flaminfox

I keep coming on this thread for reassurance that we will get 4th... Can't believe how worried I am about it. Would have never thought at the start of the season that is how I would feel.
 
If you really think about it, we have already pretty much secured European football which is already above out expectations earlier.
All I want now is for our team to give Arsenal a run for their money and that will make me even prouder to be a blue.
 
So excited for this summer and next season, should be very exciting

I have one gripe which I'm going to get out of the way first off, because really it’s just nitpicking. But I didn’t like the way we started the second half slowly, it could have let them back in the game and been very different. Starting halves well is a priority in every game for me.
 
Other than that one negative point I really thought we were exceptional and I am unbelievably proud of each and every one of our players for the effort they put in, for the skill they showed countless times and for the pure will to win. We were so hungry and determined to do everything within our power to get the three points. If we hadn’t have achieved that then it certainly wasn’t going to be for a want of trying. But the players couldn’t have done it without the tactical masterstroke by Martinez, they just showed their ability in putting all his tactical nous into practice. It was clear that despite his possession focussed footballing philosophy we were willing to give up a bit of the ball in order to draw Arsenal on to us and blitz them on the break. And we did it masterfully. It was exciting to watch and had me smiling from ear to ear to be honest. Standing off them and allowing them room had me worried at times and I was getting desperate for us to put tackles in earlier at times, but putting the tackles in at the right time (when they were close to our box) worked a treat.
 
The score line didn’t flatter us in the slightest, it could, and maybe, should have been more. But I thoroughly enjoyed this game, especially the second half. It was a joy to watch us toy with top quality opposition. People have been saying that Arsenal had a bad game, and maybe they did, but I think that bad game of theirs was forced upon them because of just how well we played.
 
A special mention for the fans. I thought they were brilliant and I loved losing my voice singing and being angry. The worst thing Arteta could have done in the last meeting was kiss the Arsenal badge, feign injury and try and get our players booked. Evertonians don’t forget things like that and it made us angry, and an angry Goodison Park crowd is something amazing and something no opposition player wants to be a part of. So, thanks Mikel, you big tart.
 
 
Howard – Didn’t have a whole lot to do during the game (testament to the defence in front of him) but when he was needed he was there. That save from Podolski was brilliant because he took it so early, not letting Tim set himself.
 
 
Coleman – I thought he struggled to get to grips with not having any protection in front of him in the first half. It meant he was often double teamed when defending, and he was hesitant to go forward. But, he stood up to the test well and once he settled in to things in the second half (and got a bit of help from McCarthy) he was excellent. He got forward more and was a key cog in our ability to break on Arsenal at will. And two of the best moments of the game came from him – the bit of skill to bamboozle Cazorla was something else, and then towards the end of the game when he brought the ball away from our box by doing keep uppies for about 30 yards. He is some player.
 
Stones – He had a couple of shaky moments in the first half and I didn’t think he was quite at his best during that period of the game. He does have excellent powers of recovery though; he sorted out his own mistakes before they could do us any damage. But, as with Coleman, he had an excellent second half and was commanding, cool, calm and collected.
 
Distin – Where last game he made me the father to a litter of kittens, this game he put in a rock solid performance. Honestly, I thought he was flawless back there. He won so many headers and controlled Giroud effortlessly. He was a proper leader at the back.
 
Baines – It’s been a while since he’s played such a pivotal role in our attacking play but he was involved in everything that we did yesterday, and he oozed quality with it. His passing was crisp and extremely accurate. His balls into the box were as dangerous as they come. And his link-up play was on another level.
 
 
McCarthy – A performance that we’ve come to expect him now. Tireless, tenacious, and full of heart. The amount of ground he covered in this game (and every game) must have been huge! Our attacking players must absolutely love having him in our side because he gives them license to just do what they do best and yesterday was no different. Baines had got caught up the field just before half time and who is it that sprints 20 yards to put in a sliding tackle to stop Arsenal gaining an advantage? James McCarthy. And it wasn’t even his side of the pitch! He sees danger and he snuffs it out. Simple as that.
 
Barry – While McCarthy was running around all over the pitch putting out any fires that occurred, he just sat in front of the defence and it was his job to wait for Arsenal to get close enough and just take the ball from them, break up the play, intercept the ball, and get us on the attack in the blink of the eye. He did it fantastically well, and I lost count of the amount of times he stopped an Arsenal attack and had us on the counter attack. I felt he was the most important player for our game plan and he executed his role to perfection, so he gets my MOTM vote.
 
