Blues have no answer for Bournemouth Bogey

Changes a winning side – okay Gomes may be injured so why not give Davies a go?!?

Why bring in Eeyore the Donkey when you should be blooding one of the hottest young prospects in Europe? Absolute joke of a manager!

At least he's picked Iwobi but I don't see any reason for half measures and starting DCL and leaving Kean on the bench is a half measure.

Still obsessed with "holding up the ball". Didn't see the reds holding up the ball much yesterday. The moment Origi went off and Firmino came on they were a transformed side. Pace and movement is where it's at these days. Holding up the ball is for also-rans.

Silva needs to stop being so over-cautious because it's costing us points.

Having said that we do look short of goals.

Thank heavens for Iwobi.

Chance to go 3rd today. Will we have the balls?

This game tells us a lot about the players and managers temperament!

Starting to really feel for DCL. He's completely stale up there. It's not so much that he makes more mistakes than others, it's that he never really does anything that makes you think "he did really well there".

Basically, he always ceases to amaze me.

As much as anything, that's our problem. We look alright and then when we realise that pressing and attacking still isn't going to yield goals we run out of ideas quickly.

Kean on. He might not be the answer, but at least it's not certain that he's not the answer, as is the case with DCL.

Good on him.

Pleased for DCL.. not suited to that role at all. But got his goal. Great finish.

Schneiderlin off, Kean on.. let's win this.

Other than the opening five minutes, we have been out-muscled, out-thought, out-played by Bournemouth. We had zero control of the ball or the game. Conceding so many free kicks around our penalty area will cost us if it continues. They are dangerous from set pieces as their goal showed.

Richarlison, who I was concerned for ahead of this game because of his exertions with Brazil in the international break, has carried our greatest threat and set up DCL nicely for the goal. A towering, towering header from the Dom. He - and the team - needed that. Iwobi again showing some nice touches also.

Delph is clearly pissed off with how his team is playing, but he is walking a thin line now with his yellow card.

Our ball-retention and passing simply HAS to be better in the second half, or the appalling record of never having come back from a losing position which goes back nearly two years will continue for another game.

I hope they are not sent off. Bournemouth full of running and movement going forward but defensively weak.

We can win this if we are more positive ie SHOOT when in the box.

We are going nowhere with the clown

Once again, gonna be great with all the reds in the coming week. Everton FC is pitiful, if yer know yer history (apart from the past 30 years), gotta laugh.

Norwich beating Man City shows what can be done with good tactics and management.

Ours haven't got a clue.

It really kicks me in the bollox when we lose. I'm sick of being optimistic about them, only to get put down by abject performances and reality.

I can just picture the horrendous smirks on the faces of all kopites!

I just want to see us playing in the Champions League (even group stages) before Liverpool are on 12 times!!

It's just year after year, decade after decade of misery with this club.

We need a big slice of luck to score though, really short on ideas.

A centre back pairing like Laurel and Hardy.

Players were awful but Silva contributed to that shambles.

Dire.

I am sick and tired of trying to see some light for the club but it is indeed rotten at a very deep level. We have no courage, none at all, and we are feeble to the core. I had hilarious hopes of us making top 4 this season.

Why should our fans pay over their money for this manure, week in week out? Why should any of us care when they don't, and when we have a toxic sentimentality running through the whole set-up?

Just need to go away to Villa and win and we go top. They have an unwanted record of losing Premier League games. We lose. Get ourselves back in the game today but give a stupid free-kick, don't defend it and concede. Heads drop. Concede a soft third.

And so it goes. Life as an Evertonian. Frustration and disappointment. Same old failings. I hate myself for succumbing to the positivity again. It's the hope that kills you.

The players may have changed but as a team I think we are slightly, ever so slightly getting worse. Fair dos, they represent the character of the manager to a T!

Spot on. A collective belief that you will win the game – we don't have it as a team and I'm not sure many of the players have it (some have it naturally, others need it to be instilled in them). Look at the great teams and players we had in the past, they had it in spades.

Until we get any kind of mentality that makes them think they can win the game, it's same old same old, I'm afraid.

- Conceding from set pieces. Silva, sort it or get out of the club!

- Pathetic defending: Delph made an amateur mistake, went with the wrong foot. Worse than a schoolboy error... this guy should know much much better.

- Walcott offers absolutely nothing. Make sure he doesn't wear the blue shirt ever again. If Liverpool can be ruthless with the talent of Daniel Sturridge, how can we keep playing Walcott?? Right there shows the difference between our clubs.

- Our attack is blunt. Moise Kean is not ready to lead the attack, it's ridiculous that again we start a season without a proven goal scorer everyone saying how great Brands did over the summer. Can we grow up a bit? We're light in the striking areas and light at centre-back level. Are we really really saying the spine of the team is unimportant???

Either we aspire to be a top 6 club and say ‘Brands, descent summer but ultimately not good enough'. Or we say ‘Wow Brands you hero – what a summer' and actually we don't understand football or we're happy to be 10th.

The club and its performances (at times) is riddled with mediocrity.

We created enough chances and situations today to score two or three goals but, as long as we are conceding as softly as that, nothing more than 7th-ish will be achieved.

Having been a Silva fan for most of last season, our start to this one has given me doubts. We are missing Gueye and Zouma certainly but our shape and system looks suspect to me. We need to see much better over the next 3-5 matches, I think.

Shit substitutions, we got worse with every change. Boa Morte is a bad appointment; there is disharmony in the staff.

Before Tosun gets shipped off to anyone who will have him, he should be tried as part of a forward 2. I know it's as popular with some TWs as incest or Morris Dancing, but a 4-4-2 in away games like this might bring more out of Calvert-Lewin in a more suited role.

I have almost nothing positive to say about the Bournemouth defeat. Glad Calvert-Lewin got a goal. Hopefully this will instigate a change in how we approach away games, but we all know we have been here before many times – under Silva, Koeman and Martinez – and I fully expect we'll be here again soon.

We have been awful every game this season, we've been lucky to beat Wolves and Watford and I for one cannot see anything improving anytime soon with a testing set of fixtures coming up!!

For 20 minutes at the start of the second half we were dominant, establishing the control we failed to do in the first half. Good teams score in those moments. We didn't.

Bournemouth carried no threat at all in that period. One searing run. Another free kick conceded near our penalty. Nobody awake to the long delay in taking it with one player with the ball in hand, placing it for Fraser to fire goalwards. 2-1.

Five minutes later and a simple over the top ball exposes the backline and goalkeeper. 3-1.

I'm sad to say I cannot trust this Everton team. I don't trust them in adversity - there is only meekness in reaction when we go a goal down. I don't trust them to tough it out. I don't trust them to keep a clean sheet (again! - since the Villa game that's 2-2-2-3 goals conceded in our last four games). I don't trust them to play a simple pass accurately. I don't trust them to create good goalscoring opportunities. I don't trust them to finish when they do get a sniff of goal.

There were some 'OK' performances today. Seamus did sterling work down his flank (but he does seem to be giving his opposition player a lot of room when running at him, driving him back to our penalty area). Richarlison had his moments, as did Iwobi (but the latter doesn't like to go 'all-in' for a 50-50, nor a 60-40 in his favour, does he?). Anathema to some on here, I know, but once again Schneiderlin displayed the best passing range of our midfield. Delph, whilst combative, was very careless on numerous occassions with very simple passes.

Silva has many talented players at his disposal. Players you have to presume he wanted. He needs to start getting a tune out of them, home AND, in particular, away. If not, he will increasingly start to lose my trust in him also.

"When I die, I want Everton to bury me... So they can let me down one last time!"

I love Evertonians more than I love Everton.

The score flattered us. Please do not blame Kenwright for that!!

Top 6, do me a favour!!!

Recruitment of players with strength of character is a must now.

This is a team of 11 individuals who don't know what they're doing or what is expected of them. They look, each game, like they've never played together before. There's no understanding, no cohesion, no nothing! It's scary as like I said previously, this is a very talented bunch of players.

Money ain't the answer, we need a world-class manager who imposes his mentality on the players; until we sort this, it will be same old.

3-1 against Bournemouth and well beaten is not acceptable.

No heart or passion, 8th or 9th at best and Silva needs to give them and himself a massive kick up the arse.

Whoever we sign, we never seem to have that 'win at all costs' mentality, we are very good losers and have been for 20 years.

Another season of mediocrity awaits, with the BBC treating us like shit and of no account.

It's soul-destroying supporting Everton, 5 games into the season a minus goal difference and already 8 points behind Liverpool.

There is an acceptance of mediocrity and failure that runs through the club from top to bottom. It transcends managers and players and coaches and systems.

The club is rotten to the core. The culture must change and it will never change while he's there. He's turned Everton from a football club into a charity and they use this nice guy image as cover for the failings on the pitch.

The other shower of Red Shite celebrate success on the pitch while we congratulate ourselves on our community work and free schools. I know which I'd rather be celebrating.

Exceptions
1a) Injury (Gomes)
1b) Playing exceptionally badly

Breaking this rule cost Rafa his job at LFC. Week after week in pursuit off 'players rotation' his team began to fall off. Imagine... you score and are then dropped for the net game, you play badly and are dropped for the next game. The LFC players could not figure out the rules for earning a place.
In Marco's 1st season he let players earn their place by playing well on the field.

This brings us to the Managers Longevity (ML) rules.

ML Rule 1 --- Experiment with your team away from home. Change styles, tactics and rotate players because the Owner and Chairman and the majority or fans are not there to watch the game. You can always recover the following week by going back to the original team and tactics that work and apologising to the fans.

I think these ML rules are why we play so badly away from home. There is more psychological damage done when you throw on good players to try and rescue a hopeless cause.

The tactics were inept today Schneiderlin only plays well with Gomes but last week Delph proved he could handle Gueye's position and to replace Gomes we could have tried Bernard. Even in the last few minutes, Bernard was creating chances.

One very last thing drop DCL his miss rate is to high send him out for experience in the lower leagues or our we missing something? It is always excuses... he was off balance the ball was too far ahead... he was only a few inches away... DCL played all last season and scored the same number of goals that Abrahams has scored in first 5 Premier League games for Chelsea.

Talking of leadership, or lack of, what exactly does Coleman do on the field? He can no longer get past defenders, his passing is piss poor (as is his decision making), he's lost his pace, he doesn't organise his defence on set pieces etc... and he's not very vocal!

I know he's a sentimental favourite of many (myself included) but Seamus is finished as a top-flight player. Like with Bainesy it's time to move him on.

We started okay, well five or six minutes then got steadily worse, playing with ten men while Sigurdsson was on the field, that's before you get to the other poor players (sic) you know who they are, they stood out with their gormless play, two of them will continue to lose us games and by bigger margins.

