Everton vs Manchester United

Maybe Marco should read this.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2019/apr/19/the-premier-league-teams-ineptitude-index-2018-19

Grim reading for us blues.

However, its United on Sunday so attitudes shouldn't be an issue and I'm looking for a good win against a pretty average United team. I would probably pick the same team as Lyndon although Tom instead of Morgan would be as good. We do need to start taking our chances though and if we do then I'm looking at a 3 1 win. Optimistic maybe but we Evertonians are just that.

If you have the quality and don't do well then it's the manager, the coaching or the tactics that are blamed.

Manure have more quality without a doubt but on the day if Everton show up they could squeak a result like the Chelski or Arsenal games.

Everton could get seventh place but they should have gotten there last week and blew it big time.

The next few days will see some real pressure on Man. City as RS have two easy games at the right time and after the disappointment of getting ousted from the Champions league City could really be affected mentally against Spurs again and then Manure.

Frank @8, I can rarely remember Schneiderlin ever having a decent game for us, besides he has not even been on the bench recently, so can't see him being preference over tom Davies.

A good test for Silva and this team. United are no great shakes currently and were lucky to beat West Ham last weekend. I foresee a cagey, tight affair and I have a strange, undeservedly optimistic feeling that this might be the first occasion we come from behind to win a match. Fingers crossed.

For me as much as I like Tom Davies, potential still to be realised and for him to believe in himself on the park, but in my opinion, against United, Id start with Schneids, as he's more experienced and will help keep possession better than Tom.

But that's a trade off with offensive play, so would negate goal scoring options, unless Schneids, gets his Cardiff passing book, out and remembers what to do.

Without Gomes we lose direction, intensity, passing and potential goal scorer. And Gomes has played better against the better placed teams, this season.

After last week, hopefully the team has looked themselves in the mirror and will be committed and will see this as a chance to salvage this season and beat one of the top six, and beat them well.

For some players in this squad it could be their last chance at EFC. All in all, looking forward to the game but, I hope we win by hook or crook.

Our run in is very tough, and we need momentum to attack, this preseason, which, is huge bearing the transition plans of our great club.

The thing is with these sort of players, how consistent can they be, he must be about 29 now.

I don't care who replaces the idiot Gomes, I don't care if we get hammered 5-0, I don't care if Liverpool become champions of the world... I just don't care!

No wait, don't tell me, cos I don't care!

COYB!!

Long-term, I would put stands in Finch Farm so that the long-suffering fans can help with motivation, which is often lacking.

It would be a good idea to play McCarthy. He would be possibly the best replacement for Gomes. Silva has had the chance to give a run out before but he didn't take it and I think he will err on the side of caution, so knows who he will select.

He's head & shoulders above Schneiderlein. Maybe the recuperation time will have sorted all the other nigglying injuries. Surely we're not going to let him depart without seeing if this is the case. I don't understand why Silva didn't loan him out of at least play him in the U23s.

As has been mentioned on here many a time we never get the full story or picture of what is going on. I always dread the thought of Schneiderlin being on the bench or even worse, in the starting eleven. I would rather have the groundsman there than him.

I think it was Alan Shearer last week on Five live who said it is easy to keep momentum in a game if you start off at a quick tempo, but it is very difficult to increase the tempo if you start off slow.

We have seen this demonstrated by Man City away at Spurs – the mindset was to keep things tight and stay in the game. They never could get going when they needed to up the ante. So even the best side in the Premier League is prone to such errors.

We need to be at their throats from the off and if we get one, we need to go and get another.

Given that we have little to play for (or lose) this season (depending on your personal take on Uefa qualification), I think he should be given a chance. One of the next couple of matches in Gomes' absence would be ideal even if only off the bench - for at least 30 mins - and at the very least it would give us a chance to see him, and maybe give him some of the appreciation that he deserves as a servant to us for the last 4 years.

Fulham who were down and out or and didn't need a result, and coming off 8 successive defeats, got one anyway.

Maybe one Resurrection tomorrow could lead to another and the blues get some solace after last weeks horror show.

Certainly the top German clubs are scouting the best youngsters in English football and are having some success in doing it. Lookman flourished with Leipzig and Jadon Sanchez has forced his way into a very good England side with his performances for Bayern. Something he wouldnt have been able to do had he stayed with Man City, as Phil Foden is finding out trying to get a game with City is very difficult. But if you are at a club who can buy the worlds best thats what happens.

So Marco and Marcel be true to your word and start using the younger players for our last 4 games.

On the first point, I believe we must trust the judgement of our management team who, I suspect, don't consider him fit enough to play – they know better than any of us do.

