Bailey

Yeh I wouldnt disagree with that. Utd's decline has fallen in line with the Premier League's IMO. I think this is the first time in a while that the league has gone up a notch and Utd have kept declining. Utd's squad is not as good as any of the current top 4 (other than up front) but it hasnt been for a while and they have still done well. To be fair to Moyes though, he hasnt had much luck with injuries so far this season and as we know, when you lack depth it can cause a few problems. Again though, its not like he hasnt had the money to bring in more players if he didnt think that he had enough cover.

Everton 2- 2 Palace Naismith

Whatever team Pulis puts out tomorrow, one thing for certain is that they arent going to be as good defensively as they were when we played them last time. That was the best defensive display I have seen from any team against us this season and whilst we didnt test them as much as we could have, it was their work rate and organisation that caused that. Given their recent form, they will offer more threat and hopefully they come here confident and show ambition, because if they do, we will create opportunities. Onto the starting line-up, I disagree with Chicagoblue above because I think Naismith is the best striker we have at the moment up against compact sides. Just look at his impact against Villa, who showed absolutely no ambition. His movement is excellent and he is always looking to move the defenders around. He needs to be more ruthless IMO because on a couple of occasions last week he had an excellent scoring chance but passed it away (and lost the ball!). Traore is meant to be match fit, just not fully integrated into the Martinez way so I would be surprised if he starts, but I do expect him to get some game time this week. The back 5 pick themselves, although I hope that the CB's dont switch off like they did against Spurs. Barry and McCarthy will hold the midfield, although we really do need to see them both up their intensity a little. We need them to get the ball moving quicker and McCarthy in particular keep getting forward when the opportunity arises. Either that, or we need to get Barkley involved from deeper playing just ahead of the other two, rather than off the striker. It would be harsh to drop Osman, because he was good last week but as long as Barkley is fully fit (which he hasnt proven yet) then its a no brainer for me. Im not sure Pienaar deserves as much criticism as he got last week, because I thought he played a large part in what was good about our display against Spurs and him and Mirallas would definitely be my chosen wingers with Deulofeu and McGeady coming from the bench if needed. No matter who starts, we need to press them aggressively, get the ball back early and take our chances. Pretty much the same as every other game!

I think Fergie did the opposite tbh. Fergie bleeds Utd and there is no way he would have left a poor squad (in his eyes) for his successor. Last year was a weak league I admit but they won it with ease and you dont suddenly go from being almost unbeatable at OT to being unbelievably poor in that short space of time with largely the same squad. If Utd had signed a couple of good quality young players in the summer to strengthen core areas (mainly midfield) and flogged some of the dead wood (which he looks as though they are starting to) then they would not be in the position they are now.

Coleman for me. Although I thought they all had a pretty decent game.

I think there is quite a lot of negativity in this thread given that was actually a pretty good performance all round and given that we dominated the game for large parts and created enough opportunities to win the game. Like Romey says, first half we were all over them and they didn't have an answer for us. Second half we stepped off the gas a little and Spurs got hold of the ball a little more but I actually thought we were starting to turn the screw again just before they scored and at that point you could only really see one winner. We only really made one error all game and unfortunately they punished us for it, which is football at the highest level for you. I'm not surprised Traore didn't come on and I would bet a fair wedge that if he had come on and not done much, certain people on here would be saying 'why bring him on when we have Deulofeu/McGeady sitting on the bench'. The problem we had when we went a goal down was that we didnt get control of the ball well enough, we became too eager to create something when it wasnt on and turned the ball over on too many occasions. We needed Barkley/Barry/McCarthy to get their foot on the ball and drive us forward, but with the lead Spurs were able to sit deeper, become more defensive and we struggled to move the ball well enough for those players to make an impact. We upped the tempo again late on but by that time it was too late. Its a game we shouldnt have lost, but if I am honest I dont mind losing like that because we played well enough over the 90 minutes to come away with 3 points and if we played that game again 10 times I would be very surprised if we didnt win at least half of them. If we play like that against Palace, especially the first half, I'm confident we will get the 3 points.

Good performance overall but final product let us down. On a few occasions we had the ball in great areas ready for a final pass or shot but when we needed to pass we ahot and we needed a strike on goal we passed. Say what you want about the foul for the goal but if Distin and Jags dont fall asleep we dont concede. Piss poor from our two most experienced defenders who otherwise had an excellent game. Its a real kick in the nuts but we were the better team but we need to start turning dominance into goals.

That just confused the hell out of me... thought I was going mad!

Its nice to hear such refreshing comments from the players. I get the feeling they mean what they say these days, other than the empty sounding words/cliches that they used to come out with. We still have to wait and see whether they back their comments up on the pitch though, as normally that isnt the case!

