Marouane Fellaini: Player of the Month

I'm guessing -

Cahill, Arteta, Campbell, Kanchelskis, Jelavic..........uuuuummmm.......McFadden? (only joking)

I'm happy with that!

Player of the season?

Tony, are you sure it's only 6? I'm just having a difficult time believing that a player like Andy Van Der Meyde or Brett Angell hasn't won. Didn't Brett Angell score a goal one time?

Finally, if a player has an exit clause in the contract at say £24 Million, and a club offer it, would it simply trigger a market where the highest bidder wins? Say, Citeh offer the trigger, would another club have to offer more to get his signature or is the £24 mill fixed and it becomes a choice down to the player? Got no idea but wondered if anyone can help.

He is our big fish. He does look class at number 10, but the way he was knocking toure around he can play at number 8 or 6 for anyone. If a top club isn't prepared to pay £25m for him, but will pay £15m for Garcia, song, or Allen then they are clearly mad. He is another player I called wrong when he first rolled in...

Moyes has found a use for Fellaini that suits him and us. Deep lying striker that can hold the ball up both in the air if we go long against top teams and on the deck to bring other players into play. He has undoubtely improved this season, notably in his long distance shooting.

For me though he still goes missing in games on occassion. Spurs was a prime example, Sandro easily dealt with him. Whenever we're behind he seems to let it get to him as well. The reason I don't think any top top side would take him as a regular starter is his lack of certain attributes. Firstly pace, sharpness, groundspeed, whatever you want to call it he hasn't got it. He can't break the defensive line by running at it, he can't run beyond it either to receive a throughball. Him and Jelavic are never going to play an incisive one two with him running past the last defender to smash it in. If we're on a break he has to lay the ball off quickly because he can't carry it himself. If he finds himself outwide he can't go down the line or beat a man with agility, he has to lay the ball off to Pienaar or Baines to do it. The only method by which he can score is if he recieves the ball when he's already in the box or a shooting opportunity from outside presents itself (Arsenal).

Secondly, his tactical inflexibility. He can only play that one position that Moyes has created for him effectively. He's played a lot at holding mid for us, we've never played particularly well when he has done. He had a few one off games but a lot of the times he was too close to the centre halfs and out of position. The one game he's played there this season was the Leeds game, there were other factors behind that loss but Fellaini was terrible and was at blame for the first goal. The other time he moved back was Villa away and as soon as Gibson went off and he moved back we conceded one and should have another but for the post in a game that we had been cruising. People will argue with me over this but I hate seeing him playing holding mid.

Comapre him to Gibson and you can see the difference. Gibson is positionally fantastic, the whole defense looks better when he plays, he always seems to be where the ball is eventually played to, and pressures people high up on the halfway line. When he gets it, he can go from defense to attack in one long pass immediately putting Jelavic or Mirallas in on goal. Whoever he plays with (even Neville) looks good besides him and everyone in the team seems to have time on the ball. Fellaini is the opposite of these things, he is positionally terrible, him and Rodwell always seemed to be ontop of the centrebacks, backing off teams until they were camped on the edge of our box, he was always running around after the ball but it never seemed to go to him. When he did finally get it all he could do at best was shuffle it sideways to Rodwell or back to the defense. He wasn't comfortable showing for it either. Clearly the Belgian coach and Moyes must see something there too because both have moved him out of that position after runs of bad results. Everyone who plays alongside him in midfield (apart from gibson who pushed him further forward) looks terrible. Arteta, Neville, Rodwell, all played alonsgside him and looked atrocious, they've all played with other players and looked great (well great in Neville terms).

Moyes has built a team around him focusing on the many talents he does have, and we've reaped the rewards, a shed load of goals. Would other top sides do this though? Skew their team around a brilliant left back and a totem-pole number ten? Would Barcelona or Madrid be content abandoning their passing game to shift the ball wide to the flanks to get some good delivery in for Fellaini? Is he going to shift Mata, Rooney, Silva or Ozil from their number ten roles? I'd suggest not.

He's a one off player and Moyes is allwoing him to fulfill his potential here with everything in place for him. I fear if he went elsewhere that he just doesn't have the raw skills to succeed. He may come off the bench and offer tactical variety for a Chelsea but I don't think he'd get in their starting line up in an attacking position. they'd probably play him defensively much to their detriment.

In many ways all the criticisms levelled at Moyes by certain corners of the fanbase could be levelled at Fellaini. Does he consistently deliver for the salary he's being paid? Why hasn't he been playing this way for the last 5 years? Why has no top club ever come in for him despite Arteta, Pienaar and Lescott (formerly our three obvious class players) moving on? Does 6 months of good performances make up for numeous years of dross. I'd be very surprised if he moved in the summer for the fees being banded about and even more surprise di fit was to a top top club. Some bouquet club looking to make a statement like Zenit or PSG might take him but I don't expect to see him in el clasico any time soon. Perhaps that would be to the benefit of both Everton and the player himself.

Fellaini can play defensive midfield, box to box, or number 10. He is effective for us at number 10, but looks good in the a deeper role running onto stuff as a plan b giving jelavic more space with another conventional striker. Gibson makes us tick because he passes positvely. Arteta, Rodwell and Neville didn't which added to the lack of pace in our side at times. Fellaini was only a problem with the statues around him.

