Bailey Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 11 hours ago, c1982 said: Burnley fans I know said McNeil was brilliant when he broke through as a line-hugging left winger but then Dyche started trying to play him inside more and that impacted negatively - we’ll see I suppose. I saw him come off the bench a couple of times at the end of Dyche's time at Burnley and he came in, created chances and caused problems from that left hand side. The ones I remember were mainly from him playing a fairly deep cross between the defenders and keeper, a situation Dom would thrive off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c1982 Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 Zinedine Kilbane vibes today duncanmckenzieismagic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 51 minutes ago, c1982 said: Zinedine Kilbane vibes today I thought he was shite until we moved him on to the left. That's the only place we should ever see him. StevO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncanmckenzieismagic Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 44 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said: I thought he was shite until we moved him on to the left. That's the only place we should ever see him. Thought he put in a really good performance all round today myself c1982 and StevO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggytop Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 Today we saw the player I hoped we had bought. He did more in the first 20 mins today than in the previous 20 games. Fosse Captain and AlbanyNYToffee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Blue Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 Showed what he can do when played in the right position, with the right tactics, and with a target man. Well played, hopefully we will see more of the same. Fosse Captain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shukes Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 His best game in our shirt. Worked his ass off and helped in defence, but also took a man on and got crosses in. Totally different player to what we’ve seen. RuffRob, Matt, Wiggytop and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibdane Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 I also thought he looked a little bit quicker. There were a couple of times where he beat his man on foot which was a nice sight. He’s still not winning any 100m sprints though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevO Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 His pressing was very good too, pushing them back and closing down with our full backs. Fosse Captain and Romey 1878 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuffRob Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 5 hours ago, Shukes said: His best game in our shirt. Worked his ass off and helped in defence, but also took a man on and got crosses in. Totally different player to what we’ve seen. Definately, McNeil upping his performance will actually feel like a new signing. Nope this performance becomes more of the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwlad Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 From Haf on the board thread - yeah I did want to know who signed off on maupay and mcneil but it sounds like they were our only choices. After yesterday, fingers crossed that McNeil will be a worthwhile signing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palfy Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 He played really well yesterday best game he's had since signing, but not going to get carried away he's got a lot more to do to prove himself than just one game, need to see improvement from him now in every game going forward. Goodison Glory 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted February 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 I suppose if anyone can make a good player out of him it'll be Dyche. I don't think he will ever be a player that will be good enough to be a main creative option from open play, but he can add balance to the team under Dyche and remain a threat from set piece delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Btay Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 6 hours ago, Palfy said: He played really well yesterday best game he's had since signing, but not going to get carried away he's got a lot more to do to prove himself than just one game, need to see improvement from him now in every game going forward. Can’t be easy coming in to a struggling team that has no confidence and try to express yourself in a team that creates very little. Hes been poor until the Arsenal game but having Dyche & some familiarity can only be a good thing. London Blue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted February 13, 2023 Report Share Posted February 13, 2023 There he is! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggytop Posted February 19, 2023 Report Share Posted February 19, 2023 He’s playing much better under Dyche than FL, still lots of room for improvement, which I think will come with him gaining confidence. One thing that is very noticeable is the start of an understanding with Mykolenko, and that he passes to him, Myko got forward and put some crosses in yesterday, Grey ignores him, possibly why he’s not getting game time atm. RuffRob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodison Glory Posted February 19, 2023 Report Share Posted February 19, 2023 His corners are looking pretty threatening also. Or perhaps the corners are the same it where dyche has them running is different. either way, Tarks scored v Arsenal, hit then post vs shite and had a great effort cos Leeds...all of them were deep corners. RuffRob and StevO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 22, 2023 Report Share Posted February 22, 2023 On 19/02/2023 at 15:53, Goodison Glory said: either way, Tarks scored v Arsenal, hit then post vs shite and had a great effort cos Leeds...all of them were deep corners. That's why I think we should drop Coady for Keane. He and Tarks will be a threat at corners. