ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

What may be the real issue?

This may be me just thinking out loud here but it is something I have thought for a while now. No matter how many players we are linked with, or have work permits for, or talk about with each other down the pub, it doesn't actually matter. We could have a list of players that are cheap, available and ready to sign but there is a stumbling block, no first team football.

If you think about it, Howard, Neville, Yobo, Baines, Hibbert, Cahill, Arteta, Pienaar, Fellaini, Yakubu are our first team when all fit. Moyes has many problems which everyone with half a brain knows, but who would he drop for any new blood in the team? He persevered with no strikers last season when we had three young strikers in the reserves.

Now if you look at the top 20 youngest players in the Premier League, you will find Everton's name mentioned more than a few times... strange? So when I pick up the paper or read on the internet who we are linked with, I ask myself where would they play?

No matter how ineffective half our team may be at times, they are Moyes's team and therefore he seems to keep faith until the dying minute. Works with Cahill admittedly but anyone else? I think instead of adding squad players, Moyes should address who is in form and pick the team that way.

Imagine the thought of Cahill as an impact sub because we have a CM that's playing well. Or Hibbert not making the team because we have a better right back. Sounds like a joke now, as for the past 3-4 years we have had basically the same team. And above other issues, maybe some players see this in Everton and decide to stay away. But that's just a thought...

Oh and as we are now 6 players down when we sell Lescott (LB+ CB), Jacobsen and Castillo would have cost us a grand total of fuck all this summer. There's a couple of half decent squad players right off we HAD three months ago. That would leave only 4 players to bring in now, but that would have been too easy.
Christopher Ashton, Walton, Liverpool Posted 23/08/2009 at 19:13:02

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Kieran Kinsella
1 Posted 24/08/2009 at 03:00:53

I was just watching highlights of our loss today and thinking about how some BK lovers on here had defended BK after rumours that he had snubbed a takeover bid from the eventual purchasers of Notts County because they weren’t rich enough.

I don’t know how much they intend to invest in that club but I do know how much he invests in this club: zero. Nothing. zip. At least Notts County signed Schmeichel this summer for a nominal fee which is more than we’ve spent.

Dan Brierley
2 Posted 24/08/2009 at 02:21:26

In ther aftermath of a poor performance, it's understandable that there is a lot of emotion flying around the place.

Watching the match on a terrible internet link made it even more frustrating, especially when it broke down just as Louis stepped up to take the pen. It then came back on, with the image of Louis on his knee’s, head in hands.

Nevertheless, Burnley fully deserved the 3 points, they put in an excellent gutsy performance. They showed the tenacity and spirit which is normally our trademark. Without the band of brothers mentality, our team is very ordinary indeed. We need some inspiration, a ’Neville on Ronaldo’ moment to inspire us.

We are missing Jags more than we realise. Not just for his defensive ability, but the way he plays is nothing short of an inspiration to others. He gives 100% in the majority of matches he plays, this rubs off onto the others. Arteta is also a player who calms and balances the side, giving players time on the ball. And Yakubu scores one in three chances.

Captain Pip’s leadership skills can only give so much, it's players showing good football that inspires the most. I don’t expect to perform as a top 4 team with our three best players out. In today's transfer market, there must be around £60 million worth of players on the treatment tables.

I am not ready to lose my head yet, and start believing relegation is realistic. But the future for EFC seems very cloudy now that City & Spurs seem to have found stability. City have effectively taken the whole transfer market to a new level.

The only way out now is to find a buyer, but that is going to be one hell of a struggle when we are living in one of the poorest revenue generating stadium’s in the top flight, and our average attendances are mid-table.

Kieran Kinsella
3 Posted 24/08/2009 at 03:15:17

The more I think about it all I think that the beginning of the end occured the day the fans turned on Peter Johnson and let the enemy within aka cheapskate ego trip liar BK "takeover" inspite of his lack of money. I really think this could be the end for the club.

Russell Buckley
4 Posted 24/08/2009 at 04:40:02

Cahil doesn’t need to be an impact sub. Sure he might be suited to such as role at Man Utd or Chelski but not with us. I now we are short of players and I can see the benifit in giving Fellaini the experience but Cahill’s talents are being wasted at present.

I’m not that against the big fro as he does have potential as an offensive threat but if we have our full squad availablethere is no way he should be in the more advanced role than Cahill.
The only reason he is played there over Tim is he doen’t have the passing and menace of Cahill in the middle and we all now tim isn’t a world class CM.

Thats a sad reality for a player who was originally brought in to be our midfield enforcer.

Kurt Knight
5 Posted 24/08/2009 at 04:40:03

Kieran - get ahold of yourself for God’s sake. We lost two matches - 2. Is that the extent of your faith?

The negatives are all there but several months ago these guys took us to Wembley. Picture yourself back in August 08’ and tell me straight -- did you have any hope whatsoever they could turn the season around?

