Zoo 2.0

Just what we needed that, despite a wobbly ten minutes between the half hour mark and half time where Sessegnon hit the bar I thought we looked very much in control today. To be honest I thought we looked great against West Ham and Arsenal until conceding so it's great that we were able to get the first goal today and put the game to bed. A clean sheet too (the first of the season I believe?!) is the icing on the cake. A fitting way to celebrate Jordan Pickford signing a new deal. 
Jordan himself was solid, made a great challenge at 1-0 when Fulham broke free and whilst he wasn't challenged too much did what he needed to. Kenny and Digne were boss on either wing, the latter turning into a fantastic signing and a worthy replacement for Leighton Baines. In the centre, Zouma did well, and I've been critical of him in the past alongside Michael Keane who is turning into the player we all wanted him to be.
Gueye was absolutely everywhere, a bit sloppy in his passing for me which was frustrating but a great defensive display alongside Tom Davies who has come under fire recently - unjustified criticism in my opinion. A great choice of captain for the future so here's to hoping the good performances continue. 
Theo continues to impress, a constant threat on the right hand side and unlucky not to have got himself on the scoreboard. Richarlison as always a danger, lovely to see him picking the ball up and heading for goal as opposed to passing it sideways, knowing where the goal is can be a good habit to have. 
Sigurdsson, mediocre in the first half but came into his own in the second. I didn't feel confident when he stepped up for the penalty funnily enough but he got his head down and scored two great goals - the first seemingly going into the back of the net in slow motion from where I was sitting.
Calvert-Lewin again was poor for me, other than winning the penalty I don't know what he did. Now that Tosun has found the back of the net (finally) then he really should be back in the side with Domenic dropping back to the bench. 
As others have said, we are very much a work in progress, phase one of a much bigger plan. That said we need to win games and it's great to be able to celebrate at Goodison again. Three great goals and a clean sheet, top stuff 👌.
Oh, and Bernard. What a little player we have - loved him at Shakhtar and happy to see he is making the transition. 

We are literally a work in progress. There’s gonna be ups any downs but I can hold my head up again being a blue 

That was a much better second half. In truth there wasnt much between the two halves apart from that in the second half we actually played passes to other blue shirts in the final third.
The back 5 were largely solid however they needed a big contribution from Pickford at 1-0 but in reality that was all he did all game. Bar a poor moment early, Keane was solid, Zouma a mountain and on both flanks Kenny and Digne provided tenancity and quality on the ball. I think Digne is going to be a favourite of mine. He has a lot of quality on the ball but he is also a warrior defensively. He doesnt shirk a challenge.
Just like last week, Gueye and Davies were great, Gueye pipping the captain this time with the sheer amount of times he won the ball back. Davies played a pivotal role in keeping his shape defensively and again playing very disciplined, which is a huge change from last season, and they were both finding quick and simple balls forward into the attacking quarter when they were on for it.
As I mentioned at half time, the front four were wasteful but they were so much more productive in the second half. Richarlison was always the biggest threat and whilst I think he should be laying the ball off a little more, he is giving defenders and keepers a torrid time as they dont know if he will shoot or dribble. DCL was poor bar the build up to the penalty. It didnt work for him in a game we dominated and he is almost at his best when he has to feed off scraps. I wouldnt say Tosun was brilliant when he came on but he just worked the centre back differently, he linked up play that little bit better and in the end he was rewarded with a goal. Walcott got an assist but he was still very quiet on the whole. He made a whole host of poor decisions first half but he did improve and he made some really good runs late on.
The biggest question mark is still over Siggy. He finishes the day with 2 goals but if he didnt then it would be another game where you have to question what he is bringing to the side. I am still not sure what we will do with him in the long run albeit if he scores two every game I am happy for him to stay there!
 

