The Mail Bag
Thoughts on the game:
Comments (52)
So, just got back from watching in the pub. It wasn?t the most entertaining of games. The back four looked week without Lescott, but considering he?s on 4 yellows and we didn?t concede, the gamble paid off (this time).
My biggest thought is that the team is looking ragged. Osman, Fellaini, Peanuts, Saha, Castilo, Yobo and Jo all blatantly not at the fitness level they need to be. Couple this with new injuries to Rodwell and Hibbo plus the inexperience of Gosling, and we have a big problem for the next few games. Lets hope they all came through today without any problems and can work on getting fitter for Wednesday. That is our only option, we have no one else to draw on.
Saying that, we still won, and I can forgive the team for a bit of un-entertaining football for the sake of 3 points won. I am realistic, with all of the injuries we have, can us supporters really expect much more than the team ?getting the job done? as it were. I think not, and I just hope (and believe) that as the fitness picks up, so does the football.
Peter Dancer, Posted 28/02/2009 at 12:08:55
Comments
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Michael Kenrick
Sorry, folks... having far too much fun in Cabo... totally missed the game!
I thought for Cahill?s goal Fellaini pulled off two West Brom markers from Cahill, then lost both of them himself and would've scored had not Cahill beaten him to the punch. Other than that I think he was average; some good long distribution from the back, guarded the centre but mostly off the pace.
Excellent result, Jagielka absolute class at the back ? a real England centre back. Some more shooting practice for Gosling and we will be really hammering sides.
I think the key new development in modern football is the ability of players to interchange, with a squad of motivated players with the ability to play out of position to cover injuries, suspensions and the like. I think the Everton backroom staff, starting with the manager to lowest year youth coaches, not only forsaw this but have been at the cutting edge. You only have to see the academy and the quality of the players it has been producing over the years to understand that. Wayne Rooney is a perfect example of this, who can play any where along the offensive line. Jack Rodwell the same for defence. I think the whole team is made up of players that can play other positions. Why we are a team unit, not one player.
The thing that I notice is that Chelsea are only one point ahead of Aston Villa and I think we have a good chance of finishing fourth.
Probably the most dis-jointed performance for a while. Yobo still looks shaky at the back, the midfield doesn’t look balanced, something Moyes will still needs to work on and figure out. Fellaini looks as though he’s just there to pick up a booking every game, doesn’t bring anything else to the game and just trots around (still injured??)
Jo didn’t see much of the ball as a result of the lack of creativity. Still 3 points it is and hopefully a much improved performance against Blackburn
Jo didn’t see much of the ball as a result of the lack of creativity. Still 3 points it is and hopefully a much improved performance against Blackburn
The performance was not the best but it's about points now... I thought we played better when Osman came on (for Hibbert), he seemed to fit into that central midfield position very well. As for Fellaini, I really don't know what he brings to our side.
Pienaar was brilliant today and I think everything should go through him now that we have lost Mikel. What a goal by Saha, need to keep him fit for the FA Cup next weekend.
I think jo needs time, he makes great runs but doesn't receive the ball, more of an understanding between midfielders and him is needed... The back four were solid with Baines making great forward runs. Cahill was his usual brilliant self.
Roll on Wednesday and we nick a one-nil win with Jo the scorer...
We looked a bit nervous today, which is possibly due to aftershock of Arteta being out, new roles for 1 or 2 players and still players like Jo, Fellaini etc. still not in top gear through injury and lack of games. That said, West Brom played very well and didnt deserve to be beaten 2-0, but football is about goals at the end of the day. Hope Saha isnt too far off starting games because he has that extra quality that we will need in the upcoming games, certainly in the cup, we will be relying on him!
Poor performance, good result. That’s the way it’s probably be for the rest of the season to be honest, hopefully we’ll just keep plugging away and grinding out results.
Arteta is a massive miss.
Arteta is a massive miss.
I think the key to finishing in the top six, hopefully higher, is keeping Saha fit till the end of the season. He took his goal superbly, I just hope he can stay away from injury. If he can can notch 6 or 7 goals in the remaining Prem matches, we should qualify for Europe.
Nice to see the Red Shite losing.
Nice to see the Red Shite losing.
Winning when you play badly is supposed to be the sign of a good side? No denying that Everton were poor today so a 2-0 win is a bonus indeed.
Can?t believe on the 606 forum the stick Fellaini and Jo are getting already. Fellaini is playing with a cracked bone in his back and Jo was only playing his third game. Moyes needs to find some balance for the trip to Ewood Park or I predict a 1-0 defeat.
winning when you play badly is supposed to be the sign of a good side ?
