Everton signed a player today. Yep, you read it right. Everton signed a player. And not a 17 year old, a real one who can play tomorrow and everything.
He may not be the centre-forward we are all yearning for but the arrival of Darron Gibson today from Manchester United for a knockdown fee of £500k that may rise to £2 million is a start at least.
As i said in my post from a couple of weeks back, David Moyes has to start rebuilding the Everton team and doing so with players a few years short of their peak, who have been written off elsewhere. Gibson fits this bill perfectly. I just hope we can get a couple more in to join him, even if this means letting some deadwood go.
Of course, the chances are Gibson isn't going to be the new Arteta overnight but it feels to me like the first step back in the right direction. The first brick in Moyes' big rebuild. I hope it continues but this is Everton so someone will probably come and piss on our new wall by the time Monday comes.
Showing posts with label premier league. Show all posts
Showing posts with label premier league. Show all posts
Friday, 13 January 2012
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
A long road back
I'm not normally one to knee jerk but tonights 2-1 defeat at home to Bolton Wanderers summed up all of Everton's current problems. It brings to the end a run of four games unbeaten. On the face of it, a positive run but one that anyone who has had the dubious pleasure of watching the games knows has been achieved in the most pragmatic and unnattractive style imaginable.
Injuries to three key players did us no favours whatsoever tonight but even before then there wasn't a lot to suggest that we were going to improve on our recent performances. In fact, I can only think of the Aston Villa game this season where we have looked a genuinely good team.....that was the 4th game of the season.
That we have been able to play so poorly yet still pick up enough points to have a chance of making a Europa League place says a lot about the mental strength of our team, our preparation and also about Moyes' match craft. But to my mind our squad is now back to a similar level (in comparison to the rest of the league) to the one that Moyes inherited in 2002 and as a result he's adopting the same, grinding approach that characterised his early years in charge. In those days most Evertonians were happy to take the points however they came, but after the highs of the 2007-2010 era this feels like a mighty big fall from grace.
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| I LOVE this guy but should he have been sold? |
That we have been able to play so poorly yet still pick up enough points to have a chance of making a Europa League place says a lot about the mental strength of our team, our preparation and also about Moyes' match craft. But to my mind our squad is now back to a similar level (in comparison to the rest of the league) to the one that Moyes inherited in 2002 and as a result he's adopting the same, grinding approach that characterised his early years in charge. In those days most Evertonians were happy to take the points however they came, but after the highs of the 2007-2010 era this feels like a mighty big fall from grace.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Football punditry: The good, the bad and the ugly.
The role of the football pundit is a weird one. Clearly most of the viewers or listeners are tuning in primarily to watch the game. Yet you only have to look at twitter during a live game or listen to a lounge full of viewers to know that the co-commentators and pundits can make a massive difference to people's enjoyment of the game.
No doubt who you prefer to listen to depends on your taste. Are you looking for someone who will hype up the excitement? Someone who will add some real insight to the action taking place? Someone with a soothing voice?
For me the best pound-for-pound pundit working on tv/radio is Pat Nevin. When he's co-commentating he's adds insight as well as describing the action in a way that's easy on my ears, when he's in the studio he'll nearly always highlight something interesting from the game and on magazine programmes he's able to be both interesting and do the amusing banter the genre requires. I'd like to think these observations aren't coloured by the fact I know he's got some Everton in his heart.
Coming up on the rails is new boy, the freshly retired Gary Neville. He's contributed more to my enjoyment of Sky games in the last four months than Jamie Redknapp has in the last three years. Aside from Neville (and Redknapp) Sky have some other half decent analysts - Graeme Souness can be interesting when he's not being partisan and Ray Wilkins has a lot to add despite the far too regular shouts of 'my word'! At least he's stealing from a broadcasting legend I suppose!
Where things go really downhill are on our main two terrestrial channels. Somewhere along the line the producers on these channels must have decided that anything too complex will cause the masses to turn-off. The worst two in my book are Jim Beglin and Alan Hanson. I can only assume they must have made a pact to provide shit punditry during retirement over a half-time cuppa in the Anfield bootroom at some point in 1983. If they did, they've stuck to their word.
No doubt who you prefer to listen to depends on your taste. Are you looking for someone who will hype up the excitement? Someone who will add some real insight to the action taking place? Someone with a soothing voice?
For me the best pound-for-pound pundit working on tv/radio is Pat Nevin. When he's co-commentating he's adds insight as well as describing the action in a way that's easy on my ears, when he's in the studio he'll nearly always highlight something interesting from the game and on magazine programmes he's able to be both interesting and do the amusing banter the genre requires. I'd like to think these observations aren't coloured by the fact I know he's got some Everton in his heart.
Coming up on the rails is new boy, the freshly retired Gary Neville. He's contributed more to my enjoyment of Sky games in the last four months than Jamie Redknapp has in the last three years. Aside from Neville (and Redknapp) Sky have some other half decent analysts - Graeme Souness can be interesting when he's not being partisan and Ray Wilkins has a lot to add despite the far too regular shouts of 'my word'! At least he's stealing from a broadcasting legend I suppose!
Where things go really downhill are on our main two terrestrial channels. Somewhere along the line the producers on these channels must have decided that anything too complex will cause the masses to turn-off. The worst two in my book are Jim Beglin and Alan Hanson. I can only assume they must have made a pact to provide shit punditry during retirement over a half-time cuppa in the Anfield bootroom at some point in 1983. If they did, they've stuck to their word.
Monday, 5 December 2011
When is fair play unfair?
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| Empty seats at the Reebok |
The forthcoming UEFA fairplay regulations are intended to redress some of the imbalance, limiting clubs spending to a proportion of their turnover. Theoretically, this would prevent rich owners coming into smaller clubs and spending hundreds of millions on new players without a sustainable business to fund it. However, it's a plan with flaws. Clubs will find loopholes, such as signing massive sponsorship deals to increase turnover. This is supposedly limited as part of the plan but as yet Manchester City do not seem to have been called to account for their incredibly fishy sounding stadium naming deal with Etihad. With the regulations pegged to turnover, it also means they essentially protect the status quo even more so than currently. The rules benefit huge clubs like Manchester United and Bayern Munich who have already invested in massive stadia and set up huge merchandising operations around the world. Smaller/medium-sized clubs who have challenged at the top of European football after investment from rich owners such as Villareal would be less likely to repeat their feats.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
The Cahill Conundrum
Tim Cahill has been a great player for Everton since his arrival in our 'darkest hour' during the summer of 2004. The 31 year-old Aussie has clocked up 54 goals in over 200 appearances. In recent years though, as the teams style of play has involved, a growing number of fans have been calling for him to be axed from the side. They point to his lack of passing ability and pace as the reason for this.
