From My Seat: Liverpool (H)

And I didn't understand the Alcatraz for Besic switch – a classic Moyes move which would seen a lot of scorn heaped on him. I thought he should have brought on Kone for Lukaku instead with about 10 minutes to play.

Still, a 3rd clean sheet in a row in the league is not a bad thing given how we were shipping goals for fun. Baines was a big miss for us, but Oviedo filled in manfully.

Defensively, we seem to have settled down, but now it is the attacking part of our play that needs addressing quickly – 2 goals in the last 5 league games is poor.

I beg to differ about replacing Lukaku with Kone. I would have preferred to see both on for those last few minutes.

Agree with MotM for Stones.

Barry looks shot and is now the biggest culprit in losing possession but he plays every minute of every game and he slows the game down to compensate.

Superstition's a bizarre thing isn't it? Mine has got to the stage where "I'm not going to wear the lucky blue socks because that kind of superstition is ridiculous and cannot possibly affect the match – but there's no way I'm wearing the socks with red on them!"

Besic was booked after intervention from the fourth official.

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the fourth official's only duty is to use the substitute/added time noticeboard and to ensure that managers/coaches do not go beyond the box in front of the dugout.

How come this ref took any notice of the fourth official?

Symptomatic of official's treatment of EFC this season.

Can we lodge a complaint?

Lukaku played too wide, and couldn't get into any dangerous goal scoring positions.

Barkley added a bit of spark to the game, but came on too late.

At least it was a clean sheet. Overall it was a poor game.

I agree that Stones was imperious. Besic continues to impress and I'm hoping the manager will start with him and McCarthy in midfield at the Bridge.

Hats off to Roberto; whilst he frustrates with playing Lukaku out wide and bringing on Alcaraz when we need to go forward, he did nullify the threat from Coutinho and Sterling.

I still worry about our lack of creativity and the fact that often, we slow things downs especially on the few counter attacks that come our way. Still, a point is a point and it's another clean sheet.

With our current form surely no-one expected us to play Liverpool off the park? We have started to look solid at the back and classic method is to do that first (just like HK did in 1983-4) then the midfield and attack will start to flow again.

For heavens sake give the man a chance - he looks like he is learning and progress is being made.

I also think that Jagielka has been outstanding for the past 5-6 games and is back to his pre World Cup form. He was masterful yesterday and, although Stones played well, for me he still takes too many chances in trying to play football in our own area. But he will learn and I have every confidence in him being an outstanding centre back.

So I don't think its down to RM having a Plan B – it's just that our defenders are in top form.

Today was always going to be a very cagey afair and one in which we simply couldn't afford to let the game run away from us. That's now beca, use our priority lies in repairing a largely "lost and broken season" and doing so both swiftly and effectively.

Much is written currently about playing with the "Everton Style", the return to the "School of Science", and I deeply welcome that aspiration. I also revere William Ralph Dean, though I never saw him play nor ever met him.

William Ralph's view of how football should be played would shock many modern Evertonians, for he was a very strong advocate of getting the ball directly into the danger zone by the most rapid of means. Given his immense scoring record, we can ill afford to bypass his brutally simple philosophy. Billy scored goals in abundance. Only goals determine the results of football matches, Billy was a born winner and the club has only one statue to the greatest Blue of all times.

Playing pretty is encouraging, whatever the final score.

(But only for a limited amount of games).

Playing gritty is encouraging, if it generates a much needed point or three.

(But only for a limited amount of games).

Playing shitty can happen, no matter how grandiose the budget.

(But only for a limited amount of games).

The greatest Everton side(s) that I have so far watched have all played shitty, played gritty and could played pretty.

But William Ralph remains correct, football is a simple game about scoring the most goals.

I know that Roberto is a devout disciple of football, so please Roberto remember that possession is not 9/10th, because in his most memorable season Bill Dean gave possession to the opposition a record number of times......

On at least 60 occasions.

Once for each time they kicked off when he had scored.

Martinez was getting stick during the week that he would stop playing Besic now that McCarthy was back fit. Well, Besic got almost the full game and again played well.

Also, Barkley has been very poor of late and many people were asking for him to be dropped. Yesterday, he was and yet people complain that he wasn't brought on early enough.

As Andrew says, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Tony Draper(#17) I think these days its called POMO (Positions Of Maximum Opportunity), which was the philosophy pushed by Charles Hughes. It was Influential for about 10 years – Howard Wilkinson, Wimbledon and Big Sam came out of it.

