Crystal Palace (Home) 22nd October

[Spoon]

Great performance all round and I'm super happy at the moment.  Can't believe  how much Iwobi has improved though.

[Zoo 2.0]

Zaha deserves everything that he gets, one of the biggest gobshites I've ever seen. Should have seen red for his elbow on Gordon and was hoping that someone would snap him towards the end of the game - absolute rat.

[RuffRob]

5 hours ago, Tonsta said:

With Forrest winning. and going above us, Gerrard sacked with a similar points tally, Frank should be looking over his shoulder.

Let's hope this performance can put this sort of talk to bed for a while.

There are going to be ups and downs as this new team is being built. Let's not all start panicking when we lose a few, and let's not get ahead of ourselves when we see performances like today.

Let's enjoy the ups and not get overly critical of the down. Its about a steady progression and getting some consistency in seeing more days like today. 

I believe we are finally on the right track.

 

[Matt]

I notice Memma hasn't come back on yet...

[Romey 1878]

I cannot tell you just how pleased I am with today's performance.

Even if the terrible performance against Newcastle hadn't happened I'd have been happy with what we showed today but that just increased how happy I was with today, particularly when you take into account that it was the exact same starting 11 as that game.

It was noticeable from the off that we were going to see a completely different Everton today. We looked determined to play on the front foot and we pressed high and hard. It didn't always result in us winning the ball back ourselves but more often than not it resulted in Palace being forced into passes that had no hope of coming off. And when we did win the ball back ourselves it was usually a lot higher up the pitch, which then had us in a readymade dangerous position to attack.

For me, the most noticeable player in this pushing higher up the pitch was Mykolenko. Straight away I spotted how high up he was, right into their half. Hopefully that's shown him that he is capable of being an attacking player.

I criticised Onana heavily after the Newcastle game but he was really, really good today. He was committed in everything he did - tackling, passing, running. I think the coaches may have had a word with him because there was none of that passivity we've seen from him. Making mistakes is fine but don't lose out through a lack of commitment.

Our wingers have also come in for deserved criticism recently but I thought they were superb today, both in attack and defence.

The foundation of our performance was the two CB's though. Rock solid the pair of them. Coady was talking the whole game and Tarkowski provided lovely shithousery all game.

I don't want it to sound as though it was just a solid performance. There was also magic sprinkled throughout the team as well. Gray had Ward on toast all game long. DCL's touch and then finish for the first goal. The football in the build up to our second game was fucking beautiful. I could watch it on repeat. The football for the third wasn't bad either - lovely run forward from McNeil in a tight situation, chooses the right option to give it to Iwobi who then reciprocates in giving it back to him with a delightful flick that completely fooled the keeper, for McNeil to keep his cool to slot the ball home.

More today, less Wednesday please blues.

Special mention for the referee today - you'd have thought it was his first ever game he was that shite. Absolutely diabolical.

[Cornish Steve]

Just watched the game again, this time with a more critical eye. You can see the style of play we're gravitating toward, and it's beginning to come together. We're not yet at the level to compete with the top five or six teams, but we're making genuine progress. This time last season, we had no strategy and the wheels were falling off. This season, we're on the up and up. There will be disappointments along the way, but we're looking more like a top-half team than relegation fodder.

I'm so pleased the manager plays the same lineup consistently. For now, it's needed. Garner and Holgate and Godfrey and Doucoure and the rest will get their chances, but for now we need to improve our core starting lineup. They need to understand each other better, learn to be more intuitive, and play as a unit. It's happening, but it needs more time. The farce of a winter World Cup comes at just the wrong time for us, but so be it. Maybe it will allow our defence to gel even more.

It all starts with defence. Tarkowski and Coady are an awesome partnership, and the confidence they, with Pickford, inspire provides more freedom on the wings and in midfield. Gordon and Coleman showed just the right balance, helping each other while pushing up the field. Mykolenko was much improved today, and that's obviously the result of careful coaching. He must be delighted at his contribution to the second goal, but he was excellent throughout. Coleman, filling in while Patterson is out, dominated Zaha, who became more and more frustrated as the game went on. It's great to see genuine competition for places all over the field.

