Osman is our Steven Gerrard

So, better than Fellaini, Gibson, Mirallas, Pienaar and Baines then Moyesy yeah?

I don't like having a pop just before an unbelievably important game today but if these comments are true he does need to have a fucking word.

Possibly unfair, but I think he looks better as the overall midfield quality in the Premier League has declined across the board compared to 5 to 10 years ago. The better players are very long in the tooth, whereas the next batch are pretty young. Not many fall into the 26-30 bracket.

This of course wouldn't stop the 'Daily Star,' from running the eye-catching headline!

Carra/ Gerrard - local boys, one-club men & heart-and soul of their club...

Osman/ Hibbert - likewise.

I don't think we should take quotes like that too literally. Pienaar, Fellaini and, it appears, Mirallas will all be missing today; Moyes's comments are probably aimed at Osman himself, or possibly at Roy Hodgson. They may be designed to give Osman a lift before a crucial game.

After all, if we believed everything we read and hear, Joe Cole would playing for Barcelona now.

And Lionel Messi would be slumming it at West Ham. 😊

To compare him to Gerrard is embarrassing. One is a world-class player, the other is a duffer.

If Moyes goes to Schalke 04, let's hope he puts in an offer for the indomitable Leon.

Osman shouldn't be even in our squad, let alone on the bench or the team!

Wrong. He is a really good player. Excellent first touch, can pick a pass and can score goals.

"To compare him to Gerrard is embarrassing."

The comparison was with Gerrard as the "heartbeat" of the club, not as a player.

"One is a world-class player, the other is a duffer."

Gerrard WAS a world-class player, Osman... see above.

"If Moyes goes to Schalke 04, let's hope he puts in an offer for the indomitable Leon."

Good pun, nice one.

" shouldn't be even in our squad, let alone on the bench or the team!"

And yet he's good enough for England..

I don't rate Hodgson, and Osman being called up for England is also laughable.

Nothing will come of us while Osman is in the team. It is the other very high quality players around him who have managed to hide his salient shortcomings.

Also: he can't tackle and is all too often bundled off the ball.

He isn't good enough, in my view. We would have more points this season if Leon hadn't played a single match.

Why is no one interested in signing him if he's (so) good?

If you want Osman to be perfect and built like a Stoke player then you're always going to be disappointed. If giving away possession, missing tackle and being bundled off the ball annoyes you then I suggest you look around the team because those diseases are rife and Osman is by no means the worst culprit.

Osman is useless beyond belief. Leon might pop up with the odd goal here and there and put in a semi decent shift against a minnow side once in while but his he is still crap. Osman's bad points far outwiegh his decent bits. In fact I don't know what it is Leon is supposed to do well. He is too weak and slow to be effective in the Premier League.

I think Osman is the luckiest man on the planet to have stayed in the top flight for so long. Leon Osman is another Mike Milligan. As another poster says, who else has ever been interested in him? No-one is the answer. It's only a mug like Moyes who would come out with such shite.

Moyes doesn't know his arse from his elbow.

WHAT!!?? SO YOU'RE COMPARING OSMAN TO MES........... oh,..er..as you were.

I suspect you are wasting your time. Paul Dark's hatred of Leon borders on the pathological and he has trotted this stuff out on numerous occasions.

Now we are all entitled to an opinion but it always seems strange to me how a supporter of a football team can put so much energy into denigrating one of their own players, especially in this case one who came through our youth team, has played over 300 games, scored 50 goals, represented his country and generally worn the blue shirt with distinction.

Constantly? I don't think so.

"He's often caught in possession."

Sometimes, yes, but name me a player who isn't. (Apart from Joe Allen, obviously. 😊)

"Once in a while, he has an OK game - but he NEVER has a good game."

Nonsense.

"I don't rate Hodgson, and Osman being called up for England is also laughable."

You're entitled to that opinion.

