I have to admit, the football mentality of this Generation X simply astounds me. I can anly assume that if you are brought up on video and Playstation games, the idea that you can choose your own ending (£5M or CC?) is so seductive that it actually becomes part of real life....FFS!

Then you persuade yourself that one of our least productive players ever (in terms of actually delivering the goods) "usually produced ... when it counted most... in the big games"... FFS * 2!!! We've had that discussion ad nauseam last week, Ian, and it proved nothing beyond thae fact that Faddy was never ever going to be the 'something else' we needed.

Furthermore, you create in your own imagination a linkage ('something else' - Faddy - Carlng Cup) that simply did not, does not, and never would exist. And then you base your entire premise on this total fabrication.

And finally, there is this prevailing belief that buying players will get us where we need to go, despite the overwhelming evidence (Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham, Spurs...)that it's about so much ,ore than that.

Ian, the 'something else' we need is not another player but an epiphany for our great manager, so that he will make full use of the players he already has, and gets them to play the football they are well capable of to get us where we need to go.

We’ve got the ’ something else special we need from James McFadden ’...It’s called

5 MILLION QUID !!

Michael, In an ideal world you would be correct re not needing another player. Unfortunately though I believe you are wrong. It could well be that Moyes is getting maximium from the players he has (hence why we are above teams like Spurs, Newcastle etc. that man for man arguably have better squads than us). Accordingly, ’the next step’ may be buying a top notch central midfielder so we can play 2 up top. Unless we have the cash (on top of buying Pienaar and Manny permanently) already, Moyes may have to make hard decisions e.g. sell AJ and/or Cahill. (Agree Faddy was not the answer by the way! Indeed, the 5 million raised could be very helpful in aquiring the ’missing link’.)

What we need is a replacement for Carsley, a player who doesn’t just hack the ball away whenever it comes near him but who can pass to his own team and pass it forwards not just sideways or back. Who that might be Sidwell, Hunt etc I’ve no idea that’s what they pay the manager for.

Sidwell!? He was awful on Wednesday night, he needs to carry on sitting on the bench for Chelsea, thats all he’s good for! Personally I would love to see Arshavin join during this window. I don’t know about this X-Factor thing, but he will certainly add so much quality going forward.

We need Andrei Kanchelskis circa 1996-7.

Surely the missing link is money - wouldn?t it have been nice if we could have shelled out 15mill just to get a fantastic player to replace the Yak? I don?t know about you lot, but I am getting fed up wth Everton always being the bridesmaid and never the bride!!

Another point is if QPR could stop Chelsea from scoring in the F.A. Cup and the latter only went through to the next round by courtesy of an own goal -. If they could do it, why couldn?t we? I whole-heartedly support the lads and think that, on the night, with the players we had available, Everton could be proud of themselves.

I would also disagree with Michael and can see the point that Ian is making albeit a little skewed concerning the enigmatic James McFadden. This current Everton side is without doubt the most talented in the past 20 years, the frustration though is that we are still falling short of matching the big four when it matters but we are mouth wateringly close. I believe that the acquisition of a ’player X’ would go some way to bridging the gap, an all action / free scoring dynamic Midfielder providing the edge. However unless Moyes can unearth a gem then without the £15m plus required to purchase one we will remain in this status quo. For me Moyes has gone on record and that I’m sure he sees as his next challenge.

Michael , Whereas I agree with your reply regarding James Mc Fadden , I feel I have to disagree with your assessment saying what we don’t need is another player but an epiphany for David Moyes . When we have a full fit squad we do pay some good exciting footballl and are capable of scoring a lot of goals , unfortunately this luxury has not been there for us on many occasions this season and the financial restrictions mean we have been unable to "do a Chelsea " and buy our way into a final . Also one player could be the certain something that pulls us through the "glass ceiling " A Cantona , Keane , Gerrard or Henry ? Not ten a penny , I know and way beyond our buying power , or are they ? these players mentioned either cost nothing , gerrard , not much , Cantona and Keane or cost a fair amount but was transformed into the superstar he is by a very astute manager . Obtaining them ,...... lucky ? no , recognising their talent and how best to use it , except for Gerrard yes . That , in my humble opinion is what makes a good manager , great . And if Davy can do that for us then we can break the stranglehold .

