The Squad

Seamus Colemole · October 30, 2012

- Bradders - said:
Mirallas looked to me on Sunday like he could have been a match winner... before he was hacked down. He does seem to have some individual brilliance about him.

Yeah on Sun he looked good as he has done in flashes this season but as of yet he's yet to actually win us a match so its a bit too early to count him. We can but hope though.

toffeejack · October 31, 2012

deathbyropeandglass said:
We don't really even have match winners in the first 11 either.

And by that i mean players who can turn a stale 0-0 into a 1-0 for us with a bit of invidual magic like most top teams have.

Closest we probably have is Baines. Others can do on occasion but no one at the moment is really good enough to be deemed a "match winner" really i'd say.

We win as a team and lose as a team. Which is great but sometimes you need that little bit of magic from an individual.

Of course half the time that kind of player comes with baggage : see Drenthe, Royston.

Can't argue with this, arsenal and spurs have players like cazarola and bale, newcastle who nearly got top 4 last year have ben arfa, people who can produce a moment of brilliance from nowhere, we just have an abundance of very good players. Mirallas seems like he could become said player, and then we have barkley who has shown a few reasons why he could also be a man for us to do this, he could be the difference in a few years time

Mogsy_Efc · October 31, 2012

My opinion on this is that we have got one of the best squads I think I have seen in my life so far and it's a big improvement and a big step in the right direction, we finally have that striker we've cried for, cover for Baines and cover nearly everywhere apart from midfield which is currently being looked into.

I see the optimism side of this but also see the negative. With this squad and way we play at times, (at the top of our game) we should win 5 of the next games against the so called small teams shouldn't we? But we look at the negative and we know we just won't. It would catapult is up closer to City and United but i just can't see it happening. Our struggle is putting a big run of wins together, I know it's very very hard in this league but we should be able to with the quality we have in our play and squad at the moment.

Brennan · October 31, 2012

deathbyropeandglass said:
We don't really even have match winners in the first 11 either.

And by that i mean players who can turn a stale 0-0 into a 1-0 for us with a bit of invidual magic like most top teams have.

Closest we probably have is Baines. Others can do on occasion but no one at the moment is really good enough to be deemed a "match winner" really i'd say.

We win as a team and lose as a team. Which is great but sometimes you need that little bit of magic from an individual.

Of course half the time that kind of player comes with baggage : see Drenthe, Royston.

Fellaini won us the match against United on his own.

Baines has won us matches on his own many times.

Just because we don't have a player who'll run past seven players and chip the ball up in the air before doing a 360 spin bicycle kick into the top bin doesn't mean we don't have 'match winners'.

Baines has won us way more matches than Drenthe the tit ever would have.

Elong · October 31, 2012

Mirallas will be our trump card player.

Brennan · October 31, 2012

Elong said:
Mirallas will be our trump card player.

Ronaldo wears Mirallas PJs

jts73 · October 31, 2012

We've scored 17 goals in 9 games - the same as Spurs & only 1 less than Man City. Newcastle - with the likes of Ba, Cisse & Ben Arfa have scored 11 in 9. And we all know that we could have scored more against the likes of Villa & Swansea - never mind the disallowed goals against Newcastle.

For once, I think we need to score at least 2 a game because we look like conceding every game. Maybe it's the loss of Gibson or maybe it's playing more offensively this season but it's not really the forwards who are my problem right now.

saplingg · October 31, 2012

If we can just win against teams like qpr, I'll be happy... we cant make top 4 if we dont have the ability to clinically dispatch teams like qpr, which is what the big 4 have that we don't. I don't think we will even have a whiff of it come the end of the season if we can't consistently beat the weaker teams in the league...

WA Toffee · October 31, 2012

nigelcoyb said:
Amusing the idea that there is any reality in us finishing top 4 but heyho people go on x factor believing passionately they have talent when clearly tone deaf so I guess anything goes.

The worry that Jelavic might flounder once fully infected by Finch Farm are rising, ditto Pienaar after his Spurs rejuvenation has worn is a concern. Moyes persisting with only 10 men each game (Neville, god bless his worn out legs) isn't a good idea and then there's a squad that includes Maguye and Mucha.

There's also the real possibility, in fact downright nailed on, that phrases like:

"we fell away so badly after xmas because we made such an unusually good start!"

will echo across the forums as we hang on to 8th.

And the sky will fall down and zombies will take over and we will all die. We're doomed.

McBain · October 31, 2012

We need in the following order :

Lewandowski, Holtby, Ofoe, Vrsaljko and Muniesa

We would probably win the league.

Christiffa25 · October 31, 2012

I'd say we'v got a couple of match winner's amongst our strongest first 11.

And whilst yes our squad is stronger than before as in we have cover for nearly all areas the problem is the quality of them squad players IMO. Most of them can do a job... But if there needed or brought off the bench, i find myself hoping they can come on and have an impact as apposed to knowing we'v got another to player coming on to offer something different.

Utd bring nani on - we bring on guaye.
City bring on ballotelli - we bring on anichebe

I think the top top sides have probably 15/16 guys of almost the same quality and can swap accordingly. We just can't do that and it's gonna hurt us. Hopefully moyes can top up in January.

ToffeeBlueNose · November 25, 2012

I thought i might bump this as it's coming to fruition. The inevitable injuries/loss of form have occurred and we are dropping points left right and centre.

My main gripe here is about fringe players and how they are treated. Moyes doesn't trust them won't play them no matter what and even goes as far as saying, not in these words, that they are sh!t.

So I ask myself what the holy [Poor language removed] have they got first team, squad numbers for and why aren't they on the transfer/loan list if they are as sh!t as he seems to believe.

The lads like Duffy and Barkley I suppose even Vellios(even though i don't rate him) must be taking huge whacks to morale and confidence when they can't get a game even when 4-5 key players are missing.

It's a joke and I wish moyes would just have faith in them otherwise get rid.

Christiffa25 · November 25, 2012

The bench was so weak yesterday. However I can't for the life of me understand why Barkley didn't get on. Why bother bringing him back to leave him sat on the bench the whole game? Either Naismith or pienaar could of made way for him they were not exactly setting the game alight!!

Our squad was always a ticking time bomb if a few injuries and Loss's of form happened. Well it's been happening for weeks and getting worse week by week as to are our performances.

Seamus Colemole · November 25, 2012

Christiffa25 said:
The bench was so weak yesterday. However I can't for the life of me understand why Barkley didn't get on. Why bother bringing him back to leave him sat on the bench the whole game? Either Naismith or pienaar could of made way for him they were not exactly setting the game alight!!

Our squad was always a ticking time bomb if a few injuries and Loss's of form happened. Well it's been happening for weeks and getting worse week by week as to are our performances.

We have a small squad but he won;t play anyone outside of his core group because he doesn't want to risk it incase they're not up to it.

But the only way to know if theylre up to it is to play them.

The whole point of having a squad is to give the fringe players a chance if your main players aren't doing the job. Not with davey though.

ToffeeBlueNose · November 25, 2012

deathbyropeandglass said:
We have a small squad but he won;t play anyone outside of his core group because he doesn't want to risk it incase they're not up to it.

But the only way to know if theylre up to it is to play them.

The whole point of having a squad is to give the fringe players a chance if your main players aren't doing the job. Not with davey though.

I don't understand why he won't put them on when he can see in front of his eyes that players aren't having a good game. The phrase if you're good enough you're old enough doesn't sit well with moyes he still thinks you have to be over 21 to be anywhere near the first team.

It pisses me off when the likes of oxlade-chamberlain are playing for the likes of arsenal and we supposedly have the next wonderkid twiddling his thumbs on the bench.