RuffRob

well, it looked like they shit the bed to me tonight. and I'll simply take pleasure and a bit of enjoyment from in it while I can.

not really, I said 11 games and 3 month is plenty bad enough, and no need to be stretching the truth. If your going to quote some facts, may as well quote the correct ones rather than strech them all a bit. Otherwise it just gets silly.

Well Luton shit the bed tonight. Getting beat 4-3 after being 3 up is a bad way to lose a game.

so are you counting the FA cup draw (against Palace) but not the FA cup win against them in your 12 games? or including EFL cup? otherwise ifs just league games then it's 11 games and not 12 since last win againt Burnley just less that 3months ago. just numbers (months and number of league games) you are saying originally are both incorrect. the numbers are bad enough without need to over embellishing.

Where does this nearly 4 months keep coming from? last win was 2 months ago in FA Cup win (17th Jan), and less than 3 months (16th Dec) since league (not that 2 or 3 months are ideal). That's a healthy 33% exaggeration. also 11 games in the league and not 12. 11's bad enough without sneaking in an extra one!!!

Feeling all deja vu. This is frustrating as hell, as without those points deduction this season, since the turn of the year we should have been a mid table team enjoying much more freedon in our approch to games. Instead of team building we are again a team having to battle and scrap to the bitter end of the season. I think we can all but right the championship chasing Arsenal and the Shite games off - so realistically 8 games left in my eye.

I agree, think he will move on. He has more than shown he is ready to step in to most Premier league clubs and demand to be in their starting line up. If he get called up for England squad, which is a big possibility, we all have seen in the past how that turns heads. It will all be about extracting the very maximum fee for him. Not many clubs with massive budgets this year, but we have to play Levy type hardball and make clubs pay a premium. At his age a buying club would really have a CB they build a team around - could have him in the team for +12 years. There will be lots of clubs interested in him, we simply have to be ruthless in our demands.

we have come off the pitch well and truly beaten in both performances and results wise under a lot of managers in our recent history, players going on the pitch with lack luster efforts at best. Preceeding managers have not been particulay unlucky, they have just put teams out that have come of the pitch deserving to be beaten. It's been embarressing to watch - most of them with much better resources available to them than Dyche has. The past few months our team has been frustrating to watch as we have deserved more from a lot of the games. I don't feel embarressed by this team. Even Ancellotti, he had a good run of a dozen game up to Xmas, but that team died a slow death after the turn of the New Year and played some pretty poor football. We have to remember a fair bit of the financial pain and anxitiy being suffered this season is actually down to the money spend in the Ancelotti season. I don't think anybody is saying that Dyche is the best manager since sliced bread. He is however, better suited to where this club are now than the a lot if not all who have been here over Moshiri ownership. We don't have a great record in chopping and changing managers. It seems that bit by bit each manager has chipped away at the club, even Ancelotti given the financial concequence of that season. Performances and effort of the player on the pitch are nowhere near bad enough for me to warrent sacking yet another manager. A new manager bounce isn't a given, and generally comes when a managers loses a dressing room. I don't beleive Dyche has lost the dressing room.

I think it may have been the 'construction' cost that had been locked in. I am sure they would have been a variation allowed for inflation in material cost. For a project of this scale and the world we currently find ourseles, no contractor would have taken on that level of risk. In all honesty, had we actaully locked the Contractor in to a fixed price and them taking the financial hit on rise in materials, give the amount they have gone up, it could well have sent them and many of their specialist sub contractors in to administation, so we would still have a significant debt and a half or three quater stadium build, load of corners cut by the Contractor, and no Contracotors about with knowledge of getting it finished. Materials might be costing a bit more, but everybody will be getting fairly paid, and we will end up with a top no corners cut job. Laing Construction all but went bust on the construction of Wale's Millenium statium at the end of the 90's and Laings where taken over by O'Roukes on the back of that project. They will not make that mistake again.

but in that 11 game run there was: 1 game away to fulham - a decent enough away point. OK 2 games against Man City, 2 defeats - expect results, no shame and not bad performances. Understandable. 2 games against Spurs - 1 defeat away (expected results be we actually played well enough to win - very unlucky) and draw at home (not an total unexpected result against a top four challenging side form wise). Unlucky in both really. OK 1 game verses Villa - home draw against a top 4 side (again not that bad a results). OK 1 game away to Brighton - draw (should have won come the final whistle - but no shame in this result), annoying but OK 1 game away to Man Utd - not a game Everton ever really win. However, performace deserved better. frustrating, but OK 1 games away to Wolves - played poorly and got beat away by a tidy enough Wolves team - disappointing performance, and Dyche said as much. Away loses happen in PL football. 1 Palace at home - should have won only got a draw (2 points lost) - confidence issue and relatievly poor performance. 1 West Ham Home - should have won (2 point lost) - confidence issue as performance did deserve a better result. Personally, 2 points dropped against Palace and 3 points dropped against West Ham are the two results that really disappointed me in the run of 11 games. So really only 2 or 3, that you would really say are massivley disappointing or unexpected/unacceptable results. That's the real reason why not more people are not calling for Dyche to be sacked - a pragmatic view of more than just the final result of the last 11 games. last 11 results - 0.45 points per game (sack the manager!!!) previouse 11 results - 2.0 points per game (give the manager a new contract as we are in next seaons CL!!) An average of 1.11 per game so far is fair enough considering the shit going on behind the scenes and difficuties in finishing. Based on what I have seen this season Dyche has this squad consistently performing as a middle of the table team. I would have taken that in August, so no reason at all to be sacking the man. There have be far far worst footballing crimes at this club over the past 8 years - performance and results wise.

