RuffRob

Have to say, warms my heart seeing 7 different players receiving votes. Shows what a true team performance it was today

We are definitely a club in transition. I know we current seem to perpetually in transition. Unfortunately, the clock started again almost 12month ago when Ancelloti was brought in and in a way started again at the end of August when the new players joined the squad. In this 12 months there where also three or four months 'lost' to lockdown. A very strange 12 months of football management - for what I would think is maybe Ancelotti's toughest management assignment. 
This next run of games is going to be very interesting. We are now going to be playing the top clubs in the Premiership with games twice weekly. It might be uncomfortable watching for the next months, but I think this intense period of football against quality opposition is what this squad now need to build player understanding, particularly defensively.  I am optimistic we will see improved 'team' performances in the new year. 
Chelsea is going to be a tough game, they are in good form so will be tough to get any sort of result this weekend. Although, 12months ago we saw big Dunc hugging the ball boy!!, so you never know. 
Will take a 0-0 now !!!!  

I can only think of a couple of reasons why Ancelloti isn't using Niels and Gordon at the moment is that in training he doesn't see them quite up to the task of the Premiership, or what I think is more likely is that he knows these two boys are more for the future so knows they will be staying with the club longer term (not looking to off load at all). Is he just trying to give some of the senior player a fair crack of the whip at producing performances in games, before he needs to make the decision in January or the summer that they will never cut the mustard in his team and thus need shipping out and replacing.
I have also heard him discuss on several occasions about the difficulty in keeping the squad happy with playing time. So is he giving the senior squad player the first opportunity to show what they have got, before promoting the younger players in ahead of them? If as a senior player you don't perform if you are given half a dozen games or so (one or two games is not really a fair chance) and you don't perform, you have little come back at the manager with. 
Not saying this the best way to go about giving yourself the best chance to win points on a game by game basis, but over the mid to longer term it might be the best way to develop a stronger squad to win more points on a more consistent basis in seasons to come. Should we see this season as 'building and development' season under Ancellotti, or should it be predominately be about the result in next game?
 

I think that always depends on the player, and also the quality of the player you have available to replace said player in the starting line up. Who start ahead of a fit James? 
I do keep making the same point - this group of midfield players have only been together for a few months - so they will all be adapting - but only 10 games in to a season which as been disrupted twice by two lengthy international breaks.
Both training and playing time together is what is needed - you just can't short cut this. Arsenal are going through the very same sort a period as us at the moment. 

Unless James is injured he starts every game for me - and the rest of the team HAVE just have to adapt around him to make up for James defensive shortfalls. He is that player who sees (and delivers) to parts others don't see. 
It would be great if James had the ability to put in defensive duties as well, but lets be honest with ourselves if he did have this in his locker he would still most likely be in Real's starting line up and not at Everton on a free transfer!!!
Players that can do both come with a hefty price tag!! 

Unless James is injured he starts every game for me - and the rest of the team HAVE just have to adapt around him to make up for James defensive shortfalls. He is that player who sees (and delivers) to parts others don't see. 
It would be great if James had the ability to put in defensive duties as well, but lets be honest with ourselves if he did have this in his locker he would still most likely be in Real's starting line up and not at Everton on a free transfer!!!
Players that can do both come with a hefty price tag!! 

Unless James is injured he starts every game for me - and the rest of the team HAVE just have to adapt around him to make up for James defensive shortfalls. He is that player who sees (and delivers) to parts others don't see. 
It would be great if James had the ability to put in defensive duties as well, but lets be honest with ourselves if he did have this in his locker he would still most likely be in Real's starting line up and not at Everton on a free transfer!!!
Players that can do both come with a hefty price tag!! 

Unless James is injured he starts every game for me - and the rest of the team HAVE just have to adapt around him to make up for James defensive shortfalls. He is that player who sees (and delivers) to parts others don't see. 
It would be great if James had the ability to put in defensive duties as well, but lets be honest with ourselves if he did have this in his locker he would still most likely be in Real's starting line up and not at Everton on a free transfer!!!
Players that can do both come with a hefty price tag!! 

Definately, I have seen enough good stuff so far this season to be believe we are now moving it the right direction with the player we have signed.
I am confident over the next month - 6 weeks our 'team' performances will steadily improve. Those painful international breaks are done and dusted now. They don't help. 
One of Leeds player commented after the game that their team had been two or three seasons in the making. And it showed - Leeds player just instinctively knew where their team mates would be on the pitch, you could see that was sometimes missing from our team, sometime we actually got in each others way.
In the moments we 'clicked' we actually looked good, we just need to see that being more instinctive. With the quality of player we have that I am sure this will develop nicely.
The only way Ancelloti is going to know how 3 at the back and different wingback combinations work is to try it out over a period of 3 or 4 games. 
I am quite happy to see this as a transitional season as Ancelloti rebuilds with his players - I actually like the fact of him probing different set ups with the players, rather than being to rigid to a system or philosophy.
We just need to be a bit careful over analysing individual games to much at the momnet while this team find it feet. There will be plenty of bumps in the road this season.