Sorry, Tony, it's had its day and is easy to defend against and to counter against. What Everton need is not launchball (in any case, Lukaku isn't a John Fashanu) but someone who can pick a pass from midfield.

The manager has, at last, shown pragmatism. I'll settle for battling to safety for the rest of the season, maybe relax a bit in the Europa League, then for a post mortem.

Looking ahead to the Chelsea game, I would like to see Kone and Barkley upfront in place of Lukaku and Naismith and Garbutt at left back as Oviedo did not give me a comfortable feeling, he was too easily beaten.

In comparison to the Mersyside derby, the London derby and both Arsenal and Tottenham are way ahead in football terms.

I'm not advocating the Watford/Sheff Wed/Wimbledon style, and if that's all that you saw, then read it again, because you appear to have "blindsided" more than 50% of the point.

Supplying Lukaku (or Kone or Yakubu or Latchford or Lineker or Lawon or Dean) crisply will reap more rewards than supplying when the opposition defence has more time to assemble.

Forwards get caught offside more often trying to anticipate an opportunity which never arrives than by "doziness". Furthermore, having become stationary in the "danger zone" strikers have no impetus when the ball finally arrives.

Have a look at Harry Kane's second goal yesterday..........

Kieran @ #

Good points well put.

I agree that resting Barkley from the "murmurs of discontent" (and some jeers and even booing from some cretins) was needed and appears effective. Ross is a "Blue Diamond in the rough" and if a bit of protection yields the completed development of him as a result then brilliant.

FAR too much "instant gratification" required by far too many people these days.

On seeing the team sheet before the game, I didn't expect us to run riot but to create only one real chance was disappointing, though to be expected playing three defensive midfield players. I, like other posters, wanted to see McCarthy, Besic and Barry in games like this (maybe Arsenal and Chelsea too) as it gives us more solidity and makes us harder to beat. It does negate attacking play but needs must as safety is paramount at the moment.

In the longer term, it looks like Martinez will get at least another season. If so, then if we get a quality centre half to eventually play alongside Stones, Besic and McCarthy fulfilling their potential as the holding midfielders this would give us a great base to build from. Sadly there seems little coming up from the youth squads, either they're not ready or good enough, so, in all likelihood, we''ll have to sell to buy.

Mirallas looks like an obvious one to leave and dare I say I'd cash in on Coleman too. 㿏 million for the pair and a similar amount in the kitty would give Martinez a very decent transfer budget to rebuild.

A question then would have to be asked: "Is Martinez the man to be trusted with this sort of capital at his disposal?"

But I do agree about Barkley; How do we solve the problem called Ross Barkley? To my mind we give it some historical perspective.

There's been lots of talk about 'the No 10' role, now all the awl arses on TW, a No 10 was an inside forward in the 2-3-5 formation (inside left to be precise), so would Barkley be an inside forward of a wing half.....mmmm debateable, but moving on to 4-3-3 there would be no debate that he would be a midfield player, and onto 4-4-2 he would be a CM all day long.

To my mind that's where he should be and RM should, in the light of some piss poor performances drop the 2 holders and put Ross in his natural position. Personally I think we should play Basic/Barkley/McCarthy as a 3, with Barry be used as a sub to see out a game, because he hasn't got the legs anymore.

There's no reason why good shouldn't come out of bad and we've got some extremely talented players and the run we're on is baffling. Let's go to Chelsea and get something from the game.

What's Garbutt done wrong? Ibe had Oviedo on toast all night and could have cost us dearly. Also Browning played really well at their place and has disappeared although Coleman wasn't the worst.

We have a 㿈M asset up front who needs to learn the offside rule? And why does he keep subbing Besic who is our future? Lastly, what has happened to the team who gave us all hope last season? Where have they gone?

I was delighted with the result. Whether we accept it or not, Liverpool have been on a decent run, clearly had outplayed Chelsea over two legs in the League Cup and Sturridge was back. I feared the worst. Roberto simply has to find that balance of being difficult to beat but at least have some attacking threat. I would love to see Besic, McCarthy and Barkley, but not until after the Chelsea game! COYB!

The positives – we must have a solid defence first and we are now getting it. Liverpool, I hate to say it, are through their own rough patch and are likely to do very well in the remainder of the season so I think we will see that a point gained wasn't that big a disaster.

