Column What is Moysie's goal??? David Cooper 13/04/2008 10comments | Jump to last Yesterday, I watched another painful 90 minutes where we have struggled to look anything like a team sat reasonably comfortable in 5th position in the best league in Europe. Look at the final four of the Champion's League to confirm that. It is something to which I firmly believe all Evertonians hunger to achieve and in that I include Uncle Bill, DM and the majority of our Blues players. Since Fiorentina we have not played anything like the quality of football that we were/are capable of... for a variety of reasons that have already been well discussed. Despite all thes poor performances that have meant that the CL dream has ended, we are still 4 points clear of Pompey with a much superior goal difference and 6 clear of Aston Villa with 4 matches left to go. As hard and painful as it is to watch, DM's goal is to keep 5th place and the method he has chosen is to literally win one point at a time and that is why he was more than happy with the 1 point yesterday. Wrong or right in everyone else's mind... that is what he has decided and he will continue to pick a team that achieve's this goal. We may not, do not like it but that is what he has decided is the best for the club. Given the great successes of this season ? and I don't think anyone can deny that this is the best season since the mid 80s regardless of a cup trophy or not ? DM has achieved what no other EFC manager has done since HK. In the recent past I have been critical of DM's tactics but, like it or not, this approach is going to be what we see for the next 4 games. Hopefully DM has got it right and we will scramble enough points to keep 5th place and the Uefa Cup again next season. This means more of the same.... Carsley and Neville in midfield, long balls played forward, no new young faces, last ditch defending and 4 superb performances from Tim Howard. No doubt this will be very frustrating to watch and for the players to perform. Sometimes I think we forget what type of football players like Yakubu, Fernandes, Pienaar and Atrteta (when fit) want to play. They have the technique and the football brain to play quick short pases to feet and create space for others to run into. When they cannot or are not allowed to play that way, they get frustrated and give less than 100%... as Evertonians we cannot tolerate anyone who gives less than 100% but unfortunately that is a fact of life in the modern professional game. What can DM do? He cannot drop them because we don't have enough experienced players to replace them. He does not seem to be able to motivate them with a vision of his "goal"... which is to hang onto 5th place and make the Uefa Cup at all costs. It will not be pretty. DM's method is not what we want but maybe the outcome is. Reader Comments Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Kieran Fitzgerald 1 Posted 13/04/2008 at 19:10:09 Report abuse I can see a lot of sense in what you?re saying David. If the squad is at mentally and physically knackered as it appears, then maybe the best idea is to close up shop. However my fear would be that the better players? frustrations don?t go away.Right now they see a manager struggling to perform over what could end up being nine or ten games ( roughly the amount of league games between the Fiorentina game and the end of the season) That?s an awful lot of games in a 38 game season, it?s an awful lot of games in one stretch. And while the manager is struggling these same players are struggling. Their form will have dipped, they won?t be enjoying their football, they are being played out of position or aren?t getting the right service. If Moyes doesn?t act quickly and decisively in the close season the frustration of a lot of our better players could fester and eventually boil over. Even if we do manage to hang on to fifth it could prove to be a very hollow victory. Ciaran Duff 2 Posted 14/04/2008 at 01:18:15 Report abuse A reasonable hypothesis Kieran. I am a Moyes supporter and I believe that he is a bigger picture and more long term thinker. He will take short term pain for long term gain (eg not signing players unless they are the right ones etc). Still, trying to cling on the 5th is fraught with danger. We have a tough run in, compared to Pompey & Villa. If Pompey had won on Sat, they’d be 2 point behind us now. If we had gotten the win then we’d almost have 5th sewn up. On current form, I could see us not picking up any points against Chelski and the Arse. The Villa game will be a huge one and Newcastle are in good form too. I’m worried we may miss out on 6th (and UEFA), never mind 5th. Steven Williams 3 Posted 14/04/2008 at 01:48:14 Report abuse What a depressing but accurate scenario of the last few weeks and presumably the rest of our ’successful’ 2007-08 Premier league season. I believe our manager is looking forward to his Summer holiday having succeeded in his goal of getting us into a league position between 5-10th. I suspect he is not an imaginative or ambitious man and the same league position target will be there again next season.I dread the games coming up against Chelsea and Arsenal ? with our style of play (hoofing and losing possession) our present excellent goal difference could be severely dented. I think our manager is unable to alter this ’style’ of football. We will have to have some good luck to achieve a 5th/6th placing.I hope and pray I am totally wrong with these dire predictions but I and I’m sure many other Evertonians have really had quite enough of the painful performances we are having to endure. Jason Lam 4 Posted 14/04/2008 at 06:29:45 Report abuse David, this is a thoughful and