The Mail Bag
Where are we going?
Comments (20)
I am an ex-pat Blue living in the lowlands of The Netherlands. I've been here now for 7 years so missed out on the Moyes reign in person but have been watching with a keen eye indeed!
I am overjoyed that we're back in the Cup Final and managed to get 6th place again and, on the whole, I believe Moyes has been doing a good job. We are certainly in a better position than when he took over. However, I feel that there are questions that need to be asked and they are:
1. Is this it? Is a Cup Final and Europe the best we can hope for?
2. Will we ever see big name players at the club like Owen or Adebayor?
3. Will we ever be financially successful without a new stadium?
4. Are we satisfied?
1. Yes. I believe we are in a position that we can never move from with Moyes in charge. Whilst he's done well so far, he does not have the experience to take us further and makes too many mistakes ? Gosling getting starts already? Rodwell, same... he's better but too young ? he's going to be good but not yet. Vaughan not getting a chance seems odd. Buying Saha, Yakubu, Jagielka etc ? all players with injury problems who are now missing. Lescott we got lucky with ? again, a player with lots of knee problems
2. Not at the moment. We may sign players like Cahill, Arteta, Fellaini who come good but no-one who is already proven seems keen to move to us ? maybe it is Moyes who does not have the pulling power? He is like a guy with a nice personality who can get an attractive girl after a few dates but he'll never walk into a club and get one straight away. Maybe he's just too ginger? (joke!)
3. Maybe not but this is only a short answer ? Goodison is home.
4. No. This should be a building block but I fear it is the already built house. We may never go anywhere.
Thank you for listening ? keep the faith.
Patrick Dondart, Posted 11/05/2009 at 14:43:47
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??Lescott we got lucky with?? ? so were we lucky with all the other great signings? As some one once said, it's better to be a lucky manager than a good manager. Lescott passed his medical so don't worry about his knees.
??Yakubu and Jagielka?? ? known for injury problems? I don't think so... If you take a look at their records, you?ll see this is the first long term injuries they have had. Jags is known for playing virtually every game of every season.
I won't even go into the rest of it, it's such a joke.
One or two quality signings and some decent loan players for depth and I have faith we can crack the top 4 again. Experience gained in Europe over the last couple of seasons can only help our chances of getting into the Champions League group stage.
Can’t think of another EPL side that has had as many major injuries as us this year with such a small squad and yet we still manage be near the best of the rest.
Have some faith, the Blues are on the rise.
Look at Man City, although they are ending mid-table this season, they?ll definitely go for honours next year... Why, cause they?ve got big money to spend on big players. Should they sack Hughes, bring in someone like Frank Rikaard, big players will fall over each other?s feet to play for him.
My point is the following: I really like DM as a manager, but he can only can take us so far. (And I now his working with a shoestring budget.) We need to get one of the best managers is the game, who will definitely attract big and world class players to the club, like Gilberto ? who we can afford.
Has Tony Marsh gone dutch????
No. Not really. We really should be in the Champs League final and be Premier League Champions.... No I'm not satisfied, Patrick ? fucking awful season this has been.....
Ha-ha, you already lost me there mate.
Hopefully never that sort of player, no.
Obviously Moyes has taken us almost as far as we can go, but being the ’best of the rest’ after the Sky 4 with the amount of financial backing available is really impressive. Who are you proposing to take us to the next level Patrick?!! Perhaps we should sack Moyes and bring in, oooh I dunno...Ian Dowie?!! Please.
It was only a few seasons ago that Charlton fans were saying Alan Curbishley had ’taken them as far as he could’, then he left and now look where there are. Be careful what you wish for...like ’Owen or Adebayor’!! No ta!
The questions are valid but the OP responses are so left field that the initial comments become irrelevant.
1. Is this it? Is a Cup Final and Europe the best we can hope for?
For this season, yup. Next season everyone is hoping for the next step up and hopefully a Champions League spot. Can Moyes take us there? With the right players and the right funding.
2. Will we ever see big name players at the club like Owen or Adebayor? Following a Cup Final and a stronger season (ignoring the start) we?ll see more players wanting a piece of the action. Will we ever have the pulling power of Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal? Unlikely in the immediate future but who knows what will happen in 5 years time. Once SAF moves on, anything is possible.
3. Will we ever be financially successful without a new stadium?
Financial success comes from improvement on the field and also from a wealthy owner. BK does not have the money and no-one seems to be able to take the reigns from him. Money breeds money. Those with money tend to attract more those without often struggle to get any.
4. Are we satisfied?
Satisfaction is a difficult word to define. I am happy how the season has gone so far even though things could have been better had Moyes sorted himself out sooner. Of course I want more and next season will hopefully bring that.
After a disapointing start its been a fantastic and we have a ?proper? trip to Wembley secured and a chance of silverware, another top6 finish and Europe again.
You're right this is crap, bring back Ginola and Gazza they were ?names? and have the good old days of the late 90s under Walter Smith?s tutelage! A decent pre-season under our belt coupled with a lack of injuries and our form since the Man Utd game and who knows where we could have been.
I?m delighted to be a blue at the minute so stop being so frigging negative and pessimistic and lets win our final 3 games of the season and finish in style and look forward to the next. COYB
Yakubu, Jags and Lescott - injury worries? Lucky with Lescott, the game against Fulham was the first he has missed since he signed for us, Jags has been an everpresent until the Chelski game and this is the Yak’s first major injury.
Lay of the Illegal Regals mate.
...goodbye.
This post was ill-informed and pointless. The questions you raised were fair ones, the answers you gave were bobbins. I am amazed that you left for Holland in the Smith era, wait 7 years and then post this negative crap.
No offense Patrick, but think before you type.
1. If all we achieve is Europe and a cup final every season for the next 15 seasons I would say that this would be better than the previous 15 seasons.
2. Big name players like Owen, after you moan about buying injury prone players! The irony. Saha granted was a gamble, but Jags and yakubu injury prone, I think ?Unlucky this season? is a bit more like it. Neither have bad injury histories.
3. Goodison is definitely home, but if you want more than cup finals and Europe, unfortunatly other things have to change to help. Redeveloping would be my first prefered choice if possible.
4. Going knowhere with Moyes at all, just another last day survival again this season if we are lucky.
Bring back the good old days of Mike Walker or lets get Walter Smith in again. Those were the days, and now look where Moyes has got us to.
Compare that shambles in the pre-season friendly at Kerkrade in 2003 (after which Moyes personally apologised to the fans) and the win at Alkmaar in late 2007 (when we inflicted their first home Euro defeat in 30 odd years).
In neither match was anything at stake (we?d already qualified for the Uefa Cup knock out in 2007). The performances in terms of motivation and technical ability were however, light years apart (as was the weather...).
You could have answered your question without even getting your passport out, my friend.
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