By Hughie Southon
REUTERS/Craig Brough
David Moyes is claiming his regulars are letting him down …so why is he using them?
He isn’t naming names but it’s pretty apparent to anyone with a pair of eyes that Tomas Soucek has gone so far backwards he is almost out of sight as the player saw here a couple of seasons back.
There are excuses for Vladi Coufal following a two month lay-off through injury but one wonders whether Soucek’s problems revolve around any issues he may have with the manager which saw plenty of stories written in the summer.
They were claiming he would not receive a new deal and that he was unhappy at comments the manager had made about his abilities but with neither Declan Rice or Jarrod Bowen anywhere the level we would expected or have seen, there may be more to it than that.
Maybe Mark Noble is being missed in the dressing room influence, maybe the new players aren’t of the quality required but how will we know if, for example, the likes of Downes – who had such an outstanding Conference game – aren’t used.
Bowen is simply not himself at all and Moyes has spoken in the past of maybe Antonio and Scamacca playing – is hasn’t been tried.
However, the reality is that ultimately it has to be the manager’s job to get it right as in any walk of life and if it doesn’t come together – which of course it might – he will take and accept any consequences which come his way.
Don’t expect them for a while, should that be the case however, as Gold and Sullivan are very reluctant sackers.
Yes indeed blaming the players is very poor and non-productive, Moyes picks the team, he knows the players. What baffles everyone I talk to is why he picks the same old reset team – he was doing it last year then putting on Masuaku and Yarm all the time. He is so risk averse it is staggering. It’s not just the young players – which I have objected loudly to, but all options. Never two strikers, always two DCM. Why not a back three and one DCM? We need to get forward down the flanks! Booting it up to Antonio or Scamacca is rank football. Players out of position is just a gamble. Get your head around this Mr Moyes and utilise your players.