Everton handed stern test to start new season

With an already started Europa League campaign, some of the games will be moved to Sunday. So, as well as facing 2 of the best in 3 opening games we will be playing catch up too. Absolute pricks.

The pessimist in me, or should I say the Davey Moyes, tells me that we are going to be struggling after 5 games, and then spend a few weeks trying to reverse the bad momentum and the rest of the season trying to recover to 7th.

Even more reason to get going early in the transfer market.

Who else plays 4 of the top 6 in their first five games? Scandalous. Theresa May's gonna here about this!

I'll be in UK in September but the only game I can get to is the Man Utd away game. How the fuck do I get 2 tickets for this?

Thing is, like winning, losing becomes a habit. On form after 5 games, if we are sitting on 3 points, then we could have problems.

To be honest, with that shit Europa League to contend with, I reckon we will be lucky to finish 7th anyway.

P5 W1 D3 L1 F4 A8 P6 again would represent a decent start against such opposition, methink!

Onwards and upwards we should be looking forward to going to these grounds not fearing them. Nothing will ever change if we are beaten before we even play.

The biggest test is the Chavs away. Come away with something from there and happy days. We have a decent record at Man City and Man Utd are nothing like the Fergie teams, so let's be positive. Home record is good so let's be positive.

Either way we have to play every team home and away so doesn't really matter. But I can't wait for the start of the season. COYB

If anything, we should be two weeks ahead of everybody else on fitness, so let's see.

One game at a time.

I prefer us having a tough start; it should hopefully bring the best out in the lads.

As for the fixtures, I'd sooner focus the mind early doors.

On another matter, I really wished we'd gone for Harry Maguire, seems Leicester have stolen a march on all of us. Great defender.

But next season is a bit different. Given our early start, we should be well and truly ready by the start of the season when others are ramping up. It could be a great chance to catch them cold and give ourselves something to really play for. Imagine us coming through that run with a few wins... our run afterwards could see us in contention at Christmas... with a transfer window looming!

Of course, this assumes (amongst other things) that we get our business done early this summer. That seems to be the intent. Get it done – this is a great opportunity!

We haven't won at Chelsea since time began so what's the big deal? If we get something, great; if we don't, then at least we will out-sing those boring, up-their-arses, Chavs.

Anyway, they'll probably have that bone idle, arm-waving Lukaku leading the line. You know what lad, this prediction stuff is so easy, the Chavs game will be our second of many away wins next season. Bet you didn't see that in your crystal ball.

My worry is the relatively easy run-in from which we would expect to amass plenty of points. However, we have tailed-off two seasons on the trot with lazy, inept performances and, after a longer season, with (hopefully) longer cup runs, we will be mentally on the beach in Dubai for the last 3 weeks!

I based my comment on Wiki which states: "Although in England the transfer window formally opens on 1st July, transfers between clubs in the same league can take place as soon as the last competitive fixtures of the season have taken place."

Linked to contracts running to 30th June apparently. Perhaps Solanke is an example – he officially remains a Chelsea player until 1st July although some already regard him as red shite.

Wiki also states that International transfers cannot take place until 1st July. You pay your money and you take your choice, I suppose – on balance, mine is that the window does not open until 1st July.

I believe that, with some tweaking here and there, Koeman can produce a team that will be a force next season and, with the great progress of the youngsters, the prospects look rosy.

Christy makes a good point in that it may be bettrr to play these teams before they settle into their full stride.

Paul Smith makes a good point in that it could be a juggle with early Europa League games.

However, I was aghast at this post (Steve Ferns):

"I'd bank that now, Phil." (Phil had said last year we gained 6/15 points out of those five games).

Seriously? How about we settle for 11th now?

Let's just get behind the boys and go for it. #COYB

So fucking what – we have a tough start? We have to play these sides at some point anyway, may as well get them out of the way, and maybe catch these sides cold with us starting our season earlier than most.

