Time for Moyes to start using his squad?

[toffeejack]

Mucha(No Thanks)
Hibbert(Injured all season) Heitinga(Our worst player this season) Duffy(Inexperienced) Oviedo(Ok based on what we've seen)
Naismith(Not a right winger) Hitz(Ok, but nothing special) Neville(Too old) Gueye(On loan because he isn't good enough)
Barkley(inexperienced)
Anichebe(Our best striker, currently first 11)


I stand by my original statement.

..and why's that? because moyes doesn't use his squad. we have a lot of good youngsters by the sounds of it, but none seem to get a chance to prove themselves and then we end up with players like osman who look shot when we get to feb.

 

[billycopper]

Moyes confuses me a lot with his squad rotation. He sees Jelavic is performing badly so he drops him to the bench and gives Anichebe a deserved run. So far, so good. Yet Baines, Osman, Pienaar, Neville, who play 90 minutes nearly every match and have been looking off-form, can't even get subbed off with 30 minutes to go?

It's not like we don't have anyone that can't replace them. Barkley, Hitz, Oveido, can all do a job as a sub.

Moyes argues that we play 1 game per week now and that players shouldn't be tired. He's also said that it's difficult to blood players because of the pressures of the Premier League. He is a cautious manager and probably wouldn't even count 3-0 up as a lead big enough that he could rest players. He seems to only think about the game at hand and not the ones coming up.

 

[davek]

If players are playing week in week out it's natural that they'll take a bit of a dip around the midway point, where the finale still seems a long way off. It's pretty rare for any player from any team to go through a whole season at a consistently high level. I imagine that sometimes playing can feel like an effort and that players need a break to get their hunger for the game back. Donovan seems to be a prime example.

I'm not suggesting that we make wholesale changes but if Oviedo or any of the other fringe players felt that they had a genuine chance of staking a claim for a shirt then I think it would benefit both them and the player who is rotated out.

Oh yeah, I think those players should be used. They should be given their chance when a first teamer in their position is ruled out...Moyes though would sooner keep them on the bench and force a square peg into a round hole. He loves his 'utility' signing policy does our Davey.

 

[tim cahill]

..and why's that? because moyes doesn't use his squad. we have a lot of good youngsters by the sounds of it, but none seem to get a chance to prove themselves and then we end up with players like osman who look shot when we get to feb.

I'd give them a go personally but when they're 2 of our better options you can see why Moyes isn't resting many of his first team players.

 

[Neiler]

We should have no excuses its not like we've been playing games every three days.

 

[Ihaters]

As long as we fit players to the formation, and don't change formation to fit the rotation it makes sense. But we look so bad with 2 up front I'd rather play the same starting 11 all season, in fact our 4-4-2 is rivaled only by how much worse we are when we play 5 at the back for the last few minutes.

 

[billycopper]

Oh yeah, I think those players should be used. They should be given their chance when a first teamer in their position is ruled out...Moyes though would sooner keep them on the bench and force a square peg into a round hole. He loves his 'utility' signing policy does our Davey.

He does frustrate me. I think that Naismith could potentially become a regular but it's hard to see how many of the others will get a game.

*Oviedo seems to have become the defacto 70 minute sub when we need some creativity. The only way he'll play regularly is if Moyes moves Pienaar inside or to the right.
*Duffy may get games in a couple of years when Distin retires but, if we were really after Forren and Dann we will probably have bought another centreback by then.
*It's difficult to see Barkley's route to the first team when the manager would rather play Mirallas, Naismith, Osman and Coleman on the right. There's no way he'll play in the hole ahead of Fellaini or in front of the back four.
*Hitzlsperger was only ever cover and will probably leave at the end of the season. I think Junior, Gueye and possibly even Vellios will be following him out the door.
*Stones, Kennedy, Garbutt and McAleney will be very lucky to see any action in the next 3 years.

 

[Bigmaclad]

GET JO ON FFS

 

[slimspek]

He does frustrate me. I think that Naismith could potentially become a regular but it's hard to see how many of the others will get a game.

