This article may have been recategorised and is therefore no longer available at this URL.

You can try to find the updated link in the article archive.

Share article:

Reader Comments (58)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer


Simon Smith
1 Posted 23/10/2017 at 06:50:19
The only way is up! Got to be said, it's almost the end of October and anything other than relegation at this stage of the season will be a bonus!
Christopher Dover
2 Posted 23/10/2017 at 07:27:18
It now seems everyone but the powers that be agree Koeman must go, how long he stays is up to them as he will not walk.

The team performed as I expected, not as I hoped, and I cannot see how it can be turned around as we are the worst team in the league with no sign of improvement.

Koeman says Everton are not in the position in the league they should be, he is wrong we are in the exact position we deserve to be in.

Ian Hollingworth
3 Posted 23/10/2017 at 07:35:01
I am really concerned that the board will not act until it is too late for Everton FC.

We appear to be just assuming that it will all be ok.

Christopher Timmins
4 Posted 23/10/2017 at 07:41:39
It's just falling apart and even I who hoped against hope that the manager might turn it around accept that it's just not going to happen.

Don't worry, the ship will be turned around in the coming months but not by the current manager at this stage.

Len Hawkins
7 Posted 23/10/2017 at 08:33:42
Well from all the Euphoria of last year £Billionaire rides in and splashes the cash, sacks the failing Martinez, appoints a relative icon as manager, announces a new riverside stadium what can go wrong?

Well after watching the shots of the Directors Box yesterday isn't it about time Luvvie Bill put his soaking wet hankie back in his pocket and actually explained to our Saviour WE ARE THE ONES IN BLUE as his applause was as warranted and as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool.

Paul Turner
9 Posted 23/10/2017 at 09:07:08
Some interesting pics of RK on the MSN website, having a night out in Manchester last night. Looks a happy man. WTF?
Derek Thomas
10 Posted 23/10/2017 at 09:21:28
Of course he is Paul, he gets paid if he stays, he gets paid if he goes.

More worrying is, having had the wisdom of Troy-get in their faces and kick some one early-Deeney. Those well known - 'if we go north of Watford and it's a bit cold we don't like it up us Arsenal' came and matched what passed for our Troy Deeny-esque efforts with seeming ease...a team of L4's Under 8's armed with balloons on sticks should see Arsenal off.

Anthony Newell
11 Posted 23/10/2017 at 09:25:44
We always knew it was just a project to him. He's got a fucking brass neck if nothing else. Was probably focused more on his night out than the actual game

No more mercenaries like this at the club please

Dave Abrahams
12 Posted 23/10/2017 at 09:29:36
A mate said to me at half time ' how did we get into such a mess, how has it been allowed to get into this, were we can't even imagine where the next point is coming from' I had to shrug my shoulders and agree with him.

It goes much deeper than the manager and Walsh, you can juggle all the players names, ponder for hours on the best team until you finally realise a completely unbalancedteam has been assembled, at a great cost but will be hard to get a winning one out of the lot of them.

It is hard for me to imagine any manager getting us out of this mess, it really is that bad.

Keith Monaghan
13 Posted 23/10/2017 at 09:45:05
The first one out of the door should be Bill K - always looking and taking us backwards:-
Kendall 2 & 3,
re-signing the serially injured Ferguson,
re-signing the crocked McFadden,
selling Rooney cheaply when he was a decent player,
letting Moyes mess the club around big-style in his last year with us,
desperately bringing back Rooney when he was washed up and not fit or good enough for a top 6 club in exchange for Rom at a knock-down price to the Mancs in early July before getting a decent striker in - and we didn't have to sell Rom - Coutinho, Sanchez, Van Dyke & Ozil all still at their clubs!
DO EVERTON A FAVOUR BILL & GO NOW!

The club needs to get tough to be successful in the modern world and never will be with him at the helm.

Tony Abrahams
14 Posted 23/10/2017 at 09:47:59
Exactly Dave, which is why this nothing getting done to change the manager, feels even more painful than having to watch us at the minute.
Laurie Hartley
15 Posted 23/10/2017 at 10:03:22
Dave # 12 - very scary coming from you.

When a problem looks too big to solve (how do you eat an elephant?) you have to break it down into manageable chunks.

First chunk - we know what that is.

Second chunk - do what we did when Martinez got the bullet - give the reigns to Unsworth with Royles help while we secure our next manager.

