nogs

5 hours ago, StevO said:

I’d take Moutinho, Never and Traore. Not really sure about any of the others. Those three would make a massive difference in our team. Can dream though. 

Jiminez? Patricio? Dendonker? Jota? Doherty? 

3 hours ago, c1982 said:

100% we have a better squad. They have individuals who would massively improve us but I’d confidently say we’ve got a better squad overall. Wolves’ success has been hugely (not solely) down to Santos and his team - he’s got the players really fit and playing in a very successful system.

Wolves are a very good team - they are a local team to me so I know a lot of Wolves fans and the general consensus amongst them is that they have some top class players but not much squad depth. Most felt they were short and worried after the summer window but obviously they have coped really well (an injury crisis could have changed this) and most thought they would get a few more in during this window. Ask any Wolves fan and they’d place Nuno as more important to keep than any single player.  

Fair enough we all have our opinions but it honestly bemuses me that Everton fans still rate our squad. Put it this way - I don't rate Keane, Schneiderlin or Walcott, I didn't rate Tosun before he went out on loan, I certainly don't rate Niasse who has been getting minutes off the bench recently. The jury is still very much out on Davies, Iwobi and Delph, we have no idea about Gbamin, Bernard looks good in glimpses but fitness seems an issue, Coleman's best days look behind him and I don't see how we'll ever get £45m worth out of Sigurdsson. That doesn't leave me with much faith in the depth of our squad! 

14 hours ago, c1982 said:

They have used less players in the league than any other team this season and that’s remarkable given they’ve played all of the extra Euro fixtures. They have been extremely lucky with injuries - having Saiss and Dendonker’s versatility has been massive for them as each can cover cb and cm - something Gbamin may have been able to do for us.

OK, so what Wolves have done the past couple of years is all down to the manager, they've been lucky and have no squad depth - do you think we have a better squad than them then? 

12 hours ago, c1982 said:

The Wolves fans I know acknowledge they’ve got some top quality players but worry about the lack of depth in their squad. They’ve been incredibly lucky with injuries this season. They’ve done well to cope without Boly but they haven’t had our wretched luck when it comes to injuries. 

I think the only position on the pitch we've been really stung by injuries is in CM. If we'd lost a centre half like Wolves have, we'd have really been in the shit because we literally have no cover there. Wolves have coped because they have better depth than we do. 

8 hours ago, StevO said:

No, I’m still asking you a question. 
you said you have faith in Carlo and there aren’t much better, so I’m asking why would the players not do better under Carlo than they have under previous managers?

You expect them to fold because they always have in the past, so if you have faith in Carlo (which you said you do) don’t you think the players would do better under him? If they wouldn’t do better then there was no point replacing the last man. If Carlo is such a good manager and coach he should improve the players he has shouldn’t he? Otherwise why have faith in him?

Steve I think Aidan's point is that you can't rely on the manager alone to improve the fortunes of a club. You have to get the right players in, and is there any argument that our recruitment hasn't been up to scratch the past 5 years? We've got a big summer ahead, I think we'll be slightly hamstrung by the amount of money we've spent previously pushing us close to FFP, so we'll have to be smart in the market. But regardless of Ancellotti's reputation, there's no way he's turning this squad into regular Europe/top 5 contenders. He will know that and will be prioritising shaping the squad his way, not just working with what he's been given. 

19 hours ago, c1982 said:

Wolves have no squad depth whatsoever. What they do have is a very good manager/ coaching team (and Mr Mendes pulling a lot of strings!)

Wolves have a very good squad. And keep adding to it thanks to Mendes's influence. 

3 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

The chance of European football has not gone. It hadn’t gone before today’s game and it certainly isn’t gone now.

The hysteria on display by some of our fans is ridiculous. 

What about another question - do we want European football next season? Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love us playing in Europe, I don't for one minute downplay the Europa like a lot do, I see that as a stepping stone to the CL. But are we ready? The only club I can remember that hasnt seen league form affected by a Europa campaign in recent years, excluding those that expected to qualify for CL, is Wolves this season. And my honest opinion is we are a year off matching them on squad depth and quality. Yeah I want European football - but I still see us as having an under strength squad. Would it be right for us next year? 

1 minute ago, Romey 1878 said:

The point is that there was no £80m bid to have a player as cover.

I didn't say there was an £80m bid. I said 'looking to spend' which is an entirely different thing altogether and accurate or not, it's what has been reported in relation to several players. 

My point being, if Barca did actually like the look of Richarlison (and who knows really?), they wouldn't change their mind just because Suarez returns to fitness. 

2 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Nogs, they didn't even bid. The very next day SSN reported that Barca were trying to sell players to raise funds .

You don't need to make a bid to have interest in a player. 

10 hours ago, Palfy said:

So would Klaassen, we’ve had some good players here who didn’t get fair chance and looked lacking because of poor managers. 

Klaasen could not handle the physicality and speed of the Prem league, end of. He's now plying his trade for a bottom 3 Bundesliga club and gets nowhere near the Dutch side. Why would he be good enough for us? 

