Cheshire Mag Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Tbh, Most of us have written this season off (again!) and personally, I dont mind how we play this season, aslong as we survive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Mental team selection, I know the "you do not change a winning side" theory but it was a make shift team tht beat West Brom not a team that had been on a winning run. Jonas and Oba should have started, Shola was again very very poor and Duff is inafective. Nolans tackle was a pure disgrace but we all know he does have that kind of tackle in him. Bassong and Enrique were very good today as were both Taylors but I am still not convinced by Colo. Colo had a very good game I thought. I would expect more off a £10 million defender. His distribution was abysmal, especially his passing. Nothing special but nothing crap, as some people on here will let you believe! That would make sense if he hadn't passed the ball very well today. Its his lack of pace that I fear most, he gets turned way way to easy and is not quick enough to make up the lost ground, I am not writing him off but when you look at our CB pairing Bassong looks like the £10mill player. I'd agree. Colo is too easily beaten in the air, and lacks pace. His performances seem to be going downhill - I suspect because other teams are now sussing him out. Nolan's tackle was unbelievable for a player of his experience. You can't jump at an opponent like that. I don't think Jonas has much of a shot on him, so a lob was the right decision. He also looked unfit, and couldn't get away like I was expecting him to. Lovenkrands's miss was in a different league. He was right in the middle of the goal with plenty of time to aim at either side of the keeper. Anyone else think Harper should have come off his line more? There were lots of crosses into the goal area which he seemed to leave alone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest timmy boy Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 another 90 min of agony... when you see newcastle play and after that you see barcelona or man utd play.... its like driving trabant and after that go drive lamborgini.... we are playing one of the most dreadful football in the premiership I agree we probably play the worst football in the league.Our football is a result of having 5 or 6 mangers since 2004. Chopping and changing managers who bring in their own players to compliment how they want to play. We need to have a complete overhaul in the summer get in a good manger and let him build up the club and buy players to suit the system he wants to play and buy players to fit into the system, can't see it happening. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karjala Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Watching it on Nova Sport Cze, at half time they showed the 5-0 Manure victory Fuck me, what a massive contrast in performances/teams. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Under the circumstances (the ridiculous team selection + Nolan being a fucking idiot) it's a decent point. In the greater scheme of things, it's two points dropped. Everton were severely weakened today and there for the taking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Awful match between two very very poor footballing teams. Harper - 4 - His kicking today was as bad as Shay's at his worst. For example he kicked the ball straight out of play twice in succession and with the forwards all gathered towards the right (or left) of Everton's half, the ball would go to the opposite side of wherever the forwards were and this happened almost with every goal kick, free-kick or drop kick. I can't recall him being asked to make any saves of any note although I remember him coming for a cross very well over the heads of everyone. In general I thought his distribution was shocking and a real thorn in our attempts to push Everton back and get on the ball. S. Taylor - 8 - My MOTM. I thought he was immense personally and is a far better RB than he is a CB where his combative style and willingness to drive on is better suited as he is less exposed or rather his short comings will be less exploited wide on the right side of defence. He was solid in the air winning many balls, filled in at CB a few times when Bassong or Colo got bypassed or in the latter's case went walkabouts as he likes to do and got forward as much as he could, providing an outlet out wide. Yes there was an element of the hero in his performance but in our situation we need all the heart and fight we can muster and Taylor showed plenty of it. He seems to like playing against Everton and him and his namesake link up very well. Thwarted Baines all game and put in one or two very good tackles. Was unlucky with several decisions going against him from the ref, one towering header was pulled up as a foul when it clearly never was. Bassong - 7 - Never put a foot wrong and was as calm and measured as he usually is. He was solid in every way, although he wasn't up against much in Jo or Saha when he come on, the former being one of the softest centre-forwards I've ever seen. He wouldn't challenge for anything and Bassong basically walked this one. He was called into more action later on as the balls started to fly in and the entire defence and midfield dropping deep as Everton kept coming