What a midfield we have! Onana had a superb game - full of momentum, bold tackles, and some delightful passes. The long pass to Gordon early in the game was sublime. Iwobi looked like he was cloned, with two or three of him on the pitch. How is he able to maintain his energy levels for that long? Two assists and many important contributions. Gana was the weakest link today, although he wasn't poor by any stretch. Gordon was back to his best, and Gray's trickery was always evident - although I wish they'd lead to more goals!

And we have squad depth. McNeil is clearly a confidence player, and his goal will do wonders for him. It was an excellent run, making something almost out of nothing, with Iwobi's back heel so magical. Such moves won't always come off; when they do, though, they increase the volume of cheers. DC-L wasn't always in the limelight, but the fact that we have a powerful target man allowed us to play differently. We knew we could score goals again, and it showed.

Gareth Southgate was in the crowd today. In his shoes, I would be most impressed with Tarkowski. I don't want either of our central defenders to get injured in the World Cup, but wouldn't it be something if both are called up for the final squad. They deserve it. By the end of this season, pundits are going to be raving about them, wondering how Everton, great relegation escape artists last season, now have the most solid defence in the league.

If only we can secure another prominent goalscorer in the January window. DC-L needs the competition, and we need the backup. We can't afford to be without a strong presence again upfront. Maupay is a contributor, for sure, but we need the power of another DC-L. If we manage that, we could even be pushing Europe toward the end of the season. And wouldn't it be something to finish ahead of Liverpool!

[Matt]

 

 

[Palfy]

13 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

I cannot tell you just how pleased I am with today's performance.

Even if the terrible performance against Newcastle hadn't happened I'd have been happy with what we showed today but that just increased how happy I was with today, particularly when you take into account that it was the exact same starting 11 as that game.

It was noticeable from the off that we were going to see a completely different Everton today. We looked determined to play on the front foot and we pressed high and hard. It didn't always result in us winning the ball back ourselves but more often than not it resulted in Palace being forced into passes that had no hope of coming off. And when we did win the ball back ourselves it was usually a lot higher up the pitch, which then had us in a readymade dangerous position to attack.

For me, the most noticeable player in this pushing higher up the pitch was Mykolenko. Straight away I spotted how high up he was, right into their half. Hopefully that's shown him that he is capable of being an attacking player.

I criticised Onana heavily after the Newcastle game but he was really, really good today. He was committed in everything he did - tackling, passing, running. I think the coaches may have had a word with him because there was none of that passivity we've seen from him. Making mistakes is fine but don't lose out through a lack of commitment.

Our wingers have also come in for deserved criticism recently but I thought they were superb today, both in attack and defence.

The foundation of our performance was the two CB's though. Rock solid the pair of them. Coady was talking the whole game and Tarkowski provided lovely shithousery all game.

I don't want it to sound as though it was just a solid performance. There was also magic sprinkled throughout the team as well. Gray had Ward on toast all game long. DCL's touch and then finish for the first goal. The football in the build up to our second game was fucking beautiful. I could watch it on repeat. The football for the third wasn't bad either - lovely run forward from McNeil in a tight situation, chooses the right option to give it to Iwobi who then reciprocates in giving it back to him with a delightful flick that completely fooled the keeper, for McNeil to keep his cool to slot the ball home.

More today, less Wednesday please blues.

Special mention for the referee today - you'd have thought it was his first ever game he was that shite. Absolutely diabolical.

 

10 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

Just watched the game again, this time with a more critical eye. You can see the style of play we're gravitating toward, and it's beginning to come together. We're not yet at the level to compete with the top five or six teams, but we're making genuine progress. This time last season, we had no strategy and the wheels were falling off. This season, we're on the up and up. There will be disappointments along the way, but we're looking more like a top-half team than relegation fodder.