*Oviedo seems to have become the defacto 70 minute sub when we need some creativity. The only way he'll play regularly is if Moyes moves Pienaar inside or to the right.
*Duffy may get games in a couple of years when Distin retires but, if we were really after Forren and Dann we will probably have bought another centreback by then.
*It's difficult to see Barkley's route to the first team when the manager would rather play Mirallas, Naismith, Osman and Coleman on the right. There's no way he'll play in the hole ahead of Fellaini or in front of the back four.
*Hitzlsperger was only ever cover and will probably leave at the end of the season. I think Junior, Gueye and possibly even Vellios will be following him out the door.
*Stones, Kennedy, Garbutt and McAleney will be very lucky to see any action in the next 3 years.

I can see the local boys leaving as well. They only need to look at Akpan, Baxter, and Wallace, and see that they can get first team football albeit at a lower level.
Frustrating as hell seeing these young players, show signs of promise and then are dropped and never seen again.

 

[Don_Johnson]

As long as we fit players to the formation, and don't change formation to fit the rotation it makes sense. But we look so bad with 2 up front I'd rather play the same starting 11 all season, in fact our 4-4-2 is rivaled only by how much worse we are when we play 5 at the back for the last few minutes.

Osman is not a true CM. plus it's clear that this team is exhausted. Pienaar, Baines, Fellaini, and Neville all need a rest.

 

[blue61]

It's expectation. They're buckling under it. It;s not physical game time. Have a look at the games clocked up by some of the top squads this season (40 games a lot of them).

Its this, all day long, coupled with the managers tactics. No other team in the higher echelons of the league would allow his team to sit back on a 2-1 lead for half an hour at the mighty Oldham when they'd just got a grip of the game, it happens far too often to be a fluke (second half of last years semi being exhibit number one).

 

[Christiffa25]

We'v always been a team that struggles with expectation. Can you teach players out of that mindset? I'm not sure... Perhaps the style of players we buy, whilst all nice minded lads, don't have that killer instinct or that cockiness that's needed at times. Maybe we just need success to lift the monkey off our back? I'm not sure really.

As for the squad, apart from maybe Oveido and vic the players to come in are just not really good enough. Is there really another option to come in and replace ossie? There's not tbh. It's a tricky one really! We're 4 players of first 11 standard too short. The fact we never put games to bed doesn't exactly help moyes either in being able to introduce players from the bench.

 

[ijjysmith]

We'v always been a team that struggles with expectation. Can you teach players out of that mindset? I'm not sure... Perhaps the style of players we buy, whilst all nice minded lads, don't have that killer instinct or that cockiness that's needed at times. Maybe we just need success to lift the monkey off our back? I'm not sure really.

As for the squad, apart from maybe Oveido and vic the players to come in are just not really good enough. Is there really another option to come in and replace ossie? There's not tbh. It's a tricky one really! We're 4 players of first 11 standard too short. The fact we never put games to bed doesn't exactly help moyes either in being able to introduce players from the bench.

I think you can teach the mindset. But I'm not sure Moyes can do this part of the game very well.

Good point with the introdicing players after we've put a game to bed. I can't remember the last time we had a comfortable lead and could bring a few young guns in. Oh yeah, it was probably Cheltenham, and he bought Naismith on.

 

[jtl60]

Moyes confuses me a lot with his squad rotation. He sees Jelavic is performing badly so he drops him to the bench and gives Anichebe a deserved run. So far, so good. Yet Baines, Osman, Pienaar, Neville, who play 90 minutes nearly every match and have been looking off-form, can't even get subbed off with 30 minutes to go?

It's not like we don't have anyone that can't replace them. Barkley, Hitz, Oveido, can all do a job as a sub.

Dont agree with this at all. I think Jelavic was playing average, Anichebe was coming off the bench and proving he was worth a starting place and has took his chance well.

Heitinga was benched, got his opportunity and played woeful, Moyes stuck with him and he was woeful again.

Gueuye had chances to shine and failed, a half fit knackered Pienaar is still miles better than him.

Didnt think Hitlesperger did a lot wrong against Reading or Norwich, suprised he didnt feature against Oldham

 

[Stend]

It's expectation. They're buckling under it. It;s not physical game time. Have a look at the games clocked up by some of the top squads this season (40 games a lot of them).

Davek. Alot of those teams have massive squads. Also their players arent the other side of 30. I think Osman and Pienaar really could do with a rest. But thats alot of creativity taken away.

I'd drop Felkaini in with Gibson and play Ross in the hole.