The Mail Bag
Fulham
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Who could not admire that magnificant comeback from Fulham against Juventus, full credit their team and manager.
What I find so frustrating is that man for man we are far superior to them yet we went out of Europe with a whimper against an inferior side to Juve in Sporting Lisbon.
I'm not really a Moyes basher, but I hope he watched and learned what happens when you send a side out to have a real go, rather than with negative tactics and full of fear like he did against Sporting.
Ste Traverse, Posted 19/03/2010 at 02:00:36
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That said, we didn’t go out to SP because of the defeat in Lisbon, but because of some shambolic defending in the home game. That changed the tie and gave SP the impetus they needed.
And to complete a bad day, the Dark Side march onwards into the Quarter-Finals, in spite of having a so-called bad season.
Also the fact they went 4-1 down on agg to comeback was remarkable.
No i do not believe Fulham are a better team than us, just sometimes you have to admire other’s achievements and I for one take my hat off to them.
I hope Fulham do go onto win this competition because aside from being a decent football club this would also show up Darling Moyes for what an overatted manager he is.
It is so fustrating to see an average Fulham along with the worst RS team I have ever had the pleasure to see progress whilst we are knocked out by distinctly average opposition.
The manner of out defeat against Lisbon still rankles with me as it was primarily down to appalling tactics in both legs by Moyes. I am a Moyes fan but why he didnt bury the game at home instead of trying to protect a 2 goal lead is beyond me. And then to pick the side he did for the return leg and send them out to defend when he had more defensively capable players on the bench (Rodwell and Gosling) is beyond me. And finally how Bulli survived past 30 minutes let alone half time is beyond me.
To all those who think DM will be the next Man U manager, our pathetic showing in europe means that we are totally safe from any danger of Man U poaching our manager.
I think having a go at Juve was really the only option. Or maybe DM would have tried to keep it tight at 4-1 down?
Wake up - they were competely different circumstances.
Yes, I admit to "sour grapes"
Well done fulham and well done Lyon turning over Madrid.
Relatively speaking I would add Inter’s win over chelsea to this welcome hole beneath the waterline of said excuse.
Regardless of the situation it is not in his nature to go hell for leather.
His substitutions in most cases come too late and often perplexing.
Often after only 15 or 20 minutes it seems that everyone except Moyes can see that player x is having a stinker. He will persevere with that player until we go behind. Injuries apart He rarely, if ever, makes a substitution if the game is evenly poised and there to be won..
Seriously, some of you have extremely short memories. Yes, I’m not happy with the way we went out in Lisbon but it was a different circumstance to that of Fulham - we were leading the tie and going away, they were behind but at home.
However I also remember that we completely took our foot of the gas in the last 15 minutes of the game probably due to Moyes fearing an away goal and we failed to get the initiative back in extra time - and then we went OUT !
Fulham may have HAD to go for it last night, they may have had some fortune also but they went for it in a way we would never do under Moyes.
Once trezeguet scored they sat back cmpletely and let Fulham come at them.
Once that happened Fulham had nothing to lose and the rest is history as they say.
Fulham were not spectacular by any means last night and hodgson is no genius. They took the game to an arrogant overrated bunch of players called Juventus and beat them.
How could we compare the relative merits of our players with others. It would end up being the blind leading the blind.
Hate to say it but Benitez is a good tactician , poor at a lot of other things but not tactics.
Don’t get me started on the way he wants his team to play. Makes Everton and Moyes seem like Brazil. If ever, there was a safety first coach, it is him. But, yes, full credit for wanting, and being able to turn the tie around. Will they win it? No
But, yes, Europe again frustrating, but again, not having a settled defense was the main issue, this year.
What I can agree with, is that Moyes must sort it out. I think he will!
Some how I feel they wont?
Too many Evertonians are prepared to gloss over every failing on the grounds that things are better than they were under Smith!
But why oh why do we have to use other teams achievements to belittle our own? It was only a few months ago people were pointing out how we should follow WIgans example after they beat a top side, and how Maritnez was a great manager. Well now they are 4 points off relegation, and have a goal difference of -31. Funnily enough, nobody mentions Wigan anymore. Roy Hodgson has done a good job at Fulham, but is he better than Moyes? He has got to keep Fulham up chasing Europe for a few seasons more before he convinces me he is better.
And Keith Slinger, what that all about ? Cant we discuss other soccer teams on here? Talk about insular!!!