If Moyes uses the McFadden money to secure Pienaar (a big loss on Weds) then that’s fine by me. I fully expect that if Pienaar returns unscathed from Africa that Moyes will make his move (a-la securing Tim Howard on Feb 14th last year). I suspect Moyes wasn’t shelling out the full wedge for Pienaar before the ACN just in case the fella came back on a stretcher and was sidelined for six months. Good management, that.

So if you’re looking for the X-Factor then it’s more likely to come from Peanuts than it ever was from Faddy, sadly.

A comparison of McFaddens number of goals per games he started in with those of AJ might surprise some.
Jimmy Macs figures stack up pretty well and he was never played as an out and out striker. Did we sell the wrong one?
On those figures alone 6 mil for AJ would have been equally a good piece of business.

Manuel Fernanades is that something extra. I was impressed by the way he passed the ball along the deck last night - Yakubu will thrive on that. I was impressed by the way he competed for the ball (like when he out muscled Malouda), and I was very impressed by the way he made himself available to receive the ball. And we know he can score those special goals - we saw it against Man U last year. Remember also that this was his first game back after 5 months of not much first team football at Valencia. When Yakubu, Piennar and Yobo get back David Moyes is going to have to make some really tough selection decisions. Because Fernandes will be a definite starter in midfield.

Laurie - you got in ahead of me! My hope is that Manny indeed is THE player, the one who is strong AND creative, who can take the game by the scruff of the neck, and can raise the games of those around him (especially in our case Arteta, Pienaar and Cahill).

We already have the mainly defensive player who does that (Joleon Lescott - please club captain for next season). Lescott and Fernandes are the missing links. (Sorry, the idea that it is Faddy! I am fully with Michael on that one.)

Agree with most of the stuff on here with regards to the missing X factor. In my humble opinion I think we need that pace bursting out of midfield and getting shots in on goal, ala Kanchelskis and to some extent Wright Phillips. Maybe Manny will do that, or even Piennar.
I think Moyes will soon have to make some big decisions soon as there isnt enough room for everybody in the team and I do believe we need 2 up front. Does Cahill do enough without scoring to warrant a place in midfield? Does AJ score enough to warrant a place up front ahead of Vaughan and the Yak? Who’d be a manager...

I certainly don’t agree that Faddy would give us that "something else". The something he gave us was 5 - 6 million which is excellant value in my opinion.

I do think we need players and will continue needing players if we are to get closer to the top.

I think that was a bit over the top Micheal I only asked a hypothetical question and gave an opinion. I suppose thats your opinion and you are entitled to it but you seem to have made some presumptions to, assuming that i am brought up on ?playstation games? I get my opinion not from computer games but from the exprience of playing with an ex Liverpool academy player now semi pro who used to play for my team and the difference he made to our team. He was our something else. So i dont think its right for you to judge me like that but i am glad to see you seem to be in a minority so far as a few others who have commented tend to dissagee with you.

Bring in Arshavin and a quality young defensive midfield that can pass a ball.

I think we rely on Arteta to much, if he is marked out of the game or is off form we struggle.

Pienaar coming back will be a big boost, we have really missed him buzzing around the midfield and clever passing.

I’ve said before that what we lack is leadership on the pitch - not decryiing Neville’s efforts but we need more bosses out there, players who will act as captain, shout orders, gee people up, hand out a bollicking. Wed night called out for a Peter Reid or Tony Kay type player, not just in ability but in passion and strength of personality. Remember young Michael Ball in the relegation decider tapping his head and telling older players to concentratel? Lescott seems to be the only current player who has the potential to lead us even though off-field he comes across as a naturally shy person. Great teams don’t solely on touchline advice; they sort themselves out on the pitch.

