Oztoffee

Absolutely correct. I noted v Fulham especially that Barkley, Osman and Barry were caught out far too frequently being too slow in passing it on. Fulham were in their faces but no excuses, they just were not too keen to get rid....wanted more time or just wanted to beat a man to slow the game down.

A class player indeed. Centre-back is not an easy position to play without the relevant experience. Young strikers who make regular blunders in a game don't lose matches, centre-backs who make blunders rarely survive more than a couple of games. Sure, he's had the odd heart-stopping moment but when you consider how much younger he is than Distin (17 years?)he doesn't havethat much ground to make up. He must be learning every day from Baines and Distin and Jags......few better teachers around than they. Maybe too soon for him for World Cup 2014, but watch this space. Couldn't agree more though about Smalling and Cleverley in particular. I'll reserve judgement on Jones for the time being as I think he needs better players around him.

Be assured, if Lukaku was scoring at twice his current rate ie: a goal a game, he would not be for sale and certainly not at 20mill. Crappy first touch?, if he scored a goal a game who cares? We have to put this into perspective, Chelsea want to offload because he's not good enough for them and like all other teams are asking for more than he's worth to see what the market says. Easy really....if we want him we have to negotiate. If he continues to score at his current rate he'd end the season with 16 goals. Who was the last Everton player to score 16 in a season? (A real question by the way... I don't know the answer and it's too late and I'm too knackered to bother to look.)Not many have done that, certainly not in the post-Latchford days. The question really then is whether 16 a season is worth up to 20mill. We've become so Moyesified over the past 11 years that our current views of our game are blinkered when it come to assessing a player's worth. "So what if he scores 16 a season, he doesn't work for the team". A couple of close looks at his positioning in recent games has often seen him out on the wing. WTF? Reminds me very much of jelly doing likewise......wouldn't be out there unless (a)he's been told to (b)has to be out there to get a touch. I know which I'd pick. Lack of service kills goalscorers.

C'mon folks, get the excuses out of the way. We were fucked to a standstill by a team that were far better on the night. Saw the Arsenal game too, and on last night's performance we would have given a good account of ourselves against them....the shite were just far too good and I daresay would have beaten anyone. As an aside, it shows how well off the top clubs are when they have a bench that is as strong as the side that starts. We havn't got that luxury and last night was always going to be difficult....shows the gap that we have to overcome to be top four continuously (not just for a week here and there). Good sign though, we were still at it at the end, going forward and trying to score. COYB

Hells bells! That's not a bad team to put out at any time. We have some great options too, but after seeing what happened when Pienaar and Osman went off for Naismith and Heitenga I'm a little apprehensive. Perhaps Bobby was showcasing Johnny at the time but to change 2 midfielders at the same time doesn't go for me. I'd rather Osman come on for 20/25 mins than start tbh. Where do you think that McGeady will fit in to a starting lineup? If he replaces Mirallas I think that he'll have to change his whole approach towards team-play rather than the selfish attitude that others think he has. However, Bobby has forgotten more about this sort of thing than I actually know, so in Bob I trust! By the way....absolutely overjoyed at Baines penning a new deal!

Went on a bit of a road trip just to get away after Xmas. Gave up in Queensland where the temps were in the 40's and humidity in the 70% region.....like a hot bath! Bit cooler here at home in Central Coast NSW.....nice in the mid to high 20's and lower humidity. Those in US/Canada have my absolute sympathy. I was there in October last year and the weather was superb......can change so much though in Wisconsin, etc. They are called the 'flyover states', because if you can, you fly over them: lots and lots of nothing on the ground. So flat you can't see the horizon. Now 6ft deep in snow, you can see even less.

These next few games are really important....we need to nail these fixtures against 'lesser' teams (no disrespect).Pick up 12 points from the next 4 games while Spurs, L'pool, Citeh and Chelski are dropping points against each other and we're really into the top 4 in a good way. We've already played these teams in this half of the season, time now for them to show what they're made of. My predictive talents are zero, but can't help thinking 3-0. Lukaku x 2 and Gerry

Xmas joke. The whole family are sitting down to Christmas lunch with lots of alcoholic good cheer. Uncle Arthur asks whether anyone knows about 'Titties'? Lots of eye rolls and grimaces but Arthur goes on.... "Well, when women are young, their titties are hard, just like melons. When they get older, their titties are like pears. Still OK but a little soft at the ends. Then when they are much older, their titties are like old ripe bananas. Squishy, with lots of blemishes and they droop downwards." Mum and the daughters are horrified until Auntie Lizzie says, "What about 'willies', then?" "What about 'willies'?" "Well, when men are young, they are straight and hard like oak trees. When they are older they are like willows. Still OK, but bendy and pliable. When they are much older, 'willies' are like Christmas trees." "Christmas trees?" says Uncle Arthur "Why, yes!", said Auntie Lizzie '"The whole thing is dead and the balls are just for decoration".

Non PC Christmas jokes Mary and Joseph pull up outside the motel. Joseph goes inside and comes out angry because there's no room at the Inn. "This is crap Mary", he said "What a fookin' holiday this is!" "Next thing is you'll be telling me your pregnant!" .....................--------------------....................Next! Joseph waits in the stable for the birth. After the birth, he rushes out, sees the Three Wise Men and shouts, "It's a girl, it's a girl!"