I can see their point. I think it's unlikely that we'll see him deployed in the centre of midfield in anything other than an emergency for these reasons. I also think his effectiveness in the role of second striker or in the hole in a 4-4-1-1 is decreasing rapidly.
Yesterday in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, Moyes played Cahill as our loan striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation and I thought he had a really good game. It's in this role within this specific formation that I think Tim can still be a really useful player for us and in my opinion is probably why Moyes sanctioned the selling of two strikers in the transfer window with only one replacement.
In the 4-2-3-1 we saw yesterday, the presence of two holding midfielders in Fellaini and Rodwell allows the three more advanced midfielders to get a lot closer to the front man. I think this makes the ability of the front man to run in behind and stretch the opponents defence less important as runners from the advanced midfielders can provide this threat. It creates the feel of an attacking four and as with Messi at Barcelona means that the centre forwards can come deeper. Cahill may not have the ability to play a twenty-yard through-ball but his short passing, movement and as importantly his vision for it is very under-rated by Evertonians. His assist for Osman is a prime example. Cahill's job yesterday was to control the ball, and bring Osman + either Coleman or Bily into play. The three players then work the ball in groups of three to create an opening. It's what you see Barca do all the time. I think Tim did this very well yesterday.
The problem for Cahill comes when the full-back (usually Baines) joins the three. At this point Cahill's build-up job is done and he should be heading towards the box to get on the end of the cross. However, because he doesn't have the pace of a Rooney or Messi who play the 'false-nine' role so well, the cross will either reach an empty box or the momentum of the move will be slowed as the wide players wait for Cahill to get there. It's for this reason I think that when Saha is fit he will play this role in Cahill's place. He's equally adept at building the play but has just that little bit extra pace and stikers instict when hitting the box.
So how about Cahill in one of the advanced midfield roles when Saha is back? Well i'm sure he can do a job there but I think Coleman, Osman, Bily and Drenthe all probably offer more than him there. Whether that's pace, range of passing (ie.can switch it if needed) or long range shooting ability so unless they're all out I would say no.
So in conclusion I still think Tim Cahill has a role to play at Everton but it's a striker rather than as a midfielder. Given the fitness of Saha and that Velios and Stracq are so unproven I still think that's a big and important one and when considered as above might be some comfort to Evertonians worried about our lack of forwards.
Lastly, just a couple of notes about the 4-2-3-1 formation. You may have guessed this, but I think it's our best option right now. Splitting the midfield as it does allows us to keep more bodies further up the pitch and given our lack of pace this is key to us offering an attacking threat. Whereas a faster team could get numbers forward on the counter, we can't so it makes sense to allow more players to stay up field more often. Having Fellaini and Rodwell sitting does that. I think it get's the best out of Osman which is crucial now that we have neither Pienaar or Arteta to provide a creative spark in the final third. I was impressed with the way Coleman played in it yesterday too, especially since it was his first game back. He looked more effective in the wide role of a 4-4-1-1 last season and seemed a bit confused when moved to the slightly more narrow role in a 4-2-3-1 but he looks to have done some work on it in pre-season. Perhaps it was having the ginger cafu playing behind him rather than ole pip. Anyway, we all know the result and it was a shame not to win but i'm taking the positives from what I consider was a very good overall performance.
I can see their point. I think it's unlikely that we'll see him deployed in the centre of midfield in anything other than an emergency for these reasons. I also think his effectiveness in the role of second striker or in the hole in a 4-4-1-1 is decreasing rapidly.
Yesterday in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, Moyes played Cahill as our loan striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation and I thought he had a really good game. It's in this role within this specific formation that I think Tim can still be a really useful player for us and in my opinion is probably why Moyes sanctioned the selling of two strikers in the transfer window with only one replacement.
In the 4-2-3-1 we saw yesterday, the presence of two holding midfielders in Fellaini and Rodwell allows the three more advanced midfielders to get a lot closer to the front man. I think this makes the ability of the front man to run in behind and stretch the opponents defence less important as runners from the advanced midfielders can provide this threat. It creates the feel of an attacking four and as with Messi at Barcelona means that the centre forwards can come deeper. Cahill may not have the ability to play a twenty-yard through-ball but his short passing, movement and as importantly his vision for it is very under-rated by Evertonians. His assist for Osman is a prime example. Cahill's job yesterday was to control the ball, and bring Osman + either Coleman or Bily into play. The three players then work the ball in groups of three to create an opening. It's what you see Barca do all the time. I think Tim did this very well yesterday.
The problem for Cahill comes when the full-back (usually Baines) joins the three. At this point Cahill's build-up job is done and he should be heading towards the box to get on the end of the cross. However, because he doesn't have the pace of a Rooney or Messi who play the 'false-nine' role so well, the cross will either reach an empty box or the momentum of the move will be slowed as the wide players wait for Cahill to get there. It's for this reason I think that when Saha is fit he will play this role in Cahill's place. He's equally adept at building the play but has just that little bit extra pace and stikers instict when hitting the box.
So how about Cahill in one of the advanced midfield roles when Saha is back? Well i'm sure he can do a job there but I think Coleman, Osman, Bily and Drenthe all probably offer more than him there. Whether that's pace, range of passing (ie.can switch it if needed) or long range shooting ability so unless they're all out I would say no.
So in conclusion I still think Tim Cahill has a role to play at Everton but it's a striker rather than as a midfielder. Given the fitness of Saha and that Velios and Stracq are so unproven I still think that's a big and important one and when considered as above might be some comfort to Evertonians worried about our lack of forwards.
Lastly, just a couple of notes about the 4-2-3-1 formation. You may have guessed this, but I think it's our best option right now. Splitting the midfield as it does allows us to keep more bodies further up the pitch and given our lack of pace this is key to us offering an attacking threat. Whereas a faster team could get numbers forward on the counter, we can't so it makes sense to allow more players to stay up field more often. Having Fellaini and Rodwell sitting does that. I think it get's the best out of Osman which is crucial now that we have neither Pienaar or Arteta to provide a creative spark in the final third. I was impressed with the way Coleman played in it yesterday too, especially since it was his first game back. He looked more effective in the wide role of a 4-4-1-1 last season and seemed a bit confused when moved to the slightly more narrow role in a 4-2-3-1 but he looks to have done some work on it in pre-season. Perhaps it was having the ginger cafu playing behind him rather than ole pip. Anyway, we all know the result and it was a shame not to win but i'm taking the positives from what I consider was a very good overall performance.
