West Ham (away) 29th October

[Hafnia]

2 minutes ago, Newty82 said:

Listen...

I'll take another 10 of these this season where all we can moan about is Dyche not making subs

Not sure about that. Far more painful that it should have been. 

[dunlopp9987]

1 minute ago, Hafnia said:

Not sure about that. Far more painful that it should have been. 

Sure but, 3 points...

Have to agree with Newt, I'll take 30 mins of hand wringing at the end of 10 games if it means 30 points on the board.

[RuffRob]

That was another deserved away win.  We out battled and out ran West Ham. Any win away from home.

Starting to get a gap to the relegation spots, and I think we are slowly developing in to a team that the opposition teams will not be looking forward to playing. To me this foundation of a team you can build from. 

[StatesideToffee14]

Quality 3 points to get there. Another week where I feel the opposing side has more questions than our side after the match. 

 

 

[Tonsta]

I do think we should have used the bench more, we have good options now, the doucs and dom we done in, having said that 3 points make it a wonderful day COYB.

[Btay]

Just now, RuffRob said:

That was another deserved away win.  We out battled and out ran West Ham. Any win away from home.

Starting to get a gap to the relegation spots, and I think we are slowly developing in to a team that the opposition teams will not be looking forward to playing. To me this foundation of a team you can build from. 

Agree on you're last point, defensively we have a good structure & we have some young players in a few positions.

Just hope Dyche doesn't shit the bed and bring Young straight back in, Patto started poorly but grew into the game.

[Wiggytop]

Not an easy game to watch, but it’s 3 vital points at this stage, I would have left Dom on, he’s such an immense outlet for us, although Chermiti did better than I expected. As ever we should have had 1 or 2 more goals. I’ll take wins when players are having an off day every time.

[London Blue]

Great performance, the defence and midfield were rock solid, Micky and Branthwaite were immense. Doucs had his 50p boots on, but had good energy.

Just wish Dyche would make subs earlier, and more often. Reminded me of the Moyses era when we would be shouting for him to make subs.

On to the next match and hopefully a win against Burnley and more momentum, and then 3 points against Brighton.

COYB!!

[StatesideToffee14]

First time Toffees have won multiple matches in London since the 2020-21 season when the Toffees won 5 matches in the capital which included wins at Spurs, Palace, Fulham, Arsenal, and West Ham. 

[Boston Toffee]

Ugly match but I'll take ugly 3 points over great effort loss like we have seen this year. Huge ask by the club using only 1 sub, but players gave their all. Limited WH chances. Love it.. now I can enjoy Sunday.. Brainthewaite is such class.. 

[plaidharper]

as many have said: the lack of subs kills me 

but 3 points is massive - COYBS

[Shukes]

I think he was tied as regards subs. The players that needed to go off were showing. 
We could have taken Garner for Gana, as a straight swap. But Doucs was strangely effective, and McNeil was always causing trouble. They both just had mates when it comes to ability.

We just need to get the rest of team showing up. 
 

Onana was amazing again today. But we can’t rely on him every week. 

[Palfy]

A typical Dyche performance players to sacrifice their normal games and all to concentrate on defensive duties, in the hope that we can nick a goal for 3 points or minimum take a 0-0 for a point, and the tactics worked, yes not pretty to watch but if you want Dyche as the manager then get use to it folks there’s gonna be a hell of a lot more performance like this and the Liverpool game.  

[London Blue]

This season is about not being in a relegation fight, about survival.

If we can achieve mid table safety then thats progress. I will take that.

To be fair we have played some nice football, good football. The more flowing expansive game will come with points and safety.

[patto]

57 minutes ago, badaids said:

Mc Neil lamentable again.

I can’t believe he lasted the full 90 

[barryj]

How long can we hold onto Branthwaite? He’s looked immense since he’s come in especially for one so young in that position. 

