Everton supporters

[Dublintoff]

Sorry bud, but to say we lost because we had 11 players missing is what I feel is laughable.

Only Coleman has not seen regular first team action from the starting 11, so if you want to say we had 11 missing, I'll tell you that we only had 1 missing, as that is how silly counting bench players, newcomers, and long term injured players as first teamers is.

Well bluebastardo this is my first choice starting 11:

howard
heitinga
jags
yobo
baines

pienarr
arteta
neville
billy

cahill

saha

how many of them played last night? Why dont you gimme your 1st choice team and then ask yourself were we depleted last night. Away to a good benfica team who have started the season so well would be close enough to our toughest game of the season even with a fit squad but your expecting players who under normal circumstances would only fill in when more established players were missing or in carling cup games to go over and turn them over, very unrealistic

 

[Dublintoff]

Ghost of dixie, of the players out the only one i can think of who got injured in training was Baines. Arteta(toon), jags(city) neville(fulham) piennar(pompey) anichebe(toon) yobo(wolves) osman(wolves) vaughan(playing for derby) was the rest

 

[bluebastardo]

Well bluebastardo this is my first choice starting 11:

howard
heitinga
jags
yobo
baines

pienarr
arteta
neville
billy

cahill

saha

how many of them played last night? Why dont you gimme your 1st choice team and then ask yourself were we depleted last night. Away to a good benfica team who have started the season so well would be close enough to our toughest game of the season even with a fit squad but your expecting players who under normal circumstances would only fill in when more established players were missing or in carling cup games to go over and turn them over, very unrealistic

I think you're missing my point slightly.
We may be missing lots of players, but some of the players people have listed are solely to push the numbers up to exagerate the point, when infact we couldn't play the so called missing players together even if they were fit.

Noone has said we should turn them over. All that has been mentioned is how people have looked for a bigger excuse to save face, rather than simply deal with it.

Seeing as you asked though, my first 11 would be this:
.....................Jags
Hibbert...Yobo...Distin...Baines
Pienaar..Fellaini..Arteta..Rodwell..Billy
.....................Saha

b)

 

[bluebastardo]

Ghost of dixie, of the players out the only one i can think of who got injured in training was Baines. Arteta(toon), jags(city) neville(fulham) piennar(pompey) anichebe(toon) yobo(wolves) osman(wolves) vaughan(playing for derby) was the rest

Ghosts point is that if you hack at a tree long enough with your axe, then you can't really blame the wind for blowing it down.

 

[Dublintoff]

No jags in your team? Im dealing with a live one here!! sorry there he is in nets

 

[bluebastardo]

No jags in your team? Im dealing with a live one here!! sorry there he is in nets

Very versatile is Jags

 

[Dublintoff]

I think you're missing my point slightly.
We may be missing lots of players, but some of the players people have listed are solely to push the numbers up to exagerate the point, when infact we couldn't play the so called missing players together even if they were fit.

Noone has said we should turn them over. All that has been mentioned is how people have looked for a bigger excuse to save face, rather than simply deal with it.

Seeing as you asked though, my first 11 would be this:
.....................Jags
Hibbert...Yobo...Distin...Baines
Pienaar..Arteta..Fellaini..Rodwell..Billy
.....................Saha

b)

Dont think my team is exagerating the point, theres 8 there who didnt start who dont overlap position wise

 

[bluebastardo]

Dont think my team is exagerating the point, theres 8 there who didnt start who dont overlap position wise

You put Cahill in your team, despite him being absolute tosh all season.
You therefore know nothing about football, so I win.

 

[Dublintoff]

I agree he has been [Poor language removed] but im giving him the benifit of the doubt on reputation and the fact i think if he played a run of games in his best position behind the striker and not on the right wing or centre mid he,d find his form again, he just looks a bit disallusioned at the minute

 

[bluebastardo]

Too be continued.........................

I'm up early, so will have to press the pause button I'm afraid.
Have a great weekend.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

Ghost of dixie, of the players out the only one i can think of who got injured in training was Baines. Arteta(toon), jags(city) neville(fulham) piennar(pompey) anichebe(toon) yobo(wolves) osman(wolves) vaughan(playing for derby) was the rest

Its not about getting injured in training or in games, it's how they are being conditioned. If they are being pushed too hard in training and leaving them more susceptible to injuries.

 

[sotnas]

Forget Arteta, Heitinga, Neil, Jagielka, Vaughan, Anichebe, etc etc.
They are not first team players.