Monday, 22 August 2011
That familiar feeling: Everton kick-off 2011/12 Premier League season with a defeat
Well this was one of the least surprising surprise results of the weekend. Everton in slow start shocker!
On the upside at least we weren't last on Match of the Day for once.
The blues kicked off for 2011/12 with a home defeat to QPR. Queens Park bloody Rangers. Predictably the problems we encountered were very similar to those that dogged us for most of last season. We had the chances to salvage at least a draw but missed them and a defensive error cost us (Jagielka clearing poorly then getting sucked towards the ball like a 12-year old).
What to do now? Attacking is clearly the problem area. Options are so limited up top there are only a few things we can do. If Saha is fit he plays and Moyes will probably go 4-4-1-1. If not then it's Beckford or Cahill in which case I think we should revert to 4-2-3-1. Playing two holding midfielders is frowned upon as being too defensive by a lot of blues but it gives the other three midfielders the freedom to get near to our striker and build attacks with our creative players higher up the pitch. If we do this and Becks is up front on his own we should use him to run in behind and stretch the play rather than as a target man to build from (as this just isn't his game). This means we want lots of good movement from 3 attacking midfielders (who should be Osman, Barkley, Arteta/Cahill) all looking to create space and demanding the ball.
Will someone be sold this week? I doubt it, but never say never.
Will Moyes throw in a wild card, such as starting Velios? I wouldn't have thought so. I'd love it if he did though.
Ho hum. A dissapointing result against a poor side. Options limited. Backs against the wall. A club in crisis. Seems like Davie's favourite recipe for an 8 match unbeaten run.
COYB
On the upside at least we weren't last on Match of the Day for once.
The blues kicked off for 2011/12 with a home defeat to QPR. Queens Park bloody Rangers. Predictably the problems we encountered were very similar to those that dogged us for most of last season. We had the chances to salvage at least a draw but missed them and a defensive error cost us (Jagielka clearing poorly then getting sucked towards the ball like a 12-year old).
What to do now? Attacking is clearly the problem area. Options are so limited up top there are only a few things we can do. If Saha is fit he plays and Moyes will probably go 4-4-1-1. If not then it's Beckford or Cahill in which case I think we should revert to 4-2-3-1. Playing two holding midfielders is frowned upon as being too defensive by a lot of blues but it gives the other three midfielders the freedom to get near to our striker and build attacks with our creative players higher up the pitch. If we do this and Becks is up front on his own we should use him to run in behind and stretch the play rather than as a target man to build from (as this just isn't his game). This means we want lots of good movement from 3 attacking midfielders (who should be Osman, Barkley, Arteta/Cahill) all looking to create space and demanding the ball.
Will someone be sold this week? I doubt it, but never say never.
Will Moyes throw in a wild card, such as starting Velios? I wouldn't have thought so. I'd love it if he did though.
Ho hum. A dissapointing result against a poor side. Options limited. Backs against the wall. A club in crisis. Seems like Davie's favourite recipe for an 8 match unbeaten run.
COYB
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
The summer of discontent
This summer has seen an increasingly public showing of discontent amongst Evertonians.
Another summer without adding to the playing squad has seen anger rising to the surface and a number of organised groups have appeared to campaign on behalf of Evertonians on a number of issues.
Their efforts appear to be successfully attracting the attention of the national media and the clubs issues have become the subject of several national radio phone-ins and national newspaper articles.
The aims and objectives of the two main campaign groups, Evertonians for Change and The People's Group, are loosely to strike up a dialogue with the club, for there to be increased transparency around finances and the vision for taking the club forward. There is also a desire for the board to agree with changes to move forward.
EDIT: As of yesterday afternoon all of the main campaign groups have joined forces under the banner of The Blue Union. Their statement is here.
However, whilst these aims are both clear and realistic i'm not entirely sure that satisfying them would be enough for the majority of angry fans that I see writing on message boards and forums. Most of these fans want the board (and/or Kenwright) out and I can see their point - it's hard to make a case that the board have moved the club forward off the pitch in any way during their tenure. Results on the pitch have much improved but most would accept that's down to Moyes rather than the board (although they have obviously supported him in his work).
The problem is that 'Kenwright Out' alone is too short-sighted an objective for a serious campaign. The first logical question by any outside party will always be 'And replace him with who?' at which point realistic answers are required. If the majority of Evertonians really do want the board changed (and I think they've every right to) they need to consider the 'what next' question and come up with some good suggestions.
I've ruminated on this many a time myself and here are my thoughts......
Another summer without adding to the playing squad has seen anger rising to the surface and a number of organised groups have appeared to campaign on behalf of Evertonians on a number of issues.
Their efforts appear to be successfully attracting the attention of the national media and the clubs issues have become the subject of several national radio phone-ins and national newspaper articles.
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| The Old Lady |
The aims and objectives of the two main campaign groups, Evertonians for Change and The People's Group, are loosely to strike up a dialogue with the club, for there to be increased transparency around finances and the vision for taking the club forward. There is also a desire for the board to agree with changes to move forward.
EDIT: As of yesterday afternoon all of the main campaign groups have joined forces under the banner of The Blue Union. Their statement is here.
However, whilst these aims are both clear and realistic i'm not entirely sure that satisfying them would be enough for the majority of angry fans that I see writing on message boards and forums. Most of these fans want the board (and/or Kenwright) out and I can see their point - it's hard to make a case that the board have moved the club forward off the pitch in any way during their tenure. Results on the pitch have much improved but most would accept that's down to Moyes rather than the board (although they have obviously supported him in his work).
The problem is that 'Kenwright Out' alone is too short-sighted an objective for a serious campaign. The first logical question by any outside party will always be 'And replace him with who?' at which point realistic answers are required. If the majority of Evertonians really do want the board changed (and I think they've every right to) they need to consider the 'what next' question and come up with some good suggestions.
I've ruminated on this many a time myself and here are my thoughts......
