Seriously Concerned

There is no point though in just dismissing Silva if we do not have another Manager lined up. That may then be another instance where we panic and make another poor hasty appointment and we will be no better off two years from now. Maybe the Board are looking at other options now. Surely Marcel Brands must have some he is exploring. I don't know. The dynamics and character traits of the Board may well be the problem here.

I think you refer in the article Jim to Mourinho as being the answer here. I actually think if the terms and money were right for him he would come, but it would be a huge gamble. I don't think any of us know for sure how that one would work out. The Wenger/Arteta partnership appeals more but I can't see that happening.

I think we have bought quite well but the manager has failed to make them gel. No reason to fall away from how we finished last season. Silva wont get any more than a couple of games to turn it around. He can't. We would then be in bottom 3... even though being in the bottom half is bad enough!

But you are right that Moshiri will not sack him. He's not going to do that unless he has no choice. Some on here might think that this is the case, but we are 3 points above the drop and no doubt Silva would tell Moshiri how he can quickly get us up the table and to where we should be. Also, we are only 1 point back on the comparative results from the corresponding fixtures from last season, something I am sure Silva will be very much aware of. With some tough games coming in December, and the fact that we won a good few of them, he will need to get winning and keep winning in order to keep that argument alive.

Change needs to be gradual, so you keep the manager in and make gradual changes. He has got the squad now, and only needs a couple more players to get things right. A centre half or two, a centre mid (if Gomes and Gbamin don't come back to their best), a winger and a striker.

Get rid of Silva and we'll have another 24 months of transition and major change and trying to then sell off Silva players the new manager does not want.

Silva isn't going anywhere though. Moshiri does not want to sack him. He does not want to fund yet another rebuilding programme. FFP will not allow us to fund another rebuilding programme. Instead he will give Silva time and Brands will bring in a centre-back, at least, in January.

If there is to be a change, it will happen quietly in the summer. When candidates can be lined up. If you sack Silva now then it's Marcelino or no one. Forget Mourinho, he's being considered by a number of massive clubs with Champions League football and massive budgets. He ain't coming here. And that's without worrying about how to pay his 㿅m a year salary.

The other thing is we need a manager to take us from the bottom 4 to the top 4. Mourinho has never done that. He has punched above his weight with a lowly club in Portugal and he has taken the 2nd best team to the best and then delivered in Europe against the odds. But he's not done this role for some 20 years or so. You need to consider what the job is, and match the job to the skills of the manager you wish to bring in. It may be that you need 2 or even 3 managers to get us to where we want to be.

If Silva lasts until the summer and is still way off where he wants to be, then we can go big for someone like Ten Hag, providing he does not keep doing so well he puts himself in the frame for a bigger job than ours.

Some interesting names to keep an eye on though are Danny and Nicky Cowley. Managers of Huddersfield Town. New to the job. They were managers of Lincoln when we played them last year in the FA Cup and earlier this season in the League Cup. Very interesting pair of brothers with a PE teacher background.

Huddersfield took a leap of faith and got them in. They had 1 point from the opening 7 games. The Cowleys carried on by losing their first two games. So 1 from 9. They have since won 4 and drawn 3 and Huddersfield are nice and safe in midtable and looking for promotion. Definitely a pair to watch.

If Silva had nothing to do with the signings the club is in a worse mess than I realised.

Sensible manager, big personality doing the right things.
We are clueless on how to sign a goalscorer while they have got them in abundance.

I have been going the game since 1969, have seen some poor sides in each decade since but this period is by far and away the worst I have know.

Stupidity is the only way I can describe it.

Silva hasn't got a clue how to get us out of the predicament he himself has got us into. He's a relegation manager, nothing more, nothing less.

There's a great article here which sums Silva up perfectly. https://readeverton.com/2019/11/07/is-it-finally-time-for-change-for-the-toffees/?poll-results=1

Jagielka out because there's no room for sentiment.

McCarthy out because he's too injury prone.

Barkley out because he doesn't have a football brain

Baines out because again there's no room for sentiment (out instead of staying as understudy this year)

Coleman dropped because he's never been the same after his leg break.

A whole host of players in because we need a complete rebuild.

By the looks of it, there was no one at the club, nor the majority of fans who could see any of this.

We'll win enough to avoid the drop - just.

Then there's Moshiri's face to save - never underestimate that.

There's the cost - He's a stadium to pay for and isn't made of money.

The clincher - no suitable candidate.

I'll read the rest now.

My real fear is that Moyes and Phil Neville turn up as a Kenwright dream ticket - aaargghhhh.

Of the 11 Premier League fixtures played so far, 9 were also played last season. I think you'll find that comparing these 9 fixtures we are in fact 6 points better off. If we continue that degree of improvement over the rest of the season, then it would be a case of 'Champions League here we come'!!

The manager did follow what a lot of fans wanted. And look what we have. Shambles!

Sorry, but I find nothing about this article realistic. Sign Vardy? Right-o, as if Leicester was ever the slightest bit interested in selling or Vardy was ever the slightest bit interested in coming here.

The treatment of Baines and Coleman has been dreadful? Coleman was still the starter until a couple of weeks ago, and Baines was beaten out by a younger, better player (although I'd like to see Baines get a game now because Digne is currently off form).

Jagielka's departure hasn't affected us one iota, given how Mina has performed. McCarthy hadn't played for us in three years and has played a grand total of 162 league minutes for Palace this season. Barkley had long since ceased to be a "best ever prospect" and missed the entire 2017-18 season with injury after telling Koeman he wanted to leave.

You do a fine job of identifying the problems, but if you think that keeping the likes of Macca, Barkley and Jags would have solved them, I think you're off a cliff.

Finally, you correctly point out that a "sensible top manager is a must" but mention no names except... Mourinho. Sorry, but I can only laugh.

We all know the problems and the biggest one currently is the manager or lack of one.

The solution is the more difficult conundrum. Who to get.

Arsenal are unhappy with Emery ( My favorite before Silva was appointed). Bayern are after Ten Hag. Mourhino is a big risk and why would he come anyway.

I don't know who is worse off Moshiri for blowing his millions or us mere supporters for going through the mill every week.

The truth is we have become an average club, with an average manager, with average Premier League players!
Our first priority is better players, I don't care who the manager is we will still be average if the players are not top six quality.
The problem is, we cant seem to buy or keep elite players when we develop them, quite how we overcome that fact I simply don't know.