Niasse hat-trick as U23s beat Reading 6-3

Away to Reading, trailing 2-0 after 15 minutes, a Niasse hat-trick by half time, now leading by 5-2 ... sorry! Make that 6-2 with 12 mins to go.

Potent!

Is RK going to eat humble pie and give Niasse a chance!

Fair dues to Omar; head down and doing all he can to impress the boss. He can only score against what's in front of him and he's doing that consistently.

Truly fucking shocking – clueless both of them.

Even my red mates were bored and took our slagging ("very rare you'd actually want to be blind but...") with little resistance.

(I really hope they stick with that nervous keeper, he looks like he gets a case of 'the Hattie Jaques' every time the ball goes into their half.)

Two piles of crap in one night. Still, have cleared some space on the Skybox. Had the second episode of Westworld and it's now gone to "recorded heaven."

Tomorrow night in the McNulty household? It's the potter's wheel ... (you have to be of a certain age).

The Yul Brunner original film is on Sky On Demand if you fancy it.

I watched it again for the first time in about a decade the other night and was surprised to note they seemed to alternate from calling the resort Western World and West World for the duration of the movie as if the final name hadn't been decided at the time of writing the script.

Never meet your heroes or rewatch your boyhood favourite films / TV shows (see The A Team).

I'm going to give Saturn 5 another try though.. Now that was a good bad robot... 'No taction contact'

Driving to my 6-a-side listening to Radio 5 Live, they were picking the best all-time 11 from both teams. All of the arses picked sides lacking anyone bar Gerard who could win a ball! Shows what a bunch of clueless idiots these two loved-to-death clubs have attracted over the years.

So glad we aren't infected with the same virus! Niasse for our bench!

B) The U-23s aren't that good.

C) A bit of both.

D) They're both a shocking waste of money.

E) Some parts of 'all of the above'.

My televisual feast for today – 'Au-pair Girls' kicks off in about 3 mins (1.30 a.m) on cack but wonderful (mainly British) film channel, 'TalkingPictures TV' (freeview – mainly 50s/60s/70s gear).

The synopsis – "1972. Adult Comedy. Director: Val Guest. A detailed investigation of the 70s Au-pairs, leaving no stone unturned and milking every situation. Stars Gabrielle Drake, Johnny Briggs* & Richard O'Sullivan**"

* of Baldwin's Casuals

** of general hog-nosed 1970s unfunniness

Think her brother was sensitive type Nick Drake who died young after making an album that loads of people rave about (but I've never heard coz I only really listen to country).

And Don (#17), I know of a football club in Northern Ireland who said that George Best was too small and that he would never make it. Anyone can make a bad call on a player.

Anyone remember Imre Varadi? He knocked them in for fun in the reserves but hardly got a run in the first team.

The Potter's Wheel is shite – watch the cat with the ball of wool – it is much more exciting and it can catch better than the Red Shite 'keeper.

Even if he doesn't make our senior squad, it will do his transfer chances no harm. Could Unsy have just polished a diamond? Stranger things have happened.

I come from a generation whose father used to come in from the pub, stare at the TV in the corner, and irrespective of what was being shown, roar, "Any cowboys on?"

So I enjoyed the original Westworld. There was none of that postmodern, 'Are we really robots leading an authentic existence?' crap there. You knew who the baddies were.

Eugene – Some of Nick Drake's guitar tunings were really interesting. (I have been playing guitar a long time.) He used to turn his guitar away from other guitarists so as to hide what he was doing. As for country, there was a spoof of country song titles either on here or in the ESCLA newsletter years ago. The only one I readily remember is: “Bubba shot the juke box, cos a sad song made him cry.”

Peter – you sent me back to YouTube. I found Klopp preparing for a match (see "The Spinning Wheel").

As for Niasse, it looks like he won't get a game even if he stands on his head and blows bubbles out of his backside.

Nearly all these kids look good at this level so, as an over age player (bought for 㾹½M), he really should be outstanding. Makes him more saleable so what's to complain about!