No denying that Everton were poor today so a 2-0 win is a bonus indeed.
Can’t believe on the 606 forum the stick Felliani and Jo are getting already. Felliani is playing with a cracked bone in his back and Jo was only playing his third game.
Moyes needs to find some balance for the trip to Ewood Park or I predict a 1-0 defeat.
No denying that Everton were poor today so a 2-0 win is a bonus indeed.
Can’t believe on the 606 forum the stick Felliani and Jo are getting already. Felliani is playing with a cracked bone in his back and Jo was only playing his third game.
Moyes needs to find some balance for the trip to Ewood Park or I predict a 1-0 defeat.
Great result and yet another clean sheet today ? fantastic in my opinion given our debilitating injury position and sudden loss of our MVP as the Americans say.
We are now 7 points behind Villa in 4th who we play in Birmingham in a few weeks time. Assuming we can maintain our incredible momentum over the last 8 weeks or so in the interim, I feel the away Villa game could be the key defining game of our season.
Echoing a point above, it just added a nice cherry to the cake to see the Shite getting roundly beaten and Gerrard going off injured to boot. Also good to see Arsenal being held to another scoreless draw so dragging them back in too. A nice end to the afternoon really.
Fair Play Fulham!!
First half we were terrible the second a wee bit better. Fellaini, injured or not, does not have the attributes to play in the PL. Castillio is a joke as well ?how can you not control the ball with acres of space and find your own players? I thought Jags and Yobo were good today apart from Joe?s usual mad five minutes. Baines and Piennar were excellent down the left.
I?m so glad that it?s Jo and not Saha that is cup-tied because Jo offered nothing today. Next week, we need all 11 players chosen to go hell for leather with no room for passengers, as we cannot afford to be as lax against the Boro But 3 points is good enough and puts us within striking distance of the Arsenal... COYB
Howard ? Had a very good game.
Hibbert ? Looked great till he went off injured. Really has improved going forward this season.
Yobo ? Looked a little out of practice but solid enough.
Jagielka ? As normal solid and dependable. Couple of great tackles and a superb goal line piece of skill.
Baines ? Really has become a permanent figure in the back four. Does his defending well but also gets up the field and is very important creatively.
Neville ? Walking a yellow card tightrope but another assured performance for Captain Nev.
Pienaar ? Well back Stevie P. Really good performance but tired towards the end. Could be the answer to the Arteta absence problem.
Osman ? Had a decent game. Was clever on the ball but struggled to hold midfield superiority when ball-winner Neville moved to defence.
Gosling ? Bit of a quiet game from Dan. Looked good in spells.
Fellaini ? Still very unsure about the big freak. At times looks very uncomfitable on the ball and struggles to tackle without getting booked. Had moments but not enough.
Castillo ? Not good enough to get a permanent move.
Jo ? Not a good game. Never got close to a goal and looks a bit awkward on the ball.
Saha ? Looked a better striker then Jo. Great goal but we need to see him play a dozen games in a row.
Cahill ? Doesn't really add alot creatively but works hard and has a great habit of scoring a goal. As a midfielder I have always thought he lacks pace, passing and tackling but as a striker he looks far more influential.
Hibbert ? Looked great till he went off injured. Really has improved going forward this season.
Yobo ? Looked a little out of practice but solid enough.
Jagielka ? As normal solid and dependable. Couple of great tackles and a superb goal line piece of skill.
Baines ? Really has become a permanent figure in the back four. Does his defending well but also gets up the field and is very important creatively.
Neville ? Walking a yellow card tightrope but another assured performance for Captain Nev.
Pienaar ? Well back Stevie P. Really good performance but tired towards the end. Could be the answer to the Arteta absence problem.
Osman ? Had a decent game. Was clever on the ball but struggled to hold midfield superiority when ball-winner Neville moved to defence.
Gosling ? Bit of a quiet game from Dan. Looked good in spells.
Fellaini ? Still very unsure about the big freak. At times looks very uncomfitable on the ball and struggles to tackle without getting booked. Had moments but not enough.
Castillo ? Not good enough to get a permanent move.
Jo ? Not a good game. Never got close to a goal and looks a bit awkward on the ball.
Saha ? Looked a better striker then Jo. Great goal but we need to see him play a dozen games in a row.
Cahill ? Doesn't really add alot creatively but works hard and has a great habit of scoring a goal. As a midfielder I have always thought he lacks pace, passing and tackling but as a striker he looks far more influential.
Can't figure Moyes out... Why fuck about with the most consistent central pairing in the league: Jagz and Lescott??? It happened last week at Newcastle and today we looked shakey at the back again. Yobo was all over the place and we lose our balance when the back four isn't right.
