Do you think Harrison Armstrong, would have been booked if he had been playing for Chelsea, and had made that tackle at Stamford Bridge, Ian? I said it the other day but if I hadn’t been with my young daughter, I probably would’ve walked out the stadium, and not came back. Where has the leveller gone in football, when you now get penalised for a honest full blooded tackle?

Thanks, Brendan, I’ve done a piece on that. Superb play by Rudoni for Coventry forces an equaliser for Franks lads.

The three old Everton players, Harvey – Kendall and Royle have all understood us Evertonians, and what we need, much better than anyone else who has ever been connected to the club, in my near 52 years watching Everton play. Harvey, was the innovator, Kendall, the adopted Evertonian, and Royle, another Scouser, who understood that Everton, should always try and play with real aggression. Run hard, tackle hard, battle like fuck and engage the fucking crowd. Take Saturday. Chelsea have spent a lot more money and have a lot more quality than Everton, but other than the time that Harrison Armstrong, got booked, how many times did Everton, try and knock Chelsea, out of their stride?

Off topic but Big Dunc has been appointed manager of Irish League side Glentoran.

Madisson with a tasty strike to put the Spurs 1-0 ahead against our Frank. His first goal in more than 18 months!

He never done a tap at bournemouth i was about 30 yrds from him at the end of the game and he could barely put his hands together . Oh his dad said he was happy at Everton and woulf not consider Saudi yes thats right.

David, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I think the difference might be that you were 15 in 1995; I loo back at the Gordon Lee period when I was 15 as a ‘golden age’ for me mate.

Loved this side. It’s the only trophy I can can remember us winning. So its special to me. I loved the dogs of war title myself! A Horne or Big Joe Parkinson, wouldn’t go amiss in our midfield now Tell 15 year old me that this FA cup would be the only trophy I got to see us lift for over 30 years, I wouldn’t of believed it, I don’t think most football people would at that time.

Mark Clattenburg and Mike Dean, along with David Moyes, are both in agreement that Morgan Rogers should have been sent off against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday. If it had been the other way, a red card all day.

N’Diaye, turned down a king’s ransom to go to Saudi Arabia, so I don’t think his decision to leave Everton, was just about money. I watched him in his last ever game for Everton, running hard until the end, so my own view is that the club wanted to sell him just as much as he wanted to leave.

Ndayie sold himself simple he even wanted to go to Spurs . Money grabber thats all he was i hope no one claps him pure rat. I wished he would of signed for Spurs plum bottom . But kama got him City would bite your hand off just to be in the prem league not going to happen.

The mad thing kunal if the ref would of done his job correctly we would still be unbeaten . Stone cold sending off Rogers then would you be writing your post .

So glad someone else sees Grealish as a 10. He obviously slows the game down when on the wing so lets use the youngsters out wide and use Jack’s guile in the middle. I think he’d score many more goals, than he does now. I mean, who’d want to try and tackle him in the box. Good shout with JOB play him for the last 15/20 give Jarrod a break. Come on DM, it’s not working at the moment is it!

I always hated the term ‘DOW’. Made us seems like bruisers, battlers, and yep ‘plucky’, three years after we were one of the ‘top-6’ kicking off the new league. We were Everton not Wimbledon or Oldham. Twenty-one lean and barren years have passed and the ‘plucky’ -which I also hate – stuck. We are the ‘pussy cats of peace’ man.

I would tell James Garner he has to play RB until January and bring Hackney in.. Drop Barry for Alcaraz and sub him around 70 minutes for the young lad. Drop Johnson for Dibling. Bench KDH and play Grealish as a 10 and give George a start.. Bring KDH and Rohl on when legs start to tire. Consider giving JOB the last 15 minutes to give Jarrad a break. Simple isn’t it Davey !!!

moyes has been getting lots of slack resently but this is right back to the moyes we all want to get rid of gardner and kdh DO NOT WORK IN MIDFIELD TOGETHER he has to play hacney with armstrong grelish is a very skillfull player who produces very little i think pep got on to this TAKE A SHOT MOYES ARSANAL NEXT IF YOU PLAY THAT TEAM LIKE THAT WE WILL GET SMASHED

He also had him wide right when he did play. Even the square peg obsession existed then as well. 24 years ago!

‘Keep it tight lads, try and nick one. Then defend like your lives are on the line. Energy sapping manager is the reason.

Downhill ever since.

Dave. ’tis true. I dont know what the split was regarding his reappointment. I for one did not want his return and am resigned to turgid season(s) with him in charge. Ugly defensive hanging on in there vomit. And its actually getting worse as he gets older like a lot of grumpy old miserable fucking people do. The club has failed on every appointment for decades. Much to the amusement of all PL clubs, and particularly the RNS. IN NEARLY the last 40 YEARS Ive got nothing to thank this club for. However my love for our fans and the blue shirt will never falter

Mark. I agree with you. For me, and its my opinion, Moyes supporters are everything that is wrong at Everton. Settling for sitting on the fence for safety reasons. He is one rung up from Dyche on that. He has no tactical accumen other than low block. Invariably forcing players out of position to employ it. He has most certainly got away with it this season thus far.

