Benchmark performance points to a brighter future under Silva

By Lyndon Lloyd 31/03/2019 54comments  |  Jump to last
Share:

On too many occasions during this frustrating season, this Everton team has not only fallen massively short of expectations, it has struggled to simply do the basics — find a man with the ball, string more than a couple of passes together, move into space, get men into the opposition box and defend set-pieces in their own — and it left you wondering how what is undeniably a talented group could have been so unable to get the fundamentals right.

The debate has often boiled down to Marco Silva’s powers of coaching, motivation and inspiration which, as manager, it inevitably must but there is undeniably a huge psychological dimension to the Blues’ travails this season. Inject a little confidence and self-belief into those collective veins and this can be a very different outfit.

Despite concerns to the contrary, Silva appears to have done that despite the potentially crippling mental blow of the 3-2 reverse at Newcastle and a first-half against Chelsea that could have been just as damaging. What Evertonians have witnessed since the halfway stage of that game against the West Londoners at Goodison a fortnight ago has been a completely different side and if it’s any indication of what could lie ahead under Silva, there is reason to be very optimistic indeed.

Because today was easily Everton’s most complete performance of the season; a robust, energetic and dominant display that should — and but for an ongoing lack of clinical attacking would — have been even more emphatic. 2-0 flattered a shell-shocked West Ham side who were described afterwards as shambolic, a term that ignores the visitors’ role in simply overwhelming them.

Kurt Zouma returned to central defence after being unable to face his parent club last time out and resumed his increasingly important partnership with Michael Keane and but for one hairy moment when Marco Arnautovic escaped to collect a ball over the top but lost the chance to challenge Jordan Pickford one-on-one when he slipped over the Blues’ defence was impregnable.

In midfield, Idrissa Gueye was back to his fatigue-defying, machine-like best, tackling everything that moved, while the majestic and seemingly effortless André Gomes who had wowed Evertonians when he was finally able to make his debut last September returned in full force alongside him.

Add in two rampaging full-backs in Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman, a much-improved performance from Richarlison, the tireless work-rate of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and top it off with a man-of-the-match outing from Bernard and you had the recipe for a hugely enjoyable and encouraging afternoon.

The notable exception to that list is, of course, Pickford, who had his quietest afternoon of the season which, in the context of his efforts to refocus for club and country following the events at St James’s Park earlier this month, will have suited him down to the ground.

Everton restricted their hosts to just three shots all afternoon and while the statistics who West Ham had one effort on target, it’s hard to recall where it came from. This was all about Silva’s team and a new-found relentlessness that belied any potential disruption from the international break and helped them to a handsome victory, their first in the Capital for two years.

Importantly, they were at it from the off with the kind of intensity with which they began the second half against Chelsea and it yielded a goal inside the first five minutes. Richarlison, deployed on the right flank once more, won a corner on the right and the resulting set-piece from Gylfi Sigurdsson was swept into the box where Zouma rose over Issa Diop to bounce a header off the turf and into the top corner of Lukas Fabianski’s goal.

Exploiting the right-hand channel again in the 12th minute, Sigurdsson sprung the offside trap to release Calvert-Lewin who made a beeline for goal but his shot from the angle was repelled by the keeper and Fabianski made a second save to parry the Icelandic international’s follow-up shot.

Twice Calvert-Lewin was inches away from connecting with balls slid across the six-yard box, one from Richarlison and the other from Bernard, and Digne forced another parried save from Fabianski as Everton kept their foot on the Hammers’ neck.

That pressure told again in the 33rd and it came as the result of the sort of movement beyond the ball and precision passing that has been so lacking at times this season. Coleman and Richarlison exchanged passes down the right wing, the Brazilian picking out the Irishman’s run beyond the fullback with a perfectly-weighted ball and he squared it across goal to Bernard who had the simple task of tapping it home from five yards out.

Gomes was running the show in the middle and after gliding passed his man in the centre circle he fed Richarlison with an accurate ball down the channel once more and the winger forced another stop from the keeper who denied him with the an out-stretched boot. Gomes himself might also have scored with a rasping volley but was foiled by Pablo Zabaleta’s excellent block.