Definately, I have seen enough good stuff so far this season to be believe we are now moving it the right direction with the player we have signed.
I am confident over the next month - 6 weeks our 'team' performances will steadily improve. Those painful international breaks are done and dusted now. They don't help. 
One of Leeds player commented after the game that their team had been two or three seasons in the making. And it showed - Leeds player just instinctively knew where their team mates would be on the pitch, you could see that was sometimes missing from our team, sometime we actually got in each others way.
In the moments we 'clicked' we actually looked good, we just need to see that being more instinctive. With the quality of player we have that I am sure this will develop nicely.
The only way Ancelloti is going to know how 3 at the back and different wingback combinations work is to try it out over a period of 3 or 4 games. 
I am quite happy to see this as a transitional season as Ancelloti rebuilds with his players - I actually like the fact of him probing different set ups with the players, rather than being to rigid to a system or philosophy.
We just need to be a bit careful over analysing individual games to much at the momnet while this team find it feet. There will be plenty of bumps in the road this season.

We need to break a few eggs to make an omelette. We are not really going to firing properly until later in the season. Even in the first few games, the midfeild didn't actually flow that good as a unit, more individual playing well. We aslo got a little bit luck in a couple of those games. We let plenty of goals in aganist average teams. A new heart of a team along with key injuries means we will simply struggle to dominate games especially againt well organissd teams, Leeds played very well today. We had moments but as a 'team' we are not there yet. 
Unfortunately, it is playing time together that is needed in order to build good team dynamics and understanding - there is no substitute for this. Patience is what is really needed this season. 

Leeds have been doing this to Premiership teams all season, and the manager has been building their team over a number of seasons - and it showed. We are very much building - you just need to look at new 'pairings' we have all over the pitch.  You chuck in to that our injury problems over the past month - we are having to play even more new pairings. 
A back three of Godfrey, Keane, Holgate  - how unfamiliar are these three playing together as a unit? 
Left side - Iwobi wingback with ahead Richarlison - first time
Right side - Davies wingback with Rodrigues ahead of him - first time
A midfield of 4 players put together for the first time only a few months ago. None had ever played together before the kick off this season.
at the moment we are playing a unfamiliar back line, left side and right side all jelled by a relatively new midfield, so its not a surprise we are not fluid at the moment.
Leeds played like a team who have played together for some time and we played like a team who haven't. 
Just think about it - look at our starting line up and for each player look at the player behind, in front and to each side of him. Very few established combinations, many new this season and many only a few weeks or days old. 
I didn't get over excited when we looked good at the beginning of the season and I am not worrying to much until these players have had time to establish a better rapport and understandings.
All that said disappointing to lose, even though Leeds where the better team - it could have gone either way. 
 

Leeds have been doing this to Premiership teams all season, and the manager has been building their team over a number of seasons - and it showed. We are very much building - you just need to look at new 'pairings' we have all over the pitch.  You chuck in to that our injury problems over the past month - we are having to play even more new pairings. 
A back three of Godfrey, Keane, Holgate  - how unfamiliar are these three playing together as a unit? 
Left side - Iwobi wingback with ahead Richarlison - first time
Right side - Davies wingback with Rodrigues ahead of him - first time
A midfield of 4 players put together for the first time only a few months ago. None had ever played together before the kick off this season.
at the moment we are playing a unfamiliar back line, left side and right side all jelled by a relatively new midfield, so its not a surprise we are not fluid at the moment.
Leeds played like a team who have played together for some time and we played like a team who haven't. 
Just think about it - look at our starting line up and for each player look at the player behind, in front and to each side of him. Very few established combinations, many new this season and many only a few weeks or days old. 
I didn't get over excited when we looked good at the beginning of the season and I am not worrying to much until these players have had time to establish a better rapport and understandings.
All that said disappointing to lose, even though Leeds where the better team - it could have gone either way. 
 

Surgery!, at least two months out! -
I wonder how fit Baines has been keeping himself, as he is still around the club. Get him registered. 