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Last 3 games of 2011/12 - the control vs unpredictability dilemna again
The 2010/11 Premier League season is drawing to a close and Evertonians can look forward to visits from two of the top 4 to Goodison, sandwiching a trip to West Brom. First up are Man City who will be hoping for a win to secure their place in the Champions League for next season. Everton then have an opportunity to avenge the 4-1 defeat against West Brom earlier in the season before finally hosting Chelsea on the last day of the season. Depending on results in the meantime the Chelsea game could play a key role in deciding the destination of the league title. I can't stand meaningless final games of the season so really hope this one means something, it would be great to see Everton trampling on Roman's dreams!
Everton's mid-season injury crisis finally seems to be easing and two of the 'big hitters', Cahill and Arteta, returned to the starting line-up against Wigan last week. Whilst allowing for the two players getting up to match speed the match at the DW Stadium was notable for returning to a pattern that has been evident for the majority of the season, but missing in recent weeks. Against Wigan, Everton mounted long periods of pressure on the Wigan goal, winning many corners but rarely actually creating clear cut chances. This pattern was only really broken during the injury crisis when the team were robbed of Arteta, Fellaini, Cahill and Rodwell.
I've talked about this problem all season. Essentially I think it's a dilemna between control and unpredictability. When we have Arteta in the side we have more control, his pass complettion stats show why, but building attacks in a controlled manner is not always a good thing. As we've seen time and again against the lower teams who put more emphasis on defence, it only leads to frustration. Whilst he was injured the players available meant that we played a slightly more direct game which seemed to allow us to dispatch the lower teams more easily, resulting in wins over Fulham, Wolves and Blackburn.
The good news is that the control that Arteta gives us is absolutely neccessary when playing against the top 6 teams. Without it you get performances like our recent one at Old Trafford, where we defend admirably but are subject to wave after wave of attack without being able to muster a clear cut chance of our own. The best little spaniard we know should be in the starting line-up against City today and with our recent records against them I really wouldn't be surprised if we got some kind of result from this. The same applies to the Chelsea game, it'll be the forth time we've played them this season and as yet we haven't lost so there should be some confidence amongst the players.
For next season, whilst buying a new striker will be seen by most as the biggest priority, I actually believe Moyes' most important task will be finding the right balance between control and unpredictability in each game. A one-size-fits-all approach to this doesn't work in the Premier League, so he needs to find a way to dial up and down the players personal style of play to suit the situation. I would say we need to improve the squad to do this, except we've shown we can play both ways this season with players we already have. It might be that Moyes needs to select his line-up to suit the oppo more often, rather than just choosing his best 11 but however he does it, if he can nail this, i reckon we'll have a much better season in 2011/12.
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| Follow, follow, follow, follow: Mikky's back! |
I've talked about this problem all season. Essentially I think it's a dilemna between control and unpredictability. When we have Arteta in the side we have more control, his pass complettion stats show why, but building attacks in a controlled manner is not always a good thing. As we've seen time and again against the lower teams who put more emphasis on defence, it only leads to frustration. Whilst he was injured the players available meant that we played a slightly more direct game which seemed to allow us to dispatch the lower teams more easily, resulting in wins over Fulham, Wolves and Blackburn.
The good news is that the control that Arteta gives us is absolutely neccessary when playing against the top 6 teams. Without it you get performances like our recent one at Old Trafford, where we defend admirably but are subject to wave after wave of attack without being able to muster a clear cut chance of our own. The best little spaniard we know should be in the starting line-up against City today and with our recent records against them I really wouldn't be surprised if we got some kind of result from this. The same applies to the Chelsea game, it'll be the forth time we've played them this season and as yet we haven't lost so there should be some confidence amongst the players.
For next season, whilst buying a new striker will be seen by most as the biggest priority, I actually believe Moyes' most important task will be finding the right balance between control and unpredictability in each game. A one-size-fits-all approach to this doesn't work in the Premier League, so he needs to find a way to dial up and down the players personal style of play to suit the situation. I would say we need to improve the squad to do this, except we've shown we can play both ways this season with players we already have. It might be that Moyes needs to select his line-up to suit the oppo more often, rather than just choosing his best 11 but however he does it, if he can nail this, i reckon we'll have a much better season in 2011/12.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Against all odds: Everton defy injury crisis again
Just when it looked like the 2010/11 season was going to fizzle out as meekly as it fizzled in Everton have only gone and woken up. A stellar sequence of five wins, two draws and just one defeat from the last eight games have resulted in a move up to 7th place in the Premier League and given the blues an outside shot at qualifying for Europe.
And yet even more astoundingly this purple patch has coincided with a crippling injury crisis which has seen Fellaini, Arteta, Saha, Rodwell and Cahill all absent. Amazing! Or it would be, were it not frankly completely predictable.
Year after year, when the chips are down, when the team is on the ropes, when the star player injury hoodoo has struck David Moyes' Everton teams have gone on phenomenal runs of form. So why is this?
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| Criminally underrated Osman is on great form |
Year after year, when the chips are down, when the team is on the ropes, when the star player injury hoodoo has struck David Moyes' Everton teams have gone on phenomenal runs of form. So why is this?
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Unlocking the door to a parked bus
A particularly mixed metaphor it may be but Everton's inability to do this has pretty much been their problem all season and was once again last night in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham City.
The story has been the same week after week. Against pretty much everyone aside from the 'big six' Everton dominate possession and territory, sustain minute upon minute of pressure, clock up double-figures for corners and attacking free-kicks yet somehow fail to find the back of the net resulting in a draw or, after an error, a loss. Against any team that takes the game to us we play a high tempo pressing game without the ball, disrupting the opposition's rhythm and through interceptions high up the pitch or counter attacks find the space to create clear-cut chances and score goals. It's amazing how consistent the pattern has been. If I was a betting man i could've won a fortune this year. If those 'big six' teams had adopted the same approach as Birmingham et al our season could be even worse. I've no doubt that if Chelsea still had a coach as pragmatic as Mourinho in charge they would have sat back and picked us off on the break with ease, saving us a couple of extra cup games and leaving us a point worse off in the league.
Whilst I do think this is partly down to personnel, in particular the lack of pace in midfield and of a consistent goalscorer up front, I think it may have something to do with the system we play too.
