The Mail Bag
January 2011...
Comments (53)
What can we expect in January? Well, I think at least one player will be going. Probably Heitinga and maybe Pienaar; Heitinga isn?t happy at the club. He is one of those players who looks great when it is going his way... but, when things aren?t going his way, he goes missing. Pienaar is a must-keep, I have said before ? just let him go; he obviously doesn?t deserve to wear the shirt. But against Wigan on Saturday we looked lost without him. He has been twice the player Arteta has been this season and he hasn?t even hit top form, I?d offer at least parity with Arteta.
Okay, this situation with Anichebe needs clearing up: we all know he is a very explosive character, he is not a winger, he is an out-and-out striker. He is a very similar player to Beckford; he has pace, moves a lot... but Anichebe also has great strength and he can be used as a target man. We?ve seen this all before: he was our secret weapon in Europe a few seasons ago. But he hasn?t quite ever regained full fitness since his injury.
He has came out and said he didn?t turn down £30,000 a week. In my opinion, he didn?t deserve to be booed, the better option would have been to simply ignore him: no claps, no boos. He would have got the message then.
Pienaar looks like he?s off and I think we need a replacement now to learn the ropes while he is still here. I have heard quite interesting stories about Jarvis from Wolves; he looks a decent player who needs a better team than the one he is at. I think he would suit our play perfectly.
This is the controversial one: Joey Barton, I can just imagine people?s faces turning as they read this, but just take a look at my point. We need a scrapper in our team ? it?s all too nice and twinkle-toed for me. Yes, it's great to watch... but when you're in a struggle (which we our), I'd rather have someone running round, getting in people's faces, making their lives hell.
Now Joey Barton has more to his game than that; he has decent speed, can play centre or on the wings, can cross a ball well, and he is a decent set-piece taker. He is an Evertonian; yes, he does have a past... but didn?t one of our modern legends, Duncan Ferguson?
Right now, Joey Barton is in great from... I'd take him now; your opinion may be different. We haven?t got many options, let's just hope for a Royal Blue turnaround at City...
Jake Wilson, Posted 15/12/2010 at 22:31:46
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Dunc may have had history on the pitch but he didn't go around beating defenceless individuals up after a night out.
I'd say four things are nailed on:
1) We sell players (anyone we can get a good price for) to keep the lights on at Goodison & pay the players etc with enough pennies left over for Moyes to beg, steal & borrow with.
2) A couple of loan signings with an option to buy (yeah right!) but don't expect a striker or wide player. More likely they'll be defenders ? or at best utility players ? as Moyes wins the annual "How many square pegs can I hammer into round holes?" competition.
3) If you venture to Goodison, you can expect a sense of empty, hollow hopelessness, followed by blind desperation & a sense of loss.
4) More bloody snow!
I see us being linked with Kenny Miller... Now that lad knows where the onion bag is: 19 in 14 this season ? have we even scored 19? I wouldn't complain...
Pienaar can fuck off if he doesn't want to sigh; I'd stick him in the reserves until the Summer and let him rot.
Fuck all of note will happen in January ? again.
You will probably see the last of Heitinga.
It is a toss-up whether Pienaar goes in January or the summer depending on what offers we get.
Unlike Dunc, who beat the opposition up for his team mates, Barton beats his own team mates up. Very sick man who cannot be cured. He is even more spiteful than Diouf.
As for incomings, don't expect any star signings and you won't be disappointed.
We won't sign anyone but a few will leave. Heitinga won't stay if he isn't playing, simple as. He played in the World Cup Final and now sits on the bench at a relegation-threatened club. He will want out and, to be honest, fair enough. He is better than Jagielka and Distin and I would want out if I were him.
Barton isn't the man for Moyes, disruptive off the field to say the least.
Jay, have you been drinking? (If not, why not?)
I agree with the Kenny Miller comments too, he's found his level in Scotland.
