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Scout Report – Royston Drenthe

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With many thanks to Toffee Web writer Lyndon Lloyd, we ask a few questions about our new signing Royston Drenthe.

With many thanks to Toffee Web writer Lyndon Lloyd (@Everton1an), we ask a few questions about our new signing Royston Drenthe. The 26-year old spent a season at Goodison Park two years ago on loan and Lyndon tries his best to recall the highs and lows of Drenthe’s year-long tenure in Merseyside.

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1) In a nutshell, describe his short tenure at Everton?

Initially exciting but ultimately frustrating because, as a loan signing, he was a calculated risk for Everton who weighed in with some important goals and could have been a really important player for us.

After a really promising start, though, we felt like he let the club down when we needed him most when David Moyes’s patience finally snapped on the eve of the ill-fated FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

2) What are his strengths that you noticed?

Pace, ball control, an eye for goal, and a powerful shot – a combination that was always in short supply at Everton under Moyes which is why he would have made such an excellent signing for us had he been able to knuckle down and get on with it.

3) What are his weaknesses (on the pitch) that he needs to work on?

As with most attack-minded players, his defensive game had deficiencies and occasionally his response to Moyes’s challenge to track back more effectively led to rash tackles that yielded one red card in a home game with Chelsea.

He also became a bit predictable in his patterns of trying to take players on and, over the course of a given game, you could see defenders begin to work it out and shut him down.

4) Are you surprised to see him drop down to the Championship?

He clearly has the talent to grace the top flight week in, week out but I’m not surprised that his lack of discipline has left him with no option other than to drop down to the Championship where an ambitious team with a patient manager may be more prepared to deal with his unpredictable temperament in exchange for what he can deliver on the pitch.

I think he could be an absolute beast in the Championship and maybe an extended run in a team chasing promotion will give him the incentive he needs to concentrate his efforts in the pitch.

5) Where do you see his best position – on the left or cutting in from the right?

At Everton he seemed to be more effective cutting in from the right and unleashing with his left foot from the 25-yard mark. He scored a couple of belters from that range in his time with us but he is also quick enough and aware enough to rotate into the striker’s role during play.

6) Royston`s actions off the field gained headlines during his time at Everton – can you describe some of these incidents?

From what I’ve heard, it was his habit of turning up late for training that rubbed Moyes (who is a strict disciplinarian) up the wrong way but there are two incidents in particular that have gone down in folklore, although I can’t confirm the veracity of either.

The first allegation is that he gained unsanctioned entry to the club’s Finch Farm training ground after hours with a couple of female companions. The second is the straw that broke the camel’s back for Moyes and that is when he turned up late for the team bus to Wembley for the FA Cup semi against Liverpool and lied about his car having broken down when someone had seen him park it around the corner.

7) Some have also said he has a bad attitude on the field, would you agree with this claim?

I can’t say there was too much evidence of that at Everton, although he could be a bit mouthy on occasion – including to his captain and manager! He also had a tendency to drift out of position into a more central role which probably didn’t didn’t go down well with Moyes either.

For the most part, on the pitch he seemed to be a bit of a nutter in a good way, but his lack of discipline off the field meant that we didn’t get to see enough of him to really get the full picture of what he was like and what he could do for us.

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