This takes me to the second point – apart from the fact I do not see the connection between the word "servant" and a multi-millionaire professional footballer, I think you need only look at James's playing stats in the 6 years since we signed him – 107 games for us but 32 for RoI... that shows me where his ultimate loyalties lie. I know he sustained his leg break playing for us but the majority of his injury problems stem from his desire to represent his (father's?) country.

I know this sounds harsh and some will disagree but, if he is not fit, he should not be picked whether or not some would like to give him a sentimental one-off.

The crowd could play a big part once again, I just hope the players are up for this one, unlike last week when most of them had a day off! COYB.

I think if Silva trusted/rated McCarthy and Lookman, he'd play them. Can't see either of them being here next season.

See you tomorrow mate, looking forward to it!

Manure are in the middle of their own blip with 5 defeats in the last 8 games. They are beatable if we turn up.

You make a good point too regarding McCarthy and his ROI stats. Ireland (in collusion with the player himself) have wheeled him into action any time both his legs were in one piece. The fact he was called up for the recent games, and unused, suggests to me that Mick McCarthy felt he was well short of fitness and or form. It is not as if Ireland have a plethora of great players at this time.

"Loyal" is a funny word too for a bloke who is Scottish, but plays for the Republic of Ireland on that basis that ONE of his grandparents was born in NORTHERN Ireland, and who having already represented the Republic at youth level said he would be happy to switch to Scotland if they called him up.

We require a performance akin to the home game against Arsenal, constant tempo, passion, quick movement with the ball and hopefully a far greater clinical edge than we have witnessed in the last few games.

We must be due a win against United, when was the last one, April 2015?

We can thank Koeman for Deulofeu's exile and the fact he was replaced by Bolasie at £27 million, what looked a good decision back then now looks completely berserk!

Hindsight though is a wonderful thing, although what it does show is sometimes fans can be far too quick to judge and rule players out.

Of course, we have to win our own games.

Scant consolation I know, but Fulham have just beaten Bournemouth away, another unpredicted result by most people I think. At least it doesn't make our result against them look like a one-off!

You have to feel for the Fulham fans, after the official relegation, their team start playing and getting results.

COYB
COY Bluebirds too!

The team must make up for last weeks performance and I see beating Burnley at home, as tough if not tougher for this Everton, team, hence a win and Europa League football is still a possibility.

Hopefully Watford will go off the boil and focus on their FA Cup Final.

I was cutting the lawn today listening to the City game on BBC5 Live. That's my way of trying to ensure the RS, don't get to win the EPL.

Praying for an EFC victory v Manure and for the RS, to get done by Niasse and Cardiff. Let's hope the officials are clean for the Cardiff game.

Happy Easter to all Evertonians!

First of all my daughter crashed her car into a hedge, fortunately she is fine but the car was a bit of a mess.

Next my ex dog (went to live with my ex missus when we split up 6 years ago) had to be put to sleep, I missed the dog more than the ex and I used to look after her at holiday times.

Then my ex told me she needed an operation to remove a tumour. This had quite an effect on my 17 year old daughter as you can imagine. Also affected me more than I anticipated (we were together for 19 years before splitting up).

Next my cat of 13 years went missing and has not come back 2 weeks later.

My daughter got herself arrested and although it has been sorted out the whole scenario of her spending a night in the cells was stressful to say the least and has had some knock on effects.

Finally, I had to drop out of the get together tomorrow.

So, sorry to pour out my recent troubles but looking for some relief and hoping the blues will provide it tomorrow.

Also, I have a ticket for the Palace game so got that to look forward to.

Sorry to hear about your recent bad luck, pal. But take solace in the fact the lads and lasses on here will wish you nothing but the best.

I lost the old man in January and the messages of sympathy I got on here moved me. It really did. We might disagree sometimes but ToffeeWebbers are the most kindest and loveliest people I've never met.

Hope the lads' meeting up in the Excelsior have a great day tomorrow. I would love to have gone but always have a family get together at Easter. COYB

No shame in losing to Fulham? We were abysmal and mustered one shot, on target, in 96 minutes. It was a complete and utter failure to compete.

I agree that improvements can come about by chance, or accident (Robson's injury in the World Cup etc) but Gomes will not be one of them. For £30m he'd be an absolute steal.

Kieran #64, actually Geri didn't improve until this season. He was as disappointing with Milan, Barca and last season with Watford as he had been with us. He did finally "get it" this year, but whether he would have ever reached this point with Everton -- and whether it would have been worth waiting for -- will forever remain unknown.

Life, family, football are all interlinked but family comes first, and there will be rays of hope on the horizon, very soon, for you and the family.

Starting lunch time well hopefully beat United and hopefully Cardiff, will do a good job, as well. The will of all TWrs is for an up turn starting on Easter Sunday, so it's hopefully, gonna be a good day, for us all.