Of course, with the memory of the Newcastle collapse so fresh in the memory, no one was taking Everton’s 2-0 half-time lead for granted but there would be no capitulation on this occasion. With Pellegrini having made two attacking changes at the break, the Hammers did enjoy a spell of possession early in the second half where they tried to make inroads into Everton’s stubborn back line but they would be constantly repelled.

Arnautovic was the star of the show at Goodison in the reverse fixture but he cut a frustrated and ineffective figure before he was withdrawn midway through the second half. Bernard, meanwhile, was enjoying his best game for Everton so far, the latest chapter in the story of a player growing into his new surroundings, finding some consistency and getting better and better each week.

After Calvert-Lewin had missed with a couple of efforts, the diminutive winger left his marker for dead brilliantly on the left but Aaron Cresswell ensured that he wasn’t able to create a goalscoring chance for Calvert-Lewin but his compatriot probably should have put the icing on Everton’s cake in the closing stages.

Another Calvert-Lewin effort that had deflected behind off Angelo Ogbonna handed Digne the chance to swing a corner in from the left and Richarlison met it on the run, completely untracked but his header thumped off the crossbar and back out and Fabianski was there again to catch Gomes’s bouncing drive from the rebound.

West Ham used to be Everton’s favourite team to play and, to date, it’s still the club against which they have racked up the most points in the Premier League era but in recent years they have inflicted some painful defeats on the Blues. Indeed, the 3-1 reverse at Goodison Park earlier this season was a sobering reality check on the early season optimism and Everton had failed to win on their two visits to the London Stadium.

This was a pleasing return to form against the Hammers and a performance that once again points to a potentially bright future under Silva. It was almost everything that Everton promised to be under the Portuguese — incisive, dynamic and fluid — but have failed to deliver so often this season.

With the pressure on their collective shoulders easing, Everton are starting to express themselves once again and Silva appears to have found a settled formula that will underpin the push to finish seventh over the remaining six games before the summer business begins.

The key now, of course, is consistency because Blues fans have been here already this term and seen their mounting optimism shattered by a collapse in form but with this performance they laid down a marker for how this team should perform.

Follow @EFCLyndon


Reader Comments (54)

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


Paul Tran
1 Posted 31/03/2019 at 21:42:41
Really enjoyed that performance yesterday. Not bothered how bad West Ham were, we played some cracking stuff.

Big difference was that from the off, we pressed well and were in their faces. That creates space and gives our forward players a chance to do their stuff. Why we can't press like that every game is beyond me.

Should have been four or five. We need a goalscorer, don't care how 'lazy' or 'arrogant' he is. DCL may be the answer in time, but not right now. Hoddle nailed him beautifully on BT.

Great day, now for some consistency, please!

Kase Chow
2 Posted 31/03/2019 at 22:00:42
Really impressed of late

It’s incredible how psychologically damaging that defeat at Anfield was. This (and Chelsea) was almost back to how we were pre Anfield. That darn defeat ruined the season

Silva has, baring an end of season collapse, secured his job in the short-medium term

The Summer will be crucial: need 2 goal scorers and need to get rid of a tonne of dead wood

Also need to understand if Bernard and Gomes can add 5-10 goals a season each to their games. If not then they’re not good enough for what we aspire for

Richarlson will get 10, Siggy will get 10. A new goalscorer will get 15-20. We need regular goals from the left and also midfield. If we can get that then we have a chance to crack the top 6

Also, if we can continue to defend set pieces better then great. Still not convinced by Pickford and his staying on the line even when the ball is in the 6 yard box (when is a ball his? Only when shot at goal???). I’d genuinely get shut for £40M+

Is Silva the right man? He’s probably as good as we’re going to get right now. But if he can knit the bond between the players and the fans similar to v Liverpool and v Chelsea at Goodison then we have a chance

Let’s smash Arsenal next week and further enhance our own confidence and also Fortress Goodison as a reputation once again. More of the same please Silva

In Silva we trust?

John Raftery
3 Posted 31/03/2019 at 22:37:13
This performance was way above anything our team has produced this season or for several seasons. It was the nearest we have seen to a complete team performance. Where has it come from?