The story has been the same week after week. Against pretty much everyone aside from the 'big six' Everton dominate possession and territory, sustain minute upon minute of pressure, clock up double-figures for corners and attacking free-kicks yet somehow fail to find the back of the net resulting in a draw or, after an error, a loss. Against any team that takes the game to us we play a high tempo pressing game without the ball, disrupting the opposition's rhythm and through interceptions high up the pitch or counter attacks find the space to create clear-cut chances and score goals. It's amazing how consistent the pattern has been. If I was a betting man i could've won a fortune this year. If those 'big six' teams had adopted the same approach as Birmingham et al our season could be even worse. I've no doubt that if Chelsea still had a coach as pragmatic as Mourinho in charge they would have sat back and picked us off on the break with ease, saving us a couple of extra cup games and leaving us a point worse off in the league.Whilst I do think this is partly down to personnel, in particular the lack of pace in midfield and of a consistent goalscorer up front, I think it may have something to do with the system we play too.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
What makes a good owner?
As i've noted recently, pressure is growing on the Everton board to provide some answers as to why the club apparently finds itself in such financial turmoil.
In the circumstances i've found myself wondering what it is that makes for a good football club owner. Here's what i think are the big 3:
1) Financial resources and business acumen
I don't think Everton need a mega-wealthy benefactor to come in and fritter away his billions to be successful. I think the club already has a lot of the ingredients to win things. Whilst they will need a certain amount of wealth (more than Kenwright) to allow the club to access credit on more favourable terms, I believe it is equally important to get an owner with business acumen. If someone could get the club punching just a little above it's weight through running the business more professionally, I really believe it could bring success. It's a travesty that administrative errors led to Everton losing a valuable young player (Gosling) for nothing and that the board wasted millions unsuccessfully pursuing plans for two ground moves.
2) Someone with vision
For most Evertonians their beef with the board isn't really the lack of personal money they have injected into the club, rather it is the complacent, short-sighted way that they seem to have managed the operation for years and years. This has seemingly led to the club being outmanoeuvred by competitors with similar or fewer resources than Everton. I think we need someone with the vision to be proactive rather than reactive and make the most of opportunities when they arise.
3) Someone who values and communicates with fans
The fans are a football club's customers, the money they spend attending games and buying merchandise is a club's biggest source of income other than from television rights. These days the internet means that fans have access to more information and opinion about their club than ever before. For businesses in every sector the growth in internet use has made it increasingly hard to control the messages that their customers recieve about them. Now anyone can publish, the message that customers recieve tends to be whatever the masses say it is. The phenomena is even affecting dictators!
Social media is about having a two-way conversation and gradually this is what football fans are beginning to expect from their clubs. They want a chance to ask questions and recieve answers, give feedback and receive acknowledgement. The current board of Everton Football Club don't seem to have cottoned onto this yet, but I would like a new board to make addressing it a priority.
In the circumstances i've found myself wondering what it is that makes for a good football club owner. Here's what i think are the big 3:
1) Financial resources and business acumen
I don't think Everton need a mega-wealthy benefactor to come in and fritter away his billions to be successful. I think the club already has a lot of the ingredients to win things. Whilst they will need a certain amount of wealth (more than Kenwright) to allow the club to access credit on more favourable terms, I believe it is equally important to get an owner with business acumen. If someone could get the club punching just a little above it's weight through running the business more professionally, I really believe it could bring success. It's a travesty that administrative errors led to Everton losing a valuable young player (Gosling) for nothing and that the board wasted millions unsuccessfully pursuing plans for two ground moves.
2) Someone with vision
For most Evertonians their beef with the board isn't really the lack of personal money they have injected into the club, rather it is the complacent, short-sighted way that they seem to have managed the operation for years and years. This has seemingly led to the club being outmanoeuvred by competitors with similar or fewer resources than Everton. I think we need someone with the vision to be proactive rather than reactive and make the most of opportunities when they arise.
3) Someone who values and communicates with fans
The fans are a football club's customers, the money they spend attending games and buying merchandise is a club's biggest source of income other than from television rights. These days the internet means that fans have access to more information and opinion about their club than ever before. For businesses in every sector the growth in internet use has made it increasingly hard to control the messages that their customers recieve about them. Now anyone can publish, the message that customers recieve tends to be whatever the masses say it is. The phenomena is even affecting dictators!
Social media is about having a two-way conversation and gradually this is what football fans are beginning to expect from their clubs. They want a chance to ask questions and recieve answers, give feedback and receive acknowledgement. The current board of Everton Football Club don't seem to have cottoned onto this yet, but I would like a new board to make addressing it a priority.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Bizarre transfer window puts pressure on Kenwright
In the aftermath of a rotten January transfer window for Evertonians, attention has now focussed sharply on the clubs finances and ownership. The inexplicable loss of two strikers on loan and the sale of Steven Pienaar without any replacements coming in was probably a worse than result than most of us could possibly have imagined.
This bizarre state of affairs, added to a patchy season on the pitch seems to be awaking the national media to the clubs financial situation. On 2nd February the BBC's Phil McNulty pondered 'What next for Moyes & Everton?' and on 4th February Andy Hunter of the Guardian wrote about Everton's 'dangerous drift'. This type of publicity may well push the debate on the merits of the current board from message boards and forums (where it has been raging for years) out into the stands, pubs and living rooms. If that happens pressure is sure to grow on the board and Bill Kenwright in particular to provide some answers as to why the club finds itself in the current predicament.
This bizarre state of affairs, added to a patchy season on the pitch seems to be awaking the national media to the clubs financial situation. On 2nd February the BBC's Phil McNulty pondered 'What next for Moyes & Everton?' and on 4th February Andy Hunter of the Guardian wrote about Everton's 'dangerous drift'. This type of publicity may well push the debate on the merits of the current board from message boards and forums (where it has been raging for years) out into the stands, pubs and living rooms. If that happens pressure is sure to grow on the board and Bill Kenwright in particular to provide some answers as to why the club finds itself in the current predicament.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Attacking movement: Life after Pienaar
For me, good attacking movement is the key to scoring goals in the Premier League. With teams so well prepared tactically, the ability of a player to create a yard of space to receive the ball or for team mates move into is crucial to creating goal scoring opportunities.
Quick players are more likely to appear to have good movement as their pace allows them to find space more easily. However, blistering speed is not essential in order for a player to have good movement. Steven Pienaar was a good example of this, whilst no slouch he is not exactly a pace merchant but his movement from the left side of midfield for Everton over the last few seasons has been crucial to the teams success. Until his recent departure it also played a huge part in the effectiveness of Leighton Baines this season. In the two most recent games without Pienaar in front of him Baines has looked a shadow of his former self.
In my opinion improving Everton's attacking movement is David Moyes' biggest challenge for the remainder of the season. This season must now be a write-off but if he can find a system and personel with the movement to hurt teams next year then it may not have all been in vain.
