Fellaini should be back this weekend

I can categorically promise that there will be no further praise coming his way until he finally hangs up his boots.

He is right that there are issues with the way Fellaini is utilised or the way the team sets out to play, but I can't agree that Phil Neville is more deserving of a starting role.

Hope that having a threat on both flanks stretches the way we play and would like to see Fellaini and Gibson joining the attacks relatively late to give the attackers room to operate in.

James-Your comment is quite ridiculous, he benefits our team in almost every department, and we should be beating Oldham with or without him.

We need a change and dropping him deep and letting the ball players take centre stage is a better bet than tired legs and persistent hoof.

Give Oviedo a start, rest Osman or Pienaar, Felli back in for Neville. It would be interesting to give Velios a start behind Jelli, for Reading game.

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Gibson Fellaini Oviedo
Velios
Jelavic

Do you like Osman or not? I couldn't make it out!!!!!!

Although Jelli didn't score, he did do a few good things, is he spending more time out wide because he is over keen to break his drought, looks like he is so wound up about not scoring he overplays everything, or does he go wide to get more service because Osman can't put him through on goal? I though Neville did okay against Oldham but it also looked like he had found his level of skill in League One.

As much as I hate to mention the dark side, Mirallas is a blue version of Suarez, not as dirty, not as bad a diver, normal teeth but he shows that little bit of swagger and skill, confidence in his play, he will be as important to us as Baines and Felli are.

Gibson is all about passing the ball and needs to play directly in front of someone who wins it and feeds him as Neville did against Oldham. I'm sure Moyes is aware of this but the return of Fellaini poses more questions than answers.i.e. Where to play him, who to drop etc. Neville is way past his best but if he doesn't play we'll be wide open at the back. The opposition midfield may well murder us in the final 20 minutes. If Gibson plays his none tackling, not closing down holding roll we might as well not turn up.

Bench has been dull dull dull. Barkley Oviedo Vellios Osman Kennedy Heitinga looks a bit better. ..

Like other posters on here, I feel Felli's best position for the team is centre mid holding or more likely box to box. We can always push him up top and operate a plan B if we need to chase the game. Can't help but feel that Jelly's just not getting the service he thrives on (ball threaded through for him to run onto behind the defence) due to utilising Felli in the hole behind him. That plus our almost inevitable tendency to take the ball forward down the flanks (although to be fair of course we would have been doing that from Jan'12 last season when he was banging them in).

The trouble is that Jellys confidence is so shot through that even if we do start giving him the right service he'll still fluff his lines, a la Oldham on Monday night. He was awful IMO, just didn't seem to stay on his feet or even get the timing of any ball into him. He just seems all out of sorts at the moment and I really feel for him now. Running him down the flanks is just not his game...its like Andy Johnson all over again!!

Also not sure what exactly Vellios has got to do to get some game time?! With Vic out and Jelly mis-firing, cannot understand why he's not been used? Or Barkley for that matter......

It's surprising that given we have some of our better players (Jelly, Pienaar etc) underperforming this season, that we havn't used other players to stand in.

It seems almost inevitable that we will revert to type again come Saturday though as is Moyes's tendency. Sometimes a little variation would be good Mr Moyes!

COYB

Jelavic was a stumbling mess, Pienaar was invisible, Osman also disappeared after half-time, Jags kept giving the ball away, Distin made a complete cockup when they scored, Baines had a very quiet game and man of the match Mirallas scored a terrific goal and had an impressive 10 minutes before he was taken off. The rest of the time, he wandered around doing nothing.

Yes Gibson didn't tackle but let's face it, his best game is a passing game as displayed by his excellent cross for the first goal.

Pienarr wasn't anonymous, but he did have led in his boots. He seemed to have lost his usual touch.

I do agree with your assessment of Osman. I expected him to perform better in that role behind jelavic but it just didn't happen for him. Then again, he did score the third.

Mirallas played well all game in my opinion. Ok he only scored one but he constantly asks questions of the opposition like no other player we have.

It was a good collective performance overall and in the end that's what wins games.

It's the simply dreadful Osman who needs to be dropped.

Pienaar on the other hand needs a rest - recently his crosses are so wild that I cringe every time he steps up to take a corner.

He gives the ball away in particularly compromising positions REPEATEDLY; his distribution forward is patchy at best; he's an utter luxury in the middle of the park. He never wins the ball; he falls over a lot; he's unable to pass a ball to feet to retain forward momentum and often makes our own players check backwards. His shot (such as it is) is sub-professional. I liked him years and years ago - but for the last few years he's been less than mediocre. I don't like his attitude much either.

It's astonishing me to me that there are Everton fans willing to afford him plaudits, quite unbelievable.