Osman – Wasn’t on the pitch long enough to really influence things, but that shot in the early stages of the game was brilliant, and he deserves a pat on the back for the tackle that stopped Arsenal breaking on us but led to him being on the end of a nasty injury.
 
Barkley – Came on for Osman and slotted in seamlessly. In fact, he probably added more to our game than Osman would have. He was looking like the Barkley from earlier in the season. I thought he gave us a glimpse of what could be if he is utilised as a box to box midfielder – McCarthy and Barry gave him the freedom to come from deep and he exploited that freedom time and time again. Arsenal didn’t really have an answer to him; he glided from our box up the pitch and they didn’t seem to know how he’d even got there. He showed tremendous power and strength, not only going forward but in the bits of defensive work he had to do as well. His passing and speed of play were great as well. His decision making was much better. He looks like he’s finding his form again at just the right time.
 
 
Lukaku – I was as surprised as anyone to see Rom playing on the right of a forward three, so I can’t even imagine how surprised Arsenal were! At no point did Wenger or his players react to it though and he simply ran riot. Monreal had no answer to his pace and power. The extra space to run into really benefitted him and I thought he put in a top drawer performance. That extra space benefitting him was really showcased for his goal; runs at pace down the right, builds up a head of steam, turns on to his left foot, drives across the box and smashes the ball home. He put in numerous runs like that throughout the game and his level of effort was through the roof. It was also noticeable during this game, and the past few games, that he’s using his strength much better to hold up the ball. It did worry me that he wasn’t helping Coleman out defensively but he was clearly told not to drop back, because at one point he was stood on the half way right in front of Martinez while Coleman was getting mauled.
 
Naismith – He’s listed as the central player of a front three but he was more of a floater. He was everywhere along that front line, dragging the Arsenal defenders across the pitch making space for Mirallas and Lukaku. He put in an exceptionally intelligent performance I thought - he wasn’t going to beat Mertesacker for strength etc so he dropped deeper and took advantage of him not being particularly mobile. His movement, once again, was second to none. Just look at his goal; he wasn’t on the end of Baines’ pass but he stayed in and around the danger area just in case, and as is so often the case with him, he was in the right place at the right time to slot the ball home.
 
Mirallas – I may just be forgetting about him due to so many players playing so well, but I didn’t think he got involved enough in the first half. It wasn’t that he was anonymous or anything like that, he was just more on the periphery of things. However, in the second half he really stepped it up and was so influential in us breaking on Arsenal. If it wasn’t Coleman breaking forward with the ball then it was usually him. A lack of effort is sometimes levelled at him but you couldn’t say that about him yesterday, he put in 100% effort. You only have to look at our third goal for an example of that – without him busting a gut to get to the ball Arteta isn’t under pressure and doesn’t put it into the net.

best weekend of my life. my son was born (watched the game with me), and everton win 3-0. such a great effort by the lads, baines my MOTM, wonderful passing and movement of the ball up the field, he can be our english Lahm for sure! McCarthy and Barry were spot on and straight up outplayed Arteta and Flamini. Sorry to see Osman go, but happy with Barkley!

Other than maybe the first 5 minutes we were never in that first half. We were absolutely terrible. Far too often this season we’ve started games slowly and yesterday was no different. It’s a good job that Fulham are a poor side and couldn’t take advantage. We were unbelievably lethargic; just knocking the ball around with no purpose and painfully slowly, there was no intensity at all. This allowed Fulham to pressurise us on the ball and more often than not they either won the ball back or we misplaced a pass giving it to them or put the ball out of play. It didn’t help that we pretty much had nobody providing any movement ahead of the play. They were all just stood around waiting for someone to do something. The only player that wanted to make something happen was Deulofeu. He took it upon himself to run forward with the ball, try to beat his man and create an opening. Sure, not much actually came from his efforts but how many 19 year olds will even attempt to take a game by the scruff of the neck? My admiration for him went up after his first half showing. Tbh, we were lucky to go in at half time still on level terms; a better side would have put us away.
 
