Fans Comment
Peter Rea

A Striker Now, Please!!
20 January 2006

I, like many other Evertonians, am aghast at the lack of initiative shown by our management to address our chronic need for striking talent. A forward with not only an ability to regularly find the net but also with pace to get behind the last man and create opportunities for others. To stretch pedestrian defenders at the end of a game. I am absolutely staggered by the naïve arrogance shown by our manager during this month when he has discussed the transfer window in print or in interviews.

David Moyes claims the right players are not available. They are always available if the price is right. David Moyes claims he will not pay inflated prices. Should have taken that advice in the summer when he paid a ridiculously inflated price for a certain Danish centre half, David. They are inflated prices because the vendors recognise and sense desperation. We are now paying for the sins and failings of past intransigence.

David Moyes believes we can muddle through until the end of the season with the paucity of talent at his disposal and then we can search for talent in the summer. Just like you did in the summer of 2005 David when we were a more attractive option for any potential player. Reality check, Everton are not clear of the threat of relegation just yet. A few games and the position could change once again. Goals win games and we are among the worst performers in front of goal this season.

To let one very average striker go for a healthy profit on your original outlay is sound commercial sense. However to have not lined up a replacement to compliment the scarce striking resource we have is crass negligence. James Beattie, James McFadden and Duncan Ferguson (maybe). (I am not counting Vaughan as I reckon he is as good as gone for the season. Second knee operation. May get him for the last month if we are lucky, by the time he gets match fit).

There is our striking talent laid bare for all to scrutinise. Two out of those three are injury prone. All three lack pace. One lacks any semblance of talent whatsoever. All three combined have only scored 7 league goals between them this season in a combined total of 32 appearances. That is a horrendous return.

One of David Moyes solutions is to play Tim Cahill up front. The player has just returned to something approaching the form he showed last season, scoring goals, getting into threatening areas, playing in his favoured position and what does Moyes do. Plays him out of position, up front. Its another brain wave from the guy who thought Joey Yobo was a midfield enforcer!

It appears to me David Moyes thinks the existence of a transfer window also means that you can not research available players during the months the window is closed. How we have once again reached the last two weeks of a transfer window without no firm target is appalling management. You can talk to agents during the transfer window who can then sound out the player, you can send scouts to other games, you can watch videos of games, in short you can do a hell of a lot more than our management appear to have done. To be allegedly linked with striking luminaries, unproven at the highest level, such as 29 year old, 15 stone Lee Trundle and the lightweight, distinctly average Peter Lovenkrands is frankly embarrassing. Now I read today that Weight Watchers poster boy and Australian 100m record holder Mark Viduka is also a reputed target. I trust this is tabloid fantasy. Pace, David pace…..and the odd goal!!!

Finally I reckon we never even had £3M in the transfer kitty to begin with. We had to sell Bent to realise some capital and is why we are left allegedly sniffing around every out of contract or free transfer player going. Fingers crossed our beloved manager proves me wrong and was playing his cards close to his chest all along and pulls a striking rabbit out of the hat before window closes…

Peter  Rea

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