Jermaine Beckford scored something like 33 goals the year before we bought him. Matt Smith is coming off the bench for a side fighting relegation. To be fair, Smith's style of play does seem more suited to our squad than Beckford did but League 1 super sub for 3 games does not equal a good buy for a side of our calibre.

No chance. We don't need another Paul Wilkinson or Brett Angell

I said this in the match day forum, we could use someone like Smith, particularly useful from set pieces, though that's dependent on whether we can beat the first man from corner kicks!! At the moment they are woeful. The only problem with having someone like Smith in the side is that we would revert to too many hoofed balls.

He would not have a chance in our team because every Premiership defender would just wrestle him to ground, apart from our guys apparently. Even Tuesday Distin only tried a half hearted sleeve pull rather than a Shawcross like full Nelson.

If he had been playing for us in the league that corner would have gone over the top of everyone else, Smith would be on the ground with arms wide appealing for blatent penalty while the ref waves play on.

I hope not; 2 things will happen.

a) Moyes will really take to the whole 6' 6" Smith thing and EVERYTHING will be hoofed up to him.

b) Moyes will ruin him, having him tracking back and running the channels to the corner flag.

Remember that time in the 70's when we played Wallsall (In the Cup I think) and their big burly Centre Forward really impressed, Bernie Wright ?!

We bought him on the evidence of that game (allegedly) and he ended up playing 11 games before moving back to Walsall !!

In other words, I think we can do better thanks !!

I was expecting a post to come on like this and I have to say (IMO) the lad is utter garbage!
He is a clogger who somehow has managed to score 2 goals past us, more down to our defensive uselessness than his guile.
He can't even get in the Oldham first team so he shouldn't be considered for us.
Speaking of lower league strikers though, how about checking out that Vydra at Watford? Think he's only there on loan til the summer. Might be able to pick him up fairly cheap. Just an idea.

Jesus wept this 'mouse ruins strikers' thing is childish. We play with a lone striker. That means they have to run around a bit. Most strikers do.

Sam, Andy Johnson looked decent when he first joined with support got plenty of chances even though refs didn't give him half the pens he deserved, following seasons lost alone chasing lost causes near corner flag or tracking back defending as all Moyes players have to do. Now change Andy Johnsons name for Saha and Yakubu and Beckford and to a small degree Vellios, then add Jelavic. All of whom have looked reasonable doing their job with some support then wane quickly having been asked to do what's unnatural to them and defend. Saha and Jelavic have even come out publicly and asked for strike partners to no avail. Coincidence my arse, most strikers just aren't the utility players Moyes gets a hard on for.

Mmmm note to Daft Davey:

If he's STILL here in the Summer, BK check on Andy Carroll he will be available at a 'knock down' (pun intended) price and we know how wonderful he is.

Gavin, that's what loan strikers have to do. Ask Wayne Rooney or Suarez. Fair enough if you say moyes requires his strikers to be very hard working but to say he 'ruins' them is provocative nonsense!

We couldn't afford him anyway.

Sam.
Why is it we havn't had a settled striker at the club since Moyes came ?
He does not know how to utillise them properly, strikers are a fragile greedy creature by nature and they sulk if not scoring goals, it's a trait of ALL strikers.
Moyes is either killing their natural game or the ones he has bought have not been good enough, which in itself is a worse crime as he has only had 11 years to find one.

Matt Smith .......ha ha i'd rather have the Matt Smith from doctor who!!!

That will improve the football won't it, another big slow lumbering target man up front. The world's smallest midfield servicing Fellaini and Smith, what a lughing stick we would be. At any point is anyone going to relaise that all of the world's top teams have pace up front, and have a better tactic of attacking than simply get it out to the left back and float it towards the back post.

Dave that's a fair question.

Personally I think, as ever, it's a combination of factors. Luck has played a part, mainly with yakubu who may have been the answer were it not for a horrific injury. Moyes requirements do have a part to play and I'm not doubting that playing lone striker for him must be very physically demanding. Mostly though I think we may not have had the right people. To be fair top class strikers are very rare and usually cost a fortune when they come to the fore. Even the really good strikers are likely to have very barren spells... Hopefully that is all that's happening to jelavic now.

'Why don't Everton consider buying Matt Smith from Oldham?'

Because he is shit and I think we are trying to play better football now, not old school hoofball. The fact he cant even command a place in the Oldham starting 11 tells its own story!

I saw a great comment on here the other day from someone who asked 'when did we last hit someone on the break?'

we don't have the pace, guile or finishing anymore to even contemplate it. Also 11 back for corners has to be inviting the opposition on. Perhaps we need an offensive coach (not that type of offensive), perhaps someone with a bit of an attacking strategy...