good piece, something I had in mind too. There’s pretty much nothing that can be done now to change the way we play as we’re low on gas, personnel, morale, closed transferred window. Now is not the time to start playing football like Brazil. Those changes will be considered in the summer. Sorry to say, we need to accept it under the circumstances. There’s still games to go and as professionals we expect them to give 100% to the cause. We accept the players are low on form, so each and everyone of them need to buckle up and make themselves counted in any other way possible - run more than your opponent. I agree it won’t be pretty. But you make your own luck. Standing like a buffoon won’t make any though. Richard Parker 5 Posted 14/04/2008 at 07:33:10 Report abuse Steven Williams - I’m not sure that you’re talking about the same David Moyes there mate.Moyes is as ambitious as managers come and I do believe that he will go on to do great things. Whether that’s at Everton or elsewhere, only time will tell.Whatever the reason for the dip in form since Fiorentina, be it mental, physical or otherwise, I am pretty sure that Moyes will be do all he can, within his means, to correct it this summer.With the signing of the right 3 or 4 players this year, I think we can be positive about our ambitions for next season. This year has been a good one, the last 5 games or so aside. Who would have put money on a cup semi, a 100% record in the UEFA until the last-16 and fighting for 4th until the 34th league game. I’m as disappointed as anyone with the way we’ve been so near, yet so far in the 3 competitions, but we’ve done alright. As long as we build on it and further improve for next season. Chris Otway 6 Posted 14/04/2008 at 12:09:40 Report abuse Until Kenwright is replaced ? this wont happen whilst he has breath in his body ?nothing will change.I get so annoyed with people falling over themselves to invest in the red shite, and we scrabble around hoping Sir Terry will come on his Tesco charger and solve everything.The club needs major investment and when that idiot spouts on about his bloos is royal blue, I shout back ? "If you love the club, let go of it!" as the Peoples Club has outlived what Kenwright can offer . Tony Hawkins 7 Posted 14/04/2008 at 13:11:40 Report abuse I agree with your article David and it is a dim picture for the seasons run-in however it is also true. For the last few seasons particularly, post-February has seen a very tired Everton team which has struggled to complete the season. Whether this is because the team is punching above it?s sustainable weight or highlighting a lack of depth, I do not know.What I do know is Man Utd and Arsenal appear to be able to field pretty much the same team for 90 - 95% of the season and still finish strongly whereas the Everton Team can not.What I do not agree with is Steven Williams's comments about Moyes lacking ambition or imagination. Moyes has shown immense ambition to get Everton where they are and outstanding imagination to get players of a quality we would not otherwise have had access to.What Moyes DOES lack is the funding to purchase a larger squad of players who are of the necessary quality to take us up to a sustainable champions league spot ? and I?d lay that issue squarely at the feet of Bill Kenwright.... but that?s a completely different discussion. Simon Jones 8 Posted 14/04/2008 at 13:50:11 Report abuse Missing three of our first team midfield players, away to a team scrapping for their survival, against a team with an ex-player with a point to prove?? We scored first and only drew because of a very well taken free kick caused by an unfortunate handball. I was well pleased with a point. Still fifth with a thin squad and four points clear. Ok so I’m a bit worried about Portsmouth or Villa overtaking us, but better than worrying about being fifth from bottom.Four games left, COME ON YOU BLUES!! Tim Lloyd 9 Posted 14/04/2008 at 14:06:12 Report abuse Simon Jones has hit the nail squarely on the head.This poorly performing team we have been watching since the Fiorentina disaster is not the team of just a few weeks agoWe have been without most of our original midfield, the scourge of so many opponents this season. No Cahill, Arteta a shadow of the player we know, struggling with a painful groin injury and now a stomach injury.Ossie, also on the sidelines for this last game which forces Moysie to play Pienaar, so patently only at 30% effectivenessLeft with three players, Carsley, Neville and Fernandes, the last mentioned slowly improving, but still some way to go, made it so transparently obvious that we are really going to struggle unless the regular midfielders make a fantastic recovery.Midfield is the area we just have to strengthen this close season. Apart from anything else, we do need midfielders, not only with skill but also height and weight. Ours is at best so lightweight.A striker, YES!! We badly need a lethal guy in the mould of Keane (Spurs) Roque St. Cruz (Blackburn)Adebayor (Arsenal). Where are they? I?m not a scout. Lets hope Everton possess someone with such knowledge. Tony Marsh 10 Posted 14/04/2008 at 17:39:56 Report abuse POOH! Utter shite... If you call this success then god help us. Tony Hawkins 11 Posted 14/04/2008 at 18:27:35 Report abuse @ Tony Marsh:POOH utter shite. You call yourself a fan? You?re probably the biggest Everton critic I have EVER heard!!!A supporter is supposed to encourage the team not rip it to shreds. This Everton team has got to the best positions in the league and Europe for a long time.Go have a moan about someones lawn or something instead would you coz you?re boring me with your constant moaning. © ToffeeWeb