While the performance in the second half still wasn’t great there was a significant improvement and I put that down to one man – Steven Naismith. While in the first half everything in front of the play was static he provided top quality movement. He was never still and was moving constantly, you rarely saw him stood still. Also, you rarely saw him close to a Fulham player; he made space for himself all the time and that meant he dragged Fulham defenders out of their set positions to follow him, providing more space for the likes of Lukaku, Baines, Coleman, Mirallas and McGeady (when they came on). It’s no coincidence that when he came on we looked much more of a threat going forward. He didn’t just benefit us going forward though; he was a terrier in closing their players down as well so the roles were reversed from the first half. We took the lead early in this half and that also brought a sense of confidence to our play – we had another couple of chances to go further ahead. Fulham did equalise with a spectacular goal and again put us under pressure for a while and had some brilliant chances to go ahead but we dug in brilliantly – we owe a lot to Howard for that; he made some point blank stops. In the past this would have been the signal to close up shop and hold on to what we had, but no such thing happened. Martinez made another two attacking substitutions – McGeady and Mirallas came on and instantly the impact was felt. McGeady played an inch perfect through ball (I love these!), Mirallas expertly controlled it, raced at goal and slotted it home. From that point on I felt we pummelled them and really wanted to finish them off – we had numerous chances to do just that. It took a little while longer to put the game to bed and there was a sense of fortune about it (Baines was offside) but I don’t care.
 
A massive three points for us despite not playing well, but points are what matter. However, we cannot afford to start slowly again next week against Arsenal. They will punish us. Its imperative, IMO, that we get the first goal. It’ll put the fear of god into them and they do not cope well under pressure.
 
 
 
Howard – He gave us the platform to win this one with numerous saves. I don’t think he could have done a thing about their goal even though it was at his near post – it was a ferocious hit and he more than likely didn’t see it ‘til late as well.
 
 
Coleman – Really wasn’t impressed with him first half. I thought he was awful defensively and was caught out time after time. He didn’t have a lot of help from Gerry, granted, but seeing as he was our whole attack I’ll let him off! He just seemed to not have a clue positionally and offered pretty much zero in terms of attacking. In the second half as the space opened up more he became more of a threat going forward at least.
 
Stones – The first half I thought he looked very uncomfortable. But that may have more to do with playing alongside Distin who had a shocking game. He looked extremely hesitant in his play – often the ball was there to be won and he looked in two minds and hung back instead. And he made a pretty big cock up because of this at one point, but he recovered well to tackle back and stop the Fulham attack. However, in the second half it was like a different player and he impressed me massively. The hesitancy was gone and he was all conquering. He’s going to be the heart of our defence, our leader, because he is the perfect defender for a Martinez side – on a few occasions he brought the ball out of defence imperiously and set us off on attacks. He didn’t just see that as his job done though, then he’d keep running forward and stay in the attack. That sort of play is going to be massively important to us as we progress.
 
Distin – He just had one of those games where you actually start hoping the ball goes nowhere near him. He was terrible, particularly in the first half. His judgement was way off and misjudged a lot of things that really could have cost us dearly. And just how many touches of the ball does he want before laying off?! On too many occasions he dawdled on the ball letting Fulham players close him down. And even when they didn’t the majority of the time he either played the ball out of play or launched it to absolutely no one!
 
Baines – Meh. He was OK. I can’t think of anything of note that he did other than the assist for Naismith’s second goal.
 
 
Deulofeu – Like I said earlier; in the first half he was our only attacking outlet, everything went through him. Yes, he could have done better at times but he’s still a young boy and you’ve got to give him credit for giving it a go. He had Riise worried every time he got the ball and deserves praise. I can also remember him putting a peach of a delivery across the 18 yard area and no one had took it upon themselves to get in there – Barkley and Lukaku were like statues. And another time when his shot was saved and the ball came to him and he quickly put the ball back into the danger area only for a Fulham player to intercept the ball before it reached Lukaku. All in all a promising display from him.
 
McCarthy – He loves a slip doesn’t he? He needs to sort his studs out because like in every game he slipped on his arse and this time it cost us a goal. I reckon he’d have stopped Dejagah getting that shot in. Other than that, though, he had a solid game. Certainly better than his midfield partner.
 
Barry – Not a great afternoon for him. He looked very tired and off the pace to me and this allowed the Fulham players to get at him (targeted?) and force him to play the ball quicker than he’d like. He mostly did find an Everton man but the pass was often a hospital ball meaning we lost the ball anyway.
 
Osman – This game showed that he cannot and should not play two games in a week. He was knackered right from the off and he was another player that Fulham really got at and took advantage of. They were on to him quickly whenever he got the ball and forced him to turn over the ball. It didn’t help his case that he drifted infield constantly but then didn’t have the energy to get back to his wing position, leaving a hell of a lot of space for Fulham to exploit.
 
 
Barkley – He just wasn’t on it was he? Totally off the pace and was more a hindrance than a help. Particularly to Lukaku. I felt he sat too close to him, clogging up the space. And he wanted far too much time on the ball and invariably he was closed down and the ball taken from him.
 
