The Mail Bag
I want a Superstar
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Most believe we have best squad for years but talk of us being back among the big boys is premature. We are nowhere near consistent: the next step, as it has been for years, is top 4 and winning trophies.
I love our team ethic. I truly believe Cahill, Arteta, Jagielka and the team makes me proud... battling adversity and being best of the rest. However, this is not good enough for me and I want a world beater. I want a player I truly love; Rooney was the last one, I got so excited and never stopped talking about him till he left! We have good players but not one top of the tree, i.e. Fabregas, Drogba, Torres.
How do we get a world beater? Homegrown?? Rodwell has potential but suspect it will be 3 or 4 years before we know. I like our players and Moyes has worked wonders in the transfer market but can he pull a rabbit out of the hat and get that world beater we need who can win games single-handedly and propel us among the big boys?
It can be done with little money... although only Wenger appears successful — Fabregas, Van Persie, Henry... Unknown players do exist and are out there waiting to be plucked from obscuriy.
I want a player to adore. If Moyes pulls it off, I will start to believe he is the Messiah; but until then, like doubting Thomas, I will not believe it — no matter how many Manager of the Year awards he picks up.
Peter Warren, Posted 22/02/2010 at 19:31:39
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Goalkeepers: To be honest there’s not a lot between Howard and Van der Sar but I’d have to choose Howard because he’s younger.
Defenders: I think you would have to give Evra the edge over Baines, just but I’d rather have Heitinga and over Brown and Distin vs Evans was close to. I’d certainly pick Phil over Gary.
Midfield: Man Utd’s midfield of Park, Fletcher Valencia and Carrick are actually pretty weak and I don’t think I’d swap any of them for Arteta, Pienaar, Osman, Bily or Donovan.
Strikers: Of course Rooney is the best, possibly in the world... but that's the only real big difference between the sides. I wouldn’t have Owen in the Everton team and I feel Saha is better then Berbatov.
So my Everton/Man Utd side would look like this:-
..................Howard
P Neville Heitinga Evans Evra
Donovan Arteta Fletcher Pienaar
........Saha Rooney
Thats 7 Everton players and only 4 Man Utd.
Given he has been a steady if not brilliant goalkeeper for us over the last couple of years but his confidence or lack of competition has really brought some of his faults out this season. His reaction time to incidents in the box is terribly slow, he needs to command his area a lot better and his kicking is attrocious for a modern day keeper.
I assume you were just going off Saturday's teams, which is fine but you also seem to have put Fletcher in the middle, ahead of MotM candidate Osman even though you say he's weak & wouldn't get in our team, which I happen to agree with?
Ashley Cole is looking for a new club according to the tabloids as Chelsea haven't stood by him. As we haven't got cover for Baines, he would be an ideal sub to have. Lot of good pubs in Widnes for him to pick up chicks after a reserve match...
I know what you’re saying, but to be honest, Arteta, Pienaar, Saha and Fellaini have all had spells in the last couple of years where they’ve been untouchable. If that didn’t excite you, I feel sorry for you.
I truely beleive Fellaini will be one of the top midfielders in the world within 2 or 3 years.
That player is a pacy winger. The addition of Donovan has shown what many if not most of us have been crying out for for a couple of years — pace on the wing. Unfortunately we won’t be able to keep him in all likelihood (and I don’t know if he would be happy to play on the wing long term either?), so it’s imperative that we bring in a similar replacement over the summer.
Other than that, the only major issue is squad depth. Our first team, when all are fit, is close to excellent. But I don’t think we depth to cope over the course of a season. With more than a couple of players out, we will probably struggle for morale and consistency as we have this season.
There is a question over whether Yakubu will ever get back his sharpness, and many are saying we should get rid of him asap. Personally I think that there are signs that he’s getting some form and fitness back, and think/hope that a solid preseason of hard work will do him wonders. He’s coming back from an extremely serious injury, and I personally think we should give him the benefit of the doubt for now. We do need another quality striker to add depth to the team, just not necessarily a superstar.
This is not Real Madrid with £300m of debt underwritten by the Spanish govt, this is the real world. Even Man U can’t buy superstars these days.
Typical of some Evertonians. Wishing, wanting, dreaming. Be grateful for what we have. It’s good and potentially great.
Jô was an overrated, shot -snatching, me me me, selfish, run-home, man-bitch.
He should have had the badge ripped off his shirt.
I don’t really want another superstar, thanks.
