Moyes: Fellaini needs to be like Messi

I'm sure he won't be either, Dave, but I'm not certain that you get the best out of players by telling them who they'll never be as good as.

Either way, Moyes hits on a pretty big aspect of Messi's game that seems to be overlooked - his temperment. I honestly think it's his biggest asset. Along with being lightning fast, balanced and knows the ball inside out and how to make it do what he wants, his temperment allows him to just keep playing football for 90 minutes.

Moyes makes him train alone as punishment, way to go Davey boy, you two-faced gobshite.

Try and support your lads for a change.

What a crying shame.

No wonder some on here call him a PE teacher, you two sound like the class snitches.

You sound more upset about it than he probably is.

He probably just took it on the chin and got on with it.

Class Snitch? It isn't me coming on here crying about everything the "teacher" does.

He can't do a thing wrong in some people's eyes. Don't forget your apple for him next time you go the game....

The compared to Messi comment is separate issue. Can sound negative but is probably realistic. How it would effect someone would depend on what motivates, but I would be happy if he was considered the worlds second best player.

Love seeing that people still having a dig at Moyes. Everyone is disappointed when we lose and miss out; but in 2012 Everton were the 3rd best team in the league, hardly a poor performance. What is surprising is how different the supporters at game are to who post on Toffeeweb.

The fact that Fellaini is supposedly our star player is probably why we're 9 points behind Tottenham. If he's not fit tonight then I'll be so much more confident of: scoring more than two goals in a game from open play, seeing a counter attack with pace, seeing a through ball, watching Jelavic score, not conceding from a set piece, not having all our corners blown up for fouls.

No-one ever wants to admit it because he cost so much money but he is holding us back from becoming a top team. If we sold him in the summer, we could invest in two or three real top class players and then who wouldn't be more confident of the team playing better than if we just kept Fellaini?

Does it not make you feel sick to your stomach that teams like Swansea and Bradford City can contend the League Cup final? And now we have to hope we can beat Oldham tonight and then hope we can win the FA Cup, a tall ask from a man who bottles it on big occasions...

And as for trying for the Europa league, well let's just say the FA Cup is probably going to be the only chance we get. This isn't about money, it's about getting the lads ready for the big occasions — which, in my opinion, he is incapable of doing — as has been proven over the decade he has been in charge.

I thought the Messi comment was a bit strange but I don't think it was meant as a put-down. The training and going home for Christmas, I have no problem with.

Why is it when you agree with something Moyes does or says, you get slated for it? I'd make you train on your own.

"The fact that Fellaini is supposedly our star player is probably why we're 9 points behind Tottenham."

What an unmitigated pile of steaming shite. I'm surprised your computer let you type that. Laughable.

This is the same League Cup we have never won? Even Kendall at his best could not win that and am I am sure the Capital One sponsors are more annoyed at the poor quality on offer in the final.

At the end of the day, we had a cracking start to the season, beating Man Utd, can't remember the last time we won an opening-day fixture. Then expectations are sky high, we then draw games we should win (cheating officials), draw more games we should win (poor performances); so we turn on the manager for not managing to mantain the opening-day performance. We can say he should play more players? But I look at Aston Villa and think: Is that really the solution???

I wonder why we don't buy more players and then I remember we invested our money in lawn mowers and paying back the bank. Sadly we have one of the smallest squads in the Prem, although I would rather that than the rubbish at QPR, and that we are currently a team which is getting closer to the mix or the league is getting harder.

We should get to the semi-final of the FA Cup and a nice draw and we could get to the final again and then who knows? Progress is being made — just sadly not at the rate we all would like.

'What is surprising is how different the supporters at game are to who post on Toffeeweb.'

I disagree. I hear nothing but negativity around me at Goodison. Ossie, Victor, Neville, Naismith...all are the targets of groans and abuse at the drop of a hat. Sometimes they deserve it, sometimes I think they don't. If anything I'd say that fans who can't attend games tend to be more forgiving.

If we don't win this one comfortably, I think you can expect boos to ring round Goodison.

COYB

He's done nothing to prevent our bad form being translated into bad results. Bale has rescued an insipid Tottenham performance countless times. Whilst he was scoring an injury time winner, Fellaini was allowing himself for the billionth time to be beaten at a corner.

Nearly all those players mentioned above give you goals from free kicks too, but ours must be the only 'top' player in world football who can't hit a dead ball. Never worth the money we spent on him and the sooner the delusion surrounding him ends the better.

Anyway... see what tonight brings.

Fellaini has been a Premier League player for 5 years now and has evolved in two different positions, first being a dominant holding mid, and now essentially a support striker that we play through. The rest of the players you named are literally the best players in the Prem, with Wilshere being the best young player so there is no shame in that. Fellaini isn't too far beneath any of them honestly and isn't the reason we can't get over the hump.

Moyes has used less players than any manager in the Premier League. ANY manager. So basically, is Moyes saying that we have worse subs/youth players than every team beneath us in the table? Cause that is a load of shit.

We have 27 first team players. About 20 are full or Under-21 level internationals. But rather than freshen the squad when we are struggling or injuries occur, he sticks with the same 14 players. Barkley, Duffy, Vellios, Oviedo, and McAleny are more than capable young players and they probably have played a total of 120 minutes the entire season.

Furthermore, we stick with same tired ass 4-4-1-1 every game, despite having difficulty scoring goals with the current formation. Given the risk-averseness of Moyes from a tactical perspective, it should come as no surprise that we have dropped more points than any other side from winning positions. But when we are trailing and have to throw caution to the wind, we've gained 2nd most from losing positions, highlighting our attacking potential when we are desperate.

All that I ask is that Moyes rotate the squad and make adjustments like any good manager would. He's paid 4 million pounds a year to do so. But he doesn't. This is year 11 of his reign. He took us out of our darkest period as a club to respectability and that is commendable. But is that all Everton should strive for? Respectability?

From what I see, Moyes is a manager with obvious limitations. His uncompromising tactics, risk averseness, rotation policy, and handling of young players is good enough to be decent but, if we are ever going to be a force in the league again, Moyes won't be the one to take us there. Sorry. That's just how I feel.

Fellaini will be a better player playing with better players. We can buy 3 players with the money. Fellaini has made his mind up to go anyway. On his day he is unplayable; problem is, he only has "his day" in 1 out of 5 games.

How can he not be too far beneath those players? For those that have played a comparable time to him their scoring records are far better and this is supposed to be one of Fellaini's main traits in that position. I'm sorry but having good chest control, the ability to bring other players into position, and scoring a few big goals with your head does not make you world class. Cahill scored against all the big teams home and away yet no one would say he was world class. I'm still waiting for Fellaini to play well in a derby and to ever play a through ball.

As for playing well in a derby, you could say the same of a lot of our players.

You also say: "He's done nothing to prevent our bad form being translated into bad results. Bale has rescued an insipid Tottenham performance countless times." — Yes he has! And as I say in my post at 442, what are the rest of the team doing to turn around our insipid performances?

And following that: "Nearly all those players mentioned above give you goals from free kicks too, but ours must be the only 'top' player in world football who can't hit a dead ball." — Christ on a bike, have you got a downer on this lad, or what? Laughable!

He was signed as a defensive midfield player. He is our "star player" out of position. I also see on another thread that it's apparently his fault Jelavic has stopped scoring. James, Moyes picks the side. He tells them where and how to play. It's his fault.