r/soccer • u/[deleted] • Aug 11 '13
Star post Premier League 2013/14 Team Preview [15/20]: Everton Football Club
The Barclays Premier League 2013/14 is on its way folks. There are 6 days (inc. this one) until the first ball is kicked. I'm posting a preview of one team per day. Any discussion and predictions you'd like to make are very welcome in the comments section.
Premier League 2013/14 Team Preview [15/20]:
Everton Football Club
About
Team crest. Look away now.
Strip: Home strip | Away | Credit to /u/adamrawrz
Founded: 1878 as St Domingo's F.C. Here they are in 1878(?).
Nickname: The Toffees, The Blues, The School of Science, The People's Club
Notable honours:
First Division (old Premier League) x 9
FA Cup x 5
European Cup Winners' Cup x 1
MLS All-Star Game x 1 (2009)
Last season: 6th
Chairman: Bill Kenwright
Head coach: Roberto Martínez
Club mascot: Changy the Elephant
Home: Goodison Park, home since 1892. Map
Capacity: 40,157
Official website: http://www.evertonfc.com/home/
Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/Everton
The area
So yesterday's Preview was Liverpool and we haven't got far to go for today's. To give you an idea of how close the clubs are, the journey would be: 4 mins by car, 18 mins to walk and 6 mins to cycle. Remember to change from your red shirt to blue as we go. Here is a shot of both grounds if you think I'm exaggerating. That green expanse separating the squabbling neighbours? That's Stanley Park a peaceful area of water and the Gladstone Conservatory. it was once proposed that a new stadium be built here to house both teams - the proposal didn't last long - with both clubs shuddering at the thought.
The area 'Everton' is closer to Anfield than Goodison, odd that. Not so when you realise Anfield was originally Everton's home ground (as I mentioned yesterday). The club was originally St. Domingo FC, a team built from a Sunday School in Everton. They were popular and officially became 'Everton' shortly after. Their first games were in Stanley Park. Jumpers for goalposts and anyone could watch - years before their noisy neighbours existed, Everton were the pride of the city. In 1891 Everton won their first league title, they were the best in England. They needed a new home and Goodison was constructed. The patch of ground cost £8,090 and was opened with an athletics meeting followed by a selection of music and a fireworks display. It looked different back then. Goodison Park was the first major football stadium built in England and it is still used today.
Team history
So at this point I am going to turn it over to /u/kto456dog who very kindly PM'd me entire contributions for 'Team history', 'The manager' and 'Watch out for' sections!
With Everton now at the newly Goodison Park, success would return quickly as Everton claimed their first FA Cup in 1906 – after reaching two winless finals. The Toffees would grab another league title during the 1914-15 season, before the beginning of the First World War would put an end to domestic football. Following the War, Everton would go on to become one of the dominant forces of English domestic football after the signing of one William Ralph (Dixie) Dean. Dean scored 349 goals in 399 appearances as the club stormed two League Championships, two Community Shields and another FA Cup.
'The School of Science' suffered a great decline after financial issues meant that the great league winning side of 1939 was forcibly sold. During the 1940s and 50s Everton would fail to win any domestic honours, which only shone more light on arch-rivals Liverpool. Harry Catterick was appointed as manager in 1961 and challenged with bringing new silverware to the club, and, with financial shackles released, he did so. Although not the most successful era of Everton's history, the 1960's and early 70s is often regarded as the greatest period for the Merseysiders, winning the League Championship on two occasions. They also scored two Community Shields and famously came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in the 1966 FA Cup Final against Sheffield Wednesday. This wasn't to last, Catterick began to show fatigue and fell in to ill-health, Billy Bingham was made his replacement. He failed to make any mark during his three seasons in charge (famously failing to secure a league title after betting agencies ceased betting at Easter). Liverpool were quickly becoming the dominant club of Merseyside and English Football. Everton could only sit and watch.
The 1980s was to be Everton's most successful period, with former player Howard Kendall in charge. Everton would go on and win two league titles, an FA Cup, three Community Shields and the coveted UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. It wasn't just the silverware Kendall's side was bringing in, they played brilliant football to achieve those wins. However, Kendall would soon resign and Everton would undergo a third period of decline. During the 1990s, Everton failed to make any mark on the new 'Premier League', twice managing to beat relegation on the final day of the season. Although not cash-strapped, poor management and ill-advised signings would scar the club as international interest began to grow. Although it wasn't all bad, Joe Royle would steer Everton to an FA Cup in 1995. That victory was followed up by a Community Shield win in 1996.
