Formby

Drink ‘biking’? Seems a novel enough way to commit suicide. It’s not the police you have to watch out for here. It’s the taxis and buses, and the kids throwing stones from the side of the road. Deplorable conditions for cyclists here in Manchester.

A great manager gives you that little bit extra – a bit of tactical nous, a bit of motivation, the ability to get a team to perform to their best on the very biggest occasion – no matter what the circumstances. Moyes is not a great manager and never will be. He has lots of good qualities which have served us very well, but as a top end manager – one who can make a difference – he fails. That’s not going to change. Today was entirely predictable. It’s the latest in a long line of failures (his utterly wretched record against Liverpool being just one). If you’re happy with the fare he’s served up over the last few seasons – the torpid, witless displays against supposedly inferior opposition, the run of plucky victories against superior opposition, then fair enough, but I want a bit more from the club. We’re not going to get that under Moyes. Ever. Decent man though he is, and a great servant to the club, he’s not the go-to guy we need. Will undoubtedly be saying the same thing in 2 years’ time, just as I was saying it two years ago. It just goes on and on and on.

You were in a David Cronenberg film.

So we last won a semi against them in 1906? That figures. So many horror stories and painful memories of this fixture ( especially in big games) down the years. Can’t see this being much different. I think Moyes will revert to type, get them to play cautiously, and we’ll be completely outplayed (probably lose 3-0). If he does man up (which he won’t) and get us to attack, can see it going the way of ’77 when we were completely robbed by Clive Thomas (the pain of that still smarts). Would absolutely love to be proved wrong and finally win one but I just can’t see it. Won’t be able to watch, to be honest.

May I suggest the criminally overlooked Kula Shaker? If Pets, Pigs and Astronauts and K had been written in ’72, they would be on everyone’s list of all-time classic albums. XTC’s Skylarking also deserves a mention. Oh, and Pet Sounds, too (though maybe that’s a bit obvious).

Great documentary on LA Woman the other night. That and Morrison Hotel are absolutely indispensible.

On your recommendation, Mike, and because I'm a bit unfamiliar with WP, I gave this a chance today. Is it like today?, lyrically and musically, is one of the finest things I've ever heard. Absolutely brilliant. Playing it over and over. A touch of George H in there. Many thanks.

It never ceases to amaze me how divisive musical tastes can be. Putting aside all the mods’n’rockers’ stuff ( a bit before my time), whenever the subject of favourite bands / songs comes up, there’s always that ‘ugh’ feeling in my heart when someone professes to like (plucking at random) a Tina Turner or Mariah Carey or have owned records by Genesis, Marillion, Simply Red or Simple Minds, or think the Stone Roses were any more than Simon and Garfunkel fronted by an ape, or that Oasis were any more than one decent song (Don’t Look Back in Anger). Record collections say so much about you (probably too much). There is nothing quite as distressing as flicking through someone’s CDs / MP3s and finding a Bon Jovi or Saxon or Metallica, or a Sade, or Bowie post-1980, or anything Simon Cowell spawned, or Pixie Lott. Without mentioning any groups or albums, most of the best stuff ever recorded was late sixties / early seventies. Lots of socio-cultural reasons for that. Not say that there hasn’t been interesting stuff written afterwards, but that was popular music’s hey-day and it’s been downhill ever since.

And there lies the problem – any half decent result buys him more time and more excuses – until the next horror showing. It goes on and on.

To me, the victories over Man City and Chelsea were reminiscent of the old, (under) ‘dogs of war’ days. It seems fairly obvious that Moyes feels more comfortable playing a physical, industrial game than one of great finesse, and equally obvious that many fans do, too. We are never, ever going to be a free-flowing team while he is in charge, and I regret that. His tactical acumen, I feel, is zero, and much as though you get buoyed by a good result or two, the plain truth is we are an also-ran, and sometimes a lot worse. His ultra-cautious, conservative approach strangles the life out of the game. It was ironic that Saha, so often pilloried for lack of effort here, immediately regained his scoring touch with Spurs’ pass and move game. Arteta looks a different player again with Arsenal. I’m lucky enough to have seen Everton play good, open, attacking football and win. The odd, muscular victory over supposedly better opposition doesn’t stop me wishing we still could.

It is, but it wouldn't be if he meant the European Championship is around the corner! The ' would be there instead of pean Championship. Agreed. Gone on too long.

I think you're wrong, actually, Mike. He didn't say 'We're playing in the Euros (sic) in the summer', did he? He said Euro's is just around the corner and we have no manager. Euros is the plural of the currency and not the correct, abbreviated version of the European Championship (if you figure that an apostrophe takes the place of missing letters in a contraction). Euros may well be an acceptable abbreviation colloquially for some, but there is equally nothing wrong with Euro's if he meant the European Championship is (just around the corner). His error there would be adding the extra 'is' afterwards. The point I was making, was that the apostrophe could be quite correct and the 'is' at fault, and not necessarily how you saw it. Nitpicking, I'm sure.

Is it plural? When did it become Europeans??? I've always referred to it as the European Championship. http://en.wikipedia....ll_Championship In which case, it's singular! I have no idea how smart Jack is, mind. Or what his grammar's like.

Has he got it wrong, though? He's not using it in a possessive sense, but as a contraction, isn't he? Euro's = European Championship is. In which case, he's doubled up on his 'is'?

If you don't have cable, I'd really recommend Sky. They ran a test before I signed up, told me the speed I'd get, and that's what I get. I have the unlimited package, calls, TV (my life, basically). Server reliable, too. And cheap.

Foresight. Moyes has none.

Hmmm, I wonder which we'll subject him to? The guns-blazing, all out attack? I doubt Jelavic can make something out of nothing, which is what we really require from a striker. We simply don't have the creativity in other areas of the pitch to help him out. Love to be proved wrong, but I doubt I will be.

And who on the current team, in your opinion, best exemplifies this spirit of going the extra yard? And which of them haven't sulked? I can think of quite a few that would apply to.

I always thought TC would make a good manager. I'd like to see Moyes go and have Tim as assistant to whoever comes in.

Delighted for Bily that he’s got a chance to resurrect his career. I think that’s almost everyone with an ounce of creativity off the roster now. Barkley next, surely. I’m sure the boo boys on this board will be delighted with a midfield of runners and heavies, huffing and puffing across the park.

Though I've broadened my musical taste since I was a teenager, the best group I ever saw live were Bauhaus (Hammersmith Palais '82). Absolutely rivetting if you like that kind of thing. I was in the music industry for many years and got to see quite a few acts up close - rehearsing et al. George Michael, who I don't really like, had a wonderful voice.

On current displays, he's managing a conference club already.

http://www.evertonfc...nie-wright.html Bernie the Bolt??

I still have nightmares about this guy. Kevin Sheedy he was not. Nice Bobby Charlton haircut, though.

We run creative writing classes and hit the bottle. Or just hit the bottle.