at us, but he wasn't required to do anything remotely difficult. His solid if unspectacular performance is the sign of a good defender. Colo - 7 - One of his better games for us. Unlike against many forwards this season he actually asserted himself and was far more physical in his defending, getting close to his man and at times man handling him (legally of course). Won several headers too. Was a wreck on the ball though, either giving it away a lot of playing the wrong kind of ball. Like with Bassong though he wasn't really up against much but perhaps his more physical approach put the Everton forwards off. Enrique - 8 - In the first half he was barnstorming and was playing in a similar way to how he played against the mackems in the first half of that game. He outpaced, out fought and out skilled Anichibe several times and showed some neat skills and very abrasive defending. His positioning was much better too although his distribution long was as ever, hit and miss. He also failed to get forward much when that kind of call was being begged due to space. In the second half both Martins and Jonas showed clear frustration with him for failing to get forward and to give them an option. Overall however he was excellent I thought. R. Taylor - 6 - Linked up well with his namesake and was neat and tidy in parts. Seems a willing runner but lacks pace and genuine ball carrying skills. Got himself into some good positions in support of S. Taylor and was solid defensively when required to help out. Deliveries were OK, better than what we usually get from the likes of Butt but nothing special that I can recall. Seemed to tire in the final quarter of the game. Nolan - 3 - Prior to his red card which was fully deserved from what I saw, he was having a good game. Neat and tidy, defensively always there pressing, helping out and blocking or clearing with his head and joining attack when he could... and then his stupidity. His tackle effectively killed any chance we had of picking up all 3 points. What a moron. Butt - 8 - When it was 11v11 he was as useless as ever and to me seemed to get in the way more often than not whether we were defending or attacking. Down to 10 men however and he just took over basically, turning into a man possessed in terms of drive, energy and leadership. His distribution didn't change, that continued to be shockingly bad in the main, but in terms of leadership, effort and fighting for the cause, he was brilliant once Nolan went off. He got cramp towards the end after losing the ball in midfield and the somehow getting back to put a block in which another player of ours then picked up to clear. He may be useless on the ball and was in this game don't get me wrong, but off the ball he was more than useful, he was essential and he did that kind of job. Duff - 3 - I didn't even notice he was off in the second half, I knew Jonas had come on but because Duff was so anonymous in the first half, I didn't notice his absence in the second half. I can't recall anything of any note he did and to be honest, anything bad either as again, he was anonymous or seemed to be. At least Nolan did some good things before going off. Ameobi - 0- Officially the worst ever performance I've witnessed from any play in black and white which by his own shocking standards just about says it all. In the second half, he flicked on a header to no-one which isn't so bad in itself but he knew there was no-one ahead of him as he was facing that way seconds before he flicked the header on. Cue massive groans from the stands and the shaking of heads from Butt and others. Even Lescott couldn't believe it. Honestly, any one of us on here could have done better than he did. He was that bad. No more excuses I have zero patience for this abysmal... I don't even want to call him a footballer because he ain't. We were effectively playing with 10 men when we had 11 and then 9 when Nolan went off with him up front. Lovenkrands - 5 - Missed a sitter and looked off the pace to me up front. Mind playing alongside Shola must have been a huge handicap for him. Worked hard and seems to have a nice touch. When we went down to 10 men he was moved back into midfield basically and on a few occassions showed his pace down the flank... only for Shola to be miles behind play and no-one else in the box to aim for. Subs Jonas - 4 - Was poor and could have done much better when through towards goal. Sent several crosses out of play. Worked hard defensively and helped out Enrique but I want to see him at the other end. All this effort means nowt when he can't even cross or hit the target with a shot. Martins - 4 - By the time he came on we were set up to nulify Everton and to basically get a point and clean sheet so he had no chance of making an impact. His presence helped though as at times 3 Everton defenders stayed back which gave our midfield some breathing space. Good to see him back. Smith - 3 - Did he even touch the ball? Tactics, subs and other stuff - God knows what they were before the match but as soon as Nolan went off it didn't take us long to get into playing for a point and clean sheet mode which we were successful at so you could say tactically we were spot on. Shape wise, defensively anyway, we were solid. Spirit wise - fantastic. Fitness wise.... hmmm. A 2 week break yet some very tired legs out there. 