For me it's alarming how little protection the defence are getting even with those two, Allan and Doucoure. Teams are free to receive the ball in too much space in front of our defence for my liking. Doucoure completely lets Reid go for their equaliser.
DCL is my MOTM too.

I am still surprised that he has been a player that went straight in to PSG first team - but it's great that he is doing so well, and hopefully he can keep it up - and we get a massive profit on the kid next summer. 
If PSG and other top clubs take a shine to him, I am pretty sure he will be pushing very hard for a move as opposed to wanting to come back to Goodison and staking a claim in our starting line up.  
It does make me wonder how he would have done this season with us in the Prem if he had grown up a bit and just knuckled down with his football. It would have been nice to see a new maturer Kean come of the bench as opposed to Tosun this Saturday.

I am still surprised that he has been a player that went straight in to PSG first team - but it's great that he is doing so well, and hopefully he can keep it up - and we get a massive profit on the kid next summer. 
If PSG and other top clubs take a shine to him, I am pretty sure he will be pushing very hard for a move as opposed to wanting to come back to Goodison and staking a claim in our starting line up.  
It does make me wonder how he would have done this season with us in the Prem if he had grown up a bit and just knuckled down with his football. It would have been nice to see a new maturer Kean come of the bench as opposed to Tosun this Saturday.

I am still surprised that he has been a player that went straight in to PSG first team - but it's great that he is doing so well, and hopefully he can keep it up - and we get a massive profit on the kid next summer. 
If PSG and other top clubs take a shine to him, I am pretty sure he will be pushing very hard for a move as opposed to wanting to come back to Goodison and staking a claim in our starting line up.  
It does make me wonder how he would have done this season with us in the Prem if he had grown up a bit and just knuckled down with his football. It would have been nice to see a new maturer Kean come of the bench as opposed to Tosun this Saturday.

he wasn't particular effective on Saturday, he got the original knock in the Derby, he hasn't trained much in the past 3weeks - he didn't look sharp. 
I would rather he came off rather than push on and potentially get injured - he was not going to start playing better in the last 20mins if his legs where getting heavy. 
I have not got a problem with a player returning from an injury letting the manager know he is spent. 

he wasn't particular effective on Saturday, he got the original knock in the Derby, he hasn't trained much in the past 3weeks - he didn't look sharp. 
I would rather he came off rather than push on and potentially get injured - he was not going to start playing better in the last 20mins if his legs where getting heavy. 
I have not got a problem with a player returning from an injury letting the manager know he is spent. 

very disappointed today. Rodrigues was as bad today as he was good in September - He is our creative player (and what a player his is) but just didn't create very much at all today. 
Was today the best day for the first time pairing of Keane and Holgate at the back? - Given the goals we conceded it would suggest not. they looked like a pairing that hadn't played together for a while. Think most of us where surprised to see Holgate starting. 
Coleman, Allan, DCL and maybe Iwobi off the bench where the only players who can come away today would played anywhere near their ability. 
Even though Liverpool lost Van Dyke after the derby - I think in the end with suspensions, our own injuries,  negative Pickford press and subsequent dip in form on the back of this we have ended up coming away from that game worse off as it seems to have been the catalyst for this bad run. 1 point out of 12 not great . 
We where great before the last International break - an we have mostly stunk since coming back and the eventful Derby game. Lets hope this International break has the opposite effect, we know there is a good team in there.  
 

We were awful, flat no idea, no confidence, one thing you have to do in every game as a minimum is work harder than they did. why even if with or without players, does our work rate drop so much. as for that clown in goal im speechless.
Only Coleman earned his money today.

I arrived on TT way back in 2004, when it truly was 'For the Thinking Evertonian' but there is also plenty of room 'For the Ranting Evertonian' as well. That's the joy of social media everybody has a voice.
Like you said each to there own style as life would be boring if we where all the same view and  expressed the same way.

I'm more of an onion. I can rant with the best of them when there's something to rant about but I can be eloquent as well. I use the words shit, fuck, cunt, dick head etc not because I don't have a good vocabulary but because I want to. Pigeon-holing is rubbish.

The only axe I have to grind against Delph is that he’s a terrible player, no hatred towards him at all. But thanks for the psychoanalysis, you have truly arrived on TT now. I never wanted him here and all my fears about him when we were linked have come to pass. He’s just not good enough and never was. 
Rating a player or not does tend to be black or white. I don’t rate him. End of story.
Getting angry and name calling also doesn’t invalidate my arguments. But, Rob, here’s the thing. I really couldn’t care less whether you, or anyone else, agrees with my posting style or my language. I don’t post here for any sort of validation. They’re my opinions and I own them. You do you and I’ll keep doing me.