Well I doubt you will find one single Evertonian who agrees with that team that you just selected. Gravesen instead of Cahill???

I don’t think it’s pessimistic to say that we’re not going to qualify for the Champions League this season. We just don’t have the depth of quality in the squad to make that kind of leap this season... but if we can add some key players next summer we could be in a better position next year.

I fear that our involvement in Europe and, fingers crossed, the domestic cups will continue to affect our league campaign, at least to the degree that the top four will be beyond us. Realistically, I think we could call it a fantastic achievement if we could qualify for the next couple rounds in the Uefa Cup and again finish in the top six at home.

What no Hibbert or Neville.DM would not have that.

Howard - best keeper we’ve had since Big Nev?
Neville - Top right back, Jagielka on the bench
Yobo - Joey number 1
Lescott - Joey number 2
Baines - Likes to have a run, can pick a great pass
Arteta - Don’t need to explain this one
Cahill - Could be on the way to club legend status
Carsley - Grafter, ball winner, integral to the team
Pienaar - Looks better with every game. Great feet
Johnson - Fast, hard worker, goalscorer
Yakubu - Soon to settle and score again and again

I think that is a great lineup... positive attacking team based on a very strong back line. Wessels, Jagielka, Gravesen, Ossie/Faddy and Vaughan/Anichebe on the bench. Looks fantastic.

Big Nev dnt forget gig Nige aswel an for 500 000 what a bargain he was, an i wud deffo have grav in the team not in place of cahil tho probably for oz or peinar.

Louis, I agree with your best 11, except i still believe that against the big 4, we should revert to 4-5-1, as it seems a great way of stifling the midfield. (well overcrowding it anyway)

I would bring in Gravesen for one of the forwards. (sorry Ossie)
I’m still undecided as to who i would put up top though by themselves. I believe Anichebe will be great in this roll when he improves his ball control. Johnson is good as long as the ball is not in the air, and Yakubu unfortunately doesn’t have the height to be the target man of high balls (centre halves will win out on most occasions).

When we come up against anyone other than the Big 4, i would probably play 4-4-2, with the line up you mentioned Louis. Possibly even away games to other up and coming teams (Man City, Blackburn, Spurs) I would play 4-5-1 (to start with). Depending on the situation within a game you would change it accordingly.

Cahill is the first name you put on your teamsheet, he is a talisman, and he would get in any everton team i would select.

Hmmmm interesting..I think we have 2 strong teams some players feature in both, our premiership & uefa 11:

howard
neville, Yobo, Lescott, Baines
Art, Cahill, Cars, Pienaar
Yak, Johnson

Domestic cups
Howard
Hibbo
Stubbs
Lescott
Valente
Jags
osman
gravesson
arteta
Anichebe
McFadden / Vaughan

Super Cahill and Yak on bench - obviously Injuries and suspensions will need to bve accounted for. We are looking strong.

AND CAHILL FOR CLUB CAPTAIN - what you all saying? Nevs not very vocal?

Wessels
Jagielka Yobo Lescott Baines

Arteta Carsley Cahill Pienaar

Johnson Yakubu

Subs from Wessels, Stubbs, Neville, Vaughan, Anichebe, Gravesen, Osman, McFadden
sorry so many subs but we have 19 players now to pick 11 from,
23 if you include Hibbert, VDM, Da Silva and Valente

Haven’t you lot got anything better to do? You all love playing David Moyes’ Doppleganger/Football Manager don’t you. I will only say one thing, as a humble female supporter, Timmy Cahill for ever, if its only to see him punch that corner flag!!!

Patty Bee - of course I have something else to do... about half a bloody library to read for two seminars tomorrow! So naturally I am drawn to facebook/football manager/toffeeweb every time I get a bit bored of my work. Commenting on things that interest me on here is something to do and I just can’t get Everton out of my head, something that will follow me forever. Just scraped the pennies together for a half season ticket too, so the trend is set to continue. The hypocrisy of your comment... by coming on to judge us you in yourself are proving that you have nothing "better to do". Toffeeweb is a great thing to do with time when you are supposed to be doing other things!

apologies I named Wessels as the goalie and the sub goalie, Howard of course as first team goalie, I suppose if we add Turner and Ruddy we have 25 players.

People love picking teams Patty Bee, its human nature, we all have our opinions who we prefer and as long as we respect each others opinions no harm is done, its when slugs with a string of expletives come onto the forum slagging you off because they think their opinion is better that annoys me.
Whether its Everton or England your not doing any harm.
If you think Evertonians are bad read a RS forum or the Echo they are twice as bad as we are, which is probably because their team cost twice as much money. You could fill the Echo on whether they RS should play Crouch or not for example

I never thougt I’d see 4-5-1 as the way forward, but I definiely think it is. We just need to improve the midfield. Maybe add some pace out wide (Shaun W-P) and a it more drive alongside Tim in the middle (Kevin Nolan) and I suppose ultimately a replacement for Carsley. No ideas there, though there must be a bargain somewhere round Europe, possibly even Scharner at Wigan. With these players and the likes of Pienaar, Gravesen and Osman in reserve then the future can only look bright.

