Is it time for a change at Goodison?
Everton have endured a miserable start to the season. David Moyes’ team find themselves in second last place with only two points from a possible 15 so far. Everton were completely outplayed by Newcastle and their inept display prompts the question whether the time has come for a change at Goodison Park?
Moyes’ team selection on Saturday was bizarre to say the least. He chose a distinctly defensive looking 4-5-1 formation even though Everton were playing at home against a newly-promoted Newcastle side. He has been unwilling to freshen up the side, instead sticking stubbornly to a group of trusted players playing in all the wrong positions. For instance, Moyes insisted on playing Marouane Fellaini as a second striker when it is clear that his best position is as a defensive midfielder. Other strange decisions were choosing to play centre-back Johnny Heitinga as a defensive midfielder and Leon Osman, a centre midfielder on the wing. For a manager who has been at the helm 8 years, it seems strange that he still doesn’t know which positions suit his players best.
With Moyes’ stubbornness and favouritism clearly evident, real competition for places has been lacking. Leon Osman, while an excellent centre midfielder, is simply not a great winger. However, Moyes insists on sticking with him despite his poor performances. Everton have been severely lacking any vivacity and excitement in their play and players such as Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Seamus Coleman and Magaye Gueye are the type of players to inject a bit of vibrancy and pace into Everton’s attack. However, Moyes seems determined to stick with his tried and tested formula and these players are set to keep on scratching their heads, wondering whether they will ever get their time to show what they are truly capable of.
The crux of Everton’s problems has been a failure to strengthen the squad. The team has really struggled for goals and Moyes is faced with a striking crisis. He is currently without Louis Saha and Victor Anichebe who have been ruled out through injury. Moyes allowed talented youngster James Vaughan to go on loan to Crystal Palace where he has just scored his first hat-trick. That leaves Everton with Jermaine Beckford and Yakubu as their only striking options.
Moyes took a huge risk in signing Beckford on a free transfer from Leeds United and he has so far failed to impress; however, he has often been left isolated upfront on his own so it is not entirely his own fault. That means he is left with Yakubu with whom Moyes has had a fractious relationship. He is just coming back to fitness after a lengthy injury lay-off and was a threat when he came off the bench for Beckford, hitting the post for Everton in the dying minutes of the game. Whomever Moyes decides to start, he will be looking for an improvement if Everton want to get themselves out of the rut that they have created for themselves.
Under Moyes, there is a feeling that things have become a little predicable and stale. He has been at the club for 8 years and has steered Everton from a club in disarray to a club which has finished in 4th place in the Premier League and played Champions League football. With all that he has achieved at the club, there is a danger of complacency creeping into Moyes’ mindset as he is maybe going through the motions at Goodison Park.
The club has found itself caught between a rock and a hard place. They have established themselves as European contenders under Moyes but club chairman Bill Kenwright cannot provide the financial backing to the manager for Everton to make the next step into consistently playing Champions League football. Unless this happens, neither Moyes nor any potential replacement can make any significant improvements to Everton’s long term goals.
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This is nonsense, absolute drivel. I’ve read a few of your articles Robin and not one of them has an ounce of fact in them. Lazy journalism of the first kind.
Fellaini often played as a second striker for Standard Liege, and he was used in that position against Man Utd with Tim Cahill ahead of him when we drew 3-3.
Osman is a midfield utility man – he plays on the wing as often as he plays anywhere else.
Heitinga can play at centre half, right back or defensive midfield, in fact he played the majority of last season there and was one of our outstanding performers. How could you not know that?
You say that Moyes team has gone stale and that he should have brought some fresh blood into the club, but then in your final paragraph conceede that Chairman Bill Kenwright is skint, which is reasoning for hardly any money spent surely…what do you want him to do under such tight financial constraints exactly?
How arrogant of you to claim that you know the position of Moyes players better than he does simply because you play football manager once in a while.
Yes, we have had a terrible start to the season, we are notoriously slow starters, but even by our standards this has been poor, but the problem is not Moyes, it’s the lack of funding while others around us strengthen that is killing us. You’re mad if you think otherwise.
Beckford wasn’t a ‘huge risk’ as you put it, he was signed on a free and with a proven goalscoring record, albeit in a lower league. I didn’t think he’d succeed to be honest, but to label it a huge risk seems way off the mark.
Yakubu, Saha and Anichebe are all injured or are working their way back to full fitness, so apart from the mis-firing ‘huge risk’ that is Beckford, who do you suggest that we play up front? Cahill, with Fellaini flicking the ball on isn’t a bad tactic under the circumstances.
It isn’t time for a change, and with that view it shows how truly disconnected you are from reality. It’s time for a change in Chairman, something Bill will readily admit and has been working on, for ages it seems sadly. We unquestionably have the right man, why do you think that he’s the favourite for the Man Utd job when Fergie leaves?
As a season ticket holder, I like to come on here and read about Everton, but when I encounter ill-informed nonsense like this it makes my blood boil. Have you watched an Everton match this season in it’s entirety? Or have you just based your opinions off a 40 second clip on Match of the Day or a news report on BBC? I think it’s probably the latter.
Did you see the Villa game where we completely outplayed them yet still lost 1-0 somehow. It’s clear that the problem is infront of goal. We have played some ok stuff so far, but we need to stop conceeding silly goals like we did last night.
Bad, bad, bad journalism Robin….please just input a little fact once in a while, or you know, try actually watching a game first before spouting off your reactionary rubbish on here. Shocking, just shocking!
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Change at Goodison? The only think that needs to go from Goodison is the so called fans who want Moyes sacked, use are an embarrassment to Everton and shouldn’t even dare to call yourselves blues.. and by the way take that thing you call an opinion AND STICK IT UP YOUR ARSE!
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This is top class journalism and the points made here are bang on the money. Cahill up front? what a joke. Toffeeman and Tony you guys should show some respect to Robin as he is your father. Also you guys need to do more with your life as you seem too spiteful and full of anger – do some exercise.
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