10 men or not a good few looked jaded with about 60 minutes on the clock and it wasn't as if Everton were over working us. Subs were decent, although starting line up very odd. If fit both Jonas and martins should start. Fans - Stayed with the team throughout and at while there was no lifting the roof, it was a positive atmosphere I'd say, save a few moans and groans which to be fair were well justified and to be expected. Everton - On this performance it does make you wonder how they are so high up and doing so well. I honestly believe the quality of the Premier league outside the so-called top 4 is pretty average and the difference between Everton and us or Villa and us is a more balanced side with motivated players being coached and managed by competent men. There is hope for us yet. Overall an acceptable point in the circumstances but another missed opportunity... thanks Nolan! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Harper - 6 Taylor - 7 Bassong - 8 Coloccini - 7 Enrique - 7 Taylor - 6 Butt - 8 Nolan - 4 Duff - 4 Shola - 3 Lovenkrands - 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thought Everton fans were rubbish today. We clapped off Arteta and their next song was 'you've never won football' Didn't sing for the rest of the game Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thought Everton fans were rubbish today. We clapped off Arteta and their next song was 'you've never won football' Didn't sing for the rest of the game Good turnout, shit effort. Mind it must be hard for the away fans to get going with our singing section right near them. Whenever Everton fans tried to get something going our lout outsang them. Only heard never won fuck all, that daft we shall not be moved (didn't Liverpool fans sing the same?) and a few we support E-v-e-r-t-o-n. Never! Away fans in general have been piss poor this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Martin Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Everton fans were shite TBH. The odd shout of Everton Everton, and a couple of predictable you've never won f**k all. Funniest repost I heard from our lot was "You only sing when you're stealing" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Awful match between two very very poor footballing teams. Harper - 4 - His kicking today was as bad as Shay's at his worst. For example he kicked the ball straight out of play twice in succession and with the forwards all gathered towards the right (or left) of Everton's half, the ball would go to the opposite side of wherever the forwards were and this happened almost with every goal kick, free-kick or drop kick. I can't recall him being asked to make any saves of any note although I remember him coming for a cross very well over the heads of everyone. In general I thought his distribution was shocking and a real thorn in our attempts to push Everton back and get on the ball. S. Taylor - 8 - My MOTM. I thought he was immense personally and is a far better RB than he is a CB where his combative style and willingness to drive on is better suited as he is less exposed or rather his short comings will be less exploited wide on the right side of defence. He was solid in the air winning many balls, filled in at CB a few times when Bassong or Colo got bypassed or in the latter's case went walkabouts as he likes to do and got forward as much as he could, providing an outlet out wide. Yes there was an element of the hero in his performance but in our situation we need all the heart and fight we can muster and Taylor showed plenty of it. He seems to like playing against Everton and him and his namesake link up very well. Thwarted Baines all game and put in one or two very good tackles. Was unlucky with several decisions going against him from the ref, one towering header was pulled up as a foul when it clearly never was. Bassong - 7 - Never put a foot wrong and was as calm and measured as he usually is. He was solid in every way, although he wasn't up against much in Jo or Saha when he come on, the former being one of the softest centre-forwards I've ever seen. He wouldn't challenge for anything and Bassong basically walked this one. He was called into more action later on as the balls started to fly in and the entire defence and midfield dropping deep as Everton kept coming at us, but he wasn't required to do anything remotely difficult. His solid if unspectacular performance is the sign of a good defender. Colo - 7 - One of his better games for us. Unlike against many forwards this season he actually asserted himself and was far more physical in his defending, getting close to his man and at times man handling him (legally of course). Won several headers too. Was a wreck on the ball though, either giving it away a lot of playing the wrong kind of ball. Like with Bassong though he wasn't really up against much but perhaps his more physical approach put the Everton forwards off. Enrique - 8 - In the first half he was barnstorming and was playing in a similar way to how he played against the mackems in the first half of that game. He outpaced, out fought and out skilled Anichibe several times and showed some neat skills and very abrasive defending. His positioning was much better too although his distribution long was as ever, hit and miss. He also failed to get forward much when that kind of call was being begged