Considering I was born in 1993, the five-a-side team that I pick will be from players that I'm old (or young) enough to remember. You won't find an Alex Young or Brian Labone in here 🙄. 
Goalkeeper - Tim Howard (329 league games, 1 goal).
An absolute legend in my eyes. Tim joined in 2007 when I was playing as a goalkeeper myself and was a true inspiration growing up. He took Everton into his heart and put in some amazing performances inbetween our sticks, the best memory I have is the penalty shootout against Manchester United where he saved penalties from Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov to send us into the FA Cup Final. Now at the Colorado Rapids, Tim would be a great addition to our five-a-side squad and if it was a particularly windy day, perhaps a goal or two could be on the cards? 
Defence/Midfield - Thomas Gravesen (149 league games, 11 goals):
Not a defender in the eleven a side matches but would fill in the gap on the smaller field. An absolute beast in his day was Thomas, a big bloke who would run through walls for Everton and despite only bagging eleven goals was a handy person to have around going forward. I was gutted when he left for Real Madrid and whilst he did have some success there I'm a little bit sore that his career never really went into the elite levels. He was a fantastic player IMO. 
Midfield - Mikel Arteta (162 league games, 27 goals):
A magician on the ball. He's going to be a top coach too after learning from the best, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. In his prime, Mikel was unplayable at Everton and was a great replacement for the Danish man mentioned above. A brilliant partnership with Tim Cahill is one of my fondest memories of the Moyes era, it's just a shame how his career with us ended and how the relationship went a little sour following his spell with Arsenal. 
Attack - Landon Donovan (17 league games, 2 goals):
An entry from left field - Landon Donovan. In his first loan spell with us he was untouchable. Had he made the move permanent like he wanted then he would be spoken about in the same breath as the Arteta's and the Cahill's. His love for football (or lack of it) put a damp shadow over his time in the USA and I do think that it's a shame he never reached his full potential. Landon gets a place in my five-a-side. 
Attack - Romelu Lukaku (110 league games, 53 goals):
Like him or not now, the best goal machine we've had in the modern era. A monster that's wasted at Manchester United. 
Always the life and soul of the party?

Haven't seen an AIDSfest like that in a long time. We were absolutely bullied and played off the park by a West Ham side that everyone has been laughing at. I called it like most before the game too, regardless of past results we were going to drop points here. 
Pickford was poor, totally at fault for the second goal. Jonjoe Kenny was appalling, demanding that his intentions were checked, verified and signed off before playing a pass, flat around refusing to just kick the fucking thing and give us some rhythm. Kurt Zouma continues to confirm my fears, way out of his depth at Chelsea and an integral part of a Stoke City defence that shipped about 16,000 goals last season - get Yerry in soon. Holgate was alright but mugged off for the first goal. Digne I actually thought did OK, was about a 6/10 so thus our MOTM I suppose. 
Credit to Schneiderlin for playing under the circumstances, that's all I'll say on the lad today. Gueye's passing was on par with Steven Hawking's for large portions of the game however seemed to settle when Bernard came on alongside him, the Brazilian himself at least trying to create a spark although it was an uphill battle.
Walcott was bang average but had Kenny behind offering the square root of fuck all, on the opposite flank DCL had an absolute shocker and I'm disappointed that the Bernard change wasn't for him to come off, how he lasted 90 minutes is beyond me but perhaps it's because he's tall up against West Ham's Empire State defence? Siggy as captain was anonymous although took his goal very well - plus points for that. Up top Tosun was gash, had one good chance and took about fourteen years to take it. 
Overall, a shocking display in every sense of the word. The Evertonians clapping the lads off at the end left me speechless and are part of the problem. We are still laying the foundations under Silva but if this is the kind of football we are going to be given then we should have just saved a few quid and kept hold of Koeman and/or Allardyce.

A shaky start I thought against inferior opposition but overall a good result in our first game back under the floodlights. I was pleased with the team (just three changes from the one I posted) but was worried that one of them was Maarten Stekelenburg. Despite being an experienced head I just don't have confidence in him at all, especially after he let a low cross go unchallenged across his six-yard box in the opening few minutes which nearly gave me an aneurysm. To his credit he dealt with the high balls well but I'm hoping that in the near future Joao Virginia becomes our No.2.
At the back Jonjoe Kenny was brilliant. I don't think he was as MOTM worthy as the radio stations are making out but he was good. Mason Holgate likewise with Lucas Digne, my player of the game on the left. Kurt Zouma I thought was really rusty. Bambi on Ice for the first 45 but seemed to settle down in the second half. Fingers crossed he puts his poor season with Stoke behind him and turns into a solid option for us, to his credit he was much better in the second half but I was worried at the beginning 😖!
The midfield was great for me with nobody having a bad game. Tom Davies did what he needed to (great to see him captain) and Gylfi did well with his poachers effort to make it 1-0. Sandro Ramirez had some real moments of magic and just needed a goal to top off his performance, the best of luck to him in Spain as I've just heard he's left for Real Sociedad. Hopefully he manages to get some game time with them and come back a better player as a result. He was absolutely lethal for Malaga so there is a player in there somewhere. 
Kieron Dowell, despite snatching at a few chances I thought was alright, he really should have made it 4-1 in the last minute but snatched at his chance. Oumar worked his socks off as always but looked off the pace, his 50p head putting many palms to faces when he blazed his header over the bar. Up top DCL was fantastic, a well taken second goal and a great header for the second to put us out of sight. 
Overall a very professional performance which is pleasing to see after so many changes. We had about three or four higher gears to go into if needed and it proved scoring so quickly after Rotherham did. Zonal Marking continues to be our Achilles heel which is frustrating (I hope Silva allows us to go man-to-man at corners) but time will tell how that one plays out. Onward to Huddersfield and a return of Southampton in the next round!
Holgate is 6'0 exactly - are you suggesting that if he was an inch taller you'd be happy with him?
Whilst I can see where you're coming from it's not exactly a great comparison looking at their cup final squad. Being 90 minutes away from the trophy of course they're going to take it seriously. Their starting XI against West Brom in the 3rd Round last season included the likes of Mangala (who they then shipped out on loan), Delph and Yaya Toure (who had a frosty relationship with Pep). 
Don't get me wrong it's still a strong squad but I think that most Premier League clubs in and around the Top 10 take their foot of the gas when it comes to the Carabao Cup. Personally, I think that if we can't beat the likes of Rotherham with a second-string squad then we had deep problems behind the scenes. 

