Everton vs Sheffield United

Easy decision.

A legend.

Nothing more to be said.

We could do a lot worse. Sadly, we probably can't afford to do much better.

We probably can't afford a replacement.

Yes, he's picked up and done well but, for uck's sake, we need younger legs — we are fast becoming Everton Retirement FC.

Keep him at the club by all means but his playing time is up. I'd hate to see Seamus getting skinned every week and getting dogs of abuse from fans who used to adore him.

Coleman - keep
Gana - keep

Maupay - sell
Onana - sell

He is an example to all players. Every match, even when off the bench, he's always come over to the supporters, no matter what the result, when others shy away. Mykolenko is the same. Never shies away

Club captain, but humble modest and a genuine person. And now as big an Evertonian for life as much as I am as his children are. Part of the Royal Blue family.

He came across from the Irish League and, let's be honest, it raised an eyebrow amongst many, but his determination shone through. And let's not forget he came back from a horrific injury. I'll never forget that lung-busting run on his first game back.

It demonstrates to a lot of players what hard work can do.

60 grand as the song goes, but he's worth more than that.

Determination, desire and commitment. There's always a place for Seamus at Everton.

I'd like to see him in the starting lineup for the opening of the new stadium next year. Subbed off to a roaring ovation from 52,888... leaves his boots on the touchline and steps directly into the coaching staff.

Seamus and Leighton were the main reasons I chose Everton as my Premier League team when I started following a little more than 10 years ago.

It is also possible that Newcastle may follow up reported interest in Ben Godfrey and, if a decent fee is offered, as Howe is known to admire Ben's physical game.

This being the case, it is important to have Seamus retained, as who knows if Patterson will be Dyche's first pick in the coming season?

Should Harrison return to Leeds, we will most definitely need another wide right midfielder with similar attributes. In fairness to Jack, his work rate has been very good, especially in the crucial recent games, and I feel his loan has been a success overall.

So, we get rid of your 10. Here's the hard part. The part you studiously avoided because writing a shopping list is dead easy.

Give us 10 names to replace the 10 you want gone, bearing in mind that we might not be able to splash too much cash.

You have a free hand and can look anywhere you like, including the academy. So, on top of the easy side of things, give us a list of your replacements and options.

Go on, be constructive, I dare you.

Dyche however doesn't seem to rate Patterson. I'd really like to see the kid given a decent run of games to see if he can make the right-back spot his own. Maybe next season, albeit he seems to be really injury-prone. He's got 20 odd caps and is only 22 so not a lost cause - hopefully.

Ian @11, Keane and Holgate both have another year left on their contracts. Unfortunately they ain't going nowhere unless we pay up...

1 Seamus
2 Seamus
3 Seamus
4 Seamus
5 Seamus
6 Seamus
7 Seamus
8 Seamus
9 Seamus
10 Seamus

Oh, and Seamus on the bench as required.

He epitomises what Everton is about. Loyalty, Passion and Commitment.

Sad to say that those who are taking our great club to the verge of administration have none of those qualities and they should ashamed of how they have treated our club.

Get out and before you go, make sure that you sell to new owners, who have Loyalty, Passion and Commitment.

Back to immediate business and the supporters, team and manager can focus on the task at hand despite the drama going on behind us.

Onto 40 points.

Patterson did enough to be given a fair run at RB next season, however, injuries do seem to be an issue with the lad. If we keep the current defence, we should have enough cover at full back for another year.

We haven't deserved the shit-storm, that has enclouded us for thirty years. Now even with the greatest of hope and a decent Investor, that will not happen overnight either. Stability, clearing the decks of past costly mistakes, and gradual progression will be the key.

I still honestly believe Sean Dyche is the man to steer us through it, if he doesn't walk. He couldn't be blamed if he did, his basic job description, and background information, were not revealed.

Now to tomorrow's match, some may see it as a dead rubber, but I believe there is pride at stake, and of course higher League/Table position can mean money the Club badly need at this time.

