AlbanyNYToffee

A perfect storm has now brewed for us - we have had a really shit run of game results wise massively influenced by injuries and as players are starting to come back from the Man City game onward we pretty much come in to a run of very tough games that we would 'struggle' in even with a full squad.  The run of shit results is going to continue up until Xmas, the fact is we are mainly going to be playing better teams in Arsenal and Chelsea. 
I have been saying for months we need to right off this season right up until Xmas.
Rafa is always destine to get a less than fair crack at the whip than probably any other manager. We all know a bad run would turn the atmosphere toxic.
Changing the manager before Xmas is not going to change a thing at this club - Anybody who thinks giving Benitez the boot is going to make everything OK is deluded. In the current status quo - a new manager now is just another lamb to the slaughter.  
In April/May last year you could tell Ancelotti just didn't have a clue how he was going to get much of tune of this team. Benitez is essentially stuck with the same players, except they are 8momths older !.
The quality of the vast majority of our squad is the heart of problem. Benitez is the one person in key position at the club who shoulders no blame for this. 
'Benitez out' is a total red herring and I would be even more ashamed of those at the top of this club if they gave him the boot for the current state of affairs at this club. 
 
 

RIP Ava White.

At the start of the season, with a nearly full-strength first XI, Benitez got a nice tune out of them and there were some promising signs. How anyone can say that, shorn of DCL, Doucoure and Mina (also Richarlison), we will somehow be the same is pure fantasy. Townsend and Gray benefitted early on because defenders were drawn to DCL, giving them space. They don't have that now. We don't have a right back or a left back who can do anything, our central defence without Mina is very poor and our midfield without Doucoure has zero creativity. So, what about effort? the naysayers cry. Why can't Benitez get the team, shorn of its spine, to be more up and at them? Well, they were against Tottenham - ish. But how many years has it been since we've had a proper up and at them team? These players are just not very good, sadly, and they're a bit disinterested, and they don't want to learn, and they don't want to put the effort in  - and the Benitez boo boys, like the parents of a classroom of kids who don't want to learn, blame the new teacher for the poor grades. A new manager is the last thing we need at the moment. Young dynamic full backs will most certainly help. A creative midfielder will help. Better luck with injuries will help. Recruitment needs to be sorted out and that's on the board.

Keep seeing a lot of "he is better than some of the players got" and "he would improve the side".  This is the same backwards thinking that has us stuck with the useless squad we have.  How we ended up with the Iwobis and Walcotts and other players who just couldn't hack it and be using us as a retirement club.  Better than what we have on the bench. Band-aid buys.  We should not be comparing players.  We should be buying the right players for our club and for the future.  Young talented players or experience on the cheap.  Ross is neither.  Plus he contracted until 2023 so won't be on a free.
Also this...  
All the above make the decision for us, before even have a chance to examine whether or not we can forgive.
 
 

The only reason I would want him back is so I could here the boos from the first to last minute, from those who hold the values of this club at the pinnacle of what it means to be an Evertonian. He claimed to be one of us yet wouldn’t sign a contract that was on the table for over a year and would have made him one of if not the highest earners at the club. Instead he shit on us in such away it still makes my blood boil, going to Chelsea and so say refusing is medical to come back here and spend all season in our treatment room being paid, only to then sign for them when fit for 15-20 million less, he did a deal with them that cost us millions and gave him a few more quid and saved Chelsea million’s. I’ve heard excuses for him that he’s a bit thick and was led by his agent and Chelsea, no excuse in my book, he may be a ham sandwich short of picnic but when you’re an Evertonian you’re led by your heart not your bank balance. For me he can never be forgiven and welcomed back he betrayed us and that can’t be forgotten or forgiven. 

Honestly not even worth mentioning 

Remember when a few of us were saying in the summer that a center half was a top priority and were laughed out the room?
🤫

As much as I do not believe for one second it would actually happen, it would be just so Everton.
A manager comes in against the odds, wins the majority of the fan base around with a threadbare squad playing a brand of football that many are happy with and then he pisses off to bloody Newcastle.

