ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

McFadden

I've said it before and maybe it is the most printed comment on this entire site: James McFadden is inconsistent! OK... now that is out of the way... what has he done this season?

He came back from a serious injury to play 25 minutes at Reading where he had our best shot at goal, smacking the ball off the inside of the post and setting up Andy J two yards out for what should have been an equaliser. That got him a start against Blackburn and with 12 minutes left he scored a goal that nobody else in the side was capable of conjuring up ? a goal out of nothing !

Since then he was benched for the whole game at Bolton and when he got on the field for just under five minutes against United, after we conceded yet another daft goal from a set-piece, he had our only shot at goal which produced a great save from Van the Man.

Today we went out for a 0-0 and I suspect David Moyes does not see McFadden as a defender of quality. In Moyes's defence, we nearly got a point which would have been one point more than most neutrals would have believed likely. Refs are only human but today's twerp seemed to make several mistakes and with one theme only: these tended to favour the Champions.

I just don't like the way we set out to play and when we need clean sheets so badly there surely must come a time when Everton's training routines include some drills that teach our defenders to defend set-pieces.

Positive side was Wessels, whom I thought looked fine and that is good news when the club is being silent about just how long Tim Howard will miss due to that hand injury. Moyes is lambasted sometimes for his tactics but really he is no worse than Red Raffa who is coach at one of the biggest, richest sides in the world. Both look a country mile behind Ferguson, Wenger and even Mourinho or Everton old boy Mark Hughes.

I still believe this is the most talented squad we have had in many years but they do need more tactical direction than they seem to be getting at the moment. So, Villa up next and possibly we would do well not to go there with Plan A as 'snatch a 0-0' and plan B giving McFadden a few minutes at the end if we are trailing.

I know this game is all about opinions but mine seems to be a shade different to David Moyes so I must apologise to many readers of these e.mails who seem to take a rather oposite view. Moyes seems to be a decent fellow but his expensive squad must be capable of much more.... surely... yes???
Glen Strachan, Oaxaca , Mexico Posted 15/09/2007 at 22:07:10

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Comments

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Daniel Brierley
1 Posted 16/09/2007 at 04:11:50

I am not really too sure what you are trying to say exactly by this post. I would have to say though that it is harsh to judge after being beat by the current champions who moved the ball around incredibly well. Anybody who says we matched them needs to stop taking LSD.

All said though, we have to look at positives, and Wessels did well, and Baines looked assured. Nobody else really stood out for me.

Jason Pullen
2 Posted 16/09/2007 at 06:12:37

McFadden should have started. You don’t leave a striker in goalscoring form on the bench. You play him. Whilst I am not as worried about AJ as some, and still want him playing most games, a striker scoring goals should be on the pitch, not the bench.

Mike Coates
3 Posted 16/09/2007 at 06:17:56

The Ref not only seemed to have Man U money in his pocket on most decisions but got in the way on one or more occasions of our passes to eachother. It was fortunate our players retrievied the ball, but not good enough Ref!

I’m looking forward to seeing a start for Jimmy Mac next Sunday against A.V, and at least 45 minutes against Metalist during the week!!

John Aldrich
4 Posted 16/09/2007 at 10:08:52

What is it with this McFadden thing ? He has not been anywhere near the kind of form that would give him a place in the starting line up. He played 29 games the season before last. Would anybody care to tell me how many goals he scored in those 29 games ?
As for being a striker........he?d have trouble striking a match.
At the risk of repetition my heart sinks every time I see his name in the starting line up. He has no pace, he cannot beat a player and if he does he tries, and fails, to do it again.
But every so often he scores a vital/spectacular goal. Is this the sort of player that fits in with Moyes? plans ? I think not.
He is not, and never has been, a Premiership player.

Robet Moore
5 Posted 16/09/2007 at 10:32:25

your very harsh with your comments, mcfadden isnt a premiership player come on of course he is, recently this site has gotten very bad with comments e.g AJ whats all this about get behind them and help them on, this negative talk is doing no good. some people have very short memories, we have a team for the next few years its a slow process but were getting there. so come on a bit more support for the blues!!!

Matt Willey
6 Posted 16/09/2007 at 10:48:11

McFadden should have been given a shot yesterday, simply because he is on form... We have a good squad and it is necessary to mix it up a bit in order to keep everyone on their toes ...

Mcfad’s confidence must be brimming after a massive goal for his country against TOP CLASS opposition (not for the first time) and he gets just five minutes BEHIND the likes of PIENAAR and ANICHEBE, neither of whom look the real deal at the moment. Victor looks like a ’Teflon target man’ (nothing sticks) and Pienaar looks woefully short on confidence...explain how these guy’s present a greater threat on current form because I simply can’t!

DELA
7 Posted 16/09/2007 at 11:04:14

This article is spot on are you trying to imply DM is a negative Manager? Macfadden should have played instead of Osman yesterday & to be 3rd choice sub was a joke!

Ben Brown
8 Posted 16/09/2007 at 12:58:17

It really was such a relief to see that Wessels is an experienced, steady goalkeeper. His distribution was probably actually better than Howard’s; I think he thought he was playing for a Champions League team the number of times he passed it short.

Santosh Benjamin
9 Posted 16/09/2007 at 13:13:46

I accept that we played badly yesterday coz Man Utd were there for the taking but hardly anyone has mentioned the Ref’s role in our loss.
The most glaring mistakes were the Yakubu "foul" and the Scholes incident but there were numerous others.
Every time one of our players went near that faggot Ronaldo,we were penalised(no pun intended!).Everytime YAkubu(and Anichebe at the end!) got the ball in the air..they were called for a invisible "Foul"...Times when we made clean challenges,fouls were called..
I think the team composition was wrong with Neville at centre-mid again...looked like an Eskimo in the Sahara!..and Osman was non-existent almost..Arteta’s set piece delivery is not upto the mark.
Positives were Wessels,Baines...and Lescott....we had better get our act together before the UEFA cup game and next weekend against Villa.

Mark Stone
10 Posted 16/09/2007 at 15:41:44

I actually thought we went out to win, maybe that was our problem. Man Utd often seemed to look dangerous on the counter attack but from nowhere else. The way we came at the start of the second half was very positive, and substitutions made in the second half were attacking even if not the best choices in everyone’s opinion.

Harry Charles
11 Posted 16/09/2007 at 23:19:34

The big turning point in the game was in the 43rd min,when scholes should have been sent off, already booked[and could have been booked before his first booking]he comitted a foul closer to a sending off on its own merit, but ref looked at who it was and let him stay on, pure and utter disgrace.This bias that you see for the normal top 4 is ruining football,its obvious and going kill the game.

John Jones
12 Posted 18/09/2007 at 13:18:00

Faddy must wonder what he has to do to get a run in the side. He saves the game against Blackburn, sinks the French, is in the form of his life and is rewared with only enough playing time to boil an egg behind Pienaar and Vic. I love AJ (not in a biblical sense you understand) but the lad can?t hit a barn door with a banjo at the moment. AJ should be benched and Faddy must start with Yak against the Mentalists...