Seems like we’ve just gotten football back from the last round of fixtures, and here comes another international break.

Fan boredom, player fatigue and the risk of injuries. All for very little of any consequence.

Moyesterbator 🤣. Brilliant.

Paul Griffiths 28 minutes ago,

Fair enough Paul, as it’s Sunday I’ll take that back— I thought Michael was incredible when he came on for those few minutes on Friday night it’s a pity Tuchel wasn’t there to see him!

At some point there will be injuries and suspensions.

The limited squad players we have all need game time. They will all be called upon. We don’t use our full squad. properly.

The last couple of league wins have propelled us up the table, same as the previous couple dropped us down it. It’s a very tight league.

Pete I think Moyes and his toolbox, managerial nouse, is much more threadbare than his squad!

A less number of misplaced passes than KDH — Colin Harvey hardly scored any goals but worked his socks off as part of that midfield, James Garner does more than enough to please me and he’s still getting back to peak fitness— keep,watching KDH and you’ll find he lacks consistency over a long period of time during the season, Garners football brain outweighs KDH’s for me. As for other clubs coming in for him let’s see- Chelsea bought him for £35M and s old him to us for £28M whilecthere was a reputedly £80M offer for Garner during the last transfer window in this admittedly mad transfer business.

Morning Ian,

The question was had 3 under 21 players ever started in a league game under Moyes.

Portsmouth 2008-only 2 started.

Eric,

Dont be like that.😀

The formation we spoke about the reason for you getting your Ao dai in a twist?

You can teach positioning if a player wants to learn, you cant teach pace Mick.

For me they’ve made a decision he isnt a central midfielder. I think the game is too quick for him to retain possession. And why he is being converted out wide.

Leighton Baines positioning was still suspect in the early days, so either get on board with Rohl or watch the incrediblly sloppy AMN.

For me its no contest. AMN is riddled with mistakes, and that was the case at Lyon. He is cover at best, the 2026 Cucu Martina.

Setting the team up to survive against Coventry!

LOL.

Moyes will have sent them out to start on the front foot and play with intensity. They didn’t follow his instructions as they did in the two games against Newcastle.

Naughty Dave on Keane mate.

Nah definitely not a right back as far as im concerned, he gets caught out of position to much for me, i want to see him in midfield where he was bought for

Paul agreed, absolutely no way on this planet is he better than those 2

‘It would be very difficult for many of the players to perform from the first minute to the 90th minute week in and week out without showing a level of fatigue that would be apparent as a game wore on’

Perhaps one of the most inane comments I have ever read on these pages.

Lads, lads, go easy in the first half, we only have a thin squad lads and it would be better to save yourselves for the second half. Repeat to yourselves: first half go easy, second half step it up.

I’m still chuckling.

Mr. Amb has established himself as our chief moyesterbator in a short stretch of time.

KDH is not ‘better than Palmer and Foden’. Sorry, that’s just blue-tinted silly.

My hunch is that someone will get a knock over the weekend and KDH gets called up.

Who or what decides the ‘best’ comment?

Everton historically (I think) has played really well running up to the bollocks of an international break. Then, their rhythm of play subsides significantly and they lose the next 3 to 4 games. ???

Not for the first time Ian, and I’m sure not the last.

Sorting by "oldest comments" is a great feature. It used to be really cumbersome to have to scroll all the way to the oldest comments and then read from the bottom up.

I think I remember it now Ian.

Did Vaughn play wide right forward in a 4-2-3-1?

Mate, Moyes loves a small squad. The smaller the better. Yes he’s really good at what he does, but what he does is limiting and belittling.

Everton through and through my arse, he’s a narcissist. Moyes through and through, blinkered by his own lack of success but still happy to pretend he has the ability to manage this great club. He doesn’t btw, but will keep us in the EPL. Yay, go us for being the most boring team in the world.

Remember when football was about winning trophies? I do, just.

Rodwell was 16 john, so yeah I remember it pretty well mate. He shares the same name as my lad, who had his kit a couple of years later. Someone I followed for a long time, and someone that was backed at a young age.

Portsmouth 2008 had vaughan, anchibe and rodwell in it. All under 21 in the Premier league.

But feel free to blame Evertonia…

I suspect there is a reason Everton don’t do to much in the first half of games. It would be very difficult for many of the players to perform from the first minute to the 90th minute week in and week out without showing a level of fatigue that would be apparent as a game wore on. Without enough senior players to rotate or even substitute the players would become prone to injury. Moyes has to try and set the players up to survive and then hopefully conquer. It’s a balancing act that will be the norm till the end of the season if TFG don’t bring in more players to increase squad depth. Moyes has a difficult job ahead if his toolbox is left so threadbare.