Before the game I asked fans, on here, to be more optimistic, they knew better than me, that's for sure, but as poor as we were we shouldn't have lost that game, Bournemouth were no better than us, they just didn't have players who handed gifts out.

Although it's true to say they did have a manager who got more out of his players and had some sort of a game plan, ours had very little to offer except to accept the defeat with a sad face and it looks like most away games will be the same with Silva in charge. When will things change at Everton, it's been a long long time and despondency is a resident lodger at the club.

Today to me it simply exposed a problem that has crept in over a number of years;n that the board want to have Everton as a club to be seen as role model for how a club should be run, in giving ex-players extended chances, have managers who are not successful and players who like to play football that spectators enjoy but does not get results.

I want to see some backbone from this board, lite a fire under the manager and his staff, let him be aware that failure is not an option;let him be fully aware that he is getting paid to motivate the team and that this board will not hold their head in their hands while Everton teams are a laughing stock against supposed lower teams.

Let us be fully aware as spectators that with this present team, manager and board they are not up to the expectations of Everton Football Club's supporters and promises of new ground, more support for the community and other schemes they are involved with is not good enough unless they can demonstrate on the pitch that they feel proud to wear the shirt and will fight to keep it.

Remember those people who are criticizing the manager Silva, he just applied for the job, the people who hired him are the ones responsible for him.

It's summed up by Ferguson and Unsworth still being at the club. The People's Club and if yer know yer History — it's cringeworthy, embarrassing and is small club mentality.

We still had 60% possession without being able to even outshoot the very poor opposition we played today. We have now lost seven points to three of the leagues weakest teams. Perhaps we may play better against better opposition who don't just pack the defence. Note I said "perhaps".

Like most unhappy Evertonians, I am merely grasping at straws. Who really does know the answer? Silva certainly doesn't, but he should know that he does have good players who seem to be as confused as the rest of frustrated Evertonians.

A midfield which has been shot to pieces with losing Gueye. Delph whilst no doubt experienced and a potential leader has a mistake, and a temper waiting to explode out. Schneiderlin is neat and tidy, and is a better passer of a ball than we give him credit for but isn't going to dictate a game for us. Leaving us Gomes when he's fit or not serving a suspension. We won't see the best of Gbamin till spring, by which time it will be too late. Sigurdsson flatters to deceive.

Upfront we are always one pass away from creating a great opportunity, far too many times we choose the wrong pass or give a poor pass. In golf we'd say from tee to green great, but can't putt for Toffee ( excuse the pun).

I can't see the likes of Moise Kean, Alex Iwobi, Gbamin been given the platform to become our new saviours.

All in all looks like 7-8th at best. Good team but just not good enough at all to get into the Top 6.

Question all season will be do we change the manager again or give him the years to develop this lot with some more quality brought in, once the deadwood of Walcott, Niasse, Tosun ?, Baines, Coleman, and dear I say Mina have left us.

When we did get forward, apart from hitting the woodwork, Richarlison couldn't hit a barn door. If he scored half of what he missed he would be 40 a season.

Calvert-Lewin did well to score but apart from that struggled to hold any ball. There was little if any creativity in midfield and the defence was non existent for all the goals.

There are comments we cannot play away from home and it's been this way for years. This is partially true and happened after Bobbys first year. Under Moyes we did win away and played to the end.

Today, with the way they play, we should have started with a pacy team with Kean upfront. Instead, we were frightened of them giving them too much respect. Our defence don't appear to know what each other should be doing. Indeed I'm not sure any part of the team know what they should be doing.

No plan, no structure, no desire, no creativity, no pace and finally a manager and coaching staff who appear to be clueless. Silva was never my choice, a manager who had limited success abroad and none here. I see nothing changing away from Goodison Park, even there it's edge-of-the-seat stuff. I cannot see how Silva can change things and, for me, he has had his time and it's time to go.

I can't remember being so angry about a performance for a long time. And then I calm down by reminding myself that this is what Everton do. Forever and ever.

Look no further than across the park to see howaclub is ran how a team should play and what fans demand.

How many top clubs in Europe or UK would give Marco Silva the Job as manager? Says it all really. We should've taken Brendan Rodgers from Celtic. It was common knowledge his Mrs wanted to come back home to Southport.

I have said from day one I don't expect Bramley-Moore Dock to ever start and the longer it goes on the more certain I am that it will fall through. Everything or wrong at the club and will be as long as Bill Kenwright is still about. It's probably Bill picking Seamus every week.

New season – same old bollox away form, nothing changes at Everton, is there a Latin motto for that?

The turnaround of players should start to slow down once we get shut of the remaining shite: Niasse, Tosun etc. The club needs a settled period, sacking the manager this early does us no favours.

We've been hearing the same excuses for 10 years at Everton, nothing changes... and, in 10 years time, we'll still be in transition — that, my friend, is pure fact.

Unsworth has won 2 league titles and 1 cup in 3 seasons.

He's accommodated free-loading players, coaches and managers all through his time at the top of our club providing they all bow in deference to him, and those still there always do. He's therefore inculcated the mentality we all rightly despise, as seen today. We saw it under Smith, Moyes, Martinez, Koeman and Allardyce too – all quite different in their approaches but all producing the same hugely ineffectual performances.

To those of us with a bit of insight it might just be that Kenwright is the ONLY constant presence throughout the most barren, disheartening three decades in our history. And he's still there, his role recently "enhanced" according to the board he chairs. You couldn't make it up.

It's unfortunate to be without our midfield playmaker, Gomes, but to drop Bernard and play TWO defensive midfielders in Schneiderlin and Delph is just criminal. Digne looked only half the player until Bernard came on but what sense can you make of the substitutions of taking off two players who might get you a goal and leave on Schneiderlin who must have been told by his mother (or manager) never to cross the halfway line on his own.

Bournemouth are not particularly good but our team selection made us look so disjointed regardless of the "homer' referee and until we get a manager who is willing to gamble on winning rather than not losing I can't see us challenging for any Cup or Honour.

Pathetic!

This is our answer basically to the Shite winning the European Cup end being top of the league.

Our answer is basically to talk shite and deliver flakes on the pitch.

But it's all okay because we keep getting told "This time next year, folks, this time next year."

Let's just continue getting the piss took out of us by the six-fingered reds.

Lack of guts, passion, desire, all the basics that all footballers need before they get on the park, was missing again.

Keystone Cops defending, and no intent to punish Bournemouth. I'm sick to the back teeth and bar a miracle, it's lower mid table at the best for this season, unless there's a massive attitude change.

I'd make Delph the team Captain, as he plays, like he cares, but sadly he's the only one.

Nothing has fundamentally changed and our away day stagnation gets worse and worse.

Fair play to Bournemouth, they played like a proper team, which sadly is something this Everton squad is not.

I'm as frustrated as all of us, but the facts are that we are very, very poor, away from home.

How can we expect to win anything being so poor away from home?

The next few weeks are going to be tough and Sheffield teams, will fancy their chances.

I'd get the in to FInch Farm for extra training, and game management lessons.

Marco looks like a dejected man, and for good reason.
I want him to succeed but he must get the away form sorted pdq.

In reality, I think we'll finish somewhere between 7th-11th. So maybe 9th-ish is more apt.

We've gone backwards since the end of last season (when we did genuinely look quite promising); part of this may be not replacing Zouma and Gueye (time will tell on Gbamin) but also there remains a lack of tactical flexibility from Silva that concerns me.

If we are 10th-15th at Xmas will Moshiri & Brands make a change? By most accounts, the players buy into his methods but the results are king. Still fairly early days this season. The next 4 results will give us a good idea of where we are.

That will effectively end any real interest in our season until January.

The only concern the board have is; EitC and all the other external interests. If it wasn't for the fans and team, none of the others would exist.

So come on, Everton, get your priority's right we need a good team. 25 years is too long, especially for our younger generation. And them across the park doing well, we may start to loose our young supporters.

The only thing I want after nothing from Everton in the Premier League is success in the Premier League. If David Unsworth is some sort of managerial genius, how come only Oxford Utd have made an approach? He turned that down as his job at Everton is too cosy and well paid.

I just want Everton to compete, and that means employing winners at the highest level to kick the mediocrity once and for all out of this club.

Coleman, Schneiderlin and Calvert-Lewin (even with today's goal) need catapulting. Get Sancho before Liverpool inevitably do.

Bernard for Cantwell + cash in Januay please. I know Bernard offers zero defensively and I'll be slated putting him left midfield in a 4-4-2, but then he does precious little in the final third so why the hell not?

The whole place stinks of failure, and really, there are no right answers with this bunch. Only wrong and wronger.

Not one of those mercenaries out there gave one hoot about today's result, least of all glued-to-my-chair Silva.

The Portuguese Mike Walker, and that was as bad as anything we crapped out in the spring/autumn of 94. An absolute joke.

Before every away match, people come on here predicting wins and deluding themselves that we're better than what we are. Do they never learn?

Only 2 teams in this league can 'expect' to win at places like Bournemouth. Every other team will struggle and drop plenty of points away from home.

Top 6 isn't out of the question yet, as long as we keep winning at home and scrape 6-7 wins away. It's possible, but we're missing Zouma and Gueye.

The second goal was a joke; how can these players on such money not have the confidence to play with both feet.

One of the first things I learned when playing ball was that we have 2 fucking feet and I can pick the ball fine with both.

The other big problem is that neither Keane nor Mina has much situational awareness. They both need someone else to shout at them to keep them on their toes. Maybe Pickford is up for it. I don't see things getting much better in defence until we have someone with a footballing brain running it.

You do realise we have to have an Under-23s coach, so it is better to have a successful one... right?

As for the Gobshites, they haven't been Champions of England for 30 years. They've been true European Champions 4 times – the same amount they've been Second Division Champions.

That is only their second league win at home since January. In their last 8 home games before today, they won one (against a distracted Spurs going for European glory), and drew 3 and lost 4.

Teams with the quality and ambitions of Everton SHOULD be winning away at places like Bournemouth.

Chris @112, that performance today was shameful. Talk of top 6 is fanciful if we play in the same way, especially defensively, and it's a terrible indictment to expect 5 away wins (though I don't disagree with your prediction). We're jellyfish.

This manager and team are a disgrace. A cowardly manager produces a cowardly team with no bottle, pedestrian football and no heartbeat. Get rid of Silva now and see if someone else can turn in a tune from these players and make a season of it.

Surely as fans we deserve better – I cannot think of another club in the country where such devotion and loyalty in terms of support and numbers is paid so little respect as by this Everton team.

Finally, if you're going for broke, you don't put Walcott on... you don't play Walcott, full stop.

We need Sylva gone ASAP. The guy is bloody useless, as are most of our players. They just don't seem to care.

I realised that as I seen that thick fucker Pickford having a laugh and joke with a Bournemouth player as they walked off the pitch. What a bunch of useless fuckers we have at our great club... We deserve better.

