Season 2011-12 Fan Articles
What if we could have...?
By Andrew Nelson :: 14/09/2011
26 Comments (»Last)
?Unhappiness is unfulfilled expectations?. Never have I felt a saying is more apt and better summative of the current plight of Everton and Everton fans alike. We were well and truly downbeat when the Kop furnished its sign ?Come home Agent Johnson: Mission Accomplished?, and we had good reasons. We were crap and we knew it, and our statistics told us it!
Then Kenwright came forth, purchased Everton and brought in from Preston David Moyes. Several seasons later, firmly established as a top 8 club, we are again downbeat as Everton are unable to progress to serious Premier League title contenders. In some ways I feel like the lady Junior Soprano described as ?having the Viriginian Ham under her arm, singing the blues because she has no bread?! We, as we should be in agreement on, have the basis of a great squad, but we only have the basis, and nothing to build on it with.
But what if we could have all we dream of? To help us realise, in of course a pretend and imaginary way, what Everton would look like if we had everything we wanted, I have come with the following:?
1. If you could have kept four players who have left us, since Moyes has been manager, who would they be?
2. If you could buy two players who we have been strongly and realistically linked with while Moyes has been in charge (ie, not Messi, cos Saturday night's taxi driver seen him buying cheaps in County Road!), who would they be?
3. If you could buy one player we have had on loan since Moyes arrived who would he be?
4. From the current squad, which 18 players would you keep to?
5. Who would be in your 25-man squad?
Below are the people I would have in my 25-man squad...
From the current squad:?
1. Howard
2. Mucha
3. Distin
4. Hibbert
5. Neville
6. Baines
7. Jagielka
8. Heitinga
9. Fellaini
10. Cahill
11. Barkley
12. Osman
13. Bilyaletdinov
14. Coleman
15. Rodwell
16. Saha
17. Gueye
18. Stracqualursi
Players I would have kept:
1. Lescott
2. Rooney
3. Pienaar
4. Arteta
Purchased, after being linked to them:
1. Joao Moutinho (from Sporting)
2. Miguel (Right back from Valencia)
Loan player turned permanent:
1. Landon Donovan
So how much investment would be needed? Forgoing any transfer fees we received from not selling my four players and paying for the players linked to/on loan, I think that lot would have cost Everton around £103 million (not including wages!)
My First XI would be:
Howard
Miguel
Jagielka
Heitinga
Baines
Donovan
Fellaini
Arteta
Pienaar
Cahill
Rooney
WOW? an amazing team!!! Everton are really not that far away from being expectional!
Reader Comments (26)
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3 Posted 14/09/2011 at 17:45:41
4 Posted 14/09/2011 at 18:03:52
5 Posted 14/09/2011 at 18:10:40
6 Posted 14/09/2011 at 18:38:19
Stevens Watson Ratcliffe Van Den Hauwe
Steven Reid Snodin Sheedy
Heath Sharp
7 Posted 14/09/2011 at 20:08:03
You wish we could have kept Gazza at the club a bit longer?!
The guy was 35 years old and could barely even RUN by that time.
Except maybe to the Offy..
8 Posted 14/09/2011 at 20:42:42
9 Posted 14/09/2011 at 21:03:51
Replace Snodin with Bracewell and a great side gets even better
10 Posted 14/09/2011 at 21:13:44
Kevin....
Call me mad, but yes, I do. He could barely run, but he could sure pick a pass.
I also think Steve Watson left too soon... :-p
11 Posted 14/09/2011 at 22:05:23
12 Posted 14/09/2011 at 22:22:10
13 Posted 14/09/2011 at 23:37:11
Weren't we linked to Riquelme at one point???
14 Posted 15/09/2011 at 01:29:31
2) Joe Hart and Miroslav Klose
3) Manny Fernandes
15 Posted 15/09/2011 at 06:15:35
16 Posted 15/09/2011 at 07:30:59
Bit harsh on Rhino mate, a true blue who always gave 100 p/c.
17 Posted 15/09/2011 at 08:15:14
.......................Howard.............
Miguel.....Heitinga.....Lescott....Baines
Donovan....Fellaini....Fernandes....Drenthe
........Moutinho........
......................Rooney..................
subs: Barkley, Rodwell, Defour, Jags, Saha
18 Posted 14/09/2011 at 22:36:33
If you sold your car, mortgaged yourself to the hilt and didn't plant the beans when you had a glorious opportunity to do so, some might be a little dismayed to find that it's winter and those baked beans are nearing their sell-by date. Luckily we aren't quite in that position... and we do have some bright sparks ? but we need to get our shit together in terms of a realistic 5-year strategy other than just "don't eat the ham/beans!"
19 Posted 15/09/2011 at 09:08:00
20 Posted 15/09/2011 at 10:36:14
Last game of the season and Everton are playing the shite. In the dressing room before the game all the lads are looking tired, so Dunc says,
?Hey guys, why don?t you all go to the pub and I?ll just play this lot on my own?
?Are you sure? says the lads
?No problem?, says Dunc ?I?ll meet you in the bar afterwards?
So the lads all go to the pub and continue to have a few beers until Dunc walks in looking ashamed.
?I?m really sorry boys? says Dunc
?Why, what?s up? says the lads ?What was the Score??
?1-1? says Dunc
?Sure that?s brilliant? says the lads
?Yep, but I got sent off after 10 minutes? say Dunc
21 Posted 15/09/2011 at 10:51:17
Chad makes a very valid point. There are a few bright sparks, all we need is one of two solutions from the board to turn the sparks into a fire. Either get their shit together in selling the club to an appropriate party, for a realistic price. Or settle in for the long haul and plan firm, 5 and 10 year stratagies.
Strategies that place the club on a solid finacial base, development of either Goodison or a new stadium and allow David to develop the squad to compete within the top 6, (let's be honest, there is no longer a top 4, it's bigger than that now). These are realistic aims but things must be done now, soon it will be all to late.
23 Posted 15/09/2011 at 14:27:16
If we could have the 2008 version of Arteta back, then he'd be on my list. Maybe Tommy G left too soon aswell.
If we could have kept hold of players outside of Moyes' era, however, then I'd put Dacourt and Materazzi on that list. In fact there are a good few players I was gutted to see leave us before Moyes arrived
I could conclude from this that Moyes rarely lets a good player leave without a good few million filling the hole they leave behind... Shit - was that nearly a compliment?!
24 Posted 15/09/2011 at 16:43:59
25 Posted 15/09/2011 at 17:02:54
It's also slightly flawed as an argument because several of the players in the existing squad were purchased with money generated from the sale of both Rooney and Lescott. So if we still had those two we woudn't have the likes of Arteta, Cahill, Baines, Distin, Heitinga...
26 Posted 16/09/2011 at 11:43:10
How about the fact that its a complete waste of time looking at the team we could have had, if BK wasn't skint.
27 Posted 16/09/2011 at 23:16:52
Coleman Jags Lescott Baines
Donavan Felliani Arteta Pienaar
Rooney Saha
2 FORWARD on the pitch
Subs Mucha, Hibbert, Neville, Distin, Osman, Cahill, Ferguson
28 Posted 18/09/2011 at 01:41:08
Wenger must be past it. Dumped Henry in his prime and bought Arteta beyond his.
Hahaha.
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2 Posted 14/09/2011 at 17:16:12
Dixie Dean, Dave Hickson, Brian Labone, Ray Wilson, Alan Ball, Colin Harvey, Howard Kendall, Andrei Kanchelskis, and.........Jennifer Lopez.
Oh, and Kings Dock.