Cornish Steve

We tired in that game because the same team had played Burnley a few days earlier. Instead of claiming 3 points, our tiredness toward the end of the game meant we took away just one.

The single biggest factor will be final position in the table (TV money). Yes, it's nice to have an FA Cup run, but all our focus must be on gaining every single point we can in the league. I'm mad that we let the League Cup cost us two points against Brighton. Play dull; it doesn't matter. Gain points through hard-fought draws; just fine. But we need to win all games against teams in the bottom half.

Virginia had a great game. He's matured quite a bit, and his confidence is there.

For those outside the UK (or who refuse to use X)...

If we can thrash Newcastle, we can beat Villa. Everton 2-1 Villa DC-L

Round 20 produced an awful result, which no-one predicted. Only dunlopp and Matt scored two points, the winning total for this round. For the busy month of December, Romey and sibdane were joint winners, although neither managed to top TT Average. For the season, Boston Toffee retains the lead. We can take stock after 20 games and the end of 2023. The winner per prediction is Bill. He was the inspiration for this weekly prediction game - I only took it over when he struggled to find the time - so it's fitting that he should come out on top. His sad passing is the end of an era.

Today's the day Manchester City won the league. It's now inevitable.

In retrospect, the name 'patto' is a bit of a give-away - if only we'd thought of it.

Very sad to hear. Bill was a genuine contributor. Wishing every sympathy to his family.

Great news, but we shouldn't take undue risks. If more rest will help, then rest them.

Almost always, when there's a whiff of corruption, follow the money. There's plenty of it about in a very relevant corner... https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/sport/denise-coates-bet365-salary-spt-intl/index.html

We've set expectations of no significant deals in this window, which is just fine. We'd be fools to change this strategy at a moment's notice by selling key players. We need stability right now, not a dash for cash.

He's scored no goals at previous clubs. Rumour has it that his Italian coach declared "There must-a be-a no hann-a ball in-a the penalty box-a" and he took it too literally. Well, meybri it's true.

In a Sky News article: "But after Craig Pawson, the VAR, reviewed the images which showed Calvert-Lewin clipping Clyne's shin with his studs, Kavanagh was summoned to the monitor. After re-watching the incident multiple times, including in slow motion, a red card was issued. Everton have since appealed the decision." Yahoo Sports claims Salisbury was the VAR referee. Shields Gazette: "Referee Craig Pawson was involved in a controversial VAR decision during Everton's FA Cup match against Crystal Palace - just two days before he'll officiate Sunderland's huge fixture against Newcastle. Pawson was the VAR official who recommended that on-field referee Chris Kavanagh visited the pitchside monitor after a tackle from Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, before the player was shown a straight red card in the 79th minute." The Sportsmole: "Everton have lodged an appeal against the red card received by Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the club's FA Cup third round tie with Crystal Palace on Thursday. The striker was sent off with just over 10 minutes remaining of the 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, following a VAR review recommended by Craig Pawson." Total confusion reigns. Is this genuine misinformation or deliberate obfuscation? PS - Just to add to the confusion, it seems that Yahoo Sports has now edited out the name 'Michael Salisbury' from the article I read not 30 minutes ago.

On one sports show, Neil Warnock quoted other examples and made the explicit claim that Pawson has it in for Everton. But what would the motive be? Did we not send him a Christmas card?

Here's what was written on BBC live text when DC-L made that tackle...

The BBC live text at the time stated "really good tackle from Calvert-Lewin".

One day, it's all going to come out. There's no doubt VAR is being used to rig results, no doubt at all. The league's defence will be that football is no different from wrestling - it's entertainment, and they can rig it however they like - but that's not how fans see it. We demand honesty, fairness, and a single standard that's applied to all. The FA has it in for Everton, no doubt, and we've almost reached the point where an independent inquiry should be convened. And if the FA wants to show me a red card for writing that, then "go ahead - make my day!"

The owners thought they could make big money by appointing a legendary name as manager, believing that would be a draw. Results are far more important, and they must currently be ruing their stupidity. Meanwhile, Wayne walks away with millions in his pocket, so I don't have too much sympathy.

When you have a rather thin squad, you have no option but to build a strategy around specific players. There's no doubt that Doucoure is central to our approach right now, so it's not so surprising that we've struggled a little. Still, there were always going to be bumps in the road. What matters is the long haul.

Possible commentary today: Gomes passes to Gomes, who’s intercepted by Gomes aided by Gomes.

This is a difficult game to predict since both teams have been playing well of late. We're really missing Doucoure, but we're not playing poorly. It really could go either way.

Wolves 2-3 Everton Tarkowski

We're halfway through the season. Congratulations to Boston Toffee and Matt Tiger for predicting the correct score against City. Romey and Sibdane are joint leaders for the month of December. Boston Toffee has extended his lead for the season, while Bill remains ahead by a whisker per prediction.

Changing my goal-scorer to be Beto.