The regime at Finch Farm has to change to break this now predictable cycle of performance. 20 years of this. . . you would think someone would have copped on by now.

It's about recruitment and mindset. Until we get those two things right, we'll keep winning a few and losing a few.

Then it's Man City who will not lose another game so soon after yesterday's debacle at Norwich, you can bet a bottom dollar on that, they'll run over us in two weeks time.

Then it's back on the road to Burnley which has all the hallmarks right now as nothing better than a dour Sunday afternoon low scoring draw.

Momentum is never gained because our away form is alley trash.

Stadium update wouldn't be a surprise.

Defensively, what can anyone say than an utter embarrassment. What the fuck Silva coaches day to day God only knows...

This shambles has been since day one. On paper, we should be top four, especially with the programme we were given. At this rate, we'll be bottom four.

We were very poor away from home last season, and have continued to be poor this season. So why would we expect to win at the likes of Bournemouth?

It doesn't matter how much ambition we have when we consistently show that we don't have the right qualities. There really isn't much to choose between the majority of teams in this league, and playing at home is enough of an advantage to give teams like Bournemouth more than a fighting chance against us.

We aren't in a position to 'expect' to win at the likes of Bournemouth and Villa. Because invariably we don't. At least we scored our first away goal!!

On paper really when you think about it, why should we be top four? Do we possess better strikers than any of the top four or top six?

Arsenal have Aubamayang, Lacazette, that's why they finish above us. Chelsea have more killer instinct. United have Rashford. Spurs Kane, Son etc etc.

I'm not sure why on paper really we look top four? I see is as a squad of bigged-up players that haven't actually achieved anything in a Blue shirt.

Really, really frustrating. We're capable of playing some great stuff at times, but just don't seem able to put it all together, even semi-consistently. And the defensive regression is becoming a real concern.

I'm afraid the finger has got to be firmly pointed towards Silva, he hasn't got a clue with away matches and, although the players have a lot to answer for, it is under his instruction and lack of preparation, for what should have been a relatively achievable three points.

Bournemouth weren't great by any means, they didn't have to be, but soft and kamikaze defending and failure to close their attacks down contributed to another disappointing away day.

Silva has to be replaced, and that is not a knee-jerk reaction, he is in way out of his depth, and has proved to be a serial loser away from home. I really feel for all those fans who have set off at God knows what time to give their unstinting and loyal support only to be let down again.

Where was the fire, the anger, why wasn't he on the touchline berating his poorly performing team, cajoling, even encouraging a response?

He looked like a man with nothing more to give. That told me all I need to know about him. He's out of ideas and clueless when faced with adversity. Time to move on, Marco. You've been found out.

Towards the back end of last season, we seemed to have put a stop to conceding goals from dead-ball situations, but this season its back with a vengeance. Although in most of the 3 away games we have played we have had more possession than the opposition, we still lose or draw.

Let's be perfectly honest Palace, Villa and an out of form Bournemouth was as good as 3 away games you could wish for. Had we won it would have put us in the top 4 a probably unrealistic position but what a lift it would have given the fans.

Finally a word for those brilliant travelling blues who are there at every away game. I salute you as our record is so poor away from Goodison and for you to continually travel hundreds of miles hoping for things to change is nothing short of brilliant.

My main worry is with our poor away form, heaven help us if we start to lose a few at home. I have no idea what the answer is I am sure individuals, as well as the manager, will come in for stick. Maybe we need a mind coach to eradicate the negative performances we give when we go away.

However there is a counter argument, a time when I, as a teacher, should also look at my own performance. Do I need to change my ways? my approach? my methods? Or am I responsible for my students fucking up on a regular basis?

The difference in this analogy is that Silva can at least change personnel. Some of the guys a out there today look tired (crazy as that sounds) and changes are required. Let's have Tosun next week with Kean, let's allow Sigurdsson some time on the bench, give Sidibé a go on the right and wee Bernard in a No 10 position.

It couldn't be worse than today, now could it? If this performance had been an exam today, the whole lot would have failed!

One goal didn't actually change my view of another nothing performance from Calvert-Lewin. He's never going to be the answer no matter how nice a guy he is or how hard he tries, and he does, try, very hard.

Brands seems to have done a solid job during transfer window but failure to recruit a quality centre-back will haunt us until January or later. Horrendous show today from both Keane and Mina. Slack, lack of concentration, just awful.

Delph was brilliant most of the time, committed, clever, effective, then stupidly gets booked and gives away a goal. But you feel he will do very well for us alongside Davies or Gbamin when fit.

Silva continues to be too cautious with two holding midfielders and we don't move the ball quickly enough forward. Lovely sideways but not great bringing in the front four.

We are even further away than I thought. Winning is the only progress, tonight we are 11th not 3rd. Early days yes but frankly I just don't see the improvement after the summer, we've played nobody and looming ahead are very tough games against top six.

Depressing start and hope gradually receding. I know that's harsh but it's year after year of the same thing. But hey, the stadium's going really well.

Pre-match, I acknowledged our woeful away record, stating unless and until that changes for the better we will not improve our league position.

We have (supposedly) recruited well. We ended last season well. The manager has assembled the players he wanted to play the system he wants. He has had ample time with the team. He himself has spoken publicly on the need to improve our away results.

Plenty, then, to be optimistic about to reasonably expect an improvement in our away form this season. A very benevolent early season fixture list gave us further opportunity to do just that.

You, by contrast, seem to consider that the weight of recent history points to it as being unlikely to 'expect' Everton to win at the likes of Bournemouth as if that is the sole determining factor.

You're not making any great revelation when you write about how evenly matched teams are in the league. You make it sound that only the great and good can 'expect' to win away.

What your low expectation levels of Everton ignores is that already this season is this 'evenly matched league' of which you speak, Southampton have already two away wins to their name, and the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton, Palace and Newcastle have a single away win to their name already.

YOU may not 'expect' Everton to win away at Palace, Villa or Bournemouth (and similar). I don't expect a 100% win record on the road. But I rather fancy that when the fixtures came out more than a few Blues thought like myself that those games offered us an excellent opportunity to start improving our admittedly woeful away form of recent years.

We've spurned that opportunity. Badly.

I would love Silva to succeed but he won't as he isn't capable. Look what Klopp has done to the other lot, they don't even look like losing a game, so hungry to win every time.

We are unfortunately what they tell us, a joke. Kills me to say it but, as a fan for 50 years, it's true.

You know, the old, "Let's shut this lot up for a start and then make them watch how good we are, whilst turning their hero's over". It seems to be gone from the game, or just Everton's?

It is all so predictable that I hardly give a shit anymore, are players so weak-minded now that they turn to jelly when faced with adversity? I still believe it comes from the manager myself. Pep and Klopp are not exactly shrinking violets are they and look at the desire in their teams. Can we have a real winner and man in charge please? Tried the cool suave dudes, the alleged hard men and the quite inept, and Jack shit in return.

Please just install a winner to run it. Please! Please....

What we bought in the transfer window should have improved us beyond recognition.

We are shit because we don't play with any pace or commitment. I'm watching Watford fucking take Arsenal apart with quick creative attacking football.

From 2 down they look like winning it. When was the last time you could say that about an Everton team?

Out of the 5 teams we have played, 4 were in the bottom 5 in table. I predicted we would be beaten 3-1 today.

Earlier in the season, another ToffeeWebber called Silva a fraud – I forget his name. He was ridiculed and maligned. But this guy is spot on. Silva is not going to resurrect this shambles of a team we have.

Defeated by Villa, defeated by Bournemouth (who hadn't won at home). Narrow home wins against Wolves and Watford. We are a national disgrace. An embarrassment. We need to get rid of Silva asap. He couldn't organise a proverbial piss-up in a brewery.

Calvert-Lewin scores our only goal and you criticise him. Richarlison gets 3 assists, costs 㿙M. Kean hasn't shown anything to suggest he is even a footballer... and Calvert-Lewin is still to blame?

The mind boggles.

If I am right, I think you suggest from your post, with the 2-week break, we should have been better prepared for the game today.

I know it's the same for most teams but surely the 2-week break isn't useful as so many players are away on international duty so very little training takes place. I think we had at least 11 of our squad away on international duty. Some probably didn't return until Thursday.

That has stuck with me for some time and truely believe that the mentality of this club is still driven forward from the dark ages of Kenwright which is to stay in this league. No one has got any ambition at this club and this filtered down to the manager and players. Sadly mediocrity is still embedded in everything this club does.

We have brought in a striker two seasons after Lukaku left and we don't know whether he'll be the answer to our striking issues. Why did we not bring another centre-back to replace Zouma? why did we not bring in another creative midfielder? Simple answer is those at Everton simply don't care and are happy to get by on the bare minimum. They don't want to put a squad together to compete at a higher level, there is no ambition other than to make up the numbers.

That mentality is driven from Moshiri and those associated with the club.

If you receive this email, don't open the link! — If you do, you will receive free tickets to an Everton away game... you have been warned!

As you say, we have spurned that opportunity, but how often that this seems to happen especially against teams that we are expected to beat?

The major problem is that we don't seem to be able to sign a manager that can instill the desire to win against these teams, but just like to prove they can beat top 6 teams. Until we get a manager that is capable of getting a winning attitude against these type of teams, we will never finish in the top 6.

And as I have stated, it's no use people criticizing Silva, it is the people who hired him who are responsible. Any successful organization starts at the top.

In this calendar year of 2019 we have lost away at Southampton, Millwall, Newcastle, Watford, Fulham, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, and failed to score twice at Crystal Palace who are notoriously dump at home.

The last away trip of 2018 saw us lose away at Brighton.

We just don't seem to possess players either already here, or buy players that want to win and feel hurt when we lose.

Fabian Delph is the only one with some vocal aggressive leadership but that's just one man alone.

That's where Moyes nearly always hit the spot with his signings.

They may not have always been glamour buys for big money but he signed many a player that would run through brick walls despite their limitations and many a time, it worked against the lesser sides if not the top teams.

These days Everton just look like a bunch of flakes that are most teams whipping boys on the road.

We are made out of jelly, no spine, no solidarity and basically no hope.

For whatever reason, if we need a win away from home that will have a positive outcome, eg, being 3rd in the Premier League, we invariably fail.

Will Moshri have Mourhinio in mind on the basis he could get into the players' heads and thereby fix this problem?

Arsenal, who are surely genuine top 4 contenders, lost 2 points away from home today when two goals up to the bottom team in the league.

We slipped up today. But I suspect the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea will slip up in a fair few away matches this season too. We are only one point behind all of those teams.

There's still everything to play for this season and though I have increasing doubts about Silva (and our defense) let's not forget that this league is a competitive one and all but the top 2 or 3 will likely drop a lot of points this season.