Quick players are more likely to appear to have good movement as their pace allows them to find space more easily. However, blistering speed is not essential in order for a player to have good movement. Steven Pienaar was a good example of this, whilst no slouch he is not exactly a pace merchant but his movement from the left side of midfield for Everton over the last few seasons has been crucial to the teams success. Until his recent departure it also played a huge part in the effectiveness of Leighton Baines this season. In the two most recent games without Pienaar in front of him Baines has looked a shadow of his former self.
In my opinion improving Everton's attacking movement is David Moyes' biggest challenge for the remainder of the season. This season must now be a write-off but if he can find a system and personel with the movement to hurt teams next year then it may not have all been in vain.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
A new era for English football?
Is it just me or are we starting to see a general shift in playing styles within English football?
It's not so much the top 10 clubs in the Premier League that i'm referring to but those teams that might expect a Premier League relegation battle and even a number of teams in the Championship and League One.
The change in style i'm referring to is a move away from the defence-focussed, direct style of play that for several years, most teams below the top-10 in the Premier League felt the need to use. The style of play synonymous with Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson and even David Moyes early in his Everton career. At the time it was seen as the most effective way of achieving results on meagre resources.
It's not so much the top 10 clubs in the Premier League that i'm referring to but those teams that might expect a Premier League relegation battle and even a number of teams in the Championship and League One.
The change in style i'm referring to is a move away from the defence-focussed, direct style of play that for several years, most teams below the top-10 in the Premier League felt the need to use. The style of play synonymous with Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson and even David Moyes early in his Everton career. At the time it was seen as the most effective way of achieving results on meagre resources.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Half-time in the transfer window
As we enter the second half of January, this transfer window suddenly seems to be hotting up. Everyone knew that City would sign Dzeko or a similar blockbuster but Aston Villa's swoop for Darren Bent yesterday took everyone by surprise. It's a real coup for Villa and reverses the recent trend of talent walking out of the door, though if it's offset by Young or Downing leaving it might not look so much of a good deal. That said, there's no commodity more valuable in football than goals and Bent guarantees them. Young and Downing, good as they can be on occasions, don't.
Which brings me to the blues. I posted back in December that I felt Moyes absolutely had to get some players in during this transfer window, and of course as it's Everton, I appreciated this would require players to leave. In that posted i suggested the best strategy may be to sell one 'big' player for mega-money and replace them with two or three.
Well, it doesn't look as though Davie thought that was the way to go. Instead he's opted to offload some fringe players and cash-in on Steven Pienaar before he left for free in the summer. This may give a small budget for transfer or loan fee's and more crucially free up some wage budget to accommodate new faces. So Yakubu and Pienaar gone, Vaughan on his way soon and the possibility of Heitinga joining him before the end of the month. And on the way in? Well, strong rumours of interest in two youngsters, Eric Dier of Sporting Lisbon and Dale Jennings of Tranmere but other than that nothing concrete. My guess is that Moyes has two lists of targets, one for the budget we have now (the two youngsters above + 2 loanees - striker+midfielder) and one for if we sell Heitinga (in which case the extra money would almost certainly go on a striker). One things for sure, this is at least going to be an interesting window for Everton. It could all be doom and gloom, but i'm a positive person. I think the squad needs freshening up and it'll do us no harm to shuffle the pack. Moyes has got a good record in the transfer market, especially when he's up against it and funds are tight. We'll see i guess.....
Which brings me to the blues. I posted back in December that I felt Moyes absolutely had to get some players in during this transfer window, and of course as it's Everton, I appreciated this would require players to leave. In that posted i suggested the best strategy may be to sell one 'big' player for mega-money and replace them with two or three.
Well, it doesn't look as though Davie thought that was the way to go. Instead he's opted to offload some fringe players and cash-in on Steven Pienaar before he left for free in the summer. This may give a small budget for transfer or loan fee's and more crucially free up some wage budget to accommodate new faces. So Yakubu and Pienaar gone, Vaughan on his way soon and the possibility of Heitinga joining him before the end of the month. And on the way in? Well, strong rumours of interest in two youngsters, Eric Dier of Sporting Lisbon and Dale Jennings of Tranmere but other than that nothing concrete. My guess is that Moyes has two lists of targets, one for the budget we have now (the two youngsters above + 2 loanees - striker+midfielder) and one for if we sell Heitinga (in which case the extra money would almost certainly go on a striker). One things for sure, this is at least going to be an interesting window for Everton. It could all be doom and gloom, but i'm a positive person. I think the squad needs freshening up and it'll do us no harm to shuffle the pack. Moyes has got a good record in the transfer market, especially when he's up against it and funds are tight. We'll see i guess.....
Friday, 24 December 2010
Hands up if you love christmas!
English football and Christmas. They are like two old friends living on opposite sides of the world. Spend some time apart and it’s easy to forget how well they complement each other, but when it’s time to meet up again it doesn’t take long before the old spark is reignited.
For all the good a winter break would do players I’d hate to lose the packed festive fixture schedule. All year most supporters have to wait a week between games, but come Christmas we can all enjoy the hectic high’s and low’s from playing every three days.
For Everton it’s the start of a particularly important period for our season. We play Birmingham, West Ham and Stoke between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. If we are to start making our way up the table we really need to be picking up 7 points out of the possible 9. We will also find out whether Moyes has figured out an effective way to beat teams that adopt a cautious approach against us. To follow it up we have tough games against Spurs and Liverpool with the FA cup third round sandwiched between.
January 1st also see’s the opening of the transfer window. It is notoriously difficult to do business in this window but this year Everton really must do some. We cannot complete the season with a strike force this blunt and the news that Landon Donovan will not be coming in on loan means we also need to address the right-side of midfield.
With Steven Pienaar out of contract in the summer, rumours are circulating that he will also be sold, possibly to spurs with Nico Kranjcar coming in the opposite direction. As brilliant as the South African is, this has to be good business as we just cannot afford to let our players see out their contracts and leave for free.
As far as the right-side is concerned I think the key thing is to get someone who can carry the ball at pace and who is a ‘specialist’ in that position. We have to save money for strikers so I’m thinking someone at the Routledge, Eagles level rather than some blockbuster talent.
God knows what we’ll do about a striker, but I doubt we’ll get much of an improvement for spending less than £10-15million. We might just have to make do with a loan until the summer, unless we are able to get really good money for fringe players or choose to sell a big player.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Glory at Eastlands only underlines our problems
Another season, another fantastic win at Eastlands. City must be sick of the sight of Everton and Tim Cahill in particular.