It's just not fair all those on here making this criticism of Daft Davey saying he makes our strikers crap. Daft Davey is an equal opportunity coach he makes ALL our players crap — for at least HALF a season anyway.

Don't talk utter rubbish. Matt Smith is a one-trick pony. (Donkey!)

Ahhh, fucken diddums, the multi millionaire athlete being asked to run around a bit....waaaahhhhh!! As stated several times, if Jelavic had managed to score the absolute sitters he has missed he would have been on about 12/13 goals by now, not a bad return for a ruined striker.

As for Matt Smith, the lad scored a couple of goals from corners against our defence who have somehow forgotten how to defend, what about lardy Holt, he has scored against us too. Shall we just list players who have scored against us? It could take some time

I think that, rather than signing this lad, it would be good to have plan B,C etc. This lad has shown that, if you are a big lump and the ball is thrown forward in the last 20 minutes, then defenders at any level will struggle to cope.
It would be good to have a big centre forward in the squad, just like it would be good to have a small pacy striker to bring off the bench. The trouble is, I think Moyes prefers to persevere with his tried and tested approach. So I can't see us getting in many specialist reinforcements up front - Moyes prefers all rounders. It has brought us a certain amount of success, but our strikers have probably had to sacrifice themselves for it.

"So I can't see us getting in many specialist reinforcements up front " - Mostly because the board will not give us money to spend unless we sell our better players.

Didn't Smith start out as a keeper? Moyes would love to sign him another utility player, could fill in for Howard or we could even play rush goalie to make an extra place in midfield for Naismith.

A definite no, pure alehouse centre forward.

Knee jerk!

IF Distin hadn't switched off, he wouldn't have scored that easy goal... and IF their keeper hadn't skittled our defence, he wouldn't have scored at their ground either.

We don't need no one-dimensional yard-dog strikers — we need our Jelly back!

And failing that, give Vellios a decent crack!

If you are too young for Bernie Wright, what about Paul Wilkinson?Scored the goal that knocked us out of the cup against Grimsby;; next thing you know, he's walking through the gates at Goodison. Although, to be fair to the lad, he did score the winner against Liverpool once in the sort of team that Moyes put out last season. Lots of reserves.

We have a replacement for Big Dunc.

The attractive, on-the-deck pass and move play that saw us storm much of 2012.

The RS will be interested in him so we've got no chance.

All I can say is the lad is a better impact sub than we have, at least he is something different.
Our alternatives from the bench have no impact at all !!
Anichebe could be if fit, but he is not consistent enough and gradually loses it when started.
Other than him I don't see anyone else better than Smith on our books.

The same go's for Kamara, Carlton Cole and Kone who all upset our defence.
Maybe Fellaini will make a good impact sub wherever he go's.

I wonder how some points get printed on TW never mind discussed.

Is it being suggested that Everton sign a man who sits on the bench of a third tier side? Because he's a handfull.

I've a friend who's pretty tall and can run. I'll get him on a pane.

I just got my daily news email from EFC. Its titled
"Distin sees the big picture"

Its a pity he didnt see the big brick shithouse of a centre forward the other night!

Shane (408) - agree completely.

(ffs, even Pulis hasn't put a bid in)

Back to the original post, hahaha, what a wind up.
Oh, and "Big Dunc" was a bit-part player in 1995, much like for most of his Everton career. Paul Rideout and even Amokachi did more for Everton in the cup run.

Would be a lot happier if we had a go at signing Robert Lewandowski contract is up next year and he's reportedly on 30k a week, scored 30 goals last year and upto 20 already this season. Sadly we are much more likely to end up with someone like Matt Smith

In short... coz he is pants.

If he looked like he had a quarter of the talent of Big Dunc then maybe. But other than being a giant oaf, I don't see any other redeeming qualities.

Even the Oldham fans I spoke to said he runs out of steam after 20 minutes, remind you of anybody? Yep, that's right the — fat useless no-mark James Beattie, about the only striker that Moyes has bought that he didn't ruin coz he was crap to begin with!

Aren't Barcelona after him? Or Madrid?

No, his real home is the Shite. £35million should secure his services. He can join the route one, Wimbledon-with-a-few-bob, kick-and-rush, shove-and-push style in which they specialise.

Just the caliber of player we need... What a pointless suggestion — he can't even get a starting spot for Oldham, for crying out loud!

I can't believe we have someone suggesting we sign a player who isn't even a regular at League One Oldham.

This is literally the stupidest thread I've ever seen start up on Toffeeweb, and that's saying something. It's the 1st of March, not April

Unfortunately he doesn't score against teams outside of Merseyside!

Barry - maybe we could just get him in on a short term loan when we're due to play Rodgers' mob?

Chris fisher, spot on