Lightweight is probably the kindest word I would use. We played some neat football but had very little penetration and, apart from Richardson's shot which hit the bar, there was a baffling reluctance to shoot.

There was no bite, no energy, no effort. Bournemouth attacked the ball and won most loose balls as a result. We move the ball far too slowly and will never see what Kean can do whilst we persist with such a ponderous build up which allows defences to get organised, thus closing down space in which he can turn.

Brands has explained his policy of bringing in young players and what does Silva do? He plays the oldest midfield three possible- all around the 30 mark and none only Delph having energy and bite. Morgan played his usual game, Sigurdsson – did he actually play?? – whilst Delph had a good first half but seemed to allow the dross around him to drag his own game down to one of misplaced passes.

We were vulnerable on our right flank all afternoon and boy did they exploit it. Seamus is now short of pace and is getting done for speed too often. Keane was very susceptible to the through ball or ball over the top. Mina didn't play badly until his part in their third goal. Digne was ok.

Pickford – why didn't he sort out the positioning at the free kick for their second goal – could he not see that we had been pulled too far left? Likewise did he not see the danger caused by the positioning of Mina and Keane for the third goal? How come the two CBs didn't look around them and see the danger?

I am not Pickford bashing – he is a decent keeper – but surely someone in the back 5 should be keeping tabs on where the Bournemouth strikers are and on whether we have them and space covered; this is very basic stuff taught at junior league level by dads to their kids!
Why oh why with guys the size of Keane and Mina do we not have them attacking the ball at set-pieces?

Up front Richi faded after looking dangerous( likely due to his extensive travelling), Calvert-Lewin put in a shift and scored a very good goal so hands off him please. Iwobi was neat but not in the game. I would drop Sigurdsson as he doesn't do enough for me. In any event, playing him and Morgan makes us pedestrian- the midfield was crying out for Tom with his energy and drive.
Lastly, Mr Silva. Klopp goes OTT on the touch line but he conveys passion and will to win to all of his players. Silva broods and, if I was in his team, I would get no inspiration from him.

This was a really poor effort collectively and individually and again the fans were let down after visions of going equal second tonight. We have a number of very decent players but lack bite, aggression, organisation and passion. Is Silva capable of injecting this into what is effectively a team bought by him?

Martinez Mk II in charge, that is very evident for me. Brands ain't no fucking genius either in my opinion.

I think Gomes and maybe Gbarmin would have made a difference today.

I agree, there's no need for the viral on Calvert-Lewin, however, whilst he got the goal, let's be honest he just isn't what is going to take us to the next level. I heard the stat about how many touches he had in the box but in honesty how many were effective?

Our defence is weak. We always look like conceding and personally I'd be glad if I never saw Keane in an Everton shirt again. Docile, watches the ball (not the man he's supposed to be marking) and "passes" to the opposition way too often, just as he did for England.

I don't call out his pace; there have been many slow top central defenders over the years, but they learn to compensate by reading the game and being one step ahead mentally. Keane reads the game like a ball-watching 10-year-old who has the turning circle of a tank when he belatedly realises the ball is over his head and the much quicker forward is in behind him.

Let's face it, had we stuck with Koeman, we'd still have finished 8th and been excused from the stigma of having Mike Bassett associated with our proud football club. It pains me in a way to say, but I also admire them for it, our cousins made the change when the right person was available.

My point here is whoever we appoint next needs to be a game-changer, not just a panic change to bring in the next guy who will finish 8th (again average). Wait for the right one to come along and then do it, even if we are doing apparently well at the time.

With the exception of the RS, everyone else has been inconsistent and at times incompetent too. It should make for an exciting race for positions 2 to 20, but we're going to have to really up our game to get ahead of the rest of the mediocrity around us.

Still, with no European football (and our uncanny ability at getting knocked out in the early rounds of the domestic cups), even a team as shit as we've looked is in with a shout of top 6. Madness.

Every season we find ways to blame the manager. We lost our most influential midfielder and Centre back and have no real striker 4 managers later, so working with less quality I didn't think 8th was certain this season.

As per usual and as a whole, we will blame Silva for all of it. Say he shouldn't pick Calvert-Lewin and claim things we don't know about like Kean is the better option and tactics are wrong.

We dominate sides and can't find the finish but somehow that results in fans blaming tactics.

It's another season of mish-mash thinking while we ignore the fact that the window was poor and rebuilding a side that looked like it needed 3 players of quailty to make a big jump is another topsy turvy season.

Like I said in the summer, next season will be the same too but keep waiting and believing what you believe because at least it makes ToffeeWeb fun.

Soon we'll have an awful run of 5 defeats on the trot and the excuse will be 'well, it's a tough run, calendar hasn't helped' blà-blà-blà.

Shit is, shit be. Silva is...

I can sympathise with the guy if that is his in his DNA, but the top managers have big personalities. While you may not nowadays be able to give the pampered millionaires the Ferguson hair drier treatment, you can have the presence to put some fire in their bellies.

Now it may well be possible that Silva is, more slowly, getting there and we have to endure more setbacks like today before we become mentally stronger.

I'd love to see more evidence of this, though!

Silva is like most managers in that he is basically stealing a very good living. Most of them, including Silva, don't have a clue and they'll never win anything. Once again he allowed his timidity to blow a chance to make progress.

Calvert-Lewin scored, although I think he was climbing on the defender and got away with it... but, for most of the game, he offered nothing. But really he needs to make changes. I keep saying 4-3-3 and drop Calvert-Lewin and Coleman. He's totally lost form so let's see what Sidibe can do. Put Kean in the middle of a three along with Richarlison and Iwobi.

If we carry on as we are, he's going to get the sack which he can't complain about because his own chicken attitude will have brought it on himself. Brands has given him some top players but he simply isn't getting the best out of them.

Nice to see some Everton players know how to win away from Goodison.

What a grim day. Given the money we've spent, further displays like that are surely not acceptable. Why is it always, permanently (give or take about 4 years in the '80s) like this for us?

I don't want to go there with comparisons across the park but ffs, they have spent, I know, but they have also got in a brilliant manager. Why do we NEVER seem to manage to do that? Sick to death of it.

What has Kean done in his time on the pitch to suggest he is ready to start? He is miles off.

It is no surprise we are struggling. The loss of Gueye and Zouma was always going to be felt while new players are settling in and more especially while one of the key signings, Gbamin, is injured. In the meantime Silva must get the team playing as a team so that the individual flaws are masked. One aspect of that is the pace of our play when in possession.

Our play is far too ponderous. How many times today did we see one of our throw-ins halfway inside the opposition half end up with the ball played back to Mina in his own half? That is one glaring example of our reluctance to take the game to our opponents but instead choose the supposedly safer option which merely plays into their hands.

I understand your point on other teams slipping up against teams they should beat; but the problem with Everton is they seem to do it consistently against teams in a lower league position and it usually shows a lack of effort that the opposing teams don't.

A top 6 team will expect the odd slip-up, but you can't finish in the top 6 if, when you are not playing well, you do not put the effort in to rectify it.

Man City slipped up yesterday but the players still put in the effort in spite of the mistakes.

As annoying as he is, look at the difference between what he does for the team to Silva, who quite frankly sat there today wondering what to do.

That said, let's not forget that should they go through a bad patch, his aura wares off (as did Redknapp's with Tottenham). He got sacked by Dortmund because despite the previous success (beating Bayern to titles), he had them bottom at Christmas one season. Unthinkable but it happened (there's hope!!!). He's good when things are going well but those type of egos don't handle not so good times so well because he will likely go into rant mode.

That raises two questions for me: Is the manager able to motivate or cajole them? And have the players got the mental ability to be winners?

Pre-season worried the life out of me but I was persuaded by the late signings and so many players not being around for pre-season. However, we have continued to look a shambles at times.

I don't think Schneiderlin was the worst player on the pitch today but why change what was a successful partnership of Gomes and Delph last week?

I like Calvert-Lewin but surely we need to get Moise Kean integrated ASAP. I'll be interested to hear Silva's take on the game.

Perfectly worded.

So here goes. Richarlison ? 㿙m player as you say. Hit the post and made Calvert-Lewin's goal but not a lot else tbh. Has looked better this season but still under performing in my view, partly because we don't seem to know where to play him or how.

Moise Kean: he's had a few minutes at the start of a career at the club...hopefully yet your writing him off crumbs the mind boggles.

Iwobi: I think he's going to be good for us but would agree but hit and miss today.

Gylfi no impact was there really and that's a shame because he has real talent but it's not happening this time around.

Delph: I've said played well apart from daft booking and giving a goal away. but that's hardly a point of balance, is it?

Digne: again looked good and he's surely one most of us respect and can see his value. Coleman tho, well I love the guys passion and his commitment for the club but defensively I'm concerned like others he's looking vulnerable.

Keane: Part of a defence towards the end of last season that played well, and he led that improvement. But he's had a poor couple of games and frankly just doesn't look the same without Zouma alongside him. It's about balance and Mina, well, I want to be convinced but struggling to feel he's actually getting there.

Eric look, you jumped on this Calvert-Lewin issue which has become a real “thing” for Evertonians but it's just sooooo Everton. The lad tries very hard, he works his socks off. He's a decent cove and I'm sure is a good mate to his friends etc etc. He's scored once in 14 games and has missed a fair few very good chances in that time. Our fans love a trier. He gets endless chances and endless allowances from the fans. No need to jump in and defend him as about five thousand have done that on Twitter today, tho exactly how or why I just don't understand.

Or is it just a sign of our standards when a decent tho not really good enough player takes centre stage all the time in these debates. Standards? Not sure where ours are right now and sorry if my venting was a pain.

I accept where you are coming from, but against a side like Bournemouth, you would expect that Everton would have the depth squad to play at least fit players. Those that are not on international duty, should be allowed to train and put forward their credentials for a first-team starting place.

Also, I notice that, when Everton are usually (after Xmas) out of the League Cup and FA Cup and have similar breaks, they produce similar type performances.

It is hoped that The Everton Project will end with Everton challenging for all competitions. If our players are not up to playing Bournemouth after an international break, what hope is there that this team will be able to achieve at higher levels, where they would be involved in more games??

I agree with you that very little training took place at Finch Farm, but that is not good enough, without even looking at other team's performances, with similar international duty.

In my opinion, over breaks, for whatever reason, there seems to be a collective holiday attitude, which all those at Finch Farm are getting paid for.

Putting out a below-par, unfit team in the Premier League is a waste of time. It is a waste of time for all of us. Everton were simply a below-par, unfit team in most positions.

Brands and Silva need to get Finch Farm sorted out, if Everton are realistic about challenging in all competitions. Nothing has been done yet.

Clearly we have to do better away if we are to have a shot at top 6.

