robsblubot

Wasn't he right though?! i mean, can we compete against the top sides with average players in certain positions and spending a fraction? have we been right asking for more possession and better overall play considering the club can't compete for the best players? was Jose right?

Wished to see Mikel go before Ramires, esp because Ramires is more useful in rotation/backup because he can fill in in a number of positions and roles. However, reports say Ramires is unhappy... unhappy about the lack of minutes, his form, or not starting? If for not starting, well, he should not be routinely starting games for us, which btw also applies to others who have been starting for us anyway... A bit torn on this one: happy that we are going to (potentially) improve on him, esp technically, but also unhappy that Ramires' career is pretty much over.

Fabregas had a good game, but since they lost a player so early, it's difficult to know how much that helped our midfield and team - certainly at least a little. On the defense side, I see Fabregas as weak as ever and players just run past him, because he's slow. However, He is very good with the ball at his feet - truly a great passer: he's got range, creativity, and you can actually see his entire range of passing in a 90 min match - not afrait to use it. It has little or nothing to do with the pivot (2 players). More with the team's balance and esp Fabregas himself; he has consistently played at a very high level next to Matic or even Ramires before, so blaming others for his deficiencies is silly. Fabregas is now better than he was a month ago, but his deficiencies are still there - for those who want to see them.

Indeed. Even Hiddink seems to do alright. On a different subject, it's really funny to see how people automatically make the link between correlation and causation - causality. I had a discussion with Henrique the other days and he said that it wasn't about the manager, but Jose had to leave. I can certainly see that certain players were fed up with him for one reason or another and have upped their performances since he left. However, my disagreement with him was on the *needing* part: if we have no ambitions this season, as it seems to be the case, Arsenal result won't fool me (against 10 men too), would keep Jose cause us to drop or eventually he would stabilize things as he seemed to be doing? Without empowering the players as we did by sacking Jose. I digress because that's not even the point I was going to make. Back to cause and consequence, the question is how much of the improvement is down to the individual, Hiddink, and how much is just good players getting in some sort of shape. Hiddink's last works are nothing to write home about.

Happy to beat the most disgusting team in the world with the most annoying manager ever! Sad that we don't get to play them again this season. The game was difficult when they had 11 players. Or passing was sloppier and they looked sharper. i disagree that there was a need for the red though. That's a very personal and consistent disagreement that I have with the pundits. They call a play correct - in this case a red - if the play could have led to a red as it did. My take is that removing a player from a team, with a red card, is so drastic and detrimental to the spectacle that if there is a slight possibility of not showing a red the ref should not show it. Diegos sublime first touch was key in driving the red card though. i will obviously take it.

And way too late in the transfer window - not allowing Everton time to find proper replacement.

Most people are missing the obvious ... That keeping ivanovic saves money - is yet another cheap move for a squad that is on the cheap side compared to the other top clubs. he's been playing at a decent good level and people are wrong to criticize him too much for Everton game. Their left side is usually very strong with baines and anyone would struggle with that - another player would certainly too. we failed to contain that side as a team. he was beaten some times by overlaps. Other times by early crosses, which is Baines' virtue and very difficult to contain. Of course he's on the decline as he loses the little pace he had. But the club does not seem capable of investing in multiple areas apparently.

Pedro is playing slightly below his valuation as a player - pretty much like the rest of the squad. hes just not that good. we can't compete with the top teams by acquiring decent/good players like Pedro. In the end, perhaps we have to play mourinho style to be able to compete - bc we just don't have the players for that.

Think not about money but what paid professional scouts and coaches see in a particular player... And what tier they belong... Big clubs drive valuations up by showing interest in certain players. not fashionable I know but football is business Our squad is already cheap enough. We can use more of the oscars and less of the mikels.

The other way around for me - as their market valuations would suggest.

With all the known caveats, like any other bet, it may actually work. He's young enough to get back to some sort of form - he just needs to keep him fitness in check: no injuries.

Lavezzi seems like a Mourinho player alright the only minor detail is that he's no longer our manager...

That to me translates to less purchasing power - you are just providing the reasons. i agree with you that these changes are necessary, but we need to get used to how things are Atm.

The signs are there: our purchasing power isn't the same. need to used to the new norm

You guys just don't get it. oscar does a job - it may be a stupid job - but it is his and his alone. Oscar is Mikel... he keeps things ticking ... His game is just too subtle for some folks here. now I'd begin my sandwich analogy, but just don't have the stomach for it

Very similar to Torres... with us he did not suffered any injury, but all those injuries had already taken their toll. Same with Pato... The only thing he has over Torres is that Pato is younger and can recover some of his power and pace still. I don't think he can ever touch that original amazing potential though. Another expensive Bet.

sure it might work out great, but my point remains it's fairly wild bet... just like Falcao and Torres before that. Wages don't matter so much when they aren't good enough - the average cheap player ends up playing and producing nothing.