I dont think many PL defenders would have caught him in that situation. Cant blame Alcaraz for Jags fucking up. He did get caught out on a couple of other occasion, mainly by Sterling, which again isnt a surprise if he is allowed 1 vs 1. We will need another one in for the future though because as you say, we have 3 30+ year olds at the back and while I wouldnt call any of them slow, Distin is the only one who still has that extra yard of pace. We have Stones in place which is encouraging and he is pretty quick so I think we need to look for another younger player this summer to fill in. I cant see Distin playing on after next season and Alcaraz will more than likely move on at the end of his contract. I know Alcaraz hasnt had much time on the pitch but he has come in and done well (for the most part!) when we needed him so far this season. I can imagine that he was an important player for Martinez to bring in as he already knew what to do and he could help the other CB's adjust to their new roles. I hope he comes back properly this time and stays fit for the remainder of his contract because I think he has a lot to give.

He has been their best defender whenever I have seen him play... Not saying a huge amount mind you. Looking at Wiki he played 23 times last year and 21 so far this year so its not as if he is a bit part player. I bet he has a big influence in the dressing room too.

Yeh I think Moyes now has 3 (4 if you include Kagawa but that's unlikely now) players for two spots. Its a nice position to be in considering 2 of them seem to be injured for parts of the season but when all 3 of them are fit it poses a problem because he cant drop one of them without causing a backlash. I think RVP and Mata would be the 2 players best suited to the striker/AM pairing which either leaves Rooney on the wing or on the bench. However, I get the feeling that Moyes will shoe horn them all in like he did at the weekend and Mata will be played out wide with the other two upfront. To be fair to Johnson I was a fan of his when it looked like he might be signing for us a couple of seasons back, and its only since then that I went off him. Its probably because I used to only see him come on as a sub and he used to do quite well. Its amazing how some players don't seem to be able to replicate form off the bench across a full 90 minutes. It would be hard to argue against not starting any player that is scoring and creating as many goals/chances as he is at the moment so it will be interesting to see if he can keep up his form. I wouldn't disagree with that. Gerrard does frustrate me when he plays for England because he is always trying to force passes forward which simply aren't on. Its made worse when he finally completes one after a dozen attempts and the commentators blow their load about how great his vision and passing range is. Having said that, bar the odd one or two, he was pretty controlled in that aspect of his game against us so maybe he is turning a corner. Having said that he is long in the tooth now and I cant see a leopard changing its spots... or stripes... or whatever pattern they have!

From what I have read (including a horrible study on rabbits) it sounds like it is more or a precautionary matter to make sure he doesnt suffer from further tears/strains and be out for longer. Like Patto says, at Wigan he had a lot of groin and hamstring problems and in that respect he is like Rodwell in that he just cant get fit. I also found an interesting article on last season regarding injuries which might be worth a look if you're bored! http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/2012_13/injury_analysis.php

For me, he didnt have the touch of a midfielder at the top level. Under the pressure that comes with playing in that position I think his touch and passing were both average. If he isnt good enough at the back to be a centre half then I dont think he will ever make it at a CL chasing club.

Yeh valid points. When you look towards the end of the season, and presuming both strikers are fit, Sturridge could end up being the main striker. Rooney started well under Moyes but with RVP fit and Mata in the team as well his place is no longer guarenteed and if they are out of the hunt for a CL place you can see him sulking, potentially causing disruption and looking to leave. If Rooney isnt enjoying himself off the field then it will show on the field. Purely speculation of course, they could (theoretically) win every game from now til the end of the season and be in with a shot of the title. I'm not sure what to make of Johnson on the whole. I havent seen an awful lot of him recently but I watched him against Utd in the League Cup and I thought he was really poor. Gave the ball away lots, poor final ball, poor strikes on goal and then he topped it by missing his penalty. His dribbling was good mind you and he beat his man on occasions but it was Buttner and when Evra came on he was kept pretty quiet. Its a weak pool of wingers though. That's a hard one. Wilshere and Barkley probably have around the same level of potential and whereas Wilshere burst onto the scene as a 16yo and rapidly improved he has now plateaued mainly as a result of injuries and also his attitude. Barkley on the other hand was held back by Moyes/injuries and he has now burst onto the scene and looks to have the world at his feet. At this stage, Wilshere is the more accomplished player in terms of all round ability but Barkley's talent and also the way he plays can lead to more game changing moments than Wilshere generally, and I think you can see Barkley maturing with every game (certainly before his recent injury). What I would say is that If England set up with Gerrard, Wilshere and Barkley there wouldnt be too many more central midfields in the WC (away from the very best teams) with that quality and variation, especially when they should theoretically work well together and suit each others style of play.