Would a threesome with Lucy Pinder and Kelly Brook be any good? I doubt Kelly would be into Lucy and it would be a little awkward.
My guess is that the threesome would be an over-rated disappointment, just like Premier League superstars Robinho, Michael Owen, Patrick Kluivert and Andrei Arshavin.
Sometimes things appear great in your head but can’t deliver in reality.
These clubs all have such players because, in all but Arsenal’s case, they could afford to buy them in the first place, and in all cases including Arsenal’s, have the money and profile to hang on to them.
All among the best in the world in their own positions, but (and I know this is stating the obvious, sorry) as Liverpool in particular have shown this year, having one or even two stand-out players (if you count Gerrard as such also) doesn’t make you a great side if you don’t have quality in every position — something perhaps even better demonstrated by Man City’s performance last season (and by the fact that having strengthened across the board they are a far better side for it this year).
I think we have a squad now where we have at least one excellent player for every position on the pitch bar right back — though Neville has been a great servant, I think the next priority for Moyes should be finding us a right back of the same quality as Baines shows on the left (I’m giving Howard the benefit of the doubt here — I know he make the odd error but so do most keepers, and I think on balance you’d have to say he’s in the top 5 or 6 keepers in the league). Once that’s done, surely our next priority for recruitment this summer and beyond should be ensuring we have quality back up in every position — something we already have in central defence, and across the midfield (if we can secure a permanent deal for Donovan). So, a top right back, another good striker and a back up for Baines, and I’ll be confident we can kick on for top 4 on an annual basis.
After that — maybe we can start thinking about attracting the ’superstars’ — though be careful what you wish for. Would you swap any one of Pienaar, Saha, Fellaini or Arteta for Robinho?
I admit the Andrei Arshavin example is debatable but he’s too inconsistant for my taste. I wouldn’t swap him for Arteta, Fellaini or Pienaar. And to be honest I think I’d rather have Donovan too.
Sky decide who the superstars are anyway so we will have to ask them if they can make one of our lads into one! I suggest Fellaini.
That season we finished 4th from bottom didn’t we?
To be honest a superstar is a player who gets media attention.
For example there’s probably not much between John Terry and Phil Jagielka. In terms of quality there’s probably very little between them.
But Terry is a superstar because of all the media attention he gets from Sky and the tabloids while Jags is a quiet family man who Sky have very little interest in.
You watch the start of Sky’s Super Sunday programme. The opening credits feature four players, Rooney, Gerard, Terry and someone else who I can’t remember now.
Everytime that programme starts kids watching are exposed to more hype around the ’Big 4’.
Its Sky who make the superstars. Thats why they gave Rodwell man of the match. They want him to do well and sign for Man Utd so they can eventually replace Terry in their superstar stable.
Memory plays tricks, I know, but I’m fairly certain that there is an unconscious collective decision at the match that so and so is IT. Happened with Young; happened with Ball.
Perhaps the best tests of whether or not Blogs is a legend / superstar is that no-one needs to query it. It’s simply known.
You fail to understand the point - I realise we can’t buy a so called "ready made superstar" now - ie Drogba etc. But there are unearthed gems out their, superior to the calibre of the Artetas, such as Fabregas. Another to use Wenger as an example was Viera. That is the point I am making and I am trying to stress that money, to some extent at least, is an excuse as players do exist, it’s just who has the skill, scouting network to spot them.
I stand corrected to many who say Fellaini is potentially a superstar and agree entirely. I hope him and Rodwell do become superstars although I still say it’s early days as yet.
As inconsistent as they can be Evans is not much better.
He has bags of potential i give you that but more often than not he has been weak in Utd’s back 4.
He was terrible against us and not much better against Milan last week.
And from other games i have seen him play in nothing stands out that strikes me as fantastic.
I have to admit I would take Jonny Evans over Distin and Yobo. There’s not alot in it but Evans is young and will improve while Distin and Yobo are going the other way now.
I would pay to go and watch
Duncan Ferguson
Kanchelskis
Alan Ball
Alex Young
Bob Latchford
The whole 1970 championship team
The whole 1985 championship team
I went to a sportsman evening when Brian Labone was the speaker he brought Alex Youngs contract with him.
Young was on £50 a week and £1 for every 1000 people above 50,000 we got for a home game, so for example if we got 56,000 for Spurs the big team of the time, he would get £56 for that week.
Labby joked that Young only ever turned it on at home and this was why, because he was on a few quid more.