Coleman did not surprise me and was frankly shite. He has lost it.
Schneiderlin is slow and clumsy
Calvert-Lewin, a complete waste of space; what he brings to the team, I will never know
Keane, always a fuck-up in him and boy did he show that today.

The biggest loser though is Silva – he simply has to go – clueless and one-dimensional.

The game was shite and the journey home long as some tosser of a train driver could not be arsed to turn up. Southwest Trains are shite... and so is Silva.

Schneiderlin offers nothing, play 2 upfront, and drop Sigurdsson. He shows too much loyalty to certain players.

Tosun scored 2 for Turkey in midweek, and didn't make the bench.

The mix of players (and these days numbers) in centre mid has been a problem for years - endless one-paced deep lying types (aside from Gana, and perhaps McCarthy) - that means our midfield is passive and also restricts our ability to change formation to, let's say a 4-3-3.

It's basically Gomes, Delph and Schneiderlin, and Silva doesn't even want the latter here. There's no point in mentioning Tom Davies as Silva clearly doesn't rate him and doesn't want him anywhere near the team. do you think that midfield will cut it over a season? Get many points away from home? I'm not sure.

Doucoure's thrilling box to box run today, in injury time by the way, showed exactly the kind of thing we have required for fucking years and years.

I thought we needed legs in midfield before we lost Gana. The problem is even worse now. I can't even think of the last midfield we had that actually the broke lines and got around the striker and the opposition box.

And I am firmly of the opinion that we are weaker at centre-back. We will leak goals. Will score more as well. 8th - 12th incoming. Again.

We have had another of those disruptive International Breaks, which affected a few who played today, but so have other sides; they don't all come back as if they had never played together before. Gomes was injured... How? He wasn't involved Internationally?

Tosun and Tom Davies had glowingly good reports midweek playing for their National Team and don't even make the bench. The common factor in all this lack of effort, nous, positional awareness and lack of purpose can't be just a one-off either, it's every away game, has got to be the Manager.

Someone mentioned before that instead of motivating the team from the sidelines Silva is cowering in the cut-out like a shrinking violet, and has the motivating effect of a 2-week-old lettuce leaf. While I don't expect him to be like the Teutonic Foghorn Leghorn, from the Dark Side, I do expect him to show some sense of responsibility.

I have witnessed too often in away games similar behaviour from Silva where he is sitting or occasionally standing, shaking his head, as if the lack of ideas, motivation, and spirit on the pitch has nothing whatsoever to do with him. Wise up Silva, it is your problem 100 per cent, but then again you have it easy, get another sacking, and you are made for life, with all the other compensations for serial failure.

Grow a pair, will you, and take the problem and sort it out or have the human decency to resign voluntarily so we can find someone who will do your job properly.

I have to pick out Mike Oates @90, who nails it. Poor old Seamus is costing us at his every touch. He has no pace or confidence to go on the outside (when passed the ball), he is now pullig and pushing opponents due to worrying about them embarrassing him, he failed today to continue his runs on two occasions when through balls had been played for him.

His general demeanor and regular moaning at successive refs is a symptom of a player in steep decline. I admired him at his peak and respect him for his effort and his recovery, but he is now a liability. Our effectiveness down the right has been limited and his partnership with the statue formerly known as Keane is a target for every winger in the land.

The other glaring problems in this disjointed jigsaw of a team are Sigurdsson and Schniderlin. Neither man has the legs to go box-to-box. Siggy is supposed to be a No 10 but I spotted him far to deep time and again.

It's all very well bemoaning a lack of movement in front, but passes were overhit regularly. Schneiderlin did okay but no more, which is his default contribution. His foray into Lincoln's box was shocking (but only showed us that normal midfield players do actually get upfield at times!).

There were other mistakes, poor touches etc but the other big problem is Marco Silva. The side was set-up with two holding midfielders, leaving Calvert-Lewin alone to play target man. Richarlison and Iwobi were often too far away from him for him to make anything stick.

The changes simply were like-for -like, just as usual with this coach. Kean was trying to turn, or looking for little sideways passes but the helter-skeltergame was far too quick for his ideas. Bernard showed some good touches but the lack of proper goal attempts showed our lack of creativity.

The coach has creative players in bucketloads but fails to set them up to make chances. The build-up is too slow with too many passes. We scored when Richie put in the cross nice and early.

Like Mike Oates, I would like to see us willing to switch to 4-4-2 to give the lone striker a chance. Tosun can score goals in a role off the striker. We could have him start up there with Kean, or Richarlison.

Silva is showing a blinkered mindset and a tactical inflexibility that was in evidence this time last year and now is clear as day. The home form has taken the heat off him, but it looks to me that we are no nearer to the top 6 than we have been since he took over.

I have no confidence that he and the odious Boa Morte will get this team to gel. For me, I have seen enough: Silva will not bring us success. Start thinking of the next coach who might.

I agree on that, but the point I was making is in general under Moyes we nicked the away games against the lesser teams. Since Moyes has left, Everton seem to have lost the art of pinching 1-0 away wins.

We have never ever been a free-scoring side away from home, this was the case under Moyes, and it's certainly the case right now even with millions more invested. But Moyes could nick away wins regularly with shit teams down to the bare bones.

I appreciate that his record away to the top sides was never great, but then again it's hardly improved since he left has it?

I suppose we should bottle Roberto Martinez's blood for ending the Old Trafford hoodoo at least eh?

Well said, Fabian — I suspect you summed up the views of most of us.

We will get sliced and diced up, very easily against the better teams, and Man City will no doubt be out to send a message to the Premier League in a few weeks.

The Sheffield games, are massive and barely two months into the season, our recurring seasonal ulcers in defence, midfield and attack have returned.

So much money, and so much despair. The RS, are taking the piss, and sadly we are at a very low ebb in the clubs history in terms of results, and trophies.

Next step: make Delph the captain, and get the squad fit to last 97 minutes, not 10 mins per half.

A poxy weekend results wise, so we must win next Saturday, and it will be a Cup Final for Sheffield United. They'll fancy their chances for sure.

20-odd years of season tickets and I'll admit I get a renewed optimism every year but today I just started laughing as Bournemouth's goals went in.

Any fan who goes to every away game to watch this deserves a medal, the club should actually pay all their expenses for the rest of the away games after that.

But we shouldn't be surprised as this happens every season.

I noticed Delph's meltdown on the tv footage- he was giving them a bollocking. A man that has only been there 5 minutes was hauling them over the coals.

It tends to back up the posts on here bemoaning the way some players seem to see us as a convenient rest home for non-achievers.

What does he do then? Brings on Walcott!! What difference has that ever made?

Fall on your sword, you impostor, get someone in who hasn't been sacked for failing. Our payoffs are quite lucrative, we've had a lot of practice!

I've not seen all of the games this season... but the team collectively seem to have taken a step back from last season. Centre of defence looks a concern. We will be back in for Zouma in January, I expect.

We need to consider a real playmaker in that role (Bernard) who will cause problems and provide a supply chain!

Pickford
Sidibe Holgate Mina Digne
Delph
Bernard
Richarlison Iwobi
Kean
Tosun

Yet, the biggest disappointment this season is Sigurdsson. He has really dropped off the pace and lost his shooting boots, which proves Everton spent too much money on a player in his late 20s when they should have spent big only on a much younger player.

Before Moshiri, yes... but now, how???

I could write a book on why I think Silva is wrong on many points but will just say that Schneiderlin and Sigurdsson shouldn't be allowed near the team, stop playing with 2 holding midfielders and a lone forward who has no chance and change the tactics to include Tom Davies as England did last match.

Stop the negativity as it's stopping us scoring. It will be a disaster if Silva goes but a disaster if he stays, he is totally clueless.

I do the same now and hate the fact I laugh. I have had too much stick and ignorance for saying things that turn out true the last few seasons.

It's hard to enjoy knowing your manager has it tough with the tools at his disposal. I dream of the day the manager isn't left short and we have a real 11 with a couple of capable subs.

It's that bad, he had to keep Schneiderlin and can't drop a centre-back.

That is absolutely criminal but to then not replace him and still have the issue how many windows later?

He's so ambitious he couldn't tell Lukaku he wouldn't be sold to a team we want to leapfrog.

To even pretend that is Kenwright's fault is as ridiculous as hailing Marcel Brands for a transfer window where you are worse off.

And for all those just blaming Schneiderlin or Kenwright... seriously fuck off.

Your post is embarrassing, mate. Get a grip.

Sorry, I forgot about Moshiri. From where I am standing, they are both a pair of fucking incompetents.

As I said elsewhere, it all reminds me of the Martinez era. We pass the ball nicely yet there is a certain fragility to the team. We need to be picking up points against mediocre teams in away games – so far we've played three and drawn one while losing to two very ordinary sides.

Defence was asleep for the final goal and the first one reminded me of last year's defensive mess. Too many bookings today and these can come back to bite a small squad.

I don't understand why you've got a problem with what I said. My reasoning is simple and correct. We have shown time and again that we are poor away from home, and therefore I don't 'expect' us to win. I believe we can, and I certainly hope we will, but it would be unreasonable to 'expect' it.

This season alone we haven't won in three and have scored just once, so my expectations have not changed. Hopefully we will improve and then maybe expectations can realistically be raised.

And you haven't offered any great revelations yourself, so don't get so stroppy and don't take your frustrations out on me.

Our football since he took office, and definitely since he took control twenty years ago, has been totally inadequate for a club of our history. It's been dire to me, with only an occasional game now and then measuring up to what I expect from a professional club, never mind a successful one. Like today we've far too often played like useless amateurs, for decades.

I realise it's boring to some readers but the only common denominator to our enduring mediocrity is Kenwright, end of. He has to take responsibility because his power-grab places that responsibility on him. The fact that Moshiri still tolerates him is to me mind-boggling.

Just about everyone in football spouts on about how they like him. Well they would wouldn't they, seeing as he so consistently keeps "lil' ol' Everton" in its place miles away from contention for anything to do with football results?

He's created/tolerated the inadequacy of mind that pervades Finch Farm, and every one of his managers and coaches were unable to improve it, singly or together, but now Moshiri seemingly relies afresh on him in the chair. Jeez.

With genuine respect, go figure.

I am neither having a 'strop' with you and most certainly not 'taking out my frustrations' on you. I don't do hysteria on the back of poor results as some do, so don't try hanging either of those falsehoods on me, ta very much.

I clearly posted where there is agreement between us. I clearly laid out where, how and why I differ in my 'expectations' in results away from Goodison.

Anybody who can read the league table and results can identify we simply haven't won enough away games in recent years. You make that the basis for your low 'expectancy' for Everton's away results as if it will ALWAYS be the case. That is the inverse, if you like, of the proviso financial investors offer their clients: "past performance is not indicative of future results."

