Moyes: We've got great attitude

Good and good. Who's next?

COYB!

But these boys are as good as I've seen when it comes to character and spirit. They have their flaws and they probably realise that, but they deserve all the support they can get from the Goodison faithful, because if we can generate the right atmosphere in the ground then the impossible might just happen.

COYB

Imagine Davey asking for the merest chance of some cash to strengthen the team. BK will simply smile back at him and say something like "But David, you said it yourself, the lads are playing fantastically well. 9 points from 12 over Christmas, 3 defeats in 27, blah, blah, why upset the applecart, too many cooks spoil the broth don't you know..."

That doesn't mean that he or the players aren't trying to achieve that goal, it's just that he is playing down their chances and will take each game as if it is their last.

He is also possibly saying trust me with the cash - if we have any - and I'll bring the right players to the club - he can't come out and publicy say that the men with the wallets are letting him down.

However, I do think DM could have admitted it wasn't our best performance (though the attitude was exemplary again), some of the players are looking a bit tired, and to realistically challenge for a European place we will probably need to have some fresh faces come the end of January.

That wouldn't be being negative, in my opinion, but it would lay out a clear plan to make this season as successful as we would all like it to be, and leave the ball in the board's court..

We cannot carry injuries as we do not have replacements of adequate ability.
This was really shown up in the Leeds game when proved not up to the challenge without our best eleven on the pitch.
We are trotting out other teams discards and freebees and hoping for the best.

Jags is not a fullback but he is a great centre back, when he moves to fullback we suffer and we could have conceded more goals against newcastle.
Distin and Jags are our best centre back pairing and I would try Duffy before Heitinga.
Surely Oviedo can play on the right side, many left footed players are fine on that side of the pitch. It is his natural position and he has a lot more pace than Jags and miles more than Heitinga.
I watched Heitinga really closely and he did not make a tackle and his only block was accidental.
He is a liability at the moment.

Strenuous exercise always damages muscle and will use up energy reserves stored in the muscle, which is replenished / repaired / added to during recovery periods. If you don't get sufficient recovery time, which might happen at busy times of the season such as around this time of year, then you will be both more likely to tire quickly and be prone to more severe muscle injury.

Yes, the players get the best care and advice money can buy, but with variables like age, illness, chronic low-grade injuries, and poor pitch / weather conditions it should not be beyond anyone to understand that some players may already be flagging at this stage of the season.