Do you remember Kevin Davies at Blackburn... not many do either. A striker who knows where the net is, why the fuck would we want one of those?
Sebastian Larsson is going for around £2M in January, and we are apparently looking to offload Johnny H in that window. I would look to use the proceeds to fund a move for him. I would do the swap deal that has been touted between us and Spurs for Kranjcar.
All hypothetical I know but a line up of:
Howard
Neville Jagielka Distin Baines
Larsson Fellaini Rodwell Bilyaletdinov
Kranjcar
Beckford/Yakubu
Kranjcar's intelligence in that position would mean that he could make the runs and link-up the play to give space to our forwards and get them firing. I especially like the idea of this formation with the more mobile Beckford. He is on the cusp of banging them in for us.
I know Bily has his detractors: Lack of pace to beat a man, not a winger but he can deliver a killer cross, and there is always Gueye who could come in and have a go. We are resigned to losing Pienaar anyway, so, the sooner we learn how to accomodate the loss, the better.
And I agree about Arteta as well, leave him on the bench for a bit to get his hunger back. He's not exactly a bad sub to have to bring on is he?
I have read a few articles on here with regards to the pro's and con's of Joey Barton. My points, for and against were long and covered much, and I won't go in to the same detail here, however...
All these people calling him a horrible human being and a twat, you strike me as the Pete Prices of the world. Sanctimonious, judgemental and portraying a massive sense of self justification.
The lad has had problems, which he seems to be reigning in little by little. He has showed remorse for actions and I honestly believe he should be given a chance.
People have mentioned our Dunc on here. That he battered the opposition but not his own. That he never beat the shit out of defenceless people. I loved Dunc, but I reckon if people were to go rummaging around his past, we'd find a few corkers.
I'd take Barton in an instant. He'd do far better than some of the shithouse displays our other midfielders have given us this season.
Oh and on the subject of Miller. You are having a laugh aren't you?!?!
We could go on all day but we need goals and strikers with a record like that in any division anywhere are non existent...
The drag factor on them shorts he wears must slow him down a bit too ? the last time I saw anything so huge was when Unsy's arse was in its pomp. Having said that, I still don't think Victor is a lost cause but he needs to get his head down, realise how lucky he is to be a pro footballer for Everton, and get the pork off.
It would help him too if he told his agent to secure him another contract with us and stop putting out tales that he wants to leave.
Alan Hansen - handballing RS been gone for years
Alex James - Arsenal 1930s
Billy Bremner - dirty bastard Leeds player 1970s
Darren Fletcher - another Scottish Rooney like McFadden?
Dave Mackay - Spurs 1960s then slunk away at Derby
Denis Law - Man U then City to relegate them, again gone for years
Frank McLintock - Arsenal 1970s
Graham Souness - dirty bastard RS, again been gone for years
John Robertson - Forest late 70s again not played for decades
Kenny Dalglish - your own choice, been gone for years
Other than Darren Ferguson, McFadden and The Crab Barry Ferguson who you have to be kidding if you honestly rate you'll struggle to find any making any mark right now.
How many of our players have a never say die attitude. Maybe one, Nev, and thats it.
I dont believe i've heard it said that he was a RS supporter.
I'd welcome Joey if given a chance at Goodison. Pure steel and his skill level aint to bad either.
El-Hadj Diouf (£2,000,000)
Ryan Nelson (£1,500,000. new club captain)
Nikola Kalinic (a snip at £2,500,000. "The boy will flourish in fresh surroundings" says Big Sam at the press conference)
Jason Roberts, To get on the end of those long balls (£2,000,000)
After reading this lot I am now on my third bottle of suicide juice.
Have we sunk so low that we would even consider Barton or Diouf.
I know NSNO has taken a bettering in the last few years but come on guys we can do better than these 2 even on freebies.
Missed Graeme Sharp out there fella...
How come the cream of our Premier league dont twat the pub teams 5-0 plus everytime they play them?
