ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Gardner.... why?

I am just curious... I completely understand Moyes letting Stubbs go ? but we obviously needed some cover right away, in case of injuries and supsensions. So why, oh why did we sign (on loan) a player who ARRIVED with an injury ? and is STILL injured! This seems rather pointless! Surely there must have been a fit defender available on loan for 5 months from somewhere?! It seems very strange to have signed as cover for injuries etc. an injured player!
James Carroll, Washington, DC, USA Posted 17/02/2008 at 17:19:21

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Peter Pridgeon
1 Posted 18/02/2008 at 06:34:14

This is something about nothing, the player wont be injured all season, Moyes has immediate cover in the shape of seven consistent defenders who can interchange to some degree throughout defence and he is being pre cautious in signing Gardner on loan.
Gardner may never get a game at Everton but who knows he is nearly ready to train and there just may be a run of injuries between now and the end of the season, hence Gardner will step in.

You could hardly call this strange, I would call it good management.

Peter Bradshaw
2 Posted 18/02/2008 at 07:22:58

I believe that Stubbs was offered an 18-month contract from Paul Jewell and that's why he went. Moyes had offered him a coaching job but Alan felt he could play on further. Gardner will hopefully never see the pitch this season as each time I have watched him play for the spuds he looks like Bambi on ice.
Have faith in Davie he knows what he is doing, Looking forward to see Bradley coming in, he looks the part and is a mate of Tim Howard's, but for £4.5M I do think he will come in instead of Manny at £8M to £10M.

Richard Parker
3 Posted 18/02/2008 at 10:52:56

Gardner will never play for us, barring all but the longest injury list.

We’ve got Yobo, Jags and Lescott all on top form and Neville can fill in at CB if absolutely necessary.

We also have a couple of youth CBs who are highly rated by some of the posters on this site, if we get down to the bare bones.

Fingers crossed, but I think we’re OK.

Brian Garside
4 Posted 18/02/2008 at 11:56:15

Nev at CB NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! This is an ABSOLUTE NON STARTER.
Richard. What are you on?

Dutch Schaffaer
5 Posted 18/02/2008 at 11:58:26

Why is this transfer causing so much confusion. Its simple:-

Stubbs wanted to prolong his playing career, something he couldn’t do at Everton so Moyes generously allowed him to leave.

Moyes still has Yobo, Lescott, Jagielka and Rodwell available for Centre Back but he still felt it would be a good idea to bring in another just in case of an emergency.

Gardner has been brought to Everton as cover. He will only play if there is a massive injury problem to all the others.

Ok Gardner himself is injured at present but we don’t need him at present anyway. You would expect Gardner to be fit for most of the remaining season. That’s when he will be an emergency back-up.

I seriously doubt Gardner will ever play for the team. More then likely he’ll sit in the reserves while Jagielka, Lescott & Yobo see out the remaining season.

Come the Summer Gardner will find himself on his way back to Spurs.

Jason Broome
6 Posted 18/02/2008 at 12:44:15

We hope!

Steve Templeton
7 Posted 18/02/2008 at 13:01:34

Brian,
You obviously don’t remember Neville’s performance at CB against Chelsea in the FA cup in January 2006.

If my memory serves me right he was outstanding and won the man of the match award.

By all means give him stick when he deserves it but how about giving the guy a break now and again?

Tony Williams
8 Posted 18/02/2008 at 13:38:33

As Peter said first, this is a non event. I will be very shocked to see Gardner be anywhere but on the bench unless we get screwed with injuries.

Good business, a 6 foot plus central defender (who I believe has an England cap...he he) who is looking to get back in the Spuds side so IF he ever playes he will try his heart out.

No losers here.....aprt from us paying his wages to sit on the bench but we have been doing that with Shandy Andy for 3 years now and lets not talk about Bilic

Brian Waring
9 Posted 18/02/2008 at 15:43:30

I think it is very generous of us, to give him all that sick pay for Spurs, while he is out injured.

Alan Rodgers
10 Posted 18/02/2008 at 15:46:33

It seems obvious to me that Gardner has been signed as cover for Andy van der Meyde . My sources tell me there is a real danger of VDM getting fit and vacating the treatment room ,in which case Gardner would slot in. Should Gardner manage to get through the season without kicking a ball he will be offered a permanent deal.

Dutch Schaffaer
11 Posted 18/02/2008 at 15:48:38

Brian, this may blow your mind but Gardner probably wont be injured the whole of the four months he’s on loan.

Can’t you understand that he’s expected to be training in 10 days? Then for the next 3-4 months he’ll be cover incase of an injury crises?

Its not that difficult to understand surely?

Brian Waring
12 Posted 18/02/2008 at 17:03:21

Dutch, I can just see the headline?s now. Gardner break?s down in training, and will be out injured for X amount of time. The lad is a crock, in the last year, he has spent most of it injured. And one more thing, he is actually shite.

Mike Allison
13 Posted 18/02/2008 at 17:41:03

Even Tottenham fans call him ’Sicknote’ and they’re the most injury-prone club in the world.

Andy Callan
14 Posted 18/02/2008 at 18:17:18

We might as well have kept Stubbs in my opinion; at least he was fit and able to play FFS.

Why get rid of a player who plays in a position that we are short in, then get an injured player in?

Just another decision of the manager that baffles me to be honest.

Dutch Schaffaer
15 Posted 18/02/2008 at 20:41:06

People we have Jagielka, Yobo and Lescott. At a push we have Rodwell and utility man Neville to cover.

Its very unlikely that Gardner will make the first team. What?s the problem?

As for injuries, if your so against having injury prone players in the squad then lets get rid of James Vaughan.

I bet Gardner has played more football then Vaughan over the last couple of years.

John Pickles
16 Posted 18/02/2008 at 23:45:17

Alan Rogers

Funniest posting in ages, respect!

Gavin Harris
17 Posted 19/02/2008 at 03:24:27

Why are people including Rodwell as cover?? The lad is very young and has never started a game for us. Gardner has played for England so you can?t say that Rodwell is more suitable surely?

Steve Pugh
18 Posted 19/02/2008 at 07:20:05

Maybe Moysey sees something in Gardner that you lot don’t. You know like he did with Arteta, Pienaar, Lescott, Jags etc. Or maybe he sees something in the way he did with AVDM.

Gardner was tipped to be something before he started getting injured, at a club where the fitness regime was an absolute joke. Maybe with proper coaching he can be fit and, in 12 months time we will be heralding another star.

Oliver McAdam
19 Posted 19/02/2008 at 15:25:24

Why Choose Gardner. Good question however it is rather simple...

Moyes got an offer for Stubbs’s, out of the blue and let stubbs go, on the same day everton played tottenham. So all it required was a quick word, before or after the match to Juande Ramos and an agreement was made.

Why Gardner? proximity, he was there so no need to phone agents, secretarys etc. When you have 1 day to sign a player, its a big help.