The Mail Bag
Revenge time
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And so to Portsmouth.... Spirits are high in the Blues camp, and I sniff another 3 points. However, caution must prevail.
I watched us play Portsmouth twice last season, and saw us concede 5 goals without reply. Before anyone starts, I know we took the lead at Fratton Park, but I was one of many stranded for 15 mins at the 3 turnstiles they are generous enough to give to away fans whilst the game got underway.
It still irks me somewhat that in one of our best seasons in recent times, we had the double done over us by Portsmouth, and Portsmouth alone. This cannot happen this time around.
That 3-0 defeat early last season was quite possibly the worst game all season. Liege came close (though I'd had too much Belgian lager to fully understand what had happened) and Wigan away was depressing, but that defeat was one of the worst in all my time watching Everton (including the 6-1 a few weeks back).
I don't know about the rest of you but, despite the obvious facts that: a) they are shite; b) we are starting to play some decent football; and c) we're scoring goals a plenty and getting great results to boot... I am still nervous about Saturday's game. There is always a part of you that thinks 'they can't lose 7 on the bounce, surely'.
Well they can, and they will, if we take the game to them, play OUR game, and punish them the same way we have done in the last 3 games. Many are commenting that the opposition in our last 3 have been poor. I would agree with that. But part of that is that we have made them look even worse than they actually were. Did anyone come away from Craven Cottage or Turf Moor and think Fulham and Burnley were good teams. I didn't. I thought we were shite, full stop.
I have also been fairly impressed with DM's use of his squad just recently. We all know it's small, but then how many PL managers have 4 players all out with cruciate ligament injuries? I would guess this has never happened in the history of the PL. And I would also advocate that DM will rotate his squad again on Saturday lunchtime. Isn't it lovely to use the words Everton and rotation in the same sentence?
My personal choice would be:
Howard
Heitinga, Yobo, Distin, Neill
Pienaar, Osman, Fellaini, Bilyaletdinov
Cahill, Saha
Subs: Nash, Hibbert, Baines, Rodwell, Gosling, Jo, Yakubu
Sounds tasty to me... and I just have a sneaky feeling, you know like when you suspect two buses might come along together after waiting so long...
Stewart Littler, Posted 23/09/2009 at 22:58:37
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I’ve got to be honest and say I agree entirely with everything you say, past 3 seasons they have been a bogey side for us; I know on paper we should get the 3 points but football never works that way... does it?
I’m glad your not Everton’s manager.
Howard
Hibbert, Distin, Yobo, Baines
Pienaar, Fellaini, Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov
Saha, Yakubu.
At right back that is — not Lleft back!
And you drop Rodwell for Osman.
Another vote for "I’m glad your not Everton manager"!
Howard
Heitinga Yobo Distin Baines
Pienaar Rodwell Osman Bilyaletdinov
Cahill
Saha
Subs:
Nash Hibbert Jo Gosling Yakubu Neill Fellaini
All of a sudden, the strenght in depth looks healthy with Neville Arteta and Jagielka to return late November early December!
I also might go with two strikers but that’s up to Moyes... Cahill was rested to be fit for this game I assume so might as well use him.
Rodwell and Cahill will start unless Moyes is now picking his teams out of a hat.
Mind you, he might just fancy breaking the habits of a lifetime. The squad is looking strong — a bit lean perhaps, but definitely strong.
Howard
Heitinga
Yobo
Distin
Baines
Pienaar
Rodwell
Fellaini
Cahill
Bilyaletdinov
Saha
Bench: Nash; Hibbert; Neill; Gosling; Osman; Jo; Yakubu
Not looking too bad, especially when one considers the players that are unavailable.
Baines and Rodwell are highly rated by myself, and obviously by Moyes, as along with Howard & Distin, they are the only ones to have played all of our last 4 games. As it will be virtually impossible to rest them for Borislov, and as we face a heck of a trip there and back, that would be my team in order to rest those 2 players.
I am, though, also glad that I am not Everton’s manager, which I think takes the vote to 3. I think your comments, Dick & James, also highlight what a mess we’d be in if Baines were to be injured or suspended.
Just to point out though that Bily has played left back for Russia and could provide cover there if push came to shove.
Can we really expect Portsmouth to lose 7 on the bounce?
Of course we are full of confidence at the moment, but I don't think it will be as easy as some predict.
1-1 for me.
I would think that Portsmouth will try not to lose on Saturday rather than go for a win, so we need players to unlock the doors. It seems we now have options out wide and in Bily, Pienaar and Osman — players who can interchange.
I like Dennis’s team and I think that's what we will go for, imagine in a couple of weeks with Arteta and Jags back the team selection....
Of course playing soccer is not like flipping a coin — the losing streak of coin tosses has no impact on the next coin toss. But a losing streak of football matches can have an affect on morale/confidence etc, or cause changes in selection and tactics etc or add an air of determined desperation. All these factors have an effect, but probably on balance they make it even harder for the team on the losing streak.
Also, they won mid-week against Carlisle so the streak has been broken in all competitions.
The fact is that Everton are playing well and Portsmouth have lost 6 "top 8 " quality players over the summer - Distin, Johnson, Defoe, Crouch, Krancjar and Sean Davis. They have also lost Nugent. Not sure that any of 8 signings they have made (on loan or free transfers) are anything like that quality. The team that doubled us last year was much stronger than the team we will be facing on Saturday. If we play with confidence we should win.
Also Lawro on the BBC has us down for a draw. I think he has got nearly all his predictions wrong for us this season — he keeps tipping us to do well. But his overall rate is quite good — around 89% of results correct.
I agree with Dennis Stevens’s line-up — in that that is the one I think Moyes will pick. But I would like to see Osman in the centre — perhaps as a second-half sub for Cahill or Fellaini. Although more likely he will come on for Bily on the right flank.
If anything he is a breath of fresh air, and does not have a one-foot problem. I have a feeling that the manager will see it differently. Jack will continue to improve, and get the experience he needs.
So long as we go out there, play our game, keep it on the floor, I think we’ll batter them.
Hopefully...
Norman, same re Rodwell, who has been one of our best players this season. And he has played 360 mins in 13 days.
James, perhaps my back 4 could read Neill, Heitinga, Yobo, Distin then. It’s nice to have options as they say.
My point was we have the players available this weekend to keep things fresh. Two of those are ineligible for Thursday, meaning Hibbert & Baines will play, and I think Stoke will be a tougher game than Pompey, and we may struggle if the likes of Baines, Rodwell, Distin have all played 6 games in 21 days going into that fixture.
Ok, Portsmouth are terrible at the moment. However, they have been a bit of a bogey team the last few seasons and we don’t seem to do that well down there (Fulham, anyone?).
The PL is also the most important competition we are in, including the Europa League. A win is the most important thing. Start with the strongest team:
Howard
Heitinga, Yobo, Distin, Baines
Pienaar, Rodwell, Fellaini, Bily
Cahill
Saha
And if we are cruising with 20 or 30 mins to go then rest the players that need it (Baines, Rodwell).
Don’t take a win for granted.
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1 Posted 24/09/2009 at 17:29:10
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