AlbanyNYToffee

Timing seems right to point out I'm still so happy to be an Everton fan. Perhaps I'm stupid/naive/crazy but I would rather finish 8th with our club than 4th with the likes of Utd, City, Chelsea. Everton is a club full of genuinely good footballers and personalities. I would hate to have to root for Diego Costa, Yaya Toure, Memphis Depay etc. I'm still firmly entrenched in the RM camp, but there is no doubt results need to improve. Whatever happens I am so thankful this club chose me.

RM continues to stock pile YOUNG talent at an amazing rate. Absolutely fantastic stuff.

seriously enough with all the negative stuff. it's completely ridiculous. Rom is untouchable at the moment and he continues to work incredibly hard for the team. Could not ask for more out of a center forward.

RM game plan doesnt include tactics to avoid clearing the ball inside your 6 yd box. Howard and back 4 scared shitless when ball comes in. Clear it FFS.

The biggest takeaway for me, and largest cause for optimism, is the team spirit. Last year Eto'o and Mirallas seemed to break up the squad. This year totally different story. We have the team spirit we had under Moyes or RM year 1 when Lukaku scored against Arsenal. Its finally back and it will propel us up the table. Draws are always disappointing but that game was my favorite of the year thus far. Had everything i want to see as a fan. I am fired up moving forward and have high hopes for the festive period. COYB

Results from the weekend have placed even more importance on this. 6th place and within two points of Tottenham on the line. Teams that want to play in Europe win this game. Teams that are good enough to play in Europe win this game. It's really straightforward.

Think its more so just about fitness. hes played a handful of games in 2 full years and his first appearance this season was 120mins, asking him to come back 3 days later is very very difficult.

Serious question: can we literally give McGeady to Celtic for free?

Enough with Stones. He misread the situation simple as that. Either thought is was going wide or joel wasnt a complete fool and would save it. Few and certainly not Stones are daft enough to intentionally allow a goal.

Enough with Stones. He misread the situation simple as that. Either thought is was going wide or joel wasnt a complete fool and would save it. Few and certainly not Stones are daft enough to intentionally allow a goal.

Sorry forgot about 5/6
 
5. Lukaku on an island almost the entire game. Received little help from Kone because of his defensive duties. Can't find much fault in his performance.
 
6. The substitutions were absolutely shocking! I cant remember a game where i was more disappointed in the subs which for an everton fan to say is alot because we are consistently the most frustrating team in terms of subs. RM has shown a willingness to play Barry at LB. Play the final 3 mins of the half with 10 and take your time to think about the sub for Galloway at half time. Bringing browning on was such a knee jerk reaction. Naismith for kone? WTF is that. Has to be mirallas there and i dont even like mirallas. Gerry with 5 mins left? Why bother? First appearance is PL in 2 years he needs more than 5 mins to find his feet. What a waste.
 
Most disappointed in the subs and brownings performance. City simply the best team in the league right now.

Main takeaways for me - not much that hasnt been said already.
 
1. Man City are simply a much better side, especially at this moment. I'm a firm believer in the old adage its not who you play its when you play them. City will be beatable at some point this season but in this form they could challenge the Arsenal invincibles.
 
2. Coleman, Stones, Jags, Barry, Barkley, Cleverley stood out for me.
 
3. Browning was a complete disaster. I totally understand that not being his natural position and him im sure not expecting to play but come on lad at least put a shift in. His effort was abysmal. Truly shocking even from a youngster.
 
4. Howard overall had a great game and made some unbelievable saves but there is no question he is at fault for the first goal. Cannot ever happen. Who knows what happens if we dont concede that soft goal.

Please stop complaining about how much we've spent in the transfer market. PLEASE.
 
Spending doesnt equal success at "our level". We got a full england international on a free and took Barcelona to the cleaners on the Deulofeu signing. Yet we still complain. I swear this board would be happier having paid 10mil for Cleverley and 8mil for Deulofeu just to say we are trying to spend money this summer.
 
The club recognizes next summer is massive overhaul (chances are Stones will leave and many players will be on the fringes of retirement) and is saving up, rightfully so.

Agree wholeheartedly with Pete0 - Everton are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need specific type of players who have the talent to be in a champions league squad but not the profile (as champs league teams will pick them up).
 
And CornishSteve - Anyway, I have a totally different perspective on this. As a team without a billionaire looking to waste money (thank goodness!), we must have a different strategy. Why not invest half of our available funds in exciting new talent that will come through in two or three years time?
 
