Season 2011-12 Fan Articles
Mid-season Awards
By Vinod Kumar :: 09/01/2012
21 Comments (»Last)
What goes around comes around. And right now it's the time of the year when the independant analysts and the football-crazed pundits are busy jotting down the differences and statistics on the haves, have nots, might-have-beens and the wannabes. Yup, it's the mid-season review! (and of course the awards as well!)
Basically, the majority of us might not be in festive mood when it comes to the performances of our beloved blues this season. Languishing in the bottom half of the table, recording more losses than wins and with a goal difference of -2 at this stage would not reflect a comfortable and confident season. And in no manner am I going to even start on the 'what went wrong' theory. I'm a fan not a pundit.
As everyone else, I too had limited optimism on what 2011-12 season had to offer. I was not surprised with the departures of Arteta or Beckford as I had gut feelings that some players would be leaving if there aren't sufficient investments or qualification for Europe during 2010-11 season. And I was sadly... proven right.
The only shocker was the departure of Yakubu. Okay, not that I'm shocked to see him leave, but that Everton sold him to Blackburn for ÂŁ1.5M! I swear, I would have bit, chewed, gurgled and spit the hands of West Ham when they offered ÂŁ6M for the Yak a few seasons ago. A difference of ÂŁ10M for Everton and the Yak being 5th in the top scorers chart scoring 12 goals tempts me to offer Blackburn 'The Deal of the Season' award! And we are still talking about investments...
As much as I was discontented with the final standings, I was pretty much satisfied that all my award winners claimed their rightful statuses at the end of last season (with the exception of the Mr Who award, which I'm eliminating this season due to overwhelming contestants!) and the growing influence of the youngsters in the team. This season, there's not much to choose from as there wasn't much activity both on and off the field. So, without further delay... here we go!!!!
Dhol drums...er...I mean...Drum rolls please....
Player of the Year Award:
Guess the word Bainesy had been extra firmly etched last season as it can't be removed or erased. Together with Tim Howard and Jagielka, he has started all the league games to date and with 3 goals plus his FA Cup penalty strike and 1 assist wins him the award. Period. ... But, even by his standards, he knows that there's a lot to improve.
The Most Improved Player:
My favourite award goes to lil' Ossie. After a lacklustre season and a mediocre start, Leon Osman is finally hitting back to the 2007-08 form which won him this same award. Sadly, his midfield companions Arteta and Pienaar who formed the famed trident of 'midfield gems' are not around to complement him this season.
Best New Signing:
Okay, when was the last time we paid a transfer fee for a player? Was it Heitinga? Anywayz, I guess everyone knows who's the winner since it's not a heavily-guarded Prometheus storyline. The Award goes to Drenthe. With pace and guile, he has provided spark on the flanks which has been missing for quite some time, but then his flaw is he loses possession very easily. And, if only he could reduce the side-step showboating and improve on his tracking back, Roysten Drenthe might not be seen as a another enigma.
The Young Gun:
Not much action from the youngsters as Moyes is typically playing Father Protective again, even though I was surprised by the cameo appearance of Conor McAleny. This award could be a three-horse race if it ends on May 13. But, since it's a mid-season award, Apostolos Vellios beats the likes of Ross Barkley and Magaye Gueye for his tally of 3 goals. But still, there is an element of unpredictability as there's 4 more months before the end of the season; which raw diamond might shine?
Mr Reliable:
I had to announce this award last since there was a slight dilemma on the winner. At the start of the season, the front-runner was Fellaini for his overall performance and his contribution in central midfield but, due to his injury, it was Jagielka who I thought was worthy for the award. But fate has played an ironic part as he too would be missing a large chunk of the second-half after his ill-fated game with Bolton. Nevertheless, for his rock-solid defensive displays and being able to start 19 games this season, he wins the coveted title of Mr.Reliable.
So there you have it. I have indicated my MVPs for this season. But the question that arises again and again is what happened to some of the players who have been totally oblivious to me this season? Where's Saha, Cahill and Neville? These players are leadership quality. The ones who were supposed to run the show. But, for some mysterious reasons, I can't identify them as players of previous seasons. Maybe they are going through some rough patches and would hit form during the run-in of the campaign. Or they might be carrying injuries that are affecting their performance.
Neville is the captain of the team, but is finding it hard to get involved with first-team action. Without Arteta and now Jagielka, I'm not sure who has the capabilities of taking charge when the chips are down. Howard has leadership qualities, but an outfield player is the one who can get things sorted.
What has happened to Cahill? He was the pivotal figure in midfield and not to forget the midfield was actually build to accommodate him since the 2004-05 season. Now he seems to be the person missing.
With Yak and Beckford gone, Saha the 'Chief striker' is the only experienced striker in the squad. If Anichebe requires support, Stracqualursi requires help in adapting to the system, Vellios needs to look up to someone, then Saha is the primary model for all three and needs to put in some good performances. With the lack of a playmaker and with a dearth of goals from our strikers, it is going to be a topsy-turvy run-in for which even mother nature could not offer much help. Just ask Howard!
Reader Comments (21)
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2 Posted 09/01/2012 at 17:17:14
For me that is the story of our season so far.
3 Posted 09/01/2012 at 17:25:56
Hardly ever lets us down, and won´t miss many games(like Fellaini seems prone to)
4 Posted 09/01/2012 at 17:50:07
5 Posted 09/01/2012 at 19:25:16
Editorial Team
6 Posted 09/01/2012 at 20:28:30
Instead of numbering comments in order (a more sensible approach, it goes without saying), we're now using the last three digits of the internal comment ID number assigned in our database. This way, the number (while less appealing and non-sequential) will at least remain the same once posted.