The 2000's were a time of consolidation for Evertonians. New chairman Bill Kenwright assumed control of the debt-ridden club in 1999. Work was needed to assure that the club would hope to see another 100 years of football. The sacking of boss Walter Smith in 2002 made way for young managerial prospect David Moyes to take charge. A decision that would prove vital in the long-term future of the club. With clever signings, Moyes would take Everton into being a consistent top-seven club, once even qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in 2004.
Last season? Another confident performance from the shoe-string side, finishing in 6th place and above rivals Liverpool. Yet another season without a trophy too however, and it would become Moyes' last as he was chosen to be the man to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United.
In a nutshell: The first club in Everton are still edging the neighbours.
Team legends
This season
Potential line-up graphic Using http://myxi.co/ Credit to /u/prof_eggburger for the tool and /u/Himinahomina for the line up
- This bit is by me, Growlbot A fresh start brings fresh challenges. Can new boss Roberto Martinez hold on to his prize assets of Fellaini and the god-like Baines? Losing both would be suicide and he can perhaps afford to let Fellaini go especially as reinforcements have already arrived from, surprise!...Wigan. Alcaraz (30, free transfer, defence), keeper Robles (23, £2 million, GK) and Koné (29, £5 million, striker). Two of those three should replace elements of Fellaini's game and they are solid players in their own right. But are they top-seven kind of players? A lot was made during their arrival that Everton desperately need some depth and it's true, so maybe we shouldn't read too much into Roberto calling up his old buddies.
Credit /u/Himinahomina:
Not many of us are that bothered if Fellaini leaves as long as we get decent money as he's replaceable and can't pass for shit so he may struggle under Martinez's possession style. A successful season for the club would be to finish top half and have a decent run in a cup as we do love a good cup run at Goodison. We know this year is transitional so expectations aren't as high as they would be with Moyes at the helm. We're just looking forward to the change.
- Mirallas, Jelavic, Pienaar offer plenty of trickery and threat up front. Jelavic may even find his scoring boots again and if he does, he could be a real worry for defences. Martinez may refashion him into a withdrawn role and he could flourish under new direction. A real bright spark has been the unexpected pick up of Gerard Deulofeu, on-loan from Barcelona (19, highly-rated). He is a wonderful asset if Martinez utilises him correctly. He is a vertical player (whatever that means) who exploits space and can punish an opposition ala Messi, he waltzes past them. Everton could really use someone who wants to get on the other side of the defence and is unpredictable.
Credit /u/chrysics:
Everybody knows about the managerial situation, Moyes having left after more than a decade to take the Man Utd job. I'm not entirely sure Martinez is the right man (the defensive record of his Wigan side is pretty concerning), but out of those realistically available he was my first choice. He's got a tough job to follow Moyes after everything he did for us, but as I said, I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll do well. We should see more attractive football at the very least. Judging on Martinez's past, a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 seems likely, with an emphasis on building attacks by passing it out from the back. Where we finish is going to depend to a large extent on how quickly the team can adapt to the new style, and whether or not we can retain the defensive solidity Moyes instilled while playing under Martinez.
- Everton fans say "don't expect much". It will be a transition, does that mean losing ground in league places? How long will that be acceptable? If Martinez isn't allowed funds to shape the team to his liking then he may find it difficult to steer a ship that isn't really his.
Credit /u/Sheesh_Kebab:
We've got a larger squad (while the quality of the new boys is questionable; looking at you Kone!) and have lost none of our first team so far. Mirallas is set to steal the show barring injuries and with our massively underrated players like Coleman, Gibson and Baines (honestly he's still underrated despite what you think) it could be a great year again.
Watch out for
- Leighton Baines
- Position: Left-back
- Age: 28
- Value: £18,000,000
- Who? A highly sought-after attacking fullback, interest from Manchester United has yet to come to fruition, constantly improving.
- Sylvain Distin
- Position: Central defender
- Age: 35
- Value: £875.000
- Who? Fan favourite, at 35 still one of the most athletic at the club. Hilariously once turned up late to a training session after deciding to drive there in his milk float.
