The Mail Bag
Nev says it best when he says nothing at all!
Comments (39)
Let me start by saying that I normally don't mind the odd trumpeting report from our players on the OS, as it’s always nice to read positive reports even if they appear to be slight PR stunts.
However, the article on the OS today from Phil Neville has incensed me more than any I have read. Whilst I’m sure the sentiment is positive it come across unbelievably negative.
If you haven't read it, the basic premise is our squad is good enough to beat anyone on their day so we don't need to bring anyone in this summer.
So there we go... our season is disappointing despite injuries this year, and now we can look forward to yet another inactive summer. All purely in the hope that we have better luck with injuries next year to push on!
Now if we were on the cusp of winning the league and brushing away everyone in our stride, I could agree, and in fact on our day we can beat anyone, as we have shown against Man City, Chelsea & Man Utd. The problem being that our day doesn’t happen often enough... Twice v Liverpool... Sporting... more recently, Wolves & West Ham are all examples of where we just weren’t on our game — and there are many others.
What we need is a squad that provides options from the bench that enable us to change games when we are not quite at it. It is naïve to believe that we won’t have any injuries next year, so please let’s not adopt this attitude and get out there in the summer and improve our squad again!
Dave Whitwell, Posted 07/04/2010 at 13:19:36
Comments
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer
Patty's right too, Moyes should have made a substitution earlier, but he's the type to hang on to what he's got.
Anyway... I hear that Sir Philip Carter is again excited by our transfer plans this summer.
Just joking... honest!
BUT, such patronizing crap exactly mirrors the patronizing crap from P Neville. We're not even good enough to beat the likes of Stoke, Wolves or Hull on our day. Or do we plan on running the team on a 'que sera sera' basis rather than planning and organising for success.
This kind of illogical claptrap has only one purpose: "buy your season tickets now, dummies, but you've been warned: we'll get fuck all in during the summer."
After all, if the Club Captain says it, we're more likely to believe him than we are Billy BS.
One certain fact glares at us: the messenger is one player who needs to be put into retirement sooner rather than later.
Every time he says something about us being this, being that, capabale of this and that, we don't do anything! He ranted on about us wanting to get to the FA Cup Final and go that step further earlier on in the season and we got knocked out; he said something about "We really want to win the Europa League and are capable of it", we got knocked out; he even said something about making the top 4 not being out of are reach; when we were having some great form in the first couple of months of this year when Donovan was on fire for us and look at us now: nowhere near — not even top 6 and that was more realistic!
I wish sometimes he'd shut up or think about what he's saying first before opening his mouth or just do his talking on the pitch because, if he was as good as how he talks, then he'd be some player... but he ain't. He's shite and he's probably saying we don't need to sign any new players anyway so that he can keep his place in our side but next season he's going to have young Coleman breathing down his neck for a start at RB and I hope he gets his chance because Neville is shite and offers very little.
He ain't even a great captain to me either, I don't see him dragging the team along and geeing us up when times are tough, there's other, more influential players in our side than him now: Johnny even Arteta who should be made team captain, let Nev be club captain or give him a role on the coaching staff cos he aint good enough for are side anymore come next season IMO!
I agree that Pienaar should have been subbed a lot earlier too, Patty!
The turnaround came after almost beating the Gooners at the Emirates and we have done very well since. Okay, we have dropped needless points since then due to a variety of reasons but a number of other teams have shown great improvement over last season and that has also helped keep us out of the top 4 as well as the poor start and Injuries.
Donovan was an exciting acquisition who livened up our attacking options but we have fallen back again in that department, hence our collective disappointment. Despite this, we have been on a good run and are hard to beat even without Mikel and Mophead. Jags looks like he needs more games and certainly Coleman is a great prospect.
With Donovan probably coming back by the end of the year, I would say we can make the top 4 next season — as long as the injury bug stays away.
So we didn't beat Hull, Stoke or Wolves. And? Hull drew with Chelsea, Wolves won at Spurs, as did Stoke. And, in case it needs re-stating, Everton do not have any spare millions sitting around waiting to be spent.
So, why should we setting false expectations for a summer spending splurge? We have gates of 35,000 and a total turnover just over £80m, of which 65% goes straight out on salaries to keep our players a the club.
