From My Seat: Chelsea (H)

All told, a good day out. It was as good a display as I have witnessed for some time.

Ken Buckley 12/09/2015 43comments  |  Jump to last

The international break was behind us so it was off to L4 for the Chelsea game. The Room of Nonsense soon filled and the talk was of how Stones would react to playing against the team that tried to steal him and how the crowd would react to Jose? The answer would be 'superbly' on both counts. The teams appeared on personal mini screens and there was much talk regarding Besic. My guess was that he was to babysit Hazard. It was pleasing to see the new lad Mori on the bench and just maybe we would get a glimpse. Time for the walk up and the rain had gone off after it being quite heavy earlier on.

It was buzzing with Blues as fans were in good spirits and ready to get behind the lads. Spellow Lane and Goodison Road were chocker yet I could find no one handing out the free fanzine that had been advertised. I have missed the paper fanzines but, alas, today I am still missing them.

In for "Z-Cars" when the Blues received a tumultuous welcome and whilst the captains were sorting out the kick off John Stones was clapping to all four sides of the ground so now, perhaps, we are all friends again.

Kick off and the Blues made a bright start with Besic showing up well and moving at some pace and he was to have a big influence on the game but not in the manner he would have wished for. From a foray down our left Besic cut in and went down in a tackle and by his reaction he was in some trouble. Medical assistance was called and after treatment both on and off the pitch he did resume but, alas, only lasted another three minutes and in the ninth minute he was replaced by Naismith.

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I wonder how many of you watching did not fully agree with the manager’s choice of sub? Go on, be honest. I won’t tell. I can also tell you not many within my earshot agreed either. However, as soon as he was up and running there was a sense of urgency about his play as though determined to show what both his club and country managers were missing by leaving him out.

We were now having a good spell with joined up footy. Even Lukaku had found his touch and Ross was not afraid to shoot from outside the box. He missed but the crowd were pleased he had shot. At the other end Galloway did well in the tackle but had to give away a corner which was only half cleared but their giant of a centre-back Zouma shot and missed the target. In our next attack we scored in true joined-up fashion when Barkley fed Naismith who swept out to Galloway near our left corner flag. Naismith ran into the box and was just in time to meet Galloway’s pin point cross and head home leaving their keeper helpless. Goodison exploded in a cacophony of sound, much hugging and kissing was in evidence.

1-0 up and tails up we were cutting through them and from a Coleman cross Kone got a great header in and looked to be going in until their keeper diving full stretch to his right clawed the ball away for a corner which was cleared. But McCarthy got onto it and fired a shot of venom that, again, the keeper turned away for another corner which was cleared. Then the odious Costa was pulled up for one of his sly fouls and he was roundly booed and called some unmentionable names.

The 20-minute mark arrived and we are on the attack, Barkley found Naismith outside the box and, after a short half pirouette to set himself, he fired a corker across the keeper and ball nestled in the corner of the net. Cue even wilder celebrations and the move executed at pace and finished with aplomb was just what we have been crying out for. This got Jose into his technical area and the crowd had a little word with him. He didn’t wave.

The game now changed a little as Everton wanted to protect the lead so we went a touch defensive and looked to break quickly. With Chelsea now almost in desperate mode they did pile pressure on us but with the excellent Barry filling gaps and directing operations and John Stones showing Chelsea that they were right to identify him as a must-have as he oozed class in all that he did. Barry got Kone away with an astute pass who moved swiftly and put in a timely cross for Lukaku to knock home one-on-one but he somehow missed the far post and hung his head in his hands.

Chelsea had a good spell from the 30th minute and we were stretched a little for the first time and didn’t really threaten their goal. However, with our dogged defending and all the players showing determination Chelsea didn’t look that clever in front of goal either.

10 minutes to the break and out of the blue Chelsea got a goal back as we seemed to have thwarted another attack. The ball went out to be picked up by Obi Mikel who fed Matic who struck a peach from some 22 yards into the left hand corner of our net leaving Howard totally beaten. I have to admit I clapped that one. Hell, normally you want them to shoot from that range!

