Options...

[GhostOfDixie]

As the new season dawns and a new sense of optimism flows through L4 Evertonians all over the world are thinking about who is going to play where? What formations will the boss use? Will the captain be on the field? Who will start up front? Who can come off the bench and inspire a comeback?

Options...

How many of them do we now have? We may be light in one position, but we have players who are capable of filling in all over the park.

Tim Cahill can go forward as an auxillery striker. Billy has a shot on him that means he can be pretty much anywhere within a 35 yard radius and a goal is on the cards. Jack Rodwell who we all believed to be a defender is showing a silky level of forward momentum that we have only really been admiring from across the park.

The younger players (Rodwell, Baxter, Duffy, Mustafi, Wallace et al) are all starting to look like young men who would not look out of place in the Premier League.

We have International goalkeepers at senior level vying for the no.1 jersey, with a young Turner showing some promise also.

Who plays defensive midfield? Heitinga? Fellaini? Rodwell?

What about the creative output? Presuming we hold on to Arteta and Pienaar, we have Osman still milling around the place, and new boy Guaye is also an option worth looking at.

Who gets on the end of the crosses? Vaughan? Beckford? Saha or The Yak? We still haven't really seen much from Silva either.

We also seem to have fullbacks who are like attacking wingers, Baines and Coleman possess the ability to beat a man at speed, and young Tony Hibbert seems to have developed a Beckham-esque right foot.

Then we have a question on who partners Jags in defence? Yobo? Distin? Mustafi? Neville? Duffy? Hibbert even?

All these are questions running through every Evertonian's minds as they try and sleep at night. One thing is for sure, its not questions that will keep us up at night, but allow us to drift off into a land of fantasy, because make no mistake about it - Everton have a squad full of options and excitement sure beckons.

Of course all of this can be topped off with a single cherry, and rumbles from the halls of Goodison seem to suggest this cherry may well be on its way.

Enjoy the season...

 

[ToxtethBlue]

The Goalkeepers: Howard, Mucha.

The right backs: Neville, Coleman, Hibbert.

The centre backs: Jagielka, Heitinga, Distin, Yobo.

The left back: Baines.

The right midfielders/wingers: Bilyaletdinov, Anichebe.

The creative centre midfielders: Arteta, Osman.

The defensive midfielders: Fellaini, (Heitinga), (Neville)

The left midfielders/wingers: Pienaar, Gueye.

The second striker/attacking midfielder: Cahill, Rodwell.

The complete centre forwards: Saha, Yakubu.

The pacy centre forwards: Beckford, Vaughan.

And obviously the youngsters, but they'll be the main players competing for positions.

 

[pablo315]

As the new season dawns and a new sense of optimism flows through L4 Evertonians all over the world are thinking about who is going to play where? What formations will the boss use? Will the captain be on the field? Who will start up front? Who can come off the bench and inspire a comeback?

Options...

How many of them do we now have? We may be light in one position, but we have players who are capable of filling in all over the park.

Tim Cahill can go forward as an auxillery striker. Billy has a shot on him that means he can be pretty much anywhere within a 35 yard radius and a goal is on the cards. Jack Rodwell who we all believed to be a defender is showing a silky level of forward momentum that we have only really been admiring from across the park.

The younger players (Rodwell, Baxter, Duffy, Mustafi, Wallace et al) are all starting to look like young men who would not look out of place in the Premier League.

We have International goalkeepers at senior level vying for the no.1 jersey, with a young Turner showing some promise also.

Who plays defensive midfield? Heitinga? Fellaini? Rodwell?

What about the creative output? Presuming we hold on to Arteta and Pienaar, we have Osman still milling around the place, and new boy Guaye is also an option worth looking at.

Who gets on the end of the crosses? Vaughan? Beckford? Saha or The Yak? We still haven't really seen much from Silva either.

We also seem to have fullbacks who are like attacking wingers, Baines and Coleman possess the ability to beat a man at speed, and young Tony Hibbert seems to have developed a Beckham-esque right foot.

Then we have a question on who partners Jags in defence? Yobo? Distin? Mustafi? Neville? Duffy? Hibbert even?

All these are questions running through every Evertonian's minds as they try and sleep at night. One thing is for sure, its not questions that will keep us up at night, but allow us to drift off into a land of fantasy, because make no mistake about it - Everton have a squad full of options and excitement sure beckons.

Of course all of this can be topped off with a single cherry, and rumbles from the halls of Goodison seem to suggest this cherry may well be on its way.

Enjoy the season...

You pretty much said it all there mate, spot on assesment. Providing all the players you mention above are still here after 31st Aug (I assume thats what you mean by the cherry) I will be be straight onto my Sky betting account at 8 bells on 1st September to deposit 50 of the queens English pounds, all of which will be put on the blues to make the top 4.

 

[davek]

The Goalkeepers: Howard, Mucha.

The right backs: Neville, Coleman, Hibbert.

The centre backs: Jagielka, Heitinga, Distin, Yobo.

The left back: Baines.

The right midfielders/wingers: Bilyaletdinov, Anichebe.

The creative centre midfielders: Arteta, Osman.