As brilliant as Everton's 2-1 victory over Manchester City was, it only underlines where our current problems lie. When we can sit back and soak up pressure against a team that is coming at us we can get a result anywhere. Draws away against Chelsea and Spurs, the 3-3 against United, the easy victory over Liverpool and now a win away at City illustrate this.
Strange as it may sound, the issue we have is that the likes of City and Chelsea are in the minority! In order to improve we need to find a way to get three points consistently against the likes of Wigan and West Ham who will sit back and invite us to make the play. We need to refine our tactical approach to succeed in these situations and somehow find the right blend of players to execute it. The Everton that qualified for Europe in 07/08 and 08/09 easily dispensed with lower teams but failed time and again against the 'big 4', last year we evolved our approach and were hit and miss against both and this year we've hit the other extreme. What we need now is two Everton's!
Over to you Davey.....
As brilliant as Everton's 2-1 victory over Manchester City was, it only underlines where our current problems lie. When we can sit back and soak up pressure against a team that is coming at us we can get a result anywhere. Draws away against Chelsea and Spurs, the 3-3 against United, the easy victory over Liverpool and now a win away at City illustrate this.
Strange as it may sound, the issue we have is that the likes of City and Chelsea are in the minority! In order to improve we need to find a way to get three points consistently against the likes of Wigan and West Ham who will sit back and invite us to make the play. We need to refine our tactical approach to succeed in these situations and somehow find the right blend of players to execute it. The Everton that qualified for Europe in 07/08 and 08/09 easily dispensed with lower teams but failed time and again against the 'big 4', last year we evolved our approach and were hit and miss against both and this year we've hit the other extreme. What we need now is two Everton's!
Over to you Davey.....
Monday, 20 December 2010
When was the last time we scored a goal like this?
Remember when our strikers could get in behind a defence? Check out Yakubu's third against pompey back in 2008 and refresh your memory.
P.S I also loved Cahill's goal in this game. Power play!
P.S I also loved Cahill's goal in this game. Power play!
Bad medicine required for Everton to progress
As the half way point in the 2010/11 English Premier League season approaches a pattern of frustration has been set for Evertonians.
Following on from the excellent tactical and statistical analysis of our season so far by the executioners bong it's clear that there are a number of fundamental problems that David Moyes will need to solve if Everton are to turn the corner and move up the table.
Firstly Everton this season have shown the problems that are caused through having an unbalanced team. Our attacking strength/defensive weakness down the left and attacking weakness/defensive strength down the right makes it easy for teams to set a game plan to either attack us or nulify our threat depending on their mindset. This inbalance is nothing new for Everton (barring Landon Donovan's loan period in early 2010) but has been brought into sharp focus through the bluntness of our attack this season. As the executioners bong mentions the attributes of our current strikeforce means that opponents can defend high up the pitch, press our midfield and generally lends itself to a rather one-dimensional style of play.
So how have we got here? In my opinion it is an unfortunate symptom of the business model that the club is following which allows zero transfer budget. I am not advocating that the club spends money it hasn't got, but it does impose certain pressures on the manager and the team:
- Serious injuries to players pose a greater problem for Everton than many other premier league clubs because not only can they diminish a player's essential qualities but in turn this has a knock-on effect to their sell on value. Drops in form can also not be accommodated.
Everton's team is built around a system including a lone striker. Louis Saha and Yakubu have both proved adept at playing this system in the past, however both have suffered with injuries and loss of form. The result is we have gone from one of the higher goalscoring teams in the premier league to one of the lower. Between them Yakubu and Saha have one goal this season. Neither are now have the pace to run in behind the defence which limits our counter-attacking options and means that our build up has to be slow and methodical. It also means that their transfer values have fallen significantly from their peak.
- Our ability to build a balanced team is entirely reliant on being able to sell players at a profit. As well as the issues caused by serious injuries mentioned above, this gives Moyes no room whatsoever for mistakes in the transfer market. It also makes it hard for us to spend money on experienced players whose sell-on value isn't likely to be recouped and means that we cannot afford to let players run out of contract.
When Everton sold Lescott last season Moyes replaced him with Distin, Heitinga and Bilyetdinov. Of those purchases Bilyetdinov is currently looking like a mistake. Personally i still think Bily could come good but Moyes's refusal to start him this season suggests he doesn't agree with me. Distin has been one of our best performers this year and whilst Heitinga has been poor this season, he has been played out of position and has a sufficiently good reputation to make back our initial outlay should Moyes wish. So one possible mistake out of three, not bad you would think - a lot of managers would kill for that success ratio (wouldn't they Rafa?). But it's not good enough for Everton as our strategy does not allow for any mistakes. It was a missed opportunity to solve our right midfield problems and an expensive one at that.
This summer Everton had the opportunity to sell Mikel Arteta for a very large fee but instead chose to break the clubs wage structure and offer him a bumper new contract. At the time I and every other Evertonian were over the moon. 'Finally a sign of ambition' we shouted! In hindsight I think this might have been a mistake, not because of the effect of breaking the wage structure (although that may yet prove to be a problem) but because it went against the overall strategy. Whilst selling your best players runs counter to every manager and fans wishes it is at least a logical and rational strategy. By not selling Arteta we missed out on our chance to finally balance our squad with a top striker and a decent right midfielder.One individual is not more important than the team. The heart ruled the head and if there is one thing you have to remember as a manager of a club completely reliant on selling players to buy new ones, it is never let your heart rule your head.
It sounds like i'm blaming Moyes but in I actually believe it's just an unfortunate fact that our strategy allows the manager no room whatsoever for the errors of judgement which he quite naturally has from time to time.
So where do we go from here? If we are to see an improvement in our fortunes this season I believe that we Evertonians are going to have to sit down and take some bad medicine. Whilst most of us could probably cope with selling Heitinga, Yakubu, Saha or Bilyetdinov I think we might have to face facts and accept that those players are unlikely to fetch sufficient transfers fees to allow us to balance this team. The loss of bodies from doing this alone would probably leave the squad weakened. Therefore I think the best option we have may be to sell one 'key player', someone who on their own could command a transfer fee of £20m - for that read Arteta, Fellaini, Rodwell or maybe, at a push Jagielka. It will not be nice for any of us, but then nothing worth having ever comes easy though folks....