An ambitious Everton - and we clearly are under Moshiri and Brands - should not be beholden to our recent poor away record, but be looking to address it. I would hope the club management use it as a yardstick - and a BIG stick! - to work towards improving that pitiful return.

The club, the manager, the team and individual players HAVE to step up and do better on their travels. Because if we don't it will have many consequences for us. Our league position will not improve. Our better players will not stick around. Our recruitment will be hamstrung as better players that we still need to attract will not find us an appealing 'project'.

I don't think that posters are Kenwright fans, per se, but are looking at a team performance on a particular day and can't see the relevance of involving Kenwright.

But, I do agree with everything else that you have said in your post. In my opinion, your analysis shows the causes of a wider demise, which repeatedly results in performances that we have seen today.

It's bad that these type of results are predictable for Everton. I am really in dread of Everton after a break and the third game, and the resulting elusive points to climb the table.

Unfortunately Everton never let you down, as far as the above, in the wrong way.

After every home game, which we seem to win over the last few months, a different player comes out and says everything will now click into place. So we will probably stuff Sheffield Utd and Man City in the next two games and lose at Burnley. It's so frustrating because our home form has been good these last few months.

We had chances today, but always want that extra touch and suddenly that chance is gone. I would even say we were the better team today, certainly the second half when we came out on the front foot, before giving away a needless free-kick for the second was (still don't know how that went in), and the third was just a big punt upfield with the centre-backs nowhere.

Of course, I have only seen the live action, and not seen any TV highlights (not that I want too), so I could be wrong in my assessment. From what I can see from above, most seem to think Fabian Delph was the only one showing any effort, which I agree with, but think his booking may have affected him.

Even at the end, only a few players came over to applaud the fans, but stayed a safe distance away!! Even Seamus must have learned from his little altercation after the Palace and Villa away games, when today he stood about 20 yards away clapping the fans.

Anyway, onto the next game when hope will be renewed.

We are well and truly in the Moshiri & Brands era, maybe Bill Kenwright is or isn't consulted by Moshiri, but you certainly cannot blame him or even Moshiri for today's events on the pitch.

Even if Silva's team and formation were wrong or badly motivated, they still should not have conceded the goal Richarlison gave them the chance to score or the one from the throw-in, where our to two centre-backs were standing around like a pair beatniks having a joint. They're meant to be professional footballers at the highest level.

This is definitely a playing staff issue for Brands, Silva and the team – no-one else.

That is real dedication and the players should be embarrassed at their lack of real effort compared to what you have been through to support them.

The start of this season is very reminiscent of last season up to the Derby game after which we went on that really good run and a pattern of play appeared to be forming. We seem to have completely forgotten about that good spell and reverted to what we were like before.

We have lost two players from the regular team from last season and gained half a dozen. Coleman and Sigurdsson appear to be in decline at present and the rest need to establish a rhythm and develop a team ethic.

Siggy at least should be dropped, play Bernard wide left as Digne misses him and Iwobi in Siggy role.

Gomes back in for Schneiderlin and seriously consider if Sidibe is a better bet than Coleman (I've not seen him play so I don't know).

Never play today's midfield three together again – too old, too slow, no energy and no guts (Delph excluded from these), and get the defence and keeper to start talking to each other about positional awareness.

Silva has to sort this or he will be on his way – we have a new stadium to pay for!.

"You make that the basis for your low 'expectancy' for Everton's away results as if it will ALWAYS be the case."

No I didn't. I clearly stated that my expectations would rise when we started to show some improvement. Therefore I do not suggest that it will ALWAYS be the case. And I do believe we will improve, but there are very few signs of that happening currently.

I always believe we can win away from home, but I don't expect it because that would be ignoring previous form and disappointment. I won't allow passion, ambition, or emotion to affect my judgement.

I still don't understand why you took such umbrage with what is a reasonable outlook.

I didn't expect a win, and we didn't get one. Faultless rationale.

Whoever's playing or played there, do not score enough goals, don't make forward runs, and the thing that really boils my piss, it doesn't protect the back 4.

It makes us too predictable because everything goes to the flanks; nothing goes down the middle, largely because 2 of the 3 mids are 30 yards behind the play.

FFS Silva, away from home, make us difficult to beat and play 4-4-2. and play on the break. We've now got pace to burn —use it.

I have already had open heart surgery with 2 valves replaced so she may have a good idea but, having followed Everton since the early 50s I am not sure I can do it.

What do they say about supporting Everton? We are gluttons for punishment.

Just couldn't do it.

So calmed down a bit, what do I think? [as if anyone cared, but this is cathartic].

I describe Everton as flaccid.

Never up for it when it counts.

That's it. I want to rant, but won't.

Well done!

The away fans are the beating heart of this club in my opinion, a real sense of pride for me when I see them at matches.

Everything we did today was down the flanks, there was little variation, we never had them guessing where trouble was coming from. It was too easy for them to set the counters up.

I can't recall in those areas in front of their box any of our players shaping to shoot, throw a dummy and then try to slip someone in. It was all down the sides. For that matter I didn't see any shooting centrally.

As Man City discovered yesterday, it doesn't matter how good you are or how much you control a game, if you give stupid goals away.
I don't know what Mina and Keane we're doing in Coleman & Richarlison territory a few yards from each other for the third goal but that was gross carelessness. Likewise, the first goal our marking was schoolboy level.

The second was a tad unlucky but again very preventable if Delph had stuck his right foot out instead of his left. I thought he was also out of order calling the other players shit when he wasn't that impressive himself today with a number of misplaced passes.

Although we were a shambles today, at 1-1 we looked the likely winners and, but for bad finishing and poor defending once again, we would have been third.

And that, my friends, is the difference between mid-table and top 6.

You, seemingly, ARE doing all of the above towards me and my posts, even though there is a good deal of agreement in our views about Everton's away record.

The PARTICULAR single issue (lest you forget) I originally took issue with you on in this thread (my post @ 118) was your (repeated) claim that an away game at Bournemouth (and Bournemouth ONLY) is not one teams other than City and 'them' can 'expect' to win.

I pointed out that today was only their second win in NINE HOME GAMES, their last win coming in January, followed by 3 draws and four defeats.

That record makes an away trip to Bournemouth as one to 'reasonably expect' we could target to start improving our away record. As was an away game to Palace (they finished 3rd from bottom in the PL home form table last season) and an away trip to a newly promoted side in Villa.

Our away form at the end of last season, if carried into those three fixtures WOULD have got us a greater return than the single point and the single goal we did reap. That was MY expectancy, and a perfectly reasonable and rational one.

Unfortunately, the team has yet to replicate the very strong finish they made to last season at the start of the current season.

Your expectancy, by your own admission, is based on 3-4 seasons of poor returns on the road. Also a perfectly reasonable and rational one, although I would contest my reasoning was more rationale because the team this season still contains many of the elements that were present in the closing fixtures of last season, whereas your longer time projection is not as relevant because the team has changed so radically since 3-4 years ago.

I also acknowledged, but countered, your further point how evenly balanced many teams are in the PL by listing teams we can consider ourselves at best at least equal to who have already registered wins away THIS season.

To close, I've engaged civilly and debated with rationale counters to your own perceived rationale. It's not me getting the hump and getting personal simply because another is not in full concordance with your view.

If he's now to be "frozen out" of the comfy Finch Farm miasma that the rest of the squad allow to engulf us, we might as well all give up on improvement.

And bollocks to any hurt feelings imagined by the rest of our patently ineffectual squad, coaches, chairman and owner.

Silva is predictable, once blunted we are impotent.

Feted as a coach with an eye for detail, however I'm afraid I'm out. His ability to affect a game just isn't there.

I had a serious wobble last year after being underwhelmed with his appointment. The fact we haven't made good a start which was benign is a real crime. He's gonna need a miracle to to turn this around.

Utterly apathetic.

There's something wrong, in your neighborhood, Who ya gonna call?

Your team is struggling? You need a result? Who ya gonna call?

Your striker's not scored? he needs a goal? Who ya gonna call?

Sheffield Utd and / or Man City can both look forward to an upsurge in their luck in the near future. Sheffield Utd mightn't do much with theirs, as I fear their stay will be brief. But I bet Man City won't look the County Road Casuals gift horse in the mouth.

Head down, elbows on knees, Silva looked a beaten man, sat in the corner of his dugout.

Just like it's too early to concede the title to Liverpool after 5 games, so with the taxi... but ffs, Silva, do yourself a favour, will ya - sort it, not just at home either – before Brands & Moshiri start singing along with me... 'Who ya gonna call?'

If we have dreams of being a top 4 team let alone a top 6 team this joker has to go immediately. He should have gone in the summer but a few good results last season saved him I think. People forget Fulham and Newcastle away during that so called period of "good form".

Where are the positives? He has had money to spend, amounts other teams could only dream of. A poor transfer window with no centre back acquired. A poor pre-season with poor results. Easy start to the season yet poor results. Same old 4-2-3-1 which has been found out. Same players week in week out. He talks absolute SHITE. Again where are the positives?

What are the board waiting for? 4 or 5 losses on the bounce when we are in the bottom 3 and the season is over?

Joke. We need a change.

For that matter, I didn't see any shooting centrally.

1) Richarlison's fine strike, hitting the angle.

2) Sigurdsson's off-balance snapshot off Digne's cutback

3) Calvert-Lewin, digging out a shot after some good work in the penalty area.

And of course a centrally headed goal from Calvert-LewIn.

Marco Silva does not start with Moise Kean... Is he some kind of fucking Idiot???

The importance of that one game and sorry to state the bleeding obvious, he changes a winning team (Gomes injured).

How many more times is the manager going to be able to shelve these rookie mistakes? Because that is what he is – a rookie and a fucking bad one.

I am livid... absolutely livid!!!!!

It's pathetic the manager is so inflexible even when Plan A (aka his only plan) isn't working. Same shit, different season.

Any Normal Manager would have been up and out on the touchline screaming his encouragement or better still his disgust at the players!!

But NO. Marco Silva sat in the chair with his head in his hands looking for someone to blame...

And when he is being interviewed he does as someone has also eloquently described talk absolute SHITE!! Never once since he has been here have I heard that man accept and admit he is in the wrong! Not once. I am positive someone will correct me if I am wrong?

Delph is the notable exception and I think he is a (very) small positive to take out of that game! Let's hope he stays injury free and drag the rest of them along.

It's a real shame as I'm still convinced the players we have at our disposal are capable of so much more than what I've seen so far.

Silva seems unable to identify the right tactical formation away from home. I personally think we need three in midfield on the road to be compact, so reverting to 4-3-3 away seems the only course of action. Our defending from set-pieces has deteriorated again so he must get back onto the training field with the team, as he did during the long break last season.

Not sure what the easy answer is for motivation and resilience – Delph didn't have a great game but he never hid for one minute. Unfortunately, the remainder looked lost, bewildered and confused before capitulating.