The only thing I'm disappointed with is having a home match on New Year's Day. I think there will be quite a few hungover fans at that game, I'll probably be one of them.

Besides, the first 5 games maketh not a season! We were undefeated by that point last season. Then bombed.

Although clubs can negotiate a price with the selling club, and then agree salary with the player himself, the said player cannot actually become an official employee of the buying club until July 1st, the date the transfer window officially opens.

Three points against Stoke and take it from there. We shouldn't fear anyone. Just look at our U23s, Champions, five of our lads recent World Cup winners.

Upwards and onwards.

Also a Merseyside Derby at the swamp first – perfect; gets it out the way.

Bring it on!

Our early Europa League fixtures may just prime us nicely for the start of the Premier League season, give us an edge over teams playing their first competitive games of the season, and enable us to catch 'em cold.

And as others point out, all teams play all other 19 teams twice, home and away, over a 38-game season.

Conspiracy and a stitch up? GTF!

The whole transfer window thing is very confusing. Some official threshold was definitely crossed recently.

Not sure if Martin's and Rob's logic holds up. If teams from the same league can deal as soon as the seasons fixtures have concluded, then why isn't Solanke now definitively a RedShite player?

Sunderland are not in same league as us so that stymies the Pickford deal until July 1st.

Feel free to gather the odds.

Remember where you heard it first.

Good baptism for Pickford though, find out early if he's up to it.

Anyway, let's get them out of the way early doors – you never know. If you need a pick me up, have a look at Huddersfield's last 4 games of the season.

I'd hope we would be further along than other teams too, in view of the Europa League qualifiers.

One amusing and unsurprising take on the fixtures comes from a headline I saw on The Sun – didn't read it, mind... just happened on the headline: "Nightmare start for Chelsea who play four top seven teams in first two months." Not a word about us.

We really need to start off with 3 points at home to Stoke first off though..

I'd happily take 6 points now from the first 5 games!

Look at Liverpool's crazy win at Arsenal early on last season when the Gunners had key men missing.

"Everton can usually battle with the best of them but it's the weaker sides they come unstuck against."

Last season, we beat most of the lower table sides, but did poorly against the top six, so for last season – not true.

"Oh to be in England now May's not here" as somebody said earlier this week!

At the end of the day, you have to play these teams anyway, so I agree catching them cold could be more helpful to us, than them.

Also, assuming we are challenging for top 6 or 4, the last 5x fixtures all look winnable so that could be a blessing.

I am glad that three big games are away; by the time the team settles, we will be playing three big games at home. Also glad, at last, the match against Liverpool is away first. Pick up some great points and build some confidence.

Let's get the new players in nice and early have a great pre-season and qualify for the group stages of the Europa League and win the first Premier League match and then go for it. 9 points in the first 5 matches would be a good start.

I don't read many newspapers (although I do follow reported transfer rumours in them), but I do follow TW and sometimes watch TV (but what I see and hear on Sky I take with a pinch of salt!).

Lindelof's contract with Man Utd begins on 1st July (per Man U OS) presumably because the Portuguese transfer window does not open until that date.

I am licking my lips for the new season. COYB

If we can beat Stoke and one of the 'big boys', draw one and lose the other two, then that would be a decent enough start given the difficulty of the fixtures.

Personally, I'm excited by it. We could easily catch them cold!

As for "Conspiracies" –here's a question for everyone.

Knowing the odds on a lottery win, before the fixtures came out, would you have put £50 on what came out, ie, our known fixtures, or some other permutation which spread out the hard games evenly.

You see, you have to look back at previous fixtures.

I mean what would be the odds say from a random point of view that on one particular Sunday Liverpool would play Man Utd and Arsenal would play Tottingham. Good though, because, if this happened, Sky could call it "Super Sunday".

But, being totally naive. it just can't be true, I mean the powers that be would never try to fool us like this... would they?

You get my drift.

Random? My arsenal...