 
Lukaku – For the first half in particular he cut an extremely frustrated figure. Like I said, Barkley was clogging up the space and, also, when he was making good runs he was totally ignored and the ball was played elsewhere. I don’t think it helped his mood that balls kept getting launched over him rather than to him. I thought he looked much better in the second half when there was a lot more space for him once Barkley went off, and on a few occasions he used his strength to great effect – it is something that is improving.
 
 
Naismith – Game changer. Pure and simple. He gave us exactly what was needed and what was severely lacking in the first half – he moved between the lines (dropping deep sometimes, which was what Barkley had totally neglected to do), he occupied the Fulham players, he opened up space for all of our other attacking players, his movement was of the highest quality, he used the ball brilliantly, he linked up well with every one else, he harried the Fulham defenders. He topped it all off with two goals as well and should have had a hat-trick! My MOTM.

Thought Deulofeu was very wasteful today, like others said he is not at the moment nearly good enough for Barca.
 
Mirallas was very lively but needs to find that killer pass instead of going for goal.
 
everyone else was solid but we need to find the killer pass, also Barkley should have been in sooner.
COYB we need to make that late rush and hope for an 8 point stumble for the reds, then Champions League will be ours

I liked him and would love him back, he could potentially start and it not would be a great squad player, also a blue which is a plus!

I liked him and would love him back, he could potentially start and it not would be a great squad player, also a blue which is a plus!

Can't stand Kone though, he offers absolutely nothing. A wast of money, would rather try with Long or Vellios

I think a mixture, like Quinn mentioned, would be more effective and entertaining.

I think a mixture, like Quinn mentioned, would be more effective and entertaining.

shouldn't you be getting ready for school?

Dare I say Heitinga has done well.

Dare I say Heitinga has done well.

Will be there.
 
I have had to wake up many times to watch our afternoon games in the premier league, finally some will experience how difficult it is

Will be there.
 
I have had to wake up many times to watch our afternoon games in the premier league, finally some will experience how difficult it is

I'm actually scared we'll have another 11 years of your moaning.

I don't think roberto is that great, like him as a personality but don't think he would do what the club needs.

Coleman has just defended so well today..

I flinched when I saw 'Blues linked to O'Hara' on twitter - luckily not Jamie though!!!

Apart from the opening part of the first half (when both sides were feeling their way) and the first 5 or so minutes of the second half I thought we were excellent and thoroughly deserved the three points.
 
While there were obviously stand out performers (quite a few actually) I didn't think any player had a bad game. Each and every single one of them put everything into the game. It was necessary after the embarrassment of last week but that doesn't take anything away from what they showed. It wasn't quite the slickness we saw at the beginning of the season but there were times when we clicked perfectly and played some really good football. It was mixed in with a grit and determination that has been missing for quite a while. We've had a soft underbelly for much of this season so it was pleasing to see and if we're not going to click fully with the good football then this mixture is going to be key in the run in until the end of the season. It was a real team performance; they were all pulling for each other, whereas last week they looked like individuals who had never played together before. Where the midfield has often been porous this season, yesterday it was an effective barrier and stopped a lot of attacks reaching the defence. And when City did breach them the defence and goalkeeper were more than a match for most of what was thrown at them. Let's not forget Anichebe as well. He ran and ran, chased everything, held the ball up, used the ball intelligently, created things as well. He was a powerhouse and without his effort we'd have been under the cosh a lot more. Moyes deserves plaudits for bringing him in for this game, he was outstanding.
 
I couldn't have been more proud of the team after we went down to ten men. They really dug in and probably actually played better than they had with 11 men. I was nervous as hell and fully expected it just be us defending with everything we had, and for a lot of the time we were but we played the game excellently in this period; let them have the ball, crowd them out and then break on them and try and make something happen. The onus was on City to get a goal, not us, so it was the way to go and we implemented the plan perfectly. Our second goal being the perfect example.
 
Yes, we had some luck with the penalty not being given and Jelavic's shot deflecting over Hart, but we'd also had some bad decisions go against us and it really is about time we had the rub of the green in a game.
 
The only negative I can see about yesterday is that it makes last week even worse. If we'd shown half as much as we did yesterday we'd be planning a trip to Wembley right now .
 
 
Mucha - Apart from his kicking being suspect and a couple of dodgy punches I thought he had a brilliant game. He made some crucial saves to keep City out when they'd managed to get through us. Without those saves I really think we'd have capitulated. If they'd got one then I don't think we'd have kept them at bay. If he keeps showing this sort of form then I'd be disappointed if Howard comes straight back in once he's fit because he'll have earned a starting spot.
 