That left us 10 minutes to the break and with it now being all Chelsea I said to my mate, we need to keep this until the break; another goal conceded now could ruin all our earlier work. With nerves jangling a bit we saw Chelsea gain about four corners and we gave away a few fouls that saw crosses coming in but stood firm and on the half time whistle we gave our lads a tremendous ovation.

H/T and the chat was typical of us Blues as we fretted about a Chelsea come-back and discussed possible subs but, in truth, no-one had played badly so my ten penneth was leave well enough alone.

The second half started as it would go on. Chelsea trying to dominate possession and us ready to attack at the drop of a hat. Chelsea had a few more corners and we responded with a few of our own and from one of these Stones climbed highest but put the ball higher than the bar. Barkley was getting on the ball and trying to commit defenders to get someone free and the game settled into a close affair. Jose blinked first and on 55 minutes Obi Mikel was replaced by Kenedy. Barry was still prominent in defence and with some probing passes further forward and from one of these he got Lukaku in on the keeper but shall we say his shot was disappointing as it was at the keeper. At the other end the new man Kenedy had a shot but he missed the target.

The hour mark came and went. Lukaku missed the target again albeit from a tight angle this time from a neat ball from Kone. Naismith was still working his socks off and set up Kone but his strong shot was saved.

Chelsea now had a spell and Galloway was booked for fouling. The youngster was having a good solid game, though, and it seems to me to be growing into life with the first team. Chelsea continued to come at us and as Stones broke up one move it was worth the admission money to see the way he glided out of trouble and with an astute pass set us on our way again.

Being only a goal in front that sort of thing scares you but it just seemed second nature to him. The game now end to end as both teams gain corners. At the 70-minute mark both teams made a sub. Chelsea swapped Pedro for Falcao and Everton swapped Kone for Lennon who got a good welcome home. Just another 3 minutes elapsed before Jose went for broke bringing on his final sub Willian for Fabregas, for some reason a section of our fans booed Fabregas off?

Coleman made one of his trademark speedy runs down the right, cut in and then wellied a left-footer high and wide. Then the game was stopped as Coleman was on the deck. He resumed after treatment but lasted only 2 minutes and then had to be replaced by Funes Mori. It looked like a hammy for Coleman. We now had five centre-backs in front of Howard. Mori to the left of Jags and Stones to the right of Jags and Galloway remained as he was. Were we playing three at the back with wingbacks or indeed five at the back? A bit of both I reckon.

Up until the 80th minute it had been a bit of a stalemate with both teams attacking and defending for their lives in one Chelsea attack Jags made a terrific block that drew applause. Stones again showed his ice-cold side as he strode out of defence. Barkley was having one of his better games and always showing for the ball and trying to be constructive. I instantly liked Mori and his short cameo suggested to me we may have a good one. He showed a coolness in playing out of defence, a determination when running at their defence and a no nonsense approach to clearances into row Z when under pressure in the box. I hope I am right but time will tell.

10 minutes to go and prayer beads had been spotted but they would not be needed as Stones combined with Lennon down the right and the ball was shuttled to Barkley who fed a peach through to Naismith who from what looked like an impossible angle smashed the ball passed keeper and into the net. Pandemonium as Goodison rocked. Wow it was all over, we knew it the players knew it in fact the whole world knew it.

Oh, those last minutes were played out to a succession of fouls and a bit of poor sportsmanship from the Chelsea players but that didn’t stop the faithful basking in the glory of sinking the good ship Jose. We sang to him informing him he was being sacked in the morning as well as asking him to go away in jerky movements. The sun was shining we had won 3-1 and on the whistle ‘If yer know yer ‘Istery’ rang out loud and clear.

MotM: Naismith

All told, a good day out. It was as good a display as I have witnessed for some time. It wasn’t an easy game like Southampton away but we stood toe to toe with them and in the end I believe the victory was merited. The injuries were a bit of a worry but we seem to have a decent bench and I can see the makings of a tidy team taking shape.

