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FAN ARTICLES

Great Expectations or False Hope?

By Dave Cooper :  30/12/2010 :  Comments (26) :
I fully expect this article to get panned. Let me say right off the top I am watching the Blues from the comfort of my basement but believe I am as loyal a Blue as can be without being physically able to watch them live. I do feel for the majority of Blues that make difficult away trips to places like WHU for a late afternoon kick off when the weather and traffic must be make you ask yourself ?Is it worth it?? after performances we have just seen.

The question that never seems to be answered by sports fans is ?Would you prefer to watch your team play badly and get 1 or 3 points?? or ?Would you prefer to watch them play entertaining football and lose??.

I think, in this day and age of professionalism in 2010, results mean everything and performance means little. How many times do you hear ?Well, we played poorly and still picked up a point??.or ?A good team (or even a title contending team) picks up points even when they are playing badly." However, the problem is that, if you take out the Liverpool and Man City games, we have been playing poorly in the other 17 games.

Some say that the table doesn?t lie? some even say we are lower than where we deserve to be? I believe in the former: we are where we deserve to be? but look at some of the details ? 21 goals in 19 games, among the worst return in the league. Is this all down to Moyes? Not in my mind? some of it definitely YES in both team selection, an defensive mindset and numbingly crazy tactics. Yet, despite all these 3 negatives, we still get chances to win matches.

In previous seasons, the likes of Arteta, Fellaini, Saha, Osman (even Lescott when he was here) contributed 3 or 4 goals? doesn?t sound like much but when you add it all up that makes 15 goals missing.

Our best run in recent years was when we played a settled team (because Moyes had no-one else to pick from); now he has extra players and he has no idea who to pick. I have long held the belief and seen it work that when you have a limited number of players who know they are going to play every week then eventually something good happens. It?s not rocket science. They know each other, they are not worried about being dropped or subbed early (not that that is ever going to happen).

Two prime examples who fall in to this category are Bily and Beckford ? both I think are anxious even nervous individuals who cannot get time on the field. Now how Moyes has handled these two is criminal and he has broken their confidence and spirit? Contrast this with Seamus who has been given an extended run in the team and benefitted. Am I saying these are the answer to our attacking problems?? Maybe... but, if they don?t play, no-one will know.

Is Moyes to blame ?YES? Is it ALL his fault? No. He has been let down by those who have chipped in goals before but are not doing it now.

Should he have given others a real chance to show what they can do? YES?. is he going to change his outlook? ?NO.

Would we be better off with someone else?? YES but who???? From those current managers in the Premier League, I would like to see Owen Coyle or even mighty Mick McCarthy in charge but those managers are not going to leave where they are. Would we want Houlier or Hodgson? ?definitely NO? So is it better the ?devil you know??

So where does this leave us looking forward to 2011? Strangely enough, with Tiger Tim leaving for 6 weeks, a new formation may just work? how would we feel when our best player and top scorer is not missed and we play better and start winning.?

Stranger things have happened?. ask Inchie Heath 20-odd years ago!!!!!

Reader Comments (26)

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Marcus Kendall
1 Posted 30/12/2010 at 20:36:39
Why would you want Mick McCarthy??????
James Stewart
2 Posted 30/12/2010 at 20:36:58
Coyle
Holloway
André Villas Boas

NO way to Mick!

Agree with the rest.
Marcus Kendall
3 Posted 30/12/2010 at 20:43:48
Villas Boas is top drawer, not sure he'd come to Everton though...
Brian Waring
4 Posted 30/12/2010 at 20:42:10
I mentioned it on another thread, but I would love to see Bily play in his natural position, just behind the front man. He's got a great dig on him, technically he looks good. I can see it now, Bily picking the ball up, and playing a defence splitting ball, that Beckford pounces onto with his pace, to score, can't see either of them ever starting a game under Moyes though.
Simon Jenkins
5 Posted 30/12/2010 at 21:01:55
"Would we be better off with someone else?? YES but who????"

How can you say we would be 'better off with someone else' when you can't even name who that would be?

Coyle is having one good season with Bolton but then Mike Walker had one good season with Norwich too.

McCarthy has never done anything at club level, apart from promotion/relegation.

