"There's always one Everton player, and I'm sure this happens at every club who at some point is made a scapegoat by large sections of the fans for the teams shortcomings."

This is basically nonsesne. Players are singled out for playing rubbish because ? guess what ? they are playing rubbish. And yet we always get this reaction from those who must play the "Scapegoat", "Whipping Boy" bandwagon card. And look at all your evidence to the contrary ? Old as the hills. Current form is about exactly that: CURRENT FORM. And Osman is currently Crap with a capital C.

Ask yourself this: why do a significant number of people think he's not playing so well at the moment? Answer: because he's not playing so well at the moment! Duh!!!

It matters not if he has an injury ? that's more Moyes's fault for playing injured players because of his small squad policy. We fans can only call it as we see it, and Leon is currently a virtual passenger. If he's injured, why in God's name hasn't Gosling been on in his place. Again, it's Moyes playing his favourites.

Agree with David 100%. As a footballer Leon fits nicely into this team - he works hard, he tries to make things happen, and his technique is outstanding. He will never be a favourite becuase he is not eye catching and his frame does mean he is outmuscled, but I think he would walk into most teams in the Premier League. I think he is great personally and I prefer seeing him in the line-up than not.

In agreeance with Michael. He has been playing crap and supporters are calling it as they see it. The small size squad doesn’t put enough pressure on players for places. If we had quality back up in most positions, Osman would have been warming the bench some time ago.

I find no comfort when I see our starting eleven with Osman in it. His technique may be outstanding Nick, but unfortunately his size and strength don’t enable him to display it.

He’s a short term solution that needs addressing when we come into some money. Shit, looks like he’ll be playing for another 5 years then!!!

I've said it time and again for years, the tumble weed as I call him or Osman is the weak link in the side, always behind play, too slow to get forward and help in attack and too slow to get back and defend, just drifting, not really contributing anything.

Last season he did produce some great moments and overall was his best season, but far too often in the past and now in the present season he has gone missing in the majority of games.

I often make excuses for Anichebe, Fellaini and other younger or newer players who are perhaps still developing or settling in but Osman does not have this excuse. Yes, players have dips in form but this is pretty much his constant level of performance... a decent squad player but nothing more, I fully expect Yakubu to replace Osman next season or a new signing to come in in his place.

I completely agree with Michael’s comments.

Osman is playing SHITE.

He should have scored in the derby. He didn’t, he hit the post with only the keeper to beat.

We have a player now in Gosling, who has already provided us with a more memorable moment than Osman. I know that is very harsh, I don’t take anything away from the efforts of Leon Osman. What I am saying is that, for me, Dan Gosling is already a better player than Leon Osman, and I hope he takes his place in the team.

I am sure Osman is a sound lad and works his socks off, but at the minute he symbolizes what is wrong with our club. Settling for a weak, one paced, low quality, unimaginative level.

I think there is a place for Ossie in the squad, but as some people have mentioned already, if we put Ossie up for sale what quality of clubs would be in for him? Hull, Wigan, and promotion chasing sides I reckon.

Please don’t defend Osman for playing shit, instead look for a solution.

Gosling is that solution.

Don’t mean to be harsh but does anyone remember Osman beating a player?? I’m sure he has but it has been so long that I cannot recall. I agree with those that think that Ossie is a squad player at best. I’m sorry but if you’re a small player with no pace, no power, and no shooting ability then you’re not going to set the world alight are you? Good squad player at best for me.

I am a great fan of Leon and in the past, I feel some critism towards him, was unfair.

But of late, he is really not playing as well as he can. Yes he is hardworking and he defends pretty well, but he hasn’t been as inspiring as last season.

His first touch can be heavy at times, and his movements haven’t been too clever. In fact, the only worthwhile effort was against redshite last wed.

Everytime he gets the ball, I dread it because he has no idea what to do with it. He hangs on it too long, takes far too much time to compose himself, takes the odd shot, and that too is often miles away from the goal, and he moans too much for my liking. Infact, after victor, I reckon his the next when it comes to moaning at refs. If be plays the game like Pip, then I would applaud his efforts because sometimes, I just feel he’s too egoistic when he loses the ball.