[Btay]

1 hour ago, Palfy said:

A typical Dyche performance players to sacrifice their normal games and all to concentrate on defensive duties, in the hope that we can nick a goal for 3 points or minimum take a 0-0 for a point, and the tactics worked, yes not pretty to watch but if you want Dyche as the manager then get use to it folks there’s gonna be a hell of a lot more performance like this and the Liverpool game.  

I think most our attacking players were just shit today mate. It's about an even split at the moment between games we have been very creative and then games like today in which we just fucked up about anything we tried.

My peeve with Dyche at the moment is it seems he would rather keep a grafter having a bad game on than try someone off the bench.

Regardless 3 points & we haven't had enough of them in recent years to be overly picky about how we get them. Look at Wolves & Fulham where we arguably played much better & should have wrapped up 6 points but couldn't score.

[Palfy]

9 minutes ago, Btay said:

I think most our attacking players were just shit today mate. It's about an even split at the moment between games we have been very creative and then games like today in which we just fucked up about anything we tried.

My peeve with Dyche at the moment is it seems he would rather keep a grafter having a bad game on than try someone off the bench.

Regardless 3 points & we haven't had enough of them in recent years to be overly picky about how we get them. Look at Wolves & Fulham where we arguably played much better & should have wrapped up 6 points but couldn't score.

I’m not trying to be overly picky I’ll take the points no matter how they come, it was more a retort to those who aren’t happy with how we’ve played the last couple of games, with the falling asleep comments and alike, these are the tactics of the manager, yes they are boring but when the main focus of the game is to defend and stop your opponents from scoring it’s not going to be Champagne football, Dyche will be over the moon with how Doucoure, McNeil, and Harrison played they ran themselves into the ground to for fill their defensive duties. 

[Shukes]

We haven’t been like that all season though Palfy. It’s only been the last few games we’ve been that bad.

Before that we were one of the most attacking teams in the league as far as chances and attempts go. 
 

Something has changed drastically over the last few matches. But I’m the same, if we’re getting points I can deal with it for now.

[RuffRob]

I can't quite understand the Dyche negativity. We just went away from home to a team who won a European trophy last season, and came away with a deserved and not a 'nicked' three points. We also had other very good chances and maybe unlucky only to come away 0-1. A deserved clean sheet, and the West ham fans booed their team off at the end as we out battled them for pretty much the whole game. 

when the highlights are on MotD tonight, it will be pretty much all Everton, with the pundits giving us the plaudits and the Hammers the hard time. 

off the back of two seasons of being deserved beated game in game out, with next to no transfer budgeted spent, we are actually being competative in games, and are really unlucky not to be 6-9 points further up the table. 

this is massive progress on the team of the past to seasons. 

[Newty82]

I know Dyche detractors will take any opportunity...

Thats the first home game of 2023 that West Ham haven't managed to get a goal.

We have to do what we have to do.

Absolutely no one that I know of, on here or in my circles, expected anything spectacular this season or next. No matter who was in charge.

We all agreed we'd take the ugliest football ever so long as we didn't have to fight relegation again.

We ain't going to be fighting relegation this season. We're playing better football than we have for a good few years, IMO. Generally, overall.

Better than those before him, Inc Ancelotti...all of whom had much bigger spending budgets and bigger overall squads.

[Romey 1878]

I must admit, I was a bit perplexed when I came on here at half time and saw that a lot of you thought we'd been terrible in the first half.

I didn't think we'd been brilliant or anything but I didn't think we'd been terrible at all. We started slowly and looked very sluggish but we grew into the game. We were very solid and I thought comfortable - with us having the chances to go ahead while really limiting West Ham.

Second half we took the first chance that came our way and then just stayed disciplined and solid and but for a great save we'd have doubled our lead. Yes, West Ham did have a couple of opportunities but that was always going to happen and that's why you have a quality goalkeeper between the sticks.

I thought Dyche got his tactics spot on. Maybe he could have made more changes, and earlier, but when you're looking solid and hard to break down you've got to weigh up whether a substitution in a key position will disrupt that. He obviously didn't want to take that risk today and it worked out well. Of course, on other days it'll backfire and he'll get stick for it but today it didn't and it was the right decision.