David Moyes is a proven manager who has invariably finished in the top half, most of the time in the top 8. He is exactly what we would look for in a replacement, so why sacrifice him in the first place?
Marcus Kendall
6 Posted 30/12/2010 at 21:06:36
Being a little harsh on Coyle I feel; he did superbly at Burnley and is repeating that at Bolton. Also,listening to him makes you feel he's going to take you places. Positive thinker.
James Stewart
7 Posted 30/12/2010 at 21:19:41
Villas Boas is probably a stretch too far for us, you're right... but you never know. He would certainly change things and let's not forget, Moyes is one of the best-paid managers in the league! He will be earning more than Villas Boas.
Marcus Kendall
8 Posted 30/12/2010 at 21:30:14
True, James... Villas Boas will move on but it's his first season at Porto and he's only 33 so it won't be yet, I feel.
Ray Robinson
9 Posted 30/12/2010 at 22:28:09
Mick McCarthy? The only manager in the league more negative than Moyes? The manager that set his side up last season to achieve 0-0 draws in order to avoid relegation. Did you see our match at Wolves last year? They had one shot in their own home match!
Marcus Kendall
10 Posted 30/12/2010 at 23:04:39
I agree, Ray. Mick McCarthy is average... and I'm being kind to him.
Jimmy Hacking
11 Posted 30/12/2010 at 23:31:48
AAAAARGH!!! Will you people stop salivating after these Mickey-Mouse managers just because they have ground out a few wins at small clubs... is that really the limit of your ambitions? Owen sodding Coyle? Ian sodding Holloway?

I assume that those of you who suggested McCarthy did so as a joke. I wouldnt leave them in charge of the reserves. We are too good for those clowns, there is literally no point in appointing them. We may as well stick with Moyes, for better or worse.

Billy Fisher
12 Posted 30/12/2010 at 23:00:11
Owen Coyle is a mercenary who would drop us like a ton of bricks if a better offer came up, and McCarthy is not better than Moyes.
Larry Boner
13 Posted 30/12/2010 at 23:11:47
Dont get me wrong: I have no axe to grind with Mr Moyes, but he needs to change his view of how a football game can be changed, can be won, can be entertaining, and can be worth the price of admission for supporters. He needs to give potential supporters a reason to take notice of the club and follow it, something all great and innovative coaches, or managers have always done.

I give credit to Mr Moyes for his foresight in taking his coaching qualifications, studying coaches and teams around the world, training methods, etc. What worries me is he may now think he has the answer and it is the players letting the system down that has left him relatively unsuccessful in his career.

He never appears flexible in the way he sets his team up and the way he wants them to play. The Cahill role at West Ham with Arteta supporting was something I was looking forward to seeing ? Arteta closer to the attacking end of the pitch, driving into the box, having shots... but it didn't pan out like that. Arteta looked just as lost and ineffective, which is where Mr Moyes should have made a change, bringing on possibly Bily to play in the support striker role. But no, he persisted with the set-up, thus nullifying our leading scorer.

I find the whole experience of following Everton now almost too painful to bear; the matchday at Goodison ? boring in the extreme, apart from the odd game; watching on TV consisting of screaming at the TV for 90 mins, generally shouting "I don't fuckin believe it" like a foul mouthed Victor Meldrew...

People on this site have mentioned potential replacements for Mr Moyes: Coyle, Hughes etc, but the guy who intrigues me is Villas Boas of FC Porto. This is a guy who has never played professional football, is only 33, took his coaching badges illegally at 17 and worked on Mourinho's staff; Porto now sit top of the Portuguese league with 38 points from 42, breaking all sorts of records along the way. When Porto appointed him he had only managed in 20 odd games.

Would he be interested in the Everton job? Wel,l he speaks fluent English and his grandmother was born in England...

Ideally, I would like Mr Moyes to be successful at Everton, by playing adventurous, attacking football. Change the dour style, we would win more than we lose (or draw!). If not, and we don't change, then Mr Moyes will seal his own fate; he will resign possibly, maybe citing lack of ambition by the club, lack of support by the board, any number of reasons.

He has it in his own power to change the way he sets his team up, to be more aggressive in his team selections and substitutions, because, if he does not, I can see gates of 20-25,000 next season, when the cuts start to bite and money is scarce.

If he left, would this board make an appointment like Villas Boas? I don't think they would... so come on Mr Moyes, don't be a John Malkovich, be a Scottish Villa Boas!

Ian McDowell
14 Posted 31/12/2010 at 00:21:12
Interesting Larry about Villa Boas from FC Porto ? I've just been reading about him; it would be a very bold move.
Steve Smith
15 Posted 31/12/2010 at 01:04:13
"Now how Moyes has handled these two is criminal and he has broken their confidence and spirit? Contrast this with Seamus who has been given an extended run in the team and benefited. Am I saying these are the answer to our attacking problems?? Maybe... but, if they don?t play, no-one will know."

So, on the one hand, Moyes is a criminal.. and on the other he's a master coach? Reading the articles on here lately makes me think we are getting like the redshite, always looking for a scapegoat or someone or something to blame.