All I say 'beware of the wounded tiger cub' they have nothing to play for except pride themselves but have found their scoring improve at the same time their defending has again let them down. As long as we get all 3 points, I'll be happy, but it would be a fitting showpiece finale at GP to record a decent score !

So yeah, Holgate to line up at centre-back alongside Tarkowski next season!!

He's got a small anti-following on this site and I get some people never wanted him appointed and will probably never come round. However, he's been a definite upgrade on Lampard (who I never wanted) and has steered us clear of the drop zone with 3 games to spare, despite an 8-point deduction.

We should really be 13th with a shot of finishing 11th or 12th. Not pulling up trees but a huge improvement on the last 2-3 years, with very little money.

With all the turmoil off the field, we at least need some stability on the field and avoiding the drop is the be-all and end-all of anything to do with the club at the moment. As long as we're in the Premier League, I can't see how we can go into administration as we're guaranteed north of £130M in TV money every season, never mind gate receipts and commercial income. This will only go up once we move into the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

For those going tomorrow, I'm jealous but hope it's a party atmosphere with no relegation fear and a Sheffield Utd team on their farewell tour.

It would be nice to at least finish above Brentford. Every league placing is an extra £3M in prize money – every little bit helps...

COYB – looking forward to the summer already...

If his nation and club were serious contenders, he would have been gone once his multiple-year contract had finished. He is good back-up in a threadbare squad that will be under pressure in the Summer Transfer window. He is still able to pull off one-off performances.

Seamus is worth another season surely.

Next season is a real worry, I think and hope that the financial situation will be settled some way or another, but what sort of a squad will we be left with?

If I was an Everton player, I would be looking at what opportunities there are elsewhere next season because they, like us, won't have a clue what the future holds at Everton.

Then onto the Emirates and if this weather keeps ups, sunglasses, caps and water needed!!

It's been another tough ride, but we'll see it through.

Guess what game broke the run... a 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield Utd.

It's not even the transfer window but go ahead and name 10 players.

Who would you keep that Ian would not?

Could be more if Dyche takes the handbrake off and plays a more attacking system,it's high time he played two up front...

It's our final home game of the season, for fuck's sake! Be brave for once, Sean, and give it a go like!!

I think that means Onana and Branthwaite will most certainly be playing their last games tomorrow. Sadly, it looks inevitable Branthwaite will be sold.

Of those 10 players, how many actually contributed anything meaningful on a match day to adding wins that we couldn't do without?

The average wage of those lads must be £75k a week. Quick maths we are therefore putting about £40M a season on players that in the case of Alli, Holgate, Maupay, Keane, Danjuma etc give us practically nothing.

Surely our scouts can find 5 or 6 better players for a fraction of that £40M annual commitment? There are players worldwide that other clubs pick up in minnow leagues that get more in return.

If you can get 4 to 5 players that actually contribute over a 38-game season, it has to be an improvement on that 10. Loans, frees and buys of young up-and-coming players seems to be the smartest way to move forward.

I'd rather get emerging talent that only scouts really see. Not Josh Brownhills...

But to play along, I'd take Ndidi on a free. O'Riley at Celtic looks an interesting midfielder, and I thought there were Scottish players we should have gone for cheap before in Lewis Ferguson, Hickey etc that we could've brought in. Summerville if Leeds don't go up. I'd take Barkley, Adebayo.

But I'd like to be looking for players that look like Isak, Eze, Olise etc before they get to Palace, Real Sociedad, Newcastle etc.

Gomes - Go
Holgate - Go
Keane - Go
Alli - Go
Young - Go
Harrison - Go
Danjuma - Go
Lonergan - Go
Maupay - Sell
Onana - Sell

So sign off at home with a great day for the players and fans.
Sheffield Utd have had a rough time too, but it will be a massive disappointment if we can't turn them over.

