How to destroy not one but two centre-forwards

Sorry, but this article sounds like it was put together to encourage a ready made group to bring out the pitch forks and take to the streets. A bit like starting a rendition of "I will survive" among a bus full of pissed up Essex girls.

On certain sites where the herd mentality has long since been established among people who spend their days complaining about not getting value for the money they haven't spent. It will be a sure fire winner.

Thankfully this site isn't yet established enough to have developed a herd. I hope to see a little more free thinking And a few less sheep.

I'm no fan of Moyes and would not be too disappointed to hear that he has been replaced by a younger more dynamic coach... But I recognise a no-win situation when I see one. He didnt sign Barry and he inherited Beto, but they both cost a considerable amount and the club will want to see a return for their fee's. NEITHER of these players are currently getting close to EPL level and the claim that HE has "destroyed" both of them (in ten games ? ) is frankly... embarrassing.

Yes their confidence is low, but they are causing the confidence of the whole team to evaporate by not being able to control a ball or convert easy chances. The collective reaction to Barry's incredible miss was instant... And there for all to see.

If Moyes played only Barry and he continued in this vain. There would be an outcry of "Appalling man-management" of Beto. The same claim would be made of Barry if he played only Beto. Lets face it. Its just a cheap shot which was going to be fired whatever the manager did.

There is a shed load of criticism that can be legitimately directed at Moyes, but giving these two players the opportunity to make the shirt their own. isn't one of them. He is as desperate as the rest of us for one of them to take that opportunity and start finding the net

I also think the claim that Moyes will not change his formation will be proven to be false too. If these two continue to spurn their opportunities he will have no choice. A lot will depend on the severity of Ndiaye's injury.

Isn't this same piece on TW? Didn't expect to see articles shared across the two sites.

Barry and Beto hmm who’s the lesser of two evils really isn’t it,

I’d say Moyes on this occasion can’t do much as they’re both hopeless, I saw Barry shaking his head as he got subbed off on Monday night, to my astonishment as he hasn’t done anything to warrant that sort of reaction, I’d give him a run of games though as I think IF he scores it may unlock something.

Ah, thanks Dennis. I wasn't aware it was also published at the old place.

I do have sympathy with Darren's argument that Moyes is hamstrung at the moment by two failing options. I'm sure he didn't expect Barry to find the transition from Spain to England as difficult as he has but at the moment it looks to be a huge recruitment own goal and DM is the head of that department.

I said on the podcast yesterday — Barry needs to be put back on the proverbial horse on Saturday and given another chance to lead the line and get off the mark on friendly turf. Beto isn't much of an alternative so you might as well throw your weight behind the £27m summer recruit and let him grow into the role.

Barry is a good player as shown by him having had a pretty decent UEFA U-21 tournament (especially in the semi final against Germany) though he was used mostly as a sub during the tournament. His miss on Monday was pretty dreadful but I have seen Haarland miss such sitters though the problem is that Haarland has so many chances created for him that we tend not to remember his misses. Thierry Henry struggled when he joined Arsenal and it took him 8 games to score his first goal. Yes different players, different teams, different circumstances etc but it is a premature to write off Barry. I remember first seeing Denis Stracqualursi & Oumar Niasse and Thierno Barry is a whole lot better than both of them.

Not a problem, Lyndon, just a surprise.

I agree that Moyes should perservere with Barry as there are some signs that he may have more to him than Beto. However, I'm not sure we're really playing to the strengths of either striker at the mo' - certainly not Beto.

The inability to hang on to Calvert-Lewin, for all his issues, looks like a bit of a cock up, imo. He's got more about him than the other two put together, especially when fit!

I'd be very surprised if Moyes had nothing to do with Barry's signing.

Neither striker is being ruined. We know Beto's limitations. Barry, for me, is still unexposed. If we were a faster team with overlapping full backs and a defence/midfield that played 10 yards further up the pitch, then he'd be getting more service and we'd have a better idea of his suitability. He isn't suited to a slow, ponderous team that passes sideways.

I'd sit him down, tell him why we bought him (if we know!) and that he's got the next six games to make sense of what's around him and get some goals.

As with most of our summer signings, we won't really know what we've got until they get regular time on the pitch.

There is a growing school of thought leaning towards Moyes telling Barry that he is definitely going to start the next group of matches.... But are we really suggesting that we guarantee a place for a player who's only visible reaction to failure has been to demonstrate frustrated petulance which has earned him bookings ?

Whilst I sympathise with Barry's plight and understand it COULD have a positive effect on his confidence. mental health and therefore his all round game, we also have to understand the position Moyes is in. This is not a rehearsal. The Season is a quarter of the way through. We are sliding down the table and we are expecting the manager to take us up to Christmas being lead by a striker who currently cant buy a goal ?