due to space. In the second half both Martins and Jonas showed clear frustration with him for failing to get forward and to give them an option. Overall however he was excellent I thought. R. Taylor - 6 - Linked up well with his namesake and was neat and tidy in parts. Seems a willing runner but lacks pace and genuine ball carrying skills. Got himself into some good positions in support of S. Taylor and was solid defensively when required to help out. Deliveries were OK, better than what we usually get from the likes of Butt but nothing special that I can recall. Seemed to tire in the final quarter of the game. Nolan - 3 - Prior to his red card which was fully deserved from what I saw, he was having a good game. Neat and tidy, defensively always there pressing, helping out and blocking or clearing with his head and joining attack when he could... and then his stupidity. His tackle effectively killed any chance we had of picking up all 3 points. What a moron. Butt - 8 - When it was 11v11 he was as useless as ever and to me seemed to get in the way more often than not whether we were defending or attacking. Down to 10 men however and he just took over basically, turning into a man possessed in terms of drive, energy and leadership. His distribution didn't change, that continued to be shockingly bad in the main, but in terms of leadership, effort and fighting for the cause, he was brilliant once Nolan went off. He got cramp towards the end after losing the ball in midfield and the somehow getting back to put a block in which another player of ours then picked up to clear. He may be useless on the ball and was in this game don't get me wrong, but off the ball he was more than useful, he was essential and he did that kind of job. Duff - 3 - I didn't even notice he was off in the second half, I knew Jonas had come on but because Duff was so anonymous in the first half, I didn't notice his absence in the second half. I can't recall anything of any note he did and to be honest, anything bad either as again, he was anonymous or seemed to be. At least Nolan did some good things before going off. Ameobi - 0- Officially the worst ever performance I've witnessed from any play in black and white which by his own shocking standards just about says it all. In the second half, he flicked on a header to no-one which isn't so bad in itself but he knew there was no-one ahead of him as he was facing that way seconds before he flicked the header on. Cue massive groans from the stands and the shaking of heads from Butt and others. Even Lescott couldn't believe it. Honestly, any one of us on here could have done better than he did. He was that bad. No more excuses I have zero patience for this abysmal... I don't even want to call him a footballer because he ain't. We were effectively playing with 10 men when we had 11 and then 9 when Nolan went off with him up front. Lovenkrands - 5 - Missed a sitter and looked off the pace to me up front. Mind playing alongside Shola must have been a huge handicap for him. Worked hard and seems to have a nice touch. When we went down to 10 men he was moved back into midfield basically and on a few occassions showed his pace down the flank... only for Shola to be miles behind play and no-one else in the box to aim for. Subs Jonas - 4 - Was poor and could have done much better when through towards goal. Sent several crosses out of play. Worked hard defensively and helped out Enrique but I want to see him at the other end. All this effort means nowt when he can't even cross or hit the target with a shot. Martins - 4 - By the time he came on we were set up to nulify Everton and to basically get a point and clean sheet so he had no chance of making an impact. His presence helped though as at times 3 Everton defenders stayed back which gave our midfield some breathing space. Good to see him back. Smith - 3 - Did he even touch the ball? Tactics, subs and other stuff - God knows what they were before the match but as soon as Nolan went off it didn't take us long to get into playing for a point and clean sheet mode which we were successful at so you could say tactically we were spot on. Shape wise, defensively anyway, we were solid. Spirit wise - fantastic. Fitness wise.... hmmm. A 2 week break yet some very tired legs out there. 10 men or not a good few looked jaded with about 60 minutes on the clock and it wasn't as if Everton were over working us. Fans - Stayed with the team throughout and at while there was no lifting the roof, it was a positive atmosphere I'd say, save a few moans and groans which to be fair were well justified and to be expected. Everton - On this performance it does make you wonder how they are so high up and doing so well. I honestly believe the quality of the Premier league outside the so-called top 4 is pretty average and the difference between Everton and us or Villa and us is a more balanced side with motivated players being coached and managed by competent men. There is hope for us yet. Overall an acceptable point in the circumstances but another missed opportunity... thanks Nolan! I think you've been a bit generous to our defence, but I'd agree with some of that. Steven Taylor played his heart out and didn't hide from the ball. However, I don't think he's a full back. Butt looks far more comfortable when the opposition have the ball, it's true. But