I have many pet peeves in this world but none larger than complaining for complaining's sake. This board is full of it. We don't have a billionaire owner and we don't pay crazy wages. That immediately eliminates a large number of names available in the transfer market. Everton has been and will continue to be successful if they focus on youth development and finding the right budget-conscious transfers. Our biggest transfers are Lukaku, Felli, McCarthy, Yakubu, Bily, A Johnson. That is hardly a ringing endorsement to spend big.
 
Whether or not you want Barry/Osman/Pienaar/Hibbert on the team is a completely different conversation from they need replacing. You can't replace them until they leave! Once again we aren't in Champs league we cannot afford to have a 35 man squad. As long as those older players are on the roster stop talking about replacing them. They will be replaced when we dont have to pay them anymore.
 
The argument that you shouldnt focus on youth development because there is no guarantee they take the next step is LUDICROUS!! The benefits far outweigh the risks and that has been proven time and time again. The youngsters understand the club, the atmosphere and most importantly what it means to pull on that blue shirt. Sure 8-9 out of 10 don't make it at this level but you save more money and perform more consistently going about it this way than failing with 5-6/10 transfers.
 
Perhaps im naive or stupid or ignorant or all 3 but as far as I'm concerned Chelsea can keep their titles, Liverpool can keep sucking and spending gobs of money, Man City can keep their titles. I like the way Everton do things. I like that it's a family club built on tradition and hard work. I certainly haven't been a fan as long as most but for me achieving CL football would be the highest of highs. To accomplish that with the way football works today would be an achievement of epic proportions. And i believe it will happen. Maybe not this year but in the next three and I'm willing to be patient.

Agree wholeheartedly with Pete0 - Everton are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need specific type of players who have the talent to be in a champions league squad but not the profile (as champs league teams will pick them up).
 
And CornishSteve - Anyway, I have a totally different perspective on this. As a team without a billionaire looking to waste money (thank goodness!), we must have a different strategy. Why not invest half of our available funds in exciting new talent that will come through in two or three years time?
 
I have many pet peeves in this world but none larger than complaining for complaining's sake. This board is full of it. We don't have a billionaire owner and we don't pay crazy wages. That immediately eliminates a large number of names available in the transfer market. Everton has been and will continue to be successful if they focus on youth development and finding the right budget-conscious transfers. Our biggest transfers are Lukaku, Felli, McCarthy, Yakubu, Bily, A Johnson. That is hardly a ringing endorsement to spend big.
 
Whether or not you want Barry/Osman/Pienaar/Hibbert on the team is a completely different conversation from they need replacing. You can't replace them until they leave! Once again we aren't in Champs league we cannot afford to have a 35 man squad. As long as those older players are on the roster stop talking about replacing them. They will be replaced when we dont have to pay them anymore.
 
The argument that you shouldnt focus on youth development because there is no guarantee they take the next step is LUDICROUS!! The benefits far outweigh the risks and that has been proven time and time again. The youngsters understand the club, the atmosphere and most importantly what it means to pull on that blue shirt. Sure 8-9 out of 10 don't make it at this level but you save more money and perform more consistently going about it this way than failing with 5-6/10 transfers.
 
Perhaps im naive or stupid or ignorant or all 3 but as far as I'm concerned Chelsea can keep their titles, Liverpool can keep sucking and spending gobs of money, Man City can keep their titles. I like the way Everton do things. I like that it's a family club built on tradition and hard work. I certainly haven't been a fan as long as most but for me achieving CL football would be the highest of highs. To accomplish that with the way football works today would be an achievement of epic proportions. And i believe it will happen. Maybe not this year but in the next three and I'm willing to be patient.

Agree wholeheartedly with Pete0 - Everton are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need specific type of players who have the talent to be in a champions league squad but not the profile (as champs league teams will pick them up).
 
And CornishSteve - Anyway, I have a totally different perspective on this. As a team without a billionaire looking to waste money (thank goodness!), we must have a different strategy. Why not invest half of our available funds in exciting new talent that will come through in two or three years time?
 
I have many pet peeves in this world but none larger than complaining for complaining's sake. This board is full of it. We don't have a billionaire owner and we don't pay crazy wages. That immediately eliminates a large number of names available in the transfer market. Everton has been and will continue to be successful if they focus on youth development and finding the right budget-conscious transfers. Our biggest transfers are Lukaku, Felli, McCarthy, Yakubu, Bily, A Johnson. That is hardly a ringing endorsement to spend big.
 
