Everton: Life after Moyes

[Donovan9]

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Early Blues for Hughes?

After David Moyes' long expected move to Manchester United following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, Everton have appointed little-known local manager Chris Hughes as his replacement.

Hughes, 36, a name unknown to many, has for the past four years been managing Conference side Marine FC, after guiding them to promotion from the Unibond league and beating Arsenal in the FA cup third round last season. Despite these acheivments, many Everton fans are understandably unhappy at Hughes' appointment, and beleive it is only a matter of time before chairman Bill Kenwright realises his mistake and appoints previous bookies favourite Darren Ferguson instead.

In an official statement, chairman Kenwright said-
'I understand that Chris may not have gained experience at this level before, but after interviewing him and seeing his complete passion and commitment for this club, I believe he is the man to take Everton onwards and upwards. I know David (Moyes) will be a tough act to follow, but myself and my fellow board members have complete faith in Hughes' ability. We have been described as the Peoples Club, and I believe that today, I gave Everton back to the people'.

 

[Donovan9]

Hughes confident of success

At a Press Conference at Goodison yesterday, supporters finally had the chance to meet Chris Hughes, the man they hope will lead them to glory.

Q. You stand here today as the new manager of Everton,as a lifelong supporter and local surely this must be a dream come true?
A. Yes it is. I've always loved and followed Everton, and I want to bring the success of the eighties back to the club. I think the supporters have been anxious for silverware recently, and I truly believe I am the man to do it.

Q. As a completely unknown manager, do you really think that supporters will take to you in much the same way they did with David Moyes?
I understand that people may not be happy at my appointment, and its a big gap from where I've been to where I am now. But let me tell the supporters now that I love this club as much as any other man and will not rest until this club is the most successful in England.

Q. What sort of players are you looking to bring to the club? And who do you want rid of?
A. I would very much like to continue the Everton tradition of bringing players with a great desire to be part of our history to the club. I do not believe that any player, however talented, should play for a time for a fat pay packet alone, and there needs to be a lot of passion and belief. I hope the club see's some more local lads like Hibbert and Osman come through during my time here. As for players leaving, I think it would be unfair to consider selling somebody before I've seen them play. Everyone will have to fight for their place, and I won't have any stars walking into the team if they're not playing their best.

Q. Lastly, what sort of tactics are you looking to employ on the field?
A. I always want to play attractive football, but the players will have to be unafraid of getting stuck in when the time comes. I will go out to win every game, and give the supporters reason to be proud of the club.

Getting down to business...
During my last FM game, I took Marine FC to the conference and beat Arsenal in the FA cup. This inspired me to begin a game at the club is support. Looking at the first team squad initially, I can see that there is a great first team line-up, but much like real-life, the back up is painfully thin. I have been given £4m so spend to get the club to qualify for Europe, and in order to do this I'll have to buy good cover for every position, keep players fit and happy, and find a tactic that maximises each players potential. Key to my plans are:-
1. Finding a formation that best accomodates my players. Tim Cahill can be deadly when played in the right place, and I'm sure the likes of Saha, Pienaar, Bilyaletdinov and Fellaini can score important goals.
2. The recovery of Mikel Arteta. Despite earlier claiming every player would have to fight for his place, Mikel is clearly a cut obove much of the rest of the squad. His recovery around Christmas will surely only enhance my prospects.
3. Good training system and the progress of youth players. On such a tight budget it is important that I get the best out of every player, and young stars will be bled into the first team rather than waste money on a thirty-something has been on a massive wage.
The team below is my current ideal starting 11
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In a bid to bolster the squad, I have made an offer to loan Rafael Van Der Vaart for the season. The lad is obviously talented but has lost his way at Madrid. Should he sign, he would provide excellent competition for places. I have also made enquiries as to the availabilty of Curtis Davies of Aston Villa and Ryan Shawcross at Stoke. Both are young and talented, and one of them would be enough to significanlty bolster my thin defence.

 

[Dan]

Good Luck mate! Hmmmm Wonder how you thought of the story name?lol

 

[Max]

Good luck mate. Nice layout.

 

[Edwardb]

Nice layout Good luck will follow

 

[Donovan9]

Easy game in pre-season warm-up
Everton ran out comfortable 4-0 winners in an easy warm-up game against their own reserves last night. Tim Cahill scored all four goals, three from headers, as new boss Chris Hughes looks to piece together a squad capable of fulfilling his ambitions.

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This game was always going to be easy, but gave me a good insight into the best positions for players. I played a strong line-up, with a few fringe players given a chance such as James Vaughan, Jack Rodwell and Phillipe Senderos. I was pleased with the passing and work rate but dissapointed with the finishing overall. Despite Cahill scroing 4, Vaughan, Donovan and Pienaar all had more than one easy chances- but its early days. Cahill impressed in a second striker role, making late runs into the box and finishing pretty much every chance he had.