ToffeeWeb - Season 2008-09

The Mail Bag

View from Portsmouth

I never thought I would say this but I am glad we are out of the cups so far this season ? it give us a chance to catch up. The league is far more important than anything else.

Everton are so behind the curve it is unbelievable. No confidence. No idea about what is our best team. The signings were late and although promising not an instant success.

DM must sign on or leave soon. It is undermining the whole team and the supporters' view of it. This uncertainty is divisive.

The team selection needs sorting; Phil Neville is a full back at best, Cahill cannot play in a 4-4-2 and we should play 4-4-2 at least at home and go for the win.

At the moment, Yobo and Lescott are liabilities or at least out of form. Is it the new defensive coach??? Newcastle are well known for their defence!!!!! The same players from last year look like they have never played together.

This is the the biggest game for a long time on Sunday, forget all the cups ? this game will map out the season to come.

Get behind the blues on Sunday... God knows they need.
John Talbot, Portsmouth Posted 04/10/2008 at 22:57:16

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Martin Cutler
1 Posted 05/10/2008 at 00:56:24

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John, as much as I was gutted by last Thursday's result (not so much the result itself but how we got to that point) I do agree with you. With this unsettled team, lacking whatever it is (it?s more than a lack of confidence!) there?s no way we could fight in two or three cup competitions and the league. It was bad enough last year in that respect.

Paramount is qualifying for Europe next season....... with just the league and possibly an FA Cup run to worry about hopefully DM (contract signed!) can rebuild the team somewhat and qualify for the UEFA..... sod the Champions League.... we would have to be infinitely better than we are now to even get through the qualifying rounds.

I?m all the more puzzled why Phil Neville was signed on a 4-year extension... now we?re stuck with him aren?t we? (Or can we sell him??) In my opinion, PN should go, possibly Osman too (just not consistently good enough!), and Arteta needs to improve too....

I?ll be watching the game tomorrow and hopefully he can actually put in a good 90-minute performance which I?ve yet to see, this would also include consistently getting the ball over the first man for corners and taking some accurate free-kicks, yes, he can do it but he?s hardly a reliable player in this regard. (I know others disagree with me on this but I don?t care.)

The Baines situation needs fixing.... play him or get rid. Play Castillo consistently. Give Fellaini time to gel. Fix the Cahill situation..... he needs to have more of an impact regardless of what formation we play.

It?s like 4-5-1 or we?re fucked. We need to be more bold, go for it, score goals, be exciting, win back-to-back games!! As I said I?ll be watching the game tomorrow (the Arsenal game next week is also on Fox/USA tv)..... We simply must win tomorrow............. really it?s a no win situation. Win and everybody will say we should win given Newcastles situation and lose and then it?s how the fuck did we lose to that managerless shower!

In Moyes we trust! (Get that fucking contract signed!!!)

COYB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian Tunny
2 Posted 05/10/2008 at 01:22:19

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I agree the balance of the team is all wrong. Moyes is just trying to fit players in and accommodate people.

We need to get back to basics, what the players know best and the system everyone is comfortable with.

It has to be 4-5-1 but I don't know who can play the holding role and I don't think Moyes does either, because Castillo is dropped and he's tried Jags and Rodwell at once which doesn't work. There must be only 1 holding player and Moyes must make his mind up who it will be.

Mike McLean
3 Posted 05/10/2008 at 04:54:47

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The answer, of course, has relatively little to do with formations in the first instance. Eleven donkeys dressed in blue will perform averagely no matter how they are lined up.

Martin you are right to point a finger at some of our iconic players ... Arteta lacks pace and accuracy. His best trick at the moment is diving. Cahill has the one trck of nipping in for the occasional goal but offers virtually nothing else to the midfield.

There will be the inevitable smart alecs rushing to point out that many of these are the same players who brought "success" last season and my response is simple. Moyes has lost the alchemist?s trick of trasforming dross into gold. It may be that he has lost the dressing room; that other teams are now much more aware of his fairly simple minded tactics; or - even more simply - that a number of results last term were down to good fortune. Perhaps a mix of all three.