Whether or not you want Barry/Osman/Pienaar/Hibbert on the team is a completely different conversation from they need replacing. You can't replace them until they leave! Once again we aren't in Champs league we cannot afford to have a 35 man squad. As long as those older players are on the roster stop talking about replacing them. They will be replaced when we dont have to pay them anymore.
 
The argument that you shouldnt focus on youth development because there is no guarantee they take the next step is LUDICROUS!! The benefits far outweigh the risks and that has been proven time and time again. The youngsters understand the club, the atmosphere and most importantly what it means to pull on that blue shirt. Sure 8-9 out of 10 don't make it at this level but you save more money and perform more consistently going about it this way than failing with 5-6/10 transfers.
 
Perhaps im naive or stupid or ignorant or all 3 but as far as I'm concerned Chelsea can keep their titles, Liverpool can keep sucking and spending gobs of money, Man City can keep their titles. I like the way Everton do things. I like that it's a family club built on tradition and hard work. I certainly haven't been a fan as long as most but for me achieving CL football would be the highest of highs. To accomplish that with the way football works today would be an achievement of epic proportions. And i believe it will happen. Maybe not this year but in the next three and I'm willing to be patient.

Agree wholeheartedly with Pete0 - Everton are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need specific type of players who have the talent to be in a champions league squad but not the profile (as champs league teams will pick them up).
 
And CornishSteve - Anyway, I have a totally different perspective on this. As a team without a billionaire looking to waste money (thank goodness!), we must have a different strategy. Why not invest half of our available funds in exciting new talent that will come through in two or three years time?
 
I have many pet peeves in this world but none larger than complaining for complaining's sake. This board is full of it. We don't have a billionaire owner and we don't pay crazy wages. That immediately eliminates a large number of names available in the transfer market. Everton has been and will continue to be successful if they focus on youth development and finding the right budget-conscious transfers. Our biggest transfers are Lukaku, Felli, McCarthy, Yakubu, Bily, A Johnson. That is hardly a ringing endorsement to spend big.
 
Whether or not you want Barry/Osman/Pienaar/Hibbert on the team is a completely different conversation from they need replacing. You can't replace them until they leave! Once again we aren't in Champs league we cannot afford to have a 35 man squad. As long as those older players are on the roster stop talking about replacing them. They will be replaced when we dont have to pay them anymore.
 
The argument that you shouldnt focus on youth development because there is no guarantee they take the next step is LUDICROUS!! The benefits far outweigh the risks and that has been proven time and time again. The youngsters understand the club, the atmosphere and most importantly what it means to pull on that blue shirt. Sure 8-9 out of 10 don't make it at this level but you save more money and perform more consistently going about it this way than failing with 5-6/10 transfers.
 
Perhaps im naive or stupid or ignorant or all 3 but as far as I'm concerned Chelsea can keep their titles, Liverpool can keep sucking and spending gobs of money, Man City can keep their titles. I like the way Everton do things. I like that it's a family club built on tradition and hard work. I certainly haven't been a fan as long as most but for me achieving CL football would be the highest of highs. To accomplish that with the way football works today would be an achievement of epic proportions. And i believe it will happen. Maybe not this year but in the next three and I'm willing to be patient.

Agree wholeheartedly with Pete0 - Everton are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need specific type of players who have the talent to be in a champions league squad but not the profile (as champs league teams will pick them up).
 
And CornishSteve - Anyway, I have a totally different perspective on this. As a team without a billionaire looking to waste money (thank goodness!), we must have a different strategy. Why not invest half of our available funds in exciting new talent that will come through in two or three years time?
 
I have many pet peeves in this world but none larger than complaining for complaining's sake. This board is full of it. We don't have a billionaire owner and we don't pay crazy wages. That immediately eliminates a large number of names available in the transfer market. Everton has been and will continue to be successful if they focus on youth development and finding the right budget-conscious transfers. Our biggest transfers are Lukaku, Felli, McCarthy, Yakubu, Bily, A Johnson. That is hardly a ringing endorsement to spend big.
 
Whether or not you want Barry/Osman/Pienaar/Hibbert on the team is a completely different conversation from they need replacing. You can't replace them until they leave! Once again we aren't in Champs league we cannot afford to have a 35 man squad. As long as those older players are on the roster stop talking about replacing them. They will be replaced when we dont have to pay them anymore.
 
The argument that you shouldnt focus on youth development because there is no guarantee they take the next step is LUDICROUS!! The benefits far outweigh the risks and that has been proven time and time again. The youngsters understand the club, the atmosphere and most importantly what it means to pull on that blue shirt. Sure 8-9 out of 10 don't make it at this level but you save more money and perform more consistently going about it this way than failing with 5-6/10 transfers.
 
