Formby

Yup, the Scots have traditionally down well. English managers don't seem to have the sartorial je ne sais quoi / tactical nous of continental managers nor the dour, fear of God Tartan fire. Maybe just a bit wishy-washy, although Clough had it.

Not sure this is common knowledge but I was really taken aback. Since 1987, when Kendall was at the helm, there has been only one season when the League title was won by a team with an English (born) manager (Howard Wilkinson at Leeds in 1992). I found that quite staggering.

Definitely, while we have the chance. Very poor this season. Need someone younger.

Finishing seventh would also put an undeserved gloss on the season, in my opinion. We've been absolutely brutal. We need a huge overhaul and a firesale.

If you come to England, don't move to Manchester, or Salford, or any northern town. Was brought up in Liverpool but haven't been back for years but, from memory, I'd avoid that, too. Good luck.

Yes, I read the article. It was a general comment I was making arising from it.

We have had our fair share of ‘educated’ footballers - Barry Horne, Slaven Bilic, David Weir, James Beattie – none of which probably improved their football, but was still nice to see. It always amazes me how erudite and culturally aware our legion of imported stars are compared to our home-grown players. Makes you realise what a culturally impoverished country we are and how sorry our education system is.

Do divorced men count??

I agree. I think it was used in a pejorative sense, which probably makes it unacceptable in today's climate. Now, how many people think it during the course of the game, or mutter it under their breath, is another thing.

I was questioning the somewhat contentious point that he is 'very short on talent', which I think is absurd. Your recognition of the spectacular goals seems to recognise this, too. And Moyes saw something to shell out all that money, no?

Concur 100%.

Yet Moyes bought him for that 8.9 million and his cracking goals against United and Portsmouth last season left you rooted to your armchair? Okay. Commitment, maybe. But it's not like he's alone.

You sure it won't get worse? Right now I'd take Premiership survival.

I know just how you mean. Another witless, predictable no-show from Moyes' best squad he's ever had. It really was awful. Aside from the humiliation of of it being at home and against Reading is the inescapable fact that we're just not very good. And that hurts.

Absolutely.

Agreed. Osman was diabolical and Bily woeful. Anichebe was just unspeakable. If that was the giving it a good go and putting in the effort you mentioned from Osman and Anichebe (26th Jan), then I think we can safely do without them, too. To be honest, today it was hard to differentiate any of them; they were collectively shocking. The whole team just depressed me and I have to say, I put that down to DM (again). To repeat what has been said before, there is a real and apparent danger that we could get relegated this year. Moyes is bereft of inspiration, relying more on serendipity than tactical acumen when it comes to team formations, and increasingly cutting a more and more desperate and peripheral figure on the touchline. You can cite the personal failings of the individual players, and God were there a lot today, but the formless and inept mass that I saw looming through the Atlantic rain at the Reebok was the iceberg of crushed hopes that Captain Davey launched the season with in August. Ill go down with the Captain, of course, rather than being the rat off the sinking ship, but bear this in mind: the Titanic went down in April, too.

Or maybe we’ve got the wrong theatre impresario? Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Macintosh are worth hundreds of millions. Maybe we should knock on their door? Who will buy….our wonderful football team? Kenwright’s also done lots of serious drama which shouldn’t go unnoticed (but always is). Night of the Iguana a few years ago was excellent. There should definitely be a salary cap. Keeping a team competitive under a cap is a skill in itself. Repeating cups in American sport (NHL, MLB, NHL) is so much harder because of it. Also, I’m not sure if it would be entirely impractical; it really depends on how much the cap is. Remember, you could max out the cap on one or two players (pay them top whack) and fill out the other positions with journeymen. What’s the average wage in other countries? Would a cap in this country put us on the same footing of, say, old Eastern bloc countries, or Scandinavian ones, or the lower reaches of La Liga and Serie A? Although you would probably lose most of the very best players, there is no reason you can’t make a good team out of what’s left. I hope that’s not too naïve an idea.