I had realised that! Nothing wrong with simple designs, in fact they can be brilliant (I'm a big fan of last seasons black kit for example) but there has to be a quality about it. I think back to one of the old England kits which was effectively a white polo shirt with a huge badge and umbro logo stitched on and I just hope they aren't going to do the same thing with us. Im not saying I want a picasso-esque shirt, I would just like to see that someone has actually thought about the design and added whatever important details or little bits of quality they deem fit.

Like it has been mentioned, the Europa League hasnt helped Laudrups position but I think the biggest problem is that he has brought in too many players in such a short space of time trying to bulk out the squad. They have played good football whenever I have seen them play and been unlucky but I have also heard that they have been woeful at times too. Given that there have always been question marks over his relationship with the board and commitment to the club it doesnt surprise me that he has gone. The impression I get is that the board were prepared to back him and show a commitment but Laudrup wasnt prepared to do the same. Given his profile at his previous clubs it wouldnt surprise me.

I think that mock up is wholly unimaginative. Given the commotion they have made about this deal I would expect something a bit more creative than that. Designers are paid to come up with something unique not just a plain blue shirt with an Everton/Umbro badge on it.

Spurs 1 - 1 Everton Pienaar

Unfortunately for Jack, I think he should have been a CB like he was in his younger days because I dont think he is good enough with the ball to play for a top club in midfield. He didnt seem to be the greatest of defenders which would obviously be a worry but he must have been doing something right in his younger days to make it through the ranks playing there, only to come into the first team as a midfielder (from DM, RM and AM). If anything I think he probably played his best games for us in the advanced midfield role because he gave us some real energy going forward and I remember him being excellent against Hull where I think he played with Yakubu ahead of him. Its a shame that he cant get fit, but Mancini must have seen something in him because as soon as he did get fit he was a part of the first team set up.

Mirallas ran some really good lines but on occasions the ball to him just took too long. A couple of times he went too early as well but its hard to keep onside when the guy playing the pass takes an extra touch when he should be passing. On 3 or 4 occasions that happened to Mirallas at the weekend and he was a little unlucky in my eyes. Naismith has been good when he has played up front but at the same time lets not get carried away because we seem to go through this one game at a time cycle with players like him. If he scores he is should start if he doesnt then he should be banished to the reserves. He had a much easier time of it than Mirallas against Villa for two reasons. Firstly, we were playing with more energy partly due to the midfield grabbing hold of the game and through the introduction of Pienaar. Secondly, he also had Mirallas playing off of his shoulder (or the other way round) and he wasnt on his own trying to make things happen. I think Naismith has done well in his 3 games up front and he has taking his chances really well. I thought he did as well as could have realistically been expected in the derby in the circumstances but I seem to remember Martinez being given a bit of jip in some quarters for bringing him on ahead of others. The Spurs game will be a lot different to our last two games as they will play their own way and wont sit back and try and hit us on the break. I think that will suit Mirallas more than Naismith but at the same time I wouldnt be surprised if Martinez changed things round a little and went with both of them.

Do you expect anything less from that paper though? I would be surprised if they watched the game and probably wrote their brief after watching MOTD!

Yeh I like Clyne and have done for a while and Chambers also impressed me when we played against them before Christmas. Its an interesting idea about the LB's playing on the right given the lack of strength. What I would say is that its much more difficult for FB's to switch sides like wingers can because they are used to having a player on a certain side of them, and adjusting their position accordingly. Wingers dont really have that responsibility but both Shaw and Baines are intelligent players and I'm sure it wouldnt take an awful lot of getting used to. I have never really been a fan of accomodating players. For me, the system is more important that the individuals and trying to force a player into the team causes inbalance and I particularly despise strikers playing wide. Very few strikers in world football are capable of filling that role and performing up to their best and Sturridge, Rooney and especially Welbeck arent in that league. I wouldnt disagree with Sturridge as the main striker and Rooney playing as an advanced midfielder but given his comments about Fergie playing in that position Im not sure whether you will see the best of him there. We could go 4-4-2 but I dont think that will suit the rest of the team. A lot gets made of Hodgson and his management ability (or lack of it) but I dont envy his position given his limited options.

Lloris for me. He reads the game as well as any keeper out there and he is probably the best all round keeper too. He is the only one that stands out in the league IMO. De Gea is a weird one because he makes saves he has no right to and then lets in a howler or fumbles a ball in the air. Definite promise though. Vorm looks pretty good too, especially in terms of shot stopping and distribution. I havent seen much of him this season though. The rest are all pretty solid keepers at this level (Begovic, Mignolet, Krul, Howard, Szechny, Cech etc).

Walker is a RB so it will be Pienaar/Baines that will defend that side of the pitch. I'd be surprised if Pienaar isnt fit enough to start now.