More questions than answers

1. Has Moyes completely lost the plot given his insistence on playing Neville in midfield? Or in fact anywhere on the pitch? Neville simply must go at the end of the season
2. Has Moyes (on his own) got what it takes when it comes to the big games? - evidence suggests not...
3. Will Moyes get the funds he needs to improve the squad sufficiently this Summer? He has been quoted as saying that we would like to see what is made available prior to signing a contract extension which I think is fair do?s...
4. Should we 'file this away' as another bad day at the office due to injuries... or is there something more fundamentally wrong with the ethos and approach when the side takes the field?
5. Has Arteta lost interest? Has Yakubu not been taken to task of late by the manager given his recent tendency to go diving and drop down like a sack of shit at any opportunity, or is it pure frustration due to being totally frozen out of the game up front? Equally, has Arteta not been questioned on his shit contribution?
6. Will we manage to keep hold of fifth place? Can the manager galvanise the squad for one last push?
7. Do we have what it takes to really consider ourself worthy of challenging the top 4? To quote a rival fans comment to a very interesting Guardian article (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/03/30/no_surprises_as_depleted_toffe.html): 'Look at the game today. Everton needed to win that game to have a chance and Moyes set his team up to play defensively and not to lose. That is Everton's problem because when Aston Villa and Spurs came to Anfield they actually tried to win the game from the first minute and that is the difference between a big club and a small club' The truth hurts...
8. Should I continue with my DIY and keep away from the big games until I know we have a genuine chance of getting anything from them? Sorry, but I predicted this a mile off and I honestly feared a worse scoreline today.
9. Over to you...

   Reader Comments

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   Jonathan Bradley
   1   Posted 30/03/2008 at 23:05:02

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   i) Neville does need replacing, as does Hibbert;
   ii) Moyes does have what it takes for "big games", unless you mean "what it takes" to be the same vast pots of cash that Ferguson, Benitez, the next Chelsea manager, Ramos and Eriksson will have for the summer;
   iii) I don't think he needs that much money, just a good right back and one or two midfielders of a good enough standard; the rest is pretty good as it is;
   iv) It's a bad day at the office, albeit they have looked very tired / affected by the Fiorentina loss;
   v) Arteta is carrying an injury, no? As for the Yak, he got very little service of any quality and so I cannot really blame him for losing his rag a bit, though the dive was shameful;
   vi) That depends, hopefully we can regain confidence by battering Derby;
   vii) The person making that comment is a fool and was treated as such in that Guardian article, I would treat his opinions as being worth one whole bean;
   viii) Perhaps you should focus on DIY.
   Anthony Newell
   2   Posted 30/03/2008 at 23:19:10

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   Lets forget about opinions then and deal with some facts:
   
   Liverpool at home and away
   Man Utd at home and away
   Chelsea at home (CCup second leg) (and soon to be league)
   Arsenal at home (and soon to be away)
   Fiorentina home and away
   Villareal home and away
   Dynamo Bucharest away
   Oldham (hahahaha) at home
   
   
   
   The list goes on but compelling evidence that Moyes does NOT have what it takes when it comes to the ’big’ games. Fact is that Aston Villa can go to Anfield and give them a game - we can’t
   Peter Bourke
   3   Posted 31/03/2008 at 02:47:33

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   Anthony,
   Some good questions and no harm in putting them out there. The one I object to most ardently is (7).
   Moyes could barely have set up any differently given the players he had at his disposal. Maybe starting with MF but other than that, please tell me what you would have done differently.
   Ciaran Duff
   4   Posted 31/03/2008 at 02:29:49

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   I know that the last few weeks and especially the derby defeat have been hard to take but the (over) reaction has been unbelievable.
   One charge being laid at Moyes is that he "Moyes set his team up to play defensively and not to lose". FFS, look at the injury list and look at the bench. What option did he have? Maybe start with Manny? Possibly but my gut feeling is that he?s not 100% and benefited from coming on later when he had more space. Apart from that GIVEN THE RESOURCES I don?t think Moyes could have done much. We have a small squad and have had a bad run of injuries (particularly up front) - shit happens guys.
   On the "bottling it" against the big 4 - again I think this is overstated. On paper we are not in the same ball park as the Sky 4. Go and sum up the value of their squads and compare them to ours. Thats just a fact of life.