A turning point may have been the seventeen day break in February when the players were given a few days rest following which Silva was able to do some intensive work on the training ground. Since then, the second half capitulation at Newcastle aside, the players have looked fitter, better organised and drilled to work together as a team rather than eleven individuals. Four clean sheets from five games suggests a general tightening up all round the field with players doubling up to close down the opposition and then ready to break forward quickly in threes and fours rather than ones and twos.

We are also now seeing the benefit of playing just one game a week with players having more rest and recuperation while Silva and his staff have had more time to work with players in training.

The most encouraging aspect is that Silva has demonstrated he has what it takes to pull a team out of a trough. We were desperately poor for three months but at last we seem to have a proper team to support.

Sam Fitzsimmons
4 Posted 31/03/2019 at 22:49:11
I don't post that often on TW mainly because I would rather say something positive about the club and for a long while there hasn't been a huge amount to be positive about. However, the game yesterday was an absolute joy to watch and if the performance reflects the football philosophy of Silva then there's lots to be optimistic about.
Delighted the Coleman is getting back to his indefatigable best. Both he and Richarlison seem to be striking up a fairly effective partnership.
Mike Gaynes
5 Posted 31/03/2019 at 23:26:03
Sorry, I'm not jumping on the Silva bandwagon just yet.

I waited a long, long time this season before deciding, on the basis of what I'd seen over 30 games (league and Cup), that Silva was not the manager for this club. I'm not going to reverse course based on two games, no matter how good they were.

Yes, the last month has been fine (except for the Newcastle blunder), but last November was great too, and we saw what happened after that.

I'll wait.

James Flynn
6 Posted 31/03/2019 at 23:55:56
I watched the whole thing. Besides sharing everyone's delight at what I was seeing, a couple things occurred to me:
Thick or thin, Silva has pretty much stayed with the same 11. Allowing that we're still a work in progress, after 32 games in a row players get to know one another pretty well. It really showed yesterday.

West Ham is an average side, but not exactly mugs. I think the way we climbed right on them and never relented took their hearts. Other than those few minutes starting the 2nd half, they were nowhere.

Felt so aware that Gana is on the radar of a massively rich club and Gomes isn't ours. It will be nice to have them as our midfield partnership the next 3-4 years. Gana is a known quality, one of the best. Not ready to call Gomes a much younger Gareth Barry, but I was thinking it yesterday. They dominated the midfield. I hope there is some way Brands can work to keep them both.

Andrew Keatley
7 Posted 01/04/2019 at 01:09:00
Extremely pleased and impressed by the performance against (a frighteningly poor) West Ham - but I still have major reservations about Silva.

I didn't think we played particularly well in our previous victory against Chelsea, while the Goodison derby draw was devoid of anything that resembled joined-up football. The capitulation against Newcastle was abject.

The win against West Ham was properly glorious; every player working hard, playing with imagination, running off the ball, playing in units, keeping possession, showing discipline with and without the ball. Let's not pretend those are things we've seen much of this season - and I fear it might be hard to replicate against more switched on opposition. Long may it continue though; I'd love to be converted by Silva as it will mean that we've been treated to more of the same on a regular basis.

Bob Parrington
8 Posted 01/04/2019 at 03:02:17
Was disappointed to find that Optus, in its infinite stupidity, having included the game in its live session (about 3 am here) decided to not show a replay or even the usual 24 minus mini-match and showed only 2 minutes of highlights.

I managed to see the 20 minute highlights on the official Everton website but would really like to watch the full game.

Does any Toffee Webber on here know of a way to access this - from here in Australia?

From the highlights it looked a brilliant performance against the type of opposition we would usually play badly. Well done to the management and players. Great team effort.

Laurie Hartley
9 Posted 01/04/2019 at 03:47:22
Bob - I had the same experience with Optus - switched my iPad on at 11-00am Sunday in Victoria and not even a 24 minute mini match. This is not the first time that has happened this season. I also watched the highlights on the official site but I know from the comments on here that we have missed our best performance of the season. I am well cheesed off with Optus.