And I nearly forgot, does nobody see James Vaughan as our best option up front ?

My reservations about Nolan are his attitude, and whether he is a player Moyes could get the best out of. Scharner is quite a useful player I agree.
Vaughan is class, I am not sure if he could also perform the role that Cahill does or if he needs to be further forward.
It is good to have options which 5 strikers plus Cahill give you though

But Vaughan and Cahill together could be lethal. Tim is born to feed off the scraps caused by somebody like Vaughan roughing up opposition defences. If we look after this kid he could be the next Alan Shearer.

Id go with
Howard
Neville(jags soon)
Yobo
Lescott
Baines
Arteta(pure class)
Cahill
Carsley
Pienaar
Yakubu
Johnson (would consider vaughny or big vic )

Louis .. don’t like being accused of being a hypocrite, somethikng I certainly am not. It just amuses me that you men continually choose the team you think best to play, something that doesn’t matter as its not going to influence DM on team choice. one way or another. Perhaps you all dream of being a football manager and who can blame you.... we all need dreams. Mine is that some day soon, our team will be THE team in Liverpool .Small things amuse small minds I suppose. As for the time I spend on Toffee Web, as a lady of senior years I can do what I like with my time without some boss standing over me.

Anyway on a pleasant note, hope your seminars go well and so does our team tonight in the Cup Game. COYB

Patty - Does it really matter if we want to have are opinions on the best 11 , why does it bother u so much , this is what football fans do!

Yes! Cahill for Captain! Joey Yobo as deputy.

What we have got to look for is the right balance and at this moment in time 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 is the best way to go. If you look at the midfielders in our team we dont actually have a central midfielder. We have the likes of Carsley and Neville who are very defensive and we have Cahill and Gravesen who are very attacking. None of these players are comfortable in a 5 man midfield as the attacking players are not disciplined enough as both have shown in the past and the defensive players sit back to deep and are to defensive.

In a 5 man midfield my choice would be this:Arteta.....Cahill.....Carsley.....Osman.....Pienaar

The exact midfield that we are playing at the moment. Obviously is Gravesen gets fit then he is fighting for Osman’s place but at this moment in time Ossie been our best player over the last three games in this formation. What looks good about this midfield also it is versatile and interchangeable. Osman, Arteta and Pienaar are all comfortable left, right and centre so they can change positions. For example, If Mikel’s being quiet out wide bring him inside for Osman or swap from left to right with Pienaar. I gives us so many more options and Moyes should think of using this style.

The defense is not really a hard one. Baines as left back with Jagielka at right back and Yobo and Lescott in the centre. Lots of pace and lots of talent. People may call for Stubbs’s experience but he wont be around for ever and we need to develop this future partnership. Yobo and Lescott are the future so play them Moyesy. Upfront I think Vaughan’s our best and most effective striker. He still is raw but that doesn’t take away his aggression, pace and aerial ability. We can play it to him on the deck and hit it long to him. But we do have alot of riches upfront and strikers that can hurt teams in different ways. Johnson offers us the pace and work rate, Yakubu likes it to feet and will bring people into the game, Anichebe is just pure muscular aggression and also gives us a target to hit. Mcfadden is the only one I have doubts for but he is perfectly able of playing out wide in a 5 man midfield aswell as playing the Cahill role which is very similar to the style he actually has of playing off the front man.

People may say 4-4-1-1 is a negative formation but I disagree. Are Cahill, Arteta, Pienaar and Osman defensive players? No they are not and the only defensive player in there is Carlsey who is the best at what he does in terms of tackling, reading danger and blocking the enemy’s attacks. Im not saying abandon 4-4-2 because it will be needed but 4-4-1-1 looks the best bet at the moment.

As long as we keep up this good football then I dont care how we play.

"It just amuses me that you men continually choose the team you think best to play, something that doesn?t matter as its not going to influence DM on team choice. one way or another. Perhaps you all dream of being a football manager and who can blame you.... we all need dreams. Mine is that some day soon, our team will be THE team in Liverpool .Small things amuse small minds I suppose."

I suppose being a "Lady of senior years" means you have the right to be both sexist and condescending towards people with "small minds". How ignorant of me to challenge your authority, Patty; rest assured I won’t be wasting my time by replying to any other of your wise, balanced and considerate comments.

Patty

Its not that we want to be the manager - most of us wouldnt have the guts, the point I was making is that hardly any of us agree with the manager, Evertonians are not unique in that, your right, it doesnt make any difference to the team he picks, but if your going to disagree with something isnt it better to offer up an alternative rather than just disagree ? , , , , , , thats of course unless your David Barks

all i do all day is dream about what players i want at everton and what formation and players we should play! i love it! isnt it what footballs about???

id have.....
howard

jags yobo(c) lescott bainnes

carsley

arteta cahill piennar

yakubu johnson

and in the summer id look 2 bring in nolan and swp