Why does drenthe not start....

Tubey · October 2, 2011

I thought about this, but my brother made a good point - he looked absolutely shattered the other week after coming on as a sub for 15 minutes, and I reckon he's still in his pre-season mode and is playing catch-up to the pace of the league.

Silas · October 2, 2011

He doesn't start because he is inconsistent. He does great work going forward but gives aways dangerous fouls in dangerous positions. He also plays some terrible balls when a simple one would be better and dribbles when he shouldn't. He is an exciting player but I don't think he is ready for 90 minutes.

Clint Planet · October 2, 2011

He'll be a first team regular soon enough.

cadex · October 2, 2011

Silas said:
He doesn't start because he is inconsistent. He does great work going forward but gives aways dangerous fouls in dangerous positions. He also plays some terrible balls when a simple one would be better and dribbles when he shouldn't. He is an exciting player but I don't think he is ready for 90 minutes.

Better decision making only comes with playing competitive football on a regular basis. If he gets small minutes every now and then, it's going to be difficult for him to eradicate these errors from his game. Moyes started Barkley in the first 3 matches of the season so I see no reason why Drenthe, a more experienced pro, shouldn't be given a chance to cement a starting birth.

Clint Planet · October 2, 2011

cadex said:
a chance to cement a starting birth.

Could get messy, that.

Woolly Blue · October 2, 2011

He'll get starts when he shows Moyes, in training, that he looks like he can last 70 mins in a Premiership game. Yesterday was a good start, he got 30 mins under his belt and still looked fresh at the end.

I can put up with some of his faults ( wrong choices sometimes, lunging in now and again, giving the ball away occassionally ) because he gives us something we've been lacking for a long time with his speed and skill. A combination of match practice and coaching can cut the mistakes down, but he'll still occassionally screw up, all players do.

As Evertonians we often expect our players to be perfect, with wonderful skills on the ball, a strong tackle, a great engine and a heart bigger than Big Duncs. Those players are few and far between. I'll take Royston as he is and hope he'll stay with us beyond this season.