If Moyes was saving Lescott from getting booked then why didn't he implement this plan with Fellaini earlier in the season? Also, Neville's passing is atrocious and I cringe every time he crosses a ball.
Still, a good result all things considered... just a pity the Shite gave Boro a confidence booster for next week.
If Moyes was saving Lescott from getting booked then why didn't he implement this plan with Fellaini earlier in the season? Also, Neville's passing is atrocious and I cringe every time he crosses a ball.
Still, a good result all things considered... just a pity the Shite gave Boro a confidence booster for next week.
Thought Fellaini did ok, although he seems to look more hesitant now when thinking of making a challange which made it easir for people to run right past him.
Thought Jo was a bit poor, takes too long to pull the trigger and shoot.
Gosling always impresses me with his eagerness and work rate tracking back but has to work on his crossing and shooting.
Saha showed his quality; like Rodger Federer, always put the ball right in the corner where the ball cannot be reached, no matter what. 1 chance, 1 goal ? that's the difference between a top prem striker and an average Luke Moore of a striker who had 3 or 4 decent chances and missed them all.
Jags was fantastic as usual
Osman was tidy
Baines was unbeatable against Morrison
Neville was solid
Yobo was reliable
Howard made a teriffic save.
Pienaar was everywhere!
Thought Jo was a bit poor, takes too long to pull the trigger and shoot.
Gosling always impresses me with his eagerness and work rate tracking back but has to work on his crossing and shooting.
Saha showed his quality; like Rodger Federer, always put the ball right in the corner where the ball cannot be reached, no matter what. 1 chance, 1 goal ? that's the difference between a top prem striker and an average Luke Moore of a striker who had 3 or 4 decent chances and missed them all.
Jags was fantastic as usual
Osman was tidy
Baines was unbeatable against Morrison
Neville was solid
Yobo was reliable
Howard made a teriffic save.
Pienaar was everywhere!
Tony
It shows Moyes is learning his lessons.
It shows Moyes is learning his lessons.
Lot of players just back from injuries and not match fit. More to come from Pienaar, Osman, Fellaini, Hibbert, Saha and even Jo once he gets to our level of fitness.
It?s been an issue for me that in almost every season under Moyes we tail off in the final quarter. I have an odd suspicion it will be the reverse this year & the rest & recuperation that all the above have had will give us an extra spring.
I guess time will soon tell. Now let?s all hope that the luck that deserted Villa in the last fortnight stays away a while longer. Getting interesting.
It?s been an issue for me that in almost every season under Moyes we tail off in the final quarter. I have an odd suspicion it will be the reverse this year & the rest & recuperation that all the above have had will give us an extra spring.
I guess time will soon tell. Now let?s all hope that the luck that deserted Villa in the last fortnight stays away a while longer. Getting interesting.
Someone above quite rightly mentioned Gosling?s shooting. Reminds me of another little industrious midfielder, Colin Harvey, who like Gosling couldn?t hit a barn door!
It?s time to rest some of our players and I don?t think Moyes made a mistake in resting Lescott. We still have two games to play next week and he?s got 4 yellow cards. So why not let him rest? We only play WBA, not Arsenal!
Anyone tell me how Castillo gets on before Van der Shandy? I don't care how large his arse is, he must be better than Castillo surely??
People need to stop complaining, every team has bad days and we had one today and won!! Can?t be bad if you play bad and win. Not something Liverpool or Arsenal seem able to do...
Also, the players coming back from injuries got some good minuites in, which can only be a benefit.
Good result, poor performance. In particular, Fellaini?s performance was awful. I know we shouldn?t slag off our own but today he didn?t even look like a footballer at times, making the most basic of errors and sometimes looking like he actually didn?t know what to do (very worrying).
Jags was once again superb and I thought that, apart from a couple of poor passes (which is what some people look for all the time), Phil Neville played well.
What was going on with Fellaini today? Even Hercule Poirot and Jean Claude Van Damme would have been more of a Belgian influence than our £15 million man this afternoon.
West Bromwich could so easily have taken a share of the spoils, they came close a good few times in the second half and until Saha made it safe a draw could so easily have been the order of the day.
Mowbray must have been one frustrated man at the end, and Moyes must have known that it could so easily have been a different outcome on another day. I heard the Saha goal was something special although have not seen it, can’t wait to get home to see it on match of the day, too bad it was not tomorrow, just to see that rotund gnome faced little gobshite Adrian Chiles squirming in his seat.
All said, three points, much welcome, Arsenal could not score in a house of ill-repute, gap a bit closer and all still to play for.
Almost forgot.
Liverpool Title 2009 R.I.P. Maybe next year boys.