This is it.
We have so many chances where we could square it for a easier chance but our players don’t even look.
If Mina isn’t there, Tom takes on the shot no doubt. At least he is having a look around before he makes decisions. 

A lot of the media were saying today’s game would be a barometer of where we’re at this season but with our injury problems I don’t think that’s right. However, if that is the case then I think it showed that we are a very competitive team this season. We’re a team that are pulling for each other and will fight for everything. But we’re not just a hard working team, we’re also threatening and efficient. We’re well organised, in attack and defence. We're full of energy. We’ve got a good smattering of quality.
We earned that point today, we didn’t fluke it despite not having a lot of the ball. We’ve gone there many times in the past and sat in and offered absolutely nothing in the game but today, other than the start of the game, we didn’t look under too pressure.
I was very pleased with us today. 

Anyone who says the football we are playing under Rafa is worse than Carlo is delusional. On the balance of things over these first 20 minutes, we've looked just as dangerous as them

If we're being honest City, Chelsea, Utd and the shite are far superior to us this season. That leaves us competing with Spurs, Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham. Right now we have more points than all of them. Given what we've seen the last 3 months at the club this is about as good as we could have hoped for. Let's get a point against Utd and get everyone healthy during the international break. 

If we're being honest City, Chelsea, Utd and the shite are far superior to us this season. That leaves us competing with Spurs, Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham. Right now we have more points than all of them. Given what we've seen the last 3 months at the club this is about as good as we could have hoped for. Let's get a point against Utd and get everyone healthy during the international break. 

Today was always going to be about grinding out the points, without a fit striker or right back on the pitch and a lot of the players having played in mid week - and grind out the points we did. A good three point  - and apparently the last time we won the first 3 home games of the season was back in 1989!! so the BBC just said.
There will be tougher games I know, but if we ARE taking the points in the game in which we expect to take then I will take that for now. As this is not always the case with Everton.  
 

We have 5 center halfs in the squad but none of them are leaders.
Center back is a top priority next summer.

You were saying...

I don't think he is, I just don't think he's fullback cover. He was serviceable at left back last year, but he's shown that he's a center back through and through.
Not worried about him at all

Not an option at RB.
End of story.

It always amazes me that most fans never see or understand that what you do when you don’t have the ball is equally as important as when you do have the ball, he could have a bad game in possession of the ball, but have a fantastic game off the ball yet he won’t be credited for that, today he had both but he will nearly always give you the latter. 

I think our problem has been that we have not brought in players that have the right 'hunger' - They know that Everton will be the peak with regard to footballing level and pay packet (your Bolaise, Siggardson, Tosun types). They where never going to be on Cheslea Man U radars. Coming from lesser teams and peaking earning potential with us. 
The you have those coming in the other direction - coming down a peg perhaps from teams that may be challenging for honours with us giving them big wages. Your Schniderlin, Walcotts, Delph and even your James types.  
We have had money available and spent it pretty poorly and not looked hard enough at the attitudes and motivation of the player coming in on for these big fees and wages.
I think Benitez is a little more sharper than his most recent predecessors, when it comes to the attitude and motivation of the players he is bringing in to the club. I think Moyes was the last manager we had the would scrutinise attitude as much as he did the technical ability of the players he brought in.  And pound for pound he did very well on the money he had at his disposal. 

Happy days. Love a bit of positive news!

more of the second half, less of the first half.  happy to win, frankly it's burnley at home anything less than a win is unacceptable.  next week should be a good test with villa.

Been dying for a player that drives at and scares the defence for years.  Was hoping Bernard would be it, but Gray has been a revelation.

Under the lights when it’s rocking heaven couldn’t match the Old Lady

COYFB BRILLIANT GET IN