When will some Evertonians re-enter the real world? If all our squad is fit and we have a good start to the campaign then that's fine by me. Sure, I'd love Messi and Iniesta to join the squad. Dreams are just that, dreams.
What Phil Neville said is a) honest & candid, and b) reasonably accurate & realistic. Surely better than the constant drivel of wishes and wants aired on ToffeeWeb... only to be followed by the tsunami of indignation when we don't buy anyone.
Keep calm and carry on.
Can we please stop this meaningless and misleading shite about who we haven't beaten. We HAVE beaten Chelsea, ManU, Man City (twice) and (virtually) Arsenal. What does that say about us?
Since when did any team have a divine right to beat another? Infantile nonsense. What is it that make some football fans just whinge, and whinge,and whinge?
It's quite unbelievable to know, as I do, how so many fans of other clubs and so many experienced & informed pundits look upon EFC as a success story. And despite the complaints it obviously is. Our turnover is LESS THAN HALF that of Liverpool, yet we are on their tails in the league.
Our gates & revenue are mid-table (at best), because it seems we just don't have enough fans. Yet some of the fans we do have live in some early 1960's dream bubble where Everton play the best footy and always compete for the league.
After several years of watching & contributing to TW, I am yet to see one single coherent argument to support the grandiose ideals and expectations of these fans. Hang on tight guys, there's loads more disappointment to come & spleins ready to be vented.
Clearly no place for realism in the whinging world of disappointment & broken hearts.
A little perspective is always needed.
Oh and Phil Neville is not part of that dream or that future. All heart, no class.
Yes, we do punch above our weight and I do believe if we bought no-one in the summer we would continue to compete against teams in a different financial league to ourselves.
However, there is one stand out deficiency in the Everton team that we have all known for years and it has been proven this year when we had the problem solved for 10 weeks — that problem is our right hand side, particularly the attacking part.
The truth is we have been too easy to defend against since Donavan left — all teams know exactly what we know: stop Pienaar and Baines and you go a long way to stopping us. How many players did West Ham put on Pienaar on Sunday???
Going off the point a bit here, what I am trying to say is we may well sign no-one this summer but let's not say we can beat anyone and qualify for the CL if we don't. However, sign Donavan and make that our only business (along with keeping hold of Pienaar etc) and I believe we could.
He's right too in that if (and this is a big if) everyone is fit and available and on form then we can beat anyone in the league. Obviously that can't happen over 38 league games plus hopefully long cup spells so it is obvious (at least to us) that we do need signings. For me, it would be a RM, RB and possibly a striker.
Imagine the outcry if asked the same question as club captain, he said 'Yeah, we can be a bit shit sometimes and we need to sign a few players, especially down the right hand side where I play, because I'm defo past it and a bit shit now, and to be honest I was never that good in the first place'!!
Oh really Neville?
Did you miss the start of the season when we were shit because we'd absolutely no creativity after a couple of injuries....or maybe you missed how we dramatically improved after actually adding a bit of balance on the right? Or maybe you missed the bit when Donovan got on a plane and flew away...? Or the fact that our right back is utter shite?
This is not the first season that Neville has done the dirty work of Kenwright, and paved the way for a summer of austerity..
Neville should keep his fuckin mouth shut.
I would also try Coleman wide right in the Landon Donovan role for a game or two... he may be the answer and save us some money.
By the way, I noticed that Hibbo and Senderos played for the reserves and they lost to a very inexperienced Sunderland side... time to offload methinks!!
2 very good posts.
You say that we need to live in the real world (attendances, turnover etc) but should that not apply to our captain as well? Either he is not in the real world himself or he is deliberately trying to deceive the fans.
Any Everton supporter that knows their football understands that we do need reinforcements (cover for Baines & Howard as min). If the honest reason that we can't reinforce is insufficient funds then say so. Go one step further: say to the fans that if we are to buy another significant player then we need to fill 3,000 more seats a week.
The way I see it, Neville is either misleading the fans or displaying a really negative attitude — since when did staying the same ever amount to any significant progression?
The sooner Coleman comes in, the better; Neville must be so thankful that we had Hibbert previously as that made Neville look like Cafu when the reality is that, of the outfield players in starting 11, Neville is the least comfortable in possession.