West Bromwich could so easily have taken a share of the spoils, they came close a good few times in the second half and until Saha made it safe a draw could so easily have been the order of the day.
Mowbray must have been one frustrated man at the end, and Moyes must have known that it could so easily have been a different outcome on another day. I heard the Saha goal was something special although have not seen it, can’t wait to get home to see it on match of the day, too bad it was not tomorrow, just to see that rotund gnome faced little gobshite Adrian Chiles squirming in his seat.
All said, three points, much welcome, Arsenal could not score in a house of ill-repute, gap a bit closer and all still to play for.
Almost forgot.
Liverpool Title 2009 R.I.P. Maybe next year boys.
Most of these comments are spot on.However what is Moyes thinking?
Bringing in less than fit players is stupid.Hibbert has the flu, Fellaini is half fit and it showed. He is not the quickest of players anyway.Jags and Joleon are the best double act and Yobo should not have played-I don’t care what the reasoning was.Pienaar lokked fit and was very busy but wastes a lot of his good approach work but rates ahead of Osman for industry and tenacity.What happened to Jacobsen and if Osman was not 100% why no place for VDM? If WBA had scored first when they were in the ascendancy we may have been in real trouble.Okay,yellow cards may have played a part in team selection but then why did pip play? Also, will there ever be a game we see in which h(airhead) Fellaini doesn’t pick up a yellow card?
Bringing in less than fit players is stupid.Hibbert has the flu, Fellaini is half fit and it showed. He is not the quickest of players anyway.Jags and Joleon are the best double act and Yobo should not have played-I don’t care what the reasoning was.Pienaar lokked fit and was very busy but wastes a lot of his good approach work but rates ahead of Osman for industry and tenacity.What happened to Jacobsen and if Osman was not 100% why no place for VDM? If WBA had scored first when they were in the ascendancy we may have been in real trouble.Okay,yellow cards may have played a part in team selection but then why did pip play? Also, will there ever be a game we see in which h(airhead) Fellaini doesn’t pick up a yellow card?
I think if Moyes could get two thirds of his money back on Fellaini, he’d snap your feckin hand off. The guy just isn’t suited to English football and never will be. The more I watch him, the more I realise what a piss poor player he is. Can’t pass, can’t tackle, can’t run and can’t head a ball with that feckin barnet. I’d play Rodwell ahead of him everytime.
Jo may be a player but we dont have time to build his confidence up, we need results now, he has to be on the bench and if we’re to have any chance of going to Wembley, Moyes has to gamble with Saha
Fellaini is clearly struggling, drop him
Gosling isnt good enough, time people recognised this, its time to say thanks for the memories son, we’ll always love you and you’ll even have a match named after you.
We wont get away with carrying three passengers against better teams.
The kids prem career will last as long as our injury crisis
Fellaini is clearly struggling, drop him
Gosling isnt good enough, time people recognised this, its time to say thanks for the memories son, we’ll always love you and you’ll even have a match named after you.
We wont get away with carrying three passengers against better teams.
The kids prem career will last as long as our injury crisis
Dave Wilson, Saha is coming back from injury hence he started on the bench. Fellaini is playing with an injury - drop him for whom? Get Arteta on in a wheelchair or something you reckon?
And yeah, let’s write off a teenager before his career’s even started shall we?
And yeah, let’s write off a teenager before his career’s even started shall we?
Some fantastic messages on here;
Before the Liverpool game we were going to lose as Fellaini was suspended. Now he is apparently crap, no matter that he is playing with injections and has a broken bone in his back.
Gosling has played very well since he’s come into the team in an unfamiliar position.
Osman is still a reserve team player but with our injuries gets a game.
We need a top midfielder to play with Arteta and Fellaini, then we will not lose the ball.
Before the Liverpool game we were going to lose as Fellaini was suspended. Now he is apparently crap, no matter that he is playing with injections and has a broken bone in his back.
Gosling has played very well since he’s come into the team in an unfamiliar position.
Osman is still a reserve team player but with our injuries gets a game.
We need a top midfielder to play with Arteta and Fellaini, then we will not lose the ball.
The game was poor by recent standards but there was need for a total readjustment which I thought the lads handled pretty well in the circumstances. Not just because of the players missing but the players coming back en masse.
West Brom have always played decent football and they showed that today. They were unlucky to lose 2-0 in a way but Everton always seemed the more likely to get goals. Despite their chances, it never seemed like West Brom were ever going to be too troublesome and they weren?t.
Jo looked poor but he had no service and once again Cahill proved his value. Saha?s goal was absolute class and before we get too critical, aren?t successful sides built from days like this....not playing too well but getting the result because you just have that bit of class that the opposition is lacking (a la Manure against Bolton in midweek)?