any player in that anchor position gets a lot of possession, and the fact that he wastes it so much does a lot of harm to the confidence of the side. And for all his experience, his decision-making on the ball is often poor. He often plays his team-mates into trouble. As for Shola - well all the strikers struggled, because they were up against a very good defence. Shola didn't have a good game, but he did set up our best chance of the game with a very classy feint. You have to take that into account with Shola. A couple of times each game, he will open a defence up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thespence Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Our defence has done well this season when the midfield has just sat in front of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Swift Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 The defence was very good today considering Everton just launched long ball after long ball into our box. We cleared most of their crosses, took care of the second balls and never gave them a gilt-edged chance despite barely attacking throughout the match. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallowgate End Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 <b>Mental team selection, I know the "you do not change a winning side" theory</b> but it was a make shift team tht beat West Brom not a team that had been on a winning run. Jonas and Oba should have started. Always been such nonsense. There are far more reasoning's to base your selection on then purely because it's a team that's won one match particularly as your next opponent will often pose a completely different threat and have completely different weakness's along with many other reasons.... Chris Hughton vocation is coaching to be out training the players and not picking the team his selections have shown why coaches don't pick teams. A long term appointment and figure head for this club to move forward must be the boards priority in the coming weeks instead of waiting for Joe Kinnear to be healthy enough to manage the club if its not then it could cost the club very dear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Our defence has done well this season when the midfield has just sat in front of it. it would be nice if the midfield was capable of doing much else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Awful match between two very very poor footballing teams. Harper - 4 - His kicking today was as bad as Shay's at his worst. For example he kicked the ball straight out of play twice in succession and with the forwards all gathered towards the right (or left) of Everton's half, the ball would go to the opposite side of wherever the forwards were and this happened almost with every goal kick, free-kick or drop kick. I can't recall him being asked to make any saves of any note although I remember him coming for a cross very well over the heads of everyone. In general I thought his distribution was shocking and a real thorn in our attempts to push Everton back and get on the ball. S. Taylor - 8 - My MOTM. I thought he was immense personally and is a far better RB than he is a CB where his combative style and willingness to drive on is better suited as he is less exposed or rather his short comings will be less exploited wide on the right side of defence. He was solid in the air winning many balls, filled in at CB a few times when Bassong or Colo got bypassed or in the latter's case went walkabouts as he likes to do and got forward as much as he could, providing an outlet out wide. Yes there was an element of the hero in his performance but in our situation we need all the heart and fight we can muster and Taylor showed plenty of it. He seems to like playing against Everton and him and his namesake link up very well. Thwarted Baines all game and put in one or two very good tackles. Was unlucky with several decisions going against him from the ref, one towering header was pulled up as a foul when it clearly never was. Bassong - 7 - Never put a foot wrong and was as calm and measured as he usually is. He was solid in every way, although he wasn't up against much in Jo or Saha when he come on, the former being one of the softest centre-forwards I've ever seen. He wouldn't challenge for anything and Bassong basically walked this one. He was called into more action later on as the balls started to fly in and the entire defence and midfield dropping deep as Everton kept coming at us, but he wasn't required to do anything remotely difficult. His solid if unspectacular performance is the sign of a good defender. Colo - 7 - One of his better games for us. Unlike against many forwards this season he actually asserted himself and was far more physical in his defending, getting close to his man and at times man handling him (legally of course). Won several headers too. Was a wreck on the ball though, either giving it away a lot of playing the wrong kind of ball. Like with Bassong though he wasn't really up against much but perhaps his more physical approach put the Everton forwards off. Enrique - 8 - In the first half he was barnstorming and was playing in a similar way to how he played against the mackems in the first half of that game. He outpaced, out fought and out skilled Anichibe several times and showed some neat skills and very abrasive