Short memories... Fellaini needs to be in the middle of the park.

[Allezfan]

We played the exact same balls in the norwich game when Fellaini was suspended. There is a difference betwene us being a long ball side, which we're not, and us having players who are incapable of playing an accurate pass which we do (jagielka is one, heitinga is another).

Moving Fellaini back isn't going to turn our defenders into beckenbauer. Nor is it going to make Jelavic play better. All it will mean is that Fellaini will get the ball further away from the goal (which has both benefits and drawbacks). And that our defenders' hoofs will look worse as Fellaini won't be able to spin them into gold dust.

 

[Brennan]

We played the exact same balls in the norwich game when Fellaini was suspended. There is a difference betwene us being a long ball side, which we're not, and us having players who are incapable of playing an accurate pass which we do (jagielka is one, heitinga is another).

Moving Fellaini back isn't going to turn our defenders into beckenbauer. Nor is it going to make Jelavic play better. All it will mean is that Fellaini will get the ball further away from the goal (which has both benefits and drawbacks). And that our defenders' hoofs will look worse as Fellaini won't be able to spin them into gold dust.

And Naismith scored a goal which Fellaini probably wouldn't have if he'd been playing. Fellaini's not a CAM, never will be. The fact that he scores goals doesn't change that, he'd score the majority of the goals he has whether he was playing behind Jelavic or alongside Gibson. What would happen is that we'd be a lot better defensively if he was further back. You only have to look at just how many times he won possession for us and broke up play last season to see that.

And i bet you any money that if a team like Chelsea comes in for him that he won't be playing behind Falcao or Torres.

 

[MartSlinger]

I think maybe with Gibson back we will see a lot less 'HOOFS'. Gibson is a player who will always offer himself to the defenders to play the short pass and we start from there. Arsenal and City games were ones which i never expected us to play the football we played at the beginning of the season. Lets hope with Gibson and Mirallas (hopefully) back in the side and with a favourable run of fixtures coming up that Jelavic will start slotting again.

That being said. I still want Fellaini at CM next to Gibson. Far too predictable him playing at CAM.

 

[paulbefc]

It is though. If it wasn't everybody would just buy Zigic and hoof it to him. When you move the ball along the ground you create space for others to move into because, and you also increase the chance of a defender making a mistake and not tracking a runner. When you hoof the ball from our half up to Fellaini the opposition know exactly where the ball is going and can mark Fellaini accordingly. When the same hoof ball gets sent up and Fellaini can't get to it, then Jelavic is f***ed.

It pins our game on one man who can't always do everything and be everywhere, it's very one dimensional. This was shown to be the case in the last 20 minutes against City when Fellaini was exhausted and we continued to smash balls up in vain as if Jelavic was going to suddenly become a hell of a lot taller, latch onto one and smash the ball into the net from outside the box.

I expected Fellaini to be marked more heavily and his usefulness to be curbed, but he hasn't been. When we hoof it anywhere near him it more often than not, comes down on his chest, no matter how hard people try to stop it. Even in the last few games against good opposition where you'd expect them to be able to do something about him, he's still been chesting it down and offloading it as well as ever.

I'm not saying that it should be the only way we play and it definitely hasn't been the only way we have played this year. We've played football as well and I like the blend we have. It's in no way our only threat, but it is a big threat. Passing football does create space if done well but when you have ball players like Pienaar and Baines up there, it's just a case of giving them the ball and their incisive passing and clever running makes the space by itself. The amount of times I've been amazed at how they play their way out of dead ends right in front of me at Goodison on that left flank is huge.

 

[Allezfan]

And Naismith scored a goal which Fellaini probably wouldn't have if he'd been playing. Fellaini's not a CAM, never will be. The fact that he scores goals doesn't change that, he'd score the majority of the goals he has whether he was playing behind Jelavic or alongside Gibson. What would happen is that we'd be a lot better defensively if he was further back. You only have to look at just how many times he won possession for us and broke up play last season to see that.

And i bet you any money that if a team like Chelsea comes in for him that he won't be playing behind Falcao or Torres.

Yeah but we're not chelsea, we have different needs as a team.

Ultimately there's two arguments here 1) that Fellaini playing forward hurts our attacking play (that I don't agree with), and 2_ that Fellaini further back helps our defensive play (that I agree with but I'm not convinced we still have a problem with our defensive play now Gibson, Distin and Hibbert are playing).

 

[Skeleton Crew]

When did Gerrard make an appearance in this forum?

The lot of you saying we HOOF it here, HOOF it there...lord. We play on the deck a lot. When was the last time Baines passed to Pienaar back to Baines to cross it in.
Uh...that happens often. Every game.

Not like every pass is going fro Jags over the midfield to Fellaini's fro.

 

[Brennan]

When did Gerrard make an appearance in this forum?

The lot of you saying we HOOF it here, HOOF it there...lord. We play on the deck a lot. When was the last time Baines passed to Pienaar back to Baines to cross it in.
Uh...that happens often. Every game.

Not like every pass is going fro Jags over the midfield to Fellaini's fro.

We also hoof it plenty. Go back and watch the last thirty odd minutes of the City match.

 

[Michael Bazel Betschart]

It might be the best if we'd just clone the big Belgium! Problem solved.

 

[Brennan]

It might be the best if we'd just clone the big Belgium! Problem solved.

It's ideas like this that this board is missing.

 

[Brownie]

Mirallas up front is the future. Ideally what we need is someone better than Fellaini to play in that position, we haven't really got anyone at the moment, which is why we're making use of him there. I reckon if we signed ultrabossman2k12 Marouane would be dropped back, but the current arrangement is probably the best we can get for now. The only worry would be Moyes loving it so much that it's set in stone for the next seven years.

Realistically it's not a problem we'll be having for too long anyway is it youknowhowitis.

 

[pfim]

We also hoof it plenty. Go back and watch the last thirty odd minutes of the City match.

When we were settling for the point? Of course.

Look at the first 30 minutes when the passed the ball around them as well.

 

[Brennan]

When we were settling for the point? Of course.

Look at the first 30 minutes when the passed the ball around them as well.

I'm struggling to understand how smashing the ball long and almost immediately losing possession helps to 'settle for the point'. Surely keeping hold of the thing and passing it around thus giving the other team less time to attack would make more sense.

NAH.

 

[Ihaters]

We also hoof it plenty. Go back and watch the last thirty odd minutes of the City match.

We also play some lovely football.. 90 minutes at Fulham.. your go...

 

[Brownie]

I'm struggling to understand how smashing the ball long and almost immediately losing possession helps to 'settle for the point'. Surely keeping hold of the thing and passing it around thus giving the other team less time to attack would make more sense.

NAH.

Stay in position, get the ball as far away from goal as possible with no risk of being intercepted

or

Have to move around to create short passing opportunities with high risk of interception due to aggressive pressing by home team trying to win game

 

[pfim]

I'm struggling to understand how smashing the ball long and almost immediately losing possession helps to 'settle for the point'. Surely keeping hold of the thing and passing it around thus giving the other team less time to attack would make more sense.

NAH.

Sure. If you're Barcelona. I love the way we're playing right now and we can beat anyone, get into the top 4. But we're not as good as City on the whole.