We are missing the Xfactor.Its called confidence.
Whilst we have it against the likes of Wigan we lose it in the big games.
Now before we go berating the manager and the players look at the stats for the other night.We had more shots on goal and significantly more possession.The ball was in Chelseas half more than ours.
But while they had a player like Joe Cole who confidently put it away beautifully we froze defensively (AGAIN).But I agree with many others we lost it in the first leg when we didnt push on to win after the equaliser.
I dont blame Moyes for that he can only prepare the players for the game and instruct from the sidelines which I think he does well now.
I think its too easy for the players,particularly when they work so hard from the KO,to fall back and defend.That is why we need a midfield general which will give us the X factor -leadership on the pitch.
Now I know PN is well respected etc but he is a defender(NEVER a midfielder)by nature.
We need the new Peter Reid that will instil confidence on the pitch. .
I dont know where(or Who)he is but I want him.
NSNO

Is it a missing link or missing dimension? For me, in the Chelsea game I felt we lacked sufficient creativity in the final third. AJ just does not compete for balls and he’s not physical. Playing him as a lone striker is/was a poor tactic IMHO. I would have liked to have gambled Vaughan up there. He’s hungry, tenacious, fast and competitive. Admittedly he doesn’t have AJ’s experience but that argument mainly applies when the player has the ball - which for the bulk of the game AJ didn’t.

We just don’t shoot from range enough. You show SWP (or Gerard, Lampard, Ronaldo, etc, etc, etc) the goal and he’ll let one fly. You show it to Arteta (a player I love) he’s that unselfish, mostly, he’ll do anything but shoot. True, Ossie will have the odd punt but on the whole this lack of shooting, particularly from range, is a serious downfall of our game and for me the missing dimension.

Laurie and Neil Pearse I agree Fernandes does bring an extra flair edge but the boy needs to be taught how to help out too, he stood about watching the game just feet away from him and only tracked back when he himself was dispossessed. Not the end of the world but a trait he will also need to learn to become truly special.

The ’something else’ is quite simple. A better manager.

Faddy was rarely special, he just looked a bit special compared to his usual.

Bit like calling Barry Horne enigmatic cos he scored from outside the area.

Ged...are you havin a laugh? IF not, please explain on what basis and who else would you prefer (and what set of characteristics/attributes/downsides (good and bad) that you perceive the recommended replacement to have and how they compare to DM’s). Cheers

Michael
agree with you totally.Moyes is not the greatest but he?s as good as we can get and much better than most especially the fat waiter.
I would love to see what he would do with more cash but there again that has ruined many a club Newcastle, Spurs and Leeds for example so lets be grateful for what we?ve got rather than look for scapegoats for our disappointment.

The solution, obviously, is for Moyes to become that better manager. Surely that would make everybody happy... even me!

Just because we didn’t beat Chelsea in the Cup it’s all doom and gloom. When Cahill made that overhead kick in the league match that was something special.

Was there a sell on clause when we bought Mcfadden? if so, how much did we actually get from the £5 mil?

Totally agree Gavin that Manny is not the finished article by any means yet. I think though (with Lescott) he has the POTENTIAL to truly drive the side. No one else in the current squad does IMHO.

The challenge of us versus the Chelseas is that we can’t afford to go out and buy ’finished articles’ (they lose Drogba, they buy Anelka; we lose the Yak, we try to make do with AJ...). I think Moyes deserves the most credit for developing ’good’ players into excellent players (Lescott, Arteta, Pienaar it seems, the Yak on recent form, and to some extent Cahill).

I am praying that Moyes can do the same with Manny. Given that he has brought him back despite all the difficulties, it seems Moyes believes he has a good chance of pulling this off too.

Michael - someone with some tactical ability for a start. The other night it was crying out at half time for Moyes to give it a go and change the formation to 442 but he waited for Chelsea to score and then he went over the top the other way played 3 strikers and expected our 3 man midfield to match Chelsea’s. It was pathetic and it killed the game as soon as Fernandes followed Carsley off the pitch. Yet another childish mistake by a manager who never learns.
And if you think I’m getting into that silly game of naming someone who would be suitable for the job, only for you to shoot me down, you must be joking. The point is the chairman should always be looking but he’s happy with a manager who has enough wisdom to ensure Oldham dumped us out of the FA Cup. Yet another humiliation.
We should be looking forward to the 5th round on Monday. What a manager !