A shaky start I thought against inferior opposition but overall a good result in our first game back under the floodlights. I was pleased with the team (just three changes from the one I posted) but was worried that one of them was Maarten Stekelenburg. Despite being an experienced head I just don't have confidence in him at all, especially after he let a low cross go unchallenged across his six-yard box in the opening few minutes which nearly gave me an aneurysm. To his credit he dealt with the high balls well but I'm hoping that in the near future Joao Virginia becomes our No.2.
At the back Jonjoe Kenny was brilliant. I don't think he was as MOTM worthy as the radio stations are making out but he was good. Mason Holgate likewise with Lucas Digne, my player of the game on the left. Kurt Zouma I thought was really rusty. Bambi on Ice for the first 45 but seemed to settle down in the second half. Fingers crossed he puts his poor season with Stoke behind him and turns into a solid option for us, to his credit he was much better in the second half but I was worried at the beginning 😖!
The midfield was great for me with nobody having a bad game. Tom Davies did what he needed to (great to see him captain) and Gylfi did well with his poachers effort to make it 1-0. Sandro Ramirez had some real moments of magic and just needed a goal to top off his performance, the best of luck to him in Spain as I've just heard he's left for Real Sociedad. Hopefully he manages to get some game time with them and come back a better player as a result. He was absolutely lethal for Malaga so there is a player in there somewhere. 
Kieron Dowell, despite snatching at a few chances I thought was alright, he really should have made it 4-1 in the last minute but snatched at his chance. Oumar worked his socks off as always but looked off the pace, his 50p head putting many palms to faces when he blazed his header over the bar. Up top DCL was fantastic, a well taken second goal and a great header for the second to put us out of sight. 
Overall a very professional performance which is pleasing to see after so many changes. We had about three or four higher gears to go into if needed and it proved scoring so quickly after Rotherham did. Zonal Marking continues to be our Achilles heel which is frustrating (I hope Silva allows us to go man-to-man at corners) but time will tell how that one plays out. Onward to Huddersfield and a return of Southampton in the next round!
Holgate is 6'0 exactly - are you suggesting that if he was an inch taller you'd be happy with him?
Whilst I can see where you're coming from it's not exactly a great comparison looking at their cup final squad. Being 90 minutes away from the trophy of course they're going to take it seriously. Their starting XI against West Brom in the 3rd Round last season included the likes of Mangala (who they then shipped out on loan), Delph and Yaya Toure (who had a frosty relationship with Pep). 
Don't get me wrong it's still a strong squad but I think that most Premier League clubs in and around the Top 10 take their foot of the gas when it comes to the Carabao Cup. Personally, I think that if we can't beat the likes of Rotherham with a second-string squad then we had deep problems behind the scenes. 