El-Hadj Diouf (£2,000,000)
Ryan Nelson (£1,500,000. new club captain)
Nikola Kalinic (a snip at £2,500,000. "The boy will flourish in fresh surroundings" says Big Sam at the press conference)
Jason Roberts, To get on the end of those long balls (£2,000,000)
http://www.footballfancast.com/2010/01/football-blogs/top-10-scottish-players-grace-english-league
I'd like to reference google: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=825959769359135311#
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3490014/rangers_vs_celtic_4th_october_2009_kenny_miller_1st_goal/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3490028/rangers_vs_celtic_4th_october_2009_kenny_miller_2nd_goal/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsTXAB2hGGc&feature=related
But why would we want somebody like Miller when we got Beckford?
I've seen Miller play for Rangers a fair few times, they thought the sun shined out of his and Boyd's arse but then again Davie Weir still plays for them, still think you have a point about the SPL??
KPR has his own opinions, on another thread I suggested getting rid of Moyes and mentioned Coyle as a talented manager and his response was along the lines of (I bet you thought Phil Brown was great)
I never did rate Phil Brown by the way KPR, as I don't rate Holloway whose achieving similar things this season.
Coyle on the other hand is the real deal
What were your thoughts when we signed Kevin Campbell fella? Probably the same as mine, shite Arsena/l/Forest reject and who the fuck are Trabzonspor??? He went on to become Super Kevin Campbell. We ain't in the market for good Premier League strikers anymore or even good Championship strikers. We need to pick somebody up who is gonna put away the chances our strikers are fuckin up...
Marcus, lots of people have mentioned Coyle along with a lot of other one minute wonders. Check out the league table mate... Bolton with 'the real deal' have won 3 more fuckin games than us. Our strikers couldn't hit a barn door and they have got 2 strikers in form. They went out of the League Cup in the 1st round against lower league opposition. We've had more shots at goal, they have more on target. Tim Cahill has scored as many as Elmander (league) and they get the odd penalty or two. They have scored more than us (not difficult) and conceded more than us.
So tell me, Marcus, what the fuck makes Coyle 'the real fuckin deal' and Moyes fit to fuckin burn...? 3 wins and a couple of strikers who couldn't score in Granby?
As far as anyone is putting across the point of Coyle, read between the lines, he has changed a very average alehouse side of cloggers into a team that play much better and with currently more success than Everton. You know that old chestnut the pro Moyes lot keep throwing up, same players blah blah blah, well Coyle with the same players is achieving more than his predecessor. Those three games amount to nine points, I'd be pretty happy with another 9 points right now or to be uber pedantic 6 points if you decide to take them instead of a 3 draws.
We are half-way through the season and Bolton are three wins ahead of us. Last time I seen them play was against City, they were lucky not to concede 5 or 6. We probably would have the way our luck is going...
Answer me this, Gavin: Were you crying out for a change at the end of last season, citing Moyes's terrible tactics, formations and lack of ability to change when things weren't happening? Bit sad how a fella who has changed us from perenial relegation dog-fighters to European regulars gets a string of bad results and no luck what so ever and it's all over...We'd have never have had any glory days in the 80s if there had been laptops around then cos Howard would have been burnt as a witch...
Compared Miller to Duncan Ferguson now? One is 31 and has never done anything of note whilst the other when we bought him was regarding a big talent who has disciplinary problems.
KPR if your happy with the likes of Kenny Miller then thats your choice but hes worse than all our 5 strikers in my opinion (I include Vaughan in those 5 strikers)
Have you checked out Fergusons record at Rangers on google/wiki? I'm guessing not, you should because you are talking absolute shite. His record at Rangers makes Kenny Miller look like Pele. Miller has scored 19 goals in 14 games... Our strikers have scored the same in about 2 seasons....
