Bailey

Yippee!!!!!!!

Hold on have we just drawn with Wigan?? No wonder we are struggling if we are playing two teams!

(They just announced it on the radio in case you think im crazy!)

Howard you fricking legend! Reminds me of the Pompey game

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_five_live_sports_extra

 

I gave up watchin 15 minutes ago. Just listen to it on this radio link.

Yeh good shout.

Fingers crossed

COYB's!

I can't take anymore.

Whats worse for me is that the stream is getting chopier and chopier. I swear anytime now its going to go off and come back on and be at least 2-2

For the 3rd and last time Fellaini has to go off! Hes offering nothing in attack or defence. I dont care who we bring on but something has to change. Hopefully its Neill by the looks of it. Moyes you have to do something!

Ah crap Iv missed ten mins and 2 goals!

My stream must be delayed! Im 54 mins in and Saha is still on! Does that mean Saha has a knock?

I again re-iterate that Felli needs to come on. I think hes had a decent game thus far but he looks tired and is giving away fouls that he shouldnt be. Bring on some natural width and let Cahill go up top next to Yak (or Saha on my feed )

Yak on. Come on lads, give him some service.

For who? I cant see him?? We were doing alright as a 4-5-1 we just needed more width and support on the left. Going 4-4-2 would just make our midfield even weaker

I hope Moyes drums into them at half-time that they must concentrate when they come back out!

Definately, we look so easy to score against (easier to score against should I say) straight after HT. In the last few years we have always come out better but this season its the opposite.

Weve not been good but we havent been bad. I actually think Gosling has been doing alright but he is just so bloody slow (and weak)!

He's not on the bench. Carrying a knock.

Bugger... maybe Baxter then?

Definitely a stroke of the Phil Neville's about him.

Apart from Heitinga can pass!

How can you not love Heitinga when he gets stuck in like that! Pity too many others arent doing the same. Having said that though he needs to stop the silly niggling fouls, a bit like Fellaini last year.

Cahill is pissing me off. I know he isnt a left mid but just stay in you position and help Baines out FFS. Id rather have Gosling working hard, helping his FB out than Cahill going wherever he pleases. Moyes get a grip of him!

Oh yer great goal from Saha out of absolutley nowhere! Plus I dunno about anyone else but Fellaini looks nackered, maybe Jo on the left Cahill up top second half?

Looks a good player that Hines. Something we don't have pace to burn.

Well James Vaughan is pretty rapid its just he is always injured. I really hope he manages to stop picking up these knocks as he has shown real quality.

I cant wait for it! I just hope it doesnt end up in dissapointment like the 2 big Hatton fights. I have no idea how he is going to be able to knock him out but I guess his speed and movement could get him a points win. Valuev has weighed at his lightest (or at least a lot lighter than expected) and its still comfortably in the 22 stone area, a whole 7 stone more than Haye!

Should be good!

I think for the first time I have gone for Fellaini. The best of a poor bunch but at least he put himself about, won a few tackles and a fair few headers. Anyone else think that Moyes should ditch this 4-5-1 lark and try something else. It appears to me that everyone has got onto our style and the way we play and are beginning to be effectual in stopping us. This has happened most of the season, I know people will hark on about injuries etc but we need new impetus and now. Another worrying call, 3 league wins this season and they include a last second penalty winner against wigan and a lucky 1-0 win at Pompey.............ah well I'm off to Burnham on Sea for a couple of days before travelling over to Upton Park...oh! the joy!!!!!

I dont think its really got much to do with the formation, it just goes down to the fact that we have no midfield. Rodwell was the only person in there for most of the game, which is why he appears to be playing so poorly because he simply has no help other than to go backwards.

My MOM would be between Baines and Felli. The worst IMO was Cahill, I dont know whether its the managers orders or his own doing but one of them has to get a fucking grip cos he just roams about the pitch like he has no responsibility. Only interested in going forward and it ruins any chance we have of keeping the ball.