Not too bad in my opinion and my only concern today is that Boro?s trouncing of the Shite today will get them (Boro) some confidence against us next week! But I am sure we will cope.
West Brom have always played decent football and they showed that today. They were unlucky to lose 2-0 in a way but Everton always seemed the more likely to get goals. Despite their chances, it never seemed like West Brom were ever going to be too troublesome and they weren?t.
Jo looked poor but he had no service and once again Cahill proved his value. Saha?s goal was absolute class and before we get too critical, aren?t successful sides built from days like this....not playing too well but getting the result because you just have that bit of class that the opposition is lacking (a la Manure against Bolton in midweek)?
Not too bad in my opinion and my only concern today is that Boro?s trouncing of the Shite today will get them (Boro) some confidence against us next week! But I am sure we will cope.
Sam Morrison
I know Saha is coming back from Injury thats why I called it a "gamble"
A gamble worth taking because we’ll win nothing without him
I also know Fellaini isnt fit, thats why I said hes struggling - read the post lad
Osman, Neville, Rodwell, Cahill Pienarr, will make up a five men midfield next week, its simple if you understand the game, but your too busy making idiotic fucken comments about Arteta
Gosling gave me one of the greatest moments of my life, I’d love to be wrong and he went on to make the grade . . .but he wont
I know Saha is coming back from Injury thats why I called it a "gamble"
A gamble worth taking because we’ll win nothing without him
I also know Fellaini isnt fit, thats why I said hes struggling - read the post lad
Osman, Neville, Rodwell, Cahill Pienarr, will make up a five men midfield next week, its simple if you understand the game, but your too busy making idiotic fucken comments about Arteta
Gosling gave me one of the greatest moments of my life, I’d love to be wrong and he went on to make the grade . . .but he wont
Why all the sudden negativity towards Fellaini? When he got booked against Hull people on TW were bemoaning the fact that he would miss the Derby games. IMO he is clearly not fit and must be struggling with the injury he is carrying.Before the Hull booking and subsequent suspension he was performing as consistently and as good as anyone. Some of you are a fickle bunch and as for referring to him as a freak......I despair.
Interesting comments particularly about Fellaini. I thought his performance was reasonably good given his injury situation. In fact he was one of our better performers in a lack-luster first half. Following his substitution we began to look quite weak in the middle and were overrun at times hence the introduction of Castillo to try and shore things up.
Outstanding performances yet again from Cahill, Jagielka, Pienaar and Baines though we need to get Rodwell back asap. I’ve no doubt Fellaini will be back to his best soon, certainly did enough today to suggest he’s regaining his fitness. Hardly a vintage performance but the team does need time to adjust its game plan. Classy strike from Saha, lets hope he can stay free from injury if only for the cup games. He can be a match winner against even the best.
Outstanding performances yet again from Cahill, Jagielka, Pienaar and Baines though we need to get Rodwell back asap. I’ve no doubt Fellaini will be back to his best soon, certainly did enough today to suggest he’s regaining his fitness. Hardly a vintage performance but the team does need time to adjust its game plan. Classy strike from Saha, lets hope he can stay free from injury if only for the cup games. He can be a match winner against even the best.
It was a good result but not a good performance. West Brom played some lovely football and maybe even deserved a point. Our Defence Baines aside seemed dis jointed. I just hope Moyes doesnt stick Yobo back in. And i think today proved that Osman is as shite as ever and Fellaini for godsakes i hope he never plays for us again. He’s so clueless it leaves me baffled to say the least. As for Gosling something tells me hes going to live off the back of the derby goal, although hopefully ill be proved wrong. On the upside Pienaar played well, Saha scored a cracking goal and another clean sheet. And best of all The Shite got beat and that should put their Title bid to rest.
OH I NEVER FELT MORE LIKE SINGING THE BLUES WHEN EVERTON WIN AND THE SHITE LOSE.
OH I NEVER FELT MORE LIKE SINGING THE BLUES WHEN EVERTON WIN AND THE SHITE LOSE.
Have to agree with Keith before about the fickle nature of Everton fans, sell Fellaini he is shit etc, give me a break! He has a huge talent, he is carrying a injury and has just moved back to his position in midfield instead of playing up front where he clearly was not comfortable. Give him a break and support him, he is a young lad who has left home and does not speak the language. It fucken annoys me all this crap. Within the last 6 months "our fans" were calling for Lescott, Cahill, Arteta and Baines and now there GREAT, GROW UP TOSSERS.