Vaughan, who you included, scored 5 in 14 at Palace, a hat-trick in 1 game so in other words 2 in 13 in the Championship... I'm far from happy that we are shopping in bargain basement but I'm a realist. We need goals right now, nothing else, just goals, that's why we are where we are... A player who is scoring more than a goal a game who would cost virtually nothing. Who are you going to suggest? Any league in the world?
Moyes on the other hand has a midfield of Rodwell, Arteta, Fellaini, Pienaar, Osman etc who are all miles better technically than what Bolton has to offer so why are they on the whole playing better attacking football? And please don't use the striker argument, fact is we don't get enough players into the box hence the lack of goals.
ii don't need to check Fergusons record at Rangers, I know hes not the best goalscorer but the point is hes a different type of striker to Miller who is all about goals and workrate. Miller would not score goals in the English premiership, look at 2 SUPERIOR strikers from the SPL who are both struggling to score in the CHAMPIONSHIP (Boyd and McDonald)
As for my suggestion of a new striker, well in truth with the little money we have we might have to rely on what we have. And as I said our strikers are all better than Kenny Miller, even Anichebe, Vaughan and this past it version of Saha and Yakubu.
Quote: "Moyes on the other hand has a midfield of Rodwell, Arteta, Fellaini, Pienaar, Osman etc who are all miles better technically than what Bolton has to offer so why are they on the whole playing better attacking football? And please don't use the striker argument, fact is we don't get enough players into the box hence the lack of goals."
The striker argument is the whole argument...our strikers ain't scoring! We are creating as many chances as anybody but the top couple of teams in the league. If the strikers were converting just some of them, we'd be in the same position, if not better than Bolton. Our defence is the shakiest I have seen it in years but we have conceded less goals than Bolton.
You're entitled to your opinion, Marcus, and I don't have a problem with your opinion. I offered a striker with a current goal scoring record which its difficult to match in any league in the world right now, from the elite to the minnows, and you think we should stick with Anichebe and Vaughan who haven't scored 19 goals between them in their entire careers... but don't quote me on that. He's in the form of his life but he used to be crap at Derby so fuck him. You don't fancy Miller but you describe him as being 'all about goals and workrate'... why would we want somebody who is all about goals and workrate?
Our Midfield:
Rodwell, just back in the team after being out all season.
Arteta, way off form and disinterested since he put pen to paper.
Fellaini, Just back in the team after being out all season
Pienaar, huuffs and puffs with no end product, him leaving bothers me not a jot but I'd like to see him replaced properly
Osman, bit of enigma. He's no world beater but when we are doing good he chips in with goals and assists.
As for the strikers, I have been more frustrated by James Vaughan's injuries than by Anichebe's. I have a good opinion of both but Vaughan is a better player, in my view. He should be given a chance if we don't sign a striker in January.
I also watched first hand the partnership of Sharp and a so called "finished" Andy Gray who was deemed too injury prone to be of any further use in football but earned many a blue happy times. The trouble with that analogy is that its all in the past and as so many DM pro internet warriors keep telling us that you can't win anything these days without money. Using that very same logic KPR how many of the EPL Sky darlings scour the best of the SPL for players? None, the reason - the players there aren't good enough.
Wasn't the media extravaganza it is now back then, was it, were every tactical decision, shite purchase and bad substitution was dissected on message boards and fan sites. You chatted about it in the pub after the match and that was it... Do you think Kendall would have lasted to mid-January if it had happened now?
I do remember Andy Gray and Sharpy though.. Couple of great seasons with them battering defences. That was a generation of great Scottish footballers which will probably never be seen again. Fact is it's getting more difficult to name any really good English footballers playing now too so what does the next generation hold?
As for Graeme Sharp, no link from me between Sharp and any particular team, just the fact that he came from Scottish football.
As for scouring for players... Moyes does better than most when finding homegrown talent, it's when he hits the duty free market it gets iffy.
DM-pro internet warriors... Moi???
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1 Posted 16/12/2010 at 07:45:26
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