22 hours ago, Bill said:

They will have Suarez  back in Summer and Richy is not in the same class.

Suarez is 33. There's no way Barca are looking to spend £80m on cover for 6 months. 

If Barca have come in for him, then let's face it his head will have been turned. We'd be mad to sell now but it will be one to watch in the summer. Sadly given the lack of activity this window I think we're also in a position where we need to sell to buy. 

My first experience at a kiddy football side when I was about 5, I was given a blue shirt to play in. I asked my dad who played in blue and, stupidly for a lifelong Liverpool fan, he said Everton and that was that. 

To be fair to him he never once tried to change my mind and even joined the family club and took me to Goodison several times a season. 

I remember there was a load of hype around him at Bayern, probably because he was their youngest ever player at the time I think. Seemed a bit of a coup Southampton signing him but I got the impression he hadn't really lived up to the early promise, although he's Saints' captain now at 24 and must be doinfmg sonething right as their turnaround this season has been impressive 

www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/everton-make-southamptons-pierre-emile-21348561.amp

Despite the cluster fuck that is UK politics atm, I'm glad we don't have a TT cabinet in charge. No one here seems to get the idea of collective responsibility! No point singling out individual players, or saying it was all down to Ancellotti's subs - we're looking at repeated collective failings that will take time to work out. Swapping Silva for a decorated high profile manager was never going to be a cure all, the capitulation against Liverpool and spaffing away three points like that last night prove that. Ancellotti has to learn how to get the best out of these players, the players have to adapt and in many cases improve, Brands and the board have to working on raising the quality in the squad. 

In other words, more shit like this will probably happen before it gets better! 

I didn't see the game so I haven't got a view on which players fucked up and what kind of lack of bottle/leadership/basic footballing intelligence was shown on the pitch. We all know from experience that pretty much all of our players have been guilty of all of that at one point or another. 

But on the subs - I've never liked preemptive defensive subs, the whole 'take what we've got' mentality. It goes wrong so often, not usually from 2-0 up in injury time granted, but the amount of teams you see throw away a 1-0 lead late on following negative subs instead of trying to win the game tells its own story. If a team is all over you and looking odds on to score, sure, make a tactical change. But to make subs that change you're shape and approach when you're cruising, I just don't get it. Keep doing what is working and win the game. 

On fitness levels and whether we had to make the subs for that reason - well I hardly think Bernard has completed 90 mins for us yet and that's a problem. But he was taken off at 83 minutes, not 70. Surely he could have managed another 10, or if you must replace him go like for like with Gordon? Kean - well you'd have thought at 19 having just scored his first PL goal he'd have been buzzing enough to play a full 90, but it doesn't sound like that was much of a problem anyway as Walcott did OK up top. 

As much as different personnel and change in shape/tactics, negative substitutions make affect mentality. This group of players need a fire lit under them, the games Big Dunc was in charge showed that. We were complacent against Liverpool's kids and we took our foot of the gas thinking we'd won last night. That's something Ancellotti has to get a grip of, he's not at Real or AC Milan anymore with a squad of proven winners who motivate themselves to see out games. The signals he sends from the bench matter here. 

10 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Once in a decade it happens to anyone in the top flight, once in a lifetime (if you're unlucky) it's your club that's the one shooting themselves in the foot.

Apologies for not being as pissed off as I should be but I was coming off an epically good day personally so really we could've lost 5-0 tonight and I'd have gone to bed happy-ish.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/34887539

Some differences but just as galling! I remember wanting Martinez's head on a spike that afternoon. I'm not quite so pissed off at this because I accept we're an average team atm and this season hasn't got anything on it for me. 

Well on the bright side if we'd held on we'd have been a point behind Sheff Utd and everyone would have been talking about Europe. We are nowhere near being ready for a a European campaign next season. 

What the fuck?? I stopped following the text assuming we'd won and was just about to come on and congratulate Kean... 

What other club does stupid fucking shit like this?? Reminds me of the Bournemouth disgrace under Martinez. 

4 hours ago, pete0 said:

The best he played for Liverpool was at centre half as he didn't have the athleticism to press in midfield. Main moans were that he's too slow off the mark and he slows the play down. We might as well just stick with Schneiderlin. 

Klopp mostly used him as a midfielder. You don't play in midfield under Klopp if you don't have a good engine and mobility. 

7 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

Once a red always a red.  No from me.  I wouldn’t take mane salah van dijk.  Call me what you will but a red won’t be one of them

When I started following Everton we had a guy called Kevin Sheedy playing for us. Best left sided midfielder we've ever had imo, won two league titles, an FA Cup and European Cup Winners Cup with us. Played for Liverpool before us. 

The way I see it, not signing a player coz they have previously played for your local rivals is the very definition of a bitter small club mentality. If you want to be the best, petty shit like that shouldn't come remotely into who you do or don't sign. 

Back to Can - he would improve our midfield because he can has the athleticism to press properly, something I don't think any of our current lot do. Not sure about £30m though given his injury record. 

4 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

No he’s a red shite

No, he plays for Juventus. And why would we not sign players from Liverpool anyway if they could improve our team?