A shaky start I thought against inferior opposition but overall a good result in our first game back under the floodlights. I was pleased with the team (just three changes from the one I posted) but was worried that one of them was Maarten Stekelenburg. Despite being an experienced head I just don't have confidence in him at all, especially after he let a low cross go unchallenged across his six-yard box in the opening few minutes which nearly gave me an aneurysm. To his credit he dealt with the high balls well but I'm hoping that in the near future Joao Virginia becomes our No.2.
At the back Jonjoe Kenny was brilliant. I don't think he was as MOTM worthy as the radio stations are making out but he was good. Mason Holgate likewise with Lucas Digne, my player of the game on the left. Kurt Zouma I thought was really rusty. Bambi on Ice for the first 45 but seemed to settle down in the second half. Fingers crossed he puts his poor season with Stoke behind him and turns into a solid option for us, to his credit he was much better in the second half but I was worried at the beginning 😖!
The midfield was great for me with nobody having a bad game. Tom Davies did what he needed to (great to see him captain) and Gylfi did well with his poachers effort to make it 1-0. Sandro Ramirez had some real moments of magic and just needed a goal to top off his performance, the best of luck to him in Spain as I've just heard he's left for Real Sociedad. Hopefully he manages to get some game time with them and come back a better player as a result. He was absolutely lethal for Malaga so there is a player in there somewhere. 
Kieron Dowell, despite snatching at a few chances I thought was alright, he really should have made it 4-1 in the last minute but snatched at his chance. Oumar worked his socks off as always but looked off the pace, his 50p head putting many palms to faces when he blazed his header over the bar. Up top DCL was fantastic, a well taken second goal and a great header for the second to put us out of sight. 
Overall a very professional performance which is pleasing to see after so many changes. We had about three or four higher gears to go into if needed and it proved scoring so quickly after Rotherham did. Zonal Marking continues to be our Achilles heel which is frustrating (I hope Silva allows us to go man-to-man at corners) but time will tell how that one plays out. Onward to Huddersfield and a return of Southampton in the next round!
Holgate is 6'0 exactly - are you suggesting that if he was an inch taller you'd be happy with him?
Whilst I can see where you're coming from it's not exactly a great comparison looking at their cup final squad. Being 90 minutes away from the trophy of course they're going to take it seriously. Their starting XI against West Brom in the 3rd Round last season included the likes of Mangala (who they then shipped out on loan), Delph and Yaya Toure (who had a frosty relationship with Pep). 
Don't get me wrong it's still a strong squad but I think that most Premier League clubs in and around the Top 10 take their foot of the gas when it comes to the Carabao Cup. Personally, I think that if we can't beat the likes of Rotherham with a second-string squad then we had deep problems behind the scenes. 

A shaky start I thought against inferior opposition but overall a good result in our first game back under the floodlights. I was pleased with the team (just three changes from the one I posted) but was worried that one of them was Maarten Stekelenburg. Despite being an experienced head I just don't have confidence in him at all, especially after he let a low cross go unchallenged across his six-yard box in the opening few minutes which nearly gave me an aneurysm. To his credit he dealt with the high balls well but I'm hoping that in the near future Joao Virginia becomes our No.2.
At the back Jonjoe Kenny was brilliant. I don't think he was as MOTM worthy as the radio stations are making out but he was good. Mason Holgate likewise with Lucas Digne, my player of the game on the left. Kurt Zouma I thought was really rusty. Bambi on Ice for the first 45 but seemed to settle down in the second half. Fingers crossed he puts his poor season with Stoke behind him and turns into a solid option for us, to his credit he was much better in the second half but I was worried at the beginning 😖!
The midfield was great for me with nobody having a bad game. Tom Davies did what he needed to (great to see him captain) and Gylfi did well with his poachers effort to make it 1-0. Sandro Ramirez had some real moments of magic and just needed a goal to top off his performance, the best of luck to him in Spain as I've just heard he's left for Real Sociedad. Hopefully he manages to get some game time with them and come back a better player as a result. He was absolutely lethal for Malaga so there is a player in there somewhere. 
Kieron Dowell, despite snatching at a few chances I thought was alright, he really should have made it 4-1 in the last minute but snatched at his chance. Oumar worked his socks off as always but looked off the pace, his 50p head putting many palms to faces when he blazed his header over the bar. Up top DCL was fantastic, a well taken second goal and a great header for the second to put us out of sight. 
Overall a very professional performance which is pleasing to see after so many changes. We had about three or four higher gears to go into if needed and it proved scoring so quickly after Rotherham did. Zonal Marking continues to be our Achilles heel which is frustrating (I hope Silva allows us to go man-to-man at corners) but time will tell how that one plays out. Onward to Huddersfield and a return of Southampton in the next round!
Holgate is 6'0 exactly - are you suggesting that if he was an inch taller you'd be happy with him?
Whilst I can see where you're coming from it's not exactly a great comparison looking at their cup final squad. Being 90 minutes away from the trophy of course they're going to take it seriously. Their starting XI against West Brom in the 3rd Round last season included the likes of Mangala (who they then shipped out on loan), Delph and Yaya Toure (who had a frosty relationship with Pep). 
Don't get me wrong it's still a strong squad but I think that most Premier League clubs in and around the Top 10 take their foot of the gas when it comes to the Carabao Cup. Personally, I think that if we can't beat the likes of Rotherham with a second-string squad then we had deep problems behind the scenes. 