Perhaps im naive or stupid or ignorant or all 3 but as far as I'm concerned Chelsea can keep their titles, Liverpool can keep sucking and spending gobs of money, Man City can keep their titles. I like the way Everton do things. I like that it's a family club built on tradition and hard work. I certainly haven't been a fan as long as most but for me achieving CL football would be the highest of highs. To accomplish that with the way football works today would be an achievement of epic proportions. And i believe it will happen. Maybe not this year but in the next three and I'm willing to be patient.

Agree wholeheartedly with Pete0 - Everton are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We need specific type of players who have the talent to be in a champions league squad but not the profile (as champs league teams will pick them up).
 
And CornishSteve - Anyway, I have a totally different perspective on this. As a team without a billionaire looking to waste money (thank goodness!), we must have a different strategy. Why not invest half of our available funds in exciting new talent that will come through in two or three years time?
 
I have many pet peeves in this world but none larger than complaining for complaining's sake. This board is full of it. We don't have a billionaire owner and we don't pay crazy wages. That immediately eliminates a large number of names available in the transfer market. Everton has been and will continue to be successful if they focus on youth development and finding the right budget-conscious transfers. Our biggest transfers are Lukaku, Felli, McCarthy, Yakubu, Bily, A Johnson. That is hardly a ringing endorsement to spend big.
 
Whether or not you want Barry/Osman/Pienaar/Hibbert on the team is a completely different conversation from they need replacing. You can't replace them until they leave! Once again we aren't in Champs league we cannot afford to have a 35 man squad. As long as those older players are on the roster stop talking about replacing them. They will be replaced when we dont have to pay them anymore.
 
The argument that you shouldnt focus on youth development because there is no guarantee they take the next step is LUDICROUS!! The benefits far outweigh the risks and that has been proven time and time again. The youngsters understand the club, the atmosphere and most importantly what it means to pull on that blue shirt. Sure 8-9 out of 10 don't make it at this level but you save more money and perform more consistently going about it this way than failing with 5-6/10 transfers.
 
Perhaps im naive or stupid or ignorant or all 3 but as far as I'm concerned Chelsea can keep their titles, Liverpool can keep sucking and spending gobs of money, Man City can keep their titles. I like the way Everton do things. I like that it's a family club built on tradition and hard work. I certainly haven't been a fan as long as most but for me achieving CL football would be the highest of highs. To accomplish that with the way football works today would be an achievement of epic proportions. And i believe it will happen. Maybe not this year but in the next three and I'm willing to be patient.

He's being sold for 3mil because Barca realize he just doesnt cut it. Incredibly talented and incredibly non-existent too often. 25 PL appearances for Everton 3 goals. Not worth it for a prima donna.
 
I will never forget the 3-3 draw vs liverpool. NEVER. Everyone sang his praises because he was such a threat. He also selfishly shot from no angle on 3 different instances when he had a simple square ball to the penalty spot where other everton players were waiting wide open to slot home. Check the tape he cost us that game. One of my favorites of all time.

He's being sold for 3mil because Barca realize he just doesnt cut it. Incredibly talented and incredibly non-existent too often. 25 PL appearances for Everton 3 goals. Not worth it for a prima donna.
 
I will never forget the 3-3 draw vs liverpool. NEVER. Everyone sang his praises because he was such a threat. He also selfishly shot from no angle on 3 different instances when he had a simple square ball to the penalty spot where other everton players were waiting wide open to slot home. Check the tape he cost us that game. One of my favorites of all time.

Overall record this year: 11-14-14
Domestic record: 6-12-13
Europa League record: 5-2-1
 
The only thing saving most people from cliff jumping is the Europa League. Here's how i define the season assuming of course our premier league form continues but we dont get relegated:
Eliminated from EL in R16: Disaster/Nightmare
Eliminated from EL in Quarters: Horrendous
Eliminated from EL in Semis: Really bad
Lose final: Needs improvement
Win final: Absolute cloud nine. I will be piss drunk in the local viewing pub singing non-sense.
 
There's too much risk in how the EL plays out...

Thing i miss most is the passion. Plain and simple. I became an everton fan because they "did more with less". They did that by sacrifcing their bodies week in and week out for each other and the fans. That has totally evaporated. That i miss more than anything.

Thing i miss most is the passion. Plain and simple. I became an everton fan because they "did more with less". They did that by sacrifcing their bodies week in and week out for each other and the fans. That has totally evaporated. That i miss more than anything.

No, will revisit my answer on Christmas 2015.