I would really like to watch the full replay - Jay Wood (BRZ) can you help us?

As for what I did see, well the fact that Coleman and Richarlison appear to be forming a partnership on the right is very encouraging because most teams will struggle to contain us if Digne & Bernard as well as Richarlison & Coleman are firing at the same time.

I have said it before but at 5’5” and 9 stone wringing wet we have some footballer on our hands in Bernard. He will get even better. Zabaleta is no mug.

I am really looking forward to the Arsenal game.


Alan J Thompson
10 Posted 01/04/2019 at 03:56:19
The BBC football site gives the attendance at a dozen people short of 60,000 and we're building a 52,000 capacity ground next to a sewage plant. Same faith and foresight as ever.
Andy Mead
11 Posted 01/04/2019 at 04:45:12
Bob(8)

I am not the only Australian-based Evertonian to notice that Optus have regularly missed us out for mini matches and on demand. The talk amongst us yesterday was that there must be RS in charge at Optus! Ha ha

Bob Parrington
12 Posted 01/04/2019 at 05:13:06
Andy and Laurie --- what about a Bring back EPL to Foxtel campaign.

I was even more irked when I noticed that SBS were showing the Man City game on Sunday morning. So why the fuck did Optus not sacrifice that game instead of ours?

Jim Harrison
13 Posted 01/04/2019 at 05:48:43
Alan, @10

London has a population of what, 16 million people? Plus many overseas tourists who come to watch games

Liverpool is 1 million?

They also have second cheapest season tickets in the PL. there is an article in the Guardian about it, they basically pay bugger all rent so have put tickets at low price. We won't be able to do that.

If West Ham were to build their own stadium they may well have chosen to make it smaller

Bob Parrington
14 Posted 01/04/2019 at 06:05:34
Good point Jim. I'm OK with 52K providing it is possible at a reasonable cost to increase to 60K+

Just hope I survive this world long enough and am fit enough to attend a game at the new ground!!!

Martin Faulkner
15 Posted 01/04/2019 at 06:18:26
Aussie Blues: I logged a complaint to Optus about the lack of mini-match, their response is that they can only show 29 games per team per season contractually by Premier League.

Our luck they dropped probably our best performance.
Christopher Timmins
16 Posted 01/04/2019 at 07:16:56
Let's not jump overboard just yet, we need to see more performances like Saturday between now and the end of the season before we can start dreaming of a much better future in 2019-20.

In saying that there is no harm enjoying the moment!

Jon Withey
17 Posted 01/04/2019 at 07:46:19
A good looking team.

I think some credit has to go to DCL for helping to make things click - he can be a handful. Alex Ferguson said something about application beating natural talent every time and at the moment DCL looks the most likely to make it of our young players.

For sure he needs to work on finishing - he doesn't need to be Aguero but he shouldn't be skying it either.

We've still got Arsenal, United and Tottenham to come so I guess that should tell us something. All chasing CL spots.

I've got tickets to the United game, I'm looking forward to it now.

Tony Abrahams
18 Posted 01/04/2019 at 07:54:31
Paul T, he can be as arrogant has he wants, but please not lazy, because we need a centre-forward, who is going to stretch defenders like Calvert-Lewin constantly did on Saturday night.

Everton worked hard from the front the other night, and I would say there is no room for lazy footballers if you want to play this way.

Andy Kay
19 Posted 01/04/2019 at 07:59:54
Martin (15), I did the same thing after the Bournemouth away game earlier in the season wasn't on a mini match or reply. It's simply the deal Optus did with the Premier League. 29 matches per team. I'm usually onto plenty of bias towards the Big 6, but in this case its been the same for everyone. each week one of the games usually misses out.
Phil Sammon
20 Posted 01/04/2019 at 08:00:49
Bob, Andy, Laurie, Martin...any other Aussie Blues.

Do you lads have the Optus Fetch TV or are you just streaming it online. I set my Fetch box to record all Everton games and this weekend was the first time it actually paid off. Apparently Optus can show all the games live...and you can record them...but they have a limited number of replays they can show.