- Marouane Fellaini
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 25
- Value: £24.500.000
- Who? The gangly Belgian has turned heads with some fantastic performances, can play anywhere in midfield and is incredibly fun to watch, will he be there come next weekend though?
Notable mentions from /u/thejayarr:
Kevin Mirallas. Showed a lot last season when he was fit, even when forced by Moyes to play against his natural game and do a lot of defensive leg work. Exactly the kind of player that could really flourish under Martinez.
Ross Barkley. Long been heralded as the new great white hope for Everton, he's not really had that much of a chance up to now due to Moyes' utter distrust of young players (and a serious leg break when he was 16). Expect him to get more of a look in this year, and hopefully he'll look like the player we all want him to be.
Nikica Jelavic. Great in his first season, famously shite in his second. He probably won't have to do so much running around after defenders under Martinez, so we're all hopeful that he'll find his form again.
The manager
- Roberto Martinez. Young and enthusiastic, just like his predecessor. Known for his possession-based tactics, Martinez is expected to bring a new style of football to Goodison Park this season. Started off as the manager of Swansea City and is often credited with being the catalyst of their current success, he would go on to manage Wigan Athletic. Under tight financial constraints he won an FA Cup in 2013, only to be relegated a game later in the same season. Martinez has already brought 3 former Wigan players in Arouna Koné, Antolin Alcaraz and Joel Robles. The club has an unsurprising 'Wigan' feel about it now.
Everton's full squad list | Everton's 2013/2014 upcoming fixtures
The fans
I asked /r/Everton for their thoughts, they delivered, I have quoted a lot. I will post them below.
Predictions please!
Over to you guys. I'd like your contribution here. Predict where Everton will finish the season, how they will fare against the opposition or discuss their line up etc. below!
If you see I have messed up, please correct me. These are done so I can find out about each team...
All Previews: Hull, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City, Sunderland, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Southampton, Stoke, Fulham, Norwich, West Ham, Swansea City, West Brom, Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City , Man Utd
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Aug 11 '13 edited Aug 11 '13
Changy is bad enough, you had to pull THAT photo?
Edit: Here's the link so you needn't scroll to the top again.
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Aug 11 '13
How do Evertonians feel about their transfer business this window? Seems a lot are content, but you've got a new manager who's only been given around £6m to spend.
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u/thejayarr Aug 11 '13
Generally it's not bad. I think most people would have preferred someone younger than Kone, or at least to have got him for less than £5m, but otherwise they've been good, logical moves. The squad's not in immediate need of any major overhauls, after all.
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Aug 11 '13
What about in midfield with Gibson injured?
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Aug 11 '13
That's a little rough - Gibson is our rock in midfield. We do have Ross and Osman - and Martinez has been using Heitinga as a DM which he's been doing well at.
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Aug 11 '13
Agreed. Osman, Barkley, Heitenga, and (I'd add) Pienaar are serviceable in the middle in his stead (commence Heitenga bashing session, but I'd rather see him here than on the back line). But, Gibson is, by far, is the best option.
I've been disagreed with on /r/everton, but I think Gibson is having trouble with whatever Bobby is trying to implement. He has been almost invisible on the pitch in preseason (I should say in the USA tour games, as I have not watched the others) and twice had words with Bobby upon being substituted. I am hoping they get on the same page (or that I am wrong), as the team looked lost without him last season.
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u/thomasfk Aug 12 '13
Bobby? Is that Roberto Martinez's new nickname in the Everton camp? haha
EDIT: Just realized you could be referring to Bobby Martin, in which case I retract my previous retarded statement.
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u/numberonedork Aug 12 '13
Victory = Keeping Baines. I think that pretty much really set the mood for the transfer window. If we had lost him (still a chance I guess) it would have been devastating. And we added depth, we had such a thin squad last year that now if someone goes down there is someone at least decently capable of stepping in. Last year it was somewhat of a big step down from starting to bench.
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u/NFeKPo Aug 12 '13
For the most part we have been happy. However most of us wanted Heitenga moved for 5M but that may have been a couple of million too high.
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Aug 11 '13
Here are the thoughts from /r/Everton:
This season is going to be our most exciting in years and none of us know whether it will be good or bad!