A shaky start I thought against inferior opposition but overall a good result in our first game back under the floodlights. I was pleased with the team (just three changes from the one I posted) but was worried that one of them was Maarten Stekelenburg. Despite being an experienced head I just don't have confidence in him at all, especially after he let a low cross go unchallenged across his six-yard box in the opening few minutes which nearly gave me an aneurysm. To his credit he dealt with the high balls well but I'm hoping that in the near future Joao Virginia becomes our No.2.
At the back Jonjoe Kenny was brilliant. I don't think he was as MOTM worthy as the radio stations are making out but he was good. Mason Holgate likewise with Lucas Digne, my player of the game on the left. Kurt Zouma I thought was really rusty. Bambi on Ice for the first 45 but seemed to settle down in the second half. Fingers crossed he puts his poor season with Stoke behind him and turns into a solid option for us, to his credit he was much better in the second half but I was worried at the beginning 😖!
The midfield was great for me with nobody having a bad game. Tom Davies did what he needed to (great to see him captain) and Gylfi did well with his poachers effort to make it 1-0. Sandro Ramirez had some real moments of magic and just needed a goal to top off his performance, the best of luck to him in Spain as I've just heard he's left for Real Sociedad. Hopefully he manages to get some game time with them and come back a better player as a result. He was absolutely lethal for Malaga so there is a player in there somewhere. 
Kieron Dowell, despite snatching at a few chances I thought was alright, he really should have made it 4-1 in the last minute but snatched at his chance. Oumar worked his socks off as always but looked off the pace, his 50p head putting many palms to faces when he blazed his header over the bar. Up top DCL was fantastic, a well taken second goal and a great header for the second to put us out of sight. 
Overall a very professional performance which is pleasing to see after so many changes. We had about three or four higher gears to go into if needed and it proved scoring so quickly after Rotherham did. Zonal Marking continues to be our Achilles heel which is frustrating (I hope Silva allows us to go man-to-man at corners) but time will tell how that one plays out. Onward to Huddersfield and a return of Southampton in the next round!
Holgate is 6'0 exactly - are you suggesting that if he was an inch taller you'd be happy with him?
Whilst I can see where you're coming from it's not exactly a great comparison looking at their cup final squad. Being 90 minutes away from the trophy of course they're going to take it seriously. Their starting XI against West Brom in the 3rd Round last season included the likes of Mangala (who they then shipped out on loan), Delph and Yaya Toure (who had a frosty relationship with Pep). 
Don't get me wrong it's still a strong squad but I think that most Premier League clubs in and around the Top 10 take their foot of the gas when it comes to the Carabao Cup. Personally, I think that if we can't beat the likes of Rotherham with a second-string squad then we had deep problems behind the scenes. 

Lucky you, Andy van der Meyde getting a bit merry and lifting a pint glass over his head is the closest I've been to seeing an Everton player lift a cup. 
I know what you are getting at though. Whilst I think it's important for us to rest players (especially in ties like this) there is a fine balance between selecting yourself out of the competition. 
That said, our kids should be able to handle Rotherham.

But if the kids lose we are out of the easiest cup at the first hurdle. We have depth in the squad and no Europe so we should be going as all out as we can whilst giving minutes to first teamers on the fringes where possible, especially the ones with limited pre-season minutes. If they seal the win early, then bring a kid off the bench.

I wouldn't trust Stekelenburg to run a bath, nevermind keep a clean sheet for us. Whilst we don't want to burn out Pickford following his World Cup campaign I don't think it'll do him any harm playing on Wednesday and it will be a good chance for him to get a clean sheet under his belt for the first time this season. 
Zouma will more than likely play in the centre, perhaps alongside Holgate if Keane isn'ttt fit and seeing as Jagielka is banned. Digne on the left would be nice too and would give him a chance to show us what he's got. On the right, Jonjoe Kenny maybe?
The middle of the park we can tinker with, happy for Davies to start alongside one of the established two of Gueye and Schneiderlin for consistency. Out wide, maybe some changes with any of Calvert-Lewin, Lookman or Sandro coming in. Dowell in the middle giving Gylfi a rest would be nice to see too, keep him and Bernard fresh for the weekend. 
Up top, I'd keep Cenk. He's worked hard this season so far but needs a goal, against struggling opposition maybe he can get one in the bag and be off the mark?
 