Whatever. The buck rests with Moyes, so I have resisted the urge to order bunting and trestle tables for a contract signing street party, particularly as he now states that he must buy more players of the sort who aren?t delivering this season.

And, on a Tony Marsh note, I don?t regards last season?s efforts as success. For all the Sunderland and Brann excitement, there was a lot of trash played as well. And I?m too old an Evertonian to regard fifth and a semi as anything other than just about acceptable.

Moyes can sign what he likes. If crowds dip and results continue to be poor, I don?t see him being there long term.

Stephen Stuart
4 Posted 05/10/2008 at 09:47:05

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Moyes has brought consistent mediocrity to Everton. At the same time he has deliberately lowered the expectations of a majority of fans, many of whom would wish for more. But the wonderfully ascendent position that Everton are in under Kenwrong and Moyes means that it will take another hundred years to get rid of their limited, negative and uninspiring approach to the game, and rid the club of being manifestly the world?s biggest laughing stock.

Ray Robinson
5 Posted 05/10/2008 at 10:05:13

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I fear John that your plea of "Get behind the blues on Sunday... God knows they need it" will be taken up by a crowd barely nudging 30,000 later this afternoon.

When did GP last witness a sub 30,000 crowd for a League match anyone? The advertising for this match has smacked of desperation.

Doesn’t bode well for Kirkby does it?

Brian Waring
6 Posted 05/10/2008 at 11:40:13

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Martin, you say "Paramount is qualifying for Europe next season."

But then you say you agree with John, that it is good to be out of the Uefa Cup, so we can concentrate on getting into Europe next season... Doesn?t make sense.

Bilbo Baggins
7 Posted 05/10/2008 at 11:40:51

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You're right, Ray, Newcastle have only sold 900 tickets and Everton have tried everything to sell tickets even given free tickets away to various community groups, it does annoy you when they do this when you have struggled to find the money for your own season ticket. It is difficult to get behind the team when you have been hurt that any times and what makes it worse is the constant lies coming from the board.

As for the season, It will be difficult for us to finish in the top six again, so no Europe next season and our better players wil leave for European football.

Bilbo Baggins
8 Posted 05/10/2008 at 11:51:02

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As for Kirkby, Ray, the delays are already starting to stack up, KBC are trying every trick in the book in prevent ing documents being released to the relevant parties. The inspector in charge has already extended the time for the local authorities and grovenor to get there cases together till after Christmas.

Remember that all time classic from the ghost, ?we will have a spade in the ground in may? yes May 2008, Desperate Kirkby needed to be built by the begining of season 2009-10 ? otherwise the costs would spiral, so how much have we spent on so far and continue to spend.

Alan Churchill
9 Posted 05/10/2008 at 11:39:11

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We're out of two cups, humiliated at home by Liverpool, haven't won at home in the league, haven't kept a clean sheet... After today, we've got Arsenal and Man Utd, and Moyes says if we beat Newcastle we're on the same number of points as this stage last season so no need to panic. And there was me doubting him! Sort this mess out! Or, for the good of our great club ? LEAVE!!!

Martin Cutler
10 Posted 05/10/2008 at 14:59:42

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Brian...what I said makes perfect sense!
First of all as far as next season is concerned it is paramount that we qualify for Europe (the UEFA Cup that is, I just can’t see us being ready for the Champions League for a couple of seasons yet).
As to this season, we’re clearly not ready.....not with this team, not with all the turmoil going on, the uncertainty, the unsettled players (both established and new alike!) and so on.

Would I prefer to still be in the UEFA this season with a fighting chance, of course I fucking would.....but the way we’re playing let’s get the team settled....who knows...by the end of this season we could have a strong, settled, balanced team...with a new owner(??), with the ground debate over (one way or the other), DM’s contract signed(!), able to play 451 and 442 with ease and both the Yak and Saha are scoring 20+ a season each.

Not much to ask is it?

roblyons
11 Posted 05/10/2008 at 15:58:59

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got your 4-4-2 and no neville, i am for one excited about this line up at last!! baines gets a go to.
saha and yak gonna kill em.....