It’s true that, right now, Everton don’t have any one player who you could say is a standout ’talisman’ figure. Cahill might be closest, except he’s gone off form this season and is now injured. Other possibles are still developing - Fellaini, Rodwell - or have been out injured - Arteta, Yakubu - or are too new to the club (Saha, Heitinga).
So, you’re going to have to be patient. Even if we sign a potential Henry or Fabregas in the summer, we won’t know it for sure for a year or two, ditto the development of current potential ’talismans’ in the squad.
But look on the bright side - our current squad has ability in every position and is starting to play like a team; who care’s if there’s no one focal point, maybe the team is better off for it.
And why would a true superstar, Kaka, Ronaldo, Eto’o, Xavi, Iniesta, Ibrahimovic etc etc want to join a team like Everton?
This is fantasy stuff and makes no logical sense whatsoever.
For many fans I believe it’s not a player but our Manager, who is our talisman. Personally, because our players were a crock of shi* before he arrived, I think his skills have been over egged and I think, like fellani he has potential, but not there yet. I think unearthing a talisman (and Fellani has potential) will catapult both the team and him onto "greatness"
We all want that mate, thats a given!
With knobs on....
The only exception to the rule is a true quality striker. They’re rare and valuable, but Saha on form compares to just about anybody (stay healthy Louis).
What happens if you bring in some superstar who thinks of himself as one? I don’t want any mercenaries in this squad. The Robinhos of the world can score an odd fancy goal every so often, but the cancer they breed in the team isn’t worth it.
He was never my view of a superstar... more a superthug!!
Ferguson was a top quality player in a very, very mediocre team. We would have played like junk with or without him. Yes we might have played a few less long balls, but you can keep it on the deck and still play like garbage (see WBA last year). The difference is that we probably would have been relegated had big Dunc not been with us. The guy was a superb, essential player for us and I will never be persuaded otherwise, whatever his (numerous) faults.
I really like the overall picture of the club, the team ethic, camaraderie, stability and youth. Take a look at the U-18’s!! — they haven’t conceded a goal in 11 games, that at any level of football is exceptional and some of those players will surely make it.
Our record in producing players is second to none so something must be right about the club. I was thinking that Man Unt haven’t hardly produced a single player since the Neville, Scholes and Giggs era and Benitez is making a great job of not producing any talent as well, well done to him.
In the meantime other clubs are paying £2 million for lads who didn’t even make the cut at our club (Fox) and even stupider clubs £4m and £6m for other cast offs (Baines and Jagielka). Being an Evertonian is just full of contradictions.
Think about the Arteta we saw at the beginning of 2009, right up until the Newcastle game. He was as good as any midfielder in the Premier League, bar none. Also, he doesn’t spit on people. I’ll take Arteta any day (again, assuming full fitness).
He does hold the outstanding record of being the most fouled player in the league though so I guess that's something!
Haha. Does this end the debate?
Robinho was signed from Real wasn’t he? I see he fulfilled the same role for City that he did for Madrid — overpaid and over hyped superstar who knows naff all about being a team player.
It’s not just about superstars; you mention Fabregas — did he make headline news when he signed for Arsenal — or was he an unknown? It’s whilst he’s been at Arsenal that he has become a superstar. He wasn’t one when he first signed for them.
I’m fine with Neville at right back for games where we may be on the back foot for a long while, but when teams shut up our left side we look such a weaker team.
Im hoping Coleman will be the answer, but still can’t understand if he’s that good why won’t moyes play him? Want to see more of him.
But a "superstar" is gonna cost money, and this is one thing we don’t have
Burridge
Cole - Terry - Woodgate - Van Den Hauwe
Bellamy - Barton - Bowyer - Pennant
Robinho - Maradonna
Manager Tommy Doc
You should have found a place for Pippo Inzaghi though!
Man U get a little sucess and you let it go to your head. Be thankful you have a kickass team that can handle any team on the planet... and leave the galactico shit for Real Madrid.
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1 Posted 23/02/2010 at 06:44:16
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I was very pleasantly suprised by the team’s performance on Saturday but I cannot — as much as I would like to — buy in to the "We’re as good as the 69-70" hype. Yet.
If they want that kind of status, Saturday’s form has to be replicated time and again and, eventually, they have to win something.
You hit the nail absolutely on the head when you write of an iconic player. If and when that players emerges, we won’t have to ask if he is the one: we will know it, as we did with Bally.