The Yak is slowly getting better but, like Saha, is not firing on all cylinders and is not scoring or creating enough. In those situations, you need a second attacking player to compensate and pick up the slack. Cahill is undoubtedly giving 100% and is fully committed to the cause BUT, when we have the ball 40 yards from goal on the floor, what does he contribute?
His first touch is average, his passing again is average at best, and, until last week, I don\'t think he had hit a shot from the edge of the box in 5 years. He does not make runs like a forward, either into space or creating space for others; basically he wants the ball lobbed into the box for him to attack ? which he undoubtedly is good at!!So, when in games like Villa, Fulham, Wolves and yesterday at Blackpool we dominate possession in their half and around their box, and have players like Arteta and Piennar dictating, they basically have two options ? try and walk it in because the Yak (Saha, ano) is being covered by two and Tim is taking up positions to attack crosses and balls lobbed in; or hit more hopeful balls into the box and hope something breaks but, because of the time taken to get there, most options are closed down. Yesterday was a classic case in point. The ball was quickly worked to the Yak and he instantly put up a cross for Tim to attack which he did magnificently. Through all the other possession we had, Cahill was a peripheral figure. He didn't link with Piennar or Arteta, didn\'t create space by drawing their defenders out, he basically looked to see if he could get on the end of balls knocked in but, because we were dominating and passing the ball around, they had time to funnel back and stop him should any crosses come in. For him to be effective, we have to move the ball far quicker and look to hit the box much faster ? hoofball!!!In games like yesterday and Villa etc, the challenge for Moyes is to think differently. Instead of swapping like for like, ie Saha for the Yak, and then people complaining about Bily or Hietinga not providing enough, he needs to consider changing his tactics (can he?). Putting a second forward on when we are looking to win a match should be viewed alongside a re-appraisal of Cahill\'s contribution at that point ? heresy, some will say; he\'s always a threat, some shout. But in reality he is only a threat if you hit balls in the box for him to attack. If you are passing in and around the opposition, Tim does not offer a lot.Some might suggest that you must keep an extra midfield player on and stick to five, but surely if you are already dominating possession, like we did yesterday, then tactically you put an extra forward on to create more problems ? not continue doing the same thing with the same system.Challenging a sacred cow may be dangerous, I know, but to progress there should be no sacred cows... And if we need to do something different to win a game then Cahill (or anyone else) cannot be that vital that, without him, we can't win a game. Is Moyes brave enough to think differently?
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Answer this, if Cahill had either of the oppertunities that fell to Saha or Pienaar, we'd probably be fifth now.
Utter garbage.
Once we have everyone back fit and on form, things might be different; what a supersub he will make.
I would suggest that those who do believe he has no skill or vision, or that his first touch is average, go into the archive of this season's games and focus on Cahill's contribution. You might wake up to yourselves.
All things considered, Cahill has been, and still is, the best player that the Club has had for the past 20 years. What does the bloke have to do to win some people across? I've even seen postings this season on this site advocating the dropping of Tim for Bily. Jesus wept.
a) not from a lobbed crossb) not a headerc) not an easy tap-in
Before that goal we had bossed the game but lacked any quality in the final 3rd; Timmy's finish was emphatic bursting the net, rocking the Glwadys and the nature of it must have really rocked the RS.I can see where you're coming from tactically, but goals are the #1 commodity and he is our most potent source. It would be crazy to drop him. And for who? Beckford/Saha. No way. I think when you have a squad you ave to pick your tactics around your best players and he is head & shoulders our most committed and effective performer. Sure, play 2 strikers, but play Cahill as well.
For me, Pienaar is far more worthy of this kind of criticism ? undoubtedly more technically able but half as effective as Cahill. Don't get me wrong: Pienaar is a good player but he needs to find more end product, e.g. start shooting.
Discount the rest of our midfield, despite having more silky skills than Tim in the goals department they are non-entities. Yaks fans say he is slowly getting better but how long will it be before he is at his best? At his current rate of improvement a couple more months perhaps. This provided he has no more set-backs. Beckford is still coming to grips with the Premier League. At 26, he is not a youngster, yet some say or hope he will eventually come good. Once again, how long will that take? Oh yes there is sick note Saha, another who, if granted a few injury-free months, might score a few. Long ago, I gave up hope that injury-prone Vaughan or Victor would be goalscoring heroes... so that makes for a pretty bare stock of goal scorers.
The club should bite the bullet by accepting any offer regardless of how small for the lot of em'. That would free up a huge sum from the wages bill. Money that could be used to entice one or two proven strikers or at least secure existing good players.
Ideally, looking ahead, Coleman would be our attacking full back, with an offensive player in front of him, hopefully Donovan. Where does that leave Neville?
Save that one for another day Jim because the Cahill issue has no mileage in it. He's a match-winner, big-game player and vital to the team.
I don't know why more teams don't use this tactic; for instance, maybe Chelsea can start utilising Drogba as more of a impact sub.
Equally leaving him on and just swapping a forward in a like for like move only repeats the problems, ie lots of possession, one forward and Cahill who cannot do what he does best. In these situations Moyes needs to be brave and tactically astute ? can he be?
I am not sure how this equates to Cahill needing to be brought off because it would have made no difference if we had had Maradona and Pele on the pitch instead of Cahill and Bily while Beckford and Saha were missing these chances. I am struggling to understand how two of our strikers, ie Beckford and Saha missing chances that they should be putting away, leads to the guy who is putting the chances away when he is getting them needing to be brought off.
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* Everton deducted 8 pts; †Forest deducted 4 pts for PSR breachView full table
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