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Will Fellaini be fit for Sunday?
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Gibson has been out much longer than was first thought, and it is a slow and painful road back to health for him. Hopefully different people will be right in that he will at least be ready along with Hibbert, but their fitness is a serious question.
I would play Gibson no matter what, he is the key to us keeping it tight at the back and he helps out the defence as well as gives us good quality long range passes going forward. I would go as far as saying that if Gibson is not ready then we will lose the derby.
Neville is a disaster, a waste of space in central midfield and must be replaced if we are to not lose by high numbers. Moyes has a habit of picking players out of position and players totally out of form. Phil Neville is this year's example of that, last season it was Cahill who was dismal throughout, and Moyes stood by him all the way.
We simply can not afford to play Neville in midfield any longer, he is way too old for that job now. If Gibson and Fellaini are not ready, I would go for Heitinga, and have Hitzlsperger on the bench ready to come on if things go wrong. Moyes waits too long to make a change when things go wrong, sometimes he never does.
The red shite look weak going forward, but pretty strong in the back. I would bet on them having possession most of the game, they will get chances to score, but all-in-all this match is won in the midfield, just as QPR won against us there... Wigan did the same.
Without Gibson and Fellaini I would be pleased with a draw, we need more than luck to win, we need to fill the HUGE hole in midfield.
Heitinga could do a good job on Gerrard whilst Jags could take care of diver Suarez. If that happens then the Blues can get all 3 points — providing we don't concede first, which is becoming a bad habit.
If Fellaini is fit, he needs to play better than the last derby match – they all do!
And no Pienaar again.
Who is the patron saint of despair? We need a miracle.
That will still be still be the case even if Fellaini is fit (and I am praying he is) because Moyes will definitely y play him off Jelavic. He will do this because he trusts Osman and Neville in midfield so blindly that he will refuse to contemplate or recognise that Wigan and QPR's midfield outplayed them in consecutive games. We all know it.
Hibbert Jagielka (captain) Distin Baines
Naismith Fellaini Osman Mirallas
Anichebe Jelavic
Keep Neville out of midfield and use Fellaini to control Gerrard, Allen and/or Sahin. Hopefully they can control downing.........
The guy is useless and we should have recycled this calibre of player out of club about 3 years ago, yet Moyes hangs on to him like a toddler with his safety blanket. I would rather have a non match fit Hitz in there than Neville.
I hate derbys.
Last season, I was very confident in all 3 matches against the dark side & look what happened... This game on Sunday I am dreading; perhaps, just maybe, it could be a Neville inspired, backs to the wall, Dogs of War battle, which surely will be on our only option... injuries dictating ultimate team selection of course!!
I could accept (painfully) defeat if I thought we played our best but they just outclassed us. This never happens, however; in fact, the times we have won we've not usually had our best team out. We're unbeaten at home over a long period and have beaten most of the league's top sides there. The worst outcome should be some sort of limp low-scoring draw.
If it was anyone else, even Man City, no-one would be expecting us to lose this game — regardless of the personnel out. We have always been defensively strong and solid at home. For some reason, whenever that lot turn up, we just turn into amateurs and several of our players lose their heads and forget stuff that they do so well every other week of the year.
A comfortable 2-0 win with Jelavic and Mirallas scoring.
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Fellaini Osman Oviedo
Naismith
Jelavic
Hibbert will play if he's fit and — like he's done against the likes of Ronaldo, Lennon, SWP and countless other wingers with growing reputations — he will put the young pup firmly in his place.
Coleman v Sterling would give me cold sweats!!
Howard
Neville Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Fellaini Osman Oviedo
Naismith
Jelavic
but knowing Moyes far more likely:
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Neville Osman Oviedo
Fellaini
Jelavic
with Anichebe nailed on to make an appearance later on — or, worst case, start at the expense of Mirallas or Oviedo.
For that reason I reckon Anichebe is nailed on to start on the wing. Probably the right one, with Mirallas on the opposite and either Fellaini or Naismith behind Jelavic.
(I'm not saying you're prediction is wrong just...SURELY not!)
Wigan and QPR are hardly tough opposition either. The reason a lot of people (myself included) are fearing the worst is because we've seen it all before. It doesn't matter what players either side has missing, how their form is, who has the better team, who is at home, who deserves to win, history tells us they usually win
The reason they will most probably win will be because of some sort of refereeing error/decision that will go their way. It always does. I firmly believe we have a far superior team than them but we always get major decisions go against us in derbies. FACT.
Ithangyew!
The striker was sent off two minutes before half-time in the 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road after being shown a second yellow card for an alleged stamp on Nicky Bailey.
Hornets boss Gianfranco Zola indicated after the match that he would appeal against the decision and the FA have upheld his view.
The 20-year-old, who is currently on international duty with the Czech Republic, will now be available for the clash with Peterborough on 20 October.
