Everton vs Chelsea

'But they don't have any really big scalps to boast about since that fabulous opening win under the lights against Man Utd, all other home games against 'big' clubs having ended in draws this season' - Tottenham not a good win then? Aside from them and Man U we've only played Arsenal who could be classed as a big club at home and should've beaten them with some correct refereeing.

'Since it is far from Everton's style under Moyes to hammer home their advantage much beyond a single-goal lead, opportunities will remain few and far between for this very promising product of Everton Academy.' This to conclude a whole paragraph about Ross Barkley? What evidence is there at all that Barkley would in any way help us beat teams by more than one goal? This is nothing more than using the pre-match build up to have a pop at Moyes. I mean we even won this fixture by 2 goals last year!

'If Everton are to really sustain a valid challenge for Champions League places, this is a must-win game.' Completely untrue, we could lose this then win next week whilst Tottenham and Arsenal lose and we'd be back level again, this does not make or break our season. In reality, Chelsea could well be challenging for the title with the players they have, only poor management would abuse that quality enough to drag them into a top 4 battle.

I'm still holding hope that Miralles could be a surprise name on the team sheet. Unlikely of course.

Prediction — Pienaar to lead the Mersey blue charge.

I think I'll go with the words of the far more credible Mr Dick Fearon:

Moyes, after bottle-feeding and changing generations of aspiring youngsters nappies, has produced how many home grown players? At my last count, the total is a big fat ZERO.

There has been a few who showed promise up to coming under his direct control in the first team squad and that's about the total. Quite apart from better wages, the best thing Rooney could do for himself and England was to get as far away from Davey's influence as possible. Exactly the same can be said for Rodwell — and I suggest Barkley would be wise to do the same.

I have no respect for a bloke who from day one sets a target of Premier League survival. His basic negativity ruined the very rare opportunity of winning something.

I am amazed that so many Evertonians have accepted without complaint a man who deliberately sets out to lower expectations.

Of course, I know you don't accept that anything has changed... but I think the evidence shows that it's actually true.

We'll try and keep it tight and hope to nick one, we could do with a win as that might re-ignite the team but, like John, I'd take a draw right now.

Time to do a bit of work or walk the dog, methinks.

We are limping along around the Champions League places with a threadbare squad so let's get behind the lads, show some belief in the players, and give them the lift they will need to compete with a "billionaire" built Chelsea squad.

I never thought I would say this but it looks like we'll also be missing Phil Neville tomorrow with a recurrence of his knee injury and if Coleman doesn't make it then it looks like the Barkley boys will get their wish.

Potential team:
Howard

Jagielka Heitinga Distin Baines
Osman Hitzlsperger Barkley Pienaar
Jelavic Naismith

12-0 Everton.

Howard

Neville
Jagielka
Distin
Baines

Coleman
Hitzlsperger
Pienaar
Oviedo

Osman

Jelavic

On Twitter, he says he's getting an early night, ready for the big game.

I agree.The race for both 3rd and 4th has all the hallmarks of a last game photo finish, so one point here or there in late Dec isn't much.

KITAP1 though..nah, thats for frightened losers. Teams looking for the top places / 3rd spot are, or should, be winners.

KIT by all means AND go for the win, KITAGFTW??

3rd place, and I keep harping on about 3rd not 4th coz I think its do-able by any of 4 or 5. will be won not by the side who doesn't get beat the most but by the team that wins the most.

So if James font of all wisdom Mason is correct (who am I to deny it) 1 point or none is all the same in the long run, buy that token I choose to infer that it won't hurt to go for 3.

KITAGFTW ! let that be our aim for 2013

I'd be interested to see it (or even including Anichebe and leaving out Naismith) but I won't hold my breath.

James (#773), I thought the OP was simply being realistic in the main. If we don't manage a few more wins against top of the table clubs in the rest of our fixtures we are unlikely to stay in and around the European places. Our rivals are improving and have deeper squads, and I expect Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea to be much better in the second half of the season. We will be hard pushed to maintain our impetus unless we recruit 2-3 decent reinforcements in January.

Fuck Chelsea. It appears Beneathus has them organized. Let's see how well tomorrow against a real Club.

36 points at the New Year.

COYB!

So if I were Moyes I'd attack. 4-4-2 and turn it into a battle.

2-0 and 3rd place will do nicely.

"Phil Neville looks set to miss Everton’s clash with Chelsea with a knee problem.

The Blues Captain, who recently returned to action after surgery on his knee, will reportedly miss the game and has caused a further selection headache for David Moyes.

Moyes is already without Marouane Fellaini through suspension, Darron Gibson, Seamus Coleman, Kevin Mirallas and Tony Hibbert through injury, and now reports are suggesting Neville will also now be absent from the Toffees squad."

Big game!

COYB

2-1 to the blues

You ask James to look at the evidence - well I'd ask you to look at the league table and where we are and what we've spent compared to the big boys we're trying to compete with. Also despite the past couple of games (which we actually won) we've played great attacking football and its been great to watch.

So maybe you can contain your negativity just a bit - it is Christmas time after all.

Michael, you just make the same point all the time, criticising me for thinking I have a monopoly on people's opinions of Moyes. Where have I articulated that? If anything it is you who are trying to control people's opinions as editor of an Everton site with deliberately slanted threads like this. I responded to your initial criticism of Moyes and then you follow that up by criticising me for trying to influence other people's views and then bringing up the 'far more credible' Dick Fearon who has written an opinionated piece that as many people would disagree with as agree with. Just because he matches your views doesn't make him any more credible.

As ever, all I can do is continuously contend with your point, as many people do, that Moyes could have done better in the past and that the evidence for this is how he's doing now. The players are fundamentally different: Jelavic, Mirallas, Pienaar, Gibson were not all here at various stages over the last 10 years so the standard of football has increased with them.

I will not, as you suggest I should do, feel miffed about the last ten years under Moyes, I'm not going to feel miffed about watching a team run by a manager who I believe does his best for us, why should my matchday enjoyment be taken away by your ideas of what you think should have been a satisfactory performance level for Moyes? Of course I always want more from him, but I'm not going to spend ten years being miffed about it.

Unfortunately on a site like this if you make your views known and attack the manager in what should be a neutral matchday thread then you have to expect a response and as a member of this site I shouldn't have to be patronised by you suggesting I have a monopoly on people's thoughts and that I am in some way too unrelenting to accept that anything has changed.

So I will quite happily take a draw from todays game, obviously hope for a win but without Fellaini,Mirallas,Gibson and possibly a recognised full back it will be very difficult. As for the pleas to start with Barkley, I haven't seen anything other than a young promising player who has done nothing so far to suggest he warrants a first team start. I have seen loads of kids on Everton's books over the decades that fans have thought were going to be great and very few made the grade either with us or clubs they were transferred too. So trust in Moyes to know when to play the lad, after all he sees him in training everyday of the week.

We are missing Hibbert, Coleman, Neville, Gibson, Mirallas and Fellaini. I'm frightened of Hitz, Heitinga and Naismith. Not enough steel in the side and Heitinga getting himself sent off is a fear!!

I hope I'm totally wrong and Jelly scores a couple at least.