Like many on here, the jury remains well and truly out on Silva. Martinez got sacked because he couldn't engineer away wins after his first season, so Silva should rightly feel under serious pressure now.

Your second paragraph "It's pathetic the manager is so inflexible even when Plan A (aka his only plan) isn't working. Same shit, different season" – is so true.

Silva has an obsession of excessive wing play with very little end product. He refuses to even try playing 2 strikers, and his defence of set-pieces is unchanged.

I do wonder if he will survive until the end of his contract, as I don't see him having the ability or the will to try something different.

I've made the same point on a couple of sites already. His body language was that of a defeated man, without a clue what to do next. Just think what message that sent to his players if they looked his way, hoping for some direction or inspiration from their manager, and what did they get? Silva, looking like he'd just been fired (we can but hope).

The man's inept and incompetent, his in-game management stinks, and he really is Martinez Mk II, but without the cheerful personality.

After years of the same pattern, it dawns on you what is the common denominator: Kenwright & Co.

This performance and result is similar to other similar performances and results over the years. Sure, there are players' mistakes, but there is a fundamental problem at the club that results in the deserving accolade, which was on the Tottenham Fan Web analysis prior to playing Everton last year: 'It's the same old Everton'.

On the pattern of two results and a defeat Everton are the same old midtable Everton, and have been for years, no matter who the Manager is. Brands is not going to make any different, unless the Club is overhauled from top to bottom. The attitude of Everton that results in this pattern, Messi or Ronaldo playing couldn't sort out.

Great minds eh, Brian? I have been slated last season to say the same as you albeit slightly more aggressively!

I do hope people are starting to see what you evidently see as the answer, because you and I both know the future is NOT Silva.

Your post made me smile because you did it calmly... I struggle with that sometimes, unfortunately... or not, as the case may be.

I travel home from Turkey this Friday to drive to Goodison Saturday. If it was on tv live I'd stay at home.

I'm a season ticket holder, but (with the exception of the derby) if they are on tv I will probably stay at home to watch.

Watched yesterday's debacle in Turkey, embarrassing!

I've already got my Brighton away ticket (courtesy of my Brighton fan son-in-law) and dreading it if yesterday is anything to go by.

I can't see Silva getting the chop, but his demeanour second half, was that of a clueless loser.

Tell me I'm wrong?

Marco will sort it and I am sure the dressing room was fiery after that debacle. That said, for the first 15/20 minutes the commentators were saying it looked like there would only be one winner and it wasn't Bournemouth; amazing how games can suddenly change.

We will be good, very good, we have new players and a lot of talent; we just need a little patience.

I will put you up for an Assistant Manager role... I will give Bill a ring and recommend you. What game were you watching?

Having ball possession means nothing we never looked like scoring in that 15-minute period you are talking about!

We need change, and another performance like that we will get change, imagine being Moshiri yesterday? What do you think he thought of that?

The Money Game that is the Premier League these days will ensure that another healthy profit can be made and plans for the Bramley-Moore Dock project comfortably financed.

So what's to worry about? We know our place. It's hoping for better that brings the pain.

Attitude and application were not there yesterday. We are going nowhere with Schneiderlin still, somehow, first reserve in mid.

If the spine of the side is Mina/Keane and Schneiderlin, it doesn't have anyone talking or organising, or basically with enough balls – minus Gana – to go away from home and dig in and get a result. Conceding 5 in total, at Villa and Bournemouth for God's sake, tells you that. Delph, excellent first half but poor second, found this out yesterday. The third goal was amateurish. One of those centre backs needs to start talking – and fast. It will probably have to be Mina as it doesn't seem in Keane's nature.

A healthy profit? You must be thinking of another club. Our losses are astronomical and unsustainable.

It seemed to me that Pickford could have prevented the first goal. When the looping ball comes back into the area he takes a step back, actually over the goal line. If he had jumped forward I believe that he could have punched the ball away.

For the third goal, Pickford left his goal then stopped. If he had kept on going he would have had a good chance of smothering the ball, just as their goalie did in a similar situation against Calvert-Lewin in the first half.

Finally when Calvert-Lewin broke away down the left in the second half he managed to reach the ball just ahead of their goalie. The ball ran loose, but there was no Everton player following up in the penalty area or just beyond. Why?

Have some faith boys.

I was pleased for Calvert-Lewin getting his goal and vindicating his selection. Richarlison played well. Moise Kean clearly is not ready yet.

Sigurdsson is not my type of player. Quite simply, he doesn't hurt you. We have an abundance of defending midfielders, when all are fit, I would like to see a creative Gomes pushed forward into Sigurrdson's role.

Watching the TV studio pundits, my heart ached for the passion of a Tim Cahill and although I hate to admit it, a Souness. That dreadful man could certainly play... and he always hurt you.

We can't even stick with demanding more from the club.
All proud of DoFs coming in from Holland to buy shrewd transfers for future profits.

How many fans stick to principles and expect the club to deliver top players? Hardly any it seems.

I can't bare them lot across the park but they are hardly ever on 10 different pages as a fan base. They would never accept what we accept.

We are happy with 19-year-old strikers coming in to battle for the 1 spot up front with a poor at the moment, one for the future 21-year-old from the Championship.

Then as per season and in typical Evertonian fashion we adore the exotic name coming in and 5 weeks later moan it hasn't been good enough.

Every single season is the same, you don't learn you don't progress. Every single aspect of Everton does not learn.

Every single manager has the same problems under different strategies and formations but do you look above him? No, you blame him for trying to work a machine with missing parts. The tactics, the tactics the selection blah blah. All we do is moan in hindsight.

One top defender the red shite bought and look at them now.

Our board couldn't even look at our great set of fixtures and make sure we had what was needed. We could be top by now or top 2. Could have been top 4 going into December.

Nah, let's say we are going about it the right way and let's be top 10 with our baby strikers.

You've hit on something there. The desire to win and that mentality is the factor that helps teams get into the top 6 & 4. It's a collective mentality that they can every game... and when they lose they try harder to win the next game.

All the good teams gave this... look across the park... they have a belief that they will win every game. Some players have that instinct naturally ( Bobby Collins, Alan Ball... and Cahill had it too, without the skill of the other two) and some who need it to be constantly instilled in them...and if they don't perform to their best then they know there is someone in the background who will.

I remember reading an article quite a while back about Moyes when he was at Everton and how he was improving the team from constant relegation candidates and instilling a work ethic and steeliness into their play but mentioned there was something at the club that he couldn't quite put his finger on. What is that something?

I don't know what that answer is... but are we too nice? I don't want to point any fingers here but do we employ ex-players to coach because they are good or because they just happen to be ex-players?

If you want to be serious about changing the culture of a club there's no room for sentiment, football is a ruthless business and results-driven.

Everyone involved with performance at the club should have one goal in mind and that's to win because you can bet there will be other clubs trying to match that.

1. Failure to get a quicker centre-back. We miss Zouma as conceding 5 at Villa and Bournemouth show us. Brands gambled on getting him; or Tomori as a stopgap late on, and ended up with no-one. A quicker defender (who's not ball watching) does not give away the 3rd goal like Mina does.

2. Gbamin injury. He is our new Gueye. He is much quicker than Schneiderlin and offers a more mobile defense against quick counters. Gbamin would have made the slide tackle that Schneiderlin missed on the counter that led to the Fraser - Delph free-kick.

3. Resilience. Silva has still yet to pick up a win from losing positions in the league. When they scored the third you could feel heads go down. On the bench as well. Good teams need to be able to recover and we seldom do. Where this stems from I can't be sure but it is undoubtedly the manager's job to try and fix.

Subsequently dropped by Eire, and the performance improved albeit against lesser opposition. The same could be said of yesterday's game, he was neither his old self going forward or defensively, which created a void. With Schneiderlin on that side too, it was a gift for Bournemouth to exploit and it worked a treat for them.

Keane has been castigated, and a lot of it is justified, but trying to cover for that open right side, it created another 'hole' which was duly and thankfully taken advantage of by Bournemouth, who were not that good, but made to look that way.

I don't believe for one minute that we have a bad squad, but it is the combination of those players and their directive (if indeed they had one) in away matches that leaves us all baffled.

Does Silva ever think about assessing the opposition strengths, and weaknesses, before an away match?

I think I will be giving this one a miss. I have been thinking all day about what Harold Matthews (our departed friend) said on this site a few years ago - “Don't dwell on things that upset you”.

Oh Everton.

Look at them across the park when they were average 15 years ago they stil won cups because they had scouse winners like Carragher and Gerrard to spur them on.

I mean losing you can stop dwelling if there has been some fight, some response, a bit of heart, but yesterday, like the Villa game, was very hard to watch without feeling so let down by all concerned with that non-performance, players and coaches.

I'm happy to add to the list but so far I've got:
Tim Cahill
Denis Stracqualursi

Signing players that are mentally weak cannot be a coincidence. There has to be serious issues at the club training ground and stadium for it to keep happening. People always said how the likes of Baines and Jagielka were great personalities around the dressing room. I never bought that because for the whole time they were at the club, we always choked when it mattered. Now we've got a collection of fairly talented players who would probably lose a staring contest with a 5-year-old.

If the manager isn't willing to kick a loose boot at them every once in a while, then he isn't a manager that is going to get anything out of Everton players any time soon.

It can't just be the immoral salaries that they are on, when you look at other sides and players who are probably on similar or better, there is pride in the shirt/badge, fight and determination for all to see.

They should have that in themselves anyway, but sometimes it has to be encouraged, but when you have a Manager that would make the Lion in the Wizard of Oz look like a gladiator, what chance is there?

You're absolutely right. Why aren't Cahill and Reid involved in some way with the club... both winners and extremely passionate.

That would be a start in turning around the mentality and culture of this club.

All the comments on Delph letting loose on the rest of the side. If that's the case, then he needs to lead by example.

That second goal that was down 2 reasons:

a) Schneiderlin selling himself AGAIN too early by diving in, leaving Richarlison to chase down the wing back from a yard behind. He should never have been allowed to get as close to the box without being challenged by our defence

b) Delph opting to try to use his left foot instead of sticking out his right. If someone did that in my Sunday League Team they'd be drawn across the coals.

Set pieces just cause chaos in the defence; from long throws to corners or free kicks. Silva needs to bring them back to basics or get a good defensive coach in.

Then you missed out one Duncan Ferguson.

And Stephen #276 he is still with us.

I'm convinced most footballers have identified Everton as a team you can play for earn lots of money and have zero pressure or expectation on you.

We are now officially easy street for weak-minded players who have no desire to win anything, just earn a nice wage and cruise along.

Why join Liverpool and have the stress and pressure of expectation and have Klopp and the fans on your back all the time, when as a player at EFC you can effectively hide, stress-free and get paid millions?