   In spite of this we have done pretty well so far in the league. The reason we have not done well against them recently (IMHO) is that they are taking us seriously now. Most of the teams who have beaten or taken points off the Sky 4 recently are teams lower down. Maybe its that these teams feel less pressure and have a go or there is over compacency. In fact, we had more success against the Sky 4 when we were struggling. It was the games against everyone else that worried me then.
   The run for the end of the season is going to be tough and I hope that we can cling on to 5th. Fingers crossed Vic, AJ and Peanuts are not out for long.
   Looking forward, I think we all acknowledge that we need to add to the squad - a midfield general, another attacking option and a right full back would be my prefs. However, I wouldn?t be chucking any of the first team regulars out yet as we need to increase squad depth.
   Tony Marsh
   5   Posted 31/03/2008 at 08:04:34

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   Moyes could barely set p any different you say Peter.Why is that the?Moyes couldnt stop telling people a few months back that this squad was strong enough and big enough to cope.What horse shit.When the window opened in January he brought in Gardner from Spurs .WHY.
   Surely if we needed another midfeild player there was better than him available somewhere out there.Its the managers fault that Everton have failed to capitilize on Liverpools average season and grab 4th place.I mean whos fault is that virtually every player in the squad is under 5 ft in hieght and wieghs about 6 stone.You work it out
   Steve Rewth
   6   Posted 31/03/2008 at 07:58:36

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   What recent results show is that the size and quality of the squad still isn’t there yet. With injuries to TC, AJ, JV, VC, SP and with MA carrying one hardly surprisingly we are finding it tough. We need to improve on TH, PN, LC so Kenwright needs to back Moyes again in the summer transfers.
   Andy Ellams
   7   Posted 31/03/2008 at 08:54:12

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   The difference between 4th & 5th are the derbies. If you take those out of consideration, we have more points than Liverpool. Living proof that tossers like Clattenburg can have a monumental effect on the season as a whole
   Chris Perry
   8   Posted 31/03/2008 at 10:18:44

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   Absoloute fucking dire performance yesterday. We play shite against any of the top 4. Neville is a fucking disgrace and should never wear the Blue of Everton again never mind be the fucking silent capatin! What does he have over Moyes? A while ago I wrote an article after the Fulham game and got slaughtered. Got told it?s a one-off etc etc. Absoloute bollocks ? it?s now 3 shite perfomances on the run!!!
   Ian Tunstead
   9   Posted 31/03/2008 at 10:42:10

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   Liverpool home we were robbed, yes away fair do?s. Man U, 2 very close games and yes we got beat but what do you expect. Chelsea same, look how much they have spent we got a point away. Arsenal yes fell to pieces in the 2nd half but ur jumping the gun on with the next game. We beat Florentina at home. Villa Real we were robbed. Bucharest still shell shocked. Oldham, these things happen look who knocked Chelsea and Liverpool out
   Damian Wilde
   10   Posted 31/03/2008 at 12:25:46

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   People talk about not being able to cope in the big games. Unless some people noticed, we haven’t spent 100 million every season like most of the top 4 (bar Arsenal, who have a fantastic set up), so it’s not always a huge surprise when we don’t cope!
   
   Antony, you mention Villa having a go, etc. Is this the same Villa who we’re 7 points clear off (I think it’s 7, can’t be arsed checking the league table)?? The Villa who had had go at Man U and got done 4-0?? Good point. Maybe you should support Villa then, if they ’can give Liverpool a game’. Made up for them. And besides, with 4 attacking players out, it was hardly surprising that away against a CL side, that we were limited in our attacks. Ye it stinks, but look at all the variables folks.
   Chris Perry
   11   Posted 31/03/2008 at 12:46:46

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   Some of you lot are clearly on drugs, why make excuses for a shite performance? If this happened... if that happened... if Clattenburg etc etc. What a load of shite. We are piss poor and will be lucky to keep hold of 5th spot if we produce the shite that passed for football yesterday. Wake up and smell the fucking coffee!
   Joe Ludden
   12   Posted 31/03/2008 at 18:01:32

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   I have been concerned regards Moyes for sometime. I do believe however, that yesterday was not his fault. I believe had he had the players fit, he would have gone 4-4-2 and had AJ on and no Neville. All we had is what he played. I am concerned that Moyes cannot take us beyond (the rare and random) UEFA spot. Beneathus gets criticism for not having a great record v the top 3. Moyes needs to address his derby record. He knows its worth to us.
   
   Players in need of urgent replacement:
   1. Neville - no discussion required.
   2. Carsley - fantastic servant but at some point you have to trust your back 4 to do their jobs.
   3. Howard - Standard keeper in my book.
   4. Hibbert - I should get a game infront of him
   5. Osman - would he get a game for anyone else above us? Infact, how many of our squad would?
   