It also sends out completely the wrong message. Hard work should always be rewarded. Any player who does consistently well for the U23s deserves to consequently be considered for the first team. If this does not happen then it becomes extremely hard to motivate and develop the youth playing for those teams.

The U23s are in great form and the cream of the crop should be rewarded with more time with the first team and a spot on the bench if they are really shining.

Fingers crossed that Liam Walsh can keep improving as he's the sort we could use. A gritty, intelligent playmaker able to pass and score but also but the effort and the tackles in.

https://streamable.com/dvfj

He may not look pretty on the ball, even comical at times, but he never really got a chance to settle in under Martinez. (Would it have mattered if he had?) So maybe the lad has a talent that nobody has as yet identified, except perhaps David Unsworth.

Maybe it is down to a change of attitude from the lad, but he needs to shut up talking to the press and knuckle down and keep scoring. If Rom does get injured, then I don't fancy our other options much.

The difference is that Jose pulls off a masterstroke, yet we were lucky, according to the pundits.

Now... as for Townes Van Zant...

As it stands, should Niasse fail, he says "I told you so"; if Niasse works his socks off, gets back his locker, and in the senior squad, our new boss can turn around and say he knew all along and it was motivational man-management at its best.

There wouldn't be a manager that clever, would there? Not recently at Everton... but this is Ronald Koeman, a level above our recent past – and then some.

Must have been my imagination but I'm sure Shearer was giving our defence lots of credit for the defensive performance on Saturday rather than labelling us lucky. Assume the pundits you refer to are on Sky or in the rags.

On Niasse, I hope, if he turns this level of performance in every week, Koeman will be man enough to eat some humble pie and give the guy a chance to prove himself at a higher level.

Yes, my comments were more about the written press than MotD pundits.

As for Niasse, I think, sadly for him, Koeman has already made his decision known to everyone. But, if he does keep banging in the goals, I am sure Koeman may reconsider. But I am sure he had a long hard look at him before declaring "if he wants to play football his future lies away from Everton".

I would also be interested to hear his thoughts on Kone as, apart from a very brief appearance against Yeovil when he scored 2 goals, we haven't hardly seen him at all.

But a hat-trick for Niasse may get him a Harrod's bag to put his kit in!

Niasse has scored about 5 goals in his last 4 games for an U23 team who are winning their league. Of course the standard is considerably lower but, given our lack of striking options, if he continues this current form for a while, then surely he's got to be at least up for consideration.

Said gentlemen simply has immense skill on the ball, notwithstanding his hat-trick for Everton Under-23s. The last game Everton played, three shots were on target when compared to Man City's 18 on target.

We have one striker in the form of Enner Valencia, were Lukaku to be off due to injuries. I do wonder about Everton's corporate decisions. Lukaku needs help, the fact that a challenging team like Man City can impede all efforts by Everton save the aforesaid three indicates there are significant problems. Our defenders and of course our amazing goalie saved us from humiliation.

I'm not desperate to see him in the first team but any player who consistently excels for the 2nd team deserves to be at least considered. Otherwise what sort of message does that send out?

It's ludicrous that anyone should be categorically ruled out. He's only had a handful of decent games so far but if he's training well, working hard and continues to score goals then why on earth would he not be at least considered? Not as though Valencia and Kone are world beaters!

Lukaku was basically primed for his football career, starting his youth stage at 6 years of age whereas Niasse started his football career itself at 17, according to Wikipedia. In short, Naisse has not had his youth stage in his football so he cannot be said to be 'nurtured' for the Premier League.

It's a shame as Niasse has height (just under 6 foot), compared to Valencia's rather short 5ft-8in frame, alluding Niasse will be good in the air, as is Lukaku owing to his 6ft-3in inch frame. Niasse scored 144 goals at age 17 for his first team albeit without sufficient nurturing that a youth stage in his footballing certainly would have shaped his career today.

It's discrimination of sorts taking all things into consideration, it's psychology, it's third world cultures Niasse excels at the lower tiers of football but psychology-wise, he is apparently destroyed where his performances are in the Premier League.

Someone obviously didn't do their homework on Niasse.