Walking out of the ground after Wednesday night I was talking to my mates about the game when I got into a discussion with some other Blues about what went wrong. They were of the opinion that we had done really well and we couldn?t really be expected to beat Chelski due to the money they have spent.

My opinion was quite different; I accepted that every player had given their all (although Arteta at times infuriated me by walking back when he?d lost the ball) ? that is why I gave them a standing ovation at the end. I felt however, that we got our tactics wrong, particularly in the second half. I always feel in these situations that we play within ourselves and want us to break free of the shackles and really have a good go at beating these teams ? not just try to contain them and hope Lescott pops up from a corner.

The first half went okay but 10 mins into the second you couldn?t really see us breaking Chelsea down and this is where David Moyes should have thrown on Anichebe or Vaughan and missed out the midfield in order to pressurise Alex and Carvallho. It would have helped make AJ a more dangerous proposition and may have put Chelski on the back foot!

I relayed this idea to my new found discussion buddies but they astonished me by repeating a theory that really gets on my tits and that is "4-5-1 is our best formation as Cahill cannot play in a midfield 4"!!! If that is the case then what the fuck did DM see in him playing for Millwall as he played in a team that played 442 and he still hit double figures every year! If we had a younger more mobile partner for him then I don?t think this bollocks theory about him not being able to play in a 4 would be an issue.

I should at this stage point out that Tim is my favourite player, which is probably why it pisses me off when people question his ability. My theory is I believe more accurate and that is when Cahill plays in a 442 his partner is Carsley who has not got the legs or ability to do his share of the work required for the middle of the park. I know I risk people now telling me Carsley is amazing and I accept he?s played well this season but I feel, if we are truly going to reach the next level, then we need to play more expansive football ? particularly at home against the Sky 4 if we are to put pressure on them.

This post is not designed to have a go at David Moyes ? just a hope that he learns from Wednesday and that we don?t approach the league game with Chelsea playing the same formation.

I’ve felt the same that we’ve missed that something extra for a while to really push on and even mentioned it on this site. I think most of the stuff mentioned is correct. That something extra is a few things: a winning mentality, a killer instinct (I think we missed Yak the most against Chelski), or as mostly mentioned above a world class player who can turn and win a game by himself. A Ronaldo, Rooney, Gerrard, Torres, Drogba, Fabregas, etc, etc. I don’t think that this should detract from what we have. The ’so-called big 4’ not only have these world class players, whether it be 1,2,3 or more, but have a very strong and solid squad to back up these world class players. I believe we have a strong enough squad which is more than the likes of Newcastle, Man City, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, etc, which puts us above these teams, but not quite into the league of the big 4. I’d expect the likes of Arteta, Fernandes, Cahill, Lescott, Yobo, Pienaar and even Osman and Yakubu to get into any of the big 4 teams. But as I said we need that killer instinct first, then the winning mentality and then perhaps the world class player. The downside to this is that they generally seem to cost about 20m these days unless you can unearth one through the academy. I think Vaughan is potentially great and could be better than Yak and AJ put together (I would have played him Wednesday instead of AJ) but perhaps not quite world class (please prove me wrong Vaughany!) Other than that, we might need to save our pennies and not buy anyone for a couple of years to be able to afford a world class player and hope on getting it right. However, in Moyes we trust!

We’re still on the right tracks! They’ll be setbacks along the way. Moyesy’s still the man!

Glass half empty: Knocked out of carling Cup and humiliated in the FA Cup...again!

Glass half full: 4th in the league and going strong in the Uefa!

Well my glass is half full, but each to his own!

Moyesy ’ll get it right. The good times are-a-comin!

As for the original post! McFadden??? That something special???? You’re joking! Well done to the Brum then eh, getting in there before Barca, Real Madrid and Man U came knocking!

In response to Ian Ankers; McNiel who is McFaddens new manager was also Scotlands manager where James very succesfully plays as central striker. At Everton he never played in what myself and many others considered to be his best position.
All the huffing and puffing of AJ does not make for a good striker. On looking back at some of our own central strikers plus most other clubs current ones I am dismayed at comparisons.