defending. His positioning was much better too although his distribution long was as ever, hit and miss. He also failed to get forward much when that kind of call was being begged due to space. In the second half both Martins and Jonas showed clear frustration with him for failing to get forward and to give them an option. Overall however he was excellent I thought. R. Taylor - 6 - Linked up well with his namesake and was neat and tidy in parts. Seems a willing runner but lacks pace and genuine ball carrying skills. Got himself into some good positions in support of S. Taylor and was solid defensively when required to help out. Deliveries were OK, better than what we usually get from the likes of Butt but nothing special that I can recall. Seemed to tire in the final quarter of the game. Nolan - 3 - Prior to his red card which was fully deserved from what I saw, he was having a good game. Neat and tidy, defensively always there pressing, helping out and blocking or clearing with his head and joining attack when he could... and then his stupidity. His tackle effectively killed any chance we had of picking up all 3 points. What a moron. Butt - 8 - When it was 11v11 he was as useless as ever and to me seemed to get in the way more often than not whether we were defending or attacking. Down to 10 men however and he just took over basically, turning into a man possessed in terms of drive, energy and leadership. His distribution didn't change, that continued to be shockingly bad in the main, but in terms of leadership, effort and fighting for the cause, he was brilliant once Nolan went off. He got cramp towards the end after losing the ball in midfield and the somehow getting back to put a block in which another player of ours then picked up to clear. He may be useless on the ball and was in this game don't get me wrong, but off the ball he was more than useful, he was essential and he did that kind of job. Duff - 3 - I didn't even notice he was off in the second half, I knew Jonas had come on but because Duff was so anonymous in the first half, I didn't notice his absence in the second half. I can't recall anything of any note he did and to be honest, anything bad either as again, he was anonymous or seemed to be. At least Nolan did some good things before going off. Ameobi - 0- Officially the worst ever performance I've witnessed from any play in black and white which by his own shocking standards just about says it all. In the second half, he flicked on a header to no-one which isn't so bad in itself but he knew there was no-one ahead of him as he was facing that way seconds before he flicked the header on. Cue massive groans from the stands and the shaking of heads from Butt and others. Even Lescott couldn't believe it. Honestly, any one of us on here could have done better than he did. He was that bad. No more excuses I have zero patience for this abysmal... I don't even want to call him a footballer because he ain't. We were effectively playing with 10 men when we had 11 and then 9 when Nolan went off with him up front. Lovenkrands - 5 - Missed a sitter and looked off the pace to me up front. Mind playing alongside Shola must have been a huge handicap for him. Worked hard and seems to have a nice touch. When we went down to 10 men he was moved back into midfield basically and on a few occassions showed his pace down the flank... only for Shola to be miles behind play and no-one else in the box to aim for. Subs Jonas - 4 - Was poor and could have done much better when through towards goal. Sent several crosses out of play. Worked hard defensively and helped out Enrique but I want to see him at the other end. All this effort means nowt when he can't even cross or hit the target with a shot. Martins - 4 - By the time he came on we were set up to nulify Everton and to basically get a point and clean sheet so he had no chance of making an impact. His presence helped though as at times 3 Everton defenders stayed back which gave our midfield some breathing space. Good to see him back. Smith - 3 - Did he even touch the ball? Tactics, subs and other stuff - God knows what they were before the match but as soon as Nolan went off it didn't take us long to get into playing for a point and clean sheet mode which we were successful at so you could say tactically we were spot on. Shape wise, defensively anyway, we were solid. Spirit wise - fantastic. Fitness wise.... hmmm. A 2 week break yet some very tired legs out there. 10 men or not a good few looked jaded with about 60 minutes on the clock and it wasn't as if Everton were over working us. Fans - Stayed with the team throughout and at while there was no lifting the roof, it was a positive atmosphere I'd say, save a few moans and groans which to be fair were well justified and to be expected. Everton - On this performance it does make you wonder how they are so high up and doing so well. I honestly believe the quality of the Premier league outside the so-called top 4 is pretty average and the difference between Everton and us or Villa and us is a more balanced side with motivated players being coached and managed by competent men. There is hope for us yet. Overall an acceptable point in the circumstances but another missed opportunity... thanks Nolan! I think you've been a bit generous to our defence, but I'd agree with some of that. Steven