COLEMAN CAN DO A BALE - MOYES
Posted 05/11/10 13:39
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Blackpool v Everton 1st Goalscorer: Coleman, S. 20/1
Everton manager David Moyes has urged winger Seamus Coleman to take a leaf out of Tottenham star Gareth Bale's book.
Bale has emerged as one of the hottest properties in Britain after a series of outstanding performances for Spurs, not least against European champions Inter Milan this week.
Yet Bale was not even a Spurs regular a year ago and Moyes can see similarities with Irish youngster Coleman, who ended last season on loan at Blackpool.
Moyes said: "Seamus has done great. He is getting games for us now, albeit probably not in his right position.
"We have played him wide on the right when he is a right-back.
"But the experience he is getting - there is a similarity to Gareth Bale.
"Bale is playing wide left but is really a left-back.
"It is getting him the games, there is a lot of competition at right-back here.
"I think it has been good for his development and in time when he does step back, hopefully he will have learned from it."
Coleman showed glimpses of his talent for the Toffees last season before joining Blackpool in March and playing a key role in their promotion to the Barclays Premier League.
Moyes believes Coleman is a better player for his spell away and the 22-year-old will get chance to remind Seasiders boss Ian Holloway of his talent as Everton travel to Bloomfield Road on Saturday.
"Blackpool played a big part in his development because he went there and played in a team which was successful," Moyes said. "He went right through to the (play-off) final.
"He has done fine but he has just had a little dip in the last week or two and we will need to assess exactly where we think he is."
Blackpool have made a promising start to their first season back in the top flight for 39 years.
They go into tomorrow's encounter ninth in the table and level on points with in-form Everton.
Moyes said: "They were written off last season, that they would get relegated from the Championship.
"So to actually say they have the same number of points as us in the Premier League, it is an incredible achievement.
"I admire Olly for the way he has changed the style of his team, I think it is fantastic.
"He has to work to a really tight budget, so he has to look at a different market to everyone else.
"Sometimes you would like it not to be the money that matters.
"Maybe in the end it will be, maybe in the end the quality shines through.
"But at this moment in time he is making a mockery of (the belief that) people have to be on a massive amount of wages, that you have to sign real big players to be successful in the Premier League."
Everton have risen to eighth in the table after belatedly finding their form.
The Toffees started October bottom of the table after a dismal opening to their campaign but are now unbeaten in five games, a sequence that includes wins over Birmingham, Liverpool and Stoke.
Moyes said: "We are certainly going in the right direction.
"But in this league a defeat could quite easily send you back a bit and a win can propel you.
"That is what has happened with us. A couple of good results have got us away from the wrong end of the table.
"It was only two or three weeks ago we were propping up the whole league.
"We want to try to maintain the form we are on and move further up the league."
With just one goal conceded in those last five games, Everton have cut out the mistakes which undermined their early outings.
Moyes added: "We want to score goals - we want to be exciting in our play and get forward.
"I think our play has been good in the main but it will always be built on not conceding goals. That is key to it. That has probably been the number one factor."