Fully agree, never understood the adulation he gets

Ray…he’s done that throughout his career, never trusted youth or flair, never been attack minded either. I remember Ronney bursting onto the scene against Arsenal, he fucking dropped him next game if memory serves me right. He picks the team and lays out the tactics, he’s to blame 100%.

It isnt a slow start. It is just rank defending, where players arent doing their jobs.

How many chances did the team produce? one, that’s our problem. There’s no urgency in our play, no creativity, our players have had plenty of time to show how good they are and come up short. To keep blaming Moyes for our players shortcomings is missing the point for me. Sure I would have liked to have seen more of Hackney and Dibling but obviously Moyes still has his doubts about them. I would not mind a new manager but we also need a few better players for that to work.

Couldnt agree more John. That was the ideal moment to play George. Psychologically he’d be psyched in and be chomping at the bit to show his old club what they let go. With a point to orove he’d have played out of his skin. But no. Moyes completely oblivious.

It’s gone to the dogs, this website Mark. I’ve just spent about four minutes trying to find your reply, after seeing something in the recent comments mate, and now I can’t reply to you either mate. Yes we have got some good young players, but how many of those young players will be licking their lips in anticipation of playing for Very Dour David? Noorgard needed minutes boss? What about us lot, haven’t you noticed us? Seriously, we might have been unbeaten but it hasn’t been anything to write home about. I’ve been impressed with the spirit, the team have looked up for the fight and have also scored a few late goals already this season. But Saturday, was awful, we lacked aggression, we lacked togetherness and we took an age to do most things. To play with aggression in modern football, requires loads of hard running, but other than KDH, we don’t have many players who run forward, hard, without the ball.

I was thinking exactly the same, Dave. The team seemed to have got moving in the latter stages of the first half, and I can imagine a halftime team talk (oh, to be a fly on the wall) telling everyone to calm down and revert to the game plan of containment to be very demotivating, losing all momentum.

My theory is simple. Opposition managers at half time just have to tell their team “this lot are not all that – get at them”.

Cant reply to you Tone, for some reason, but when the team was announced I expected more from Rohl and Garner to be honest and was relieved that Branthwaite wasn’t at left back. I posted my preferred eleven on another thread and it included Hackney and George in the line up. For the future I’d like to see Garner at right back with Armstrong and Hackney in midfield and George and Dibling on the flanks and KDH at 10. I’d also like to see O’Brien and Branthwaite in the middle, but accept that will be next year at best and can understand Tarkowski retaining his place for now. I still think we have the nucleus of a good young side, but that wont be realised with this manager and club mindset. Avoiding relegation shouldn’t be the ambition.

Doesn’t help when the owners oversee the sale of our best payer, and the signing of a so-called specialist right-back who is a dud.

Half time talk…”sit deep and try to contain them for the first 15 minutes. Guess what Davey boy…it only serves to hand the initiative to the opposition, a blind man on a galloping fucking horse can see that!

I’m actually surprised we went 6 games unbeaten. We are a run of the mil club, looking at yet another reset. Current owners want to jump ship, a manager that that will bumble along to get us enough points to stay clear of the relegation places to 45 odd points and leaves end of the season. He’s not that assed. 2 wins in 15 league games. Nothing will change.

Tactics, it’s never direct football. How many times are we opened up by simple 3 or 4 pass move. Why does it always have to go sideways, backwards or long diagonal allowing the opposition to get every man and his dog behind the ball? Hull don’t have better players than us plus there’s other teams such as Ipswich too. The difference is that they’re not shit scared to have a go, they’re not shit scared in letting their wingers or wide forwards get their heads down and run at defenders. Why change the team to accomodate the opposition? Why not have them change their team to face us for a change? Rohl is not a right midfielder, George is not a right winger. We’re back to square pegs in round holes. Stop lobbing balls into the box for a so called striker who can’t head the bloody thing. A back four with O’Brien on the right is still better than a back four with Maitland Niles in it. It’s the timewarp KITAP1 all over again. Moyes still thinks it’s 2006.

He’s a bottle-less get. You’ve got to be a desperately sad and terrified Evertonian to think he’s doing a good job. He’s doing what he’s does, and that’s all he can do. I don’t expect anything other than this fear-based approach to home matches, and leaving threatening players like George on the bench, but l do expect him to be gone at the end of the season.

Mark — Moyes record as a manager speaks for itself — he is,has and always will be a safety first manager, hold what we have, one point and try to keep hold of it — scared of losing — frightened of going for a win. For me as well he has the charisma of half a brick. Luckiest manager ever to earn( ? ) so much money with so little talent!

