billtruth

Hey, I am not the real Bilya of course. I just follow the Russian league closely, so I have seen Bilya play at least 100 times over the last 5 years. I actually like Bilya, so I posted my comments here in order for Everton fans not to get too excited about him. Don't get your expectations too high. When I saw the Arshavin comparisons, I just had to post something. He is not Arshavin, and will never be even close. But, if he gains some confidence, he will be a very decent player for you. I think you guys will instantly like all the ball tricks he has up his sleeve: step overs, little flicks and such...... the question with him is always how effective is all that fancy footwork......come to think of it, he has some Brazilian-like qualities. So yeah, just be patient, and Bilya could be all right! The original rumour of Vladimir Bystrov would have been more appealing, as Bystrov is ready for the premier league, with his blistering pace on the wing. He is really comparable to Arjen Robben. I would not be surprised to see him go to one of the big 4 after the World Cup. He would really look good in a Man U shirt......

To even put Bilya's name in the same sentence as Arshavin is blasphemy! Arshavin is maybe the greatest Russian footballer ever, while Bilya is just a very talented player who has not developed all that well. Don't even think for a moment that you are getting Arshavin or anything close! Bilya exploded onto the scene about 5 years ago and was thought to be the brightest prospect in Russia. However, he has been a huge disappointment over the last 3 seasons, where he has not progressed at all, and in the eyes of many, he has regressed. He has great ball control skills, a strong left foot, good vision and intelligence. But, he does NOT have great pace, he is not an accurate shooter and he makes way to many stray passes. He is also frail, so he can get knocked off the ball pretty easily. Contrary to what has been said in this thread, he is NOT a winger. He plays best in the center of the field. All attempts to have him play on the left side have failed miserably, including for the Russian national team. Gus Hiddink really like him at first and wanted him to be one of the cornerstones of the team along with Arshavin. However, Gus has been disappointed with Bilya over the last year. Bilya was the weakest midfielder on the Russian team at the Euros, and ended up losing his starting spot for the semifinal game against Spain (replaced by the talentless but hardworking Ivan Saenko). Since then, Bilya has not played in single game for Russia, and was only recently recalled for the upcoming international games after a few decent showings with Lokomotiv. He is only 24, and perhaps he got too complacent in Russia. Maybe this move will spark something in him, and he can reach a different level. But please, don't expect any miracles from him. I would not be surprised if he fails in his first few games and ends up on the bench. But, if he gets the desire to prove himself, he could turn into a decent premiership player. Someone who could score 7-8 goals a season and provide as many assists. In the best case scenario, he could be a little bit like Aleksander Hleb, but not quite as good.