Steve_E Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Why does Nev keep insisting on playing those balls along the line... One of the central midfielders should get the ball from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 guess not really...gibson hasn't played much has he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 denis comin on..saha off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badaids Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 pray stracqa prqy - we need it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Really impressed with Gibson. Good all-round centre-midfield performance. Tidy in possession, some cracking tackles, pass and move and some decent forward balls. 7.5/10 and a pretty good debut especially allowing for lack of match fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 heitinga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 donovan wasted on the left goin down the line..all his crosses gone straight to given Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 TIM!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexKing Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Well, overally a better perfomance from us than weve seen lately. Should just put in our chances much better. When we went down i think that was it, so may be im happy for 1 point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogsy Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 A point will do, but we desperately need a striker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noddy Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Everton were by far the better team in the first half. Should have taken some chances then. Was cringing when Vic went down, hoped it wasn't bad and thankfully he walked away from it. Thought Darron and Shane did quite well on the debuts, considering. The atmosphere there seemed grim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzp7zy Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 That's a game we should have won with our first half performance. If we had anything up front we'd have been out of sight before Villa scored. How on earth did Saha stay on the pitch for 87 minutes, he was truly awful. Still, some positives to take out of it - Donovan looked good, Gibson did OK considering he's not trained with the team and Duffy looked solid enough - altho both him and Heitinga could have done better for the goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzp7zy Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Everton were by far the better team in the first half. Should have taken some chances then. Was cringing when Vic went down, hoped it wasn't bad and thankfully he walked away from it. Thought Darron and Shane did quite well on the debuts, considering. The atmosphere there seemed grim. Ha - snap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flaminfox Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 At least we showed improvement which was good and i am also really happy with Duffy's contribution. We also got to see why drenthe comes off the bench all the time because he wasnt as energetic and influential as he is off the bench. Hopefully we will continue improving and we will win next game, COYB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 After the way we've played recently that first half, despite not exactly being brilliant, was a vast improvement and is something we can look to build on in the coming weeks. The players actually seemed to know their roles and looked a lot more settled, and I think that showed in our play. It was a lot more organised and it seemed to have a point to it, like they knew what they were trying to achieve when they played the ball. We really need to make our dominance count in games instead of letting the opposition off the hook. We should have had 2 or 3 goals before half time (and a penalty), that's how in control of the game we were at that point. Half time came and went and it clearly stopped our flow because we were so poor for most of the second half. We stopped playing the ball along the ground (which we'd done for the most part in the first half) and launched the ball in any direction. That allowed Villa to build pressure on us because we just kept handing them possession for them to attack us for a prolonged period. The pressure told and we ended up conceding. They took their chance when they were ontop. It took us a little while to spark into life after their goal, but once we did I thought we got back to doing what we'd done well in the first half and deservedly got back in the game with a brilliantly worked goal. From that point on I thought there was only one side that would go on to win the game; us. We didn't manage it but we made a good fist of it. We got a point but deserved the three, IMO. There are plenty of positives to take out of this game and I hope we build on them for the next game and take the three points that we badly need. Howard - Had quite a few dodgy moments but also made some good saves. Neville - Not as good as against Spurs, a bit too much backing off against Agbonlahor but it was by no means a bad performance. It was steady. Duffy - I was very impressed with him. You wouldn't have thought he was making his debut would you? He slotted in next to Heitinga with absolute ease. He didn't look nervous, but cool and composed as far as I could see. His height back there is going to come in very handly. Heitinga - A bit like Neville tbh. He made a couple of dodgy clearances but he still put in a steady performance. Baines - He gave Albrighton far too much space, IMO. He was an easy for them in every attack because he always had at least 10 yards of space around him. He put in a few good crosses though. Donovan - When we were ontop in the game; the first half and towards the end, he was our main man and everything good went through him. He wasn't flashy or anything (take note Drenthe), he just did what he had to do. He put in an excellent cross for Saha in the first half which should have resulted in a goal. And his through ball for Vic was nothing short of perfect tbh. It's that through ball