*** Archived *** - MK

having read many posts on here about midfiield players we need to add to move us on to the next level in fernandes/arteta/and pienaar i think we have the perfect 3 to match any of the top teams, in my opinoin the perfect addition would be a fully fit scott parker, box to box and commanding the midfield he would be ideal now im not professing to be a manager on fm or cm or any other game but i think the best bit of business everton could do this summer would be to offer AJ and a bit of cash for parker and ashton ? any takers ???

Cheers Ged, I think you make very valid points re the lack of proactive subs and agree Moyes can improve a lot re the tactics on subs. I was screaming for Moyes to play Vaughan with AJ after about 20 mins (and if that was not working to later on sub AJ for Vic.) Moyes was about to bring Vic on when Chelsea scored, but it was still later than I felt comfortable with. I think Michael Kenrick has it right, the better manager we need is an improved David Moyes who we hope continues to learn from the mistakes he makes. He does get a lot more things right than wrong though overall, but to improve we only need to change the things that can be improved (obviously). In no way do I think Moyes deserves to be shown the door (I’d even go as far to say that it would be ridiculous and even quite dishonourable), especially as even if we found a manager e.g. Mourinho that would get right some of the things that Moyes has gotten wrong, that the new guy would probably get wrong some of the many things that Moyes has got right. IMIT! COYB (I posted similar on the ’Moyes love-in’ thread above which raises some similar issues and interesting proposed soluions. It should be a cracking end to the season, heres hoping we do the double over spurs, get the AFCoN boys back, avoid injuries to key players, and storm on to UEFA Cup glory and CL qualification in May...Let’s all unite behind Moyes and the boys and BRING IT ON!)

Michael - I respect what you are saying but I am firmly of the opinion that Moyes will never learn from his mistakes. You either have it or you haven’t. Also if the team is a better one than the one when he arrived at Everton it is only marginally. The defence and strikers are fine but our midfield is still a problem. Carsley can only do a limited defensive job, Osman has skill but is not dominant enough, there is a question mark as to how you fit Cahill into a 442 formation, Arteta is really a centre midfield player, Fernandes (loan!) is talented but must show he has ’an engine’. Admittedly Pienaar (loan!) was looking good but overall the midfield still looks fragile and disjointed against the better teams and Moyes has had plenty of time to sort this area out. And why bring Graveson back if he was never fit ?
I just don’t think Moyes is good enough and I’m always worried about when the next disaster will happen (ie Oldham) or the next bad run when his luck runs out. It’s nice to be 4th in the Premiership at the moment but in my opinion it’s because our slight improvement means we beat the poor and average teams but Moyes does not have the ability to help us beat the rest.

DICK FEARON WROTE:
"In response to Ian Ankers; McNiel who is McFaddens new manager was also Scotlands manager where James very succesfully plays as central striker. At Everton he never played in what myself and many others considered to be his best position.
All the huffing and puffing of AJ does not make for a good striker. On looking back at some of our own central strikers plus most other clubs current ones I am dismayed at comparisons. "

DICK!!!
Firstly who the hell is McNeil? I thought Mcleish was the man who managed Scotland and now the Brum! Anyway that’s enough of the being picky. Sorry about that...

As for McFadden being a striker, granted he got very few outings as a striker at Everton and as much as I tend to think he’d have been a failure if given a proper run in his ’Favoured’ position I cannot know that for sure. Lets just see how he gets on at Birmingham, but if I was a betting man, I wouldn’t put my life savings on him getting far past a double figure quoter of goals for the season.

You also have to ask the question "Why was he not given a run at Everton, either in a wide or striking role?" The answer, we had better options who were more reliable! In premiership football you HAVE to take your chances when you get them. McFadden came in on numerous occasions and 9 times out of 10 was hugely unimpressive (and that’s being kind). If he was anything like the player some dillusionists are saying he is/was, he would have made a go of it at Everton. He had his chances, he blew it, and while I do actually expect him to imrove slightly with a good run at Birmingham, I doubt he’ll ever be an attractive enough prospect for a more established premiership club again!

Ged, I agree with most of what you say but would not replace Moyes (I’m an optimist in nature and therefore believe Moyes is learning and will make the next step required). I hope I’m right, but accept you may be too. Money to buy the extra quality we need in midfield would help a lot too of course. Cheers.