My biggest concern is that we didn't see Garbutt even on the bench. To loose him at the end of the season will be a tragedy and send out all the wrong messages. He should have been in the line-up from the start, in my opinion.

Excellent last paragraph, completely and utterly agree.

Route 1 shouldn't be choice 1. But even in the highly intellectual world of chess, the Grand Masters will threaten, imply and deploy tactics, strategies or actions from every page of the book or even beyond.

By the time he departed, it was pretty evident that a very hefty portion of Evertonians were either becoming tired or even bored shitless with Davey Moyes's limited playbook and it's well known list of inadventurous outcomes. His playbook was played out, several times over by every EPL manager, and it never yielded silver.

Eventually as in any "one line approach" to probability, simply playing percentages will empty your "stake", because opponents don't enjoy losing. The odds/chances are not set nor fixed.

As I recall, when Roberto arrived, he referred to developing a "Unique and exciting" style of football befitting our great club.

As a simple generality, winning earns any manager and club the time and means to develop style, whilst losing does not.

I was frustrated by his reluctance to use his substitutions, which has become a common theme this season (and an area where I thought he was very strong last season). Lukaku was ineffective throughout and looked completely shattered for the last 30 minutes. Naismith fought hard, but looked similarly gassed in the second half, and never looked 100% after falling on his head in the first half.

I would have loved to see Barkley given more time in that "false 9" role Naismith was playing yesterday, he could cause other teams a lot of headaches.

But nonetheless, a good report that puts the Redneck Press to shame.

I am really dumbfounded as to why Martinez does not bother with set-pieces, if we add that threat to our game then we could end up winning games like yesterday and not have to rely on the 2/3rds of our struggling attacking players having to actually control the ball properly. Come on Roberto, think on!

I am really dumbfounded as to why Martinez does not bother with set-pieces, if we add that threat to our game then we could end up winning games like yesterday and not have to rely on the 2/3rds of our struggling attacking players having to actually control the ball properly. Come on Roberto, think on!

Positives: Stones and Jagielka assured, good to have McCarthy back and Besic continues to chase and distribute effectively.

Negatives: Naismith (looked out of sorts and needed Barkley in his place sooner), Mirallas spent most of his time moaning and Lukaku caught offside a frustrating amount of times.

Best starting XI for Chelsea should be: (4-2-3-1)

Robles

Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Baines

McCarthy, Besic

Lennon, Barkley, Oviedo

Lukaku

Barry seems to be the new Phil Neville (manager's favourite boy) though.

Can't do that though until he finds out where he puts the negatives because he must really have something on the manager at the minute!

Chelsea not playing that well... Hmmm, 7 points clear at the top, probably break 90 points this season... Final in one cup, CL last 16...

Bloody hell mate, if that's not playing well, let's hope they don't click into gear! I hold little hope for anything from the game, maybe I'm just being negative.

I've said it before: get to 40 points and fire Martinez. We will be in for season after season of this if this clown is left in charge and the decent young talent we have will be out the door.

I can confirm that this particular supporter made no such attempt.

To adopt a toned-down style of play at Goodison against our biggest rival is incomprehensible. Only in the last few minutes did we really look like scoring, and only one shot on target is a terrible stat.

Saying that, if Coleman had slotted the ball through to Lukaku instead of shooting, he would surely have scored.

After watching the replay here in Oz, apathy had almost set in on me but you came up with a one liner that stirred me back to life - "It is time we won on the rich manÂ’s soil." I like that Ken.

As the song goes – "If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true?"

Up the Blues.

Play them like Liverpool did, without a striker, and play, Mirallas further forward. If Baines is fit move Oviedo outside him. Lennon on the other side, with Barkley, Besic and McCarthy playing central.

Congest the middle of the pitch, frustrate them and look to break quick with players who can beat a man. Leave Lukaku on the bench to start with. It might wind him up and put a bit of fire in his belly, to come on, and really have ago, if we are still in the game.

Quite correct, it's hard to believe we were once the club setting transfer fee records – 㿨 grand for Tony Kay and 㿊 grand for Gordon West. It was a great feeling picking up the Echo and reading those sort of headlines.

I wonder if we will ever see it again?

But this time rightly targeted Sterling and Couthino as the danger men and got it spot on because the two of them did zilch. Yes, as the home side, we should have forced the issue more and to me should have played on that shit left back they’ve got, Sakho – one bad player him. But we never did, and the positive to take is another clean sheet.

Great report, Ken, and right about Stones. Imperious.