What strengths does Moyes play him to? "Walk out there Fella and opponents (players and managers) will shit their pants"? Agree.

This kid's fantastic.

Yes.

We haven't played consistently well when he's played holding mid. Runs of form when he was first in the team used to be poor, if he was world class this wouldn't've happened.

He is not quick, he does not have the passing range of Gibson, he does not have any great agility like Pienaar or Osman, he cannot strike a dead ball and he doesn't score many from outside the area (although that is improving). We all watch him every week, like I said, he has many other talents but surely you can see that he is lacking in some of the basics that world class players have. You could list on one hand the number of world class attacking players who don't have any pace.

He is good in the air, he has a Velcro chest, he has a soft touch, and is refining his finishing instinct. He also shields the ball well so if you can get him into the opposition's box he can wreak havoc. There's been several times this season though when we've been on the break and the ball has broken to Fellaini and he just lets the man get back in front of him and the moment is gone.

I think he severely limits our ability to win against top teams away from home. He may get you a goal like he did at City but if you want to win at Old Trafford or the Etihad then sometimes you have to play on the counter and break with pace like Bale did at OT. We can't do this with Fellaini and Jelavic in the team. Combined with Osman and Gibson, we have no pace in the middle; we can dominate possession but no one can beat a man to make a chance for themselves. Against top teams when you can't always dominate possession, you can feel the lack of pace in the side as shown in the second half against City when we just defended.

Ian Bennett, I would not be so quick to put him ahead of some of those midfielders. Diaby ran all over Liverpool at Anfield: pace, power, skill and agression. Has Fellaini ever done this in all the derbies he's played? Arsenal made winning 2-0 there look easy and that was down to Diaby. He is a massive loss to them just like Gibson is to us. If Arsenal could field Diaby Wilshere and Cazorla every week then there is no way we'd be in fourth.

Carrick and Fletcher, how many medals do they have again? Funny how they get bashed all the time yet seem to dominate whoever they're playing against, those two will probably add another Prem medal to their names whilst we go on about how much better Fellaini is than them. Gibson couldn't get in that team for god's sake. Fellaini could only dream of Carrick's passing range.

As for Arteta, he's a different beast now than he was; he still has the best passing accuracy in the league mind you. Back in his heyday though he was a magical midfielder. On the flanks, off the striker, deep-lying – you could play him anywhere. Runs, feints, dribbles, free kicks, shots from distance, set pieces, he had an array of skills that Fellaini will never have.

They're completely different types of players but Arteta was not a statue that made Fellaini look bad. He was a magical player that got the crowd up off their seats at Goodison on a weekly basis. Fellaini has only ever done that once for me and that was the Man Utd game. It all depends on what you prefer in a footballer, but if the school of science had an opening only one of Arteta or Fellaini would get in it.

But Moyes is so big on protecting his youngsters...

In the same breath some fans will be criticising Stoke next week and then praising Fellaini for knocking one of their central defenders around. Is that what we value as a fan base? Pure physical strength? It absolutely baffles me at Goodison when Pienaar or Baines or Osman will dance around 3 men then try and slot an incisive through ball that for whatever reason is cut out or the forward didn't read and all you can hear are the complaints for a misplaced pass 'Pienaar has no end product' 'Osman doesn't have a good shot'. Meanwhile if Fellaini brings down a goalkick on his chest and lays it off to someone standing 2 yards away people are on their feet applauding. Why? That's a basic skill that any player should have. Anyone of Kevin Davies, Crouch, Holt, Stracqualursi could all do exactly the same thing but because they're English or didn't have a big price tag everyone considers that to be long ball play. Let's face it we've successfuly used Fellaini as nothing more than a glorious target man who knows how to get on the end of the good work from the rest of midfield. He brings the goal kicks down, lays it off to Pienaar and then trots off into the box with Jelavic waiting for Pienaar and Baines to work some magic and whip a ball in. What has become of the School of Science? I can't believe some fans were happy to see Arteta and Pienaar go, two of the most skilful Everton players in the premier league era, rather than Fellaini. IF we sold him for big money then you could buy a number ten who would contribute more than just holding the ball up to our attacking play.

I can't remember Fellaini having a weak 2nd half either against united either. No united player would go near him, which included Vidic, and many of the better teams will probably do the same as they lack a power player to match him.

Top players don't have to be dribble around players. One of the biggest legends in Italian football was one John Charles, how many did he skin? I appreciate Fellaini that he can bring down the ball on his chest, fending players off and play a ball onto his team mate near to goal, something highly effective by us territory and the highest attempts on goal in EUROPE. This is not flick and hope stuff from the rest of average gang.

The debate as to whether he's world class is a tough one. My mate and I discussed the term the other day, and agreed to be truly "world class", the player needs to be the sort of player you can see being a pivotal player while winning the World Cup. Is Fellaini that player? Maybe. Especially after Sunday night, four of the best players on the field were Belgian too, so perhaps there is more chance than expected.

Also, if there's a "best new signing" award, you'd have to give Mirallas a shout.

If I asked what it meant, I'd get 50 different answers.

I would put him and Van Persie in the running for the player of the year so far, and possibly the Anfield rat (but he's got no chance even if he scores 300 goals in a season).

Messi is world class, but, tragically, may never win a World Cup. For want of a better word, he's being robbed Could you say the same for Fellaini if he retires without that accolade?