Manny vs Derby

[Chris]

Started alongside Carsley, but actually all of the 1st half was playing behind Carsley. He had a sizeable titty lip. He performed ok. Lost the ball twice by trying to take 2 touches when given an awkward bouncing ball, but most of the time was delivered absolute suicide balls from Neville so was not his fault. Made some good through balls down the wing but nothing came of them.

2nd half he was pushed on to the left wing with Arteta on the right. He looked chipper(like 'finally this is where I want to be playing' and played some great link up play with Baines and Ossie.
He put in the killer ball to Ossie's feet and made the goal from nothing.
In my opinion, he was the best player on the pitch for us until he was subbed off. A decision by Moyes which lead to us being under pressure for the last 20 minutes of the game.
My MoM went to Osman for the goal and his other 2 cracking shots and he actually wanted to play football more than quite a few others on the pitch today.
If Manny's 2 good shots on goal had have gone in though, then it would have been a MoM performance from him and deservedly so. He had a competent 1st half and a pretty decent 2nd half.

So, what do you think? There was much debate on Radio Merseyside about his supposed 11m price tag, but it seemed most people would offer 4-5m for him if he was available.

I think we could be about to see some good stuff in the remaining games this season from him. He just needs to be played on left mid so his heart is in the game and it appears he starts to shine.

What do you think? What did others think that saw him at the game?

 

[Welton Toffee]

Listened to the game and it sounded like he played well. I remember at the arse end of last season he played on the wing quite a lot with him and Mikel switching wings every now and then, it worked a treat. I really don't see him as a DM as he often looks shaky defensively, yet can be devastating on the attack (as we saw today). So I'd like to see him given that little bit more of a license to go forward like he did in the second half today.

With Cahill out for the rest of the season we need Mani to step up and put in some performances. Today was a good start and here's hoping a sign of things to come.

 

[coyney]

Could not go today but saw the goal and the pass was pure class,If we are to progress he is the type of player we need,as we are short of players who can turn a game

 

[BlackToffee]

Started alongside Carsley, but actually all of the 1st half was playing behind Carsley. He had a sizeable titty lip. He performed ok. Lost the ball twice by trying to take 2 touches when given an awkward bouncing ball, but most of the time was delivered absolute suicide balls from Neville so was not his fault. Made some good through balls down the wing but nothing came of them.

2nd half he was pushed on to the left wing with Arteta on the right. He looked chipper(like 'finally this is where I want to be playing' and played some great link up play with Baines and Ossie.
He put in the killer ball to Ossie's feet and made the goal from nothing.
In my opinion, he was the best player on the pitch for us until he was subbed off. A decision by Moyes which lead to us being under pressure for the last 20 minutes of the game.
My MoM went to Osman for the goal and his other 2 cracking shots and he actually wanted to play football more than quite a few others on the pitch today.
If Manny's 2 good shots on goal had have gone in though, then it would have been a MoM performance from him and deservedly so. He had a competent 1st half and a pretty decent 2nd half.

So, what do you think? There was much debate on Radio Merseyside about his supposed 11m price tag, but it seemed most people would offer 4-5m for him if he was available.

I think we could be about to see some good stuff in the remaining games this season from him. He just needs to be played on left mid so his heart is in the game and it appears he starts to shine.

What do you think? What did others think that saw him at the game?

I thought that he had a terrible game. Took a touch more than he needed to, lost possession too easily. Played liked he'd been told that his probation period is up. His pass though was a real killer pass, and he improved somewhat from tehre on end. Apart from Yak, he was the most likely player to come off for me.

Can't really agree with the comments thus far. And I thought that Neville had a better game than Fernandes.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

I thought he was decent and got better as the game went on. Not as good as his fans are making out but certainly not as bad as the haters would make you think.

In the first half the team as a whole played poorly. I think Fernandes lost possession twice once because he was slow on the ball and once because Yobo basically blasted it at him. All in all he was similar to every player on the pitch.......average.

Second half Fernandes and Osman swapped positions and he looked better. He kept it neat and tidy, had a few good shots and got himself a classy assist. Alongside Osman and Baines was probably our best player and one of the few to come out with any credit.

I want more from him though. As everyone knows I'm a massive fan but I would like to see him express himself a little more. I think he looked more at ease when he made the assist. He looked alot more comfortable and there where less fans on his back. Hopefully he will continue his form.

The Manny haters as I like to call them though try and pick anything negative about his game they can. Did he really lose the ball alot? No he didn't. He completed 78% of his passes which is the highest in our team and the majority of his passes where forwards.

A pleasing thing for me was he wasn't shitting out of challenges. I don't like to see that from any player and to see him battling for the ball was much better.

I've always said we should sign him and I stick by what I said. He has shown that if you give him a run of games like we did last season he can become a quality player and give us an extra dimension. Fact is he's only played 6 games this season and those games have been interrupted by injury. Every player needs to build momentum. It builds your confidence, form and fitness up and your performances improve.

Form is temporary class is permanent. Manny is a class act.

 

[TX Bill]

Played a very good game but has to be a bit quicker on the ball. Doesn't have time on it and should know that as he's played in this league before where it's not a surprise at what type of pace it's played at.

Had it nicked off of him a few times.

Other than that, a very very solid performance. You can see his confidence growing. That's nothing but good right there.