Shaun... have to agree with what you say about the fickle nature of our fans. When you look back, we won 2-0 without playing well, with a number of players coming back from injury and adjusting to different positions. To slag Fellaini and Jo off is just a joke... they will come good. Jo was only starting his 3rd game for us FFS!!
Time to stop with the excuses regarding Fellaini, lads.
We've had, he?s still young, he can?t speak English, he?s being played out of position, he?s carrying an injury etc. Next you will be using his hair as an excuse!
He has had plenty of chances to prove why we paid £15m for him, and he just hasn?t done it. He has put in a few decent performances, but nothing special. Today he was back in the middle (supposedly his best position) but he just looks out of his depth. I agree with one of the lads above, that he is not up to the standard of the prem.
We've had, he?s still young, he can?t speak English, he?s being played out of position, he?s carrying an injury etc. Next you will be using his hair as an excuse!
He has had plenty of chances to prove why we paid £15m for him, and he just hasn?t done it. He has put in a few decent performances, but nothing special. Today he was back in the middle (supposedly his best position) but he just looks out of his depth. I agree with one of the lads above, that he is not up to the standard of the prem.
Anyone who has ever had a cracked rib will know that doing anything is difficult, and only time will heal it.
Like Mikel and the Yak, I think we are going to have to wait until next season to see the Big Fella back.
Like Mikel and the Yak, I think we are going to have to wait until next season to see the Big Fella back.
Brian Waring, would Fellaini having a cracked bone in his back not constitute a reasonable excuse for his performance not being up to par? If Arteta was healthy I have no doubt Fellaini would not have been in the line up today and would have been allowed to continue to recover from his back injury.
I?ve had a spinal injury, had to have it surgically repaired, and I can tell you that it effects everything you try to do. Before his injury and suspension he was playing very good football for us, getting goals and controlling the ball well. It?s not really shocking that his performances have dropped off in the two games since his forced early return, while still playing with a cracked bone in his back.
We really need to be more patient people, we are playing with a patched up side missing it?s best player with a few others playing through the pain to make up the numbers. I respect the boy for trying to play through that injury to help the team when it?s so short of numbers. He has to stop with the yellow cards, but lets get off his back a bit please.
Moyes summed it up when he said the players were playing with tired minds and he was going to shake them up this weeek.
It?s a team game and if the "TEAM" don't get going then individuals look bad.
Jo had dreadful service and if Saha had not been inspired by one moment of creativity, people would have come on here complaining about him.
Similarly with Tiny Tim, people still come on here saying all he contributes is goals. If you watch his workrate, he?s like an extra MF player and goalscorer. No wonder we always do better with him in the team.
Fellaini and Osman are both carrying painful injuries that for most of us wouldn't even enable us to kick a ball.
The lads need our support more than ever and I?m just glad our next game is away from home where the support is 110%.
It?s a team game and if the "TEAM" don't get going then individuals look bad.
Jo had dreadful service and if Saha had not been inspired by one moment of creativity, people would have come on here complaining about him.
Similarly with Tiny Tim, people still come on here saying all he contributes is goals. If you watch his workrate, he?s like an extra MF player and goalscorer. No wonder we always do better with him in the team.
Fellaini and Osman are both carrying painful injuries that for most of us wouldn't even enable us to kick a ball.
The lads need our support more than ever and I?m just glad our next game is away from home where the support is 110%.
Hibbo’s not injured. He just had a bout of flu / cold. Clearly not fully recovered, shouldn’t have started.
At this stage of the season, it’s results that matter. We’ve been unlucky with injuries, but the fact is, by accident or design, we still have a small squad. On the plus side is the emergence of Rodwell, and to a lesser degree, Gosling.
It’ll be a tough act to qualify for Europe though, but really the only teams we have to play above us are Chelsea and Villa.
With this team you just never know.
At this stage of the season, it’s results that matter. We’ve been unlucky with injuries, but the fact is, by accident or design, we still have a small squad. On the plus side is the emergence of Rodwell, and to a lesser degree, Gosling.
It’ll be a tough act to qualify for Europe though, but really the only teams we have to play above us are Chelsea and Villa.
With this team you just never know.
Dave Wilson, I take your point that there are alternatives. The problem is that a knackered, threadbare team will most likely get the same dismissive response to a tired performance no matter who plays ? instead of Fellaini ?needing to be dropped? it?ll be Osman, or Rodwell, who are both carrying injuries by the way. And as others have pointed out Jo might be worth a bit more time than 3 games. My point about Gosling stands ? he?s nineteen for God?s sake.