I then went on to watch the goals/highlights at half time of the red shites match and jesus talk about rub of the green - penalties which every Evertonian and a few Chelsea fans would confirm have seen NOT given, sendings off for nothing etc etc - and as for the last goal - nice cross to far post so badly executed that it fooled everyone and snuck in. I also saw Fulham hit the bar and post which is more akin to Everton’s luck - take away the earlier fortunate incidents (which every team needs to win cup games) and Fulham are plucky losers.
When Roy Hodgeson (who I like and feel is about the only realistic alternative to Moysey should the Moyes baiters get their wish) matches Moyeseys awards (I think he may get one this year and well done to him) and consistant top 6 even top 4 finishes I will concede that Hodgeson is as good as Moyesey but currently he isn’t.
As for the ’you create your own luck’ bollocks - if this was true no one would bother with tactics or fitness or anything else but just work on their luck - any one got any ideas on how you actually do this? as I need to tweak my national lottery training because no matter how hard I train/try/go for it I still don’t seem to be winning.
I don’t think Fulham have a better squad than us - I think they have a manager who is willing to show some imagination and adventure in his tactics, rather than one who is over cautious.
Why have a £11M striker on the bench? Why always play 4-5-1?
At times I find it hard to believe that this is the same manager who in August 2002 v Spurs at Goodison on the opening day of the season (his first full season in charge of Everton) played a 4-3-3 formation!!!
I am happy for Roy Hodgson as he’s a gentleman in todays game and usually gives honest assement of games and praise of opponents.
However it does hammer home another big chance blown by Everton. Our record in europe is awful under Moyes. the last 16 being as far as we have gone is shocking.
I agree with an above poster Moyes is a great motivator but a not so great tactician.
Fulham had a right go and deserved to go through if we had been in that situation we would have gone 3-1 up only to give away a silly goal late on.
You say moyes will sort things out. How long are you willing to give him? 8 years he’s been here and he is still gutless and clueless, or is he still on his learning curve?
As an American soccer fan and EPL fan, I was happy for Dempsey first (wasn’t that a goal!) and the EPL side second.
How Moyes handles next year’s squad is the key to me. We’re a talented side and whereas overall shape is critical on the pitch, everything has to be geared to the attack.
ManU is the template. They keep it tight everywhere but gear all of it towards putting constant pressure on the opponent’s keeper. Ferguson’s earned his way with this well-organized, attacking style. Let’s see DM do it next year.
Maybe I haven’t been around here long enough to develop the cynicism of some. But it looks like Moyes got us from near-relegation status to mid-pack status. That has to stand for something. I’m thinking and hoping he’s the guy for the final leap to EPL Silverware contention.
Anyway, God Bless Fulham, but I’m not really interested beyond how Dempsey is doing leading up to the WC. I come in here to talk Toffee.
One of the popular themes of the Moyes bashers. There simply is no-one who glosses over Moyes’ failings, not one single person. We just react to them in a different way to you whingers and weigh them up within the context of all the things he succeeds at. Hence we criticise Moyes when we think he’s got stuff wrong, but still back him overall. I can’t understand why you find that so difficult to get your head round.
The notion that we lost the game against Lisbon in the first leg is a load of rubbish. We lost that game as soon as the lineup was named and a ball was kicked.
The 2nd half against Sporting was a pathetic capitulation obviously the manager was happy with the first 45 minutes despite clinging on to our advantage by the skin of our teeth.
Mentioning Fulham is apt as they had the exact same scoreline in the first leg against Shaktar as we did versus Sporting a 2-1 home victory.
Hodgson did not wank on about an away goal or try and protect the lead, no Fulham players thought that their opponents had the advantage, their team did not look terrified when playing in an intimidating ground, they had a gameplan and deserved to beat the champions.
Contrast this with Everton in Lisbon, we never played like we believed we would go through and that was the key difference. The team and the manager display an inferiority complex in big away games.
Anyway after all that Fulham deserve everything they get after the last two rounds and of the remaining sides left I hope they win it as well as Everton getting a record breaking number 7 on Saturday.
Well done Hodgson. I’d like to think Moyes is still learning but I’m not sure whether he will ever get the tactical nous that Hodgson or Mourinho has. Moyes is great in the transfer market, but it is that lack of experience that will always let Everton down.
Oh, I forgot-it’s all Blue Bill’s fault. How convenient.
Now I'm a Toffee fan. If this obviously talented side doesn't make the final leap upward, maybe I'll develop the cynicism so prevalent here regarding Moyes. But not yet because I have no reason. I'm pissed-off when we lose, but I have to see the team come out the gate "And there off" with the rest of the field and run the whole race. If I think Moyes's the problem, you and others will find a convert in me.
I simply feel from what I've seen, that next year is going to be a very good one for EFC.
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1 Posted 19/03/2010 at 02:55:32
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