which makes me think he should be played more centrally; behind the striker. There he can get more involved in our play and that can only benefit us when he pick a pass like that. My MOTM. Gibson - Credit where credit's due; he had a really good first half in particular. He showed a good passing range; his lobbed ball to put Cahill in on goal was a beauty. He also put in a few very good tackles which I didn't think he had in his locker. If he shows these sorts of qualities consistently then he'll more than prove me wrong, and there'll be no one more pleased about that than me because we'll have got a good player for buttons. He faded badly in second half but that was to be expected because his match fitness will be extremely low. Fellaini - His performance was meh. He was better than what he showed against Spurs but he was still far below what we've come to expect from him. His passing was just far too sloppy. I'm used to him very rarely giving the ball away but it was a common occurence once again. And when he wasn't giving the ball away like that he was dallying on the ball for too long and losing it that way or playing his team mates into trouble by choosing the wrong pass. He at least looked interested today though. Drenthe - Terrible performance from him today. Every time he had the ball he just ran into the opposition player and lost it. And it was usually in our own half, putting us under needless pressure. Infact, this happened in the lead up to their goal. Cahill - He wasn't bad but he didn't really do anything tbh. Most of the game just passed him by. He really should have put the chance away that Gibson created for him though. Another performance that really should show Moyes that he offers very little to us these days. Saha - Had a good early chance that Given saved. That's the only positive thing to say about him today. Despite being pulled back by Hutton when Donovan put the cross in for him it was hardly a strong pull on him, he should've still got on the end of that cross. He just needed to show the desire to get to it. But that's what Saha doesn't have now; desire. And once a striker loses desire he's finished as far as I'm concerned. Not only that but every time he had the ball he lost it because he'd try and run with it, even when he had an easy pass on to a team mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBlood81 Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 A point will do, but we desperately need a striker! Getting down with talk of spending whatever peanuts we have on defensive cover. PLEASE get in someone who knows where the goal is Moyes!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 I would have taken the point today considering how we went into the game. We've been playing piss poor of late (as we all know) and whereas I'd normally expect a solid three points against Villa I'm glad that we managed to take one away from home. I've not actually seen any of the game but by the sounds of it Donovan has improved, his first few games against Tamworth and Bolton saw him as an anonymous bufoon but it's good to know he's getting into form. Duffy seemed to have a good debut apart from being at fault from their goal (which I will decide when I watch later) and from what I heard our super-signing Gibbo did well. Positive day in my book. (although did Vic get injured? I heard he carried on so I'm guessing it was just a heat of the moment thing rather than a 6 weeks job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 agree with romey on saha in respects to the cross...i feel vellios would have got to that..he wants to score..saha seems not arsed and made no real ambition to get to that ball..on a plus he got in the box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubecula Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 My own brief thoughts. Villa's goal was a desperate bundle of defensive errors. Everton's goal was a sublime piece of team play ending in a well taken goal. And thats about it, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete0 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 My own brief thoughts. Villa's goal was a desperate bundle of defensive errors. Everton's goal was a sublime piece of team play ending in a well taken goal. And thats about it, really. RVP's aside, I think this applies to most goals we've conceded in the last 2 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 not been the same since jags' injury...he was a one man wrecking machine before that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 only just realised after watchin the goal again it came from a howard throw!! nice to see us counter attacking for once with actual pace..and good to see anichebe bustin it to get in there for that ball..hopefully saha can take a tip and hint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutmegwolf203 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 agree with romey on saha in respects to the cross...i feel vellios would have got to that..he wants to score..saha seems not arsed and made no real ambition to get to that ball..on a plus he got in the box? Right on, I really like Vellios...I think he would have put that away. Does anyone have any idea what's happened to Moyes' confidence in him? Could he train that horribly to not get a look? Him and Vic could do a job, well, should at least get a shot. It's at the point now that Saha is hardly the best "tactical" option for most teams, seeing him waste his time down the wings today was infuriating. He's so far from the unplayable striker that put four past Blackpool last season it's shocking. I'd love us to go with a younger more active combo. The one thing I've seen from Vellios that I haven't from any other forward option we have is excitement. Vellios is actually exciting. Saha and Cahill are just lucky to play. I can't think of many other managers that would persist with them as he does, and I don't just mean starting them, but also neglecting to change things up as they get stale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 United States forward Landon Donovan' date=' who is on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, played a perfect through-ball for substitute Victor Anichebe to level past Everton's American keeper Tim Howard.