Opinions
John Hughes does a little Championship Manager and juggles potential successful team formations

7 May 2004

I have been reading the site lately and have read numerous suggestions on who's to blame? what's the best formation? who are our best players? how much money do we have? etc etc etc.....
Well I think it's time that I had my say on the matter and put my opinion forward.

Firstly I will start with the team and the formation I would choose out of the players we have available and who in all likelihood are still going to be here next season.

                                                Martyn
        Pistone                        Yobo                                Weir                        Naysmith
       
        Watson                        Gravesen                        Osman                        Kilbane                                 Rooney                                Radzinski

That in my opinion is the strongest Everton side David Moyes can field and I would play 4-4-2 because it works and these players aren't good enough to stray from this formation. A harsh but simple fact.

Now we know we are safe and we have little money to spend, how do you strengthen a squad whilst your in a situation like we are in? Loans and free's and Low transfers is how you do it.
Who could we get? Well for starters Arsenals young right midfielder David Bentley has been told he would have to go on loan next season to get regular first team football. This lad isn't on extortionate wages and he's a class act a bit rough round the edges for Arsenal at the moment but better than Watson on the right of our midfield.

The middle of the park is as we all know our worst part of the team. Now I would give Osman the shout before anyone in the position and as a partner I would look no further than Lee Bowyer, contrary to popular belief this lad wouldn't cost an arm and a leg and he is a quality player whether you want to admit it or not. I do admit that his wages could be a stumbling block but nether the less he would be on my list of targets. I'd also have a look at the possibility of getting Joe Cole on loan and I suspect this will all depend on who is Chelsea manager next season. But I'd have to ask the question.
Centre Half is another of our failings Davie Weir is not up to the challenge and we need a young quality partner for Joey Yobo. My personal choice would be Stephen Caldwell who we could get from Newcastle on a season loan. Again he wouldn't cost alot of money in wages.  

So lets say for arguments sake that these players were signed by the club.....this is what I would do:

                                        Martyn
       
        Pistone                        Yobo                Cauldwell                Naysmith
       
                Bentley                        Bowyer                                Osman
                                        Cole
                                Rooney                Radzinski        

The average age of that team is 24. We have quality and pace. I don't believe that we need the use of "traditional" left or right midfielders if we have Rooney and Radzinski. Both these strikers are better served with the ball at their feet or through balls they can run onto. For those of you who think that this midfield is too light weight just let me say that Bentley, Cole and Bowyer are no pushovers and offer more resistance than Nyarko and Gravesen as well as quality going forward. There's goals in that midfield too. Osmans proved that already and Bowyer in the past has also proven it. Cole could score alot more goals but his skill and ability to find the final pass will outweigh his own goalscoring contribution and Bentley has chipped in with a few for Arsenal already.

As I have said this is, in my humble opinion a far better, quality, mobile young Everton side. What we have at the moment, the likes of Kilbane, Gravesen, Ferguson, Wright, McFadden, Watson, Linderoth, Campbell will all be good squad players and able(?) replacements when called upon.

If you look at it, these four players could join Everton for just £2million. Thats what the suggested price for Lee Bowyer is. The rest, Cole, Bentley, Cauldwell could all come on season long loans. It is not an impossibility the only way that this does become an impossibility is if we don't try it. I'm a great believer that you should only buy someone who is better than the player you already have. I guess that alot of you who read this will have your own opinions some of you will agree some of you won't that's fine but this is my opinion and the best that I can think of for Everton football Club given the current predicament we find ourselves in.

You might say we have no chance of getting these players and if we do they'll only be off at the end of the season anyway. Well lets just say that these players got us into Europe or helped us win a trophy. I think they'd want to continue the success at the next level allowing us to strengthen further. If they didn't and we were just mid table again then yes, I have to say they'd probably be off....but If we don't try to take advantage of loans and free's and stregthen for the short term we will never know!

I haven't slagged anyone off, I have not named names, there is no need to do that. What we all should be doing from Bill Kenwright down is finding the best solution for Everton Football Club. Can you imagine having that Everton team for only 2million quid. I'd have it and pay the increase no problem.
You all have your opinions I've told you mine.

John Hughes

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