07-09 Team

[sageyefc]

The year we went out to fiorentina was probably the best side we've had in decades, very well balanced, had a bit of depth to it, and the axis of arteta pienaar and Baines was a joy to watch

 

[Eggs]

....1907-1909.

 

[The binman chronicles]

Sounds about right.

I'd love to see us do anything of note just once. That was the closest I'd ever seen us, and we even made a record quick goal. I genuinely believed in that moment our time had come.

Tell me about it. After Chelsea drew away to Barcelona I was so confident we would be able to win the cup with their minds on the CL final, I paid £500 for a ticket.

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

Tell yer what though, imagine if Moshiri had arrived at that point and allowed Moyes to spend the kind money we've seen spent latterly to further improve that side. Makes you think.

 

[Walken]

Were they sub par though? Do we underestimate the quality they had? We always saw Cahill Arteta Jags as bargain bin made good but were they actually just some of the better players in the prem?

The season he got injured arteta was approaching the same levels as alonso

 

[jackyboy]

Arteta was unreal then, contributing most weeks. Cahill being chief nark. Pienaar and Baines. Lescott and Jags. Still had Tim Howard like but apart from that!

 

[Saint Domingo]

The season he got injured arteta was approaching the same levels as alonso

Yeah he was sublime for us pre injury. He did his ACL, came back shorn of his pace and half the player he was, yet was still good enough to walk into the Arsenal midfield and become captain. Exceptional player.

 

[SiEdmo]

Yeah he was sublime for us pre injury. He did his ACL, came back shorn of his pace and half the player he was, yet was still good enough to walk into the Arsenal midfield and become captain. Exceptional player.

yeah easy to forget he was more than a deep lying playmaker,

remember the game against Bolton (I think) where he drove forward took a man on, dropped the shoulder and little one-two between his own feet and lashed it in with his left foot! one of my fave goals that

 

[zzr45]

We never actually replaced Arteta and we never had quite the same attacking impetus.

 

[toffee matt]

06/07-08/09 was arguably peak Moyes

 

[Saint Domingo]

Arteta was unreal then, contributing most weeks. Cahill being chief nark. Pienaar and Baines. Lescott and Jags. Still had Tim Howard like but apart from that!

That side with peak Martyn, Coleman and Lukaku in it would have been top 4. Just a shame we didn't have the finances to get all the components together.

 

[Saint Domingo]

The year we went out to fiorentina was probably the best side we've had in decades, very well balanced, had a bit of depth to it, and the axis of arteta pienaar and Baines was a joy to watch

Went away to West Ham twice on the row in a week and won both comfortably. I wouldn't back us in any away game now. That was the last time I felt confident that we had a side who you knew would play to a certain standard in a certain way rather than just turning up thinking 'which Everton are we getting this week'

 

[Khalekan]

I crave the Arteta Pienaar Cahill axis in their peak.

I think we could have won the cup final had Jags not been injured too.

And Baines.

I loved watching him link up with Peinaar.

 

[efcforever]

It didn't seem to attract much praise at the time but have the subsequent years and the harsh reality of the premier league given you a greater appreciation of the 07-09 team and what they accomplished (relative to premier league Everton not historical Everton)?

They're never spoken of as fondly as the 95/96 vintage (even ignoring their trophy win) or even the 04/05, 13/14 teams. I'd argue however that they were probably our best prem side for quality of football, consistency, and individual player ability.

Jagielka is arguably still our best CB now even after countless efforts to replace him, a decade ago prior to a cruciate ligament injury you could argue whether he was even the best CB in the team! When you see some of the defenders playing for us now, and dare I say at the RS too, you can see what an absolute quality pair Jags and Lescott were back then. Ditto for Baines.

Lavish sums have been splashed on McCarthy Gueye Schneiderlin Klaasen Siggurdson, we've also seen Cleverley Barkley Besic in our central midfield too. Can anyone honestly say that any of these players during their time at Everton can even hold a candle to Arteta Pienaar or Cahill?

Whilst we watch 150 million being spent and we line up with Niasse and Calvert Lewin up front, remember a peak Yakubu and Cahill up top with Johnson, and young injury free Anichebe and Vaughan on the bench?

When you add in solid pros like Neville Carsley Yobo Hibbert and Osman plus Fellaini (ok I never liked him but he's still in every United and Belgium squad) you begin to see that what was derided as a squad of 'hard working servants' actually contained far more quality than the one assembled now and could probably toy with any Everton team created by Martinez of Koeman since.

Perhaps that is why they qualified for Europe 3 years in a row, saw off Liverpool over 2 legs, and reached a cup final.

Has your opinion of that team, the individual players, Moyes, changed over time after watching what has come after them?

Been a supporter sInce 1990/91.

The period you mention is my favourite as an Everton fan.

 

[BornBlue76]

I've actually believed for a long time that team underperformed. I believe that team was so good that had SAF been in charge of them they would have been top 4 easy. Moyes used to bottle it once we met the rich clubs..

But man for man they were good enough to take on anyone in the Prem.. if only Moyes believed it too.. and if only he didnt mess up every striker we had!