nyblue23

If there’s any truth to the rumors that Lampard really wanted him, he can’t be as bad as Klassen. You have to think one of the best premier league midfielders of all time would have a little better eye for midfield talent than whoever was responsible for signing Davy.

On 29/01/2022 at 10:32, Cornish Steve said:

Still slow and lumbering, though, and the standard of play was League 2.

Agreed. The third was a damn good goal. If we do have to see him in an Everton shirt again, hopefully that goal is indicative of him taking some confidence from this one. But the first two goals were down to having an absolutely shit keeper. It was a solid header for the first, but a keeper should never be beat near side like that. The second was an absolute joke. The keeper didn’t even react to a relatively slow rolling shot.

4 hours ago, Bailey said:

I can definitely see the appeal but Lampard is basically saying he can get more out of Alli than Mourinho, Nuno and Conte. Which is bold to say the least! 

I don’t think it’s that bold to think he could get more than Mourinho or Nuno by any means. Mourinho is notorious for bad relationships with players and Nuno isn’t great. Might be bold to think he could get more out of him than Conte, but sometimes players do just need a change of scenery.

4 hours ago, Isaiah said:

From what I saw of that Spurs documentary he can sometimes be a bit petulant. Eric Dier had to tell him to stop acting like a spoiled kid... 

...so hopefully he leaves that at the door because the last thing we need is trouble in the dressing room. 

I think Dier is more in the wrong here. Alli isn’t blaming anyone. He’s just expressing frustration. I’d be more worried if he was smiling or nonchalant. He’s clearly passionate about winning and hates losing. That’s the kind of player I want to play for Everton.

I met Lampard once and he was very nice for what it’s worth. Bummer that he’s a Tory but can’t win them all.

6 hours ago, RuffRob said:

Slight exaggeration. nothing was 'assured' with 19 games to go and not actually even being in the relegation zone.

With the football we were playing and Rafa’s stubbornness in playing a useless blob up top every match, I don’t think I was exaggerating. The only reason we’re above the relegation zone is the first five matches of the season. We also downgraded significantly at left back (at least temporarily) thanks to a clash of egos, one of which was Rafa’s.

We just lost three of our last four matches to Palace, Brighton, and Norwich, and we’ve lost to all 3 newly promoted teams. Five of our last eight matches are against clubs in the top seven, and a sixth is against a solid Leicester squad that realistically could finish in the top 7 still. We didn’t have a chance.

On 17/01/2022 at 09:13, RuffRob said:

even if we go down under Martinez? which is not in the realms of fantasy.

It quite feasible that the cure could quite easily be worse than the disease. We are going to now find out in the goodness of time.

Relegation under Benitez was basically assured.

31 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Play a right back at left back for his debut, great idea; worked well for Seamus at Benfica after all

Whoops that was a typo.

Edit: just thought about it and it wasn’t a typo. Was referring to Godfrey. Just wasn’t very clear with the antecedent. My bad.

4 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

We are going to end up with Ferguson until the end of the season. Can't see any other manager leaving a decent job to come here. 

Our pool at this moment in time is pretry much out of work managers. Great!! 

My biggest issue with Benitez being sack is that there is nobody 'better' is waiting in the wings.

However, with a fit team I don't actually think we will do down with whoever is appointed or if Benitez had stayed. But I really think the risk has increase by dumping Benitez. 

The club has just made it's self look another level of stupid this season DoF gone, Manager gone days after Digne gone and other players brought in.

The Everton managers job has just become even less appealing and I can now see an exodus of player in the summer.

A manager I like (and wished we had him as a player) is Scott Parker. Think he is ready to manage with the next level of squad. Think his teams would play the kind of football we would like and he is know to give youth pleny of opertunities. He has experience of prem and relegation battles. 

Not sure he would leave a team chasing the Championship. But more chance him coming than potter

 

Literally anyone would be and would have been better from the start.

8 hours ago, Bill said:

See what happens in the next game Mina, Keane, and Godfrey all fit, see who is left out.

Mina and Branthwaite next game. Put Godfrey at one of the fullback positions. If Patterson is ready for a go, put him at LB; if not, Godfrey at RB and Mykolenko at LB and hope for the best.

Just now, Btay said:

Mykolenko has been thrown to the wolves with this backline right now. There is no organisation, no calming influence. Coleman is frantic and caused panic. Keane & Godfrey are in a rut. It cant be easy trying to integrate into a new league, new language with no leader around you.

Agreed, but he truly doesn’t look up to it at this point in time. I’m not saying he’s a bad player or he won’t get there. But his passing has been pedestrian at best and every attempted cross so far has been awful. Neither of those are contingent on having organization. The calming influence I get, and I recognize he’s probably trying to do too much at the moment. But he needs time to settle before destroying his confidence the way these last two matches are likely to have done.

1 hour ago, Bailey said:

I would say the manager is the reason for exposing Michael Keane's weaknesses to the opposition. 

I thought he was a little unlucky today. He has to come out of position to see off the first challenge and then he has to try and get back into position. He is getting his bearings, get back into position and check for dangers, when the ball comes in and he cant get himself sorted in time and stabs it into the back of the net. I can see why he felt like he had to get something on it, especially as Idah was coming in behind him. 