I'm so pleased the manager plays the same lineup consistently. For now, it's needed. Garner and Holgate and Godfrey and Doucoure and the rest will get their chances, but for now we need to improve our core starting lineup. They need to understand each other better, learn to be more intuitive, and play as a unit. It's happening, but it needs more time. The farce of a winter World Cup comes at just the wrong time for us, but so be it. Maybe it will allow our defence to gel even more.

It all starts with defence. Tarkowski and Coady are an awesome partnership, and the confidence they, with Pickford, inspire provides more freedom on the wings and in midfield. Gordon and Coleman showed just the right balance, helping each other while pushing up the field. Mykolenko was much improved today, and that's obviously the result of careful coaching. He must be delighted at his contribution to the second goal, but he was excellent throughout. Coleman, filling in while Patterson is out, dominated Zaha, who became more and more frustrated as the game went on. It's great to see genuine competition for places all over the field.

What a midfield we have! Onana had a superb game - full of momentum, bold tackles, and some delightful passes. The long pass to Gordon early in the game was sublime. Iwobi looked like he was cloned, with two or three of him on the pitch. How is he able to maintain his energy levels for that long? Two assists and many important contributions. Gana was the weakest link today, although he wasn't poor by any stretch. Gordon was back to his best, and Gray's trickery was always evident - although I wish they'd lead to more goals!

And we have squad depth. McNeil is clearly a confidence player, and his goal will do wonders for him. It was an excellent run, making something almost out of nothing, with Iwobi's back heel so magical. Such moves won't always come off; when they do, though, they increase the volume of cheers. DC-L wasn't always in the limelight, but the fact that we have a powerful target man allowed us to play differently. We knew we could score goals again, and it showed.

Gareth Southgate was in the crowd today. In his shoes, I would be most impressed with Tarkowski. I don't want either of our central defenders to get injured in the World Cup, but wouldn't it be something if both are called up for the final squad. They deserve it. By the end of this season, pundits are going to be raving about them, wondering how Everton, great relegation escape artists last season, now have the most solid defence in the league.

If only we can secure another prominent goalscorer in the January window. DC-L needs the competition, and we need the backup. We can't afford to be without a strong presence again upfront. Maupay is a contributor, for sure, but we need the power of another DC-L. If we manage that, we could even be pushing Europe toward the end of the season. And wouldn't it be something to finish ahead of Liverpool!

Rom and Steve taking on Bailey for the longest after match report ever posted

[Romey 1878]

2 minutes ago, Palfy said:

 

Rom and Steve taking on Bailey for the longest after match report ever posted

Just be thankful I don't do it after every game like I used to .

[Palfy]

Just now, Romey 1878 said:

Just be thankful I don't do it after every game like I used to .

I'm more concerned Bailey sees it as a threat and we end up with war and peace.

[Formby]

1 hour ago, Palfy said:

I'm more concerned Bailey sees it as a threat and we end up with war and peace.

Bailey is working on it as we speak, I'm sure! 

[Matt]

 

[Matt]

13 minutes ago, Formby said:

Bailey is working on it as we speak, I'm sure! 

"Statistics show they were actually all shit, despite what the result might have you believe."

[Matt]

1 hour ago, Romey 1878 said:

Just be thankful I don't do it after every game like I used to .

I miss them

 

[Hafnia]

1 hour ago, Palfy said:

I'm more concerned Bailey sees it as a threat and we end up with war and peace.

There will no doubt be several concerning defensive passages of play and somehow mykolenko will have been at fault for ball watching, not tracking a man, and despite having a good game wil be down marked to “ok” and not as good as stated elsewhere

[Tonsta]

15 hours ago, RuffRob said:

Let's hope this performance can put this sort of talk to bed for a while.

There are going to be ups and downs as this new team is being built. Let's not all start panicking when we lose a few, and let's not get ahead of ourselves when we see performances like today.