Third chunk - very unpalatable to many but appoint the one manager* who can get the best out of this squad and steer them to safety.

*Everyone knows who that is but many go quiet when his name is mentioned or say NO NO NO.

Dave - we have to do it and you never know, he might just "get us" in the process.

Should be 10:00 am in Liverpool - hoping to hear chunk one has been bitten off shortly.

Paul Tran
16 Posted 23/10/2017 at 10:29:33
Rather than criticise a man for eating out with his friends, let's stick to the stuff that matters.

We need a manager with confidence in his own sound tactics, able to communicate them to his players.

A manager who lets his team play and get some consistency, rather than chopping and changing to mitigate the other team.

A manager with some conviction, who realistically talks about what we have rather than what we lack.

A manager with competence.

He doesn't have to be a 'Blue'. He doesn't have to 'get us'. Somebody competent who can get us silverware.

Liam Reilly
17 Posted 23/10/2017 at 10:34:39
History could well repeat itself if Leicester are up for it next weekend; which they undoubtedly will.

Martinez was ousted after a dismal effort at Leicester and another defeat for Koeman will surely mean that he too is relived of his duties.

I was in the minority and had hope that he could turn this around but I just can't see it anymore. If this is allowed to continue then a long hard season and relegation battle beckons.

There'll be no shiny new stadium in the Championship and it could well be the death knell for our club.

John Keating
18 Posted 23/10/2017 at 10:36:04
The saddest thing about the whole situation we find ourselves in is that there are still people, including the Board, that think we should give Koeman more time !
Do they not realise the situation we are in so relatively early in the season ? Not only our league position but also the apathy and acceptance that is running throughout the Club and support ?
Right now we are in a terrible situation, every game this guy presides over is another further loss in confidence another game we miss in putting things right. He should have gone at the beginning of the last international break.
Whoever comes in I have no doubt will preside over further defeats but hopefully whoever it is will start putting in place some sort of structure that will at least start the come back.
We really do not have time to mess about looking for a long term replacement in the short term. We need a "firefighter" someone who is used to this situation. I hate to say it but until the end of the season we need someone like Allardyce.
A top manager doesn't need or want this shit and the supporters choice, Unsworth, well why ruin his future putting him in a no win situation.
We need to act immediately. God help us !
Steve Bell
20 Posted 23/10/2017 at 10:50:56
Is he still here?
Tony Everan
21 Posted 23/10/2017 at 10:57:53
No proven striker , No goal threat .

Teams can attack with gay abandon knowing we don't have the pace or the quality to hurt them. The can commit more men forward and if their incessant attacks break down we will never capitalise.

Koeman does looks bereft of ideas , and I reckon he is posturing now to say ''I wont walk away'' , pay me in full or I will keep saying '' I am confident I can turn it around''.

I don't think his heart and soul is in it at all. I think he wants his 9m and to walk away.

All ills stem from that.

Chris Watts
22 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:01:38
Agree with one of the posters above that which ever way you juggle the squad it still seems poor. The bbc team from MOTD2 NSY put Rooney up front and DCL on the wing. This has failed many times this season already

Koeman has been inflexible and didn’t not play with pace or width and with 3 number 10s but in recent weeks has played vlasic, dropped klaasen, put dcl up front and nothing has changed. Even tried jonjoe.

Selection has been poor but I’m resigned to the fact we have a poor squad. Lookman is clearly out of favour and aside from Rooney we have nothing in the final 3rd.

My team would be Pickford, kenny, Keane, jags, baines, gana, Rooney , Davies, lookman, vlasic, miralas. But would still probably get thrashed. And that leaves £75m of new players out completely.

Tony Everan
23 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:03:56
True Chris ,

especially Sanchez and Ozil yesterday , made us look like a part time amateur team.