I’ve just watched the Liverpool mini-match. I think we can say, without doubt, that they have indeed struck some sort of deal with the devil. That last minute goal was as bad as Pickford’s gift. I’m at a loss. How can a world class keeper come up with that?! God, I hate that football club with all my heart.

Andy Mead
21 Posted 01/04/2019 at 08:18:05
Phil, thanks for that. I watch on Fetch tv box so I will give it a try.
Laurie Hartley
22 Posted 01/04/2019 at 09:16:42
Thanks Andy & Phil - I just have the iPad app for Optus sport $15 per month. We are with Telstra so I might have to look into investing in a Fetch Mighty box for $500 next season.

Bob - Optus have got it stitched up for another couple of years I think.


Dave Abrahams
23 Posted 01/04/2019 at 09:23:14
Good article, Lyndon. I was made up with Everton's performance on Saturday, couldn't fault it. To be honest I've only seen twenty minutes of the game.

Now it is down to your very last paragraph Lyndon, can Silva and the squad reproduce that sort of performance
consistently.

Tony (18) only one game but if Harry Kane could have produced the work effort, or half of it, that DCL did on Saturday, then Spurs would have walked that game yesterday. To think of the stick Dominic still gets on here surprises me.

Brian Williams
24 Posted 01/04/2019 at 09:33:31
Alan #10.

We were playing away, mate.

Nicholas Ryan
25 Posted 01/04/2019 at 09:47:45
The writer George Orwell, while living in Africa, was once asked to describe an Elephant. He replied: 'I can't, but I sure as hell know when I see one'.

It's the same with momentum; I can't describe it, or measure it, but I sure as hell know when I see it; and I see it now, with EFC.

P.S. Alan [10] . how dare you refer to Anfield as a 'sewage plant'!

Mark Andersson
26 Posted 01/04/2019 at 10:01:04
Good to be another Aussi blue this weekend...

Too little, too late to be too optimistic; one game at a time.

Would be really brilliant if this is finally the turning point for all concerned...

Derek Thomas
27 Posted 01/04/2019 at 11:03:49
Laurie and other Aussies, depending on your initial plan outlay I think you can get the mini box for $5.
Franny Porter
28 Posted 01/04/2019 at 11:03:51
Any Aussie Toffees, or any Toffees for that matter struggling to view our games. Look for the group "BlitzIPTV" on Facebook. They have a range of options, and I'm not saying I use this service as its illegal, however you can have all UK/US/CAN and 15:00 Kick Offs in HD for £8 a month.
Geoffrey Williams
29 Posted 01/04/2019 at 11:05:23
Best away performance for ages, well done to the team . My only criticism is that I thought the substitutions could have taken place a little earlier. The players worked really hard and a couple were flagging a bit by the 70th minute.
Tony Abrahams
30 Posted 01/04/2019 at 11:23:17
That’s Surprising Dave, because Harry Kane, usually works very hard. My screen froze when Liverpool put in that big high cross, and I just knew the bastards were going to score when the ball was just hanging in the air on my iPad.

I could have blamed My son, for putting the last ten minutes on for me (you would have deffo blamed me!) but when that Sissoko, ballooned that shot, and then Ali, checked back instead of driving into the box, I think Spurs only had themselves to blame?

I don’t think you can play the way Everton played on Saturday, without a willing centre-forward, and if there’s a team I want us to strive to play like, it would definitely be Tottenham, (except for the last bit) because they are fantastic to watch, but constantly beat themselves, although I honestly wouldn’t rule them out of winning the champions lge just yet?

Dave Abrahams
31 Posted 01/04/2019 at 12:10:21
Tony (30), yes you are right Kane is usually a goal scoring grafter, but since he came back from injury he’s taking time to get back to the player he should be, I only watched the first half and Kane did little along with Dele, only Lucas was focusing up front for Spurs, them bastards, Liverpool, have got the luck of the seven snotty sisters.
Paul Birmingham
32 Posted 01/04/2019 at 12:51:09
Agree that was a very pleasing performance against West Ham, and let’s hope the mindset and focus and desire is there next Sunday v Arsenal.

Now for consistency, which has been the constant downfall for years.

