Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Evolution and Revolution!

By Stephen   Kenny  ::  03/09/2011   14 Comments (»Last) If you look at Man Utd's rise they have always shipped a big player out just before everybody realised they're not the player they were; they also usually have a young lad waiting to burst through.

Keeping Arteta at the club until he's 33-34 would have hampered the likes of Ross Barkley, Lundstram... some may even say Bily (I wouldn't), and others who have got the talent to make it.

You can only become a Premier League footballer by playing Premier League football!

I'm not saying that this is what Moyes intended but it should end up being the net result looking at the squad. An evolution is taking place with this squad, largely forced, although I still feel it will work in our favour long term.

You could argue the same is true of the forward line although I think getting rid of Beckford, who was at the very least a game-changing substitute and IMO a potential goal machine if used properly, is a gamble when we don?t have depth in that position.

I personally like the look of Vellios but nobody could say he's got what it takes off the back of five or ten minutes. Hopefully we will find out more about the talent that seems to be bubbling just under the surface over the course of this season. We may also find out the result of having a too small squad and relying on unproven players to fill big gaps.

I?m taking a 'glass half-full' approach until we see otherwise as I believe some of the players Moyes has brought in like Vellios, Gueye and Coleman along with the youngster?s coming through the academy have got the talent to play at this level.

I don't see this window as being as terrible as some make out. We are undoubtedly weaker up top, but in the midfield I think Drenthe can add a lot of what's been missing and what Arteta hasn't produced over the past season. If he plays on the left then with Coleman fit we have genuine pace on both sides of the field for the first time in the Moyes era.

This will have a massive impact on how teams defend against us and will free up space in the middle for the likes of Osman and Barkley, who are both capable of unlocking a defence in the way Arteta used to. Osman always plays much better and takes more responsibility when Arteta isn't playing.

I can't see Denis the Menace getting a look in although if you have a defence prone to doing it long under pressure you may as well have a player up top who is made to challenge for high balls and retain possession. It can?t be any worse than seeing a fast midget trying to outjump some of the league?s biggest centre-backs.

I can't see much changing at the back although IMO that's where we are now weakest as the Dizzer/Jag partnership just doesn't work, although they are both good players individually.

While I personally don?t rate Yobo that highly, he's got everything the other two have got. The last really solid partnership at the back with the players on our books was him and Jagielka. While chopping and changing is risky at the back, I can?t see the sense in persisting with a CB partnership that?s leaking like a second-hand sieve.

I think Heitinga and Dizzer will work out the best partnership in there although I have absolute faith in Moyes that we will never get the chance to find out. I?d like to see a few different combinations of players there until we know for sure which will work best. None of them are untried kids; they are all proven Premier League performers. One thing that?s beyond certain is that Heitinga is not a midfielder.

Everything I?ve written is highly subjective and no doubt there will be plenty who disagree. Change is inevitable but rarely welcomed although I can think of one area of the club where it?s long overdue.

The way this transfer window has gone and the smear campaign against Mikel that will no doubt be going through the local media as we speak will hopefully show a lot of fence sitter?s the true nature of Chairman Ma? sorry Kenwright.

While I?m trying to be as positive as possible about our prospects for this season on the pitch, what?s going on off it is a real worry. No money spent for 3 seasons, £20-odd million gone back to the bank through player sales, a leased training ground costing us a ridiculous amount, and the never ending search for mythical ?Investors? should make every Evertonians blood run cold.

Hopefully the Blue Union can continue the impressive work they have started. They have mine and every single one of my match-going mates' support, I suspect that a lot more match-goers will now be seeing Bill for what he is.

Viva la Revolution!!!

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