James McPherson
24 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:10:22
I have advocated allowing Koeman time to turn things around. That met with some pretty fierce opposition. Some people made their mind up almost instantaneously last season, Well whatever the respective journeys of those opinions, it is now clear that Koeman is in a situation that he can't address and change. The decision has to now be made to release Koeman from his duties. However, I do not see that as changing things in a fundamental way. I am extremely uneasy by the incompetence of the board and with again a group of players who have for want of a better word "conspired" to accelerate Koeman's departure. I have just read a tweet where for the 2nd time this season Pickford was our best passer of the ball. What a shameful stat for each and every outfield player. My question: where is the players' accountability in all this? When I see Tom Davies miss a simple pass by 20 yards and the ball fly out aimlessly I sit and think is that Koeman? Koeman will pick up the tab. That's football. He has made a considerable amount of mistakes. But I have nothing but utter contempt for that group of players who have professionally downed tools on the absolute basics - some of whom did the same under Martinez and are still here to do it again! As we wave goodbye to Koeman, I will hold that thought and look to the directors box too to view the principal architects of our demise. A board who could not plan a player acquisition with 15 months notice. Same incompetency will now be the framework for our new managerial recruitment.
Colin Glassar
25 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:17:07
Steve B, not only still here but took training today and will lead us out against Chelsea.

As Moshiri will expect us to roll over against the chavs I imagine we’ll still have the clog head in charge against Leicester.

Tony Abrahams
26 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:29:02
Some good points James, but do you not think all this chopping and changing of both personnel and formations, has not contributed to the players poor form?

It sickens me to see nothing getting done, but as the duke says, it’s not our club, because if it was then we wouldn’t still be talking about Koeman managing everton.

Steve Bell
27 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:45:02
Colin- I fear you're right, but I can't see us winning either of those games with Koeman so I can't really see the logic in waiting. What's even more worrying is the "expected losses" mentality Mr Moshiri has bought to the club's 'strategic' thinking. Can we even trust him to get it right?
Colin Glassar
28 Posted 23/10/2017 at 11:49:07
It seems to me that Moshiri has bought into the Kenwright doctrine of staying in the prem at all cost, Steve . No real ambition, no expectations, know our place in the food chain etc

Koeman will go once Moshiri convinces himself that his “investment” might be in danger. Until then, Ronald is safe, at least for a few more days.

James McPherson
29 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:06:46
Tony (26), I have read contributions criticising Keoman for not changing things. I have read contributions criticising him for not learning and rigidly sticking with things. More often than not, those two polarised positions can be aired by the same individual. But that's a different matter. My issue is the players' conduct in all of this and the board's incompetency (which spans decades). Regarding the players, if you had a number of players that did the basics one week but decided not to the following week, would you not be faced with no other option but to rotate things to try and get that magic formula? That's the reality here. Further, if a player is so mentally brittle as to only TRY to play to his potential when his manager strokes his ego and begs him to do so, is that a player that befits the EFC shirt?Do you think in those circs Koeman is betraying and short-changing the fans or is it the player? And, we are talking the basics here, effort and discipline. Koeman has to go for his errors, but the players that will remain are a an utter disgrace too. I am merely stating a cause for a balanced view across all aspects of our demise.
Tony Everan
30 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:06:50
A win at Leicester will help buy him some time.

More importantly though is does he really want to be here , does he really want the job?

I am siding now that he wants his money and to be gone, but he will stay if it is not forthcoming. It is a dangerous situation for the club.

If we keep him we could find ourselves in a bigger hole . The board have a big decision to make.

It looks to me like they will give him until the international break that follows the home match v Watford.

Lose that and hes gone .

James McPherson
31 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:15:56
Tony (30) think he's gone - the players are not playjg for him. Beyond the white line, they hold the key. The timing of his departure I feel is aligned to the replacement. Do they go cheap option and save money and go for Unsworth or do they invest in a big hitter that's established now that can deal with a dressing room positively brimming with a bunch of prima donnas?
James McPherson
32 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:17:57
Tony ,26, apologies a typo - should read changing things
John McFarlane
33 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:40:16
Hi Dave, I posted on another thread expressing my concerns over the present situation, and I left a message for you. This being, [if you still have my Phone number] you could [if you wish,] contact me to arrange a get together. Things are worse than you and I can recall, a fear of relegation in the past, was never as early as the 9th fixture. I have never called for the dismissal of an Everton manager, from Cliff Britton onwards, but I'm afraid that I've lost any faith I had in Ronald Koeman. I don't want a manager in the Jurgen Klopp mould cavorting like a lunatic on the touchline, but what I do expect from an Everton manager is a degree of passion or emotion, sadly Ronald Koeman shows neither. If you don't mind me divulging our ages Dave, [to people who don't know either of us] I am in my 80th year, while you are in your 78th year, and together we have close to 140 years of active support. I cannot remember feeling as low as this in all the years, including the close calls against Wimbledon and Coventry City.
Tony Everan
34 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:42:24
If a new man comes in it is better sooner rather than later to give the new guy a chance .He will be a human and not a winning robot cyborg manager . He will need a bit of time to assess and find a way forward.

