nogs

Considering some of the names people pluck out of thin air and talk about like they'll make us a top 4 team, dunno why anyone would be anything other than made up at the prospect of signing a 29 year old utility player who has won two league titles and has a 20 England caps for £8m. I just can't see any negatives.

Can Moshiri keep his nose well and truly out of transfer policy please.

Pure nonsense. You don't run in behind your full back expecting him to be sat on his arse. If Gana had rushed over, he'd have left a huge gaping hole for a Liverpool player to run into, for Salah to slip in and get a free shot at goal. Which you'd have then blamed Gana for. So he is doing exactly what your criticising him for - marking the space on the edge of the box. If Gana does anything wrong, he doesn't fly into the tackle to try to prevent a goal, I assume because he doesn't want to give a penalty - pointless, because Salah scores anyway. But to blame him because Martina gets dumped on his backside is laughable. Now back to the thread topic, please.

I personally wonder why Pete and Palfy aren't coaching at the top level, their insight into how to defend against World class forwards is breathtaking.

Where have you seen Kenny is a loan-to-buy?

It's sensible player management from the club. Holgate did OK by all accounts at West Brom, he will get playing time as back up RB/CB so a chance for him to test himself at Prem level again. But no point having him and Kenny as back up, so now it's JonJo's turn to see what he can do at a big club in a big league.

And sorry, not to look like I'm picking on you, but I can't let that go - Jags has never been especially quick, Distin was rapid, especially so for a 30-plus year old.

Because we don't concede late goals anymore

You either have a very short memory or don't understand what makes a top class defender. Jags had two attributes I don't think Keane has from what have seen - leadership and a bloody minded determination to stop the opposition scoring at all costs. He was never the quickest but would mix it physically with anyone and read the game fantastically. He made Lescott, who had much better natural attributes, look world class because of his organisational abilities. Like Lescott, Keane needs his hand holding. He has time to prove me wrong but I just don't see him replacing what Jags has given us over the years.

What a brilliant servant he's been, a real leader and we'll miss him. Hope he comes back on the staff one day, reckon he'll keep playing.

Keith has it spot on. Man Utd will be looking for a new manager by Christmas, Chelsea will probably start the season with a new one who may be working with a transfer ban and no Hazard. Arsenal have two fantastic strikers and very little else. We've just beaten all three of those teams. Brands gets the recruitment right next season, there is a genuine opportunity to get back in the top 6 next season. Or does it not count if three of the big boys underperform?? Ask Leicester fans...

This, all day long. It wasn't just those three results, it was our home form for the last five matches after losing to City. Two points dropped, no goals conceded, playing Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd, playing good, progressive football. I dont get how see how anyone can't see genuine promise in that. I don't get how anyone can accuse players/manager of not caring after putting a run together like that, especially on the back of a terrible run of form. Imo that takes real guts and determination.

Our of interest Pete how old were you in 2002? Am I right in guessing pretty young? Might it not be the case that the reason why you were able to enjoy a shite Everton team draw 0-0 with ten-man Leeds, but don't get the same buzz watching us beat Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea now, is because you've changed, not because this current team lacks passion? I have loads of great memories of Goodison from the 90s when I lived close enough to go to matches regularly. I loved it, still do when I can get over. But fuck me I saw some rubbish Everton teams. The biggest criticism I could throw at us last season was that at times we played like one of them relegation near-miss seasons, or how it was under Smith again. Just dour, hapless, clueless football. Say what you like, but we would never have got the results we've had this last three months last season, under Koeman or Allardyce. We've turned a corner and we will see progress again next season.

Hmm, the two god awful draws Allardyce oversaw versus West Brom, or the final day defeat at West Ham, versus smashing Man Utd, beating Arsenal and Chelsea at home and giving the other lot a genuine run for their money, twice, in a season they broke their record points tally... I think we can a now accept that the only reason we're still debating this is one member who's determined to try to convince everyone else that black is white!

The facts are we've gone backwards since Moyes left. Martinez was a massive disappointment after a fabulous first season, Koeman an absolute disaster after a strong second half to his first season. We really need to hope that pattern doesn't continue, otherwise we're facing the start of another cycle, another three, four years away from where we want to be. Top 6/Europe this season could have been another false dawn. Silva has seen the size of the job in hand, he's faced the backlash from the fans when we play shite, he's stuck to his principles and made another pretty bleak season end with some promise. There is serious work to do with the squad as we have nowhere near enough depth in quality, but with the best youth system in the country at present and a DoF who has shown already he can be pretty shrewd about how he deals for top talent, I'm confident Silva will have us make a real tilt at the top 6 next season.

We really are short of quality outside the first choice 11. Lots to do this summer.

We may have been told we're not having Zouma. Planning for next season already.

No, I've asked several times for evidence of players not caring. I'm doing it to make a point, because when someone posts with an opinion you disagree with, you demand evidence, and regularly got at it like a dog with a hard on demanding they back up their opinion. Which, being an opinion, its not always easy to do. We're not in a court of law here. Your opinion is that some of our players don't care enough and it sickens you. Fine. My point is you have absolutely no evidence to back that up. It's not fact, it's an opinion. You need to learn the difference between the two. And as Shukes said, if you don't want other people on your back all the time, a little more balance in your posts wouldn't go amiss. EVERY player in our team makes mistakes, but you only choose to highlight Gana, and then question his attitude, because you have a completely irrational vendetta against him. And to be quite honest it stinks the place out.

Still waiting for you to explain how you've come to this opinion and provide some evidence.

Klaasen not a failure. That Per Kroldrup, poor boy was just misunderstood.

No I didn't ask anything about players not doing their job. I asked for evidence of players not caring when we conceded, something you called 'sickening'. Massive fail.

That's pathetic Pete. Yeah we had a poor game v Fulham. As we had a poor second half v Newcastle. Again - where is your evidence that those performances were down to players not caring? And what about the eight clean sheets in the last 10 games? When are you going to answer my question and comment on those? Did the players care in those 8 games? And why are you dragging Jags into this? Are you suggesting that our club captain, with more than 300 appearances for Everton FC to his name, somehow doesn't care about the club? What exactly is the point you're trying to make?

Again, five goals conceded and one defeat in 10 - who doesn't care enough? Who is not doing their job? Where's your evidence?

You missed Brett Angel. Never forget Brett Angel.

See this is typical of you. You said you were sickened by players not caring when they conceded. I asked for explanation/evidence, especially in light of only conceding 5 goals in 10 games. You've completely ducked that. That's why I and others have a problem with you're 'engaging in debate' line. You're like a politician, you only want to discuss what suits your purposes. You make OTT statements like that all the time but refuse to back them up when challenged. That's what makes 'debating' with you incredibly frustrating.