Steve_E Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 Winning the league isn't gonna happen, but we're 4th halfway through, quite nice too. Quinn31 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 We've been really lucky with injuries so far this season, and form too in some cases. We will have to have a dry spell, I think from the Fulham game we haven't played so well. But still got nine points from 12. If we get a win at Stoke we can start to pick up momentum again. The likes of Pienaar and Mirallas will eventually find form again and Gerry will come back, a strong second half of the season is a good possibility. If we can add a couple of players to the squad in January we could be in for a great season. Won't win the league though. Lucky? I totally disagree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevO Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 You really don't think we've been lucky? Ok, Gibson and Kone are out for the season, but maybe without them being injured we wouldn't have got Barry and Lukaku. But other than them two who else have we had problems with? In perspective, Van Persie, Aguero and Sturridge have all missed big chunks, the only player as important to us as they are to their teams was Baines and he wasn't missed at all. Gerry got injured but has only been a bit part player so far. If we lose McCarthy I'll start to worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted December 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 If we lose McCarthy I'll start to worry. It didn't take long for him to become a core player! I agree that he has already become the engine of the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncanmckenzieismagic Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 You really don't think we've been lucky? Ok, Gibson and Kone are out for the season, but maybe without them being injured we wouldn't have got Barry and Lukaku. But other than them two who else have we had problems with? In perspective, Van Persie, Aguero and Sturridge have all missed big chunks, the only player as important to us as they are to their teams was Baines and he wasn't missed at all. Gerry got injured but has only been a bit part player so far. If we lose McCarthy I'll start to worry. We already had Barry and Lukaku when Kone and Gibson got injured Also we have been missing Delefeou, Baines and Jags for chunks of the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevO Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) We already had Barry and Lukaku when Kone and Gibson got injured Also we have been missing Delefeou, Baines and Jags for chunks of the season The point still stands that Gibson an Kone haven't been missed, Gerry has only played a handful of games anyway, Baines wasn't missed at all. We might miss Jags, but only time will tell. Actually, it doesn't even matter. I'm feeling positive about it all, you all have the right to feel how you like. Edited December 30, 2013 by StevO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c1982 Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 We have been lucky in the fact that we've had quality replacements up to now to replace absentees but we've had our fair share of injury troubles. You can look at it in different ways - Delofeou would have been perfect vs Sunderland in my opinion so he was a big loss. Yesterday we didn't look as fluid but we were missing the spine of Howard, Jags and Barry. The big thing is that Martinez trusts the SQUAD, something I don't feel we've seen in recent years and a big reason why absentees haven't affected us maybe as much they have in previous years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncanmckenzieismagic Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 The point still stands that Gibson an Kone haven't been missed, Gerry has only played a handful of games anyway, Baines wasn't missed at all. We might miss Jags, but only time will tell. Actually, it doesn't even matter. I'm feeling positive about it all, you all have the right to feel how you like. No they havent been missed, but thats because we now have a decent squad and so have had capable replacements who were able to slot straight in. Thats not luck that is good management However my point is that we have had more than our fair share of injuries already this season and so I dont think its fair to say weve been lucky with injuries Matt, Steve_E and GoodisonRoad 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjazzbassist Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 yeah and i would say we've missed gibson. osman is not a viable option in central midfield, in my opinion he operates better as an attacking mid or winger. i think we've missed kone too, he could give lukaku some rest and give us some new legs, especially with jela wanting to leave and out of form. we missed baines and we will miss jags no doubt. i hope this is the end of the injury spell once jags gets fit again. we REALLY need some reinforcements now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted December 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Soon, we're going to have to decide whether or not to make a serious run for the FA Cup. Thankfully, we're not over-stretched by playing in the League Cup; however, the FA Cup would add a significant load on our backs. It was no accident that Wigan were relegated the year they won the FA Cup, because they didn't have the squad depth to cope. Do we have a squad capable of winning both the FA Cup and a spot in the top four of the league? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalziel Kane Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Is just as well only a few words are needed on this issue.. Everton CAN win the league - but wont Sure its going well and progress being made, but until results like home losses to a bottom placed team can be avoided, can only focus on the reality of maybe a 3rd to 6th place finish. The author either got a little carried away with things or had one too many sherries in the immediate past. Got to think rationally on this. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Soon, we're going to have to decide whether or not to make a serious run for the FA Cup. Thankfully, we're not over-stretched by playing in the League Cup; however, the FA Cup would add a significant load on our backs. It was no accident that Wigan were relegated the year they won the FA Cup, because they didn't have the squad depth to cope. Do we have a squad capable of winning both the FA Cup and a spot in the top four of the league? Nah.....FA Cup is six games (if you get to the final), replays aside, on designated week-ends so really shouldn't be a problem. Many teams around us will have to cope with the Champions League as well as the cup. We've had some of our best runs in the league in recent years while we've been in Europe and playing two games a week, players at this level should be able to cope with it. Always play your best team in the FA Cup for me.....no decision to be made. Toffee_in_LA, Matt, efc1111 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncanmckenzieismagic Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Nah.....FA Cup is six games (if you get to the final), replays aside, on designated week-ends so really shouldn't be a problem. Many teams around us will have to cope with the Champions League as well as the cup. We've had some of our best runs in the league in recent years while we've been in Europe and playing two games a week, players at this level should be able to cope with it. Always play your best team in the FA Cup for me.....no decision to be made. This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Useless stats I just researched (because it's the sort of thing I do when I'm bored ). In the premier league thirty-eight game era the average points total of the team finishing in fourth place has been 67.67 (so we'll call it sixty-eight). That's not really representative of what a team has needed to finish fourth, because (for example) LIverpool finish fourth with seventy-six points in 07/08 but they were eleven points clear of us in fifth. Lowest total was Liverpool in 03/04 with sixty. Anyway, my personal conclusion from all of this is that I reckon sixty-eight points this season will almost certainly be good enough for fourth, possibly even third, because of the closeness at the top and teams taking points off each other. That means we'd need another thirty-two points (eg W9, D5, L5) from the second half of the season.....which I think is setting the bar low. In short. Excited :jump for joy: (and you have to be very sad to be excited by statistics). GoodisonRoad, StevO and pete0 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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