I don’t think goose is ready to replace leon, so I really hope he can bring his game to the next level. Stop moaning, think faster, react better and be more decisive during breaks, and he will be the old Leon we know of last season.

It is true that Leon is having a dip in form. He has been too anonymous during large parts of our last five "big" games for my liking. If we are to move up another level, I do see him as a player we need to upgrade!

In the past he has been a good player for us though - I remember a particular performance of his away at Spurs which really stood out - he was a constant threat that day. But he is hardly running games for us these days.

I would like to put it out there though that with Hibbo playing behind him, his job is that much more difficult. With a full back which very rarely offers you an option with an over-lap (look at the options Bainsey gives Peanuts) it is bound to make his job that much harder. Can’t drop Hibbo at the moment though in my mind so we need to get someone in (and Super Dan could be our man) who is more likely to produce something by himself.

I dont think size has anything to do with it... a lot of the worlds best and greatest ever players have been small: Maradona, Best, Messi, Fabregas, Tostao, Young, Collins etc etc ad nauseum...

I'm afraid that Osman is not in that bracket and never will be. We should have bought Arshavin after the Zenit games when it was obvious to everyone that he was the finished article. Arsenal have got him for £12 mil which makes Fellaini ridiculously over priced. DM has done great in most aspects of being a manager but he seems to have little idea in the transfer market. Arteta and Cahill were both cheap but well known to everyone.

Jags and Baines were two that should not have cost us anything because we had let them go as youngsters... Lescott was a gamble which came off as he had a long injury and may well have spent his days on the treatment table as have many others.

Our kids have blossomed this season because of our injuries and lack of transfer activity at the start of the season. They have played because we had no cover at all and it has showed that if we used our youngsters we would unearth good players from time to time. Our bench at the start of the season was like a creche and it has been a good job that we hung on to the present crop because normally we release them en masse at the end of almost every season.

Osman should be given a rest and Gosling given a chance... Ozzie may well benefit from it and I really dont think that he lasts out in some games. I also don't think that Fellaini lasts out games either, he has been treading water after about 70 minutes in most games of late.

What are you talking about Michael ?

"And yet we always get the reaction from those who must play the "scapegoat", "whipping boy" bandwaggon card"
WTF?
Go in any alehouse, go to any game, read the posts on the websites or here on TW. I think you?ll find its you whose on the bandwaggon. Anyone wishing to defend one of the current "whipping boys" will find themselves in very definite minority.

I have no problem with constructive critism. In football, ya pays ya money... but how often do you hear "constructive" critism of Everton players? Some of the abuse levelled at them beggars belief.
How many times - this week, on this site alone - have you seen deliberately distorted stats posted by Members of the "bandwaggon" wanting to add fuel to the flames? Hibbert gets blamed for goals when he?s not even playing, he?s "fucking hopeless", "should be fucked off" and "never picked again" Anichebe has played 500 games without scoring, he?s a "bastard" and "a ponce". Osman is "a usless piece of shit" these are NOT isolated instances, you of all people should know trhat

Hibbert, Anichebe and Osman have not just been critized, they have been slaughtered... remind me again how much they cost the club ?

Let’s get something clear - nobody (not Ossie, not anybody) has been playing SHITE in the recent five games.

One of the reasons that Ossie keeps getting selected, especially in the recent games when he has (admittedly) not been playing that well, is that he know the system that DM wants, and DM knows that he knows his role in it. Espec. in the recent 5 big matches we knew keeping our shape, etc would be critical and so it proved.

Dan and Jack are probably going to become important players for us, and whilst they did have good games the other night (when the RS were down to 10), remember that when they came on in the 1st cup match we lost some shape and they both looked lost at times.

I do also hate the ’whipping boy’ mentality, especially when it is the team/siege mentality that has dragged us back to where we are after the dreadful start this season. Leon is part of that team, and has contributed fully to the team ethics that TM wants.