Its more than likely that Niasse is never going to cut it here and maybe he still looks awful in training for all I know but no-one should be written off without the opportunity to redeem themselves if they are playing well and working hard.

Michael, the link to Niasse v Leicester was frightening... to think that someone saw 㾹½m worth of footballer hidden (very successfully) in that frame! I feel for the lad in many ways, he didn't ask for the move and didn't fix the price tag but his 㿔k a week or whatever will ease his pain.

Regarding Nick Drake, after reading your post, I YouTubed him and listened to some of his stuff. Not my cup of tea, bit samey if you like and nothing to make it stand out.

It reminds me of being in some smokey, heavily scented student's flat in Catherine Street trying to pull some bird and pretending that this was, no really, the stuff I listen to all the time. Of course, this was late sixties and possibly before Drake found fame.

"Most of what the Beatles churned out." Give your head a wobble, son .

Only my opinion and I accept everyone is entitled etc. (Just before Shami Chakrabati gets a call and I get charged under the laws of entitlement or some other fictitious law!)

Valencia, Kone have had game time. Play the lad; if it goes tits up, he will have done no worse than the other strikers alongside or replacing Lukaku in a match.

Supporting strikers are not doing it; we are relying too much on Lukaku's goals, so again. let's give the lad a second chance. If he succeeds, problem solved; if not, then a striker is a must in January.

Koeman is no mug. We don't know what has gone on. Perhaps he did do something unforgiveable to his wife. Perhaps something was said, perhaps we are all wrong but, if he's good enough, Koeman will play him.

Let's hope he's a good lad, misunderstood, and let's hope he's done nothing wrong and begins a new career under Koeman's tutelage. Let's all hope because it would be a great help at a time when we need someone other than Romelu Lukaku.

And without wishing to sound shrill, your focus on 'black footballers' seems pretty arbitrary.

Victor Jones, I believe Matty Pennington is still out with a hamstring injury, no date yet for a return.

Re Niasse, apparently he's got a few more tricks in his locker... Oops!

I reckon someone with nothing better to do could could have shown similar stuff about Naismith. Niasse did not win a competition to be an Everton player. Someone thought it was a good deal and if it wasn't maybe they could explain.

However, some of the comments on here about this player have been unsubstantiated and unfair.

Fingers crossed some scouts will watch him, and we can go our separate ways recovering some of the outlay. Not quite Nyarko Mark 2 just yet – more a Bakayoko!

Managers are paid to make decisions in the here and now. Not have egos that mean they can't change an earlier decision which may have been disproved.

We need to remember that Koeman's comment was prior to close of transfer window. And there was probably great optimism that one maybe two strikers were arriving to bolster the attack.

Lots on here have had a go at the club for signing Niasse based on limited knowledge. But then decide he is crap based upon similarly limited experience. I don't know if he is good or bad. But, at this moment in time, we don't have anyone else other than Lukaku in the 1st team who looks like scoring.

So, while he is our player, and while Dave Unsworth, who we have a lot of respect for, says Niasse was great, why don't we take a chance? We have nothing to lose by doing so.

I remember Forlan got a similar rap at Man Utd. Went to Villarreal, and was fantastic.

"His attitude, application and quality has been first class."

His hat-trick was very tidy. A sly shove on the centre back missed by the referee to allow him free room to head the first; an emphatic finish from a cut back for the second; nice footwork and finish under pressure in the area for the third.

At worst, he is showing some professional club at some level he is not as forlorn as some might presume he is. I don't expect him to revive his career at Everton, or recoup all our monies on him, but he isn't a total write-off either.

If he scores next week, will we have the exact same thread? Yep. Was there any point to my post? Nope.

Scoring for fun.

I could be right, I could be wrong.

Let's keep Niasse. You never know.

Football and life is a weird pile of shite, we're losing nothing by keeping him... so you never know.

If he is scoring regularly though & working hard, I would give him a chance to show us what he's really about. Let's face it, it's not that much of a jump from Kone & Valencia.