Sam
Fellaini has a rib injury, if you’ve ever had one you’ll know how painful it is, we’ll need this lad as the season draws on and I’d like to see him benched - only my opinion
Jo has clearly got talent, but he’s not up to prem pace yet and its getting towards the business end of the season, I dont believe we can afford him the luxury of patience
As for Gosling, Yeah, I take your point, I probably am judging him prematurely, my worry is the guy doesn’t seem to be aware of whats going on around him, he doesn’t play with his head up and that’s either in you or it isn’t.
I may knock the hierachy of the club from time to time, but I dont like knocking the players, so I would love to be wrong
The players I mentioned wouldn’t necessarily be my choice for next week , but I’m convinced its what Moyes will go with.
Anyway, there’s a small matter of a Blackburn game first and we’ll almost certainly need to utilise ALL the above mentioned in the next few weeks
Fellaini has a rib injury, if you’ve ever had one you’ll know how painful it is, we’ll need this lad as the season draws on and I’d like to see him benched - only my opinion
Jo has clearly got talent, but he’s not up to prem pace yet and its getting towards the business end of the season, I dont believe we can afford him the luxury of patience
As for Gosling, Yeah, I take your point, I probably am judging him prematurely, my worry is the guy doesn’t seem to be aware of whats going on around him, he doesn’t play with his head up and that’s either in you or it isn’t.
I may knock the hierachy of the club from time to time, but I dont like knocking the players, so I would love to be wrong
The players I mentioned wouldn’t necessarily be my choice for next week , but I’m convinced its what Moyes will go with.
Anyway, there’s a small matter of a Blackburn game first and we’ll almost certainly need to utilise ALL the above mentioned in the next few weeks
David, okay he was carrying an injury today. The point I’m trying to make is that I just don’t see him as a premiership player. I know he needs time to settle etc, but you can look at a player and think, wow that lad oozes quality, but he doesn’t. Even when he has had a decent game, he has not looked anything special.
He is slow, clumsy, can’t tackle, are these the attributes of a quality player?
I know people will throw things at me like he needs time to settle, and I would understand that, but surely by now, there would have been glimpses of why we paid all that money for him? A game were you would see that we had a gem on our hands, but there hasn’t.
I hope he makes me eat my words, because I’ll be the first to hold my hands up, and come on here and ask for forgiveness for doubting him, just can’t see that happening though.
He is slow, clumsy, can’t tackle, are these the attributes of a quality player?
I know people will throw things at me like he needs time to settle, and I would understand that, but surely by now, there would have been glimpses of why we paid all that money for him? A game were you would see that we had a gem on our hands, but there hasn’t.
I hope he makes me eat my words, because I’ll be the first to hold my hands up, and come on here and ask for forgiveness for doubting him, just can’t see that happening though.
Lets look' at the basic attributes of a professional footballer:
1 - Heart, courage,commitment.
2 - Skill, ball control.
3 - Tackling, closing down, tracking back.
4 - Pace, short and long distance.
5 - Heading ability.
6 - Shooting and crossing ability.
7 - Anticipation, ability to read game.
8 - Presence, ability to influence game.
9 - Dribbling, passingl, finishing.
10 - Team player.
The requisites are only my idea of the BASIC requirements needed to compete at ANY level at the game of football; some players have all these attributes and would score 10 out of 10 for all of them, others would score poorly in some but excel in others (Cahill, Neville).
1 - Heart, courage,commitment.
2 - Skill, ball control.
3 - Tackling, closing down, tracking back.
4 - Pace, short and long distance.
5 - Heading ability.
6 - Shooting and crossing ability.
7 - Anticipation, ability to read game.
8 - Presence, ability to influence game.
9 - Dribbling, passingl, finishing.
10 - Team player.
The requisites are only my idea of the BASIC requirements needed to compete at ANY level at the game of football; some players have all these attributes and would score 10 out of 10 for all of them, others would score poorly in some but excel in others (Cahill, Neville).
Driving home from the game yesterday, I spent the 30 mins getting back to Old Swan arguing with my 15-year-old son about Fellaini, me of the opinion that he is not currently a player and, unless there is some drastic coaching done with the lad to improve all aspects of his game, he never will be a player, but you may disagree, so score him out of 10 for each of the above, honestly, and see what you get.
I did not give him more than a 5 for any category, but then, as my son said, "What do you know about football?" (50 years a Blue !!)
Did we lose yesterday? I could have sworn that we won!!
Tony, he changed it at Newcastle last week because he had to, he changed it this week because he didn?t want to lose Lescott for the Boro game.....and guess what?, it worked. I don?t care if West Brow SHOULD have scored, they didn?t and the record books will show a 2-0 win for Everton. That?ll do for me.