Let’s simply hope now that Leon finds some form again but, if he doesn’t, I’d be more than happy to see the youngsters take their turn at the expense of whoever’s having a dip in form. However, not in the middle of the most testing five consecutive matches we must have had in years where the team ethic was crucial to the performance.

I agree 100% with Dave Wilson.
The favorite word of some of the knockers is "Anonymous". Normally they say its Tim Cahill who was anonymous and goes missing but we will tolerate him because he scores goals. WHAT CRAP.

Leon has been giving his all in recent weeks and to those that say he is "anonymous" or "gone missing" take another look at recent games and take your blinkers off this time and you will see the work that he has been putting in.

I don't know about taking your blinkers off, he makes the invisable man look the part. He has had a great run in the team, and its about time that he made way for a younger and more talented kid.

Leon Osman has to be at the very top of his game to have a level of performance which is acceptable.

I agree his goals against Larissa and Sunderland last season were two of the best goals of the season but they for me, are isolated incidents.

Osman for me, is weak, slow and his passing is a joke. Physically he reminds me of a child, the ball is simply taken off him by players with a more physical presence.

I, like everybody on here, am a passionate Evertonian and would rather be posting something positive. The last player I was this vocal about was Kevin Kilbane. Is it a coincidence that we won at Spurs for the first time in 20 years after he had been sent off?!! His career has hardly flourished since leaving Everton has it?

Osman was on loan at Derby a few years ago and I believe he was a star for them and made a real impact. Without a doubt, the Championship is his level.

Can someone get the Opta Stats on Leon Osman - this should put the argument to bed once and for all.

Osman is an attacking midfielder for a top six side and has played the majority of games for the last 2 seasons. Lets see his assists, goals, passes completed etc, players beaten. My guess is he is way down the performance charts.

I think some of us have a hard time leaving the sentiment out of it, I think Osman’s a great little player, I love his club loyalty and effort for the cause, sentimentally this bumps him up above a few other average midfielders as a name to put on a team-sheet, but that’s as far as it goes, bring in some real talent and I’m afraid Osman’s on the bench.

My worry is that I think he’s going to improve as he approaches his early 30’s and I’m hoping 1 or 2 of those seasons could be something special, I think we need to keep playing him so that we’re certain to see his best years.

Leon was fairly late starter as far as first team football goes and I think his best years will be when he’s 29-32 which will be 2010-2012

I have no problem with an honest debate about Osman?s (or anyone else?s) abilities. On balance he?s been a good player for us, scoring some important goals, but if there?s a better player who can give us better balance, fine. What I have a problem with is Michael Kenrick?s editorial intervention. The argument that ?Players are singled out for playing rubbish because ? guess what ? they are playing rubbish?, is his usual blinkered bombast. I?ve been watching Everton for 50 years (my first game was in 1959) and I?ve seen many examples of players who become the whipping boy, or at least never get the credit they deserve. The first I remember was Dennis Stevens, a hard working midfielder who was a vital, but less skiful, part of our 1962-3 title winning side. There is a mob mentality in crowds and some of this leaks into TW discussions. A couple of months ago there was a Tim Cahill is crap period on here. Nuff said.

I’ve also noted the Ossie bashing of late. I guess there has to be somebody. I mean, Pip and Hibbert are actually playing well at the moment....oops, forgot about Vic.

While I would agree there have been games where he has been off the pace, you could argue that about most of our midfield. Pienaar and Fella certainly have gone missing at times. And although Arteta’s been getting rave reviews, he’s not exactly set the world on fire.

Unfortunately, because our squad is so small, the same players are being picked to play every single game, even when injured. That’s Moyes’s fault. Not Ossie’s.

Although I disagree with most of Michael’s comment, I agree that some of the youngsters need to be given a chance. So when Gosling and Rodwell bomb, you all can rip them to shreds as well. Either way, at least we’ll get to see if they have what it takes.