Then on to Arsenal for the season finale…. After that, we won't have the occasional match days to break up the madness of Moshiri's masterplans.

We need to end this season on a high note.

Despite his talent, Ross doesn't work anywhere near hard enough without the ball and that's always been his issue.

I agree about Ross, by the way. It's just hitting midnight here in Chicago, but I need to call out the jerk Colin Callaghan @39. Not my job pal, I was asking questions of Ian and he did a grand job.

Surely that wouldn't happen... would it?

We have sometimes struggled this season when having more possession although our record against teams in the bottom 6 has been very strong.

The ideal would be to get two or three up early and maybe give the likes of Chermitti, Dobbin and Metcalfe some time on the pitch. Chermitti especially I hope will be an asset for us in years to come.

Nice to be relaxed on a Saturday for once and if only we can get some sensible new owners in then there may be some small cause for optimism next season.

COYB 💙💙👍

On transfers, would be good to bring in a top drawer free transfer for one season using some of Alli, Gomes, Holgates and Maupay's wages to bring in someone who would play most minutes say like a Marco Reus. Obviously not using up all the savings in wages on one player. I'd rather Thelwell brought in 1 top drawer player instead of 3 free transfers for the same wages who Dyche doesn't truly fancy every game and in total contribute less minutes in a season than a good free transfer like Tarkowski.

This would allow the squad to bring in a high potential teen who is say £3-5 million fee with a very high ceiling maybe 3 years off 1st team. The next Chermiti/Lookman project.

I don't really get what bringing in a player like Reus for a season would be intended to achieve. We will not win anything next season, it is impossible from the base we currently have. Indeed, it will be a hell of an achievement just to make the Top 10.

However, we could develop a side which is capable of genuinely competing for Europe and cups in about 3 seasons from now. We've been stung badly by short term-ist vanity signings like Rodriguez and Dele Alli recently. We're best not going down that path again.

To get out of this cycle of sub-mediocrity, we need to find the next Marco Reus as Borussia Monchengladbach once did when they signed him from Bundesliga 2 side Rot Weiss Essen for €1M.

Agree that 3 or 4 years of buying lots of young high ceiling potential works well and takes the club towards Europe again, and possibly more.

However, looking at how many players there are that are in the first team squad and not playing many minutes tells us that: one player who is playing more minutes than these players combined plus on less wages than these combined is still a better deal – for the club and the team.

Also, it will raise the standards for the younger players when you have top players. I think Tarkowski has helped Branthwaite understand the Premier League better than other centre-backs at the club.

Regarding Dyche's selections, he doesn't really need a massive squad of players. Maybe 16 at a guess as absolute bare minimum. I'm thinking about players who have played at least half the minutes all season.

Until the squad is pushing for Europe or semi-finals and finals, he can probably get mid-table next season with 16 very good players which might be the last hard season for financial reasons.

The rest of the squard will be trying to get up to a standard Dyche wants. This leaves the door open for the likes of Chermiti, Virginia and Dobbin to show they can earn more minutes.

We have a little feel-good on the field; I hope it continues, a few points and a win would be great.

The off the field existential precipice worries have only intensified lately for me, perhaps linked to Sean Dyche having us in a true position of pushing to finishing top of the bottom half on the pitch, without the points deductions.

We would be on 48 points with a game left with victory today.

Manager of the month? Yes! Manager of the year too? Given what he has achieved in the most challenging and almost unbelievable blizzard storm of challenges? For me, yes, absolutely.

I really hope the team and crowd both give a rousing performance, but it does have a potential to be an end of season flop with Sheff Utd already down, us already safe, and most evertonian minds perhaps more worried about the off field disastrous mess, than the on field match today.

That is how I feel, which is sad, but a reflection of how money, the Premier league, dodgy foreign money launderers etc have destroyed the once beautiful game.

Still, UTFT and COYB.

Having said that I ‘d start Young today he’s had a few steady games lately particularly in the second half of the Derby game.