Junior

[tim cahill]

Stats aren't everything. Try telling that to the kopites who probably believe they have potentially the best midfield in the world with Joe "Xavi" Allen and Lucas "Yaya Toure" Leiva.

They aren't everything, but they're not meaningless either.

 

[Brownie]

I think Joe Allen's a nice little player if I'm honest.

 

[Baines' left foot]

They aren't everything, but they're not meaningless either.

Of course. But them lot do have a tendency to put a bit too much emphasis on them though.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

I think Joe Allen's a nice little player if I'm honest.

Agreed. Evertonian's tend to struggle with that type of player, though. Look at Mikel's last season...

 

[toffeestillidie]

I thought it was funny the way this read on the front page: "Junior: started by DavidMoyes" because thats actually what happened

 

[Summerskin]

I thought it was funny the way this read on the front page: "Junior: started by DavidMoyes" because thats actually what happened.

2013 = Junior: Ruined by David Moyes.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

2013 = Junior: Ruined by David Moyes.

Never happy are you? you must be gutted we are playing some nice attacking football.

 

[chicoazul]

DOES HE DO STEPOVERS LADS?

 

[Muggins]

2013 = Junior: Ruined by David Moyes.

I could swear you used to be a happy guy mate. Then you went all CLH on us. Now you're just goin' all DaveK....

 

[Chang Elephant]

Osman/Neville abuse is frankly embarrassing. Osman especially, who is a quality player and criminally underrated by the plebs on this site.

OK I'm a pleb. That doesn't mean that Osman and Neville are anything other than dog turd though.

 

[Allezfan]

OK I'm a pleb. That doesn't mean that Osman and Neville are anything other than dog turd though.

Bit harsh, they've both played very well for us in the past. Osman has been terrific for us at times. But they're also both in bad form, over the last three games certainly and their positions should be under threat.

 

[Seamus Colemole]

Go on, be specific. Name them and at what point they should have played / come on in which match.

Okay last year we lost six games out of seven with Cahill and Saha up front and being awful, after Vellios had scored three goals from the bench and was only given the one start. At the same time we persisted with woefully out of form (at the time) midfielders like Osman, Neville and Coleman while dropping Barkley who'd been one of our few bright spots in the two games he'd started.

Later on in the season we were thrashing teams 4-0 (Fulham, Sunderland with a weakened team) and not giving either Barkely or Vellios 30 minutes runouts. Duffy was dropped after two good performances for a full back played out of position.

The fact is a good perfromance by a kid isn't rewarded with more starts and a bad performance by a trusted older member of the squad isn't rewarded with a drop.

In midfield last year we played McFadden (a player who had no future at the club ) more than Barkley (a player who we should be blooding).

LOLZ

So you are saying we should have been playing the youngsters in the seven game sequence you mention

Man City
Liverpool
Chelsea
Fulham
Chelsea
Man Utd
Newcastle

Firstly what Artetafan said.

And secondly, there's no need to be specific whatsoever as you asked to my original point that there is a big difference to starting a young inexperienced player in 1 league cup game and actually giving that player a reasonable amount of game time in the league.

We have a group of young inexperienced players in our reserves, the natural progression at "the club who give youth a chance" is that they get game time in the Premierleague with the aim of intergrating them full time into the squad.

Ideally that game time comes in the shape of sub appearances to start with progressing to the odd start, maybe a run of a few games to actually give them a chance to prove themselves. 10 mins away to Arsenal doesn't do that.

Of course i love the way you picked up on those 7 games from AF's post yet ignored the other examples (Fulham, Sunderland). Sure, there's no easy safe way to bring young inexperienced players through without risk but thats a managers job, to find ways of doing so. If when the regular experienced players are on a run of poor form with 1 win in 7 "the club that give youth a chance" might actually do that rather than persist with a crock and a past it player.

"The club that give youth a chance" would do that when resting first teamers for an FA cup game. We didn't. "The club that give youth a chance" would do that when we were 4-0 up at home. We didn't.

"The club that gives youth a chance" would do that when we are in good form and 3-0 up away to Villa and Swansea. We didn't.

So lets see if Junior, after getting a start in the League cup gets any significant game time in the Premier league shall we.

 

[Chang Elephant]

Bit harsh, they've both played very well for us in the past. Osman has been terrific for us at times. But they're also both in bad form, over the last three games certainly and their positions should be under threat.

Harsh but fair, cruel to be kind. This club isn't a charity for broken footballers you know. I'd like to see us win things.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

He's no Anderson De Silva lads

 

[somuchfun]

DOES HE DO STEPOVERS LADS?

He does, mate. He does.