We always mke judgements about players, who we like who we dont. I like Osman very much and so does David Moyes. He is not playing in his best position but he still puts in the graft for the team. His running and covering is every bit the equal of Carsley’s. He takes on the responsibility of shots when one of the big faults of this team is an unwillingness to shoot and he is always looking to be creative. I read with interest the opinions and in mine, those who dont get Osman usually have little in the way of insight or knowledge.

Yet another deeply incisive contribution from Tony Marsh in drag,aka MK !
I couldn’t believe it after the United defeat. The usual suspects crawling out from under their stones to deride players like Osman and Neville.
What planet are they on ?

I agree with everyone who states that Ossie is too small, slow and under-powered but I still think that skill-wise he is second only to Arteta. Sure, he has been poor recently but I’d defnitely keep him as a squad player, assuming that we have / get someone better. Osman would be better suited to the continental game where a physical presence is less important. It’s no coincidence that some of his best performances were in the UEFA Cup last season.

It shouldn’t be Leon Osman facing the criticism, but David Moyes for failing to bring in another wide man with the ability to take on his full back and put the crosses in. Leon always gives his best and is good at the basics and seems to do better against the smaller teams, but I’m afraid he struggles to raise his game against the top teams.

That is why I think Leon should be a squad player, because if we are to break into the top four we need more quality on that right flank.

It’s no coincidence that his poor run of form has something to do with the last 5 games being played against the Sky 4. Osman is a tidy, neat player, works hard and has been a decent player for the club, he’s one who holds his own against lesser teams in the league. But against the Top teams he gets found out, no real pace ( a problem we have right through out the team ), weak and for me wants to much time on the ball. Having said that though he’s one of a few players in the squad who can actually play. Unfortunatley we have very little else as an option at present.

I like Osman, my opinion of him has always been the same. Good squad player, gives his all but needs replacing if we are to push on.

He doesn’t need to be sold, we don’t need to ship him out but he does need to be made a squad player who plays now and again and is usually on the bench.

He is versatile, he works his socks off and he’s a good little, postive footballer. He’s always looking to pass and move, one of the few actually. He’s useful to have, anyone with half a brain would see this.

As a central midfielder he does a good job, he had a good season last year despite what people say. He scored goals, he created goals and his all round performances where to a good level.

I just hope Moyes finally replaces him next season with a pacy, skillful winger. It’s needed if we are going to push on.

I’m not getting on the bandwagon because I’ve said it from day one, he’s too small, too ineffective and too lightweight for the premiership. He is completely anonymous in all games against good opposition - anyone tell me a game against the sky 4 when he played well? Too slow, can’t get past anyone for pace, rarely puts a cross in because he is never beyond the full back. In a 4 man midfield he becomes a passenger. Watch his pace when tracking back he NEVER catches anyone he is too slow. This is not new its being going on for years, all thats happening is that the games of late have all been against good opposition and instead of the odd decent game against a crap side hiding his weaknesses, we’ve seen his shortcomings exposed consistently over a 5/6 game run. Drop him and give someone else a chance.

Trevor Lynes wrote "We should have bought Arshavin after the Zenit games when it was obvious to everyone that he was the finished article. Arsenal have got him for £12 mil which makes Fellaini ridiculously over priced."
Regardless of the relative price of Arshavin and Fellaini and that we ’saw’ Arshavin before Arsenal, there’s no way that we could have afforded to pay him the weekly wage that he will get at Arsenal or could have got at any of the other reported clubs who were interested in him. If we can’t afford to compete on transfer fees (and more importantly for the player and their agent) on wages then there is just no point pondering on what could have been. Because of our financial state we have what we have (for good or bad) until the next transfer window.....

Osman has been the weak link in the team recently,its true that he is a gifted footballer and plays better in the hole behind the forwards when he looks capable of slotting someone in or sneaking through the opposition defence himself but our current style of play were every man must pull his weight just doesn’t suit him,Pienaar is of similar stature but look at his ball retention and workrate in contrast to Osmans constant poor control and weakness.Gosling should start before him every time now,he’s good enough and has a mature head on his shoulders as he showed against the RS by retaining possesion after we had scored.Osman has had my nerves shot in recent games as he seems to cough the ball up to the opposition in dangerous positions,something Baines was doing a lot but has obviously been working on,I think Ossie should spend more time in the gym building his strength and until then he needs to be on the bench.