They are long term injured or new and unproven.

This 11 first team absence baloney makes me raise both eyebrows, and it's a poor excuse that those who use it should drop.

Pienaar yes.
Yobo yes.
Neville yes.
Osman yes.
Baines yes.

They are the first team players that were missing.

The team has moved on from Arteta and Jags now, and they will have to win their place back. Jags got in because Yobo was injured, and now the tables have turned again. Arteta has been out since February, so can we class an 8 month absentee as being a first team player? No.

Anichebe and Vaughan are not regular first team players, and neither are Heitinga or Neil. Heitinga has to prove himself before he can be classed as a first team player, and Neil has barely kicked a ball.

We had 5 first team players missing against Benfica.

Let's stop talking crap and looking for excuses.

It's not crap. I'm not saying we'd win the 'cause honestly I don't think we would even with our full squad. But the 5-0 has a lot to do with it.

Hibbert was ridiculous, Gosling was ridiculous and so was Coleman.

You say Heitinga has to prove himself. Agreed. But if I was Heitinga I'd [Poor language removed] on my both feet if I couldn't take the RB place from Hibbo.

Even on your consideration on the first team players, we're talking about 5 (!!!!) players. Don't you think 5 absences will disrupte the side?

Arteta with one leg is ten times the player Fellaini is! JFC, we paid all that money for a leg kicker? Does he know the concept of the game implies kicking a ball? Does he even know what a ball is?

Anyway, I was aiming at my country man. Every single benfica supporter are bragging as if they have beaten a full strengthed Man Utd side. A comentator was saying during the match that Everton played with their strongest eleven and still got beaten. That's what I was criticising.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

T. Howard

J. Heitinga
P. Jagielka
S. Distin
L. Baines

S. Pienaar
P. Neville
T. Cahill
M. Arteta
D. Bilyaletdinov

A. Yakubu

That for me is a our realistic first choice eleven with everyone available. Rodwell, Fellaini and Saha would all be close but I think Moyes would go for experience over youth at the moment. Heitinga has been bought for 6 million and has got the nod over his rival for the right back position already, Hibbert's only played when Heitinga moved into midfield or centre back.

Anyway, when you lose your three best players like we did then It's a must that your next batch of players step up. The likes of Neville, Pienaar and Saha did that for us - it wasn't perfect and we weren't as effective (which is only natural) but we could certainly compete.

But when those players get injured or are not available for selection it becomes even more difficult. That basically the spine of our team gone, the best players who make the difference and the playeers who cover those players and at the very least, provide options from the bench and give the manager options.

The team against Benfica wasn't even like for like, we had four players playing out of position (Coleman, Hibbert, Gosling, Cahill) and one or two playing in positions that aren't there best either (Fellaini).

 

[marekb]

Lads as this is the Forum I now use I would like to say how proud I am to share the same team as the the thousands of other supporters who made there way to the Benfica game from RossioSquare to the stadium the whole trip was running great until the second half ,at least the support done their job.And I have to admit I thought that was a kite but i do only have one eye working at the moment.

I too would like to add my thanks to blues who travelled from far and wide to make this one hell of an enjoyable trip. My first euro away trip was only marred by the result, everything else was first class. Got back in the early hours and am still singing the songs.

Big Thanks everyone.

 

[Hayee]

Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta: Our first choice centre midfield.

Leighton Baines: Our first choice left back.

Johnny Heitinga: Our first choice right back.

Phil Jagielka: Our best centre back.

Steven Pienaar: Our first choice left/right winger.

Leon Osman and Joseph Yobo: In and around the first team, after the best first eleven they are the players you think of. Some Evertonians would have Yobo in the first eleven, that's all down to opinion.

Add Neill, Anichebe and Vaughan and I'd say that's a B team, especially when you've got a right back at centre back, a right back at left back and a midfielder at right back. It's not even a B team, it's closer to a C team.

As you said, we did a decent job in the first half and individual mistakes and lack of experience in defensive positions cost us. It had nothing to do with lack of effort, our defensive mistakes where simply punished by a good side.

That's all you can really offer me to be honest - Saha for Jo. And whilst I'd agree with you the man is a fragile player and we have a small squad, we'll might need fresh legs for Bolton. Saha, as Moyes and Round have said themselves, is a player that needs a rest every now and then.

sorry to burst your bubble but Tony Hibbert, first choice RB, Moyes won't drop him