Everything he says and does is a complete embarrassment. He's a walking cliche.
On the pitch he's a liability. No first touch, no pace — nothing.
The sooner he packs his bags the better.
Donovan would be a good buy and a couple more squad players. Remember the likes of Richardson and Sandy Brown and other players who served us well filling in for injured players.
What do you want him to say? That we are average and deserve nothing and that the boss should go?? We don't have to agree with him at the same time don't get down his throat.
Too many players on other teams have caused unrest in their respected dressing rooms by mouthing off this season. I'm sure Moyes and the team knows we need to invest, sure he has said it multiple times. Neville is just being Neville
BTW Alan, great posts.
We should expect nothing but the best because otherwise there is little point in turning up. I am not unrealistic in expecting us to shell out £30m or even £20m in the summer as we simply don't have it; however, we do know that all PL clubs should receive in the region of a further £8m due to overseas TV deals and if we need more then maybe we should look to cash in on somebody like the Lescott situation.
We are only a few decent players away from having a great squad that is genuinely capable of challenging for honours, but we simply won't have a squad without injuries next year so we must add players. I have every confidence in Moyes being able to improve this squad on a very modest budget, but I won't accept just settling for the squad we have now and finishing 7th-10th again.
You can be sure none of the others will stand still.
-----------------
To facilitate and justify the inability of the owners to provide sufficient or even average funds for improvement?
I think you're the one who doesn't understand the role of the captain... For several seasons now he's become a puppet for the politics regarding the financial management of this club... For me, this has nothing to do with the team captain.
I understand that we don't have the funds of many other clubs and our Board may not want to take on further debt in the current climate. I can live with that. Maybe we can unearth some more young gems, players from lower divisions etc as we have in the past. However, to state that we are happy with what we have and don't need further improvement is ridiculous. No team can stand still.
I hope!
No one talks ill of their bosses to the general public. Get a grip.
Captains have a responsibilty to ensure that the right kind of postive message goes out irregardless.
I doubt the board of directors sit him down each week and ask him to read aloud their propaganda.
Why would he say anything else?
Look at the shite. The players coming out every week harping on about investment. You can't tell me that makes for positive attitudes in the dressing room. The amount of internal gripes at liverpool is quite apparent.
Neville like the rest of the players get paid to do the best job they can.
No one talks ill of their bosses to the general public. Get a grip."
---------------
What bullshit!
Who said anything about anybody talking ill of their bosses at all, nevermind in public?
While I'm getting a grip, can you please try and read what's in front of you.
I think that Heitinga was a great signing last year as that improved the team in 2 positions. He is better than Neville in MF and Neville is better than Hibbert at RB.
Next year may be the time to start either Coleman or Heitinga at RB and give Rodwell the 1st team football that he needs. Either way, we need Neville in the dressing room, apparently he's great there!
Asked about Neville's comments and this is exactly what he said, "I think he's just scared of losing his position", says it all really doesn't it?
The Yak, there are rumours about him being sold and he doesn't hold his place in the team due to Saha's good season and his comeback from injury. His comeback to that question is that we need to improve the squad and increase competition for places and he sounds up for the challenge.
Neville on the other hand says we don't need anyone, we'd be ok with what we've got when all fit. In truth, when fully fit, our first 11 on paper is good but it just shows the mentality of our captain, don't it... not too keen on embracing change or competition for the benifit of Everton FC; he would rather settle for what we've already got going into the new season.
It wouldn't surprise me if he was thinking that Captain Nev should be one of the first players replaced this summer — just like the rest of us do!.
I'm glad at least not everyone in our squad (and I don't believe everyone of them would) is thinking we should settle for what we've got and that we need competition/cover for places to keep on challenging at the top end of the table.
Add Your Comments
In order to post a comment to the MailBag, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.
Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and MailBag submissions across the site.
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
1 Posted 07/04/2010 at 14:31:36
Report abuse
On the performances he has given when actually allowed to play for the 1st team, albeit as a substitute, we should not have let Coleman go to Blackpool and, I do believe, we are missing Yankee Doodle Dandy... still, who am I to judge, I'm only a mere woman.