And much else beside. He’s a money man, pure and simple, the kind that used to shut the fuck up in the music business, but who now run it (something which is probably true of all the arts). It’s depressing that people want to get up on stage and thank him for his vacuous comments and staged ‘let me tell you, that wasn’t just a fantastic performance here, but in the real world, too’. What real world? There is no real world. It’s all manufactured and artificial, like the show. The primacy of the good singer over the lyricist / songwriter is one of the things that has killed music. Rock used to stand for something (counter-culture). It didn’t matter if you couldn’t sing. Now everyone wants to do karaoke and sing covers. So, yes, I think he should be blamed. He has helped to foster a dangerous conformity which makes it harder for quirky and interesting acts to get through. That said, rock’s heyday was the late sixties to early seventies. Hard to argue with the legacy that period has left on popular music (imo).

Absolutely. Just too pretentious. Sniff.

I know just how you feel, although people chewing gum per se kills me. Add to that: People who eat loudly (particularly those in cinemas). People who shout down their phone (particularly those in cinemas) People who talk all the way through films (again at cinema) (generally sixteen year old girls) People sniffing every ten seconds (why don' they blow their nose?) (and again at cinema) People with headphones on who don't pay attention to traffic (or the fact they're meant to be watching a film) Sniffing (again)

'As i already pointed out Moyes has played most of our players in the wrong positions, but they get on with it.' And they equally underperform, which partly answers the question you asked. (‘He's had more than enough chances to show this ability but has failed to do so, why do you think Moyes doesnt play him, ????’) Moyes' tactics have no bearing on how Bily performs on the field? Really? If the tactics are wrong, the whole team is a mess, isn't it? Sorry, don't agree with you there at all. Not sure I understand your answer to point 7. Could be me. The question was about perceived 'lazy' players and what you do with them. I agree that time is running out for him, but could extend that to the whole team.

To recap: 1. Moyes plays him in the wrong position. 2. Moyes' tactics / team formations are witless and baffling. 3. I presume Moyes saw enough in him to shell out all that money. Ergo, he thought he had talent. I do, too. 4. Moyes has favoured players he sticks with despite lack of form. 5. Is Bily really the only player to underperform this season? 6. Bily's goal ratio. Not checked but guessing it's better than Osman's and Anichebe's. 7. Would you have sold Berbatov when he was playing crap or stuck with him? 8. I'm no Bily apologist. Just think you should try him in his best position for all the reasons articulated.

So, it's a question of effort, rather than ability, you're questioning? Would you have given up on Berbatov last season (another 'lazy' player with ability) rather than sticking with him? Good teams are usually an amalgam of artists and artisans. I couldn't care less if he didn't put a tackle in if he was producing goals. He has ability and that's something we sorely need.

And how many of those was he playing out of position? You can go on ad infinitum about him playing poorly, but if he's not playing where he plays best, what do you expect? Osman, Fellaini, Arteta, they all have positions where they operate well, and those they don't. You can target Bily all you like, but your real ire should be directed at Moyes. If Bily flunks in a more forward central role, off the strikers, then fair enough, but he hasn't been given that chance. I'm also pretty sure you were off your seat when he scored aginst United and Portsmouth last season. We need players like that and we need to get the best out of them.

Trying being the operative word. Moyes is trying to prove Einstein’s definition of insanity - ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’ – with a practical demonstration. Meanwhile, for the rest of the school of science community, the results are quite obvious: Everton = Mediocre Club, too. The thing is, why won’t he experiment? If what he’s got on the bench is inadequate, then he shouldn’t have assembled it. It’s apparent that what’s on the pitch is inadequate, too. For me, layman et al, he has got to play the likes of Gueye, Bily (yes, I know he has been played, but not where he should be played) and the youngsters to see if we can get some different results. It beggars belief he plays the same hand all the time. There is a very real danger we could be relegated this year and utterly foolish to ignore the possibility. I’m sure DM knows this, but I’m equally sure he no longer knows what to do about it. Time for him to consult the alchemist and, for us, more likely the chemist.