All to play for and a good run in to the end of the season can do us no harm.

The 1983-84, season, the team started gelling and clicked.

Different era but let’s hope the cleaners don't change the coffee or tea bags etc this week at FF.

Let’s hope the U23s can secure their league and bring some success to this season.

David Hallwood
33 Posted 01/04/2019 at 14:28:37
Great report Lyndon. Just to concentrate on Bernard, I see similarities between him and David Silva.

He's got someway to go before he can be compared with the little man, but as Lyndon points out, as he gets more familiar with the country, football, club etc. We'll see some player next year.

Silva and Brands need to move heaven and earth to keep the nucleus of the team together, lots of people have posted what we need in the summer, I might be in a minority but I still think the squad needs to to see more players going out than in.

Alan J Thompson
34 Posted 01/04/2019 at 14:28:40
Jim(#13); Shame you didn't go the whole hog and say that Liverpool has 2 teams and London has 10 or 12 and 7 of those in the Premier League.

Brian(#24) Well spotted.

Jay Harris
35 Posted 01/04/2019 at 14:51:43
Brian,
I think his point was if West Ham can get 60000 why are we restricting capacity of a new build to 52000.

As someone who was at GP when we used to get 60000+ gates I was thinking the same thing.

If we carry on playing like we did Saturday and climb up the league 52000 will be inadequate.

Tony Everan
36 Posted 01/04/2019 at 16:02:46
It was great to see and Everton win that wasn't just a win.

It was more than that, it was a statement of how we can play . This was no flash in the pan . That first half we were brilliant, the best football this season . West Ham were chasing shadows .

Make no mistake we are still miles away from the top 4, but this win shows that with consistency we are on the right path . With one or two signings in the summer we can be a threat to all teams next season and get closer to where we want to be.

Jay , agree with that , if WestHam can get 60 000 , we could. I seem to remember last year Dan Meis saying that the site could take 60k max. Maybe there is planning difficulties with that figure?

Dave Williams
37 Posted 01/04/2019 at 18:20:16
I had to smile at the posters on Saturday night who were saying that various Silva supporters were right all the time and that Marco is the man.
Don’t get me wrong I was drooling over how we played and have watched the whole game again because it was so great to see us play like that for a whole game.
The defence was solid, Keane was quite majestic in fact, Seamus was his old self, Gomes was superb as was Bernard, Richi looked dangerous and didn’t squeal once when he was fouled and DCL is improving beyond expectation. All great to watch but we have been here before. We were playing increasingly well until the Anfield derby and then fell apart. Things are going well again but will we fall to bits again next time something doesn’t go to plan? Ok we were falling apart in the first half and pulled it around but one and a half great performances are not quite enough to convince me. Has Marco got what it takes to dig in, to rally the team in adversity, to fight back in a game against a better team than West Ham and win? Can our new found defensive solidity hold out against a top side, or even against the likes of Wolves and Leicester or Watford?
I am in the Mike Gaynes camp on this one- I dearly hope that the posters on Saturday night are right and we are on our way and Marco was the right man all along but I will reserve judgement until the next six games have been played as they will tell us one way or another.
In the meantime I continue to enjoy reflecting on that performance but forgive me for wondering if he can plot similar against Arsenal. They will be a tougher nut to crack!
Paul Birmingham
38 Posted 01/04/2019 at 18:21:03
Tony @36, and Jay@35, very good points about the BMD capacity.
I don’t see also the cost effectiveness of upgrading a stadium capacity design, if this was to take place within 5 years of the build.

Planning costs etc but it would be handy for us all to see the final figures and scope for increase in capacity.

Granted BMD, is a tight site, space wise, but that’s more rational surely and reason to get the stadium design, right first time?

Dave Williams
39 Posted 01/04/2019 at 18:22:10
Ps. Should read that we were falling apart in the first half against Chelsea and then pulled it round!!
Darren Hind
40 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:22:59
Dave Williams.

What are you talking about ???

I can see one poster inviting Steve ferns to take a bow for sticking with Silva, but I don't see a single post suggesting that "Silva supporters were right all along".