If we can show consistency then that will really improve us and maybe we can start to impose ourselves on the so called lesser teams who park the bus and break when we overcommit.

Swansea next and that will be a good tester. Another three points please, lads.

UP THE BLUES

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Reader Comments (43)

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Andy McNabb
1 Posted 13/09/2015 at 04:48:06
Thanks Ken. Like many, I suspect, I am still smiling!
Ajay Gopal
2 Posted 13/09/2015 at 05:44:55
Thanks Ken, good report as usual. What a great victory, what a great day it turned out to be! Fantastic performances all over the pitch, although Howard didn’t have much to do.

The great thing now is that the players on the bench know that they have to play out of their skins to get into the team - Mirallas, Deulofeu, Cleverly, McGeady, even Baines, Pienaar, Besic, Gibson need to grab whatever opportunity they get. No one can take their place for granted.

Well done to Martinez for his brave substitutions and tactics. No-one would have dreamed that we would be on 8 points after having played Southampton, Spurs, Man City and Chelsea, but that is where we are. Long may it continue.

Dick Fearon
3 Posted 13/09/2015 at 05:49:01
Great report as usual, Ken. Oh, how lucky we are to support this great old club. I wonder if the players truly appreciate the bond between us and them? It goes much deeper than how they played in the latest game.

We may never ever touch or speak to each other yet these royal blue shirted lads are as much a part of us as we are of them. How they fare in this wonderful game can have us soaring on the wings of Eagles or plummeting like a stone.

Evertonians in isolated parts of the world are, like me, smiling and gloating with pride at our teams efforts.


Laurie Hartley
4 Posted 13/09/2015 at 07:16:13
Ken this is not the first time I’ve said it but you do have a lovely way with words:

"Then the odious Costa was pulled up for one of his sly fouls and he was roundly booed and called some unmentionable names." I’m hearing you Ken.

Agree with you about Funes Mori. He looks like a proper centre half to me. It’s amazing how things can turn around in football. Jagielka, Stones, Galloway, Funes Mori, Browning, Baines, Coleman. When they are all fit the manager will be spoilt for choice.

One thing I picked up on was the way Stones hugged Naismith when he got his third. I think there a strong bond may have developed between these two. If so it augers well for the future.

Dick, Everton is a love affair. When the blues are doing well it helps us through whatever else is going on in our lives.

To coin a phrase of the illustrious Ken Buckley.

UP THE BLUES!!!!

Andy McNabb
5 Posted 13/09/2015 at 07:27:29
Dick - you and Ken should try co-writing. You could give the Foxtel experience from the perspective of those of us over here. I love living in Oz but nothing makes me feel homesick like the sight of the Old Lady rocking like it was on Saturday.
Dennis Stevens
6 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:12:18
Superb stuff, Ken - the football wasn't too shabby either!
Brent Stephens
7 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:15:26
"This got Jose into his technical area and the crowd had a little word with him."
Gem!
Brent Stephens
8 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:21:12
"As well as asking [Jose] to go away in jerky movements".

And another gem!

Brent Stephens
9 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:27:10
A testing series of 10 or so games at the start of the season but apart from the Watford draw at home, and a loss to City which by no means is embarrassing, we've picked up a very good win at Southampton, a creditable point at Spurs, and now an excellent win against Chelsea. Not a bad start at all. And laced with some excellent performances, collectively and individually.

And so, between games, back to debates about balance sheets.

Peter Mills
10 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:29:15
Ken, I wasn't too impressed with the initial selection of 3 defensive midfielders, and when Naismith was brought on said that the manager had gone for the safe option.

I also said that Galloway's only shortcoming is that he doesn't pose much of an attacking threat at left back, about 5 seconds before he floated over a peach of a cross for Naismith's first goal.

Not one of my better analytical days.

Phil Walling
11 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:30:03
Only have access to European web versions of the Sundays but precious few plaudits for our boys this morning. It's all about the failings of Mourhino and Chelsea rather than focus on Naisy's magnificent feat.