Our current crop of strikers were never going to score 20 goals each even on top form, but we at least could've expected about 10 - 15 from each of them. However, this season they haven't produced; that could be Moyes's fault but I don't believe it is.

Those of you who go to the games will know that the rest of the team get the ball into the danger area on enough occasions to expect our strike force to put at least a couple of them away, they have been totally shit this season and deserve to be on the bench... but what happens when Moyes puts them there? Everyone thinks he's lost the plot.

My only criticism of Moyes v West Ham was that he played Arteta, who has been fucking woeful this season, and, in my opinion, should only be making the bench.

If we are looking for someone/thing to blame, we should start with the players on the park: if I see them giving 100% effort for 90 minutes then I'll start looking elsewhere. At the moment, I can only see four or five players who are giving us that effort.

Ryan Rosenberg
16 Posted 31/12/2010 at 08:37:44
Villa Boas
Martin Jol
Di Matteo ....?

Mick McCarthey would be a ridiculous choice.
Richard Dodd
17 Posted 31/12/2010 at 10:16:00
Whatever some Evertonians may wish for, the reality is that David Moyes will continue as our manager and Bill Kenwright as our chairman for a very long time to come. Moyes has done nothing to justify his removal and billionaires covetting football clubs are in extremely short supply at the moment.

Although the occasional reader of these columns might get the impression that `the end is nigh`, the truth is that our club is in a healthy mid-table position and that a goalscorer ? from within or without ? would transform our team into a leading force.

Certainly we have suffered some disappointment this season but the first half of it has been catastrophic only from the point of view that we have missed so many opportunities to capitalise on the dominance that has been a feature of so many of our games, both home and away.

David Moyes has rarely had big money to spend but he has been seen at his best when this is the case. So don`t sink into the despond which has long been the ToffeeWeb malaise! Just because we wont be competing with the Mancs during the nonsense of the next month does not, in any way, mean we shall not be competing for a Europa place at the end of the season. You just see!

David Holroyd
18 Posted 31/12/2010 at 10:21:05
Martin Jol would be a good choice of manager. But it's not going to happen; two reasons... no, three: Kenwright wont sack him, cannot afford compensation, and when a manager comes in he needs money.

Look at the valuation WHU put on the Yak and the valuation of Moyes... I know which I think is right.

We haven't played too badly at times this year but it doesn't say much when we go to places with three forwards on the bench and wait till late on to put one on. As people have written before, we have to play people in their right places.

Brian Waring
19 Posted 31/12/2010 at 12:19:45
Richard, I've heard some shite spouted from you, but your latest shite beats everything else, hands down.

"The truth is that our club is in a healthy mid-table position."


FFS Richard, how is 3 points above a relegation spot, a healthy position?

And please, none of the "Moyes will turn it round, and we'll start climbing the table again" ? This crap was being spouted 10 games ago.

Kunal Desai
20 Posted 31/12/2010 at 12:44:30
Richard - Do Everton pay you to represent them and to continuously talk rubbish??!!
Steve Guy
21 Posted 31/12/2010 at 13:00:23
Simon Grayson would be my alternative in the unlikely event of Moyes falling on his sword, or the even unlikelier scenario of BK pushing him off the cliff.
Gavin Ramejkis
23 Posted 31/12/2010 at 13:47:30
Doddy, your mum and dad are going to be disappointed with your report card again ? 0 out of 10. Healthy mid table????? We just need a goal scorer form "within or without" ? no shit, given Gollum won't play anyone we have "within" then how is potless, perennial bullshitter Black Bill going to provide that one then Einstein?

Really must try harder. You would have gone a treat as a stand in for Comical Ali in the Gulf War "no those aren't American tanks" despite driving up the street outside the same building he was talking to the press with.
Norman Merrill
24 Posted 31/12/2010 at 13:23:44
Brian, comment 4 ? I would also love to see Bily given that role just behind Beckford. But whatever goes on at the training ground (very little, I hear someone say) there seems no chance of it happening. But you never know, it will be 2011 on Saturday, and even Moyes might start to see reason? Or should I say sense.
Gavin Ramejkis
25 Posted 31/12/2010 at 16:36:36
I really hope something changes, Norman, it took Moyes three months or so to try Seamus on the wing and that has looked a lot better than we had before.
Mark Pierpoint
26 Posted 31/12/2010 at 17:05:15
I echo the sentiments of Steve #21. If by some quirk Moyes was to leave, Grayson with all he has done at Leeds would be my choice also. Probably the next manager to make the step up, a la Moyes.
David Holroyd
27 Posted 01/01/2011 at 12:04:17
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET UNTILL THIS CRAP ENDS

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