RuffRob

Spot on - I think he needs at least 18months and a couple of transfer windows and a proper crack at the job without a massive injury crisis. Whether fan will allow this is another thing. There is just no patience from many and this is what is desperately needed - with whoever is in charge. people seem to be forgetting even when most players where fit, we where atrocious last season and the season before that. Not sure how anybody is supposed to make them a nice to watch and winning team in a few months and half them missing. We will be continually sacking managers every 6months at this rate. Oh yeah, we have kind of tried that approach already. Do people really want to see Rooney taking the helm in January? and then maybe somebody else in the summer trying to get the tune out of the very same squad - possibly sprinkled with one or two Benitez additions and possibly a Rooney one as well.

Do you play Doucoure in this game or keep him for Leicester? - he is on 4 yellows so a yellow against Chelsea and he missed the game at the weekend. I think whoever we put on the pitch tomorrow was are getting beat at Chelsea, so not sure their is a point in risking him. Not sure how much key players should put in to this game with a run of games and teams coming up.

If we have had the industry and touch of class of Conor Gallaghar instead of them, it would have been a different team out there. Palace are not that good, he was the ultimate difference at the end of the day.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/vitaliy-mykolenko-wiki-manchester-united-18899093 write up from last year, its as much I have read about him.

I believe he is rapid and will run all day and very good going forward - might be lacking defensively though especially with a jump up to Prem level. A good age.

Given Godfrey seems to be getting the nod, kind of justifies Digne being dropped a bit.

Chelsea obviously think to much of him to let him go, signed a 5 year deal last summer. It also maybe highlights how big the gap is between the top clubs and ourselves. Chelsea can simply farm out massive talent like this who are get massive Premier league experience and growing as players. We have a long long way to go. Its only in modern history that Chelsea are such a big club, showing my age but in my head I still think of Everton as a bigger club than Chelsea. How deluded am I!!

Our squad is mid table, no matter who the manager is. Over a season not relegation fodder and not european qualifying squad - simply bang average. The difference between us and Palace yesterday was simply Conor Gallagher. How sicking he is a just another on the Chelsea production line, along with Billy Gilmor. But thats a topic in itself.

The whole situation is a shambles really - I didn't want Benitez here to start with because risk would be he would never been wholly excepted by Evertonians - especially if there was a run of bad results - pretty much everybody called this. A toxic situation would boil up and that is what is happening. I have done my best to get behind him, but it's becoming obvious its just not going to work, if the fans are not accepting of him and a significant proportion dead against him, then makes it so easy for players to fall out with him (as fans will rally behind the players over Benitez - even if in truth the players are out of order). Truth is most of our players are just not all that, collectively a middle of the table team is what they are. No manager yet has seemed to be able to get a consistent tune out of them. Head says, Benitez is in charge - players, fans and board all get behind him and give him a decent chance for the greater good of the club. But in reality I am coming to the conclusion this is not going to happen and is just likely to get worse - so what's the point. Question - who the fuck would want to manage us at this moment in time? and if anybody did I would be cynically wondering why. @Romey 1878 has it spot on about Ferguson he's been around too many failed regimes at the club and this squad needs a major overhaul. He just does not have the experience needed to on his own be handed what little funds we have. Irony being if Ferguson became temporary manager he would benefit from Brands being at his side.

too be honest no point in trying to second guess what the plan is anymore or what will happen. Moshiri has nailed in flag to the mast with bringing in Benitez (against what sounds like the wish of most others at the club), this has been compounded now by sacking Brands. He simply needs to let the man he is now backing get on with his job and not interfere with swerve balls - which sounds like he constantly did to Brands. But like you said there has been a history with Moshiri interfering time and time again at footballing levels and simply fucking things up or putting flies in the ointment. You would hope he is learning from this mistakes, but it does not mean he will. There are only two ways out of this : 1) Moshiri does learn his lesson and realises he needs to really keep at arms length and let footballing people look after the footballing areas of the club, or 2) he sells and another owner chances his arm with us. The massive saving grace is that in the years since Moshiri has been at the club, we have sorted a site, got planning permission and are now building what could end up being one of the best half a dozen sporting stadiums in the country.

I am disappointed that whatever problem is going on between them isn't sorted. This does put a massive advert in the window that there is potentially a very capable LB who could be for sale for the right off is made from him. Does this make more clubs prick up there ears and take an interest in trying to sign him? Like I have said I would much prefer a on form Digne rather than cashing in on him, but as we all know if we to have any useful money to spend in the next couple of transfer windows we are going to have to cash in on some players who have a decent value - if selling Digne means we are more likely to hold on to DCL and Richarlison - then so be it - at 28 he's only going to go down in value as a asset in generating potential transfer funds. I would still think he is a £20M player in the current market.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-player-ratings-plymouth-pritchard-22433031 He is going from strength to strength - seems to be making good use of his time away on loan and playing regular football.

Pickford Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Digne Allan Doucore Gomes Townsend Richarlison Grey I think Digne will be back in the team. He is not injured and the point has now been made - so now all concerned should now be professional and get on with it. We should be looking for a positive reaction from Digne where it counts - on the pitch. He now needs to get some solid defensive performances under his belt. You have to start Townsend going back to his old club - he will know this pitch and ground inside out. I am sure he will be well and truly up for putting in the proverbial 110%. I think Gomes did enough in the Arsenal game to warrant a start in the game, and this should give us a nice solid centre.

