Cornish Steve

A T shirt for Lukaku saying:- "I'm only 21 ya know"

A T-shirt for Eto'o saying: "I'm not really 41 ya know".

What might be appropriate presents for the Everton team? I'd suggest blue hair dye for Kone.

Southampton 1-1 Everton

Lukaku

Howard – 5

Coleman – 4 ^^

Jagielka – 6

Stones – 7

Baines – 6 ^

Besic – 6 ^

McCarthy – 7 ^

Barkley – 5 ^^

Mirallas – 5 ^

Naismith - 7

Lukaku – 6 ^^

Average team rating is a little under 6. I expect Coleman, Barkley, and Lukaku to turn around their seasons the most.

Bench/Squad that have been used:

Joel – 4 ^

Distin – 4

Browning – 4 ^

Hibbert – 6

Garbutt – 7 ^

Barry – 6

Osman – 4

Pienaar – 3 v

McGeady - 5 ^

Atsu – 4

Kone – 6 ^

Eto’o – 7

I added a down arrow for Pienaar. Sadly, I just see him deteriorating further - hopefully after having been traded in January.

Maybe I can add one more:

Oviedo - 4 ^

I hope Mikes better at adding up than you are in your prediction league.

Oh, like me, he makes it up as he goes along.

Barry will be back, I've no doubt. With rest, he'll be much improved. We forget just how important he's been in games this year. The biggest loss for this game is not Mirallas but McCarthy. I'd like to see Lukaku and Kone paired up front, and Stones in place of Distin.

Even I associate Z-cars with Everton - from watching on TV years and years ago. Some traditions ought to stay.

I'm sure you don't like everyone singing "Abide with me" before the FA Cup final either.

Good thead btw should be interesting. Maybe one of our more mathematically minded members if they get a spare bit of time can tally up and get a forum average etc on the players and draw up a league table then do another one in May and see where it's at then.

I suspect very much that it will correlate closely to current MOTM vote totals.

Wouldn't it be great. Sadly it wont be us

No. It would be terrible. I have very little respect for teams that buy their way to success. Anyone can do that. The truly great teams earn their way there - a true team and not a bunch of expensive prima donna individuals.

If that's towards me you've got me all wrong. I tread on thin water here. I've got a very still tongue...... The last few days I've been called a prick, twat, cock and most recently a whopper in all of this I ain't reacted. I've certainly been no keyboard warrior.

Good on you for having thick skin, because you certainly expect it of others! Personally, I don't get all the name-calling, and I can understand why one new (American) member commenting in this thread was at a loss. It seems to be a peculiarly British thing. Of course, it's a British forum so no big deal. It does seem to be related to the issue of semi-anonymity. I've even had good friends post some surprisingly negative and strongly worded comments online when we disagree: It's an odd phenomenon.

Personally, and pull me up if I stray from this principle, I'll post strong opinions at times on issues but I won't hurl personal insults. Maybe I'm simply holding to values that are outdated, but I just don't see the need for it. Plus, some people can be unduly sensitive, and online it's difficult to know who is and who is not.

And finally, my sense of humour and quality of attempted light-hearted jokes can be poor - sorry! They are sometimes attempts to get us to laugh at themselves to relieve any tension that's building up - for which purpose they may backfire spectacularly.

Southampton 3 - 2 Everton

 

None

Trying to figure this one out since we have no goalscorers. Maybe we're awarded two goals because Southampton field ineligible players?

Four players tied for first this week: Congratulations to c1982, millwallforever, pete0, and TonkaRoost. For the month of December, TonkaRoost has taken over the lead. For the season, the TT Average retains the lead. As for average points per prediction, MikeO stays on top.

Ah, the semi-anonymity of the Internet. In part, keyboard warriors are compensating because, in real life, they wouldn't dare do or say what they boast about online. Not meaning to imply that's true of anyone here, of course. Just an observation.

Yes, I have met other forum members, when I've traveled to other parts of the US. Indeed, I traveled hundreds of miles to do so. And, years ago, when I was flying half a million miles a year, Rusty was probably the pilot! I suppose that means, since I've actually made the effort to do this in person, in the rain I might add, that I have the right to hurl abuse and boo at other forum members, whereas those who just sit in front of a screen do not.

Come on, whatever you think, whoever you want to argue with, Lukaku isn't doing the business this season.

He's Everton's leading scorer, tied with Eden Hazard and Wayne Rooney, and way ahead of any Liverpool striker. You don't have to be entertaining or overextending yourself to do your job.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/premier-league/top-scorers

We really need to strengthen the middle of the field. That is our Achilles Heel right now. Winger vs wing-back may be an interesting discussion, but it shouldn't distract from our lack of depth in midfield.

Guess. Pisses me off. Can't jump, half arsed workrate, their defence was shite and he made them look like ac Milan from the 90's.

Pienaar?

Not doing much wrong is pretty much the equivalent of not doing anything.

 

Kone made the front line his own the other night. Lukaku is a seriously lazy sod. Minimal, tread mill style running. No real desire to get amongst it.

Hmm - so you're not completely sold on Lukaku after all?

At an airport bar and the broadcaster has elected for downhill skiing and talk radio over the footy. Heard Ross scored a beauty. COYB!

Your personality is different to mine. When that happens to me at the airport, I immediately demand they switch channels. Almost always, they will.

Phil Neville is such a joke. Here's his quote on the BBC website: "Harry Redknapp has picked a really good team to play Everton. He's got pace in wide areas and that will help nullify the threat from Everton. They'll pack the midfield and Goodison is a similarly tight ground to QPR. Now they just need to recreate their home form here." QPR and "really good team" should never be heard together in the same sentence!

Injuries have really had an effect on the midfield - which is usually where games are won or lost. Hopefully it won't matter too much against QPR; still, that's very much our Achilles heel. We really need McCarthy back.

You can be done when lukaku does 10-12km a game. I respect you, but respectfully I disagree. He covers about 7km a game at best.

 

I broke toe in two places launching into a disgraceful tackle playing against ellesmere port in the west Cheshire league, the inflammation took the nail off and the toe should have been drained. I went skiing on it a week later and played two weeks after.

 

Once it's in a boot and pain killers have kicked in its nothing. Rom started giving it the holding foot bollocks at 85 minutes - absolute bullshit. Attention seeking 8 year old nonsense.

 

Yeah it hurt but when I couldn't control a ball 8 months after was that the reason??? No just me being shite and that's why I do a 35 hour a week job.

In every discussion, it seems, no matter what the subject line, I'm seeing this same "8 year old nonsense". It would be such a relief to read this forum without wondering how long it will be before Lukaku gets slammed yet again. It is so BORING! :dont know:

One bad game and he was completely written off as a waste of money. Now, thankfully back after a major injury: One good game and he's not only better than Lukaku but the team's potential messiah. I've been a consistent supporter of Kone throughout, but let's not get carried away. I seriously wish him well, but only time will tell whether he can repeat his goalscoring abilities from previous seasons.

I'm potentially fit.

As a reminder, this prediction appears to be coming to pass...

http://www.toffeetalk.com/index.php?/topic/26535-kopite-thread/?p=438668

How can a team as poor as United be two goals up? Only because they're playing a team as poor as Liverpool.