It is high concern time, it’s okay to bitch and moan, but come Sept 1 and we are paper thin? That’s panic time.

Dan Brierley
6 Posted 24/08/2009 at 03:59:33

Kieran, are you suggesting that we would have been better off staying under the stewardship of Peter Jonhson? If not, who do you suggest should have taken over?

Jimmy Saville
7 Posted 24/08/2009 at 08:53:55

Dan, Under Perter Johnson, things might've not as been as rosie, but we were in a much better financial position. We did not have massive loans all over the place and we didn’t have mortgages all over the place either!

Time for wholesale changes.

Dickie Price
8 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:01:52

I don’t think Yobo can be assured of his place if there were any decent alternatives to choose from — any centre halves we might be chasing need only look at a re-run of the Arsenal set-piece goals in the 1-6 match to realise that there is a very real chance of first team football.

Neal Sutherland
9 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:17:05

Things have gotten that bad that we’re going to start romanticising Peter Johnson?

My word!

Pablo Mc
10 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:40:00

Dan Brierley wrote : "The only way out now is to find a buyer, but that is going to be one hell of a struggle when we are living in one of the poorest revenue generating stadium’s in the top flight, and our average attendances are mid-table."

It’s going to be even more of a struggle to find a buyer if the club isn’t actually for sale ;)

Investors/Donators are VERY welcome to tea and biscuits with Bill, but buyers ? I very much doubt it...

Dan Brierley
11 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:30:04

Thats what I was thinking Neal, people are truly starting to believe that things ’weren’t so bad’ under Johnson.

But Jimmy is right, we didn't have as much debt back then. But of course, we shouldn't mention the fact that we had a completely shit squad who’s only goal was to avoid relegation also back then. Europe was as far away as the title is now.

Is it me, or has the debt grown with the improvement of the squad? What a weird coincidence that seems to be...

Ciarán McGlone
12 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:48:42

I completely agree... the problems are not just personnel ones...

They are also to do with Moyes's innability to adapt to a game... and most importantly his inability to admit a mistake or drop a player.

Colin Potter
13 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:47:53

Kieran, The day we go to Kirkby will REALLY be the beginning of the end for this club.

Keith Glazzard
14 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:56:38

I think there is something in this post, the ’who would he drop?’ thing relating to players who have given him total commitment. A good attacking RB might have paid real, for example when we were pressing inthe second half.

But he did pull Fellaini off. And I thought Jo showed how well he has come on during the summer. But if something has to be done, which seems likely, what will Moyes do?

Dan Brierley
15 Posted 24/08/2009 at 09:43:18

Damn Pablo, you caught BK out again. Of course, there are plenty of people out there that want to pump £200 million into a football club, and then wait forever while the poor revenue streams and lack of corporate facilities slowly trickle the money back....

Alan Clarke
16 Posted 24/08/2009 at 10:19:48

Pablo, the more you write on here the more apparent it is what an absolute fuckin mess we’re in.

We’ve now lost 4 highly paid players off the wage bill. We’ve raised £24 million from transfers. We’ve received £30 million in TV money + an estimated extra £10 - 15 million from 5th place and cup final appearance. Add that to the supposed £30 million from the kitbag deal. So far Moyes has spent a grand total of £0. I have spent more on my season ticket than Moyes has on players.

If people are still sticking up for Billy Bullshit then I can only conclude they either don’t give a shit about Everton or they’re mentally ill. We are at least owed some sort of explanation after this summer.

Ciarán McGlone
17 Posted 24/08/2009 at 11:04:24

Keith,

There is room for sentimentality to players who you say have given ’total commitment’ (which is highly debatable anyway)..

The basis of this football lark is to do what is best for Everton...and the team...not to reward some over-paid, banana footed twit..just because he runs or shouts a lot.

Suzy Whitehead
18 Posted 24/08/2009 at 13:23:43

Alan, Where is the £24million from players sales coming from? You wouldn’t happen to owe me some cash do you?

Keith Glazzard
19 Posted 24/08/2009 at 13:02:03

Ciarán, I didn’t think any of our players shout a lot. Perhaps they should do it a bit more.

What I was getting at — which I’m surprised you missed — is that Moyes must be at some sort of cross-roads. He may have to replace players who have served him well and, in the right circumstances, can still do a valuable job. Loyalty for its own sake would be sentimentality, but these days it is a potentially valuable commodity. We often praise ’team spirit’ and slag off the ’mercenaries’ after all.

Chris Ashton
20 Posted 24/08/2009 at 13:29:03

What I meant is that on paper there isn't a player that Moyes would drop at the minute and it has been like this for a few seasons now. Cahill as an impact sub was on the basis we had a better midfielder on the pitch who actually added to the creativly and worked with the midfield instead of the team hoofing it over him. I wasn't talking about substitutes.

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