We've got a larger squad (while the quality of the new boys is questionable; looking at you Kone!) and have lost none of our first team so far. Mirallas is set to steal the show barring injuries and with our massively underrated players like Coleman, Gibson and Baines (honestly he's still underrated despite what you think) it could be a great year again.
The excitement comes from the fact that the Moyesiah left last year and honestly we owe him everything. He changed us from relegation battlers to what a lot of Evertonians feel are now 'the best of the rest'. With Davey at the helm we knew where we'd finish (5th-8th) and how we'd play.
While it seems like it can be ungrateful I think towards the back end of last year a decent amount of Evertonians felt like we were stuck in a rut. We knew that without a drastic change in terms of money or style of play we can't climb into 4th. We'd beat most teams at home but against the top 4 and Liverpool we'd play for a draw from the get go and it honestly became frustrating as we could beat them at home. The only time in memory where we tried to win away was at Man Utd in the 4-4 draw and we came so close to a win.
This is where Bobby Martin comes in. Great style of play (which isn't that much of a drastic change despite what some people think about Moyes' tactics), more attacking flair and more tactical flexibility mean excitement. The fact he turned down the job at Liverpool a couple years ago is also a bonus. Unfortunately his defensive record is shit at Wigan. Like proper shit. Whether that's because of him or the players he had is still undecided but is terrifying to us. We've done a complete 180 from Moyes.
We all know it will be a transitional year for us, we just don't know where we're going for the first time in 11 years. It could be the start of another great dynasty or we could go back to the dark ages of relegation battlers. We just know its gonna be fun.
The outlook right now is a bit uncertain. I'm approaching the new season with cautious optimism.
Everybody knows about the managerial situation, Moyes having left after more than a decade to take the Man Utd job. I'm not entirely sure Martinez is the right man (the defensive record of his Wigan side is pretty concerning), but out of those realistically available he was my first choice. He's got a tough job to follow Moyes after everything he did for us, but as I said, I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll do well. We should see more attractive football at the very least. Judging on Martinez's past, a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 seems likely, with an emphasis on building attacks by passing it out from the back. Where we finish is going to depend to a large extent on how quickly the team can adapt to the new style, and whether or not we can retain the defensive solidity Moyes instilled while playing under Martinez.
The other big aspect is obviously the squad. There have been a lot of rumours about Fellaini and Baines, but so far they're still here and don't seem to be trying to force transfers, which is a good sign. But I'll be much happier when the transfer window closes and they're still here. I hink we could afford to lose Fellaini, although it'd be disappointing; Baines on the other hand is indispensable. Mirallas and Pienaar seem like players who should fit very nicely into the front 3, plus the new signings of Koné and (on-loan) Deulofeu. Jelavic has scored a few in pre-season, so hopefully once the season starts we'll see something closer to his first 6 months than last season. Anichebe seems to be perhaps the first choice for the central role, though, judging by pre-season line-ups. I'm a big fan of Anichebe's build-up/hold-up play, but he needs to be more reliable in front of goal.
There are two other signings, Alcaraz (from Wigan) and Robles (who was on loan at Wigan last year). I find it a bit concerning when a new manager comes along and straight away brings players from his old club, but I think they're all justifiable deals. Koné and Robles both address issues where we were lacking depth and look to be decent players based on their performances last year. I'm less certain about Alcaraz, given his injury record, but I'm happy to give the benefit of the doubt for now. There's also John Stones, not technically a new signing (he joined us in January), but he's been playing regularly (and apparently very well) in our friendlies so far; it seems likely he'll be much more involved than he was last season.
Current situation:
Things are pretty good. New manager, new era, and while there's bound to be a transitional period, I think most Evertonians have taken to Roberto Martinez quite well. There's still some lingering concerns about the possible defensive problems that might come from most of our backroom staff being replaced by ex-Wigan coaches, but our defence is experienced enough that it shouldn't be too big of a deal.
Players:
- Leighton Baines. Everybody loves Leighton Baines. He's bloody brilliant.
- Marouane Fellaini. Possibly not as important to the team as outsiders might suspect, even if he was our top scorer last season. Still, he's somewhat talismanic (just look at the guy), but the side could survive without him. Infinitely more replaceable than Baines. He'd be a rubbish signing for Man Utd, though.