A couple more displays like that and I'm coming home early!

Laurie Hartley
12 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:42:06
Peter - you and me both and several thousand others - but doesn't it feel great to be so wrong. I could get used to this.
Kevin Gillen
13 Posted 13/09/2015 at 09:46:02
Ken, don’t you remember Fabregas getting Arteta sent off with a blatant piece of play acting when he was at Arsenal?

Great unbiased summary and a telling observation of five centre backs on the field. Martinez did get the team selection wrong, though, didn’t he?

Best ever display from Naismith in a blue shirt. I hope he can kick on and get 20 goals this season.

Iain Love
15 Posted 13/09/2015 at 10:01:43
Great report, great game, great result... and Liverpool lost. What joy and happiness.

There was a Stones dummy (on Falcao, I think) where he stepped over the ball to allow Tim to gather... majestic defending.

I agree with your quick assessment on Funes Mori, although time will tell. Apart from his surging run, he appears to leap like a salmon, something that will come in handy in both boxes in the future.

Ken Buckley
16 Posted 13/09/2015 at 10:09:37
Kevin @ 13.

Ah, got it now. Thanks for that; so here is my belated 'boo'.

Derek Thomas
17 Posted 13/09/2015 at 10:15:00
Andy #5 I can give you the 'Foxtel Experience'. Shite! with added r.s. and sky darling bias. Par for the course from Murdoch's Minions.

Many on various threads remarked on the atmosphere, with all the usual adjectives in play.

But on my Foxtel feed you could just hear the Chelsea mob until the first goal went in, but other than that, I think restrained covered it...they obviously turned down the Mics. around the ground. Can't be frightening / Impressing the world wide fans of the sky darlings, they might start thinking that there's more to football than brands, prawn sandwiches and labeled shirts and that some of their emperors are bollocko.

Also; was Bill in his usual seat? Did we play a certain Beatles song?

Vinny Garstrokes
19 Posted 13/09/2015 at 10:53:31
Singing Beatles songs at Goodison warms my heart and I was instantly taken back to my very first game at Goodison.

I was a couple of days before Christmas in 1969, 8 years old and chuffed to bits to be going to the match with my dad. I can’t really remember much about the game but I remember it being absolutely packed, but it was the singing that fascinated me. The concept of singing different words to popular tunes was not something I could quite understand.

John Lennon's Give Peace A Chance had been released earlier in the year and the Goodison faithful had adapted it to "All we are saying, is give us a goal!’ and Alan Whittle duly obliged and we beat Man City 1-0.

By the way, How much did I love listeneing to 'My Sporting Life’ on TalkSport last Sunday night? The subject was Mike Summerbee and he was asked a series of quickfire questions with the first one being: His favourite sporting venue? Quick as a flash, "Goodison Park" came the reply. Danny Kelly asked him to expand on why GP and he said that he just loved the banter with the crowd and how they used to sing songs like "He’d walk a million miles to see the end of his nose, O Suuuumerbee!!"

I am sure that the broadcast will still be available, well worth a listen particularly to those of us of a certain age who can reflect on how things used to be.

Peter Mills
20 Posted 13/09/2015 at 11:25:09
Vinny, when somebody posted references to Small Faces songs recently I was going to mention "Sha la la la Summerbee", to which Gwladys St would respond "Who the flippin' heck is he?" (well, almost!). Or "Sha la la la Morrisey".

Summerbee enjoying the banter extended as far as dropping his shorts to the Street end on one famous occasion.

Dave Williams
21 Posted 13/09/2015 at 11:52:21
I had the pleasure of having several beers with Summerbee and Joe Royle at a function last year and he told me how he loved Goodison. He would line up with Johnnie Morrisey stood opposite him and both men were renowned hard cases. They would agree before the kick off to each stay in the opponents half so that they wouldn’t have to kick each other! What a super bloke!

