Fans Comment
Steve 

Players in a Tragedy
16/09/05

Like most supporters today, I am thoroughly pissed off. Every time this club get your hopes up, they kick you in the nuts and spit in your eye. It's truly a tragedy that such a dedicated set of fans get well and truly crapped on by both the Club (e.g. Villareal ticket debacle) and the players (all that crap about 'unity', 'lessons learnt', 'give the fans something to shout about' bollocks). If I had been near Weir last night when he said ‘sorry’, I would happily have lamped him one for being so utterly (but probably unconsciously) patronising.

We know that the Club has not capitalised on recent success. Kenwright is quoted as saying we budgeted for UEFA; i.e. we never expected to achieve CL football and boy did that show in a summer of total incompetence in the transfer market!

The players have clearly believed their own hype. 4th place has gone to their heads just like 7th did 2 seasons ago. But who pays ? Not them. The fat cheques will still arrive each month, whilst we scrape money together to watch them continually underachieve. That's tragic too; because (at least on paper) they are not a bad side.

I know I will be lambasted for this, but I still refuse to hold Moyes wholly responsible. The first half last night proved the tactics were OK (not great, but OK). The problem was that in the second half the players lost the plot. That’s not Moyes’ fault; you could tell from his body language and that of Alan Irvine’s that they, like us, could not believe what was going on in front of them. My only criticism was that, even at 2-1, it was obvious Yobo and Weir needed help and Ferrari should have been put in; to give us three centre halves and limit the damage caused by a midfield gone AWOL.

Moyes' problem now is that, unlike last season, the players are not as good as 'the sum of all their parts'; quite the opposite. In the second half last night they played like 11 strangers who'd been asked to play a practice match.

Where now ? I still think Moyes can only be properly judged this season when (if) he is able to field the players he bought in the close season and they in turn play to their potential.

I think we have badly missed Carsley in the holding role and the sooner he is available for selection again the better. Cahill needs a month off (he's clearly knackered and a liability at the moment) and so does Hibbert (so he can learn how to cross a bloody ball and hold his position). The one player I felt remotely sorry for last night was Yobo. In the first half he was excellent and thoroughly deserved his goal. In the second half he was the only defender playing; covering for Hibbert left us exposed for two of their goals and the poor bastard's attempted headed clearance led to another (although if Valente had stood up instead of diving to the floor it may still not have been a goal).

My team if Moyes can ever get them all fit is....Martyn, Yobo at left back, Kroldrup and Ferrari in the centre with Neville as the other full back. Carsley in front of the back four, with Arteta, Cahill and Osman playing behind Van der Meyde and Beattie. I'd have Vaughn, Bent, Ferguson and Weir on the bench.

Then I'd kneel down and pray that they just tried for a whole 90 minutes and no one played a BeeGee’s single (geddit?).

Steve 

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