I think he has done plenty enough now to have played his way out of the starting 11. We have to now be bolder in games like both Bournmouth and Luton away and against Burnley, Forest, Brentford and Sheff Utd at home and at least have a right back who is going to give us much more going forward. It pretty much the bottom half of the table and all be games in which we should be going on the feild feeling positive that we are the better team, there is signficant scope to get a more forward thinking right back on the pitch.

I don't think any player can use what is termed Dyche ball as a excuse. There are opertunities in most game for our offensive players to show moments of quality or make moment of quality happen. The problem is as much the quality (or lack of) of the player as it is the system in which they play. I remember when Harrison played against us for Leeds, he had a couple of stinkers, if I remember correctly the last game he played against us he was particualy poor. Being a hard worker has always been his best attribute, genuine quality being spasmodic at best. Dyche ball actually probably suits the worker like Harrison's of this world. £8M for Gray was business it seens we couldn't turn down, give our finances, his fringe position in the squad and him being on his final year. Being on his final year and he low fee, that has to go down as mostly profit on the books. He's not done anywhere near enough to earn a £20m transfer.

to be honest not one of the offensive players are stepping up to grab a goal or two. You would expect wingers and midfielders to be chipping in here and there, it not just strikers, everybody's lost the final touch if front of goal.

I also feel Gomes could be a big player for those home games we have coming up after the break.

It can't be under estimate what 'confidence' brings to a team. It's the single biggest thing that's missing for us at the moment. Desperately need to chalk up a win to get bring some of that back. must now hope for other results to go our way to keep weekend from being a total disaster!!

That's what makes it so frustrating, we should really still be in this game.

fuck all to lose in the second half, may as well be a little bolder and give Patto game time..

Most of our away games are fairly tough - so would be happy getting 3 -4 points from these (3 draws or a win) if our luck changes a little at home. Home, we have been shocking results wise - but if we don't take at least 9 points from those 5 games then we really don't have any right to be in the Premiership. Unless we get a couple of unexpected results beforehand you would have to say the Forest game could have a lot riding on it. We could really do with a result against Man U to take the club in to the short break we are then going to have.

Behind the scenes this club must be a cauldren of stress and anxiety at the moment. It is effectievly rudderless at the very top with lot of very seriouse stuff going on - 3/4 the way thought a new stadium build with massive cheques needing to be signed weekly, point deducutions and appeals going on over the whole season (the results of which could make the difference between us going down and staying up), possible new owners who everybody knows are not without there own risks (we are NOT getting a Middle East consortium with effectively endless resourses), we are effectively searching down the back of the sofa for any spare £1M at this moment in time to try and fund our new stadium and intrest payment that come with it. This is not a great place to be a manager at the moment - anybody with a ounce sence would steer clear for the next 18months until the dust has well and truly settled. I am pretty sure if Dyche had crystal ball and had known what was likley to be the working conditions at the club when he was offered the job, he may very well have passed and waited for a more normal job to come along, one that was simply about the football on the pitch!! . If the club paniked and got rid, who of the calibre needed would be queing up to take on the Everton manager roles and be better placed than Dyche to get us over the line in the next 11 games. I think Dyche has been very supportive of the players who are going on the pitch week in week out. It's obviouse for all to see that players ARE missing chance after chance, he can only say some many time - they have the 'freedom to miss chances'. We all know; players included, they are going to have to start put a few more of them away at sometime. He is far from throwing players under the bus. I and others are a long way from thinking Dyche is perfect, but he is a fairly good fit for this club at the moment. He is a manager who does not go around crying about the situation the clubs in, he rolls his sleeves up and deals with it, and he is getting players to do the same. There are plenty of things going on at this club where a managers or players could be quite easily thinking "what's the f8cking point' its a circus around this place, I'll probably be better off somewhere else come the summer!!". I don't feel this at all from Dyche and the squad. None of us were expecting miracles this season, we all though mid table mediocrity would be plenty acceptable this season given upheaval and resources at the club, just keeping away from a third relegation battle. If we take away the point deductions, then that is pretty much where we are as a footballing side (and maybe this is what Dyche is as a manager). But at this very moment in time I am more than satisfied with mediocrity, I am very weary of trying to change things up on the management side, as another minor slip in this department would see us relegated. Premiership is a very unforgiving league and given o A time to stick not twist.