Back to the game and what a wonderful performance and full credit to Roberto who proved that professionals see things that we amateurs can't. So good to see the whipping boys like Nais and Kone play so well; Kone looks class and Nais is inspirational with his workrate and attitude. Ross was superb and controlled midfield for much of the game and his confidence is back.

Final word though goes to another whipping boy: Gareth Barry was quite magnificent yesterday helped by McCarthy running his socks off closing down space.
What a fab performance by everyone including the crowd!

Ian Gulliford
22 Posted 13/09/2015 at 11:57:35
Great atmosphere totally helped by some of the most inept officiating I’ve ever seen. The Lino on the main stand side was awful; he may as well have not had a flag! Kone was grabbed and held every time the ball was in the air, and the handball about a minute before Chelsea’s goal (not shown on MotD) was clear to all. Great to see Naismith get stuck into Ivanovic, an embarrassment of a footballer.
David Hallwood
23 Posted 13/09/2015 at 11:59:47
Great report as ever Ken, you’re almost boringly consistent! Re the Naismith substitution; I didn’t agree with it but could see the reasoning as he needed players to track back and defend, which IMHO he chose Lennon over Deulofeu & Mirallas. Maybe giving them a message that if they want to play at the very highest level, they cannot afford to neglect defensive duties.

Like you when I saw Besic’s inclusion was to follow Hazard to the toilet, in fact I called for his inclusion v Man City to do the same job on Silva; okay, you play with 10 men, but so do they.

But substitutions changes games, usually not as dramatically as yesterday. Hopefully it will silence the Nais knockers, as I’ve always thought he is undervalued; he reminds me of Beardsley, OK nowhere near as good, but in the way he plays between the lines, and that managers don’t know the best way to utilise them. Witness his movement for the 1st & 3rd goals-Championship quality player? GTF!

Final point , listening to MotD, TalkShite, Everton didn’t play well it was Chelsea that played badly wot done it, and if they would've come to Goodison with their ’A’ game, well we would’ve been thrashed. And the papers are full of Man Utd's new boy, with Naismith’s perfect hattrick second billing... The media, don'tcha just luv ’em

John Raftery
24 Posted 13/09/2015 at 12:04:33
Derek 17/18 Bill was not in his usual seat yesterday. Can't Buy Me Love was played about five minutes before the teams came out.
Santosh Benjamin
25 Posted 13/09/2015 at 12:18:54
Have had a bad last few weeks at work with things going really badly. The morning of the game, things looked like they had changed for the better but I told myself I had used up my luck at work. When I saw the team, I swore a lot. After Besic got hurt, I muttered how we could finally get one of the wingers on, only to see Naismith sent on instead. Cue some more swearing... how wrong I was.

Naismith to me has always embodied what it means to be a footballer -- hard working, committed and a decent person off the field too. I was thrilled to see him do well. He seemed sad during the interview though. This win has really lifted my spirits and like Dick and others have said on here... all of us who support Everton know how much a win or a loss can affect our lives. Stones, Barry, Jagielka and Galloway had great games and Barkley has been a new player this year.

I hope we can build on this and keep winning on all fronts. I'm sure there will be hiccups in the near future but till then... I will walk around with my feet just off the ground and I will be scoring imaginary goals as I walk around...COYB

Victor Jones
26 Posted 13/09/2015 at 13:22:25
Great report. And it is always good to beat one of the top teams.

We looked good yesterday. The trick now is to keep that form going. What happened in that first game against Watford? We need to break down and beat these type of teams.

Just as well that Naismith had his shooting boots on yesterday. Because Lukaku was never going to score. I actually like Lukaku, but for the good of the team, we need a Plan B up front. I also like Kone. But I look at him as more of a hold-up player, bringing others into the game. All-in-all, we seem to have goals in this team, this season. Another striker on board would be perfect. Options,options, options.

Just a word on Galloway. I don’t need to see our LBs galloping down the wing. Only a few special players can do that. First and formost, I want a solid defender in place. Galloway looked assured yesterday. That is good enough for me. In fact the whole defence looked good. They held the line well. Have they been practising?

