Beattie = The Young Ferguson?

[Pavie2000]

..and less tempermental.
Is he a good signing?

[Scouse]

Is he a good signing?i bloody hope so.

i don't think there's a question mark over his ability but recently people have begun to question his willingness to roll his sleeves up and get on with the job in hand. accusations have been bandied about that he thinks he's a big time charlie and considers himself bigger than the team (certainly when he was at southampton)

i'm pretty certain moyes wouldn't have brought someone like that into the club tho. if he thinks he can make the grade, then i'll give him my full support.

meanwhile, we've got pompey to worry about. COYB.

[sarabella]

I'm kinda nervous about him, to be honest. I don't have any doubts about his skills, like Scouse said. But I am concerned about how he'll fit. We're such a tight-knit group and bringing in a new guy is bound to cause some disruption. I mean, look how we handled Martyn's injury. If Beattie knocks Bent to the bench, I think it's gonna be big trouble because although Bent is not as skilled as Beattie, he has still been there from the beginning of the season working his tail off.

Beattie has a lot to prove coming into this team and he'll never do so with an attitude of superiority. And frankly, I don't think Moysie will stand for it.

[Pavie2000]

EVERTON legend Neville Southall claims James Beattie will be a massive flop on Merseyside unless he changes his ways, writes ROSS GREGORY.

Former Wales goalkeeper Southall believes Everton’s £6.5million new boy is too lazy and injury-prone to be a hit at Goodison Park.

Southall said: “Everton already have Marcus Bent who is much more mobile than Beattie. He doesn’t work as hard.

“Beattie can’t play alone up front like Bent does, and that would mean changing the formation and maybe upsetting the balance.

“I can’t see Beattie playing lots of games for Everton and if that happens he’ll get the hump. They need someone who grafts.”

Southall, now 46 and boss of Hastings United, won two titles, two FA Cups and the Cup Winners’ Cup with Everton during the 1980s.

He added: “They needed to spend £6million on one player who would make everyone sit up and take notice. But I don’t think Beattie is the answer.”

[womble]

Apparently, Beattie is a right arsehole off the pitch as well. Everton should have gone for Dean Ashton.

[ULL NEVER WALK ALONE]

well,beattie is a good signing,but im not to sure if hes actualy worth that much!!(taking in mind morientes is worth that much!).Now you guys have 2 good strikers ,but what are you guys going to do??It would be dumb of moyes to change the formation that has won so many points for you guys over the first half of the season(4-5-1 formation).if you want to play beattie and bent,then youll have to play a 4-4-2 formation,giving gravesen less freedom to attack!And how will you take out from the middfield???Cahill,osman?I wouldnt want to be in moyes shoes right now!!

[sarabella]

I think it will depend on who's injured. Right now, Osman is doubtful. Moyes could play a 4-4-2 without benching anyone. But like I said before, Beattie *should* have to prove himself as a sub.

The 4-5-1 has been working all season, no doubt. But there are many times when we needed that second goal and just didn't have enough power up front to get it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Davey start with a 4-4-2 and then switch to the 4-5-1 after we take the lead or late in the game.

[TrooperBari]

With the kind of coin we've dropped to bring him in, Beattie had best be Dixie freakin' Dean or something very close to it.

[Tony Dellbird]

6 million was a bit too much for Beattie i thought, but when he was on form at Soton a season or 2 back he was happy as larry, it's only when he wasn't being played consistently that you saw his ************** side. But i think he'll settle in just fine.

[toffeman]

I think it will depend on who's injured. Right now, Osman is doubtful. Moyes could play a 4-4-2 without benching anyone. But like I said before, Beattie *should* have to prove himself as a sub.

The 4-5-1 has been working all season, no doubt. But there are many times when we needed that second goal and just didn't have enough power up front to get it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Davey start with a 4-4-2 and then switch to the 4-5-1 after we take the lead or late in the game.

I'm sorry but since we just lost two games 2-0 and 5-2 before todays result, I think that Bent had his chance and he has to give way to Beattie now to try and show that he can put away the chances!
We all know that Bent was just a stop gap until we got a top class type striker.

I still think that we need some more guile in midfield but can not think of anyone that deserves to go to the bench.

bye for now!

[sarabella]

See, we all may know that Bent was a stop gap, but I doubt HE knows that. And if we bump him right away after all the sweat he's given us the last 20+ games, what do you think that's gonna tell him? Do you think he's going to come on as a sub and play to his fullest? I doubt it.

But if we make Beattie earn his starting position, I think Bent would be alright with that. He's a professional and if someone's in better form, then that person should get the start.

I agree that Bent has had his chance to prove himself, and in all honesty, he's been quite good. He just lacks that extra finishing power. But I don't think he deserves to have his starting position taken away just because a bigger name has come in. Beattie has to prove himself as a Blue first. The past doesn't matter anymore.

Just my opinion though.

[Tony Dellbird]

I think Bent is already fearing the worst seeing as tonight Beattie was presented on the pitch to the fans and Bent had already been made sub. I think Moyes is slowly trying to introduce the bench to him and make it look less like Beattie is taking his place and more like Bent is having a 'bad patch'.

[Scouse]

there's plenty of options we've got at our disposal

* play 2 up-front; Beattie and Bent probably
* move bent to the right wing and play Beattie as a lone-striker
* start one then sub the other into the game in the latter stages

besides, when we're in the Champions League next season, we'll need to be able to rotate our team a bit more :p