   Moyes has made a standard squad with the odd exceptional talent (Arteta, Lescott, Yakubu - who is quality) quite consistant. But if anyone thinks we are only 1 or 2 players off 4th spot, you are not watching the same games as I am.
   
   6 points from Derby and Brum in the next 2 games or 5th spot could pass us by. Pompey have a much nicer run in than us.
   
   Shane Kelly
   13   Posted 31/03/2008 at 18:59:34

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   The worst thing about yesterday? Liverpool were shite and were there for the taking but we couldn’t do anything about it.
   I think that if the team out there played to the best of their respective abilities or at least tried to, we could have won.
   Moyes is, without doubt, the right man for the job but in fairness he does have a shocking record against the big clubs and makes the odd terrible and inexplicable decision. That said, who would you have in front of him? The first thing people tell me these days when I tell them I support Everton is that we have a great manager.
   We can push forward if funds are available. Sell Neville to Middlesborough (the home of United rejects), Hibbert to Wigan (he just seems to fit with their England B team crew - as good a servant as he has been and genuine class four years ago), and Carsely to one of the relegated premier league teams (again, a great servant but part of our battling for relegation past).
   We should look at breaking the bank for Essien (borderline surplus for chelsea), another creative midfielder (Kalstrom would be good) and maybe look at talking to United about Scholes.
   Patrick Einsman
   14   Posted 31/03/2008 at 21:44:31

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   WHY is Neville playing in midfield?
   
   I recently saw Vidarsson in action in Holland and he looks like a much better passer.
   George Thompson
   15   Posted 01/04/2008 at 01:55:50

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   This is my first time of writing (and maybe my last?) but what are these so called Everton supporterscomplaining about? Only three teams have won more games than Everton, a team comprised of the same players they are complaining about, sure it
   would be nice to play attractive football
   every week but it doesnt happen even with
   the best sides in the world,I would hate to see what these (supporters) would have to say if we were at the bottom of the
   league and going down.
   ctiticism is ok if it is constructive,so
   please have something good to say about
   your team
   
   Peter Bradshaw
   16   Posted 01/04/2008 at 03:03:57

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   Its funny I mentioned a few weeks agao regarding targets and I mentioned Michael Essien, and I was totally shot down, people saying he wouldnt fit into our budget etc.... Thats the problem the club to move forward needs to go balls out for a class player who will enhance the club and the players around him, there are stories of the likes of Steven Taylor from Newcastle wanting 52k per week do you think we are going to the next level with a maximum of 40k err no.
   Break the bank for Essien and Joe Cole forget the right back Pip is going nowhere and use Hibbert as back up. That would be the way forward.
   Howard
   Neville
   Lescott
   Yobo
   Baines
   J Cole
   arteta
   Essien
   Peanuts
   Yakubu
   AJ/Cahill
   
   
   Wow!!!!!
   Phil Hamer
   17   Posted 01/04/2008 at 12:18:38

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   Shane Kelly and Peter Bradshaw, thats pure and pointless fantasy. Essien is worth over £20 million, Cole not much less. We can’t afford them. And Carsley has never been ’part of our relegation battling past’. He has never battled relegation with us since he first signed if you check it out. Lets keep things realistic - Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Stewart Downing thats our sort of target.
   chris fisher
   18   Posted 01/04/2008 at 12:33:44

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   i think some people are being a bit harsh on neville i agree he absloutley cant plat in midfield thats a bad mistake i know he played amazingly well against patrick viera in that one game against arsenal but that was for man u and a one off but hes better than hibbert at right back i feel much more safe when i see nevilles name pop up on the team sheet at right back than i do hibbos, atleast he showed a bit of passion when he got subbed yeah it was a bit petulant but atleast it showed he cared most people walk off clapping like a fairy he was furious so good on him! hes by no means the best player in our team but stop looking for scape goats it was unfortunate we didnt have any attacking opptions apart from the yak atall but u cant help injuries, they were lucky really they scored one goal because of a mistake by one of our players and i dont remember feeling threatened by them after that!
   Steve Ryan
   19   Posted 01/04/2008 at 12:37:21

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   Why do many people on this site think that Everton are the only team in the premiership with long injury lists? Lame excuse to compensate for lack of investment in the squad.
   Tony Williams
   20   Posted 01/04/2008 at 11:53:04

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   A honest question if I may?
   
