ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

McLuxury?

I read all the speculation about Faddy going to Celtic with interest this morning. I'm not surprised to hear that the Scottish giants are interesed in our classy forward, but raised an eyebrow at their rumoured valuation of £4M.

Faddy has been a bit of an enigma at Everton since he arrived here in 2003. As is widely recognised, his talent has never been in doubt but he flatters to deceive more often than not. Moyes seems to have decided that he is most suited to cameo appearances and I believe he has been successful in this role, changing the pace and direction of games and scoring the odd wonder goal.

I must admit that I've always been a fan. I get as frustrated as the next Blue when he unnecessarily gives the ball away or decides to beat another man when a simple pass to a man in space would suffice, but I also love him for it. We're not blessed with a great deal of skill within the squad and Faddy seems to have it in abundance ? couple this with his unashamed arrogance and you get a player that is mesmerizing at his best.

His recent exploits for his national team have obviously increased his profile no end. I've had no end of blokes ask why we don't play him every week. At times I agree with them but recognise the reasons why Moyes is sparing with his appearances ? he's too erratic.

Might we now be seeing a more mature Faddy though? He does appear to be playing more of a team game these days and adds a totally different dimension to our play. His cross into Cahill for THAT goal was sublime (yes, I do believe he meant it!).

In conclusion, for £4M I'd certainly rather keep him as I feel, at 24 years old, there's still a lot more to come from our Scottish wonderkid. The question is whether the manager can keep him happy.
Ben Howard, London Posted 14/11/2007 at 11:06:28

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Sam Morrison
1 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:27:34

I rate Faddy too Ben, but there?s no way that was a cross!

On a general level he needs to be more consistent still if he is going to start ahead of Yak, AJ, Vic and Vaughan. I?d be sad to see him go though, he is great to watch when on song.

Wayne McNee
2 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:26:24

I'm with you all the way on this Ben.
I agree with your opinion on Faddys style & quality.... and as for the £4m price tag... forget it, its insulting.... more like £8m plus & then I?d happily say goodbye, well not really happy??

Dominic Fitzpatrick
3 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:30:43

I believe James McFadden to be just as good a finisher (if not better) than Andrew Johnson.

If Celtic come along and think they can get him for the rumoured four million then they can do one!

In this current footballing climate, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than 5-6 million, even then I might not sell.

As you point out sam, he is 24, and we are starting to see a more mature James McFadden, he’s a family man now, has a wife and child and will be looking to settle down and enjoy his football.

These sentiments have been echoed by David Moyes fairly recently too, and I am pretty sure he sees him in his first team plans.

Dominic Fitzpatrick
4 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:35:15

**As you point out BEN, he is 24, and we are starting to see a more mature James McFadden, he?s a family man now, has a wife and child and will be looking to settle down and enjoy his football.

:P

Tony Williams
5 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:39:20

I would love to see Fadds, "The finished Article" at Everton but I feel this will never happen. He will never have a long run of games unless we have a a terrible injury crisis and I feel we will more likely see a transfer request before Moyes considers cashing out.

Oh and that was never a cross LOL

Dan
6 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:40:23

Well all top teams need 4 quality strikers we have that with Vic, AJ, Yak and Vaughny.

I think let him go is what we should do. the best thing his international performances have done is raise his price bya baout 3 million. He would go if teh offer was in the 5-7 million range I think

Gav Jones
7 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:43:06

I’d like to see him stay but regardless there’s certainly no sense in selling him in January when it looks like the Yak and Anichebe are off to Ghana. If Jonhson and Vaughan continue to suffer from the odd injury then it could be the chance he needs to finally prove himself here. Also 4m?! Surely he’s worth more than Beattie?

Graham Eaves
8 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:44:58

I, like most Evertonians have a love hate feeling for him and TBH wouldn’t be sorry if he went but it would have to be for atleast £6m especially considering no marks like Keiran Richardson and Koumas went for £5/6m
He’s a 24yo, regular international and I’m hoping that if Moyes was thinking of cashing in - hopefully to buy a box to box maruading CM then he wouldn’t settle for any less than £6m or Celtic will have a steal. Unless he could be used in a swap deal? Celtic got anyone worth looking at?

Jason Broome
9 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:35:13

We need to buy a world class, box to box, powerhouse midfield dictator.

I agree with the sentiments that McFadden is a better finisher than AJ and feel that £4M is a joke. However McFadden is currently at the height of both his game and his status and should be sold for at least £5M.