 

[Rook]

Just as he gets going good, he's going to be shipped back to Valencia

 

[TX Bill]

Just he he gets going good, he's going to be shipped back to Valencia

Well we've always known that might be the case and if that were true, at least it didn't cost us an arm and a leg.

We'll see what happens where he's concerned. I think that story isn't near over yet.

 

[TheDevils2001]

Last season I have said Fernandes has played on the left midfield for his national team and everyone says he is CM only, looks what he could do when he play there in the 2nd half.

His performance is slowly improving as his fitness is beginning to build up, i expect to see him getting real close to his full fitness by the time we meet Chelsea, he is going to be the key whether or not we going to get something from the game.

They must be joking even if his parent club no longer want him around, there is no way they would let him go for £4~5M, i think the realistic price they would be asking for is around £7~8M which is cheap for a player of his quality and still on the right side of the 20s.

 

[Great Dane]

Form is temporary class is permanent. Manny is a class act.

That's what I have been saying, you just don't turn into a bad player within half-a-year (VDM excluded). Even for £10 m. I would sign him up, he'll improve and who besides Arteta and Piennar could have played that pass? If it does'nt work out there is always a team in Spain or Portugal that will take him back.

Moyes said "He's got it all and can be a top midfielder. He's only 22 and at this time in his career I think that he just needs to settle down" Fitting description if you ask me.

 

[monty]

It was IMO an improved performance but I remain bemused as to how long it takes him to get up to pace in a game. His first touch left a lot to be desired but in his defence the service he received was poor, fingers pointing at the skipper. The killer pass was a belter. I would like to see him tackle more and tackle cleanly but yes there is some hope but still not at £10 million quid.

I wondered about this lad if we did sign him would the fact that someone wanted him bring the best out, just a thought because he has been with us three months.

 

[bly]

i felt sorry for him in the first half yesterday - we can all see he has come back from Spain shot of all confidence, he is given a couple of hospital balls early doors where he loses possesion, and he goes missing for the rest of the half, fans giving him [Poor language removed], etc....

No one in our squad would have ever played that pass for Ossie, and that is what we need in our squad to move to this 'next level' everyone is expecting.

No one in our squad has the vision and ability to back it up on the pitch. It has to be expected that things wont always work, because quite frankly, he is surrounded by players not on his wavelength.

I am by no means saying he has been outstanding since he came back, but to jump all over him for his performances smacks a little of short-sightedness.

 

[Chris]

This clears a few things up. He has been playing with injuries.
We know how badly similar injuries affected Arteta's form.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk...his-form-since-everton-return-64375-20728719/


Manuel Fernandes dismayed by his form since Everton return

Apr 7 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

MANUEL FERNANDES admits that he remains dissatisfied with his impact since returning to Everton – despite setting up Leon Osman for yesterday’s winning strike against Derby County.

A pinpoint pass from the on-loan Portuguese midfielder enabled Osman to net the only goal of the game against the already-relegated Rams on 56 minutes.

Everton were set to pay a club record £12million for Fernandes last summer after the Benfica man had produced a string of impressive displays in the second half of the 2006-07 season.

However, despite Everton reporting that he had shook hands on a deal with chairman Bill Kenwright on a permanent switch to Goodison Park, Fernandes instead opted on a move to Spanish side Valencia.

Despite the snub, manager David Moyes brought Fernandes back to Everton for a second loan spell in January after he had endured a frustrating time in La Liga but the Portuguese under-21 international has been unable to replicate the impact he made 12 months ago.

Fernandes was pleased to secure the victory yesterday, which closed the gap on Liverpool to three points in the chase for the final Champions League spot, but admitted that he remains disappointed with his own form.

He said: “It was really important to get the win. We didn’t put in a good performance, the kind you would expect, but we won the game and the three points were really important for us. I was happy with my pass to Leon but I wasn’t happy with my personal performance.

“I’ve not been happy for a long time.”

Fernandes has struggled with injury problems since his return but now hopes to be returning to full fitness.

He said: “It’s been a little bit disappointing for me. Things are starting to get better but when you get injured it’s always a blow. I’m just trying to get past that and help in the five games ahead. The injury has been related to both my groin and the previous surgery I’ve had for a hernia. Now things are settling down so I feel much better.”

The issue of third party ownership caused problems with Fernandes’s potential move to Goodison last year but while it seems highly unlikely that Moyes would be prepared to spend £12m again for him this summer, the player admits he remains in the dark about whether he’ll be staying.

He said: “Nothing has been said on my own future. I’m just going to play these five games and try to do my best, try to help the team and try to produce better performances as soon as possible.

“We don’t have too many people to play in midfield at the moment so it’s probably going to be a chance for me.”

Yesterday’s opponents Derby County produced a stubborn display in their first game since their relegation straight back to the Championship was confirmed.

Fernandes said: “This was probably the best game they played all season. That’s not an excuse for us that we didn’t play well, but for them it was different. It’s always easier if you don’t have any pressure”

 

[Great Dane]

"You just don't become a bad player overnight..."

 

[teppic]

i thought he had a great game and with arteta having one of his all too frequent off days we needed some one to put their foot on the ball. the assist was quality and he seemed to be showing for the ball more as the game wore on.

moyes will never pay 11million for him but he might still end up in the squad next season.. loan again perhaps?

3 midfielders in the summer please mr moyes.