Taylor played his heart out and didn't hide from the ball. However, I don't think he's a full back. Butt looks far more comfortable when the opposition have the ball, it's true. But any player in that anchor position gets a lot of possession, and the fact that he wastes it so much does a lot of harm to the confidence of the side. And for all his experience, his decision-making on the ball is often poor. He often plays his team-mates into trouble. As for Shola - well all the strikers struggled, because they were up against a very good defence. Shola didn't have a good game, but he did set up our best chance of the game with a very classy feint. You have to take that into account with Shola. A couple of times each game, he will open a defence up. The defence did superbly well as a unit in terms of shape, discipline, tactics and basically doing everything required of them correctly. Yes it was a team performance with the midfield and forwards at times helping the defence out, but from where I was sat it was more about that back-four or five if you include the keeper covering for an absent midfield and attack which existed at many points of the game, throughout. There is generally not much wrong with our defence, in terms of personnel anyway, each is competent and good enough to do the right things which bring about keep clean sheets when together as a unit as evidenced today. However that all too often absent midfield and attack makes the task of keeping clean sheets very difficult, as does the poor quality of coaching they and the rest of the side receive. A competent manager with competent coaching staff and a more balanced side in terms of selection and individuals in the right places would have this team of ours on a par with Everton which is for me the main difference between the two sides. It certainly isn't ability put it that way which sees them so far ahead of us and I am not claiming we have as much quality as they do because we don't, just that their quality isn't so superior. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 By the way a clear tactic of ours today was to cut out the supply from the flanks which we rarely do. I'm talking about blocking crosses and forcing the supply men to hit the ball from deeper and more narrow positions which is much easier to defend against, that straight ball. I hope this is a feature we'll be trying to implement in every game and not just something that was deemed a threat from Everton only, which is a strength of theirs, but any cross into the box regardless of who is supplying it and for which team is a threat on goal. Enrique and Taylor especially did well in blocking crosses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowndsy Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 am i the only one who thought nicky butt was shite?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 You lot always seem to turn out some sort of a performance against us, and today it was defensive stability, barring the 2 first half chances. We were abysmal, no way around that. The only excuse I give is when you have your whole first team midfield out, including the one bit of real class in the match going off after 5 minutes, I didn't expect much else. The less said about the game the better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 am i the only one who thought nicky butt was shite?! He did ok by his standards, but MOTM? You must be joking. If he sticks to tackling and simple passes he can do a job, unfortunately he loses posession regularly when he tries to be too clever. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nufc1892 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 am i the only one who thought nicky butt was s****?! in general he is shit and he has been our worst player so far this season but today given the standart he has established it was one of his good games. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 It wasn't an open goal, he wasn't through on goal, and it wasn't on the same level as Loverkrand's. He was played in as the last man and was through on goal - the defender got back to cover because he didn't drive for the goal enough - it wasn't as bad as Lovenkrands' but to me it was an excellent chance - if it had been Shola he'd have been slagged off to fuck for it. If it was Shola he would have fouled the defender and given away the freekick before getting anywhere near the ball. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza ladra Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I've been watching this again and on a second viewing I think R Taylor did really, really well. His performance is right up there with those of Bassong and Enrique. Well, not quite. Bassong was clearly MOTM for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MW Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Got in not long ago, why was Gutierrez on the bench? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridman Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I've been watching this again and on a second viewing I think R Taylor did really, really well. His performance is right up there with those of Bassong and Enrique. Well, not quite. Bassong was clearly MOTM for me. Why? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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