Do the same rules apply in the Premier League? If so why Have Everton not appealed Pienaar's yellow?
This then would mean that Anichebe does not start on the wing, Mirallas needs to be there if Fellaini is able to play.
Patrick-Poor journalism, the player got a straight red. And as someone pointed out to me on another thread, you can't have two yellow cards rescinded.
That said, lets get a bloody win:
Howard
Neville
Baines
Jags
Distin
Mirallas, Gibson, neville, osman
Fellaini
Jelavic
Howard
Hibbert Jagielka Distin Baines
Coleman Neville Osman Mirallas
Anichebe Jelavic.
Hope I"m wrong!!
My only worry would be seeing Neville's, Anichebe's and Coleman's names on the sheet in midfield. Isn't it typical of us that we could be going into our biggest game of the season so far with 3 of our key midfield players missing. Mark my word, they won't lose anyone on Thursday because he won't risk them, knowing how tough it's going to be for them.
I understand your points, and do not disagree, but....... I think that this weekends derby is there for us to win.
Sam, you say Qpr/Wigan aren't tough opposition, but both games away from home against teams battling with all they have and we never lost, one with 10 men, and the Wigan game we should of won because of reasons we all know.
We're going to bury them Sunday.
As an aside I was surprised to see that you can't appeal any yellow card if it is a judgement call by the referee.
Howard
Hibbert Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Gibson Osman Pienaar
Fellaini
Jelavic
I'd be confident of a 3-0 win....
As it is though,
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Neville Osman Oviedo
Anichebe Jelavic
I know Oviedo hasn't started in the league yet, but I think his pace could offer something different and he can also defend. Furthermore, we paid good money(-ish) for him, so he should be a direct replacement for Pienaar.
I've got everything crossed for a 1-1..... Sad but true!!!
Okay so he's just a kid but he is very fast; for those older Evertonians who remember how many Redshite derby debutantes have buried us, let's not add one more. Moyes will not play any of his youngsters unless they are on the bench and he gets desperate near the end. Hopefully that won't be necessary.
Moyes will be stubborn as usual and pick the same experienced starting crew as last week minus Pienaar. If ever there was a time that I would like to see Osman and Anichebe star in, the Derby match it's now. However, we have to be philosophical; anything can happen in a derby match as current form goes out the window.
Also, of course, is the referee changing the game against the Blues. God knows they have never changed it in our favour. Let's just hope Marriner has a good game and in particular with the Suarez antics.
Expect
Fear
Hope
Want
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Mirallas Osman Fellaini Oviedo
Naismith
Jelavic
Makes sense to me. I just pray Neville doesn't play in the middle and Vic doesn't play on the wing. Square pegs and holes etc.
He may have been inspirational in the dressing room but no way on the pitch. You watch him closely and you can see he is petrified when he receives the ball and invariably passes backwards or to a teammate who is closely marked. I can only recall one decent pass that he has made this season. Sorry Phil but it comes to us all – time to move on.
Why does Moyes keep chasing lost causes? I'd rather see one of our youngsters or new lads given a chance.
The buck-toothed acrobat will be exhausted after abusing the ref, and that rolling about must take it out of you.
The stars are lining back up in our favour: 2-0 to the tricky Blues!!!
Give or take a few dodgy performances away from home, I have watched my beloved Blues Home and Away and in Europe; the glory days in the mid eighties are like yesterday.
This weekend I want to ease the anxiety about Sunday: whomever is fit, whomever DM selects, we will be up for it... and we will beat an average LFC side!
Come on, lads, let's be confident: Are we Everton fans? Don't we love our blue 11 gods out on the pitch? Get a fucking grip, everyone;, 3 points our well within our grasp.
Nil Satis till I die! Thank You.
We just go to shit when we play them. I hope we lose that mentality but come Sunday I bet a few of us will be scratching our heads at the team selection, positions etc.
So forgive us all for being negative. It's just that getting shafted up the rearjusain't
I think most people would prefer more natural, quicker and better tackling fullbacks than Neville to play against the likes of Bale, Walcott, and Sterling.
Looking at the prognosis for Sunday one has to notice that Redshite's only 2 wins have come against Norwich and Reading who both just happen to be propping up the rest of the table.
This looks like a perfect time to beat them as I am sure we are way better opposition than either of those 2 teams.
However, as I said earlier, current form usually goes out the window in these games but the main thing is that Moyes has his boys well focused and that we don't commit stupid errors particularly early on to give them any encouragement because you know we will get nothing from the referee.
Neville's poor tackling and Osman's lack of tackling are my main concern.
We are an unbeaten side and have been far more impressive despite some lapses and if Fella is fighting fit we should prevail providing there are no calamitous refereeing decisions (or linesmen decisions for that matter).
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