My little lad has Osman’s name on his shirt.

I love the guy, and I think when whe plays well, we play well, and vice versa. He is very intelligent with the ball and has very quick feet round the edge of the box.

I thought in the first of the recent trio of games against the shite until Rafa made the changes he was being forced to play too deep, then as soon as their forwards came off, he was all over the edge of their box and we started creating space.

There’ll always be superstars, big number nines who go down in folklore and have songs sung about them, but I think Ossie could be a true Everton legend in the making.

Arteta, Cahill and Osman... Not quite the Holy trinity, but maybe the second coming?

I’m certainly not someone who’s climbed on to the bandwagon. My opinion by and large has not changed over the period of time. Osman is simply not a premiership player. People talk of his work rate however I’m confused by this comment - this pretty much amounts to him shadowing the opposition around the park looking to close people down but seldom ever getting there and when he does it’s usually an excuse for a tackle.

Pienaar who is of similar stature however does make his challenges count. More worrying is the ease with which he is dispossessed forcing us on the back foot. The full backs deserve a medal for the work rate they put in when Oman leaves them exposed. In the recent cup game I lost count of the number of occasions Hibbert went on the overlap and Osman failed to spot the runs or make any effort to cover them.

Most annoying of all is his willingness to go to ground at the merest sniff of a challenge and then throw his arms in the air, its embarrassing at times. He does show occasional touches of brilliance but I’m afraid these are few and far between. The emergence of Gosling and Rodwell must surely bring the curtain down on Osman’s automatic selection but I doubt that it will.

I’m willing to bet this post wouldn’t even exist if that post hitter had gone in on Wednesday.

However, I’m of the opinion Osman has been under par recently. Whether that is due to injury or not I’m unsure.

Sometimes it helps to have these players in your side; players who can come up with the goods and dig you out, ie against Macclesfield.

However on recent form, I’ve been frustrated by him. His use of the ball, his dilly-dallying, his running into blind alleys, all continue to frustrate.

However Moyes perseveres with him exactly for what happened Wednesday, the position Osman found himself in, which other player can you imagine being in that position with that chance apart from Cahill?

And as I’ve already mentioned, had that have gone in this would post probably would have been postponed.

According to Dave Billows (our fitness coach) Pienaar and Leon Osman cover the most ground in our team, they are the two front runners. Even last season when we had work horses like AJ and Carsley here Osman better them in terms of ground covered.

You can’t fault his workrate to be honest, he has his faults but that is not one of them.

Osman has been below par lately and I agree that maybe it’s time to drop him, if only so he raises his game.

However, what I do agree with is that he obviously knows Moyes’ system and his work rate fits perfectly with the strategy. There is a reason why we do so well (overachieve?) without spending ridiculous amounts of money, and that is because Moyes has the plan and the personnel to carry it out. Osman is one of those players that Moyes feels he can rely on.

That’s no excuse for picking a player time after time when he is not performing, but the thing that pisses me off about reactions on this website is that they are always the extreme. By all means come on here and point out the lad’s failings, but lately, in games where the team have generally done well, I have seen descriptions of players that include words like "atrocious" and "shite". I think that is over the top and short sighted.

Form is temporary and even the greatest players (not saying that Osman is a great) lose form. That’s when we need to drop him and remind him that his place is not assured and that he needs to improve. There’s often an extreme view from Mr Kenrick that is the first post and completely rubbishes the article so I have learnt to gloss over it.

To conclude, I agree that he needs to be dropped, but I don’t think he should be buried in over the top criticism as some have done. Sentiment should not stop him from being dropped, but it should stop the rants and unnecessary slagging that he is getting from some. He has scored many important goals and has been a decent servant to the club, so don’t go too hard on the guy. Hopefully Moyes will have noticed the drop in form and will make changes. Then I for one hope Osman rises to the challenge and comes back fighting for his place.