The defensive midfielders: Fellaini, (Heitinga), (Neville)

The left midfielders/wingers: Pienaar, Gueye.

The second striker/attacking midfielder: Cahill, Rodwell.

The complete centre forwards: Saha, Yakubu.

The pacy centre forwards: Beckford, Vaughan.

And obviously the youngsters, but they'll be the main players competing for positions.

LB - we are exposed there, but I thought Neville did well with Pienaar against (an admittedly weak) CD Everton. We do need to get someone in there though. Realistically, you should be able to call on your left sided CB to cover in emergencies, but Distin......

 

[GhostOfDixie]

LB - we are exposed there, but I thought Neville did well with Pienaar against (an admittedly weak) CD Everton. We do need to get someone in there though. Realistically, you should be able to call on your left sided CB to cover in emergencies, but Distin......

Yep thats our achilles heel. Maybe Bidwell could start to stake a claim, probably too young though, but then we said that about Rodwell and Rooney.

Also forgot about Garbutt and Barclay.

 

[Lao]

The Goalkeepers: Howard, Mucha.

The right backs: Neville, Coleman, Hibbert.

The centre backs: Jagielka, Heitinga, Distin, Yobo.

The left back: Baines.

The right midfielders/wingers: Bilyaletdinov, Anichebe.

The creative centre midfielders: Arteta, Osman.

The defensive midfielders: Fellaini, (Heitinga), (Neville)

The left midfielders/wingers: Pienaar, Gueye.

The second striker/attacking midfielder: Cahill, Rodwell.

The complete centre forwards: Saha, Yakubu.

The pacy centre forwards: Beckford, Vaughan.

And obviously the youngsters, but they'll be the main players competing for positions.

Bily is also an alternative on the LM (he should look more natural there than he has done really)

I've got a feeling that Coleman will be the LB cover if required (or Neville).

 

[ToxtethBlue]

LB - we are exposed there, but I thought Neville did well with Pienaar against (an admittedly weak) CD Everton. We do need to get someone in there though. Realistically, you should be able to call on your left sided CB to cover in emergencies, but Distin......

Agreed, I thought Neville did well at left back but I thought having a right footer out there seemed to unbalance us. I'd like to hope we'll loan someone who can fill in when Baines needs a break.

Bidwell is training with the first team so maybe he'll be in contention, he's a bit young though.

 

[lukecrossland]

Roll on the season, we seem to have 100 threads in this nature, not saying what you have said isnt valid but just want to see some football. Fed up of hearing about Donovan, who will play, how will Rodwell fit in etc. Am i the only one??? Sorry to people who spend time writing these posts but i just want football now.

 

[Alio]

We do appear to have a number of players who can play a number of roles. Maybe its because I (we) know more about Everton than most clubs, so we notice it or think it more, but we seem to have players like Neville, Hibbo, Cahill, Rodwell, Bily, Heitinga etc that can play in a few different roles, which give us great OPTIONS.

Left back is the main area where we could be caught short, if anything happens to Bainesy. Don't think I'd want to see us spend too much on a cover (even if we had the money too), I'd look into the loan market if possible, some like Patrick van Aanholt from Chelsea, he's been out a few times to Newcastle and Coventry? I think, meant to be a good prospect.

 

[Lao]

Roll on the season, we seem to have 100 threads in this nature, not saying what you have said isnt valid but just want to see some football. Fed up of hearing about Donovan, who will play, how will Rodwell fit in etc. Am i the only one??? Sorry to people who spend time writing these posts but i just want football now.

You get too much time off! Get into work and sort your cupboards out!

Agree though - Roll on next weekend.

 

[Columbia6]

If it really came to it, Bily has played LB for Russia under Hiddink, and it wasn't a disaster.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

Roll on the season, we seem to have 100 threads in this nature, not saying what you have said isnt valid but just want to see some football. Fed up of hearing about Donovan, who will play, how will Rodwell fit in etc. Am i the only one??? Sorry to people who spend time writing these posts but i just want football now.

Did it really warrant that kind of comment though? You see its people like you who make me not want to post here, and others tell me that I should do.

Don't know why I bother. Pointless isn't it?

 

[Lao]

Did it really warrant that kind of comment though? You see its people like you who make me not want to post here, and others tell me that I should do.

Don't know why I bother. Pointless isn't it?

Pre-season boredom Ghost. People just want to see the season get started. There have been loads of threads about formations, midfield options etc etc. Don't take it personally, you know we love you.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

Pre-season boredom Ghost. People just want to see the season get started. There have been loads of threads about formations, midfield options etc etc. Don't take it personally, you know we love you.

Well I'm not going to take criticism from someone who doesn't contribute that much.

 

[davek]

Agreed, I thought Neville did well at left back but I thought having a right footer out there seemed to unbalance us. I'd like to hope we'll loan someone who can fill in when Baines needs a break.

Bidwell is training with the first team so maybe he'll be in contention, he's a bit young though.

Way too young and inexperienced.

I wonder why the club aren't going back in for Knut Olav Rindaroy at Molde? Moyes was in for him in January but his club wanted too much. Now he's out of contract and, presumably, on a free.

I'd like to know who else is on a free in this position. Cant find a list.