Also the midfield looked balanced. I called them, wingless wonders. They went narrow yesterday. And it worked. Some of our wingers are a nice luxury to have on the bench. That win yesterday was about teamwork. I just hope we carry that on into the Swansea and Reading games. Well played.

Forever Everton.

Dave Abrahams
27 Posted 13/09/2015 at 13:37:33
Good open honest report, as usual, Ken. I you could have given your last pint, before the match, you could have walked up to St,Luke’s church and got the free magazine, haven’t looked at it yet.

If anyone says they agreed with Naismith coming on as a substitute, I’d say they were telling porkies. A great game, atmosphere and result, hope we can continue with this form and Goodison can continue to rock like yesterday, there’s no ground like it when we roar and sing like that.

Brian Hill
28 Posted 13/09/2015 at 13:49:28
Santosh, glad things are looking up for you, I always enjoy your contributions. Regarding Naismith seeming sad, I reckon he is simply a very grounded man who is able to put things into perspective.
Mike Childs
29 Posted 13/09/2015 at 16:11:09
Still Smiling, Still dreaming. Just goes to show that when XI guys play for one another with one mind anything is possible. Go buy another WC Player Jose.

Chelsea wants the kind of things that money just can't buy. I don't care to much for money money can't buy you Stones.

Where do I send the funds for the next protest plane? Got to have one against the Shites.

Brian Hill
30 Posted 13/09/2015 at 16:23:50
Mike, I reckon the banner should read: "Rodgers in!"
Jay Harris
31 Posted 13/09/2015 at 17:50:12
Always look forward to your reports Ken especially this one. This was a game with so much pent-up emotion we could only dream of a result like this.

The most pleasing thing for me was how pleased John Stones looked. I would like to believe he really feels at home now.

I was l also really pleased for the regularly abused Naismith and Barry who both put in MotM performances.

Let's hope this gives the club the boost it needs.

James Morgan
32 Posted 13/09/2015 at 18:10:50
I, like many, bemoaned that we were starting with three defensive midfielders and no real width in the team. I also questioned Naismith coming on, not because I dislike him but because I hoped we would bring on some pace and width to stretch their defenders who have been poor of late. Fair play to Martinez, it was a master stroke.

Naisy was hanging around between their midfield and defence and it looked like they didn’t know who should mark him. Play him centrally and he thrives in those pockets of space, out wide he is wasted. Three fantastic goals from the lad, not to mention credit for the assists from Galloway and Barkley.

An all round great team performance, Stones showing great maturity after the nonsense from those classless chavs, not to mention Funes Mori coming on and looking the part with some neat football and terrific leaping headers.

We just need to keep this momentum going, Swansea away will be difficult, especially after their result this weekend. Hopefully Besic, and in particular Coleman, will be fit before long.

Harold Matthews
33 Posted 13/09/2015 at 19:53:08
Enjoyable report as usual Ken. Cheers.

Can't understand why people were surprised when Naismith replaced Besic. All week Martinez had coached the lads to take on Chelsea without specialist wingers so why would he change his plan after 10 minutes? Besic was there to attack and tackle and Naismith was the natural replacement. In fact, judging by his general attitude, I suspect Nessie was not happy with his place on the bench.

Even more unhappy was Mirallis. When the 2nd goal went in Kev looked like a lovesick man who had just been dumped.

Ray Robinson
34 Posted 13/09/2015 at 20:16:42
Was the atmosphere created by the Everton fans somewhat muted on TV because we 35,000 Evertonians, to a man, were belting out "Fuck Mourinho!"?

I don’t normally join in with abuse but must admit I succumbed yesterday!

Mike Childs
35 Posted 13/09/2015 at 21:40:53
I think so, Ray. Considering the actions on the field, it was a very quiet crowd. I didn’t even hear my song.
Peter Mills
36 Posted 13/09/2015 at 21:45:29
Harold, surely if your game plan was to attack and tackle (in that order) you would pick Naismith ahead of Besic?