[/quote'] I don't remember that part... It seemed like a good game from the highlights although I must admit I was half asleep when watching. Duffy seemed to have a good game although he was at fault for Bent's goal, as a Premiership defender he should have headed/kicked that into Row Z rather than straight out to Stephen Ireland. Our goal was simply stunning however, Donovan's pass was so accurate that it made me think Lionel Messi had shown up for our team in the second half, if Anichebe hadn't of finished from that pass then all hell would have broken loose, a nice finish from Big Vic too, nice to see him on the scoresheet for the second time in a short period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) Finally watched the game and kind of wished I hadnt have bothered. Same old story really. Howard was fairly poor imo. A couple of saves he could have comfortably held on to (although the punches did go clear so job done from his perspective) and a couple of crosses he didnt get to. He is better than that. Duffy & Heitinga did well imo. They werent foot perfect and between the pair of them, Baines & Felli they should have stopped the ball getting to Bent fot their goal. Duffy certainly didnt look out of place and he did no better or worse than Distin or Jags would have. Gibson did ok. He played one quality ball but the rest of the game it was 5 yard passes. He did work quite hard though, and did move and he actually completed his passes so he is one up on Neville & Heits in midfield. Hopefully there is more to come. Donovan had a good game and should have had two assists. Thats the reason I was happy to have him back. He might not contribute for the whole 90mins but he does have quality. Could certainly do a job through the centre. Drenthe was ok and I am a little surprised to see the stick he is getting. He was sloppy and never got into the game (although he seems wasted on the left IMO) but he still whipped in some quality balls that we could/should have done better with. He needs to do better because we have already seen he has it in his locker. Like Donovan, I think Drenthe would be better suited to playing off the striker, where he can go either side. Cahill did nothing, bar scuff his chances. Played a bit better when dropped into midfield though where he could break forward. Saha was useless. Any striker worth his salt would have scored that header. He was barely tugged (and IMO would have been a very soft penalty) but he clearly didnt want to score enough. Really disapointing. I can forgive him trying and scuffing it (like Cahill) but I cant forgive someone who doesnt even try. Vic took his goal really well and made some decent runs down the right. Hopefully this form can continue and fair play to Moyes for making a positive sub and getting him on the pitch. Shame he doesnt do it more often. The rest were all distinctly average. Overall though it was a tepid performance. We should glimpses of quality but not enough. We have to be beating the teams around us and this counts as yet another missed opportunity in my book. Edited January 15, 2012 by Bailey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markduff Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) I don't remember that part... It seemed like a good game from the highlights although I must admit I was half asleep when watching. Duffy seemed to have a good game although he was at fault for Bent's goal, as a Premiership defender he should have headed/kicked that into Row Z rather than straight out to Stephen Ireland. Our goal was simply stunning however, Donovan's pass was so accurate that it made me think Lionel Messi had shown up for our team in the second half, if Anichebe hadn't of finished from that pass then all hell would have broken loose, a nice finish from Big Vic too, nice to see him on the scoresheet for the second time in a short period of time. ( Duffy seemed to have a good game although he was at fault for Bent's goal, as a Premiership defender he should have headed/kicked that into Row Z rather than straight out to Stephen Ireland) @ZOO..........did you happin to to see the lack of effort from johnny and fellini made to head the ball away as ireland got the flick on? duffy shouldnt even of had to get his head to it if they tryed to make a better effort! donavan was great yesterday, gibson looked decent....but i think he doesnt do enough work of the ball! Edited January 15, 2012 by markduff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noddy Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 I wouldn't say Shane was necessarily at fault for the goal. If you look at it again you'll see the defence in general was a bit of a shambles. Shane saw the ball late as Fellaini and Heitinga looked to be getting it and he made an attempt to clear it. It was a series of unfortunate events for the defence. Bent lost him a few times but his efforts were tame enough. Other than that he was quite good. Seeing as it's a team game, we have to also consider that the forwards didn't do enough to take chances in the first half. Cahill dealt with Gibson's tremendous through ball very poorly for example. Thought he could have taken it down and shot rather than attempting to shoot first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noddy Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Mark, I thought Gibson was solid off the ball. Put in some great tackles yesterday and his positioning was surprisingly good. Thought he'd be playing a more attacking role but he did well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flaminfox Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 I agree with noddy, i dont think duffy was at fault and i thought he had a great game and was maybe even better than heitinga for this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenyon L Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 hope you like it, may be a bit...off for some http://www.schoolofscience.eu Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.