ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

A Blessing in Disguise?

I know the derby was a disaster and the referee was a bit of an idiot (an understatement I know!) But there is one positive...

Hibbert and Neville are suspended!! I know this is odd to celebrate but think about it, they are our two worst form players over the season and now, because these guys are suspended, Jagilelka can play right back and Moyes can finally play Carsley with Cahill/Gravesen.

Now to me that is a much more balanced team instead of the derby team where we play an average right back and a very defensive centre midfield.

Trust me, this could finally change the awful long ball system we've got and turn our season around.
Ben Jones, Anglesey Posted 23/10/2007 at 22:19:11

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Graham Foster
1 Posted 24/10/2007 at 06:21:45

Well I have to agree with you on certain points there, I hate the long ball game it doesn?t work for us all we seem to do or should I say try to do is long ball up and cross and we just haven?t got the people who can get up and header the ball.
The only person we have who seems to be doing anything with headers is lescott.
As for Nev and Hib I don?t think there doing that great and on that matter yobo ist as solid as he used to be we need to do something I used to think we had a great defense from the days of the 1 ? 0 wins whats happened?
Last but not least Jagilelka I cant say I have been impressed with him at all this season im starting to think hes a bad buy.

Lee Mather
2 Posted 24/10/2007 at 07:56:09

I agree that Jags hasn’t the best start to the season but it’s because he’s being played out of position.

I work in an office full of Sheffield United fans and they agree that his strongest position is Centre Back he can also play well at Right back but they weren’t too impressed with him in midfield last season

I will have to see him play crap in a position he’s used to playing before calling him a bad buy, he’s certainly no Per Kroldrup

Jay Campbell
3 Posted 24/10/2007 at 09:13:54

Your right Ben the only good thing 2 come out of it is them useless t*at’s are suspended 4 the weekend.

Sean Allinson
4 Posted 24/10/2007 at 09:36:46

Who made and completed more passes in the final third of the pitch than anyone else in a blue shirt? (Or red for that matter) - Phil Neville. Perceptions are a strange thing. Once they get imbedded they are hard to shift. There really is a load of pants talked about this Hoofball stuff. There have been games when he has noticeably played the long ball too much, Kharkiv at home for example, (guess what, we won two penalties from it), but as a general rule Neville tries to play through midfield as often as possible. The long ball is still a useful get-out but the people wearing anti-neville goggles can’t see that most of the time he mixes it up quite well. He was immense on Saturday. Breaking up attacks in midfield, sweeping up down the flanks, playing Lescott in on the left with some nice one-touch stuff, and finally when asked to go to right back, got one or two decent crosses in. He is the best right back at the club (anyone who has seen Jagielka play there will know his distribution is as bad as Hibberts) and once we have our midfield back Moyes has said it will be his main position. So please get off his back. His attitude and professionalism alone make him worth a place in any starting eleven. It is, however, more difficult to make a case for Hibbert.

Seamus Murphy
5 Posted 24/10/2007 at 10:30:43

Sean - i think most people are in agreement that Neville is the best right back at the club, that is why it has been so frustrating to see him in centre mid for most of the season although i accept that injuries have forced Moyes’ hand somewhat.
But i think what people are looking forward to is seeing a midfield now that wont have two defenders in it(Neville,Jags). Moyes hand will now be forced again and he will have to play a more attacking midfield. Hopefully Cahill and Gravesen will be back for the weekend though as while i like Pienaar and Osman, i dont like to see both of them in the same midfield.

Allan Hobbs
6 Posted 24/10/2007 at 12:18:17

Last time I looked Cahill & Gravesen were both injured Ben. Nice idea in a perfect world, but I think Phil Neville is consistently one of our BEST players, not our worst. He just needs to play left back, not midfield. Jagielka is NOT a better player than Neville.

Dave Lynch
7 Posted 24/10/2007 at 12:42:03

Personally think we will be a poorer team without Neville.
The lad is played out of position week after week, so is therefore unable to play to the best of his abillity.
Tell you one thing though. The lads head never drops, he keeps going for 90 minutes and as long as he does that he’ll do for me.
Look at some of the so called better players around him, they could do worse than take a leaf out of his book.

Allan Hobbs
8 Posted 24/10/2007 at 12:52:52

Exactly Dave; the guy gives his all in every game he plays, he’s a model pro and a decent bloke to boot. He gets too much bad press from people on here and I’m with you, I don’t think any of its deserved. He’s given a hell of alot to EFC in his time with us, and should be given the respect he deserves.

Tony Williams
9 Posted 24/10/2007 at 13:12:17

Good point Alan but you could use that exact post for Kevin Kilbane, but would you want him back in the team?

Stan Sheppard
10 Posted 24/10/2007 at 13:37:45

Phil Neville is a good full back who can defend and get crosses in from wide, where as Kilbane was an average midfielder with a heart of gold.

I think Phil wants to be a holding midfielder but lacks the ability, however the manager should play him were he’s best. No doubting we need Grav + Tim back ASAP

Allan Hobbs
11 Posted 24/10/2007 at 13:52:36

I dunno Tony, did Killer ever have the same leadership qualities that Neville has? I doubt it. Mind, you, Neville doesn’t have a sweet left foot like Killer......on a par with Cruyff that lad!

Stan Sheppard
12 Posted 24/10/2007 at 14:24:48

i remember him having a stormer for Ireland away to France a few years ago when he played centre mid. He was a bit of an enigma at times and a great lad.

Roy coyne
13 Posted 24/10/2007 at 16:12:00

when ever any one defends Neville its always in there some where hes a great lad or hes a nice man and the latest after his handball he proved his loyalty to the team?,Well yes hes a nice man but please tell me when he is in midfield is he effective do you see him spraying the ball about winning vital tackles to me hes none of the above I can not see how Neville the fullback can pass to a blue shirt and tackle(not that he would be my choice if we had cash) yet when he becomes midfielder Phil it disappears.As for Tony as a local lad I would love to see him succeed but over the last two seasons he has gone backwards,his confidence has gone the crowd played no small part in this ,much as I am disappointed with him you can sense the crowd waiting to pounce on his first mistake so in my humble opinoin we are better without them both if we play Phil in the middle but until I see Jags have a couple of gamed at right back have toadmit Phil is a better option to Tony

Dave Trudge
14 Posted 23/10/2007 at 09:26:18

Obviously I am gutted and still annoyed about what happened on Saturday. I feel we played well considering some of our better players are still out and we looked for all the world like we were going to at least draw the game.

The silver lining to this is that Neville and Hibbert, arguably our worst players so far this season, will be banned for one game, giving Jags a chance to play right-back which is honestly why I thought we'd bought him.

It also means Carsley will probably play defensive mid instead of Neville. If those two play well in the next Prem games then they could keep their place (Gravesen may replace Carsley but I have no info on when he'll be fit) and it might help kick start our season and help us get back into the top six. With Neville and Hibbert in the team, I'm never confident we can keep a clean sheet.

I have no doubt that if it was Jags in Hibbert's place on Saturday, he'd have gone up for the header and probably won it.

Ben Jones
15 Posted 24/10/2007 at 22:04:46

I’m not insulting Neville at all. All I’m trying to say is because he is suspended.. it will give Moyes a chance to play a more balances side. I mean Jagielka played very well against Bolton.. and I’d definitely give another chance. What I’m hoping from this is now Phill Neville plays right back once he is back.. and play one defensive midiflelder instead of 2 in centre midfield!!