I don't doubt others would be interested in a Premier League club (at the right price), but not sure how that would equate to a genuine interest. If true, then this other interested party should really be shouting from the roof tops about being interested in Everton rather than keeping it to themselves and Joe Thomas. What would other investers have to gain by keeping a low profile? If I was genuine buyer I would be doing what I could to put a fly in the ointment for what could be a near immenent 777 deal. If PL sanctions 777 Partners, then we could have new owners fairly sharpish, so any other interested party would miss the boat. If there was another genuine buyer in sight, then may even help the PL in saying they don't think 777 are fit and proper (if thats what they are thinking), becasue Everton have other genuine options. Even if 777 Partners have some period of exclusivity on detail discussions with Everton, that still doesn't stop any other potential buyer letting it be know they would be interested.

I must admit I am on Josh Wander side in this case, really not sure what Josimar Football credentials are and now much they ARE in the know or just think they are in the know with a handfull of fact. These articles, if not properly balanced, can end up divisive and harmful. It is interesting that Wander has used the term libelous about what is being wrote. 777 Partner (and their backers) are already putting lots of money in to the club, so 777 Partner at the moment deserve the benefit of the doubt. These significant sums of money will not be getting invested by fools, some people seem to have faith in 777 Partners and there ability to make Everton a better club. We all know our main problem has been that we have be very poorly run in a modern footballing world environment, it's that simple. It's fuck all to do with not having a wealth investor. If 777 simply have talented people lined up to run us like a proper sports franchise business, then we are going to be in an infinately better position than we are in now. Just getting our boardroom lto a proffessional level and making Everton a better run club will see the value of us as an asset go up.

I think in normal circumstances Dyche might be going through a run of games where questions might start to be rasied about the team and how it's progressing results wise and playing wise under his management. However, we are so far removed from normal circumstances as a club could be. Dyche is working under the most unusual circumstances we could really imagine at a football club. The points you have won being taken off you based on things that went on before your arrival and then with the spectre of even more points being taken away from you hanging over you. You add to this the madness of how the ownership and board situation is at this club, the long standing Chairman passing away. All these signficant things happening off the pitch over 2/3's of a season is quite astounding really. All this has to negatively affect the players and football management side of the club. The biggest thing that is really going against Dyche and the wider team at the moment seems to be a bit of luck - Performance wise easily half of our defeats/draws could have quite easily have turned out as wins on a different day. I don't beleive he as lost the players or dressing room at all, in fact they all seem to be working together to try and change the results. I imagine he would have loved to have been in the position 10 games ago to try and take on games a little more going in to them as a mid table team. However, he has had the tractor beam of the points deduction that is keeping us (and will do now for the rest of the season) pulled toward the bottom three - that in itself brings a nervouseness to the players and fans alike. Everton are at what I feel is a very delecate tipping point at the moment - Until the points deductions and ownership issues are sorted out, the last thing we should do is be trying to change manager again. Especailly as Dyches main downfall to me has been that he's been very unlucky this season - both on and off the pitch. If this had been a 'normal' season, just about football - I could quite easily see this team having a two or three more wins under their belt and now being safe on between 35-40 points. I would actually like to see Dyche manage in to next season, with hopefully points deduction behind us and a new owner and board in place - to me he has and is showing enough to suggest he deserves a normal season.

Neither Mc Neil or Harrison haven't been particiualy consistent this season. They provide a solid enough base, but have generally not offered a signifcant amounts offensivley - considering that they are our offesive outlets. How I would love to be watching the McNeil we watched this time last year. we know McNeil does have it in his locker. The problem is we don't have a great choice beyond the pair of them at the moment, either to be putting there places in the team under pressure or to be offering a great deal off the bench. As a player with us on loan Harrison is doing a OK job, but as a player we should go and spend £20M on then, I don't think so in what I think is going to be a very subdued transfer market this summer. I really think it will be a buyers this summer. I think the likes of Man U, Chelsea, Villa, Newcastle will be trying to shift players and big earners, but equally not spending massivley to replace them. Fuck knows what Everton's plans will be, will we be a Premiership or Championship team and will we have a new owner or not. Probably two of the biggest questions you could have before making any sort of concrete transfer plans.

We are a considerably better team under Dyche, than we have been the past couple of years. Our performances are much more competative and consistently so. 1t has simply been down to poor finishing at the final moment. the irony is we have all be so hoping for DCL to get fit for best part of 2 season, and when he does he just can't score. Dyche has given him massive support on starting him. Even thoigh DCL a better player I think Beto now needs a run of games.

I think your right - fans as well as players will be glad this appeal is now off our backs - we have to see it as a positive result and go in to the Saturdays game with spring is everybodies set, Goodison bouncing and players reacting to that. Lets see that 4 points back being reinforced with another three points on Saturday. Then is would feel like a truly good week.