"Nothing will come of us while Osman is in the team. It is the other very high quality players around him who have managed to hide his salient shortcomings."

So well hidden are they that I can't spot them all, it seems. Again, I don't share your opinion.

Also: he can't tackle and is all too often bundled off the ball.

I disagree: he can put in a tackle. Bundled off the ball? Yes, that's true, but then in a well-balanced midfield there should be other players who will compensate for that, a la Reid for Sheedy.

"He isn't good enough, in my view."

You're entitled to your opinion.

"We would have more points this season if Leon hadn't played a single match."

Really?

"Why is no one interested in signing him if he's (so) good?"

Not many people bid for Lionel Messi in the transfer window. Shite, him.

I certainly don't want us to have any similarity to Stoke (ugly, thuggish, horrible team of cheats), but I do think Leon is shrugged off the ball more than other players. He does make the odd good tackle (ten to fifteen a season, at most) but fouls a lot too. He's out of his depth in the middle of the park - and not a winger. There's no place for him in our team. Of course, it's only my humble opinion (informed by my eyes).

if people are desperate to see him in a blue shirt, he should be brought on with 5 minutes to go when we're three goals or more up ... :-) . He'd be less of a liability then.

Almost all football teams would like to sign Lionel Messi - but virtually no one has interest in signing Leon 'Zizou' Osman. I would've thought that's pretty obvious. You don't seem flustered about making the link to Messi. It's all rather funny (is Leom our Lionel, too?). Still, to each his own, I dare say.

Let's hope we bring home the bacon today. Vital, vital game with Bale missing, too. A late 0-1 would do me, with Jelly doing the honours ... .

Your painfully unfunny attempts at humour do you no credit, as does your wilful misunderstanding of my post. You ARE entItled to your opinion, as I am to mine.

I will agree with your closing sentiment, however. Although I don't care who scores the winner, but it would be nice if it were Ossie. 😉

Now statistics aren't everything but they may put some of Paul's ranting into perspective.

http://blog.squawka.com/2013/04/07/spurs-today-face-europes-most-creative-player/201304076979

By the way it's Leighton who has created the most chances of any player in Europe.

I still can't believe the amount of stick he gets on here. He certainly hasn't been one of our worst players this season and all-in-all he has been an asset for us.

The players that have been truly shocking are Neville, Naismith and Heitinga; if I had my way, they would never kick a football for Everton again

Too bloody right. Excellent post.

I'm not Leon's biggest fan either, but what exactly are you basing your argument on?

Surely not his equalising goal in the Derby?

Or his goal in the 2-1 win over Wigan?

Or on any of his 8 goals this season, which from memory, is the best goal-return of his career?

At no point in the interview did Moyes insist Osman is as good a player as Gerrard; Merely that his career-long dedication to Everton is something he appreciates.

..and don't forget, the 'Daily Star,' is a comic, nothing more.

This statement by Moyes just underlines what has been wrong at Goodison for many years despite the claim of insufficient finance.

They are great stats Graham (768) and thanks for bringing them up. Would not have guessed that myself at all. I say that because whilst not necessarily being Marshist on Osman I think he is limited, light, goes missing far too often, and, in a nutshell, if he left us, and he is in his Grand Old Lady twilight. I would simply say thanks and good luck with real feeling.

Great stats making me think am I missing something. Love to be challenged on what I think, cheers.

Actually, if Bale had scored the goal that Mirallas did yesterday the media would be absolutely raving about it.

As a midfielder his passing skills are limited, mainly playing short, obvious passes, his tackling is frankly a liability, resulting often in free kicks to the opposition, and he isn't particularly good at reading the game and intercepting to win possession.

As a striker he lacks presence and is not the fastest, as a winger he can't really go past a man, because of a lack of pace, yet he has "clever" feet and can trick players in close encounters. He's obviously a good club man and his commitment and willingness to play in the role he's put have endeared him to that lover of flair and skill, Moyes.