So when we delete a duplicated post or add one that has been gated, it will no longer disrupt the numbering of the individual comments. This way, your comment will always be #975.
7 Posted 09/01/2012 at 20:49:30
9 Posted 09/01/2012 at 21:05:33
The quality of Baines' crosses has dropped off badly from a year ago, and it goes without saying that nobody else has really stepped up. In fact, most of our guys have dropped off significantly in performance - Coleman, Saha, Cahill , Bily and Neville have been poorer this year than last. Osman was our best player over the last ten games of last year, so I'll contest his Most Improved Player award... but he should get something for being one of the few guys to play up to his best.
My Mr. Reliable would be Distin. He hardly ever puts a foot wrong.
10 Posted 09/01/2012 at 21:18:34
11 Posted 09/01/2012 at 21:32:04
13 Posted 09/01/2012 at 22:02:16
I would settle for a trophy and some scintillating scenes on the pitch.
14 Posted 09/01/2012 at 22:59:17
Those Everton fans deserve a mention..
15 Posted 09/01/2012 at 23:15:53
Further elaboration necessary.
16 Posted 09/01/2012 at 23:30:55
I can't think of a defensive cock up from Hibbert and he hasn't put a foot wrong. Although he hasn't set the world on fire I think the one part of his game that always let him down was his crossing; this has improved immeasurably and he has been our best defender so far.
(I am deadly serious).
17 Posted 09/01/2012 at 23:16:46
As stated above, Howard is probably the only player that can hold his head up this season. Baines has been cack, Distin okay but with lapses that have cost dearly.
Obviously no one outside the defensive set up is going to get a mention as they've all been played out of form (I mean they have been played to a point where they are out of form).
Ossie for most improved?! The man is 30, has been at the club for 11 years now, and is still getting most improved awards? God help him if he reads this thread, he just might do one and...
Jagielka to get any recognition after the shite he's served up this year is an insult to Evertonians everywhere.
Young player of the year should be split into two categories due to the nature of the club this year.
- On field - Vellios.
- Off field - Barkley. The kid signed a new deal after being treated to the typical Moyes treatment. What a boy! Doing his bit to ensure the club get a decent fee for him in the transfer market.
Rant over.
18 Posted 10/01/2012 at 00:12:50
Can't argue with Howard, Baines hasn't hit the heights of last season, but still never stops trying to create and takes on more responsibilty than any other left back in the league, he is double-marked every single game.
19 Posted 10/01/2012 at 00:29:49
Should be the players boot studder if we're going to keep him on the books. Oh, but hey, he's a local lad and all that. Should count for something. Fuck off. Even our goalie has scored more goals then him. Embarrassing.
20 Posted 10/01/2012 at 07:36:31
You've right mate. After reading my own article a few times, have to agree that there is a tinge of pessimism attached to it. I've written this article for four years now (with the help of the editorial team).But the tone has never been this 'depressing'.
Nick,Andrew
Hibbert to me is one of the best tacklers and man marker not just at Everton but in the league itself. But there's not much contribution from him down the right flank. We got the right partnership of Pienaar and Baines on the left. How many times have we talked about Drenthe/Hibbert or Coleman/Hibbert or a Bily/Hibbert combinations? Just for the record, we have crowed about a typical Arteta/Neville combination down the right a few seasons ago. I have to admit that Hibbert has put in a shift in his crosses. The peach of a cross to Vellios for the winner in the Wigan game was absolutely unforgettable. But to me, it was Vellios who starred that day, cos he was the one who won the ball,passed it to Hibbert and rushed to the penalty box to head in the winner. During the Bolton game, playing in a 4-4-2 formation, why were we not using the flanks? Isn't it difficult to move forward in a crowded midfield when your opponents are playing a 4-5-1 formation? Yes, there was some movement on the left, how about the right? I'm not comparing to wingbacks, but if you have wide midfielders like Bily, Osman or Donavon who are potent when they drift in to the centre, then which player is going to rush forward down the flank to provide the crosses to aerial winners like Cahill,Saha,Anichebe,Vellios,Fellaini and maybe Stracqualursi to bang in goals? You catch my point?
Paul,Mike Gaynes
It was a tough fight between Jagielka and Howard for Mr.Reliable. Howard has been immense between the posts but this season there is a sense of wrong judgements when it comes to crosses in the penalty box. How many times have we seen him punch the ball out, only for the opponents to take another shot on goal? He was clearly my MoM for the Bolton game, not just for his goal, but for his quick reflexes that prevented the goal difference to just -2. But, some of the saves he made were due to his own miscalculations when he gave away possesion from his own penalty box. On the other hand, how many times have we seen Jageilka head or block low crosses that were pumped into the penalty area. I must admit that there has been goals conceded due to Jageilka's error but not more so than his defensive partner and last season's Most Improved Player award winner Distin.
It's good to see different perspects and perceptions of players for the award. I would gladly concede all my winners as long as the team battles out and secure a decent finish with a vision of improving both financially(off) and tactically(on) for next season. Keep the comments coming.
21 Posted 10/01/2012 at 09:33:54
22 Posted 10/01/2012 at 09:45:12
Well done Steven.
23 Posted 10/01/2012 at 12:27:51
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1 Posted 09/01/2012 at 15:28:33