Tony, he changed it at Newcastle last week because he had to, he changed it this week because he didn?t want to lose Lescott for the Boro game.....and guess what?, it worked. I don?t care if West Brow SHOULD have scored, they didn?t and the record books will show a 2-0 win for Everton. That?ll do for me.
Again, like everyone else has said, great result, poor performance, and I think West Brom probably deserved a point. It showed me the difference of quality between the two squads though, West Brom has this delightful build up play but are toothless up front and cannot score, whilst players like Cahill and Saha can score through moments of class.
Very harsh on Fellaini though, I’d hate to try andplay after a spinal injury. I agree he was not playing well, but his distribution was decent and was covering quite well, though cannot tackle. I, like others, will think we will see the best of him next season, it’s not rare for players to adapt to the game after so long. The best example is Drogba, first season he was awful, and now one of the best in his position in the world!
What encouraged me was Moyes’ interview afterwards on Sky Spotys, he mentioned that he was experimenting and was seeing how the squad can cope without Arteta. He then said he now knows what to do to fix that, so should hopefully have a more balanced midfield against Blackburn.
Very harsh on Fellaini though, I’d hate to try andplay after a spinal injury. I agree he was not playing well, but his distribution was decent and was covering quite well, though cannot tackle. I, like others, will think we will see the best of him next season, it’s not rare for players to adapt to the game after so long. The best example is Drogba, first season he was awful, and now one of the best in his position in the world!
What encouraged me was Moyes’ interview afterwards on Sky Spotys, he mentioned that he was experimenting and was seeing how the squad can cope without Arteta. He then said he now knows what to do to fix that, so should hopefully have a more balanced midfield against Blackburn.
If Fellaini is recovering from a cracked rib what the hell he is doing on the pitch. Or is an injured player better than any of the uninjured subs. The kind of excuses.
Larry - re your list for Fellaini, in the spell of games pre injury when he started scoring some vital goals I rated him highly on categories 2,5,7 and 8, awful on 3 and somewhere in between on the rest. Jury is out on him but given age and time needed to adapt I fully expected it to be out until Christmas next season. He’s made a contribution to turning around our awful start to the season. For whatever reason you chose to believe, he’s looked horrid the last few games. I’ve seen enough signs to be hopeful that there is a player there who will live up to the price tag. Re Gosling, he reminds be a bit of Johnny Oster who looked a real find for his first few weeks - there is ability there and also some real blind spots - hardly surprising at 19. The key will be how strong he is mentally, how hard he is prepared to work and how much he wants to improve - the comments from Moyes and backroom staff re his attitude are encouraging - the kids got a chance
If Fellaini has a cracked bone in his back, he should not have been playing. His place should have been given to Van der Meyde. This is one aspect where Moyes fails miserably, he is terrified of changing things, and only does so when nothing else can possibly be done.
We cannot judge Fellaini by yesterdy’s game.It wasn’t his decision to play but Moyes’s. Okay Fellaini has had a poor intro to the Prem.but he didn’t put a 16 million price tag on himself which is apparently what a lot of fans are judging him on.The lad has talent but is not speedy and cannot tackle well.This is just a desire to impress too soon and needs better coaching.If he gets that by next season he will be more of an asset.For the rest of this season however we have to get by with what we have,loan players not performing or are injury prone and the current critical injury list.Rodwell and Gosling have filled in well but will be all the better for next season with the experience under their belts.To win the cup would be a great achievement and is possible with the defense we have but Hibbert still goes AWOL with the player he is marking and Yobo backs off too much.If Saha and Cahill stay fit then we can snatch the goals that matter.
Returning to the original post - I agree with all thats said, I would also point out that we did win, not well but we won.
Clearly the absense of Arteta has taken away flair from our game, but what can we do? WIN will do for me now, next season will be a different matter.
Clearly the absense of Arteta has taken away flair from our game, but what can we do? WIN will do for me now, next season will be a different matter.
There we have it.
A first for TW. RS getting critisisefd for loosing!!!
A first for TW. RS getting critisisefd for loosing!!!
Thank you Tony Marsh. That comment will live long in the memory. Maybe it is part of "the conspiracy". I am surprised none of the usuall T Marsh detracters have picked up on this. I occasionaly agree with Marsh but allways enjoy his posts. Me thinks a wee jest is being played. What say you?
Not only does Tony Marsh do superb articles he also has a marvellous sense of humour and manages to unintentionally wind people up. Is there anything this man cant do? I say Marsh for Chairman. And it gets better by the day when you think that The Shite will not be bringing back their beloved Title. All we need now is the Cup and then we can rub it right into the Gobshite faces.
COYB FTRS
COYB FTRS
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