I'm really trying not to be smart after the event, and it was a fantastic afternoon at Goodison, but I still have a nagging feeling that the unfortunate injury to Besic worked in our favour. Fair play, Roberto selected the right substitute, but did he pick the right team?

Victor Jones
37 Posted 13/09/2015 at 22:15:40
You are spot on, Peter. The injury to Besic worked in our favour. And Naismith was right up for that game. Martinez would most likely not have made any changes until well into the second half. And who knows what the score would have been. Would Kone have got on the end of Galloway's cross? Would Lukaku have tried his luck from outside the box? Who knows.

But the change was made. And the rest is history. Give me a lucky manager over one who over complicates everything. And Martinez did over complicate most things last season. Looks like he has learnt from last season. Let's get the basics right this season. Lets hope that we get the rub of the green (referees) and, with a run of luck, we might just have a good season.

I am actually very pleasantly surprised and very pleased with our start. But a return to last seasons rubbish would spoil everything very quickly. 4-4-2 for now seems to be working. Use our wide players when needed. COYBs.

Harold Matthews
38 Posted 14/09/2015 at 01:53:00
Sorry Peter, I would not have picked Naismith ahead of Besic. You are choosing your own game plan after the event to suit your opinion. None of us know the plan they had been working on all week. Maybe Besic shone in training. Who knows? Maybe we would have scored four if he had stayed on. Who knows? He certainly looked lively and really up for it. Maybe he would have assisted Lukaku and Barkley to score two each. This is something we will never know.

Naismith’s entrance, in my opinion, didn’t prevent us from losing. It didn’t suddenly get our defence to shut Chelsea out and switch everyone on to top form. It just produced a different set of circumstances. To think otherwise is unkind to the manager and unkind to a fine young Bosnian International who will probably be a future star for Everton.

Nevertheless, yesterday was Naismith’s day and I was thrilled to bits for him, the club and the fans. A 100% trier, he helped make it a day to remember.

Ian Jones
39 Posted 14/09/2015 at 08:00:41
Apart from the goals and the result, another highlight was John Stones and his Cruyff turn. And there was me saying take the £30-odd million and be done with it.
Peter Mills
40 Posted 14/09/2015 at 08:11:45
As you say, H, who knows? Let's just take the performance and the results. Did you ever get any of your artwork online?
Ken Buckley
41 Posted 14/09/2015 at 09:30:22
Harold, Peter

In hindsight, I think he was trying to replace Cleverley as best he could. Still ,all’s well that ends well.

Santosh Benjamin
43 Posted 14/09/2015 at 15:36:44
Thank you, Brian. Things are indeed much better this week. It's great that we have an amazing mix of fans on TW.
Brent Stephens
44 Posted 14/09/2015 at 15:48:56
Harold #38 "None of us know the plan they had been working on all week."

Harold, I'm sure you posted earlier that Roberto was practicing something all week?? Ah, post #33 above "All week Martinez had coached the lads to take on Chelsea without specialist wingers so why would he change his plan after 10 minutes?"

Jay Harris
45 Posted 14/09/2015 at 16:17:41
I don't thing "the plan", the team selection or the tactics mattered as much as the lads being up for it.

The score might have been different but we were always going to win this one.

The manager, the players and supporters need to ensure we carry this momentum and feelgood factor into forthcoming games.

What a feeling if we could similarly embarrass the RS.

William Cartwright
46 Posted 14/09/2015 at 17:04:47
Jay, if we do the same to the RedsShites I’ll be unbearable; all the family are Kopites (don’t ask). Anyway seriously if we do get through our unbelievable tough start (was it orchestrated or accidental?) and stand in or close to the top 4, then what will the media do?

I watched the game in a bar in Dubai and the presenters including Andy Gray, were arguing about should Naisy even have been on the pitch after his touchline kick, or wasn’t Coleman a disgrace rolling over after a slight ’flick in the face...’ Unbelievable anti-Everton bias! Why is that? Who’s hat did we shit in before TV was invented?


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