All my best and you will come out of this storm, stronger.

Everyday, is a good day, as we know as Evertonians, stuck in pergatory.

Hopefully, EFC, will come back at lunchtime.

Take care.

It's only words, but it's kept me going through the journey of life.

That plus hope eternal and keeping the Everton lineage going and never giving up.

Life will pick up ma8, and today, it will hopefully be a great day for us, we beat Manure, and the RS, get beat, and family matters start turning.

Keep going and never give up.

Obviously not worth a big bet, but a couple of quid would pay for a round in the Excelsior tonight if it were to happen.

I never felt more like singing the Blues, when Everton win and Liverpool lose

However, Gerry at #39 makes the point I was trying to make rather more succinctly than myself. I would never countenance playing someone simply out of loyalty. We simply haven't had the opportunity to see how Macca would dovetail (or otherwise) into the current line up, and one of the next couple of games might offer us that at no particular risk to the season's end result.

My comment about at least giving him a bit of appreciation if he did make it on to the pitch was simply to acknowledge his time with us. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea but he's put in some good shifts, let's be fair, and it is a shame to see any "hired hands" (nods to Andy Crooks) just disappear.

There can be no excuses for the Fulham display. It wasn't a question of us being as good as the opposition allowed us to be. We were abysmal from the first minute, when Pickford slammed the ball into Jags and we nearly conceded an OG, to the 98th

It was one of the worst Everton performances I've seen in over 60 years and I've seen quite a few! We were piss poor all over the pitch.

Fulham just had to turn up. It really was that bad. Even the announcement of 8 minutes added time didn't spark any sort of reaction.

The City is waking, covered in slight mist, grey but slips of golden sunlight touching its cheeks - - The River glistening like a line of silver ink from the quill of a writer.

I am in a rush this morning - - have to get ready now and walk up for the Bus under The Water - - want to see my friends in TDH and then get on to The Excelsior after the game.

Let it roll
You got me reelin' and a-rockin'

Sunday morning - - Two Way Family Favourites - - PO Box 40 - - breakfast after 10.00 o clock mass in St Alphonsus - - new clothes on today - - Easter Sunday - - normally went to the game on Easter Monday - - in the early 60's it was Home and Away to the “local” NW Teams - - so much for modern technology.

Once I walked with Gosia in Gdansk - -an area full of high rise flats and concrete - - but I was in love - - we walked past the grey concrete into an overgrown park - - grass 5 or 6 foot high - - trees bent and full - - the gates rusty and hanging off the hinges - - I walked through the entrance with Gosia and I asked what the word on the gate said - - “The Valley of Happiness” - - she whispered.

“The summer breeze was blowin' on your face
Within your violet you treasure your summery words
And as the shiver from my neck down to my spine
Ignited me in daylight and nature in the garden
And you went into a trance
Your childlike vision became so fine
And we heard the bells inside the church
We loved so much
And felt the presence of the youth of
Eternal summers in the garden”

Just filling my head with wonderment and then off - - see you later:

Rave on down through time and space down through the corridors
Rave on words on printed page
Rave on, you left us infinity
And well pressed pages torn to fade
Drive on with wild abandon
Uptempo, frenzied heels
Rave on, Walt Whitman, nose down in wet grass
Rave on fill the senses
On nature's bright green shady path
Rave on Omar Khayyam, Rave on Kahlil Gibran
Oh, what sweet wine we drinketh
The celebration will be held
We will partake the wine and break the Holy bread
Rave on let a man come out of Ireland
Rave on on Mr. Yeats,
Rave on down through the Holy Rosey Cross
Rave on down through theosophy, and the Golden Dawn
Rave on through the writing of A Vision
Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on
Rave on John Donne, rave on thy Holy fool
Down through the weeks of ages
In the moss borne dark dank pools
Rave on, down though the industrial revolution
Empiricism, atomic and nuclear age
Rave on words on printed page

Later today we will meet up - - some of us TWebbers in the aptly named Excelsior - - looking forward to it and have to go now or will be late.

Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.

Up The Blues - - Cosmic grooves floating Over The River - - touching the water to cool you off on this hot day - - Rave On You Blue Men.

With a firm handshake - - your friend - - George

Bobby #95, cheers it definitely felt better to put things into writing as it were!

I didnt see your post up there. Breath in a little of what George is dishing out mate.

Dig in, things'll get better

George #97, wonderful stuff as always - you have a fantastic talent with words.

Maybe he doesn't want to see 60 grand 60 grand Seamus Coleman.

Was going to ask him his best ever goal for us...oh wait.

Up the Blues!!!!!

Put me usual tenner on the Blues but only because PP is refunding my stake if Man Utd win!