He is only a squad player (who nobody wanted last season) who should provide us with the necessary finances for what our club most lacks.

Capitalising on this opportunity is a must if we are to go forward. Would love to see Hibbert and VDM join his exit in January paving the way for the purchase of Pienaar, Appiah and Fernandes.

Shaun Brennan
10 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:56:19

I can’t stand faddy. Sorry chaps. But i’ll pack him off to celtic sooner than later.

Seany Mac
11 Posted 14/11/2007 at 13:54:07

Faddy is a great player who can change games. what i have maybe noticed more this season than in seasons gone by is how much more he excels in europe compared to the league. in that different footballin atmosphere, there is more time on the ball an this is where i think mcfadden shows what he can do aka international games are much the same. personally, i wudnt mind a swap with nakamura from celtic, absolutly fantasic player who could give us another branch of creativity.

Andy Mckenzie
12 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:00:06

Well according to his agent willie mckay who says on sky sports news website that he’s only thinking of everton and that we are praparing to offer him a new contract.

To be honest i thought he would be sold in jan or maybe wanting to leave but if he’s committed to the club then he can definately do a job for us, not as a first choice forward just someone who can influence games from the bench,play in cup games, he really needs to be more consistent in his play because this is his main flaw at the moment.

John Sheron
13 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:17:09

It?s interesting isn?t it; 24 months ago I?d have taken £750k for Faddy due to his erratic and frustrating form?

Now after a decent, but not fantastic 06-07 season, plus some inspirational efforts for Scotland in Euro 08 he?s suddenly worth a minimum £4m and maybe up to £6m.

A couple more goals against Italy on Saturday and he may even the £8m mark.

For me a valuation between £6m-£8m would give Everton an excellent return on our investment in a player who has only sporadically played exceptional for club but who has been inspirational for his country in the last 12 months. I fear not accepting £6m-£8m in January may mean that we miss the boat as surely his form cannot be as good again

Can it?

Chris James
14 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:14:48

The only way it makes any sense whatsoever to sell Faddy now is to raise cash to fund a top quality midfielder...even then I’m not sure.

We’ve always known he’s got great potential but he’s just been so inconsistent and tended to over-elaborate. This year he’s finally starting to mature both for country and club and has contributed some crucial performances and goals and I think we’re just beginning to see the best for him.

From a pragmatic view With African nations taking away Vic and Yak and both AJ and Vaughan having injury issues this season it would be mad to lose him in January.
From a tactical and squad-building point of view though, right now we have 5 strikers who all offer something different to the team and with all the competitions we’re in (want to be in) we’ve got every chance to keep them happy.

Stan Sheppard
15 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:34:28

Another McFadden to Celtic link. Who knows this time. The window is still a fair bit of. Maybe we should try and swap him for Scott Brown. He?s a quality midfielder.

Barrie Hemsley
16 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:51:09

No point in taking that little for him. I agree with Stan S. Doubt we?d get Brown. I?d swap him for Nakamura though.

Dominic Fitzpatrick
17 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:54:53

I think to say he has been inconsistent is wrong.

Ok, he can be a very erratic player at times, (less so in previous months I might add) but I personally think if Faddy was given a run of games over a season, he would reach double figures quite easily.

Gez Frinton
18 Posted 14/11/2007 at 14:26:16

GIven he?s only 24, the current star man in an ever improving Scotland side and an important member of Everton?s squad, surely we should not settle for less than £8m!

If Celtic want one of the best Scottish players make them pay for it, otherwise keep him.

Scott McKinney
19 Posted 14/11/2007 at 15:09:17

John Sheron nailed it. What we need is another couple of goals from from Mc with Scotland and then sell while his stock is at his highest.

Maybe he goes on to even bigger things at his next stop but for me, the return on investment would be to great to pass up given the risk that his reality falls short (or well short) of his potential.

Sell high on this one and wish him well. No hard feelings.

Anthony Newell
20 Posted 14/11/2007 at 15:11:22

"I believe James McFadden to be just as good a finisher (if not better) than Andrew Johnson"

Do you recall McFadden’s one-on-one with the keeper in the Larissa game? Unfortunately, the guy is mostly about promise and no end product and that miss summed it up for me. While I wouldn’t want to let him go for buttons I think that his international exploits will artficially inflate his value. IMO EFC should cash in on this - any offer should be seriously considered with a view to investing the proceeds in midfield. The Nakamura idea sounds good to me. If we can get some decent service into our forwards along the deck then we’ll be flying

Guy Wilkinson
21 Posted 14/11/2007 at 16:01:19

He’s a big game player. Has the ability to change games but is not a natural striker. Excellent impact sub.