Following on from the excellent tactical and statistical analysis of our season so far by the executioners bong it's clear that there are a number of fundamental problems that David Moyes will need to solve if Everton are to turn the corner and move up the table.
Firstly Everton this season have shown the problems that are caused through having an unbalanced team. Our attacking strength/defensive weakness down the left and attacking weakness/defensive strength down the right makes it easy for teams to set a game plan to either attack us or nulify our threat depending on their mindset. This inbalance is nothing new for Everton (barring Landon Donovan's loan period in early 2010) but has been brought into sharp focus through the bluntness of our attack this season. As the executioners bong mentions the attributes of our current strikeforce means that opponents can defend high up the pitch, press our midfield and generally lends itself to a rather one-dimensional style of play.
So how have we got here? In my opinion it is an unfortunate symptom of the business model that the club is following which allows zero transfer budget. I am not advocating that the club spends money it hasn't got, but it does impose certain pressures on the manager and the team:
- Serious injuries to players pose a greater problem for Everton than many other premier league clubs because not only can they diminish a player's essential qualities but in turn this has a knock-on effect to their sell on value. Drops in form can also not be accommodated.
Everton's team is built around a system including a lone striker. Louis Saha and Yakubu have both proved adept at playing this system in the past, however both have suffered with injuries and loss of form. The result is we have gone from one of the higher goalscoring teams in the premier league to one of the lower. Between them Yakubu and Saha have one goal this season. Neither are now have the pace to run in behind the defence which limits our counter-attacking options and means that our build up has to be slow and methodical. It also means that their transfer values have fallen significantly from their peak.
- Our ability to build a balanced team is entirely reliant on being able to sell players at a profit. As well as the issues caused by serious injuries mentioned above, this gives Moyes no room whatsoever for mistakes in the transfer market. It also makes it hard for us to spend money on experienced players whose sell-on value isn't likely to be recouped and means that we cannot afford to let players run out of contract.
When Everton sold Lescott last season Moyes replaced him with Distin, Heitinga and Bilyetdinov. Of those purchases Bilyetdinov is currently looking like a mistake. Personally i still think Bily could come good but Moyes's refusal to start him this season suggests he doesn't agree with me. Distin has been one of our best performers this year and whilst Heitinga has been poor this season, he has been played out of position and has a sufficiently good reputation to make back our initial outlay should Moyes wish. So one possible mistake out of three, not bad you would think - a lot of managers would kill for that success ratio (wouldn't they Rafa?). But it's not good enough for Everton as our strategy does not allow for any mistakes. It was a missed opportunity to solve our right midfield problems and an expensive one at that.
This summer Everton had the opportunity to sell Mikel Arteta for a very large fee but instead chose to break the clubs wage structure and offer him a bumper new contract. At the time I and every other Evertonian were over the moon. 'Finally a sign of ambition' we shouted! In hindsight I think this might have been a mistake, not because of the effect of breaking the wage structure (although that may yet prove to be a problem) but because it went against the overall strategy. Whilst selling your best players runs counter to every manager and fans wishes it is at least a logical and rational strategy. By not selling Arteta we missed out on our chance to finally balance our squad with a top striker and a decent right midfielder.One individual is not more important than the team. The heart ruled the head and if there is one thing you have to remember as a manager of a club completely reliant on selling players to buy new ones, it is never let your heart rule your head.
It sounds like i'm blaming Moyes but in I actually believe it's just an unfortunate fact that our strategy allows the manager no room whatsoever for the errors of judgement which he quite naturally has from time to time.
So where do we go from here? If we are to see an improvement in our fortunes this season I believe that we Evertonians are going to have to sit down and take some bad medicine. Whilst most of us could probably cope with selling Heitinga, Yakubu, Saha or Bilyetdinov I think we might have to face facts and accept that those players are unlikely to fetch sufficient transfers fees to allow us to balance this team. The loss of bodies from doing this alone would probably leave the squad weakened. Therefore I think the best option we have may be to sell one 'key player', someone who on their own could command a transfer fee of £20m - for that read Arteta, Fellaini, Rodwell or maybe, at a push Jagielka. It will not be nice for any of us, but then nothing worth having ever comes easy though folks....
Saturday, 27 November 2010
What's David Moyes up to?
David Moyes has taken the unusual step of publicly declaring his interest on taking a player on loan, seemingly before even initial talks have taken place. And not just any player, David Beckham!
So what's he up to? I suppose there is a small chance that everything is exactly as it seems and Moyes is just trying to get his man. But then why do that through the media? He mentions in the interview that Beckham is good friends with Phil Neville - why not sound him out that way? That explanation just doesn't add up for me and it would go against the secretive manner in which Moyes usually goes about his business.
So that leads me to believe that it is nothing more than a story for the media. The next question is why? Some cynical Evertonians are suggesting that it's merely a PR stunt to generate some excitement amongst the fans during an underwhelming season and stimulate some half-season ticket sales. It could be this, and the way that Moyes has gone about it is so out of character that it would stack up.
The only other explanation I can think of is that it is a media smoke bomb. Something to distract the press and our competitors whilst we pull off a completely different transfer coup. That may be clutching at straws but I like to be positive! If it was another signing, you'd have to think it was someone pretty sought after to justify going to these lengths. Someone other Landon Donovan who he also references in his interview. Hopefully it will be that top striker we've been missing all season. I guess i'm just gonna have to wait.....and hope my positivity is not unfounded!!
So what's he up to? I suppose there is a small chance that everything is exactly as it seems and Moyes is just trying to get his man. But then why do that through the media? He mentions in the interview that Beckham is good friends with Phil Neville - why not sound him out that way? That explanation just doesn't add up for me and it would go against the secretive manner in which Moyes usually goes about his business.
So that leads me to believe that it is nothing more than a story for the media. The next question is why? Some cynical Evertonians are suggesting that it's merely a PR stunt to generate some excitement amongst the fans during an underwhelming season and stimulate some half-season ticket sales. It could be this, and the way that Moyes has gone about it is so out of character that it would stack up.
The only other explanation I can think of is that it is a media smoke bomb. Something to distract the press and our competitors whilst we pull off a completely different transfer coup. That may be clutching at straws but I like to be positive! If it was another signing, you'd have to think it was someone pretty sought after to justify going to these lengths. Someone other Landon Donovan who he also references in his interview. Hopefully it will be that top striker we've been missing all season. I guess i'm just gonna have to wait.....and hope my positivity is not unfounded!!
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