COLUMNIST JOE JENNINGS
Can We Bring Him Home?
If tenuous reports surfacing in the media are to be believed, Manuel Fernandes?s love affair with Everton could be set to continue, that is, if he?s still on the menu at Goodison Park.
There have been various accusations levelled at Manuel Fernandes during his two spells with Everton, from backstabbing to lethargy to showboating. But one thing to me has always proved conclusive, scientific fact ? the lad has talent, lots of it.
Fernandes remains, to this day, a rough diamond. A diamond who potentially, could become one of the best in the Premier League, given the right home. I honestly believed securing his services permanently last summer was a must, as he was exactly what we needed to move forward, and I felt we simply had to pay whatever it took to ensure his future was at Everton. For one reason or another, it didn?t happen. I was angered, but most of all, disappointed.
Disappointed that a player of such obvious ability and flair could slip through our net. Disappointed we couldn?t stump up the cash to secure his long term future was at Everton. Disappointed he would have to do make do with paella over scouse.
The now Valencia midfielder brought men of all ages, shapes and sizes out of the closet with some sexually arousing displays upon arrival at Liverpool 4. He was a breath of fresh air. A powerful, talented, dexterous international who brought an aura of class with him.
A goal against Manchester United back in April 2007 that encapsulated all the finesse, panache and absolute belief that was once quintessentially ?Everton? did much to spark the Evertonian excitement. It was understandable. As the season drew to a close, the focus was now aimed at getting Fernandes in on a permanent basis.
But that?s when it all started to go horribly wrong. Enthusiasm turned to despair as deadline day approached.
Supporters will now understandably refer to the protracted ?transfer? of that summer which involved Fernandes shaking hands on a deal with Everton and being Bill Kenwright?s guest for the clash against Blackburn Rovers, before inexplicably signing on the dotted line at the Mestalla a day after, as catastrophic. That hurt, it really did. It was like the winning lottery numbers that you forgot to put on, finding your best mate in bed with your wife, getting the ball full on at your sack, a heartbreaking feeling any dyed-in-the-wool Evertonian would have felt.
Even a return on loan a few months later didn?t satisfy all of the Goodison boo-boys, clearly still sore from being shafted from behind. His performances didn?t initially inspire either, questions surrounding his attitude were once again inevitably posed. But there was always the knowledge of what he was capable of, a belief in Fernandes? truly unique capabilities. There was almost an unforeseen determination from a certain section of our fan base however, that we couldn?t or shouldn?t fall back in love with him, because he was a traitor after all. I found that attitude loathsome. For sure, he had let us down massively, but that was now of secondary importance, the main thing was ensuring he didn?t slip away for a second time.
Here we had a player who rivalled some of the Premier League?s top performers in terms of skill, guile, awareness, passing range and vision and some remained adamant he was a bad apple. We?re a funny band of supporters. This was the same lad who had Cesc Fabregas ? one of the most coveted talents in world football ? grasping at his ankles in stupor as our Portuguese maestro set Goodison alight.
Watching Fernandes and Arteta in full swing against Portsmouth on a day sunshine surrounded Goodison Park was a joy to behold. It was truly school of science stuff. Arteta was the one player in the Everton side who really did understand how Fernandes operated, they clicked.
Given Arteta?s reincarnation in central midfield and the form and emergence of young talents, where would Fernandes fit in if his dream was to come true? Perhaps more importantly, would David Moyes have the foresight to do it? Is he too much of a steady Eddy to take the risk? Personally, I?d have him back in a shot, because unlike others, he has world-class ability. Valencia are cash-strapped, by no means are Everton affluent, but it begs the question if we can afford to spend £15 million on Marouane Fellaini surely we can gather the reddies to secure one of the other stars of tomorrow.
Manuel Fernandes needs tender, love and care. He needs a home. Agents have already played a massive role in his career in engineering moves to clubs across Europe, but here we have a 23-year-old ? excusing the hyperbole ? prospective world-beater. Surely that alone should banish any doubts surrounding him?
A midfield trio of Rodwell, Arteta and Fernandes (hey, maybe even Fellaini!), isn?t that our idea of Blue heaven? The Holy Trinity would certainly think so.
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In truth I would be pleased if we signed him but I;m glad its not my money paying for it.
Secondly
Fernandez was not that good and far, far from World class.
What makes you see a few decent attributes in a player and suddenly decide he’s WC?
Thirdly
I will make a resolution not to waste time and read articles by Joe Jennings again and therefore not post a critical response.