Need to keep til end of season - hopefully we’ll be playing big games at the end of this season.

Neil Pearse
22 Posted 14/11/2007 at 16:37:37

If we can afford to splash £10M plus on our midfield AND keep Faddy - let’s keep him. If not, let’s sell before his value falls. We need the midfielders more than we need Faddy. (And he is no way a better finisher than AJ - unless we are only counting finishes from outside the box.)

Neil Crossman
23 Posted 14/11/2007 at 16:15:52

McFadden is not a Premier League player - not because he doesn?t have the quality, but because he has zero strength and zero pace. Don?t get me wrong, I like him as he has maverick ability and adds to the excitement every now and again, but he will never score regular Premier League goals.

He has had long enough to make his impact, there is a reason why he hasn?t. He will be a star player and league winner in the Championship or Scotland (as is Beattie), but he cannot cut it at premiership level as defenders are too good.

We will probably keep him until the end of the season due to the African Nations Cup, and he will be effective in all cup competitions (including UEFA) but after that his time is up. If he wants to stay on then he has no ambition, anyone can see that Moyes is buying strikers to go in ahead of him. Finally, 3 million is the max we will get, 6 million is fantasy land.

Ed Casey
24 Posted 14/11/2007 at 16:51:41

Tough call for Moyes! I’d definitely cash in January if it wasn’t for the African Cup of Nations where we are going to be without Yak and Anichebe. On the one hand we need the player to make up the numbers but on the other hand if we don’t sell him on the back of his impressive Scotland campaign then his value is only going to go down because i can’t see him ever becoming the first choice striker at Everton. If someone comes in at 6 million then I think you have to sell but the price we get will depend on our position with regards to selling him (ie how long left on his contract, etc).
Anyway, I like Faddy as he seems committed to the club and has been a model pro - you don’t ever hear him kicking off about being on the bench (at least I haven’t heard anything) which is more than you can say for a lot of prem footballers these days. He is also undoubtedly skillful bu the fact of the matter remains he has never done enough to warrant another extended run at EFC so lets see what we can get whilst his name is in the papers. And who knows Wigan or Birmingham might come in in January with some mental money.

Peter Gunn
25 Posted 14/11/2007 at 18:02:23

McFadden is a great guy who comes across very well when interviewed. Very unassuming and remarkably modest which is refreshing in comparison to some of his premiership peers, i.e. mercenary pricks like Rooney and A Cole. However he is a complete enigma and in my opinion not up to Premier League standard.

If he hasn?t made an impact by the age of 24 & nailed down a first team place he will never do it. Vaughan & Big Vic are far better prospects and they are the future of Everton we should concentrate on and give game time to.

Serious McFadden flaws include his appalling lack of pace and his alarming habit of drifting in and out of games for long periods. He can muster the occassional good finish but too many times he fluffs his lines. 10 goals in 103 performances is not a good enough return.

He has brought me to my feet in games many times but it was mostly to voice my frustration at him not to cheer him for a rare moment of skill such as the Charlton goal.

I would take the money for him in the close season or maybe January and wish him the very best of luck as he has seemingly been a model pro while at EFC.

As for Nakamura. No thanks. The guy is 29 and not a Premier League player. Good set piece taker, neat passer but one paced & not the box to box tyro we desparately need. The SPL is a tin pot league and not a proving ground for aspiring Premier League players.

Joe McParland
26 Posted 14/11/2007 at 18:42:28

Got to agree Pete Gunn, Nakamura is a waste of space. Living up here in Scotland I have a lot of mates who are celtic fans and they would far rather have Faddy than the Japanese lazy one. If any business is to be done with celtic we should get Scott Brown plus £4M.

Nelly Vaughan
27 Posted 15/11/2007 at 12:42:47

I dont give a flying fuck what he does for Scotland only what he does for Everton and on far far too many occassions he has and still does fail to deliver. Yes he?s scored one or two good goals but that?s all. By now (if he were that good) he should be commanding a place in the team and lighting up the Premier League alas he is not... £4m gives us £3mil profit let him go.... (£8mil what planet are you people on !!)

Robbie Forsyth
28 Posted 15/11/2007 at 19:32:19

Joe McParland - McFadden is a great player but Scott Brown is a different class, one of the brightest prospects in UK football, to suggest McFadden is worth 4m more is a bit ambitious.