Battle through the next 2 games and then a 2 week break to steady the ship and regroup.

Tom Bowers
35 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:52:53
I agree with John McFarlane . This season has been as dire as it gets and absolutely no likelihood things are improving. Koeman has lost touch with reality if he thinks he has the ability to turn this around.
Sure it will take time under a new man but the buck stops at the top and Koeman must be shown the door now.
Pete Clarke
36 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:56:55
no matter who comes in is a gamble. Some of the names being mentioned as our manager would turn me off my club forever so I find myself warming to a punt on Dave Undsworth who understands what's needed. He can have big Joe behind him as a mentor if it gets tough.
I would also give Eddie Howe a try. Contrary to what a few have said on here about his team propping the Prem up, well he has virtually brought the same squad up the divisions and kept Bournemouth up with some very nice football.
No manager can garauntee success and especially with The shit that goes on upstairs at Everton so give a young determined man a go.
Dave Abrahams
37 Posted 23/10/2017 at 12:59:12
John (33), yes things are worse than we have ever seen, even the relegation year I knew how bad things were but thought we couldn't go down, now I find it hard to believe that we will stay up with the whole club, at the moment in a state of inertia when it is obvious to most that the situation must be changed,but even if it is there is a huge job to save us from the Championship.

Anyway, John, I will see you at the Atalanta game in November and hope somehow things have got better.

Craig Walker
39 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:22:31
What sums up the modern footballer for me was yesterday, when we were trailing, there was Mirallas pictured laughing and joking in the dugout. My weekend is ruined and he's sitting there, having a great time. Sick of footballers. Sick of football. Sick of false dawns. Sick of people mentioning "top 4" on the back of a few signings. Sick of teasing the RS when they'd put 5 past us. Sick of Everton FC.

The games are not even entertaining. It's safety-first, pass it around in your own half then launch it football. Martinez is deemed a joke on this site but I'd settle for an entertaining 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge this week. The football was kamikaze at times but it was an awful lot better than this. At least I could see goals in the team and it was a question of us tightening up. We leak goals, we don't score goals and we don't create anything. We have too many players who offer nothing. Rooney is past it but is our best outfield player. Sigurdsson is an expensive Alexandersson. Keane is per Koldrup. Martina is Hottinger. Klaasen is Rehn. Koeman spent ages chasing Giroud and they didn't even need him yesterday. So much for a crisis at Arsenal. I'd settle for an FA Cup, a top 5 finish consistently, a world class stadium and watching players of the calibre of Sanchez.

Oliver Brunel
40 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:30:11
Sometimes small things can illuminate gross incompetence. I'm not saying that this is important in the grand scale of things but if you water a pitch excessively you would expect the players to have appropriate studs. However against Lyon we had players falling over.
Major negligence:
Selling your best players (could be conceived as 'asset stripping'.
Amateurish transfers (Klaasen, Sigurdson, Keane..)
Incompetent back room staff: we need a complete clear out ,Ferguson etc. Look at their expressions on the bench -clueless.
Fitness: several players are clearly unfit. There is no excuse for this at this level.
Everton FC - have they not heard of the 'stakeholder' concept? i.e the fans who are treated with contempt, from incompetent ticketing, merchandising to making a scapegoat out of 1 fan and a child. Patronising Talksport communications by a Chairman who buys into the regular gutter press vitriol aimed at Liverpool people. The owner of Everton FC should never communicate with filth like this or the Sun.
Financial schemes by major shareholders. ie dodgy loans etc.

We all know the list. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark and the fans, like Hamlet, are wondering around trying to make sense of absurdity.

Tony Hill
41 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:34:10
The Mirror says he's been sacked
Neil Cremin
42 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:34:17
Just saw that Koemann is gone.
Oliver Brunel
43 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:38:33
John(33) wise words indeed.
Steve Bell
44 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:40:08
Gone
Dave Abrahams
45 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:42:47
Everton have confirmed he is gone and thank him for his fourteen months service to the club.

They haven't said how much the payoff was, some observers have just seen Koeman and his brother dancing out of Finch Farm.