I dont mean to sound dramatic but this is more or less a must win game, both this and Hull. Apart from them we have the big boys and on current form I cant see us getting anything. The smart money is probably on a draw.

"I wasn't basing my opinion solely on tonight's performance, which I also think wasn't the greatest. I stand by my point that some youngsters should be given a chance ahead of him."

I agree that he hasnt been at his best (or anywhere near it) but I cant name a player that has been, especially at the top of the pitch (excluding Saha). Saha can make something out of nothing which only the very best strikers can do. Jo needs delivery, he needs the ball at his feet and most importantly he need confidence. However I also agree that the youngsters should be given a go, not necesarily ahead of jo, but when Agard came on he looked lively and could/should have scored. The young guys should have played at Spurs in the CC IMO.

"I think it's clear that Jo was a poor piece of business too. Moyes would need to start blooding some young players like Baxter and Agard more often, instead of waiting for the injured players to get better. I'm sure some of the youngsters would be a lot more hungry and passionate than Jo (and indeed others!) was tonight. Strangely, for a Brazilian, he seems to have no real flair or technique about him at all."

Im sorry but that is ridiculously harsh. The guy comes on with about 20 mins to go, 2-0 down and we certainly werent controlling the ball let alone creating anything. Yak was running on empty and then he brings a teenager up next to him so what exactly do you expect him to do. Not to mention we had shifted to a 4-4-2 which more or less means a game of hoofball from our defenders. Of the brief time he probably got about 10 ish touches. He held the ball up and drew fouls at least a couple of times(he also lost it at least once), won a couple of headers (more than Yakubu for the whole night), put in one quality ball that Cahill completely missed (I wonder if he would have stil been shite if that had gone in) and duffed one cross into the defender. A couple of times he made nice runs into the channels (as did Yak & Felli on occasions tonigt). I actually wished he has started. Yes Yakubu did some decent stuff early on but second half he did nothing. Jo hasnt had a start for ages and he looks rusty but if he doesnt get a decent amount of playing time then he will.

Well well well yet another dissapointing loss. However I did think that for the most part we played alright, not particularly good but not bad either. There were parts of the game that we controlled especially just before the interval. They got 2 lucky breaks for their goals (defending wasnt great either) and we didnt really get any. In terms of good chances we were probably parrallel. The Distin shocker, Agard heading wide, Cahill heading straight at the keeper and later on completely missing a great ball by Jo.

For me we had 2 weak links and this will probably suprise a few of you. The first is Yakubu. When he was on the ball he did fairly well. He had some nice turns, good touches, a few to many misplaced passes for my liking but that wasnt what frustrated me. When we had the ball and were attacking (especially on the counter) he barely did anything. He just jogged when he should have been dropping back to receive a pass or sprinting on the shoulders of the back 4 for a through ball. His off the ball movement was really dissapointing and it led to a lot of misplaced passes and people losing possession because of it. When it was cleared up to him he did ok but we needed more.

The second is Cahill and to be honest he was really pissing me off at times because whenever we got the ball he just bombed forward. Now I dont know whether that was Moyes' orders or off his own back but when you are playing in the centre of the park next to Rodwell you have to offer a pass, stay back and let the play build and when it gets to the wing/bylines, then you can get in the box. I lost count of how many times Rodwell had the ball and was looking for an option which should have been Cahill only for him to either pass it backwards, make a pressured run or lose the ball. There was a period about 30mins in where he sat a little more, became an option to pass to and we held the ball better which led to better build up play and a couple of chances. Like Yak, on the ball he did pretty well, some nice touches, good passes etc etc but the really good work just as hard off the ball, not just bombing forward but giving options which was shown by Benfica as their off the ball movement was sublime at times.

I think its fairly obvious to see that without Neville, Rodwell is struggling. He isnt a proper DM IMO. He doesnt really track players that well, which was probably his weakness pre season when he played CB. There were a few times, especially late on, where he should have been tracking but he didnt and it did to some extent lead to the goals. Apart from that I thought he had another good game on the ball and some good challenges. Its a pity he didnt have someone else in that midfield to pass to.