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodison Glory Posted February 22, 2023 Report Share Posted February 22, 2023 Interesting article from The Athletic on both Doucs and McNeil. I can't seem to paste the heatmaps (size limitations) but it's interesting for those of you have access. https://theathletic.com/4237013/2023/02/22/doucoure-mcneil-everton-revival-dyche/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983 Here is an extract: "The main difference now is that he is getting into more advanced crossing positions (note the concentration of touches high on the left of the pitch). Play is also being funnelled to him, with his 36 pass receptions against Leeds being his highest of the season. Twelve of those were progressive, putting him in advantageous positions closer to goal. In his three games so far under Dyche, McNeil has sent in 31 crosses compared to his average of around three per game with Lampard. Fifteen of those came against Leeds, including eight from open play. Twelve of those ended up in the penalty area and five resulted in shots — his best performance in that metric this season. McNeil is in the 97th percentile among wingers in Europe’s top five leagues this season for crosses and 94th for shot-creating actions from dead balls. Few players are crossing with his level of frequency. A large part of this is his impact from inswinging corners, which resulted in Tarkowski’s goal against Arsenal. It is not particularly sophisticated but it can be effective, particularly if Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns to fitness. McNeil’s metrics have spiked since Dyche took charge. He is attempting more take-ons, completing more dribbles and regaining possession more often for his side. His sprints are up from 16 to 22 per game and this season he is in the 91st percentile for blocks. Look again at his touch map from the game against Leeds and you will see how much he tracks back to help out his full-back. This is a key part of Dyche’s blueprint: he wants his wingers to double up and block off space in the channels, something McNeil is capable of doing. It may ultimately explain why he and Alex Iwobi have been favoured in early games over the more forward-thinking Demarai Gray" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidharper Posted February 22, 2023 Report Share Posted February 22, 2023 What a difference it is when you play someone on the left who actually likes to pass the ball. Hard to see Gray taking that position back. Matt and StevO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted February 22, 2023 Report Share Posted February 22, 2023 I am not surprised that Gray has been dropped. The bottom line is Iwobi and McNeil are just much more reliable. They work harder for the manager and for the team and from an attacking point of view, the players getting into the box know that the ball is coming in rather than waiting for Gray to piss around with it or lose possession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 Gray tried to make things happen but when he lost the ball he literally did nothing to help us get it back. Could be a very good player and is a match winner but for me he needs to look at mcneil and appreciate the value of hard yards and discipline Matt and Formby 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 I'm flabbergasted by some of the replies I'm reading here. When it was suggested he should be sold if a good offer came in for him there was indignation about it and now look! I think we'll get rid in the summer now and we'll get a fair bit less for him than we would have a year previously when he said he was looking to move on. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuffRob Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 This squad would be even more thread bare if Gray had have also taken out of it. He's not the greatest, but he has had his moments in a Everton shirt - a lot more that some of the much more expensive flops we have had. Unfortunately, the yard stick we have had to measure players has been pretty low of the past few years. Gray is really a Premiership squad player, somebody who could bring something direct or different off the bench in to a game with 20min left of a game and you need an extra offensive player on to get on the front foot a bit more. Gray is not really a problem for me as a player, I think he has been good value for money. The problem for me is the players who should be here and ahead of him in a starting 11 have just not been brought in. I think we are a fair few signing away from a squad point of view were I would be happy to see him being sold. Formby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 3 hours ago, Romey 1878 said: I'm flabbergasted by some of the replies I'm reading here. When it was suggested he should be sold if a good offer came in for him there was indignation about it and now look! I think we'll get rid in the summer now and we'll get a fair bit less for him than we would have a year previously when he said he was looking to move on. Mcneil or gray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formby Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 4 hours ago, Romey 1878 said: I'm flabbergasted by some of the replies I'm reading here. A state familiar to all on TT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 26 minutes ago, Hafnia said: Mcneil or gray? Gray, obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 6 hours ago, Romey 1878 said: Gray, obviously. We only paid £1.5m didn’t we? Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 13 hours ago, Hafnia said: We only paid £1.5m didn’t we? Yes, and? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 6 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said: Yes, and? Doesn’t matter I misread that you said we will sell for less than we paid. But yeah I agree, his value has de teased this year unless he learns to do hard yards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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