ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Best team since Kendall?

There have been quite a few people complaining about the quality of our side this season so I thought I'd list a few reasons why I think they are wrong.

Tim Howard is twice the player of Wright, I personally rank him ahead of the likes of Lehmann, Van der Sar and of course Paul Robinson. His performances in the last month prove my point. Also we have two good young goalkeepers in the form of Turner and Ruddy coming through, then there's Wessels who seems to have become the forgotten man since Howard returned, he also looks like a bargain.

Then there's our defense which has got to be the best since Royle managed us or maybe even since the mid-80s. Having players like Baines and Neville (who desperately needs to move to right-back again) as full-backs, then Lescott and Yobo in the centre with Stubbsy coming in when we need him.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I don't really class Pienaar, Cahill and the vastly underrated Lee Carsley a makeshift centre midfield as has been mentioned in a previous post, add Arteta to the equation I see a damn good midfield... Also we've got others like Mad Dog. However, I do think we should perhaps invest in a good left winger to partner Arteta. Personally I'd love to see Morten Gamst Pedersen strutting his stuff on our hallowed turf.

Then there's our strikers, no question of the quality of Yak and Anichebe and the 3 little men (AJ, McFadden, Vaughan) ? I'd say we're safe in that department, wouldn't you?

I hope this has helped some of you that things could be alot worse so let's get behind the team and Moyesy and cheer our way to victory home and away.
Rob Jones, Wrexham Posted 13/11/2007 at 00:15:35

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Patty Beesley
1 Posted 13/11/2007 at 09:16:31

I love my team and, like everyone else, have my favourite players but I do think that our present team, much as they have been brilliant of late, have a long way to go to beat that team of Howard?s in the 80?s. Lets hope they do go on to glory as the 80?s boys did.

Mark Hill
2 Posted 13/11/2007 at 10:10:04

Absolutely, Class of 84 onwards during the first Kendall era, were a class apart. They were the best in the land, and whilst at that time, you might argue that there weren’t many to challenge then. My opinion is that they would be challenging the top four on a regular basis, there was strength in depth, talent over the park. Not only this but they played some really good football where goals came not only from the Strikers, and the Midfield, but also defence, i remember Mountfield claiming a shed load one season maybe close to 15 goals.....they were the best i have seen!!

Dave G
3 Posted 13/11/2007 at 10:32:22

To even mention the current team in the same breath as the mid-80s team is a gross insult to Howard Kendall and the greatest team this club has ever known. The current team aren?t fit to lace their boots. That said, our current heroes are developing into a good unit and have done the club proud in recent weeks. Most games consist of 90 minutes of hard graft with occasional flashes of genuine quality. The 80s team had everything ? quality all over the park, fight, unrivalled team spirit and an almost frightening will to win. They were the best team in Europe, no question. The current team are presently the 9th best team in England. Enough said!

Dave Charles
4 Posted 13/11/2007 at 11:33:17

That’s confidence for you. We’ve played three of the so called big four and not looked out of place. A late goal goal to Man Utd and a duff ref against Liverpool and we carried on battling against Chelsea to earn a draw.

At one time heads would have gone down but now they want to keep going and don’t want the final whistle. Long may it continue and to our benefit it will be.

I’m not saying corner turned, but the feel good factor sure feels good at the moment.

David O'Brien
5 Posted 13/11/2007 at 11:42:05

Until we?ve won the title a couple of times and played scintillating football along the way and appeared at Wembley 4 times (not inc charity shields) we aren?t even close. Best team since then perhaps but until we win something it counts for diddly. The Dogs of War were better in that they actually won something. In the words of Jon Bon Leppard - ?we half way there, woh oh! living on a prayer?

Seamus Murphy
6 Posted 13/11/2007 at 13:11:35

Just to play Devils advocate for a minute Rob. If our defence is so good why do we concede goals in almost every league game?
Our midfield is seriously lacking. Carsley has been one of my favourite players but if we want to push the top 4 then both him and Osman need to be replaced with world class players. Then those two could slot in with Pienaar, Arteta and Cahill and we would have a much better team.

I’m also going to go against popular opinion here and say that Yobo is not turning into the complete centre half as we all thought he would. He consistenly this season has hoofed the ball aimlessly upfield (Howard is guilty of the same) and has always been prone to mistakes. If he can iron those flaws out of his game he may develop into the centre half we want him to be but lets face it, he’s no Terry,Carvalho,Ferdinand, Toure, Vidic is he?

If Moyes can address those two midfield positions and eradicate the defensive mistakes we may then have a team that can be compared against the team from the mid-80’s....but were not there yet

Andy Ellams
7 Posted 13/11/2007 at 13:21:44

The best way to improve the defence is to let Yobo and Lescott play together week in and week out so that they can gel properly as a partnership. Neville and Valente can fill in at left back when Baines is out.

Jonathan Ford
8 Posted 13/11/2007 at 14:14:13

"he?s no Terry,Carvalho,Ferdinand, Toure, Vidic is he?"

I?m sorry Ferdinand is the most over hyped pile of pap. He makes loads more mistakes than Yoey.

Joey this year has been excellent, if anything I?d say Lescott has had more errors. He doesn?t get the good press of Lescott because he isn?t English and doesn?t have the same attacking threat. However, I?m proud of the big J and think he?s improved loads.

Ferdinand...huh! Pap!

Gez Frinton
9 Posted 13/11/2007 at 14:02:53

We?re not close to winning the title, so we?re no where near the 80?s side.

We are improving and the gap between us and the best is closing, but how many Everton players are good enough to replace a ManU first team player, on current form or potential?

Howard and Neville weren?t viewed as quite good enough.

Lescott, Yobo, and Baines wouldn?t get a look in with Rio, Vidic and Evra- maybe Lescottt in a few years.

Arteta maybe, rest of midfield - no chance.

Cahill wouold lose out to Tevez and Rooney would beat our strikers.

I don?t want to be all doom and gloom, I?m just being realistic.

Mark Stone
10 Posted 13/11/2007 at 14:29:46

Wasn?t the question best side SINCE Kendall?s?

Not ?as good as? Kendall?s or ?better than? Kendall?s as you all seem to be interpreting in your responses.

Rob, in answer to your easy to understand question - which some find it difficult to understand - I answer YES!

Phil Gordon
11 Posted 13/11/2007 at 14:56:28

Mark Stone - Totally agree mate!!

Was just going to respond in a simialr way, he clearly says ?or maybe even the best since 80?s? which I?d say it is!

I?d base that on the fact that whilst we won a trophy in 95 we all know that the team wasn?t very good. It struggled badly in the league that year and in the UEFA the following year.

This team is now starting to show consistency not only in the league but in the domestic and European Cup comps - no comparison for me!!!

Richard Watts
12 Posted 13/11/2007 at 14:40:15

I think this probably is our best team since the mid 80’s team fell apart so quickly after Kendall left.

This isn’t to say that the current group of players are in the same class as the 84-87 squds - they are clearly not! But they are better than anything that we’ve seen since the 1989 cup final.

And let’s not forget the current squad look like world beaters comapred to the early or late 90’s teams that almsot took us down twice.

Compare the squad now to the one that Moyes inherited. Walter Smith’s last team was (from Toffeeweb):

Simonsen; Pistone, Stubbs, Weir, Unsworth, Clarke; Gascoigne, Gemmill (76’ Blomqvist), Linderoth (46’ Alexandersson); Radzinski, Moore (46’ Chadwick).

God Help us!

Phil Gordon
13 Posted 13/11/2007 at 15:46:52

Richard - LOL I didn?t realise the team was so poor back then.