The selection of a player - of course! - depends on what options are available! Would Matic be an automatic starter in every top team in the world? Of course not! But he'd fare well in many... can't say the same of others... and it's not mikel only - Ramires too. That's exactly how I feel about your opinion about him... Good to know you also don't care about market value... that's precisely the part I found illogical about your opinion. Once again, Ivanovic has not been great, what does that say about the ones on the bench? So, you trust the manager for selecting Mikel - despite his pretty low key history at the club - and then you say he is wrong (both him and Jose) for selecting Ivanovic? I have to believe they all see that there are no other viable option for the position... otherwise the club would be a joke.

despite fantasies running rampant, Azpi on the left and Iva on the right are still lour best fullbacks. Iva will never go back to the good player he once was, but he is no longer the walking liability that he was in the beginning of the season. WHether we should do better - different discussion.

Right, but there are certain tiers in market value... some around here completely ignore it to qualify a player and I personally find that a bit silly. Messi has the highest market value for a footballer on earth for a reason. Oh helping the team to ... what exactly? What are we aiming for? not to drop? then yeah I should be grateful to the legend Mikel and his fantastic football; I can't see or remember anything remarkable he does, but hey the fault is certainly mine. Please spare me with the Mikel rhetoric of key player and key role - it went stale 5 years ago. Unfortunately for me, because I have a hard time watching us play like shit over and over again against mid and smaller teams at the bridge and then coming here and celebrating draws and 3 goals against. But I forget I am required to praise both Hiddink and Mikel who have the easiest job on earth. You can't keep a player who's market value is in the 30-40m on the bench because he won't stay on the bench. He will hand in a transfer request eventually so why bother? Mikel accepts his long absences because he has no better option. Matic, however, does. That's another place market value matters: pecking order. Jose was right in one thing: you recover your best players on the pitch. Worked with Ivanovic and would've worked with Matic and Hazard.

no of course not, but reading some posts on this site would led you to believe that nonsense. I was not referring to your post, though you did kinda imply it with your 'shocking' statement... but since you quoted mine, you also kinda negated your own point within the same post: Matic positioning was nonexistent perhaps because he was not supposed to hold position... having a player next to him who can do nothing but hold position seems like reason enough for Hiddink to tell him to roam around. my point remains we were crap before Matic and we were just as crappy after he left (results only show how crappy we've been). And yet this thread remains pretty busy. of course after 10 years and one pl goal Mikel has become the answer to our problems... I jsut can't take this very seriously. I think Matic must be sold right now! I mean in Jan. Because if he is not good enough to start ahead of mikel then he needs to go. And since other clubs and managers are not as crazy as well are, rumor has it they may actually pay good money for Matic... gasp! So, why not sell him if he is not good enough? now now... don't go asking 45M euros for him, because that'd be insane... According to TC Matic is worth around 10m. I mean it's going to be just one more mistake the club makes. Letting talent go and sticking with the average... the filler. We do love our consistent fillers around here.

Yeah we defended so much better after he left... By only conceding 2 more goals... ths forum...

Oscar was average - at least he played at a high intensity. Oscar coming on changed the shape of the team. It's not a difficult concept to grasp... another CAM might have done the same, more, or less. There is no way to find out. Most of the time it aint about individuals, but tactics and intent. BTW, we lost the game - just got a lucky point at the end with refs help. We are Everton.

We were not in the relegation zone. you have an opinion that not changing managers would cause us to go down - I disagree. I agree that changing managers marginally improved things, because some players did not want to play for Jose - which also empowers them now. Jose did not create this mess - the players and the club did. He is partially responsible, of course. players were unfit at the start of the season - they've been slowly getting into shape with or without Jose . Some of today's 'improvement' comes from Jose training sessions. Hiddink is using the same players Jose used before at one time or another. Btw I see no drastic improvement under Hiddink. Just the same shit I've been seeing under Jose. Chelsea is barely watchable these days. if you are not a fan u don't watch us play. we are wasting precious time.

sure put city, liverpool, and arsenal in the same bucket as Everton and smaller sides... like I said you compare completely unequal things to make a point. The difference between Chelsea and these smallers sides is just too great for me to accept that Hiddink was necessary - a pretty average manager these days at that. and how much of the progress we see now was from Jose work? I am not making a point now - just disagreeing with you and the whole idea.