Elston Gunnn

Several, I guess: nerve-racking, nail-biting, stressful, hairy. But with the vaguely plausible exception of “hairy,” the origin of which I do not know offhand, these Americanisms pale in comparison to “squeaky bum time,” especially for hilarity. Brit humour (like British spelling....) is, for me, alternately more earthy and more sophisticated than American. Not always, but often enough to charm me. It may be that “squeaky bum time” was first uttered by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003, referring to the pressure on Arsenal to keep up with Man U near the end of the title race.

Arsenal’s collapse is bad news for us, as Forest have a good chance to get 3 points at home against them on Sat. That would get Forest to 37, with Palace away on the final Sun. Of course we hope to win our final 2, finish with 38, guaranteed safe. But we can’t be confident of 6 points. Take 4, finish on 36, looks our most reasonable hope for staying up over Leicester and Leeds. Agonizing, though not as agonizing as for Leicester at this moment.

0-3!

Halftime, 0-2.

I waited until after VAR ruled. Actually, on both goals. But, yes, nerve-racking. Squeaky bum, in Brit-speak?

Just now a Liverpool goal. 0-1, good news. Edit — Better news, 0-2.

A point will do for Forest, but not for us. Great game for Doucouré, and then shirt over face.

Doucouré’s shirt over face is unfortunately the symbol of multiple lost opportunities, giveaways and inability to finish, the whole season long.

Going forward, yes! Look how many we had inside the box, amazing.

Keane’s decent with the long pass.

Keep getting forward, please.

McNeil on his left foot, but nothing, totally misses it. Can’t finish.

I’m probably a bit more pessimistic, as I think we desperately need 6 points from our next 2 matches. That would give us 27 points from 27 matches. But only 4 from next 2 gives us 25 from 27 and, as you say, 3 tough matches coming up after that.

Hoping to get to 37-38. I think we’re likely safe at 38, down at 36, with 37 the goal-difference point. So today’s result was disastrous. This Sunday’s match with Forest is a 6-pointer. They are among probably 8 teams in the relegation fight. They have 25 points from 24 matches, while we’ve only 21 from 25. They are one of the few away matches we might take 3 points from. There simply aren’t many teams we can get 3 points from, and a bunch of draws against teams like Forest will not get us to 37-38. Hope none of Bournemouth (@ Arsenal), WHam (@ Brighton), Leeds (@ Chelsea), or Wolves (H to Spurs) take a single point this weekend. Guess a draw between Soton and Leicester would do. Most important, we must win Sunday.

Gana’s laziness. Should have passed it back 2 seconds earlier. We have too many players who simply are not alert. Other teams know we will give the ball away.

And again. Iwobi with marvelous run, keeps ball, then fails in basic short pass into the box.

Yet another example of inability to finish. Toothless, wasteful, indeed.

Hope we nick a minor-miracle point. Or a major-miracle 3. Hoping, but not expecting. So I’ll also hope that if things go badly in the first half, pretty early in the second Dyche uses lots of subs. Glad Dyche has named 1 new starter. Wish it were more, 3-4 more. Can’t see Maupay being effective on his own. Need Simms with him. Not optimistic, and am admittedly thinking more about Forest on Sunday.

Good thing it’s not in our feet.

Today’s loss at home to Villa was a major missed opportunity. We desperately need 6 points from the away match with Forest and home to Brentford. Gladly take a point at Arsenal on Wednesday, but .........

No finishers. Really, none. When McNeil set up Maupay for a one-touch blast into the corner of the net, Maupay had to stop the ball, failed to one-touch it. Abysmal finishing all around this team. Good energy, no finishing.

Several important issues here. 1. I look at last night’s result as bad, not good, for Everton. I see Wolves as having picked up a point in an away match with a (surprisingly) top 6-7 team. I’d hoped for Fulham to take 3 points. 2. Agree with Hafnia that I tend to prefer draws among (fellow) relegation teams when they play each other. I don’t like relegation rivals each taking a point, but I like even less any of them taking 3 from any match. Right now. That can change as we move close to the end of the season, when we might desperately want Team X to pick up not a single point. 3. On anxiety in front of goal, I fear it’s less anxiety and more that we just don’t have goal scorers, period. Our problem seems more straightforward lack of talent — can’t pull the trigger fast enough when in position to shoot, can’t put the ball on frame, period, not enough men in the box — than anxiety. But I don’t mean to discount totally the anxiety factor, and agree that a couple of wins is psychologically and emotionally lifting.

I’m not entirely sure whether I’m agreeing or disagreeing with you and Goodison Glory. Although I definitely agree that not getting 7 from 7 would be very bad, my position several posts above was that we really need 7 from the next 4, precisely because after the “7 points from the next 4 seems plausible,” we have 3 much tougher looking matches, Chelsea, ManU, and Spurs, with only Spurs at Goodison. Were we to take, say, only 4 points from our next 4 matches, that’s not good, as it would require 3 points from Chelsea, ManU, and Spurs — just to get to the “bare minimum 7 from 7.” We need points now, 7 from the next 4.

Fair point, but I see 3 of the next 4 as among our better opportunities, with 2 at home and 1 away v. “beatable” opponents. Beyond these next 4, our next 3 include away to Chelsea and ManU and home to Spurs. I don’t like our chances to pick up more than 1-2, at most, from those 3. Maybe we’ll get on a roll, though with DCL’s status regularly doubtful, I doubt we can score many goals. I worry that our fate may come down to the season’s final 2 matches, away to Wolves and home to Bournemouth, both possibly/probably “6 pointers.” We need points now.

Need 7 points from next 4 matches, starting tomorrow with Villa. That would give us 28 points after 27 matches, and a reasonable shot at 38-40. Only 4-5 points from next 4, danger zone. Only 1-2, we’re doomed. Can’t drop points at home to Villa. Have to win tomorrow.