From My Seat: Bournemouth (H)

The most satisfying thing for me though was Ronald making the changes when needed when we were on the ropes in the second half. Fair play to Bournemouth they made a (great) game of it (though the ball was out for their third).

After a game at Stoke in midweek that in the past two seasons we could easily have lost – today reinforced that we are becoming a different, stronger, team under Ron.

Talking of top drawer, Ross, pace, ball retention, big tackles, (really big ones... hard and aggressive), passes and, as you observe, a moment at the end that we will all remember for a long time. He looks to me to be operating at potential, I do not say full potential as he has everything, and for me, there are no limits to what this diamond can achieve.

Thanks, Ken, as always.
Ian

Did you confuse Macca with Seamus for that wicked shot that the keeper could only parry away?

Anyone who tells you they didn't have visions of Bournemouth doing us 4-3 like they did our neighbours isn't being honest. Blimey. What a game!

Yeh! What a game! What a Saturday! Everton and Ex -Everton day! We win 6-3, Moyes's Sunderland smash the Crystal Palace and Our Niasse scores against the RS. Can it get any better than this?

First half, great efficiency. We had four shots according to the half time stats on TV. 75 % conversion rate. Of the 10 that were on target throughout the whole match, 6 went in. Of the 15 in total 66% were on target. And I may be wrong about this final one, but I reckon Rom scored with every attempt he had?

What a performance from the big lad. For his 4th one of the defenders throws himself into a desperate challenge, just bounces off Rom who ploughs on through, great strength. I hope this is the start of a scoring streak for him.

Jimmy Mac looked good too, he seemed to play further forward, I wonder if Koeman sees him in a more advanced role?

On the game, MotM clearly Rom, head and shoulders the difference on the pitch today and just maybe, with a strong finish, European football, a good summer window (dare I say a stadium announcement), we might be able to keep him and more importantly motivate him to put in these type of performances for us on a regular occurrence.

Having said all that about Rom, I make no bones about saying Ross is my favourite player. I love watching his intricate skill, strength and vision. He is an absolutely quality player that feeds on confidence, which by his flicks, tricks and goal celebrations is back and it's great to see. There are green shoots of a proper team / squad here and reasons to be hopeful for the future.

Looking forward to next week already. COYBs

Of course he'll do some good things, he's a professional footballer, but he offers very little. I would play Holgate before him at centre -back.

Long should it be so. It hurts when players don't show up as they didn't in the FA Cup – the shame is all theirs!

The Ross naysayers were also doing my head in. When our crowd are the 12th man, we are so strong, but too many times the groans have the opposite effect.

Many of us voiced doubts based on what we were seeing and I certainly won't "hang my head in shame" for doing so. I didn't call him names, I wasn't vitriolic and neither was Phil or most other posters.

Thankfully it looks like I was wrong and Ron is now getting a grip on the players who appear to be responding and what a great day yesterday. Ron is clearly putting some serious work in with Ross – I can't recall ever seeing him tackle like he is at the moment and if he can only realise his potential, we will have the playmaker we need.

Great report, Ken – you have a marvellous turn of phrase!

Thankfully, knee-jerking short-termism lost the day and patience appears to be paying off as the time Ron has been given has allowed him to assess the squad, ship out those he doesn't want, bring in better quality, coach several of the existing squad to improve and integrate some youngsters too.

I was a doubter but am delighted to have been wrong. There is work still to be done but I can now see that we have the right man to do it. I think there is a very clever brain under that blond hair and he had me well fooled!!

Bit scary that we let in 3, but still, what entertainment. We have the makings.

"You did not win the day." Those saying they did not want Koeman here knew he wasn't going to be sacked. It's a football forum, we don't get to "win/lose the day."

I loved yesterday I've watched it three times now, but if I had a say in it Koeman would not be manager. I saw absolutely nothing there to change my mind.

Let's get something clear here. Koeman after naming seven defenders and being handed two gifts from a team on the slide, was in danger of looking a complete mug. Bournemouth swarmed all over us. He threw on a centre-half in a desperate attempt to stem the tide. Only a world class performance from Lukaku (not a signing of his) saved him and us from one of our most embarrassing days ever.

Let's by all means enjoy the game and the performances of some, but spare us the "I told you so" stuff.

SIMPLY SUPERB, thank you.

Like all blues, I was over the moon with that performance, although cause for concern is how we almost let it slip, at three up, and seemingly took the foot off the gas, and nearly ended up sharing a point, rather than securing all three.

I was very impressed, and have been, from what I have seen of Lookman, our own baby-faced assassin in the making. I would have liked to have seen Gana back, but I imagine Koeman is creating a hunger for places, which has to be good in the long run.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion, I just wonder what your expectations are, and who should the club look to appoint?

Please note, any reply that contains 'nil statis' or mention of what the club did 3 decades ago or suggest that we are currently in a position to recruit a coach of let's say Pep's standing will automatically be ignored.

I very rarely have a bet, but was in the ground earlier than usual yesterday and decided to stick a fiver on us to win 3-1 at 12/1. I mentioned this to my pal (a keen punter) at half-time, so when Bournemouth scored he nudged me and said "that'll do, boring rest of the 2nd half, we get 3 points, you're quids in". I replied "no chance, I want to see us score 6". I think he was quite disgusted with me.

It's had me thinking since the final whistle, what price would we put on getting a result like that, and seeing one of our players score 4? Off hand, I can remember Bally doing it at West Brom, Joe Royle against Southampton, Big Bob a couple of times, and more recently Louis Saha. These occasions are priceless, and I'm made up for everyone who witnessed it yesterday.