I really hope those fans that complain about Moyes and his tactics realise that the job he is doing is remarkable. He is Everton through and through. I doubt there is another that could achieve more than Moyes.

TFG need to realise that Moyes needs support and backing, also his loyalty should also be rewarded with a new contract. COYB

In a Premier League game?

If i remember rightly 😁

Yeeeh, course

You cant kid a kidder, Brendan.

Think rodwell, anichibe and Vaughan played in Alkmar as well if I remember rightly.

We cant complain with the ref last night, he gave us every decision.

Its Coventry fans who should feel hard done by, as they should have at least had one pen, or maybe 2.

I’ll take it all day though because we have been on the recieving end of some diabolical decisions by Var.

Your far from being on your own on Barry, Laurie.

There’s more to come imo

He’s better than a one in twoer this season Derek.

Laurie; don’t get too carried away mate, Barry is doing well – well – well for him.

But he still has the ones like in the first 10mins were he ran the length of the penalty box trying to sort his feet out – and didn’t.

But he’s still a ‘footballer’ waaay better than 95% of the rest of us, It was hardly the hardest ball to ‘see’ or deliver.

The real skill was from KDH, who stayed on side and finished brilliantly.

I saw the much maligned (but again still a decent 95%er footballer ) Big Vic Anichebe deliver the exact same ball.

He’s having a good little run. Though even up to now at his best, on a good day, he’s a one in Sixer, he keeps getting in positions, and keeps scoring and I’ll take them all day long, but Harry Kane he ain’t – not yet anyway

Barry has served me a great big chunk of humble pie which I will publicly eat now. His hold up play has improved out of site but the one thing that impressed me the most yesterday was that pass to KDH for the third goal. A pass that any top class midfielder would have been proud of. Perfect weight, timing and placement.

The other thing that I was pleasantly surprised about was Moyes starting Dibling. He had to start George on the left but he had choices on the right in Rhol and Johnson. If he keeps starting these young players together I think they will pay him back in spades.

And another thing – how come Mykalenko keeps turning up on the edge of the oppositions box?🤔

Idea for a TV series based on Maresca’s team:

This City Is Shite

I read it on Evertonia.

The poster probably meant in league games, I should have read it properly .

Do your research.

See you around midnight.

Hackney will outstrip Armstrong

Pita is a great player. Mostly a right winger. Fast and runs all day. Can beat a man and finish.

Ian

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Although that level of trivia is a bit concerning mate.

You telling porkies John?

Bate 2009.

John I appreciate that, just another word to me, others may not feel the same to such a reply.

Thought we were just debating the blues john, having differering opinions is what it’s all about.

That’s 4 in 12 months i think I heard the commentary say Michael

Two brilliant goals from Liam Delap.

He’s been hiding for a long long time…

Having spent billions on a squad, maybe we should play a better style.

Ndiaye going down like he’d been hit with a cricket bat, just too much of it these days.

John I’ve always backed the lad, it does my head in the way some pile in on him, he never gets injured he’s scoring goals and his all round play is improving, he is proving a few people wrong, 10 goals in 13 , im delighted for him

Forest 2-0 ahead at home – first league goals they have scored at home all season.

100% correct David, it will take patience from the fans but we have had decades of just getting by.

Given the financial restrictions it’s the only way we can compete. Build a young team that will grow together, not all kids that won’t work, we need a nucleus of good kids with the experienced pros to guide them.

Imo the side that played last night would finish higher than last seasons 13th.

I owe you an apology David.

I used the C word in a reply to you last week.

Unfortunately it is part of my vocabulary, use it now and again.

Honestly no offence intended.

Get a glimpse of that goal Micheal misty conditions but it’s a whopper of a shot a yard or so inside the penalty area and we must have been chasing victory because the young lad is that far up the field.

"But he and Armstrong could be th ebest 2 young central midfield players in the country."

Hackney is a 24-year old career minor-leaguer, finally getting a shot in the top league. Armstrong, a teenager getting First-11 playing time in a top league. Completely different career projections at this point.

I’m all for your prediction coming true. I’d think Harrison’s upside is already quite a bit further on than Hackney’s; including projection for making the England team.

How long have you been a premier league manager?

Shithouse tackle Christy.

Definite red for me

Yay, keep it going, I’m sure it isn’t an easy negotiation.

The replies being hidden seems to undermine what I would think is desired, seeing some interesting posts that could get more responses. Again, the structure probably makes sense for other author-audience relations. Here though, both the crowd and the topic operate better with it all on top.

Arena looks like it is built for, I am guessing, authors who wish to keep comments directly on topic without distractions and to reward resident regulars who help with informal moderation. TW is in a different quadrant of the blogosphere, or whatever it is called now (Enshittificationville?).

Some of these requests could maybe get resolved by posters just adopting conventions. Not using the reply or the arrow post rating functions are two which I suggest.