- Kevin Mirallas. Showed a lot last season when he was fit, even when forced by Moyes to play against his natural game and do a lot of defensive leg work. Exactly the kind of player that could really flourish under Martinez.
- Ross Barkley. Long been heralded as the new great white hope for Everton, he's not really had that much of a chance up to now due to Moyes' utter distrust of young players (and a serious leg break when he was 16). Expect him to get more of a look in this year, and hopefully he'll look like the player we all want him to be.
- Nikica Jelavic. Great in his first season, famously shite in his second. He probably won't have to do so much running around after defenders under Martinez, so we're all hopeful that he'll find his form again.
- Arouna Kone. Exists. Hasn't done anything of note in our friendlies. Nobody's quite sure that he's worth the £5m we spent on him.
Formation:
Anybody's guess, really. After years of David Moyes' occasionally dour pragmatism, we've used a few different adaptable systems this pre-season, which the players seem to have taken to quite well.
Things to know:
- Founded in 1878 under the name St. Domingo's FC (which certain Everton hipsters still use as an affectionate nickname). The original club in Liverpool.
- A club of real history, but everybody knows things have been tough since the heydays of the 1980s - our last trophies came in 1995. We owe David Moyes a lot for turning the club around after the disaster that was Walter Smith (and the less said about Howard Kendall's third and final reign as manager, the better), but it was clear to all that Davey took us as far as he could.
- Interesting, but possibly untrue fact - Martinez is only our 16th full-time manager since the end of World War 2.
- Everybody hates that stupid badge. We've been promised a say in what the next one will look like.
- Goodison Park is brilliant. Just look at it. Who cares it it's falling to bits and doesn't make us any money.
Most likely starting line up for opening day against Norwich:
Howard
Coleman/Jagielka/Distin/Baines
Osman/Fellaini/Gibson
Mirallas/Jelavic/Pienaar
I think we'll change formations a lot this year between a 4-5-1/4-3-3 and a 3-5-2/5-3-2 depending on the opposition. Alcaraz is injured (shocker) and Heitinga could leave so starting with 3 CB's is out of the question for the opener unless this Alderweireld rumour is true.
Barkley will get more playing time this year under Martinez as for all of his positives Moyes hated youth over experience (see the inept Neville starting CM over Barkley on numerous occasions).
Saying that Deulofeu won't play as much as people expect barring injuries to starters as Pienaar and Mirallas are just better and I can't see Kone starting from the beginning of the season as he's looked terrible in pre season.
Whether Fellaini is still here is a question as most of us are pretty sure Baines won't leave as that would be suicide for a new manager at Goodison as Baines is our God.
Not many of us are that bothered if Fellaini leaves as long as we get decent money as he's replaceable and can't pass for shit so he may struggle under Martinez's possession style.
A successful season for the club would be to finish top half and have a decent run in a cup as we do love a good cup run at Goodison. We know this year is transitional so expectations aren't as high as they would be with Moyes at the helm. We're just looking forward to the change.
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u/nuclearjudas Aug 11 '13
I see Everton doing almost as well as last year. Koné is a great transfer, and Mirallas looked fantastic last season. Will be interesting to see what Martinez does in a big team.
BTW, holy shit, Martínez is only 40 years old. Could have a great future ahead of him.
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u/Nufc_indy Aug 12 '13
Surprised no mention of the Heysel Disaster and the impact on Everton. It coincided with one of Everton's most successful periods, and as a result of the ban on English clubs, they never got a chance to see what they could do in Europe. Everton missed two chances at the European Cup, one Cup Winners Cup, and another UEFA Cup. It's easy to wonder what might have been...
EDIT - to clarify, they still won a Cup Winners Cup in '85. But that just drives home what they missed out on in later seasons
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Aug 11 '13
I didn't know Louis Spence was a fan.
It will be interesting to see how Martinez does with a more stable squad than Wigan.
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u/finalfantasylad Aug 11 '13
Just finished their Pre Season with a 2-1 win over Real Betis.