I know Mike Gaynes on another thread has asked for a couple of 7s when he comes over on his pilgrimage in April. That may be asking a bit much, but I hope he sees something memorable.

"It's a football forum – we don't get to win/lose the day."

Come along now. You will post and post and post and post some more in an attempt to "win the day" if someone disagrees with you. Someone double-dared you not to have the last word recently and you came back and treble-dared them not to. 😂

Who were the 7 defenders he named in the starting 11?

Well we got through in the end, thanks to Lukaku having one of his games when he was unplayable.

There was a great little cameo when the players lined up for the start of the game, Lookman had his head bowed standing very still, two or three players came over to give him words of encouragement, he listened to them without moving or lifting his head up. After the players had moved away from him, he blessed himself and was ready for the game to begin.

Hopefully a few lessons have been learned:

Barkley can put himself about, dominate and pass brilliantly – all at once! Keep it up Ross.

When he's fit, McCarthy can move forwards and with purpose. Can he stay fit?

Funes Mori and, particularly Williams, need to concentrate. They also look better with Holgate next to them.

Bournemouth are a great team for us to play. Crap defence, love to attack and leave space. Let's see if we can open up the bus-parkers.

Lovely to watch a team of free spirits. Good to know we can do that as well as win ugly.

We are not the finished article but are moving in the right direction. Change takes time.

It was interesting to note yesterday that of our five senior signings in the summer (Gueye, Stekelenburg, Williams, Bolasie and Valencia) only Williams was involved yesterday. There are doubts about whether or not he is good enough for the long term but there can be few about Schneiderlin based on the evidence of his first four appearances. I think the other central midfielders are now competing for the one or two places alongside him which is a great position to be in.

As one or two others have suggested, the real test of our progress will come when we play the likes of West Brom or any team which parks a circle of wagons around their penalty area, when space is restricted, when there is nowhere for our forward players to roam, when the crowd switches off and frustration reigns. The solution lies in playing at a quick tempo from the start, first-time passes, early crosses and shooting on sight.

Not shouting from the rooftops but a bit of balance on here would be fair in giving credit where it's due. We are showing promise and that has to be commended.

All of a sudden, when we are in danger of throwing it all away, we decide to start passing the ball again, and Bournemouth collapsed like a house of cards. Bonkers!

Other odd events:

The ref (who in general had an awful game) blowing for a free-kick for no apparent reason after 2 seconds.

Barkley making more crunching tackles in 10 first half minutes than he has done across the last two seasons.

The programme having an article about fast goals, and warning people to get to their seats by kick-off, just in case.

Bournemouth's 3rd goal being out of play – I could see so from 20 rows back in the Main Stand.

They should have had a penalty at the end – 6-4 anyone?

The laughs around the seats when we realised Niasse of all people had scored against the RS.

I'm off to find the wormhole back to the dimension of reality.

Do you not think the change of Holgate was a tactical masterstroke by Koeman to move back into a formation we are familiar with and allowed Coleman to bomb on and supply Lukaku with the game clinching 4th (something Eddie Howe acknowledged later).

Under Martinez, this would have been a draw or defeat but, again under Koeman, the tactical switch paid dividends.

At the time of the substitution, we were proper under the cosh. They were swarming all over us and Koeman wanted another body in there to stem the tide.

Bournemouth were risking more and more bodies in an attempt to get the equaliser their play had, up to that point, probably deserved.

I don't like complicated claims. I prefer the simple evidence of my own eyes. Lukaku's performance won the game for us and I was absolutely buzzing.

If people want to give the manager credit it, that's up to them.

Holgate was brought on because Barry's legs were gone and we needed more energy. It was a good substitution but he should have been taken off before James McCarthy.

"It was a strange final result after half-time,” he added. “I think we dropped our intensity a little bit but it's also a big compliment to Bournemouth, who played good football in the second half and made it really difficult by playing really offensively.

“We had difficulties in stopping that but now I'm really happy that I changed the system to five at the back because then we got the control back in the game."

Just like comparing Koeman's Everton with Martinez's Everton.

Some real beauts in there, Ken, and all positive enjoyable reading.

Well done, mate, and long may it continue.

For the record, Darren, I could watch yesterday's game all day long – unlike the shite that was being played last season.

Football is a game, for the spectator, of opinions and opinions are like arseholes in that each and every one of us has one. Because they're opinions, none of them are right, just as none of them are wrong.

Unless that opinion is mine, because mine are always wrong, ask my Mrs!

Talking of Martinez, did you see the cheeky fucker on "Goals on Sunday" or whatever it's called?

Talked of our defensive fragility blah blah... You'd think someone who'd mugged their previous employer of close to £10m wouldn't be bitter, but that's exactly how he sounded to me.

Robles also decent but what happened to our central defense for 30 mins?

Respect to Ron for managing rotation but still keeping the points rolling in.

I read that with incredulity. It is sad to see he is still wallowing in his own bullshit.

An amateur Jose Mourhino.

My Mrs is no Cameron Diaz either but I'd still chin any of her ex-boyfriends who said as much... if you get my point. ;-)

Dave Watson had to defend deep and he was excellent at it. I saw a young Michael Owen skin him and I understood why. Williams is, in my view, a siege player, essential for our current stature at this time, but as we hopefully aspire to more I would like our opponents to require siege players.

Fully agree, spot on.

That's a good point. I think Koeman is well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his players and he will regularly play different players and rotate the squad as well as tactics according to the teams we play and the situation during the game.

Of course, it won't always come off but it shows he's flexible, aware, and knows his players. He showed some of that awareness yesterday when he changed it when it needed to be.

Happy you enjoyed it, it was only a small troupe out of our 90-piece carnaval drumming... come have a bang with us next time!

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