Pickford
Kenny - Holgate - Zouma - Digne
Davies - Schneiderlin
Sandro - Dowell - Calvert-Lewin
Tosun
Subs: Stekelenburg, Feeney, Gueye, Lookman, Walcott, Niasse

I wouldn't trust Stekelenburg to run a bath, nevermind keep a clean sheet for us. Whilst we don't want to burn out Pickford following his World Cup campaign I don't think it'll do him any harm playing on Wednesday and it will be a good chance for him to get a clean sheet under his belt for the first time this season. 
Zouma will more than likely play in the centre, perhaps alongside Holgate if Keane isn'ttt fit and seeing as Jagielka is banned. Digne on the left would be nice too and would give him a chance to show us what he's got. On the right, Jonjoe Kenny maybe?
The middle of the park we can tinker with, happy for Davies to start alongside one of the established two of Gueye and Schneiderlin for consistency. Out wide, maybe some changes with any of Calvert-Lewin, Lookman or Sandro coming in. Dowell in the middle giving Gylfi a rest would be nice to see too, keep him and Bernard fresh for the weekend. 
Up top, I'd keep Cenk. He's worked hard this season so far but needs a goal, against struggling opposition maybe he can get one in the bag and be off the mark?
 
Pickford
Kenny - Holgate - Zouma - Digne
Davies - Schneiderlin
Sandro - Dowell - Calvert-Lewin
Tosun
Subs: Stekelenburg, Feeney, Gueye, Lookman, Walcott, Niasse

Cenk's defending was brilliant yesterday too, ran his socks off for the time he was on the pitch and from closing down the Southampton back four they had to constantly pump it upfield as opposed to playing out from the back. Last season we would have sat back until they were in our final third however with Tosun running around like a pitbull, teams are having to go route one against us which will be perfect when we have Yerry Mina and/or Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma at the back. 
Also, massive thumbs up for this too. Doesn't take a lot but means everything to the fans. 

Are they going to reimburse the fans that had Cuco Martina shirts printed for this season?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heard both of them are livid.

Are they going to reimburse the fans that had Cuco Martina shirts printed for this season?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heard both of them are livid.

Not something we saw a lot of last season!
 

Not going to kid myself that that was anything other than average. A welcome return to Goodison but I do get the feeling I'll be going there more often than not to come home dissapointed this season, we aren't too bad going forward but defend with the skillset of a Sunday League team with a hangover which is both infuriating and upsetting to see. We are an absolute calamity at times and against Wolves I honestly think we're going to have our pants pulled down. 
Stekelenburg is woeful, but thankfully Pickford will play next week and our defensive pairing of Keane and Jagielka just doesn't work. I'm convinced that there is a player in there somewhere when it comes to Michael Keane but the last time I saw a decent performance from him he was wearing claret and blue, I find it hard to hurl abuse at Jagielka after what he's done but his legs have totally gone. Why we're heading into the season with a lad closing in on the age of 40 is beyond me, but I guess it's the Everton Way. Leighton Baines, another of the old guard was poor (thank heavens for Digne) and whilst Coleman was alright, rugby tackling Sando Ramirez to gift them the third was one of the biggest face in the wall moments I've had at Goodison. 
The positives from the game were Theo Walcott who was excellent, Cenk Tosun who was ruthless up top (fantastic finish for the first) and Richarlison who looked bright on the left flank. As I say, we're no Barcelona going forward but I think we'll cause the odd team trouble, its just that we're going to have to score about six or seven to ever be comfortable in a game. Whilst I don't think we'll go down we're not going to challenge for Europe this season and in my opinion it'll be an up and down rollercoaster stopping off at 10th place. The only hope is that we make progress behind the scenes and fix the mess that Koeman, Allardyce and Walsh left behind. 