Anyone who agrees that each member of the Everton squad; past, present and probably in the fucking future is World Class can happily support your ravings.
Is this the same guy that sat to watch the Blackburn match with a verbal commitment to EFC for signing, then jumped on the plane the next day to sign for Valencia? The same one who came to us on loan soon after, and did nothing? I am missing something about this guy, I really am. While his talent is undoubted, his attitude and ethics are more LFC than EFC.
Which reports are you referring to? I’ve seen one piece of speculation that suggested he was surplus/disillusioned at Valencia & that Pompey were sniffing round & that’s it. Where have you picked up rumours of EFC interest?
As for the boy, sure, I;d have him back tomorrow. He’s got spunk & panache & talent. On his day he is fabulous. His second spell wasn’t too hot, but there were reasons behind that (which even Moyes himself conceded).
With our legendary spirit & togetherness, the friendly set up and a manager who seems to be from the Alex Ferguson school of man management, he could cut it here better than anywhere.
Saying that, I wouldn’t want Manny if it meant losing out on Moutinho. He is the boy. But first things first & there’s teh simple question of money (which is a much easier question if we finish 4th). I just hope Moutinho was injured for last night’s game or he could be permanently traumatised!
The door’s open Manny, come on in. I think Moyes would love him back.
Fernandes was a joy in his first spell, which led to us all begging for him to stay. Then he screwed us over. End of. Wake up call: THERE IS NO LOYALTY IN FOOTBALL ANYMORE! MONEY TALKS! After that his second spell with us was destined to fail.
To call Goodison his ’home’ is a bit rich for my liking. It is ours Joe, but remember we are born not manufactured. You can not justify putting Fernandes under your goodison wing if he regards us no more highly than any mercinary would. If he does come (unlikely I reckon) he has a heck of a lot of people to win over. Agreed he is a talent but I don’t think your romance should spread any further than that.
This has to be a joke doesn’t it?.
Either Joe sits at home alone jerking off to Arteta freekicks and Tim Cahill headers or he is some kind of weird Kopite on the wind up.
If the former is true then to each his own, but as Peter Pridgeon points out surely Toffeeweb is not the forum to discuss your own personal proclivities.
As to the main point of the article then yes I would like to see Manny back here.
The fact is, none of our players are natural wingers with the possible exception of Pienaar. We need a RW first. I would hate to see Arteta moved back to the wing too..wasted
Did you ever see the unit of Ball, Harvey, Kendall & Morrissey play?
It’s an age thing, I know, but there are no favourable comparisons in the current game
I nearly shat myself laughing reading your post!
Indeed while I love to see Arteta and Cahill playing brilliantly in the Everton shirt, I have never experienced an erection while watching them and nor is this the site to discuss such events.
As for Manny, he got what he deserved when he broke a (all be it gentleman’s) agreement to join Valencia. I have no great desire to see him back as for every great dragback or pass, there was 6 or 7 misplaced passes.
Moutinho looks a far better player -with a far better attitude.
So I’d rather have him any day of the week (aroused or not)!
He agreed to sign for Everton and I don’t care that he did’nt actually put pen to paper. He agreed verbally and shook hands on it.
He chose to turn his back on Everton and the fans who had supported him and instead signed for Valencia. His choice - Everton wanted him - David Moyes wanted him - and the fans wanted him. He wanted Valencia.
Is he therefore someone that can be trusted?
Not for me - ever.
His conduct was nothing new in football but that does not mean it was ok.
He gave his word and shook on it - he can go to hell and back for me I don’t want him pulling on our shirt ever.
Ok Mikel Arteta is crocked and we will need more creativity in midfield but why does Fernandes have to be referred to in such misty eyed terms as being the answer?
FFS get over Fernandes - 1 moment against ManU - where did he disappear to every other game he played against top sides? He is not fit to lace Arteta’s boots let alone fill them.
I can’t say Manny changed my lifestyle and activated my gaydar, but he is a sexy footballer in the same way Chris Waddle was a sexy footballer. I saw him at West Ham on his 2nd spell I think, and ooooh, just dribbling for fun. Great stuff.
Did people say sexy footballer before Gullit stated he wanted to play sexy football with Newcastle??
From our team, I’d say say Mikky is tantric, Pienaar is a hot passionate quicky, and Captain Marvel is 30 seconds of missionary with a handshake and ’well done’ at the end of it.
Are we so naive that we honestly believe that anyone joins Everton as a matter of pride rather than mammon?