What if it doesnt work ? What if Barry really doesnt have much more to offer ? Does he persist ?

Would guaranteeing a place to a misfiring striker be met with hysterical screams of "appalling man-management" if the experiment fails ? Of course it would...And you can bet your last fiver that those advocating such a gamble will be screaming the loudest. The one thing you can guarantee in football management is that a huge percentage of the fan base will second guess every decision you make. Especially when armed with the benefit of hindsight.

Moyes gets paid a fortune by this club. It is his job to find the goal scoring and winning formula. While some say he hasnt given Beto and Barry enough chances, others are saying he has already given them too many.

I know one thing. If he doesnt find the solution sharpish TFG will be looking around for somebody who can

It's a big problem that will take a while to resolve.

Beto and Barry both work hard but neither have yet shown they are the answer to the problem.

Barry, to be fair may need more time and after a decent showing against Fulham may just get that time.

However, it does seem that an experienced leader of the line may come from
elsewhere and maybe Ivan Toney is the answer.

Everton do have several clever play makers but the offensive finishing is keeping the Blues from being a better team.

Hopefully by the end of January that goal will have been realized.

From what I hear darn here in the sarf Toney is off to Spurs.
With that in mind I could see a scenario in that Richy comes back on loan in January. As well as I thought Barry played on Saturday, the thought of Richy leading the line in front of Jack, KDH/Charly and Ndiaye fires me up.
Until then at least I actually feel that Barry will come good when he gets that monkey off his back, which he would’ve done if N’Diaye hadn’t strayed offside.
Beto should be the impact sub - he seems more riled up when used so,

It's been a couple of weeks since this article was first posted. Neither striker has shown improvement in front of goal. In the mean time Calvert Lewin has picked up a couple of goals for Leeds in recent matches, including one against Chelsea last night. This is in a newly promoted team that are playing cautiously and within themselves.

Hindsight is a great thing. It's easy now to say that we could have used the Barry money to offer Calvert Lewin the improved contract he possibly wanted, or that we could have done more in other ways to keep him. But, from the outside it seemed like he was happy enough to leave and maybe that was all there was going to be to it.

However, I've still had a nagging feeling that Calvert Lewin would have thrived with the improved talent behind the striker role following the summer transfer window.

Interesting that you revisit this thread kieran. There is an element of "spilt milk" in your post, but I think you are bang on the money.

Despite a couple of seasons when he found the net regularly Calvert-Lewin was never going to be the scoring machine we all pine for. He is, however, a vastly... vastly, superior footballer to both Beto and Barry and yes, I will be amazed if he doesn't score more than both.

What we have to accept is that the club did try to keep him. There was a contract on the table for the best part of a year and the player chose not to sign it. Newcastle had reportedly shown interest and I believe both the player and his agent (who he has since sacked) thought he could get a massive signing on fee if he allowed the contract to run down. He took that risk, but it backfired. He got injured (again) and any interest from the big boys evaporated. He was now considered a long term sick note. I'm reliably informed that he got a 5m signing on fee from Leeds. While that is an unimaginable figure to us mere mortals. It is chicken feed when you consider the amounts paid to other players in his position.

Calvert-Lewin knew that whatever he chose to do. He was always going to retire with more money than he was ever going to be able to spend. That makes me believe that money was not the only driver. So why was he so desperate to leave ?

I'm all for criticism of players who are persistently under performing or their selection. In fact I'm usually front and center...But what I witnessed with DCL was on a scale I had never seen before...Something a little more unsavoury. For some he could do no right.

I would often leave Goodison with applause for DCL ringing around the place. Then I would later read the editor of Evertons biggest independent website slaughter him. Telling his members (some of whom hadnt even seen the game) what an absolute nightmare he had had. It wasnt long before many of those members (keen to bring teacher an apple) were jumping upon his bandwagon... Often before a ball was even kicked. It got to the point where he only had to touch the ball it in the opponents half and they would be up in arms screaming "ANOTHER sitter !!!". Soon this online resentment was manifesting itself among an uncomfortably large section of the match goers. I've been around the block, but the boo's for an Everton player coming off injured at Villa Park shook me to the core. My sadness deepened when I later found out he had broken his face trying to score. This wasnt criticism anymore, it was abuse and it was toxic.

I know those who dished out this treatment will protest it was no more than constructive criticism, but when was the last time you saw a players Mrs having to engage in a heated online discussion and having to educate a section of the fan base by informing them about the number of goals her husband HAD scored...and the importance of his goals ?

I have followed the club all my life and I am aware that there has always been players who were targeted by the boo-boys and clueless bandwagon jumpers, but I have witnessed nothing like this. I felt an overwhelming relief to see this player go.

A player who was signed for less than two million quid. He showed his gratitude by committing the heinous crime of not being Gerd Muller.

They wanted him gone. Now he is gone.... This is what it looks like