Elston Gunnn

You know more about Branthwaite than I do. For me, I, too, have high hopes, but those hopes come from desperation, not confidence. My general sense is that for 2 reasons, we’ll have trouble bringing in several starter-quality players: (1) we’ve no money, and (2) promising players think Everton is a disaster, and will be relegated next May. So, truly, I desperately hope Branthwaite stays and is good enough to partner with Tarkowski.

Agree with this. And as a secondary point: the fact he can play RB should mean that RB is not a priority summer signing. We have far more pressing needs: striker(s), CH(s), winger. Edit: Forgot to add LB signing as much higher priority than RB.

I’m too ignorant of offering/buying/selling prices in Europe and the EPL, but I do think just on potential he’s definitely worth keeping. For we’re in dire shape at the back, have let Coady go, and no one has much faith in Keane or Holgate, and precious little in Godfrey. And with the financial mess we’re in — and more broadly the embarrassing mess the club has become — I’ve little confidence that we’ll attract a solid starting partner for Tarkowski. So Branthwaite’s “worth” more to Everton, just at this moment, than he’s probably “worth.” We need to keep him, either play him or loan him.

It’s a fair disagreement, and I concede my comments may reflect irritation with missed shots and failure to get men in the box more than careful analysis, so I appreciate your perspective. I do still disagree about a couple of points. First, and especially about Gana, with whom I am constantly irritated at what I see as his too-frequent forays as a box-to-box player. Which I do not think should be his role. Unlike you, my sense is, not exactly that he wants to be an ACM, but that he definitely does want to get forward, undoubtedly “only” in support of, well, I guess Doucouré and Iwobi. But it seems too often that when the ball loops free just outside the box, who’s there to blast it, high or wide, but Gana. Perhaps I’m just remembering 2-3 such moments, and exaggerating their frequency. But not the failures. When, very infrequntly, Gana hits the ball straight toward the net, it’s a big surprise. He’s not a shooter. As to Onana, my impression is that late season Dyche wanted him to press forward much more actively than earlier in the season, not necessarily because he’s good as an attacker, but because Dyche had no one more effective. That is, no one, period, who was effective as a central attacker. I agree with you that he’s not shown much creativity or ability to make things happen, but in effect, late season, he seemed to be an “attacker,” if a misplaced one. i didn’t mention Garner, but agree with you that he shows more promise as a “controlling midfielder” than as an attacker. And I agree with you that Doucouré was, late season, the best of our “attackers.” But I will also say I was stunned — very pleasantly so — by his Brighton goals, especially the stunning stunner.

A major part of our goal-scoring problem is that we have several attack minded midfielders, but none of whom has thus far shown any consistency whatsoever in being able to kick the ball straight toward the goal. And in Gana’s case, we have a DCM who wants to be an ACM, and so is also attack minded, but who also can’t kick it straight. The central image I have from all our attacking midfielders is — hands on head, shocked look of disbelief that they’d missed what should have been a pretty easy shot. And the second image I have is them failing to get in the box for a cross.

It’s pretty pathetic that, knowing we’ll be very lucky to get 40 matches from Patterson and Coleman combined, RB is nevertheless not a priority signing. It’s down the desperate list.

So wasteful by Iwobi.

Jeez Pickford, kick it down the middle.

For me, the quality we need to show is 1-2 more men in the box for crosses. Too often our midfielders aren’t in the box.

Yes, this worries me, too. Our players, as much as the referee, need to play with enormous energy every moment, BUT not recklessly. No yellow cards — unless to stop a Bournemouth breakaway — in the first half. Also worry about ghastly mistakes in midfield, giveaways. Want to see fierce commitment from the opening whistle. And no fierce stupidity.

Looked like a Gana giveaway there. Gonna kill us?

With 5 minutes + left, Newcastle willing to play for draw, while Leicester hoping for smash and grab.

Just hope it’s not an own goal......

Good heavens, how did Newcastle not score there??

Yes, I want Leicester to lose. But the single most important thing is that Leicester not win. A draw keeps it in our hands. If we can’t beat Bournemouth on the final day, with relegation at stake........

Agree. Right now I’d take a tie, puts it back in our hands to take 3 points on the final day.

Newcastle hit the post twice, and on another Newcastle shot a Leicester defender headed it off the line.

Ifs, buts, and maybes still apply, probably to the very last moment of this dreadful season. But no matter what happens, TT promises to be, putting it way too gently, very lively in June. Even if Everton survive, we will be snarling at each other over this player or that, how many EPL-quality players we have, who are the very most dreadful, who might be still worth keeping, whether we’d have been fine (well, mid-table mediocrity) had DCL been healthy, whether Coleman/Patterson would suffice at RB, even if Coleman returns, and on and on. And bottom line, as Zoo 2.0 says, whether “we’ll be back here in 12 months time.”

All of Everton, Leeds, and Leicester will feel hard done by with this missed pen call. Forest clinches safety today, but Arsenal should obviously have had a pen kick. A draw today would keep pressure on Forest next Sunday. I don’t doubt the storyline will be Forest’s grit, character, Cooper’s tactics, etc. A heartwarming story. So the pen story — Forest’s luck in this crucial match — will get lost.

Yes, in my case it could easily have been my Everton bias, but I’m not surprised more objective observers think it was clearly a pen. Hope some of you TT-ers get a chance to see the replay, as I’ll be surprised if you aren’t shocked that VAR apparently didn’t even check it.

Ref just missed obvious pen against Forest, as Lee Dixon pointed out 3 times in 20 seconds. Arsenal player clearly pulled down inside box. No pen given. Happy to be corrected by anyone watching the Forest match, who agrees with ref calling it a dive by Gabriel Jesus.

Radio commentators doing everything they can not to blast virtually all the players for cowardice and laziness. Our play seems lethargic in an essential match.

Can’t get stream, listening to Everton radio. Commentators say we’re tired. I infer we’ll be lucky not to concede another goal or 2.

Maybe 3-3-3-1? The firm of Garner, Gana, & Onana, then Iwobi, Dourcouré, & McNeil?

I can’t say I understand it. Can only guess it’s 3 at the back, with Iwobi helping Patterson and McNeil running 200 miles up and down the left side, defending, and with an assist and a brace.