The Moyes debate will grow as we go deeper into the season and his contract nears expiry, new owner news emerges. He was always the stabiliser but no more. He has no winning pedigree, and lacks a positive winning mentality. If the fan base is happy with mid table mediocrity, caution first football and fear of taking any risk, then Moyes is your man. No doubt I’ll have people telling me to be careful what I wish for, what more could be done with this squad. I’d just like to see a positive brand of football, and ambition to challenge for things. With Moyes and TFG neither are happening any time soon.

Martin F it is that consistent bullshit that has always irritated me about Moyes. I cannot fathom this eternal love-in when people talk about Moyes in the press. They always, without fail tak about the “wonders” he has done at Everton. The constant gaslighting by the pundits and press around Moyes has to stop. Nobody ever says ” but why dies he not give the whole squad a chance?” “Why does he persist with the same tactics regardless of the on-field situation that is playing out ?” I just don’t understand it. Moyes out for me. I don’t want to hear thst we have a small squad and that he works wonders with it. He doesn’t work wonders, he’s a bullshitter and I want him gone

Point 3 is Moyes approach in a nutshell Martin. Most managers would play a winger in a home game to keep the left back deeper. He plays a defensive midfielder there to negate the threat.

Just watched DinoMoyes post match conference to the media which was alarming to say the least. 1) He didnt know Everton had conceded 3 quick goals straight after half time. Saying he was more concerned about something with the hull game that i couldnt understand. 2) Overall he thought the team did well with its total performance and that there wasnt much difference between the sides, having earlier mentioned the difference in quality between the two squads. 3) Rohl was played instead of George / Dibling / Johnson because of the threat from Chelsea’s left back Chavarria, who actually didnt play. 4) He was asked about Garner being shit (wasnt quite put that way) his retort being he’s been called up to England and that he isnt quite at the levels of last season 5) He couldnt or didnt state why the team were not creative or failed to go forward and wasnt really asked. He made mention of the Barry header. 6) He thought that the Chelsea goals were fortunate. Oh cant type any more words

That’s the best option from a bad bunch Paul; Garner does not look full fit so playing him at full-back might be a better option. It would also open us a space for Hackney.

Or as he likes a centre half he could go 3 at the back.

I actually worry that we spend money in the transfer window and the young talented players slip further down to line for clearly unfit/out of form “premier league experience” players who huff and puff and do nothing. At the start of the season the stand outs were the in form youngsters. Hackney driving the team forward with positive play. George destroying full backs and creating chances, winning MOM awards, scoring goals. Rohl – while not always assured at the back was offering pace on the wing to drive forward. Armstrong – Mid field battler covering acres of ground and winning balls. Barry – Scoring We were creating chances, more chances in one game than most of last season. All bar Armstrong are on the bench. Team is slowed down, no one goes forward, we play crab passing back and forth, no pace, no foward play, the chances have dried up and with it the goals.

Perhaps Barry shouldn’t start in the next match. Sure, he’s scored 3 goals, but he needed 25 chances to get them. His confidence probably isn’t very high right now. And he might also be a bit too distracted at the moment—he likely has more expensive designer bags than goals by now… Charly should start against Arsenal, and Barry could be brought on as a substitute in the second half. His family would be happy with that, too. 😉

Si, you are correct. The guy was motoring past Niles before he got the ball from the guy Niles was marking. Rohl was nowhere near enough to either of them. IMO Rohl has not shown enough yet to warrant a first team place. He was anonymous in the first half and is definitely not a fullback either. Not good enough defensively.

Good post Ian but at No.3 — Big Jake might not have made as many errors as the others but he would have given his best to equal them, he’s not a full back Ian— as you know!

Derek I think he will be doing next to nothing like he did most of the time he was here. I wish my mam was still alive — she would have got that trendy handsome fella for you in an instant like she used to do for her young nieces or friends when she read the tea leaves after they had finished drinking their cup of tea!

Frightening David when read in black and white. You are right in your summation mate. That`s me done with going the game if he gets an extension.

Garner?

Right back condrum 1. Stick with the dreadful maitland niles. Surely he cant play worst. Oh yes he can. 2. Go back to rohl. He is game, but the experts will tell us he has holes in his game. Hmm glad maitland niles hasnt shown those deficiencies. 3. Go back to big Jake. He offers nothing going forward, but wouldn’t have made the sheer volume of errors as the current right back. 4. Spend the money, and buy a top right back. The summer window and lack of financial support brutally exposes the issues on the pitch of trying to compete with inferior players. Anyone that is surprised amn is stinking the gaff out, clearly hadnt read about his performances at Lyon or understood what £3m actually gets you in 2026 for a 29 year old English player. Lyon were happy to get any fee, he’s happy earning £50-60k a week that championship clubs wouldnt pay, and we were happy to get anyone through the door that remotely looks like a professional footballer. That was our ambition.