After what I saw of him though, he doesn't look to have a future as an Everton player, but I would love to be proved wrong.

Promising kids at the position like Sambou, both Duffus brothers and Henen are people who will be benched to make room for Niasse. It's unhelpful.

Would you play Kone in the U23s as well, Nigel?

So he's certainly taking up a place of an U23 prospect so Andrew's suggestion that he be loaned out to a Championship side makes sense.

Let's not blame Niasse for everything he does. He can only do as he's asked to do by his employer and, at present, Unsworth is his immediate superior and he's simply doing his job. I've never been a fan of the lad but feel he's getting a lot of unfair and unnecessary criticism from all quarters at present.

He's still an Everton player and should be supported no matter what role he's asked to fulfill. Fair do's folks.

Imo, this situation with Martinez in charge would result in everyone asking for a public hanging of the manager.

I know he bought him, but I mean if he hasn't and the situation was just exactly the same.

Is there a chance Koeman is wrong here!

I kud doo dat... giss a job, Lah.

Koeman wanted, but only if he agreed, to shift him off somewhere; Moscow, Turkey, West Bromwich or some other third world hell hole... and people wonder why he said 'stick' instead of 'twist'.

Not only that, he has the nerve to be a nice-ish lad, who works hard and has been scoring in the only game time he's been given... *rolls eyes* – some people, eh?

Alan (#87), loan him out, not to judge his quality ourselves, but to put him in the shop window and maybe sell him on if our current manager has no use for him.

His career isn't going anywhere in our U23s.

Would have loved one last cameo from Tim, wheeled him out for the derby.

I think we're a bit off topic though. All we are saying, is give Niasse a chance.

Maybe a loan is the next step in his processing into English football. I will say it is taking a long time though.

If you only picked one Drake song to try out, I'd suggest this one – it always makes me so sad that he took himself and his considerable talent from us.

Back on the main topic, I know there's something almost a little 'Disney' in the possibility of Niasse turning out to be actually a bit decent after all, but I agree that it shows more than anything else that one of our own legends from my youth – Unsy – is doing some really good stuff.

If RK played him in the EPL kiss goodbye to any chance of off-loading him. Keep him in the u23s banging in the easy goals and someone will take him in January.

Niasse was bought for the first team; if he's now not required, he should be shipped out – not only to recoup some money, but for the good of his own career.

Ffs, it couldn't be simpler – once the contract is agreed and signed, the player decides where he does or doesn't go.

Now doing it for the U-23s maybe means the manager could accept that there is more to Oumar, including possible attitude change. I still don't personally see it as a likely route back into his First Team thinking after such a definite and public exclusion... but ya never know, yeah?

What would you rather the club do? Put him on garden leave, on 㿔,000 per week? At least turning out for the U23s he's making a contribution to the club, and on recent outings a good contribution, after all do the U23s now top their division.

I'd like to see him go out on loan or be permanently transferred if Koeman is adamant he doesn't want him.

Seems like never to me – at least whilst Ron is the manager of Everton FC.

Yet he was Player of the Year in Russia, scores for his country and now plenty for the Under-23s. It doesn't make a lot a lot of sense to me, at least.

To me, it's not down to his performance; for whatever reason, this is down to a dispute... the Niassegate scandal.

Don't you think Koeman is playing a risky game here? This 100% obstinacy in Niasse's case is hard to fathom in many ways. As fans, we never know what has been said or what is going on behind the scenes but there's something about this I just don't like.

If Koeman changes his mind, he may feel he is losing face but, in my opinion, he would earn more respect. Of Niasse's abilities, I am not yet convinced... purely based on the fact that I have hardly seen him play. I like Koeman and his approach thus far but this whole business with Niasse is strange...

I would also like to know how David Unsworth sees all this. As has been mentioned many times already, the simple fact is we don't have a lot of back-up in terms of strikers and, for this reason alone, Niasse should be considered.

Peter (at 70); Andy (71), I researched the players and provided my opinion based on the said players. I also researched Gueye who apparently also had an academy training from Senegal's number 1 league, before playing for Lille (the French club) in 2008.