BLUE WATCH: At least Phil Jagielka is loving his job

Nov 20 2008 by Mark O'Brien, Liverpool Daily Post

EFC's Phil Jagielka _320

NO wonder so many England managers seem to end up losing their marbles under the strain.

Whether it’s Glenn Hoddle and his mystical methods or Steve McClaren hiding under his umbrellas, they nearly all end up tired and emotional after a while in the job, and it’s not really surprising given the conflicting messages they receive from those banes of their life, the Premier League managers.

Every time a new man takes the job, bosses of the league clubs are asked their opinions and invariably they sing his praises and offer their full support.

That is of course until some of their stars are called up for international friendlies. Then it’s all tweaks, strains and niggles, as players drop out of midweek squads before recovering miraculously at the weekend.

It was ever thus, and although the managers of the top sides often come across as churlish in these cases, they would argue that their livelihood depends on those players performing in club colours, so there’s always going to be a degree of tension.

And if handling that delicate balance isn’t hard enough for Fabio Capello, or whoever, he then gets criticised by the managers whose players don’t get picked at all. So, while one Merseyside manager is complaining about his midfielder being summoned this week, the other one is bemoaning the fact that one of his central defenders has been overlooked.

That’s Phil Jagielka (pictured) of course, and he has been Everton’s most consistent performer for some time now. He’s probably got the player-of-the-season title sewn up already, and he was also the Toffees’ star man for much of the tail end of the last campaign too.

His tackle to deny Tuncay Sanli an almost certain winner on Sunday was typical of the sort of challenges he makes on a regular basis now. It wasn’t always that way though, as he looked out of his depth when he first signed from Sheffield United, despite the glowing reports from Blades’ supporters and the general perception that he was the country’s best player outside of the top flight.

Games simply passed him by in midfield, and then even when he switched to right-back he failed to impress.

However, the move to central defence suited him right down to the ground, and his no-nonsense approach is exactly what’s required to complement the more elegant but sometimes careless Joseph Yobo. From looking as if he had no future at Goodison, it would come as no surprise now if Jagielka remained a mainstay of the Everton defence for another decade.

Playing him in his best position was the key to that turnaround in fortunes, and hopefully David Moyes can do the same thing for Marouane Fellaini.

The Belgian has scored a few crucial goals since his record-breaking arrival, but still he doesn’t look at all convincing when pushed right up behind the strikers. That certainly wasn’t the position he played for Standard Liege, where he made his name, and against Middlesbrough, especially in the first half, he looked far more comfortable playing in a deeper role.

He got more time on the ball and most of the play was in front of him – as a result, despite not getting on the scoresheet he produced his best performance in a blue shirt.

With that in mind, Moyes needs to figure out how to best use his £15million signing while also getting more from the likes of Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill.

Getting the balance right in midfield will prove the key to Everton’s season, and so far......well, “Do I not like that?”