Benitez has the team set up slighlty different, the players he brought in are essentially wingers who can deliver a ball, he is also moving Docoure up the feild, so he is not covering the backs so much. Given the numbers of goals and assists Gray, Townsend and Doucoure have contributed so far, then if Digne has to sacrifice being our main person for delivering a cross and concentrate a little more on not being caught out of position when defending, then so be it. Rafa will just bring his own player in place of those who don't want to get on board. I prefer a strong manager, whoever he is - as no player is bigger than the club. There has been to many players at this club taking liberties, and it time it was stopped. One of the main reasons Ferguson did so well at United was he took fuck all shit of ANY player .

https://www.teamtalk.com/everton/aaron-ramsey-transfer-newcastle-panic-toffees-winning-race not sure I believe this, it's a bit early as the transfer window is still some way away.

but I don't think it works like you say if you have two or three teams that might be interested in player. It might work like that if you only have one team interested or if a player has his heart set on a particular club. No point in selling him cheap. Benitez has simply made a strong stand with Digne - nobody in the squad is undroppable. A bit of strong leadership, how refreshing. Benitex is the gaffer and he is behaving like one. Digne may as well get on board with that and just sort his defending out in the first instance.

I don't think he is on that sort of money. We will not be paying silly James type wages for a while and think he will probably end up going to Newcastle as they will probably be willing to pay up to get players in as not so risky for them at the moment. We might talk to him to see if he would come on affordable wages, but he'll get better offers. I am not for us paying high wages on ageing players either, Delph and James alone are enough to put anybody going down that root.

https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2021/oct/07/aaron-ramsey-insists-fitness-for-wales-no-problem-in-veiled-swipe-at-juventus As a welshman, I do follow Ramsey and watch the Wales games. He is still a very classy midfeilder and would massively improve us in the immediate term. He always puts a shift in and is a very versitle player. A bit of a risk, but if free then could be a shrewd bit of business.

https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/transfers/everton-on-the-tail-of-10million-rated-argentine-striker-in-breakout-season/

I think the sentiment of 27 minutes for 27 years seems to have done the trick to a certain degree. Changes do seem to be afoot at boardroom level. The 'model' they have been using over the past 5-6 years to improved the club has only proved it to be a shit model of basically how not to run a football club. Whether the changes going on will be enough, only time will tell. I do know for sure that the plan over the past 5 years wasn't to make us a worst team and club, so I do believe those at the top actually want a positive change as much as us.

He might have changed his mind if him and Digne are at odds with each other. Unfortunately, in neither position do we have great back up.

There would be no reason to sell him cheap - if clubs think he would be available there would be plenty of takers for this 28 year old proven Premiership LB - I don't think we would have only one suitor who could drive the price down. Don't get me wrong, I would prefer a on form Digne that a big fee, but form has been missing for a while. Given the players we have that would bring in a decent fee - DCL, Richy, Doucoure, Godfrey or Pickford - In this line up Digne would be the one who I would maybe move on (subject to a replacement being in place). Having to sell good players is a bit of a sad reflection of where we are - but its just the way it is.

At 28 he is a player who would bring in a decent fee, but main problem being we don't have somebody waiting in the wings to cover left back. I wouldn't be against him signing for a Man City or Chelsea as they are better than us and Digne wouldn't improve them. Wouldn't like to see him go to a direct competitor. I must admit I have been a little disappointed in him both defensively and offensively this past 18 month - maybe because he showed so much in his first couple of year. He has definitely not maintain that standard. The irony being Smalls moving on this summer, he could have had a fair few first team chances this year - enough to allow his to try and stake a claim in a season or so's time. It sounds like we are going to have to raise a bit of cash - We have not got to many saleable assets that would bring in useful fees. Sounds like somebody might have to go.

I think this is a massively important step. It sound to me like the last five or six years has basically been three or even four people trying to have there say at anyone time - owner, Bill Kenwright, DoF and manager. Now it seems this could be just down to owner and a manager who is not afraid to say - 'I am not having that' to the owner. The fact that some are not happy with it being Rafa Benitez of all people does make this a little awkward in it own right. However, at least for the next 12-18months at least there should be some clarity in who is making the footballing decisions at the club. I am sure there will still be the over riding remit to bring in player that offer good value and the longer term development - rather than just spend to make us great ASAP. Not sure you actually need a DoF to overseen this approach.

And now Brands has gone - snippets of true are coming out like, like Brands had no intention of signing Iwobi - Moshiri did it as a bit of a panic buy and spunked best part of £30M away. What a joke of a club. Brands is better off out of it, his biggest error for me he just became a 'yes' man to Moshiri. He should have had the balls to stand up to his employer and threaten to walk, especially if neither Ancelotti or Bentitez where managers he was fully behind. One good think about Benitez, he will not take that kind of shit from Moshiri and will stand up to him in a way Brands obviously didn't. If Moshiri decided to buy some players that Benitez didn't want - I am pretty sure Bentiez will let us fan know. This in itself is a step forward.