Many is a superb player who was played out of position on the wing in his second spell.....Valencia managed to sign him in a day, while we played the delboy routine with the 3rd party owners...Can anyone objectively blame Manny for choosing Valencia over us- especially given the circumstances?
Not without the abrogation of sense...
Fella, Arteta and Manny in the middle? Yes please.
I think its more likely that he would become a Cult hero in the mound of duncan, and everton dont need cult heros we need real heros who are consistently excelent
A vastly over rated luxury of a player who in reality has no real interest in playing for Everton.
A mercenary, not what we need in our squad at the moment IMO.
Moutinho is the dream signing for me.
Robbie Muldoon - I would tajke Osman over Manny, because his work-rate and committment is top notch and he can provide the occassional moment of brilliance (just like Manny, but with consistenmt effort).
Also - would love to see Krancjar at Everton. He could play anywhere across the attacking midfield, so provides versatility as well as quality.
I suppose you’d take a fat and ugly bird over Elle MacPherson...after all they are more willing to please.
Behave.
I agree with Joe’s point that if he was to make Everton his home we could see the best of what I believe is a potentially special talent.
Of course since Miky moved to Centre Mid our need for a playmaker in that role had somewhat diminished but Sunday highlighted the need to have top class cover in all areas of the field and I think Manny could deputise for Miky more competantly than anyone in our current midfield. Maybe they could play together?
That said We are equally thin on the ground in the wide area’s and other players we have been linked with (Krancjar and Moutinho) seem more comfortable out wide so if money is tight in the summer they would probably be a better bet.
Krancjar, yes, fine, excellent player at crap club. Osman over Fernandes? no.
I have more time for Osman than many on here, simply due to the other options. But he has his limitations and they are regularly seen when we play the better teams. As that is where we are aiming, I think Leon’s probably had his best years but could end up doing a great job for a mid/lower table team.
I’d still take Moutinho over anybody and I suspect his price will have dropped by June. Rumours suggest Moyes still has his eye on him, and he still seems sweet on us.
The other guy I’d love us to get is M’Bia, despite his admissions over money (honesty, that’s all). But that would be greedy and, in the unlikely event that we did grab 2 of these players, and keep Jo, I’d then be expecting rather than hoping for top 4.
So I’ll also be content with what we have and seeing the kids develop. If we keep plugging all the chinks in our armoury with buying then the kids have no chance.
Manny himself said recently that at the time he was told it was a done deal but things kept dragging on with no resolution in sight so his agent recommended (pushed) him to sign for Valencia.
For those with short memories, it was going on over the whole of close season and right up to the transfer deadline.
It?s like having a temp working for your company and in May you tell them you?d like to make them permanent but with August looming and a couple of days to a deadline when it cant then happen you are offered another job.
How many of you would not have taken the Valencia offer.
If he was a guest of Bill for the match and we seriously wanted him surely the thing to have done was sign the contract before the game and announce it at the time.
For me it's another example of "The Everton Way" and I totally endorse Joe?s comments and feelings.
Sure he was poor when he came back initially the second time but that was because he?d had no preseason and hardly any games and was thrown straight into the prem but once he trained up and got playing he was immense. Look at the pass to Osman as an example of his ability.
For the first time in a long time I felt we had somebody as talented if not better than Arteta and it was a tragic shame that we did not get him this preseason because if we had we would not be looking to cling on to 6th place we would have been challenging the top 4 instead of Villa and Arsenal.
- http://www.as.com/futbol/articulo/manuel-fernandes-le-gustaria-volver/dasftb/20090213dasdasftb_5/Tes
Its from about two weeks ago on him. basically he said we would like to play in England again - one day - before going back to finish in Portugal. Its roughly the same level of rumour as the normal one linking Arteta with returning to spain. Maybe he will be back in three or four years in the premiership. Personally he has had his shot I think. He is getting on okay at Valencia judging by his appearences in the team.(info @ http://www.valenciacf.com/contenidos/ElEquipo/Jugadores/Valencia/Manuel_Fernandes.html?__locale=es)
For what it’s worth, I think there are too many contradictions surrounding the entire Manny affair for any potential return to Goodison to work. Whether his past, present and future intentions have been/will be honest and wholesome or not.
In my opinion there is only one suitable replacement for Arteta, short term and long term, within the ranks and outside of them...
Moutinho.
To be fair to Joe, I believe he is only 16/17 and with that in mind has the naivete of youth to believe that Fernandes would consider Everton home.
3 things I have noticed recently have led me to believe that footballers only ever consider a stay at a Club to be temporary and are unliukely to put down any real roots.