Anyone who watches the game properly will see that Osman works his tripe off for the team. Yes he does get brushed off the ball too often but that is ignoring his other strengths. He has also scored some vital (And quality) goals for us. Despite the fact he?s been playing with an ankle injury that should have an operation but he has put off to the end of the season to help the "Threadbare" squad we have.

Not long ago the same fans were calling Carsley useless and Hibbo a division 3 player. It?s a team game lets praise them as a team or criticise them as a team. While we are doing well I cant understand the need to nitpick over certain players.

Osman is fucking shite, full stop. I would rather play with a rush goalie than him, he imo he offers fuck all and I?m at a loss how he gets played every week unless he has a photo of Moyes up to no good!

we all have opinions but only a totally biased blue can defend this waste of space. Finally hope to come on here next week to apologise after he scores the winner against Villa!
COYB AND FTRS.

I understand some of the criticism of Osman but to say he?s not a Premier League player is clearly bollocks. He?s more than capable of holding his own as a Premier League player and has done for a number of years. It?s only against the top sides that he gets found out.

I think in an ideal world (i.e. a world where we have enough money to go out and buy the players we need to push on) he would be a valuable squad player. Coming in for the games against smaller sides to rest the likes of Moutinho or Fernandes or whoever it is for important CL/Derby/Grand Slam Sunday games.

Its been said that Ossie would be a great little player if he was a stone heavier, why don?t they do like the old days and feed him steak and put him on the weights? A few good pans of scouse would do the trick. Or Tony Sibbo?s diet of chicken and pasta when he moved up to light heavy to fight Dennis Andries, it was on Magpie AND Blue Peter FFS!

Billy Dean, spot on every word. He is found out against the top sides and ideally would be a great squad player. If you took the goal away from Gosling?s performance he was no improvement on Ossie... in fact he made Ossie look like Rambo in comparison. He will, with experiance though, hopefully be better than Ossie one day so I hope he gets the games.

I was much more impressed with Rodwell, from the second he got on he looked like he had been playing at this level all his life and was so comfortable in the holding role we were able to take Pip off and push up AvdM, quite remarkable.

I feel that Leon is a very average player. He doesn't offer anything on the wing and goes missing in games when he plays in the middle. He is punching at least a division above is weight. All this shit about him being injured, he is simply shit and is the weak link in our team but, yet again, becasue we have not got the squad, he plays every week.

Everyone is saying about is work rate? I don't see very much he has no strength, gets pushed off the ball too easily, cannot put a good challenge in, and players just walk past him. He has no pace what so ever. He is a waste of space.

I am puzzled by the Osman situation. On his game he is a tody little player who has quick feet, is a tidy passer and works hard for the team.

However I can’t quite see how Moyes saw him as ready to fill a centre midfield berh over Arteta. This is what can be inferred from Moyes’s comments about Arteta being largely used out on the wing until recently. In this period Osman has frequently played centre mid. Osman cannot ’carry’ the ball as well as Areta, is not as strong on the ball and does not have the same range of passing. Mystifying.

I think Osman is seen as being ’versatile’. Moyes usually uses him to plug gaps in the midfield as he is often played on the wings. Personally I don’t think this is his most effective position. At the moment he has been played both left and right midfield. This coincides with his piss poor form. Also, it is common knowledge he is delaying an op and playing on for the cause. This also coincides with his piss poor current form.

Hmm, why not rest him then? You would have to ask Moyes about that one! He did the same with Arteta last season. There were times in games when you could see Arteta clearly struggling for mobility. In one match the crowd (and some of the corresponding comments on this website) were up in arms about his percieved lack of effort. Arteta himself later stated in an interview he was in so much pain from a groin injury he could hardly run. Moyes refused to rest him. A 30% fit Arteta was contributing sweet FA and he wouldn’t rest / drop him.

Back to Osman. Today I was watching Leon frankly struggling to keep up with the pace of the game. The guy didn’t hide and was working his balls off for the team. But he was visibly limping. After one heavy tackle in the second half it was obvious he was spent. 2 mins later the bpoard went up. I thought "got to be Osman" , no Baines went off for Yobo. I couldn’t quite understand what the rationale for that change was as Baines was playing bloody well.