Not going to kid myself that that was anything other than average. A welcome return to Goodison but I do get the feeling I'll be going there more often than not to come home dissapointed this season, we aren't too bad going forward but defend with the skillset of a Sunday League team with a hangover which is both infuriating and upsetting to see. We are an absolute calamity at times and against Wolves I honestly think we're going to have our pants pulled down. 
Stekelenburg is woeful, but thankfully Pickford will play next week and our defensive pairing of Keane and Jagielka just doesn't work. I'm convinced that there is a player in there somewhere when it comes to Michael Keane but the last time I saw a decent performance from him he was wearing claret and blue, I find it hard to hurl abuse at Jagielka after what he's done but his legs have totally gone. Why we're heading into the season with a lad closing in on the age of 40 is beyond me, but I guess it's the Everton Way. Leighton Baines, another of the old guard was poor (thank heavens for Digne) and whilst Coleman was alright, rugby tackling Sando Ramirez to gift them the third was one of the biggest face in the wall moments I've had at Goodison. 
The positives from the game were Theo Walcott who was excellent, Cenk Tosun who was ruthless up top (fantastic finish for the first) and Richarlison who looked bright on the left flank. As I say, we're no Barcelona going forward but I think we'll cause the odd team trouble, its just that we're going to have to score about six or seven to ever be comfortable in a game. Whilst I don't think we'll go down we're not going to challenge for Europe this season and in my opinion it'll be an up and down rollercoaster stopping off at 10th place. The only hope is that we make progress behind the scenes and fix the mess that Koeman, Allardyce and Walsh left behind. 

Not going to kid myself that that was anything other than average. A welcome return to Goodison but I do get the feeling I'll be going there more often than not to come home dissapointed this season, we aren't too bad going forward but defend with the skillset of a Sunday League team with a hangover which is both infuriating and upsetting to see. We are an absolute calamity at times and against Wolves I honestly think we're going to have our pants pulled down. 
Stekelenburg is woeful, but thankfully Pickford will play next week and our defensive pairing of Keane and Jagielka just doesn't work. I'm convinced that there is a player in there somewhere when it comes to Michael Keane but the last time I saw a decent performance from him he was wearing claret and blue, I find it hard to hurl abuse at Jagielka after what he's done but his legs have totally gone. Why we're heading into the season with a lad closing in on the age of 40 is beyond me, but I guess it's the Everton Way. Leighton Baines, another of the old guard was poor (thank heavens for Digne) and whilst Coleman was alright, rugby tackling Sando Ramirez to gift them the third was one of the biggest face in the wall moments I've had at Goodison. 
The positives from the game were Theo Walcott who was excellent, Cenk Tosun who was ruthless up top (fantastic finish for the first) and Richarlison who looked bright on the left flank. As I say, we're no Barcelona going forward but I think we'll cause the odd team trouble, its just that we're going to have to score about six or seven to ever be comfortable in a game. Whilst I don't think we'll go down we're not going to challenge for Europe this season and in my opinion it'll be an up and down rollercoaster stopping off at 10th place. The only hope is that we make progress behind the scenes and fix the mess that Koeman, Allardyce and Walsh left behind. 

Not going to kid myself that that was anything other than average. A welcome return to Goodison but I do get the feeling I'll be going there more often than not to come home dissapointed this season, we aren't too bad going forward but defend with the skillset of a Sunday League team with a hangover which is both infuriating and upsetting to see. We are an absolute calamity at times and against Wolves I honestly think we're going to have our pants pulled down. 
Stekelenburg is woeful, but thankfully Pickford will play next week and our defensive pairing of Keane and Jagielka just doesn't work. I'm convinced that there is a player in there somewhere when it comes to Michael Keane but the last time I saw a decent performance from him he was wearing claret and blue, I find it hard to hurl abuse at Jagielka after what he's done but his legs have totally gone. Why we're heading into the season with a lad closing in on the age of 40 is beyond me, but I guess it's the Everton Way. Leighton Baines, another of the old guard was poor (thank heavens for Digne) and whilst Coleman was alright, rugby tackling Sando Ramirez to gift them the third was one of the biggest face in the wall moments I've had at Goodison. 
The positives from the game were Theo Walcott who was excellent, Cenk Tosun who was ruthless up top (fantastic finish for the first) and Richarlison who looked bright on the left flank. As I say, we're no Barcelona going forward but I think we'll cause the odd team trouble, its just that we're going to have to score about six or seven to ever be comfortable in a game. Whilst I don't think we'll go down we're not going to challenge for Europe this season and in my opinion it'll be an up and down rollercoaster stopping off at 10th place. The only hope is that we make progress behind the scenes and fix the mess that Koeman, Allardyce and Walsh left behind. 