Let's enjoy the ups and not get overly critical of the down. Its about a steady progression and getting some consistency in seeing more days like today. 

I believe we are finally on the right track.

 

After 3 poor results hindsight is a wonderful gift.

[patto]

2 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

Just be thankful I don't do it after every game like I used to .

Save it for the good games

[Romey 1878]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

I miss them

 

I think I got tired of just being angry for most of them due to us being a bit shite because...

1 hour ago, patto said:

Save it for the good games

I do enjoy talking about the good games a hell of a lot more!

[Matt]

1 hour ago, Romey 1878 said:

I think I got tired of just being angry for most of them due to us being a bit shite because...

I do enjoy talking about the good games a hell of a lot more!

Fair enough mate. They must've taken some time and effort. Still enjoyed them though

 

[Matt]

 

 

[Romey 1878]

6 hours ago, Matt said:

Fair enough mate. They must've taken some time and effort. Still enjoyed them though

 

They did because, unlike Bailey's which are in-depth and analytical, mine are pretty much all emotion and feeling .

[RuffRob]

20 hours ago, Tonsta said:

After 3 poor results hindsight is a wonderful gift.

Not really, my comments after the 3 defeats are actually pretty positive. 

I thought in parts of all three of those defeats we have some good moments and other that the last 10min against Spurs we where veey much still in those game.

Last season we where utterly humiliated in games. To me it's plain to see that even in defeat we look a much stronger and robust team. 

[Wiggytop]

27 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

Last season we where utterly humiliated in games. To me it's plain to see that even in defeat we look a much stronger and robust team. 

We are, Frank has re built from the back, Tarks, Coady, bringing in Patterson, and a new midfield has made a huge difference. I remember all too well walking away from Goodison this time last year and fearing the worst.

[Romey 1878]

54 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

Not really, my comments after the 3 defeats are actually pretty positive. 

I thought in parts of all three of those defeats we have some good moments and other that the last 10min against Spurs we where veey much still in those game.

Last season we where utterly humiliated in games. To me it's plain to see that even in defeat we look a much stronger and robust team. 

I agree. Last season if we conceded one then it was always a worry that we'd quickly concede another one or two as our heads would be gone.

[Tonsta]

1 hour ago, RuffRob said:

Not really, my comments after the 3 defeats are actually pretty positive. 

I thought in parts of all three of those defeats we have some good moments and other that the last 10min against Spurs we where veey much still in those game.

Last season we where utterly humiliated in games. To me it's plain to see that even in defeat we look a much stronger and robust team. 

My point is we had one point different to Villa who sacked their manager, i said he would be looking over his shoulder, because Hes not stupid.

I at no point said he should go, i also can see progress, although in the 3 lost games with one shot on target meant you had to look very hard to see it.

[Matt]

 

 

[Matt]

 

[RuffRob]

McNeil does offer us something different. Grey or Gordon might have made a similar run to McNeils, but would have had a speculative shot from the outside the box. Mc Neil will look for the runners and pick out a pass. 

[Btay]

13 hours ago, Tonsta said:

My point is we had one point different to Villa who sacked their manager, i said he would be looking over his shoulder, because Hes not stupid.

I at no point said he should go, i also can see progress, although in the 3 lost games with one shot on target meant you had to look very hard to see it.

Difference is and it’s one all the media have completely failed to see is Gerrard took over a team in mid table and got to spend good money on his team. Coutinho, Digne, Kamara & Diego Carlos. 

Frank took over a team in utter free fall, kept them up, sold his best asset to freshen up the team & most importantly has the fans behind the team again.

Theres still work to be done but he’s doing a great job so far.

[Romey 1878]

2 hours ago, RuffRob said:

McNeil does offer us something different. Grey or Gordon might have made a similar run to McNeils, but would have had a speculative shot from the outside the box. Mc Neil will look for the runners and pick out a pass. 

I only ever want to see him on the left. His total one-footedness is exposed badly when he’s on the right.