I think the biggest issue with that goal is how the Norwich players had so much space to start the move. Mykolenko is so deep to start with and he doesnt get out. We invite them to the edge of the box. We offer them an overlap and then dont get out and stop the cross. You cannot do that in this league and expect not to get punished. It is an invitation for mistakes.

The second goal was exactly the same. Coleman and Gordon on different wavelengths (just as Gomes and Rondon were seconds before). Then its a counter attack. Godfrey is right to delay but he loses Pukki and gets a little too fixated on the ball and Keane has to shift himself across to cover. Mykolenko, despite having a good go doesn't have the recovery pace to get back in time. I would love to know if there was any communication between the two CBs on that attack because I doubt it.

 

2 hours ago, Btay said:

Oh come on. The manager is not the reason for Micheal Keane being the same Micheal Keane we have seen since he signed here. Things are getting tough and he is cracking, he will continue to crack worse the more pressure he feels.

He has never in any circumstance taken charge of our defence. We will not move up the table with him playing.

Whoever comes into needs to play a back four of Patterson to see if he's ready (and unfortunately still Coleman if not), Mina, Branthwaite, and Godfrey at LB. It won't be pretty but I don't see how it could be any worse than what we're working with at the moment. For one, we've said for years that Keane is a confidence player and I'm afraid it's shot forever at this point. Mykolenko is clearly not ready to be playing in the PL. I don't know how long he needs, but these last two performances are not it. And Holgate is not up to it either. Godfrey at LB is less than ideal but at least he's pacy and strong and knows the PL. At least the four mentioned at the beginning have all the reason to prove themselves and would consistently put in a full shift regardless of performance.

Just now, StevO said:

I don’t think we’ll all agree, but I think we will unify behind the next manager (short term at least). 

Genuinely can't think of a more contentious appointment. Maybe Gerrard or Rodgers? Not even sure those two would have ruffled as many feathers as Rafa. I agree that no one will have a problem breathing a collective sigh of relief to support whoever comes in.

Now somebody sell Rondon for a candy bar before it's too late.

Just now, Romey 1878 said:

Watford have equalised. Thank fuck.

Not what I hoped to celebrate today.

Whoever was fault for Digne leaving, it’s not good. Mykolenko doesn’t seem to be ready yet.

The insistence on playing Rondon every match says it all for me. No fault of Rondon’s, but we’d be better off playing just about any other striker in our squad. Shit, we might as well play Begovic up top. It makes no sense. Complete obstinacy.

1 minute ago, Shukes said:

Well reality is if the season ended right now… we wouldn’t be relegated.

That’s the problem. The season doesn’t end now and we have a single win in the last 12, about to be 13.

Just now, Harv said:

We are already in the relegation battle. That was the case before we kicked off today.

Right. My point is that we have some fellow supporters who are denying reality.

That’s how much faith Pickford has in the back line. Has to come out over halfway to the center line to defend himself. We are dreadful.

Just now, dunlopp9987 said:

Well, there it is

It brings me no joy to ask this, but watching this, can you really claim we’re in no danger of relegation?

3 hours ago, dunlopp9987 said:

If anyone needs proof that the FA Cup, especially against lower league sides, is hard, look no further than Spurs currently down at home against a team in League One's relegation zone. 

@nyblue23lookin at you

And they won 3-1 with the headline “Subs rescue Spurs from FA Cup humiliation.”

Also, possession was 79%-21%. Tottenham dominated - just couldn’t score. We were out-possessed by a League One-caliber side.

5 hours ago, dunlopp9987 said:

In what universe are you trying to compare us with City and Chelsea? Your edit isn't even the point I'm most baffled about. I'm most baffled that you even uttered the phrase "we should be winning handily like the Chelseas and Citys of the world." 

Have ya....have ya seen their squads compared to ours??

The point is that we should be striving for the best. Not mediocrity. It’s our club’s motto for fuck’s sake. Yes, I’ve seen our squad. It’s not great. But we shouldn’t be satisfied until we’re in a similar position to those clubs. I know we’re hampered by relatively late investment, but I mean ffs, Moyes might take West Ham to a top 6 finish two years in a row with a squad barely more impressive than ours. I’m not saying we should all be throwing realism out the window, but we need to be constantly demanding more, never accepting the danger of turning into a perpetually-mediocre has-been club.

2 hours ago, Palfy said:

I disagree the FA cup has a history of throwing up difficult games for the PL team’s, there on a hiding to nothing expected to win and dammed if they don’t, there has and always will be bigger teams than us who lose to smaller clubs than we beat today. We have won and progress to the next round which is what I thought we all wanted.  

Of course we’re happy to win. But we should be winning handily like the Chelseas and Citys of the world who won their matchups by a combined score of 9-2… not scraping it out in extra time like Brighton or Southampton. NSNO or no?

Edit: I’m aware City’s and Chelsea’s matchups were against lower-tier sides, but Hull is almost definitely going down. They’re basically a League One side.

2 hours ago, Palfy said:

The manager denied that he told Gbamin that he could leave in a filmed interview, show me your evidence that he said it, I’ve heard anti vaxxers struggle to make up more bullshit than Benitez’s hater’s. 

Not sure how you made it appear that I said that, but that was not my quotation.