Not going to kid myself that that was anything other than average. A welcome return to Goodison but I do get the feeling I'll be going there more often than not to come home dissapointed this season, we aren't too bad going forward but defend with the skillset of a Sunday League team with a hangover which is both infuriating and upsetting to see. We are an absolute calamity at times and against Wolves I honestly think we're going to have our pants pulled down. 
Stekelenburg is woeful, but thankfully Pickford will play next week and our defensive pairing of Keane and Jagielka just doesn't work. I'm convinced that there is a player in there somewhere when it comes to Michael Keane but the last time I saw a decent performance from him he was wearing claret and blue, I find it hard to hurl abuse at Jagielka after what he's done but his legs have totally gone. Why we're heading into the season with a lad closing in on the age of 40 is beyond me, but I guess it's the Everton Way. Leighton Baines, another of the old guard was poor (thank heavens for Digne) and whilst Coleman was alright, rugby tackling Sando Ramirez to gift them the third was one of the biggest face in the wall moments I've had at Goodison. 
The positives from the game were Theo Walcott who was excellent, Cenk Tosun who was ruthless up top (fantastic finish for the first) and Richarlison who looked bright on the left flank. As I say, we're no Barcelona going forward but I think we'll cause the odd team trouble, its just that we're going to have to score about six or seven to ever be comfortable in a game. Whilst I don't think we'll go down we're not going to challenge for Europe this season and in my opinion it'll be an up and down rollercoaster stopping off at 10th place. The only hope is that we make progress behind the scenes and fix the mess that Koeman, Allardyce and Walsh left behind. 

isn'tttt it time you bought a new keyboard?

http://footyroom.com/matches/79955548/rennes-vs-everton/review
A slightly better highlights package.
I hadn't seen the chance of theirs 60 minutes in live (8.56 in on the video). Keane beaten in the air (easily), Gana sucked in to make it 4 of ours around 1 of theirs but he skips past both him and Baines. Jags pulled across because Keane is mesmerised and the gap between Jags and Coleman is half the pitch. Schneiderlin being the donkey he is just watches the ball too, doesn't drop into the space and their player just runs behind him into the space. What is even more disappointing is that after the chance, no-one is starting the inquest. No one seems to care that they just sliced through us.
Their 3rd goal is the exact type of goal we will concede a lot of this season if we don't get new players in. Baines' underplays a pass as he is being tackled of which he takes a knock taking him out of the game. The player that intercepts the pass plays a long ball along the ground to the CF. Keane is about 4 or 5 yards off him, not putting in a challenge nor holding his position. Schneiderlin is covering the left back spot which is good. The CF Keane left, plays a nice first touch ball down the left channel, Schneiderlin is covering the player initially but the other guy is too quick for him which leave him 1 v 1 with Stek. To his credit Jags almost gets there on the cover and getting closer than Schneiderlin despite giving the latter a big advantage in momentum.
4th goal, Davies plays a ball into Mirallas that he is calling for. I don't think it is the smartest ball because he is being marked but Mirallas thinks he can do something with it. Coleman is free for a one touch pass on the right. Mirallas wants to try and turn and losses the ball. Davies tries to help out but ultimately sells himself creating another counter attack but we have a 3 v 2 advantage at this stage but the CF strides past Keane and Jags, brushing off Jags in the process. Keane is the covering defender in that situation and he should be seeing to it. He makes a big effort to get narrow but in doing that he doesn't cover the space behind Jags. The striker shouldnt be scoring from that angle though, its not as if it hits the side netting, there is no curve so Stek should be questioned.
Looking through these goals has just proven to me that Jags is actually still playing at a high level, albeit he has been shoved off the ball twice in 2 games which is a concern. He is streets ahead of Keane. He needs a partner and I am not sure him and Holgate are the ideal pairing as they aren't the biggest or strongest. It has to be worth a go though and Holgate did show a knack for winning headers when he was given a run.
Baines still actually has the pace to get up and down the wing. The second video shows a longer picture and the acceleration from Baines to get involved is really impressive for that first goal. You also see him check the attacker in front and behind, so he was positioning himself perfectly to be able to get back in for the player closest to goal.
Questions were raised of Coleman for the first two goals but in the second video you can see that he was the most advanced player in the first goal and he had made a forward run for Jags for the second. I would attach no blame to him whatsoever. We want him to get forward and on both occasions the ball was down his side.
Schneiderlin is trying to do the right things. He is getting into position but he isn'ttt quick enough or strong enough to effect the attack. He isn'ttt aggressive enough either. I don't see how he is going to improve enough for the new season because its the same thing as last season. He isn'ttt doing what we need on the ball either. He is putting people under pressure with his passing and shitting himself when he has the ball which is the opposite of what you would expect from a player in that position. They need to be in control.
Gana is the opposite to Schneiderlin. He has the speed, he is more aggressive but equally as weak. Gana on the other hand just doesn't appreciate developing situations at all. I expect him to sharpen up a bit as he gets his match sharpness back but we know from seasons gone by that its his glaring weakness. I don't see how that would fit into Silva's plans.