In short, my feeling is that Leon is on a hiding to nothing due to Moyes’s insistence of playing when not fit.

Lads, put it this way: would you rather we didn?t have him or did? Most of you would pick "Yes, I want him".

Some football fans are to fussy and hard to please. How many fans go to games saying: "There?s too many foreign players in the game"; "He doesn?t care about the shirt he's wearing"; "Hes lazy and useless"; "Football has changed from the old days as players aren?t as committed, loyal and overpaid".

These quotes are typical quotes which I sometimes agree with, but NOT with reference to Leon Osman. He's a quality player who loves Everton and you never hear a complaint from him... If people think that selling players like Osman will make us a top 4 team then they have to look at themselves. Some of our fans need to get their act together if they want us to be regarded as great again.


Grow up lads.

Next time don?t mince words, Michael! And whoever it was who dissed Delap and Fellani in this post, turn it up. What wouldn?t we give to see Rory?s aerial bombardments from the sideline onto Tim?s head week-in, week-out, and isn?t the entertainment value that Mo?s barnet brings to each home game worth what we paid for it?

Leave Osman alone, yes he?s lightweight sometimes but he scores a lot of goals for a midfielder. If you look at his haul over the last five seasons then it?s not too far off Cahill?s.

He works his socks off and is Everton through and through. If we battle our way into into the top four then he might be found wanting but until then he is a great weapon against the lower teams.

He is also very flexible as he can play on the flanks and in the middle. That?s why Moyes picks him every week. Without Leon we certainly wouldn?t haven?t finished fourth in 05 or got so far in the Uefa Cup last year.

Lay off the guy!!!

It seems to me some Evertonians need a reality check. How many games have we lost in 4 months? 3? Arteta was the one not in form at the start of season and was shifted into the middle in the hope of a change of form before the trip to White Hart Lane.

Ossie's quality; even though I prefer him in the middle of the park, where he played last year, a switch to the right hand side took him a while to adjust again... But like I said, quality. There again, like today against Bolton, he may not have much pace but he can beat a man, dribble, feint, and has a eye for goal.

I'm not complaining, we're on best form now this season with a massive game against Villa next weekend and still on the tail of the gunners for 5th. Keep the faith. Osman may've been off form a while back but to suggest he is now is wrong. What I've seen today, the 3 liverpool games, and over the Christmas period suggests to me he's back to form and if we can add a bit more quality to midfield in summer a top 4 challenge next year is possible. What we lack most is a truley great holding midfielder...

How long have most of you complainers been watching football?! Don?t you know that every team will have players at any point in time who appear to under perform. At the moment, it's predominantly Osman & Pienaar. Not so long ago it was Lescott & Arteta, before that it Neville & Yobo, before that it was etc etc , has the penny dropped yet. For fuck's sake leave them alone, they?ll be back scoring great goals.

Michael Kenrick’s comments are hopelessly over the top, Osman crap? totally ridiculous. Leon is immensly valuable to our squad and all to often is the unsung hero who works his socks off for the team. Michael, if such a thing were possible, I’d suggest a poll of the rest of the squad and I’d bet to a man they’d praise Osman’s contributions to the skies, I know it’s a cliche but he is, I suspect, a "players player". Yesterdays game against Bolton was a case in point, he didn’t have the best of starts and the knockers behind me were at him within 10minutes, but he never hides and never stops working and eventually played himself back in. When the team was visibly and understandably flagging mid second half he was still covering the pitch and working tirelessly. Ossie is a key member of this squad and epitomises it’s ethos, we’d be porrer without him.

I like Osman, he?s done well for us over the years. As well as being a good player, he works very, very hard for the team, he always gives his all.

He?s better in the middle though. Lately he?s had to play on the right. Even so I?d still want him in our team. He?s scored some cracking goals over the seasons and made a big contribution to the team. He has a few bad games and everyone is on his back. Same happened to Neville and Hibbert who are now playing well.