Show your leadership qualities - Moyes challenges Yobo
23.09.2009

YoboEVERTON manager, David Moyes has challenged Nigerian international, Joseph Yobo to show his leadership qualities and prove he is the right man to captain the Toffees in Phil Neville’s absence.

The Nigerian defender has been Neville’s full-time deputy since Alan Stubbs left for Derby County in January 2008 and, initially wore the armband for the first time during a game at Pride Park which Everton won 2-0 in October 2007.

With Neville likely to be out until the end of November after damaging his posterior cruciate ligament, many would expect that Yobo – who is one of Everton’s longest-serving players – will automatically lead the team.

Certainly his ‘reign’ could not have got off to a better start, with the Toffees beating AEK Athens 4-0 and following up with a comfortable 3-0 dismissal of Blackburn Rovers last Sunday and Yobo getting on the scoresheet in each game.

Moyes, however, wants to see how Yobo follow Neville’s example by getting into the thick of the action when things are not going Everton’s way but, given that he captains his country, he sees no reason why the 29-year-old will not rise to the challenge.

“Joseph has to play with maturity and responsibility,” said Moyes. “When he does that, he is a top player.

“He is captain of Nigeria, so it is something that he should be able to take.
“But in the Premier League, you have got to lead by example. That’s the one thing Phil Neville always does. He takes responsibility, he is at the front of everything.

“Whether it be training, the responsibility for the game or organising the players, he’s right there. That’s why I say he has been a terrific captain for Everton.

“Now we want to see if Joe can step forward and do that. Whether he does it permanently is something I will decide on.”

For his part, Yobo – who is known to his team-mates as ‘The Chief – is happy with the way things have turned around for Everton in the past seven days and he feels there are signs of the club clicking into top gear.

What’s more, he also knows there is a terrific opportunity for the squad to make significant progress on three fronts in the next few weeks, starting tonight in the Carling Cup against Hull City.

After that, Everton has Premier League assignments against Portsmouth, Stoke, Wolves and Bolton, with a trip to Minsk to face Bate Borisov in the Europa League squeezed in the middle, and Yobo is confident the early season blip will be left behind.





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