ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Midfield Woes

Osman, Neville, Carsley, Pienaar, Vidarsson, Jagielka. That's the list of midfielders we have to choose from in our squad from tomorrow's games.

Neville is ineffecitve in midfield, so that's 4 from 5 players that are really only squad players. Where is the creativity coming from?

The return of Gravesen, Arteta and Cahill can not come soon enough for me, and let's hope we are not down the league and out of Europe when they return.

Really highlights the blow to the squad missing out on Fernandes or a late deadline signing has made to the team.
Stuart Mitchell, Milton Keynes Posted 25/09/2007 at 19:08:15

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Connor Rohrer
1 Posted 25/09/2007 at 21:30:47

It should be more than enough for tommorow. Gravesen and Arteta should be back on sunday which is good as we will need them to break down a stubborn Boro.

Mark Pendleton
2 Posted 25/09/2007 at 22:13:27

Oh no, not the Fernandes thing again. I’ll admit i wanted us to sign him but in reality he never actually did THAT much for us when he was here. I think people just remember the goal against Utd. We need a little slice of luck and i think we’ll start firing again. And we’ve played good football before without Arteta. And we’ll play good football again without him. He wasn’t exactly on top form just before his injury anyway. Baines and Jagz will get better and already look class. Yakubu is searching for match fitness i think and then he can develop an understanding. And as for Cahill’s return - he’s not creative. He gets on the end of things and is like an extra striker. Hence the dilemma will be whether to upset a few strikers and play 4-5-1 or leave us exposed in midfield. Me? I’m counting down the time until Vaughan is back. You can say all you like about us ruining AJ, Beatts and the Yak with poor service but AJ has scored goals for us, arguably before our squad improved. Vic and Vaughan both score goals. Yes, we’re not creating plenty but i don’t think there’s a massive amount wrong. It’ll come right.

Gavin G
3 Posted 25/09/2007 at 23:04:00

I still dun understand why DM insists on playing Neville in central midfield. He does not hold the ball well and can’t pass to save his life!!

Jags is better at the holding position IMHO. DM should be putting either Arteta or Gravesen beside him. That’s a much better combination in central midfield.

Anyhows, read that Da Silva’s loan to Barnsely is extended by another month? In this central midfield crisis at the present moment, is that really a wise decision?

Brendan McLaughlin
4 Posted 25/09/2007 at 22:19:06

Good call Stuart. When you lay it out like that it goes a long way to explaining our current dip in form and shows how limited the options are for Moyes to try and turn things around. I suppose what I can’t fully understand, however, is why Moyes persists with 4-4-2 when our midfield has never been so lacking in creative, attacking options.

Steve Ferns
5 Posted 25/09/2007 at 23:42:18

I think we should continue with 4-4-2. Perhaps if Baines is played at left midfield then we would have far more balance. This would also allow Stubbs to return to the defence and allow the organisation at the back we’ve been badly missing. I think Carsley should continue in the middle with perhaps Pienaar getting a chance to show what he can do in centre mid in a more advanced role than Carsley. Osman would have to continue at right mid for now.

Steve Ferns
6 Posted 25/09/2007 at 23:42:18

Mikhail Ridhuan
7 Posted 26/09/2007 at 03:17:47

Heard through the Guardian that van der Meyde is among the squad for the Owls game. Is this the first step towards rehabilitation for the Flying Dutchman (along with the Mysterious Johnson, the Boy Pip, the Stupendously Ordinary Yak, The Under-Oz, The Putin Number Two etc.)? We shall see.

Ben Howard
8 Posted 26/09/2007 at 11:31:24

I think that’s a good suggestion Steve. I like the sound of your team.

Someone got shot down on here a couple of weeks ago for suggesting that Baines could do a job for us on the left of midfield. He was told that Baines is a left back and a bloody good one so why try and move him elsewhere. In some ways I agree but surely the point of a ’squad’ is that it can deal with a variety of situations in the event of injuries?

With four of our most creative and influential players out (Timmy, Tommy, Arteta, Vaughan), surely this is one of those situations???

From what I’ve seen of him, Baines appears to be the only player at the moment who is comfortable enough to have the ball at his feet and attempt to do anything with it. I think I’d rather he did that up the field.

As Steve rightly points out Stubbs can come in and will cement the back four again, Lescott moves to left back, Neville to right back and hopefully we get a clean sheet and everything will suddenly look a lot rosier.

Dave J
9 Posted 26/09/2007 at 13:41:40

Wessels
Neville
Jagielka
Stubbs
Valente
Pienaar
Carlsey
Vidarsson
VDM
Yakubu
Johnson