Yea, I thought so too, but you posted it first. Deuf...no..deauf...no...ah fuck it! DooFoo I thought was quiet and mostly ineffective apart from a couple of stunning runs where at the final blow he made the wrong decision. Although to be fair it's unlikely anyone else would have got into those positions in the first place. There is no doubt that he'll be a superstar when he sorts those things out. Oviedo has a blinder and Ross put in his grafting shift that Roberto wanted and midfield played like they'd played together for years. Magic!

I think that all of the above is correct, and I love it! But as usual the stats say we're well short in the goalscoring department. God help us if we didn't have Lukaku. We have to work on this in the Jan window as we all know Lukaku won't be around next season (unlikely anyway). We have the game plan and the players to get us to the edge of the box but then it all comes to a shuddering halt as we pussyfoot around with nobody prepared to make runs at the opposition (DooFoo excluded and more power to him). Barkley's prepared to have a go at long range but then many are on his back because he missed. I'm sure that it will all come together soon enough but we need to be patient.......one thing I lack in quantity but I'm trying to do the best I can!

How do others think this has panned out so far? For me seeing only his cameo against the shite he looked totally out of his depth. Really out of the loop down under as far as newspaper and TV comments go, so we get to rely on forums like this to get the gossip on what's happening. Plays for the England U-21's etc I know, but he's been a bencher for how many Everton games this season? And was the cameo his first Prem game? Am I unfair in my original 'out of his depth' comment or is there more there?

What is the shortest name then? Any takers? Everton perhaps?

ANSWER Bournemouth and Boscome Athletic FC. "It's only Bournemouth AFC" I hear you say! WRONG!! Bournemouth AFC is only a trading name. The club is officially registered as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club.

Which team has the longest name in British football? Answer below

To be brutally honest, from what I've seen on TV he's not a heavyweight. I honestly don't think he offers enough, especially for 90 mins to be a totally effective force. He has a sublime touch and can mesmerise opposition defences with his close control and dribbling......but doing it once in a match ain't enough. I get the U-21 successes but here we're about to play perhaps the most in-form team in the Prem at the moment, totally different ball game. If and I say 'if' he's given the opportunities by other players and Martinez makes it happen that way, he can run at the opposition all day and cause immense panic in the penalty area. If he has to go get the ball himself, he'll be a real handicap because I don't think the lad has it. I'll be ecstatic to be wrong (and I hope I am if he starts). Two things: 1) has Martinez got the balls to do as many think and start the lad? 2) will the lad be hung out to dry if it all turns to dog shit?

Great insights there into how much has changed in the game while so much remains the same. Never a man of many words, Kendall says it as he sees it and it's not all good. Would be a great read I reckon.

Not totally au fait with the minutae of Prem players apart from what I see here in Oz. But the story seems not to have changed since 1970.ie how can England managers keep picking the out-of-form or never-had-any-form players where others who are in better form but perhaps are not in fashionable teams miss out? The list of managers like these seems endless. You could substitute any of the names of players mentioned above with those from the 70's 80's 90's etc. and keep the same text and nobody would notice any change. This is a bit like Moyes really, only on a national scale. When will we get an England manager with balls? Someone please who will take a risk on an in form player. I watched Newcastle Jets in the A-Leaguge at the weekend especially to watch Heskey. What a waste of pitch space. He contributed nothing to the team (or the match)and I was reminded that he was ever-present for England for more than 10 years and contributed then pretty much what he contributed against Adelaide Utd. How in god's name did he get away with it? Because the managers were totally without gonads! ........and so it continues. I'd like to see others' views on the subject, especially those who have any real ideas why these scenarios continue. Thanks

Oh. That would account for the funny noises I hear when I venture out for a run then?

Could be a personality thing. Oviedo started for Costa Rica against Oz in Sydney this week and looked OK. Couldn't influence the game any as CR were mostly outclassed for much of the game. he didn't make any major cock-ups though and looked quite sound.

I knew a guy once who played in the reserves at Everton with Trebilcock and who were great rivals. After Trebilcock had scored in the final against Sheff Wed in 1966, that night he sent my mate a telegram that said "up yours".

I remember reading somewhere a million years ago that the ball burst in two successive Cup Finals...about 1948, 1949...not certain of the dates. But Charlton were in both finals.

Timmy scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in Sydney. Didn't do much else though...a real 'off the bench' scorer is our Tim. Perhaps not the right player for us any more under Martinez but he still knows where the goal is. As an aside, Oviedo played most of the game for CR and performed well under difficult circumstances as CR were under the cosh for a large proportion of the game.

I remember when I was kid in the 60's my father telling me that Northampton Town held the unenviable record of being promoted from Div 4 to the top tier and relegated back to Div 4 in 9 years, What a roller-coaster that would have been!

This is a 360 really...Fellaini. First thought he was crap when we got him. Slow, shit tackler, prone to red cards. Took for ever for him to come good, and then I thought I was wrong. Played well, overcame the red card situation (mostly) and speeded his game up. Then last season he was absolute crap again and in the end I think we got a good deal when Moyes took him to Utd.