Not sure how many posters "you had to smile at" on Saturday night, but I do have some bad news for you . .They're all in your head mate

Lev Vellene
41 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:25:15
A very good report, Lyndon!

As you (almost admitted, some time ago...) I was growing weary of the hopelessness of caring/bothering any more... But it now looks like the team is listening to Silva, and playing like what we hoped for.

I'm still waiting for some resilience and fight-back if we get behind early on, but if THAT should happen, I'll happily self-destruct before I moan too loudly...

Why do professionals need a season or more to gel as a team? They get enough money to skip beyond that, is what I hear... But no, if what we see now can be sustained, the players have learned 'by heart, not by rote' where they can find each other. That could never have happened during the first half of the season, so I'm happy now! Whatever happens vs the Arse or ManU, those will be blips if negative!

Mike Gaynes
42 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:27:29
Seamus calls on the club to "spend big" if we grab 7th and make it back into the Europa League:

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/everton-west-ham-results-score-goals-seamus-coleman-europe-epl-table-a8847966.html

Dave Williams
43 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:39:30
Darren- so sorry if I counted wrong but I don’t think I will try it again. It’s not bad news if it’s all in my head- it’s not a bad place to live actually!
Ignore that statement then- the rest of my post I stand by.
Joe McMahon
44 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:46:12
Footballers have a tough life don't they, have you seen DCL's Mrs. Can't score in a brothel for Everton, but loadsa money means you can score!
Jimmy Hogan
45 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:47:40
What is this breaking news about Pickford being involved in a street brawl?
Gerry Quinn
46 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:48:33
From BBC Everton are investigating an alleged incident involving England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Video published on social media appears to show the 25-year-old involved in a fracas on a street.

"The club has been made aware of an alleged incident involving one of our players and we are looking into the matter," Everton said.

Pickford played on Saturday as the Toffees beat West Ham 2-0 at London Stadium.

Tony Abrahams
47 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:53:34
He comes across as a fine human-being, does Seamus Coleman, he talks sense, he’s very grounded, I just hope he gets to achieve his dream, and Everton can get to win something soon.

Gerry Quinn
48 Posted 01/04/2019 at 19:58:05
Everton are investigating an alleged incident involving one of their players, believed to be Jordan Pickford.

It relates to a video posted on social media which appears to show the England goalkeeper in the middle of a scuffle in Sunderland on Sunday night.

Everton said in a statement: "The club has been made aware of an alleged incident involving one of our players and we are looking into the matter."

https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=pickford+video#id=28&vid=f935ed5871a6114e2a2dc33a983ac1c5&action=click

Bob Parrington
49 Posted 02/04/2019 at 00:06:47
Thanks Phil, Andy and Laurie. I'll start using the Fetch TV box again.
Jim Marray
50 Posted 02/04/2019 at 17:10:31
Saw first half of game and was suitably impressed by a performance that I had previously seen only in glimpses this season. But "brighter future" well one game against a very poor West Ham team does not set my optimism alight. Saw and heard things like that too many times in the last 6 years especially when Martinez was in charge.

Saturday has proved that when given the time and space we can perform at the level desired. The test as is always in the case with Everton is how we perform when the time and space is not there. Two games coming up will give a far better view of whether there is hope for a brighter future.

Mike Gaynes
51 Posted 02/04/2019 at 20:35:35
Very good article in the Echo, with Brands talking about the makeover -- emphasis on manager continuity with Silva, and also on dramatically upgrading the scouting:

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/marcel-brands-big-backroom-shake-16066789

Mike Doyle
52 Posted 02/04/2019 at 20:53:36
Mike #51] there is another interesting item on the Echo website which quotes Marcel as saying he knows exactly who Everton’s targets are for the summer window. Hope this is true as last summer’s window was pretty decent.
Danny Baily
53 Posted 02/04/2019 at 21:06:55
Question is, can Silva be relied upon to steer us clear of the relegation battle next year? We flirted with it this year. I can see it happening again next year.
Brian Williams
54 Posted 02/04/2019 at 21:10:42
Danny. We didn't mate.

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

© ToffeeWeb