 
Coleman - An absolute stonking performance from Seamus and I think, along with Vic, he was the main reason we got the result we did. The reason being that he was always our out ball when we were under pressure so we didn't have to resort to hoofing the ball aimlessly; we could keep hold of the ball and give the defence a bit of respite. Just give the ball to him and let him run with it. And boy did he run. He ran Kolarov absolutely ragged all game long and went past him like he wasn't even there on more than one occasion. The only thing that let him down was his crossing which wasn't the best. Usually he looks dodgy defensively but yesterday he put in a golden defensive performance. I recall two incidents in particular. I'm not sure where Baines was but City were attacking our left and who was there to shut them down? Coleman! The other occasion came when they crossed into our box and he somehow twisted himself to get his head to the ball and divert the ball away from the City attacker who would surely have slotted the ball away. My MOTM.
 
Heitinga - Easily his best game for us this season, I thought he had such a good game. The difference in his performances when he's not up against pace is crazy. But yesterday he dominated the City forwards and really put himself on the line a few times to stop City getting through us. He was fully committed to the cause. Hopefully this game will have given him a much needed confidence boost.
 
Distin - I thought at times he was a little over eager when battling for aerial balls with Dzeko. Like, he go for balls that he had no chance of winning when it'd be better to maybe let Dzeko win the ball and then pick up the second ball. But other than that he was solid and formed a good partnership with Heitinga.
 
Baines - As always he was a constant attacking threat and worked well with Pienaar to create openings. But, as is often the case this season, his delivery was pretty poor.
 
 
Mirallas - His effort to try and make something happen was excellent; he was always looking to take players on. But, for one reason or another, a lot of it just didn't come off. And what a finish for the incorrectly ruled offside goal. BOOM.
 
Gibson - Immense in front of the defence. He just knew exactly where to be all game long and then he used the ball like we all know he can do. His passing really is something else.
 
Osman - For the past couple of months he's been someone for the opposition to target when attacking us but yesterday he stood up to it like a giant. Lately he's been brushed off the ball easily or players have walked past him like he's not even there, but for this game he rarely lost the ball and I lost count of the amount of times he harried the City player to win the ball. And his goal... Fuck. Me. It was an absolute beauty and no keeper would have stopped it. He caught it perfectly and the swerve on it was phenomenal.
 
Pienaar - He's still drifting inside far too much for my liking but he was heavily involved in our attacking moves and played well. I thought he was quite unlucky with the second yellow he received but I can also understand it too. I honestly think he was just sticking his leg up to block the ball and was just unlucky that his leg came down and went against Martinez's leg. But to the ref it would have looked nasty.
 
 
Fellaini - He wasn't one of our better players, IMO, but an amazing performance isn't what we needed to see from him. We needed to see that he was committed and he for me he put in a fully committed performance. Just look at the challenge early on that he was booked for. I haven't managed to see a replay of it but watching it in real time I thought it was a full blooded challenge but it looked fair to me. He was another player who was really good in the latter stages of the game with his willingness to run into City's half with the ball. For Jelavic's goal I thought he'd waited too long to pass the ball but it all turned out in the end.
 
 
Anichebe - He deserves a massive pat on the back for yesterday. He was bloody brilliant and you could not have asked for anything more than what he gave. He chased absolutely everything all game long, he used his strength perfectly, he was clever with his use of the ball... basically, he was the perfect lone striker. I'm glad he was subbed so that he could receive the thanks of the crowd; he really deserved to know how much we appreciated him. If not for Coleman he'd have been my MOTM.

People just never gave Mucha a chance, was great for his national team so I was glad he came here.
 
COME ON EVERTON, almost didnt wake up for this game I was so upset about before, COYB

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1557807-everton-fc-why-john-lundstram-will-be-the-toffees-next-academy-success-story

I feel like people honestly just ignore whatever I post (except duncanmckenzieismagic)..... It was clear what Moyes was doing and it was NOT a defensive substitution.
 
It was desperate because he decided that we we playing so badly that we needed to have someone up there for out hoof balls but the substitution was not just going to a draw.
I am not saying it was the best idea but he clearly knew what he was doing and it paid off.

I feel like people honestly just ignore whatever I post (except duncanmckenzieismagic)..... It was clear what Moyes was doing and it was NOT a defensive substitution.
 
It was desperate because he decided that we we playing so badly that we needed to have someone up there for out hoof balls but the substitution was not just going to a draw.
I am not saying it was the best idea but he clearly knew what he was doing and it paid off.