The Mail Bag
Neville is To Be Blamed for the Hoofball
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I was watching the game last Saturday and my heart was wrenched. Also, I couldn’t help but noticed that Phil Neville was the main culprit behind the hoofball rally, followed by Hettinga. It seems that Neville is unable to take on Liverpool midfielders and defenders and would rather try to pass a long one to Landon Donovan every time.
I think Hibbert had improved on that deparment because he was willing to take on defenders and play join up football with the likes of Fellaini and Osman and even Pienaar (before he got injured). But, last Saturday, Neville just could not wait to let go of the ball. He kept bombing our centre forwards with his hoofballs, hoping that by some luck, we would create an opportunity.
I mean, if the captain had started that crap, then, the rest of the team would follow. I simply cannot understand why Neville could not join up with Arteta and just to allow Landon Donovan to work out his magic. When possible, Landon did threathen the Liverpool goal with his lethal crosses. The problem is, he was not given enough opportunity to put in his lethal crosses. Enough crosses by Landon would’ve resulted in a goal or two, for sure. But how can that be if Neville kept wanting to lob the ball far giving Liverpool’s right back every opportunity to intercept?
I think it’s time the captain is to be benched and let Coleman work his magic. I think we need Coleman’s adventerous nature to work up our right flank. I think it’s high time Neville calls it quits. I do not think Neville has enough quality to take on defenders.
We had a good 40 minutes after the goal to work out some magic down the right. We wasted it by lobbing hoofballs into the box each time we had possession. What kind of crap play is that, may I ask? I say, let's bring back Hibbert and let Neville watch from the bench. It was a winnable game, and we blew it, big time.
Rahman Talib, Posted 08/02/2010 at 00:18:51
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Why make him captain? because he sat on the bench at Old Trafford for 10 years whilst players with real talent, and even his brother played week in and week out? Ferguson only ever took pity on Neville during meaningless League Cup games or European games when United had already qualified.
What can he do other than completely patronise each and every Everton fan in the paper a few days before big games?
He is fucking shite, he might be the oldest and most experienced (watching from the sidelines type of experience) of our squad, but that is no reason to make him captain, let alone play him week in and week out regardless of what he does - or doesn’t do.
His error on Saturday was off the fucking richter scale, even my 11 year old cousin would know to get goal side of a player when defending a corner, how he managed to be the wrong side of Kuyt in the six yard box, I’ll never know, un-fucking-believable.
Although Phil Neville does remind me of a young Paul Daniels....
But John, most of what you say is angry nonsense. That Neville’s been terrible recently doesn’t rewrite history to say that he’s been terrible all along, he hasn’t.
It seems we have "no fear" of Chelsea. Of course we don’t fear Chelsea...not whilst we are wearing our brown shorts that is !
I, for one, Mr Fantastic, think we’ll get stuffed. What a beaut !
If we were in a relegation struggle - unlikely but still not impossible this year - he would be an asset. Against many a PL team in that position he can still play a good game for us. His armband puts him on and keeps him on.
That’s the problem.
Very good squad player, but first choice? Where? RB is the only position he can hold down, and I am a Coleman fan. And I fear Moyes will find it very difficult to make the change where its needed.
Heitinga is our new ’captain’, the guy who directs the field in front of him. He doesn’t do ’hoofball’, he picks out long passes. Our Neville, a good player in a Royal Blue jersey who should be respected as such, hits and hopes.
I sincerely hope that the man who really counts in this, David Moyes, is working it all out for himself.
I don’t expect any change soon, as the month of death goes on, but please let us see Heitinga, Fellaini and Arteta take this league by the scruff of its neck for a few more months after that.
Heitinga is a class player, who has found out how the PL works. I don’t often think this about just any player, but he could become one of our greats, in the same league as Ratty.
I am surprised at the adulation for Coleman expressed by several commentators. On what is this high regard based? How many minutes of quality football has he played in the Premier League? He may prove himself a great asset but so far the support is greater than the evidence. Incidentally, Moyes does see him regularly in training so has some more information than the rest of us.
I watched him in that game against BATE, and he looked like a perfectly good RB to me, plus with a bit more of what Baines brings to us.
Coleman is a big game player - he thrives in front of the crowd, under the floodlights. I’ll bet you on the training ground he’s as gentle as a lamb.
It is one of the more unattractive aspects of Moyes’s management; his obsession with having ’characters’ and a player in Neville who can bark out his PE instructions on the pitch. But I won’t get angry because Moyes is here to stay and Neville is the next in line. A mediocre club inhabited by mediocre people.
Coleman and Donovan on the right? Might as well throw the defense book down the river they’ll bump into each other bombing endlessly down the flank like no tomorrow.
Jonny future captain? This actually sounds plausible. He has this ice-cold demeanor about him. No quite psychopathic, more thoughtful ruthlessness about him. He looks more German than Dutch since he doesn’t appear to thinking solely about himself but concentrates on the team. I like the way he confrontated stevie cheat on the peanuts knee-kick.
We need a proper disciplinary at the back Capello-style not some pussy motivation speaker.
The problem with Neville is that he’s genuinely shit. No saving grace whatsoever. Captain Pointsalot. No reason for being on the pitch.
This isn’t a reflex action to the derby — I’ve personally seen Neville as a liability for a good three years. No pace, first touch, passing or crossing ability — he doesn’t even have a tackle on him.
I’m not Hibbert's biggest fan, but I’d have him at right-back rather than Neville every day of the week.
It ain’t gonna happen though — this is the fabled Moyes/Nev partnership of mediocrity we’re talking about.
If he plays tonight (god forbid) he will most probably just run around doing nothing, and if he gets he ball will just hoof the ball right into the Chelsea defence.
Ste Lewis — He was completely to blame for the goal, Howard only rushed off his line because Neville had not done his job, which is to make sure the striker is no threat from a corner, i.e. get goal side.
James Stewart — I can’t accept he is my club's captain, I never have and never will; a captain should be the one player that can make a difference and change a game, e.g. Fabregas / Gerrard. The only time Neville puts in effort is in the Echo the Friday before a game, patronising me and you.
Mike Allison — Neville has never been decent Mike, if you go the game week-in and week-out, you would know that, all he has ever done whilst he has been with us is write up utter shite in the paper about "how we can beat so and so" "how we can do this" etc etc, yet the next day on the pitch he goes completely missing, unless its against Liverpool, in which case he might embarrass us by putting through his own net, being sent off, or failing to be goal side of a striker in the 6-yard box from a corner.
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1 Posted 08/02/2010 at 15:10:24
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The right way to do it is the Rodwell way. Gently does it.