Bailey

Felli had half the fans on his back that season so he wasn't pulling up any trees other than the first game against Utd. Just looking at how Moyes wanted to play (using Felli or sometimes Vic and Cahill previously) he wasn't interested in a ball player behind the striker (hence why Barkley never got a sniff either and Osman was mostly played deep when he was central). I don't remember Naismith playing centrally in pre-season but I didn't watch all the games. I have found the below link to the game you have mentioned which suggests he played wide again. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/08/09/3295848/hat-trick-hero-naismith-ready-to-fill-cahill-void-as-everton There is no evidence I can see that Moyes had any intention of playing him there.

Also if Moyes wanted other wingers to free up Naismith centrally then he could have gone out and brought someone else in.

You say not good enough (which you are right with a couple) but neither was Naismith out wide. He was as bad as they were. It's irrelevant if their left sided either because Naismith played both sides but was predominately right sided because of Pienaar. Also Osman and Vic played wide a lot under Moyes so they can't just be written off. We probably had more cover wide than we did up front, especially as Vic gets injured every other game! Lol Naismith has also never mentioned in interviews about Moyes signing him to play upfront or wanting him to play centrally and there has been a lot of interviews about that very subject. In fact Naismith has basically said that Moyes didn't make the most of his skill set. I can see weight in the Felli argument but even so there was plenty of opportunity to play him in that role for a game or two if he fancied it but he clearly didn't. It's not like Felli was pulling up any trees either in that position so if he wanted to he could have tried it, especially in cup games. That's still 20 games where he has played the lionshare. Giving him at least half a season to try something else. Bottom line is Moyes obviously saw something in him to get him on board which was probably to do with his attitude and work rate. Martinez has made Naismith become the player he has for Everton. Just like Stones and to some extent Barkley, Moyes may have brought them in or brought them through but I'd bet a sack full of money that none of those 3 would be anywhere near the level they are now if Moyes was still here.

The worst thing for Liverpool is that Madrid havent been very good. They are very soft at the back, they dont press the ball in midfield and yet they have still wasted countless opportunities on the counter. The link up play between Lallana, Sterling and Coutinho is very good though, they just cant finish the move off.

He had plenty of opportunity to play him up front if he had wished in the 2012-13 season. His wide options were: Oviedo, Barkley, Osman, Pienaar, Mirallas, Gueye and even Vic. Bearing in mind we had only Vic and Jelavic who played upfront of which the latter was useless. Oh and Mirallas played 27 games out of 38 in the league.

I would guess at Pienaar moving centrally but then again he isnt 90min fit either so depending on how the game is going we will probably be looking at bringing on a second striker or adding another central midfielder.

Moyes signed him to play on the wing so not a great signing by him even if he may have been the manager when we brought him in. If Martinez hadnt of turned up we would have been calling for his head long before now!

Footballers are delicate little flowers though Mike, even in those days it seems!

I think they should play these games at the 'away' teams ground with no 'home' supporters allowed in because as you say the away support shouldn't be punished as well.

Yeh most bust ups are reported within hours these days let alone 4 weeks down the line and the rags haven't touched it.

I think we seem to do our contract business in the summer so I am sure a new deal will be offered then.

With them 2 out its nailed on that Barkley will start.

Also with today's media something would have come out by now.

Martinez made a comment about Distin being the ultimate professional. I highly doubt he would have said that if he had been throwing a paddy.

Brilliant news! Congrats Matt!

Haha damn autocorrect! Both me and Newty picking on Matt today! At least I didn't call him fat!

West Bromwich are a handy side. Irvine has got them playing some good stuff and Berahino is developing into a decent striker. Not the type to be involved all the time but he has sharp movement, reads the game and can finish. I didn't think Utd where that bad either. Obviously they are crap at the back. Shaw and Rojo are probably worse than Rafael and Jones tbh and I still think Herera and Blind are a bit too lightweight which will probably stand out even more at the weekend against Chelsea. Obviously Di Maria is on another level, RVP is still sharp and Matt has his moments (but on the whole hasn't lived up to expectations). It will be interesting to see how they do in the second half of the season.

With Rom I think you almost need to keep things simple. Say to him rest against Lille but I want you firing against Burnley. He is a player that I think needs a bit of a break here and there and when you have replacements like Etoo who will also benefit hugely from having Barkley in the 11 then I think you can afford that.

Spot on Paddock. Great post.

Are you calling Matt fat?

Yeh very good point. Like Romey says we should use our squad but it shouldn't be in a way that weakens the team, which is why I think Etoo (for Lukaku), Pienaar (for Osman) and Besic (for Barry) wouldn't really weaken us. The more I think about Barkley the more I agree with the notion he should start assuming he is fit from the weekend. Throwing an erratic player like McGeady or Atsu may just throw a spanner in the works.

That's an insult to primary school kids!

Interesting that Moyes says it was his staff that got Stones.

He is a decent enough player but I'm not sure he has the quality to be in a CL chasing club. He would be a squad player.