Im not really sure what to say about Gosling. He wasnt great, but I didnt think he was all that bad. When you have the footballing ability of Hibbert behind you it never is. There were a couple of times where he should have ofloaded it and he had a few to many bad touches and a few mad passes but a lot of that wasnt helped by his lack of options.

I also thought today highlighted the indecision of Moyes yet again as once it got past the 50 minute mark it was fairly clear that Yakubu was flagging and to be honest he didnt look all that fit to begin with. We needed a change, and it wasnt to go 4-4-2 as we were doing alright, we just needed to hold the ball up more higher up the pitch. However on the 60 minute mark Jesus (I think thats the Benfica coach's name?) brought on Aimar, an attacking change that had a huge impact on the game. I know Moyes didnt have the bench of Benfica but Jo for Yakubu should have been the shout, or at least something! He dithered, Benfica made the change and hey presto we go 1-0 down.

Its a shame because for parts of the first half we were the better team without creating the chances. In the second half we yet again lost our way and our heart for the most part and that is probably the worst thing for me.

I can understand clubs naming their stadium when its a new build like The Emirates to get some money back from the cost of the build, but to rename a stadium that has already been established and around for years is a joke. Even more so when its at a stadum like St James' Park which is probably one of the best known stadiums in the country.

Yes you can get some extra finance but its feels more like your selling the soul of the club in some ways. I Trully hope it never happens to Goodison!

Whilst it doesnt fill me with joy to see Gosling in the starting line-up, I certainly think he will have a future at Goodison. Its now fairly common knowledge that he is never going to cut it as a RB, but as a RM he might do the job. He is never going to be a world beater, but he can time a run pretty well which not many players possess (sp) especially at a young age. He needs to work on his delivery and definately his speed (I never realised how slow he is until the Benfica game!) because without speed in the PL he wont go very far. He isnt what Id call the future of Everton as that (hopefully) lies with Rodwell but he will certainly have a part to play.

Plus if he doesnt quite cut it after a couple of years development Im sure we will be able to ofload him for a decent profit!

I think we will start 4-5-1 with Felli off the striker again, or at least I hope. If Pienaar or Osman arent fit I think we will see Gosling on the right and Cahill in the centre with Rodwell. I think the back 4 will pick itself providing Hibbo is fit!

I cant see us getting a clean sheet so 2-1 or 2-2 with Cahill and Rodwell to score. COYB!!

You know what gets me down when people say that... They were slightly disapointing because we actually played well and broke there attacks down, i was at the game, like i always am, and some comments made by people here are slightly wide of the mark, yeah it was a sloppy goal to give away, but i think over the whole 90 mins we played really well, obviously missed a creative player like pienaar who may have unlocked there defence for the likes of the yak, who i thought, again was brilliant, hardly lost the ball, as romey said held it up superbly. I thought that was heitingas best game in a blue shirt, wouldnt go as far as saying fellaini was awful, its probably been one of his better games, he won 90% of his headers, which he shoudl do obvoiusly, and he was plucking the ball out the air with good close control, and had 1 or 2 efforts of his own. I thought the defence apart from there goal, were really good, i never worried when villa were on the attack because it seemed we had some solidity back in our play. As someone else has stated we were playing a team, quoted as being a threat to the top 6 even 4 this year, and i thought we dealt with them quite well, what with being on a bit of rotten form of late, we seem to be going through the gears, lets hope we up it again this coming thursday, i cant wait for that game, i hope the crowds up for it like they were v Villa

Yeh I pretty much agree. Iv watched the game twice and get really see where some people are coming from. However as someone said there is still room for improvement and hopefully over the coming weeks we will see this improvement starting on Thursday against Benfinca!

Yeh the problem this year is the fixtures we have coming up. Weve had a relatively easy start to the season and now we have the better teams and if we realistically do want to be in top 6 then we will have to take some decent points against these teams which we havent done in recent years.