Firstly, Tim Cahill, despite being an Everton star and here for 5 years now, still openly admits he will be going home to Australia once his career is finished. Secondly Arteta is having his knee operation ( and most likely all his rehabilitation with Rathbone forced to fly out to see him ) in Spain. Finally, Marlon King when appearing in Court this week charged with some serious goings on in a London nightclub gave his address as Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire ( even though he left Watford a long time ago to play for Hull and Middlesbrough ).
Famously too Mike Walker refused to move to Merseyside from Norfolk, although that was probably a good thing if it hastened his departure.
I don’t necessarily blame the players for any of that, but the notion of Fernandes ’coming home’ to Liverpool ( where he rented a flat in the Albert Dock for a few months ) is silly.
Of course, the whole article could be a wind-up, which if it was, has succeeeded! :)
If Fernandes is capable of sexually arousing displays then you will be having wet dreams every week if we sign Moutinho as he is a better player.
I did say it myself 2 years ago that Fernandes played very well with Arteta.
However the rest of our team at the time didn’t have a clue what he was doing and weren’t on the same wavelength.
We have moved on though in terms of quality and I could see Fernandes playing very well in a midfield that also now includes Pienaar and the emerging Rodwell.
The guy has got a touch of class, but was clearly not fit during his second spell and was only just getting back into shape at the end of the season.
Al in all though I think he would represent a bit of a gamble. Great when you are 3-0 up and the sun is shining, but what would he be like on a wet November at Bolton.
Tough call and worth debating.
Can you please post the source of Manny saying that recently? I have scoured the net, and canot find anything of the sort.
For me personally, the transfer policy of this club is pound for pound only behind Arsenal. To try and criticise the regime that brought in Arteta, Neville, Howard, Baines, Lescott, Pienaar, Yakubu, Fellaini and nurtured our youngsters seems a bit harsh.
Lets see some hard evidence about the poison this board are feeding into this club. Because the pitch performances, and future prospects dont seem to reflect it I am afraid.
Nuff said.
Beattie, Kroldrop, Davies, Da silva, Jacobsen, VDM, Castillo, AJ, mcfadden, Gravesen, castillo...and various other misfits who have spectacularly failed to deliver...
Now, don’t get me wrong...Moyes has constantly improved in this area and has made some outstanding purchases....but he’s also made some castastrophic errors....
Gary Martin, Nuff said? Yeah, nevermind the fact that he wasn’t fit, had personal problems in spain and was played out of position....
’I suppose you?d take a fat and ugly bird over Elle MacPherson...after all they are more willing to please.
Behave.’
Sounds like you write with experience Ciaran!
I think it was on Evertonnews.com when the news broke about him possibly going to Portsmouth and he spoke about the situation regarding his Valencia move.
For the record, I am more than happy with the team and the manager?s overall performance but IMO the board has let the fans and the manager down by consistently lying and underperforming.
As this is a Manny thread and not a board bashing/backslapping thread I have no intention of furthering the debate as my views on Kenwright are well known on here.
You can disagree all you like but you wont change my mind and I doubt that I?d change your mind so let's leave it at that.
Anthony - As for good old Ciaran, you must remember he is still going through puberty.
As for his problems, what a bitch about doing a different job at work and, having a cold & my cat dying (tough world hey) - nuff said .
COYB
Joe, I agree with you almost completely (I don’t think I actually fancy him, although he has got nice eyes...) but I’m fairly sure David Moyes doesn’t. And that’s the main point really, Moyes has had him twice, not always used him properly (wide or supporting the striker) and decided to spend the money on Fellaini instead last summer. I might as well finish off by going all Football Manager on you and suggesting the Russian Yuri Zhirkov as the class wide man we need. He may be, like Arshavin ended up, out of our league though.
’From our team, I?d say say Mikky is tantric, Pienaar is a hot passionate quicky, and Captain Marvel is 30 seconds of missionary with a handshake and ?well done? at the end of it.’
Fucking superb. I wasn’t going to respond to this one but that is funny and deserved a heads up.
I prefer to Fellaini to Fernandes anyway. Fellaini an honest and likeable person. I like that in my footballers.
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1 Posted 26/02/2009 at 06:13:55
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Haven’t seen anything like it since he left. I feel you hit the nail on the head in that I felt not all his mistakes were just his doing... I felt his vision for the game was not shared by most in the team and they just weren’t operating in sync. When they do, like his relationship with Arteta, then it is wonderous to behold.
I write a fair amount about Manny on the Everton forum.. but in my heart I know we will never see him playing in the royal blue again.... and its a crying shame....