Anthony Newell
46 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:43:04
Sacked
Colin Glassar
47 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:43:53
Yessssssssssssss
Oliver Brunel
48 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:44:01
When the light replaces the dark, Koeman has left Goodison Park!
Colin Glassar
49 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:44:35
Thankfuckingchrist
Colin Metcalfe
50 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:44:49
He's gone !!!
Andrew James
51 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:45:21
So I wonder what the plan is?
Colin Glassar
52 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:45:25
Now sack BK and Walsh
John Pendleton
53 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:47:13
Who's in the pipeline?
Oliver Brunel
54 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:47:19
I will only be happy when all those incompetent dullards who laugh on the bench are sacked aswell. He who laughs last etc...
Andrew James
55 Posted 23/10/2017 at 13:52:33
Tuchel fell out with Dortmund for many of the same reasons we haven't warmed to RK and for me it would not be wise to jump on that bandwagon like our lovely neighbours.
John Pendleton
56 Posted 23/10/2017 at 14:01:08
Some of my preferences on my wishlist ahead of a return of Moyes:

Katie Hopkins
Louie Spence
Peter 'Ave it!' Kay


Tony Abrahams
57 Posted 23/10/2017 at 14:29:39
He’s gone now anyway James, whilst the players are still here. I agree with most of what you’re saying mate, but unlike the last 6 weeks of the Martinez reign, I actually thought the players were trying.

They just looked lost to me because constant change gave them nothing at all to build on, but maybe time will tell us how much the players were to blame for this very sorry state, in which we now find ourselves?

Dave Abrahams
58 Posted 23/10/2017 at 15:12:51
According to the Echo David Unsworth and Duncan Ferguson will be in charge at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, I wish them well if it is true.
Paul Tran
59 Posted 23/10/2017 at 15:56:27
Onwards and upwards. I hope they've already been sounding out candidates.

Whoever we get will be a gamble. I want a good communicator who sets the team up to win, rather than just second-guessing the opposition. When these players are in the right positions and know what they're meant to be doing, I suspect they'll look better.

John McFarlane
60 Posted 23/10/2017 at 20:41:51
Hi Oliver [43] I don't for one minute believe that age inevitably leads to wisdom, but my experience of a lifetime of 79 years, [69 years of which have been spent following the fortunes and misfortunes of Everton F.C] I have learned that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" whoever the Board of Directors appoint, in my opinion can either be the best thing that ever happened to Everton, or the worst. Unfortunately each appointment over the last 30 odd years, [with the exception of Howard Kendall the first time around, and a fleeting glimpse of success from Joe Royle] falls into the latter category. I can only do what I have always done, and that is to support the Manager and the team, and trust that the Board of Directors identify any problem and deal with it swiftly, as they have done in the case of Ronald Koeman. I appreciate that there will be a section of supporters who think that the Board have dragged their feet in this matter, and that there will also be a faction that thinks the Board have been hasty. I will however keep an open mind regarding the appointment of the new Manager, whoever he may be. As I started off by saying, "The proof the pudding is in the eating"
John McFarlane
61 Posted 23/10/2017 at 21:46:19
The last two lines should have read, As I started off by saying, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
Neville Jones
62 Posted 24/10/2017 at 14:00:31
Wrong team from the start, gone from 2 defensive midfielders to 1 and nobody else apart from may be Vlasic? Once Gueye was booked, looked almost inevitable he would be sent off so why did he not have a replacement on the bench? We were outnumbered from the start due to the formation.

This manager really did have serious problems. Like me, I think that this defeat was the final insult for most of the crowd so I can't say I'm unhappy about his leaving.

Good luck to Rhino and co. I too think Joe Royle should be used if needed (something I advocated about 3 weeks ago).

I would keep Rhino until the end of the season but if we are going for a big personality especially someone who is available, the decision needs to made made quickly. As for Sean D, a good manager but the club is probably too big for him.

David Gill
64 Posted 27/10/2017 at 02:50:46

As fans, we've been just as bad this last couple of seasons as the team. Goodison is a Library at the moment. Bournemouth fans were the best bit of the day singing Rooney was off the bar. We should be singing that!!

Either get more beers down ya lads or stop bringing ya birds to the match. I love singing even when we're playing crap. We can raise the team when we start rocking the songs.

Simple fact: they need us now... so stop your moanin' and start ya singing. It's doing my head right in all this quiet moaning and uneducated brainless shouting!

It's a Grand Old Team, It's our Grand old Team!

We are and should be the difference.


Add Your Comments

In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.

» Log in now

Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.


About these ads


, placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' });