply have to match our commitment and then let their superior quality ease past us. This is Moyes style football, we simply have not moved forward, in a football sense since he arrived. I love Everton, like most of you they are a massive part of my life, but I hate the type of football we play. Everybody hates us because of this 'style' and now they are loving it because we're getting what this utter shite deserves. This is a Moyes team, they are a reflection of him, slow and unskillful. Sadly, they are expensive too and we have several millstones around our neck for years to come. Surely it's also inevitable that Moyes is going to go. I hope its sooner rather than later, and that we finally get someone in that recognises the importance of skill and pace. Let's all open our eyes... this really is as bad as its ever been! Shadows of their former selves We don't even look like a team, Bent's body language tells you
everything: it aint all just down to bad luck and injuries, these lads
are just plain tired. After watching that, so am I, but I wont be
calling for Moysies head: stick together, like Thursday, and let's wake
the boys up. This is surreal what is happening to us at the moment, it
cannot continue and I ask you all to shout louder. Batten down the hatches! Please let`s forget last season, Tommy G and Europe and focus on the here and now. In short, we`re rubbish and Krøldrup and Van der Meyde will have to be really special players to make much difference. Personally,I think the Manager is out of his depth but accept that
others believe he walks on water. But whatever the truth, I know we`re
in for a long, long winter. All we can do is batten down the hatches and
continue to believe that somehow things will improve. After all, that`s
what being an Evertonian is all about! Is Valente the Worst Ever Everton Defender?
What Goes Around Comes Around. Your 'Sack Moyes' poll is a disgrace We've played 8 or 9 games and we've done shit... but do we have to react like stupid Georides would and start calling for the man's head? I am frustrated. These people should be backing our manager because, if and when Man Utd come calling for him, the one thing that will keep him here is the loyalty of our club and fans towards him when times are a bit tough - like now. I am not in denial; I don't think the sun shines out of his arse. I think Kilbane is shit (although better than Pembo, who he was brought into replace). McFadden's best position has been confirmed (also confirmed he is not good enough at that either).. so I have the sense and basic intellect to question him. However, it's a total insult to the man to be asking if we should sack him or not. If I was the manager reading this, I would be insulted, totally insulted. I'm definatly not one of these people who backs everything he ever does 100%. The 21,000 at Goodison on Thursday (eg, the hardcore — those who will go if we in the Champions League or bottom of the Championship) showed the real opinion in getting behind the manager and the lads - frustrating as they can be. A website like yours has a responsiblity to unify everyone. It's
utter shite to suggest sacking Moyes. He is the best thing to happen to
Everton since I cannot remember. We should be all sticking and pulling
together right now. The Nick Armitage Column Rozzers Hang in there I acknowledge that it is frustrating to witness this start to the
season after such a promising last season. But to succeed you have to
got through some difficult times. To all the supporters - I know you
have the best interests of the club at heart - but support David and the
lads through this period and I reckon you'll look back and say, "Shit
mate, I'm glad we did that". Right Direction Playing Arteta on the right worked much better than expected. His deliveries into the box were Beckham-esque, he had no fear about taking on his man and he was a danger drifting inside. The other plus point is that it gave us balance in midfield, allowing us to play both the anchor (Neville) and the attacking midfielder (Cahill) in the middle. I just wish that Kilbane would get up and down the pitch more and play more like a winger - we all know he is capable. Upfront, the pairing of Ferguson and McFadden looked quite threatening. Given McFadden's scoring record for Scotland, it's surprising that Moyes hasn't deployed him upfront before now, rather than sticking him out on the wing. Overall, we played the ball around quite nicely (without really having a cutting edge), rather than panicking in possession and lumping it forward like we very often do. Although my biggest gripe is that when the ball was in and around their area, we only had two strikers challenging for the ball with four of five of their defenders. Yet when they broke it was three against three. Considering we needed goals, we should have committed more men forward and left the quicker players at the back to cover. I suppose we were over-cautious about getting caught on the break
again, which is understandable. Last season our form was fantastic while
Gravesen was in the team and mediocre at best afterwards. It would be
amazing if we could re-sign 'Mad dog' and a proven striker like Keane in
January. I would then be delighted with our squad. |
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ToffeeWeb Letters from
September 2005 |
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