Fellaini claims 'tiredness' excuse

I think Fellaini is being honest. I watched that game and it really struck me how some of the players were missing an extra gear that they had at the start of the season.

We came back early to try to get a better start and it was always a risk that, without investment in January, our end of season form wouldn't match up to previous seasons. I think we've peak this season, now it's just a case of hanging on. Signing Fer could have been the shot in the arm we needed. Either him or Messi.

(i'd play Messi and scruffy up front. Big man/little man)

You don't see doctors working in A&E for 24 hours complaining of tiredness,it's just pathetic. Just get on with it and stop moaning.

As for your doctor's argument, not really relevant but I'm with you. If capitalism didn't flog us with long hours and minimal staffing levels we'd have full employment and a happier life although some billionaires might have to limit their property portfolio's to just a FEW dozen houses and just ONE Yacht.

This season so far we have played 34 League, 2 League Cup and 5 FA Cup
That is 42, which is 21 fewer.

Also they played on crap pitches. This current lot play on carpets every week

Everton's squad is tired today relative to the top teams who can rotate. Moyes doesn't trust his squad to avoid tiredness.

Not being cynical here, just asking to be enlightened.

Peter, that is one thing that really pissed me off, the team going on the lash after Rotterdam. We had the chance to win the treble and blew it because of a lack of discipline, choosing to celebrate instead of waiting a few days and really having a blow.

Fellaini has played 32 games for Everton this season.

No comparison

Also I think we are being a bit harsh on the whole Rotterdam celebrations. It was different times then. The Wembley final against United went to extra time and it was really hot that day

The reason I don't want us to play in the Europa League is that with a small squad we can't rotate the players, keeping them fresh like the money clubs and we'll pay for it. Look what happened to Newcastle this season and they have a bigger squad than us. So I fully understand what Fellaini was trying to say, in fact I was worried about it long before a ball had been kicked. I've seen it all before.

Also in the old days it was all done with pints after the game.

Fellani's certainly got his faults, but let's not berate one of our own because he gave a cliched answer in an interview.

And for you 9-5ers, I'm curious. I lived the military life for 26 years and can good guarantee you, physical strain absolutely tires you; mentally first. I'm retired Army, but still working and can't believe how easy the 9-5 life is. What exactly do you do in your 9-5 life compares to running miles and miles under exacting demands?

I really don't begrudge them their money. Most of them are working class lads and I'm glad for them. Someone, though, should advise them to take their money and at least fucking pretend to put a shift in.

And so he wasn't? Did Ball play in the back-to-back, 4-5 games a week era? Did he? In that era when if a player even peeped a word of complaint, he's traded or dumped straight away.

If so, he and all the players on the pitch weren't tired, they were fucking exhausted. Are you proposing they steely-eyed, hard-manned, teeth-gritted their way to maximum performance back then? Tell me you don't think that so. What happened was players, Ball included, stumbling and staggering thru games on shaking legs. Did you get your money's worth sitting and watching?

"You make footballers sound like soldiers in Afghanistan". That's what you got out of my post? Bait the hook better if you want more than this nibble from me on that one.

"Over paid, pampered , over respected, greedy mindless , soft bastards might be a better description". No it wouldn't. And won't. Reading that, though, some fellow might conclude you're just jealous. Or full of shit. Not me Andy, mind, but some fellow might.

One thing I've not heard said though, when comparing today's teams and those of the 80s etc.. Today's game is a lot, lot faster, and doubtless takes more out of players. Everything seems to be done at 100mph. It's one of the things I dislike about football these days, compared to past decades. The game seems to be full of athletes now rather than the ball-players of yesteryear.

I'll get me coat.

Back in the 60s/70s we didn't have the wall to wall media trying to find copy to fill their organs 24/7. Had we, we'll, you'd have heard plenty from Bally, and every other great, enough to make you sick of the sight/sound of them. Why, I if I was constantly having to answer prosaic questions about MY job/performance night and day, I dare say I'd come out with some right old shite meself from time to time.

Comparisons to teams of old is a bit misleading too. The intensity of the game in terms of athletic performance is massively different today. No old school tackling to deal with, but fitness comparable to olympic athletes.

This is the situation in which a larger squad of better quality players helps. If Tuesday's game had been versus a lower half table club a few of the better players might have been rested in favour of the likes of Velios, Oviedo and Berkley. Pienaar and Fellaini would have no excuses as they'd each missed a few.

Talking about Bayern, today is the anniversary of that wonderful night at Goodison back in 1985, how times have changed, when we compare where Bayern are now to where Everton find themselves.

I'm just listening to Sheeds on TalkSport – now thats what you call a footballer, absolute quality I can't remember him moaning about being tired.

I was up at half-five this morning, walked to work, and will be on my feet for 8 hours with only two 20-minute breaks in-between. Now Felli, I am fucking exhausted, like nearly everyone else on here, so do one with your moaning!

So unless massive investment is found we are always going to be found wanting when it comes to the business end of the season.

First, as has been stated, today's football is much faster and more intense, especially in the Premier League, than it was in the past. You might get chopped by Hunter or Smith, but watching a game from the 60s or 70s it all looks relatively sedate by comparison.

Second, it is a long season, and to play at their best footballers need to be motivated for the event; there is often much complaint that Everton play well against "Sky 4" teams but drop points against mid table, and this may be a perfect example of why. Going up against Man Utd or City is going to get a player's adrenalin going much more than an away match at QPR, and if QPR follows a thriller against Man Utd, it's going to be close on impossible for a manager to get players to the same level of intensity, no matter how good. In a team which can rotate players can get the same level of commitment out of a second string player at QPR as out of a first stringer simply because the former doesn't get played in the big games and is therefore trying to win a place.

Third, and most important, I remember hearing Joey Barton (an unusually intelligent footballer, if somewhat unbalanced on the field) saying that he would still play with just the same intensity, passion and love of the game even if he played for a pub team and got nothing. That some footballers are paid very well is dependent only on their effectiveness on the field (a mix of talent and character) not on their motivation. The fact that Fellaini is very well paid is a reflection of his market value, and almost certainly has next to no effect on his play (unless his pay is reduced, of course). Does anyone think that paying a surgeon more will make him operate better? Or that paying someone involved in cancer research more will make them more likely to discover new and better treatments?

In my view, Fellaini gave an honest and reasonable answer and while we would love every Everton player to have endless and unlimited resilience, motivation and talent, footballers are, in most respects, just the same as everyone else.

On the other hand, like Fellaini, Pienaar and Osman, we'd all be knackered if we had to cover for non-tackling Gibson every week. The moment the opposition get the ball we are immediately down to 10 men because of his reluctance or inability to get involved. Moyes is fed up with it and so am I. If he made one decent tackle against Sunderland I didn't see it. What I did see was his pathetic, almost apologetic, attempt to prevent Sessegnon from hitting the winner.

Do we actually pay this guy money !!??

I can accept tiredness as an excuse if we play well for 70 minutes then really collapse in the last 20 mins. I don't think its valid in this case cos we were awful from the start

Break that down now: £10 million for the new manager to bring in some loan deals and the rest swindled off by Kenwright and the muppets on the board. I'm certainly not looking forward to the summer. We have all heard the Government's saying 'The Winter of Discontent'... Well now we have the Summer of Discontent which comes around every year at Goodison and seems to spoil every supporters summer holiday.

Better answered than I would have. Consider me properly humbled.