Faddy ends famine as Everton’s Plan A works again
Posted by Ian Marshall's Double in Everton | 30 April 2006
A person who steals bread during a famine is not treated as a thief. Yusuf Islam
So for the 6th time this season Everton won away whilst keeping a clean sheet.
After more than 8 hours we finally got one, and scored an unexpected win, admittedly made more likely by Boro having to play 5 games in 10 days or whatever.
Now we've amassed 49 points, only one of which we’ve got after being behind in a game, West Ham away. It’s hard to know what to make of this stat, apart from the fact that we don’t have a Plan B. One of THE biggest challenges for Moyesy is overcoming this problem. Yesterday’s goal was one of few this season we’ve scored ‘on the break’ and this may well be down to a lack of pace in the side. We are workmanlike, but it is real pace which makes goals out of nothing. Our current Plan B appears to be get the big lads up there and hump it up to them. A lot of the opposing defences are now well equipped to cope with this and a more subtle approach is required. The ‘front 6’ really needs as injection of pace with Yobo and (maybe) Hibbert looking like the fastest players at the club.
As for the match, it was a good goal from the much improved (and maligned) James McFadden. It was also nice to see Everton benefiting from a keeper steaming out and ‘making up the forwards mind’. All Faddy had to do was lob it over him and he did this with the minimum of fuss. Maybe Brad Jones was on the bench last season studying exactly what Dickie Wright did for Zenden, the martial arts expert who soon shit himself when Dunc ‘got on his toes’.
Faddy has shown signs this season of being a player, especially as we now know he has to play through the middle. He’s enigmatic at best though and really leaves us with a bit of a quandary in the summer. Most Blues would agree that a partner for Beattie is the priority, but Faddy looks like the kind of player who needs a run in the side to get any momentum going. The truth is that he probably lacks the pace to be a front line striker, and just maybe needs to play behind the main striker(s), but that’s a job Leon does well at present. It was a great ball from Leon for the goal too.
As for Wright, it has been a couple of weeks so he was due another injury, this time diving bravely at the feet of Pizza delivery boy look-a-like Malcolm Christie.
Another noteworthy incident was when Yakubu tripped himself up in a four v one situation. Are Everton THE team most likely to concede from when we’ve got a corner?
Missing from the squad yesterday was Big Dunc and it’ll be interesting to see if the occasionally sentimental Moyesy gives him a run out next weekend against the doomed West Brom. Look forward to a ‘carnival’ atmos next week from those zany Brummies, no doubt fancy dress will be the order of the day. Despite this, it’s a pity they went, especially having (Super) Kevin Campbell and (Lucky) Steve Watson in their ranks.
Seeing the back of Birmingham is great however, with Steve Bruce’s collection of crocks and shirkers biting the dust, oh and his son’s in there somewhere as well. See ya.
Anyway, enough about them, this week has to be officially Big Duncan week, with memories a-plenty to follow.