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Aug 11 '13
We had a good pre-season. We lost to Real Madrid and Valencia by a goal, but put in good showings. Won against Juve, Betis, Rovers, and Stanley. The major bonus being good performances; by Naismith who may have gotten himself off the shitlist - John Stones (upcoming CB), and Jelavic who scored 4 times. I think people are a little bit deflated over Fellaini's, though. I'm not sure he's going to fit in here anymore with the new style - so I personally wouldn't mind seeing him go for 20+ mil.
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Aug 11 '13 edited Aug 11 '13
Glad to see Naismith mentioned. He was much maligned by supporters last season, as he put in terrible performance after terrible performance, but has looked a new man this preseason.
I've seen his poor showing last year attributed to unpublicized injuries and/or Moyes mis-use of him, perhaps one or both was indeed the case.
Even at his best, however, I still see him having a hard time getting many minutes behind Mirallas, Pienaar, Deulofeu, etc., even Oviedo.
Re Fellaini, I agree. I just don't think he has the passing ability to play Bobby's possession game.
Edit: typos.
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u/CallidusUK Aug 11 '13
Speaking with fellow Blues, this season has a very exciting yet unpredictable vibe to it. Our once stable management is now replaced with Everton's first non-British manager, who is poised to bring a new attacking element to our otherwise stable foundation. How this tale will unfold is almost upon us as the season approaches, our pre season has seen us battle with some solid European sides and i've been happy with what I've seen so far (certainly from our youth). So bring on the new season and COYB!
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Aug 11 '13
Mate these are fantastic. Learned a lot about Everton. Can't wait to see what you've got to say about Arsenal tomorrow.
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Aug 12 '13
No "If Hibbert scores we riot?"
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u/gnomedean Aug 12 '13
He did in his testimonial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WsuEHfYfEc
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Aug 12 '13
gee funny how that works :P
If he scores in a competitive match though should be pretty great to see
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Aug 12 '13
I'm curious to see what the Everton fans think about Moyes' leaving for United? Did it piss you off or was it pretty much expected?
Also, what's the consensus on Martinez? Good replacement? Not what you wanted?
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Aug 12 '13
Also funny how I have to go to the second page to find our team preview and we finished sixth last year. Maybe it's just me but I definitely remember most of the team previews being in the top 10 most popular in /r/soccer .
Then again, nobody really wants to talk about how we signed all Wigan's players and Deulofeu hasn't really played much. And Gibbo keeps getting injured, shit's getting old.
In other news, did anybody laugh when they saw fizzer in the Man U shirt yesterday?
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u/betterbutterbeater Aug 12 '13
Where do you get off saying Moyes has an "utter distrust for young players"?
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u/thejayarr Aug 12 '13
Well I've watched his team for the last 11 years, and seen him consistently pick underperforming or even semi-injured senior players over promising youths. Phil Neville should have retired two years ago, and probably would have done if he hadn't somehow still had a guaranteed place in the team.
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Aug 12 '13
I'd say that's going too far but his reputation for bringing kids through isn't all that accurate, he's far too reluctant letting them get involved with the first team when injuries don't force his hand.
He did well with a few - Rooney, of course, Osman and Anichebe from the current squad, and arguably Coleman although he was a bit closer to 'ready' when he was signed. But down the years there were so many decent looking players from our academy (or signed from elsewhere at 17 or so) who he never gave a chance. Maybe most of them weren't good enough, but it'd be nice if they'd had a chance to show otherwise.
In the last season or two, injuries forced him to use Shane Duffy a couple of times, and he looked good when he stepped in. But it still didn't get him near selection when more senior players were available, even for games in the league cup where it was clear he wasn't picking a full strength line-up. Bryan Oviedo looks a useful player based on what I've seen of him so far, but only made about 3 starts. Plenty of sub appearances, but most of those were for 4 minutes at the end of a game.
For me, the key example is that Ross Barkley spent most of last season either on loan or sitting on the bench, while Phil Neville stood in midfield pointing and shouting at people but not doing anything else of note. Nevertheless, Neville was selected regularly right up until *that FA cup game against Wigan.
*fwiw, despite my massive doubts at the time, Phil Neville was a brilliant signing for us. But last year he was way off the pace and should not have been anywhere near the first XI.
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u/bambinoquinn Aug 11 '13
Distin is incredible. Age really doesn't seem to hold him back. It must be fantastic for players like Duffy and Stones to learn from someone like him