   Were you shocked when we got beat by the Shite?
   
   I know I wasn’t, someone earlier mentioned their home form, they have only been beaten by Man Ure in the last year or two, so why is everyone saying Moyes bottles it in the big games? Why would you expect to beat a side that has only lost a couple of games all season and only one at home?
   
   People seem to want to blame Moyes but I blame the players and the bad luck with injuries we are having at the moment.
   Mick Geoffroy
   21   Posted 01/04/2008 at 16:15:03

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   John Paul Kissock? Lukas jutkiewicz... why were they not in the squad when we had 2 left backs on the bench?
   We had no attacking options to try and take the game to them which in itself must have been frustrating for the players on the pitch...
   Tony Williams
   22   Posted 01/04/2008 at 17:00:14

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   Kissock and Jutivizxzxzxq were not on the bench because they are out on loan and are not ready to be bunged on against the Shite in an important derby.
   mark hanson
   23   Posted 01/04/2008 at 16:28:05

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   i think moyes has done a good job. do people forget the relegation years . i dont ,we would probably be in division two if it werent for moyse. as has been said we have probably less money than some championship sides , so most of you fellow evertonians need to have a reality check. so go on moyse make us proud.
   Tony Williams
   24   Posted 01/04/2008 at 18:46:14

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   Mark, I hear you brother but we have to start looking past the old, "remember what it was like" routine now and focus ahead.
   
   Can Moyes with the limited funds he has on offer take us into the Sky 4 money, in fact could any manager?
   
   We hear the same old shit about Moyes bottling it against the big 4 yet so do the other 15 teams, the odd shock result occurrs occassionally but until tere is a more level playing field this league will stay like the Scottish Premiership and there will only ever be 3 teams who can win the league and the rest hoping for scraps
   Danny Fleming
   25   Posted 02/04/2008 at 08:58:05

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   I totaly agree with what you have said about phil neville leaving us, as i can honestly say i believe he is the worst passer of the ball in the premiership. The decision to sub jim in the derby was the right one, as i think moyes is starting to see what everyone has been saying for sometime now that Phil Neville really isnt good enough.
   I would like to see lescott move in to his more natural center back position as i feel his is a far more talented defender the jagielka, purely on the grounds at the amount of mistakes phil makes. I think that the lee carsley role would be much better suited to the jags style of play as he is an exelent tackler.
   I think that a player like ryan taylor would do brilliant with us because i think he the same type of player as baines as he is quick a good tackler and an excellent passer (even though he is a kopite)
   I would also like to see these "one for the future" players get a bit more of an involvement, i agree with Patrick Einsman when he said about bjarni vidarsson he is an absolute gem of a player and moyes and his team would be criminal to let him go.
   
   But all things aside we can not achieve anything without our chairmans backing and he will have to give moyes his full support and the whole "sell to buy" idea will have to go because we have proved that our squad is paper thin as it is and it needs to be bolstered with some big names.
   
   COYB EVERTON TILL I DIE
   
   Trudy Boston
   26   Posted 02/04/2008 at 16:36:22

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   I don?t think the season has been a disappointment. Everybody knows that after a european defeat most teams have a tendency to go through a bad spell, and this club is no different. The recent bad spell is attributed to the penalty defeat to Fiorentina. The boys gave their all that night at Goodison and then some, only to fall victim to the cruel injustice that was the lottery of the penalty shoot out.
   
   Since that night, the results have been poor to say the least, I dont care if it?s true that Everton have not won at Craven Cottage since 1966, the statisitc should have been irrelevant considering the gulf in class between the two sides. Following that, a draw at home to West Ham, who are no great shakes is not up to standard, and even worse was a defeat to the much hated shite across the park, who Gerrard and Torres apart, are not the great club that everyone makes out.
   
   At least on Saturday we can at last get back to winning ways against a Derby side that gave up the ghost long ago.
   
   Good luck to Arsenal tonight. Let the Red Shite have their fourth place, which twenty years ago would have been a terrible finish for them, but now seems to make the Anfield side seem quiet happy with their productivities this season.
   Michael Dawson
   27   Posted 03/04/2008 at 13:00:30

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   Essien! Joe Cole! Some of you people are on drugs...
   
   Essien is one of the top 10 midfielders in Europe, worth well over £20 million. Even if we had that kind of money and Avram had some sort of mental problem which meant he would sell him, why would he want to come play for a team not even in the Champion’s League?
   
   I agree that we should be spending some serious money on new midfielders this summer, but come on!
   
   
   
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