[Shukes]

I think you’re right Romey. We started so slowly but grew into the game and did what we needed to do. 
I do think it was terrible to watch and neutrals must have found it a horrible game.

But  strangely I also know that we need to play like that away from home and just get points. And other than a few scares late on, I didn’t think they troubled us much at all.

But I do want us to play a bit more attacking football. I want those matches where we are having 20+ attempts again. Just with us putting a few away.

Not unhappy with it at all though. Again it’s progress, and professional.

[Cornish Steve]

Solid and deserved win. We're now getting the results we've deserved all season. Our defence was outstanding, and all four (plus Onana) deserve joint MotM.

I don't understand the complaints about lack of subs, for several reasons:

1) If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We defended well throughout, and that's what was needed after we'd scored.
2) Our first-choice players need to play together as much as possible, so keep them on.
3) Not all players have a great game every game, so just accept that some will have an off game.

[Matt]

Is that 4 out of 6 then? I'm travelling so completely lost track with the international break too 

https://thefishy.co.uk/formtable.php?table=1

7th in the form table over 6 games. Buy yeah...

[Harv]

Fantastic result.

I must admit when we went one up I would have taken a point.

Starting to look like a team with some confidence now.

[Elston Gunnn]

1 hour ago, Cornish Steve said:

I don't understand the complaints about lack of subs, for several reasons:

1) If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We defended well throughout, and that's what was needed after we'd scored.
2) Our first-choice players need to play together as much as possible, so keep them on.
3) Not all players have a great game every game, so just accept that some will have an off game.

I thought Gana would have been a good sub, with his relentless energy.  And I did agree with the numerous calls for more subs.  Here’s what I hope would be a reasonable counterargument to yours.

1) A fair number of us thought it was broke, or at least breaking, in the sense of tired legs, in the face of WHam’s desperate attacking.

2) The starters did play together, and often pretty well.  Had several — say 2, even 3 — subs been brought on by the 80th minute, that would still have meant the first-choice lads had played together the vast majority of the match.

3) The call for subs was more (though perhaps not entirely) about tired legs than poor play.  All of the midfielders had good moments, but McNeil especially looked tired as the second half wore on.

Overall, although I’m not a big fan of Gana, it just seemed so obvious to me that he should have been subbed in.

[Palfy]

5 hours ago, Shukes said:

We haven’t been like that all season though Palfy. It’s only been the last few games we’ve been that bad.

Before that we were one of the most attacking teams in the league as far as chances and attempts go. 
 

Something has changed drastically over the last few matches. But I’m the same, if we’re getting points I can deal with it for now.

I think Dyche is trying too eliminate the losses the best way he knows how that’s not going to be to everyone’s satisfaction that’s for sure, but the stats on attempts on and off target weren’t as bad as some people think, we were better than West Ham in that department with only a third of the possession, so the the focus on defence first would seem to pay dividends over 20 attempts at goal and still losing 1-0. 

[Shukes]

8 hours ago, Palfy said:

I think Dyche is trying too eliminate the losses the best way he knows how that’s not going to be to everyone’s satisfaction that’s for sure, but the stats on attempts on and off target weren’t as bad as some people think, we were better than West Ham in that department with only a third of the possession, so the the focus on defence first would seem to pay dividends over 20 attempts at goal and still losing 1-0. 

I’m ok with that. Build a solid foundation and then work on the rest. 

[Romey 1878]

• Everton have won more Premier League away games against West Ham United than against any other opponent (13).

• Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the fourth player to score 50 goals in the Premier League for Everton, after Romelu Lukaku (68), Duncan Ferguson (60) and Tim Cahill (56).

• West Ham have failed to score in a Premier League game at the London Stadium for the first time in 2023, ending a run of 14 consecutive home games with a goal.

• After a run of three consecutive victories in the Premier League, West Ham have won just one of their last six games (D1 L4).

• Everton have won a Premier League away game without conceding a goal for the first time since August 2021 at Brighton. This was their 41st league away game since that victory.