A major re-think needs to happen now. Like Jim Bennings and many more have said over the years, our away form is a disgrace, we simply cannot build up any kind of momentum in the league because of it.

Even if we beat the Blades 10-0 at home, we'll just repeat what happened yesterday in our next away Premier League game.

One step forward and three steps back... sigh.

Two cast iron certainties this season, sadly RS will finally win the Premier League. and satisfy their billionaire backers, and Everton will again fire their manager.

Peter Reid was a guy who used this term a lot in his time at Everton when describing other players. I recall him referring to squad signing Ian Atkins as 'a winner' when we signed him as a fringe player.. Paul Power from Mand City as 'a winner' and a good few more. Players who had won nothing or very little in the game. But they were pros who had an endless desire 'To Win' and were respected by others.

Tommy Jackson and Sandy Brown in the 60's. Mick Lyons 'a winner'. That's why I'm agree Tim Cahill is a winner god we could do with these types of guys this very moment. Peter Reid 'a winner' when we signed him from Bolton?? "Ffs," said 'the knowledgable' – "a total crock, waste of space... etc, etc." A real winner if I ever saw one.

Then there is Rob Halligan who spends most of his free time travelling to support the team and how is he and the other 5,000 travelling Blues rewarded?

That is why yesterday's result made me so angry. They are not good enough for you fellas, Dave.

Its beyond me how anyone who knows quite well that our Midfield isn't as good as it was, the Strikers are nowhere near Lukaku level, and the centre-backs are possibly the slowest Premier League pair, can even think about questioning anyone but the manager.

Our ignorance is beyond a joke. This is why we are a mid-table club.

DCL's goal was a pass from wing and the scored centrally, yes.

Okay, yes the other chances you mention were cental, but moments of individuality and not team penetrations into the box. Too much emotion last night and focusing on the bad points of the game blocked those from my mind.

My general point is that, on that 18-yard line or thereabouts centrally there is very little cunning, deception or decisive movement from us. We're not creating any indecision in our opponents which then brings about mistakes by them, we just immediately pass the ball wide and try to get a cross in.

I want to see one of our players move the ball to shoot and instead chip the ball into the box to someone running in, plays like that. Especially using our flare players to create space and late on also as defenses tire. There's just not enough craft around the box, our opponents have a good idea where the next ball is coming from.

When we can play down the wings and in front of the box equally then this will also create more individual shooting chances.

Let's not talk about our defensive performance yesterday.

The back four are not solid and the midfield not creative, while Sigurdsson is not the same player. Time for Gibson and Davies to be given a try.

The photographers capturing the moment do not show any hands from Calvert-Lewin on the shoulders. VAR checked the goal and did not see any infringement. You're just swallowing the crap you are peddled by "experts".

There are calls on here for Mr Silva's dismissal. I would prefer to suspend him for a weekend soon, and send him out to Dubai, leaving him to make his own way home then find his way to Brighton. Standing amongst the away supporters for the afternoon would do him the world of good.

Meanwhile, Rob would be appointed caretaker manager for the match, being allowed to appoint his temporary support team of 10 from people who travel to the away games. Rob has a fair knowledge of football and our club, I suspect if he was instructing the players and standing on the touchline he could wring a result from them. He is also a pretty imposing physical presence, and any player who chose not to give 100% would not fancy facing him in the dressing room post-match.

Just a thought.

Despite the additions, Silva has a weaker squad this season without Gueye and Zouma, in my view.

Many of us at the time expressed significant concern over the centre-back situation. It all went quiet when we started the season with clean sheets and worried about goals instead. My concern was injuries, I didn't expect loss of form.

After conceding something like 9 in 4 games, I think the lack of competition is a serious issue. For that, Silva has one hand tied behind his back. And our excellent (I still think he is) Director of Football has to take all the blame.

And I'm not about to go and write a thousand words as to why, like a lot do on here… I'll say one main flaw, that's team selection — it's inexcusable.

Silva out now before he completely destroys us. No emotion or anything — just a clueless manager.

There is no vocal organiser in the defence. Do you think someone like John Terry would let is fellow defenders get away with that amateur play? It seems to me that Fabian Delph is the only player capable of being the on-pitch organiser. But I'd rather see a centre-back stepping up to the plate regarding defensive duties.

I am absolutely seething about yesterdays performance, every time we have a chance to make a statement we implode and lose all the momentum and confidence we had.

Something has got to change, players need to man up and speak up. Get organised on the pitch, senior players should be shouting and down the throat of the younger lads, constantly reminding them of their responsibilities and to 'switch on' to danger.

Making Delph captain would be a start. But we need Michael Keane to start being more vocal and organizing the defence too. Give him a cattle prod to keep Mina focused.

Steve Ferns,

What is your take on the effect of Silva losing Joao Pedro Sousa? He is doing well managing his Portuguese club. I am starting to be concerned that his loss is directly related to our dip from last season's improving form.

The first goal conceded yesterday was arguably a tactically poor goal, but those goals were generally not being conceded at the back end of last season with the same tactics.

To me, Keane and Mina as a partnership, is the limiting factor in how successful our season will be.

Last season for me the turning point for Silva was the home game against Chelsea. We could have been 4 goals down in the 1st half and the manager's position was looking very very dodgy. I think he tore a strip off them in the dressing room "Why are you playing so badly?" to which they responded this useless zonal marking is responsible and I think he told them to forget the system and go out and play. Well the second half we played and won 2-0 with 37% possession.

In the Man Utd game we had 49% possession we won 4-0. Arsenal we had 43% possession we won 1-0. At the end of the season I think Silva told them to keep better possession and we have consequently lost the speed and surprise that gave us such great wins at the end of the season.

This season, in games so far when our possession is 60% and above, we have been badly beaten.

Teams EFC shots on target
CP game 0-0 EFC (65% possession) 3
EFC (56%) 1-0 Watford 2
AVFC. 2-0 EFC (65%) 1
EFC (59%) 3-2 Wolves 5
Bournemouth 3-1 EFC (60%) 5

Is this another turning point for Silva?

The only thing is that if you listen to the ex-players it's always Silva they single out for praise with the coaching never "his team" or "Joao Pedro", etc. That said, JP was always the one in Silva's ear. Now he seems to be a bit more isolated. Boa Morte is not doing that, yet. Maybe it might take time. But yeah seemed a big loss, and could be bigger than anyone thought.

Bill, The problem is that a great Italian coach would want to change everything defensively to the detriment of what we do well. First off the defensive line would be dropped about 30 yards. Italians do not like a high line. This then means we cannot press, because to press you need to get your attack high up the pitch and pressing from the front, the midfield slots in just behind them and then the defence, meaning we are way up the pitch.

If you just mean an Italian coach to teach the "dark arts", then the Portuguese have always been pretty good at that.

Michael, Mina is actually pretty quick, but it seems like he needs a few seconds to sort his big legs out and get going. Which means a nippy little striker can get away from him. Keane is just not very quick whichever way you look at it. Be interesting to see how Silva reacts. I'd like to think this is Holgate's chance. I hope he's been training hard, doing the right things and is ready. I think there is player there, with the right directions from the manager.

Clearly Silva went into this game confident that we could beat Bournemouth. We pressed them high up the pitch and his observations clearly paid off for the first 60 minutes as we forced turnover after turnover. This led to us having a lot of the ball and not doing much with it.

Perhaps the tactic to shoot on sight, thereby causing us to turn the ball over ourselves, but in less dangerous situations, could be beneficial.

One other statistic that is extremely worrying is how often we are caught in possession. We're the most this season (joint with Man Utd) and we were third last season. This is something we need to do something about. It implies that we are dribbling too often. Perhaps, Silva needs to get the players to shoot more?

We looked like half a team, and we looked like half a team that has only been half-coached. Some good play, but nobody prepared to go and do a bit more by themselves, and that was the saddest thing about watching Everton play yesterday.

We have been (have we not) patient for well over 2 decades. Do you not want your team to be competitive, to really have a go for silverware, to even see Everton play in the Champions League?

I admire your optimism, Martin, but in reality, I'm flabbergasted that you ask fellow Evertonians "to be patient"

In addition, Mina hasn't played week in week out for about 3 years and hasn't done week to week in this division before. I don't expect him to be fully on it at this point, as last season was basically a write-off for him. This is pretty much his first season. This is why I'd have taken Zouma over him any day of the week. Quicker and knows the division inside out. I said on here pre-season, I expected us to start the season leaking goals. The main thing now is stopping it.

But, laying my cards on the table, as a pairing, in terms of styles, I just don't fancy Keane and Mina together. And if one of them gets injured the replacement is Mason Holgate. Happy with that?

Throw in that without Gana we are now easier to play against and we could have some trouble. We are short on numbers at both centre back and in mid. And know-how. We scream mid-table.

Quite right, it was pass to someone else all the time rather than take responsibility and have a go. We had a go in the Wolves game but not in this one and the passing accuracy became much worse after the second goal.

Steve,

I too would like to see Holgate with Mina. It could actually work as Mason has the intelligence to cover allowing Yerry to attack the ball. He and Keane are too similar to me and Mason might just provide a better option but can you see Silva dropping Keane and being proactive in this way?

I think that's not a bad game to throw Holgate into. Then bring Keane back for the cup (this time with Holgate) and then go back to Mina and Keane for Man City (on the basis of backs to the wall defending).

Then evaluate were you are at for the Burnley game, but I'd be hoping for Holgate as we will be looking to play how we tried to play against Bournemouth and that high line worries me without a quick defender.

Seriously though, I'm not quite sure what a pre-match team talk consists of? You'd think tactics, line ups, the opposition, etc, would all have been discussed in the week leading to the next game. I guess a pre-match team talk is just an overview of what's been said during the week. I doubt very much any manager tells his players to go out and win it for the fans, but you never know.

Has the introduction of the siren just before Z-Cars as the players stand in the tunnel, helped the team at home games? It certainly gets the crowd up and surely must get the players all fired up? So far I'd say it has helped us.

I always remember one famous team talk by an Everton manager. He opened a window and said "listen to that" Of course, it was Howard Kendall when we played Stoke away in the FA Cup 3rd Round in 1984.

I suppose my team talk would be brief. "Just go out and give 110% effort". You are in a very fortunate position of doing something thousands of people out there would give anything to be in your shoes, so more than anything, go out and win it for them."

Everyone is over complicating the obvious as usual.

We were better than Bournemouth and better than Palace, or definately dominated the ball more.
Where are we suffering? in defence and up front. The 2 positions we needed top players.

We won't get the players we really need while hardly anyone demands to see what you should be watching at the top end of the premiership.

Rooney suggested an absence of street-fighting nous in the team.

Delph clearly suggested as much on Saturday, if that Twitter clip was anything to go by.

Someone, someday is going to join Everton's coaching team and sort it out. The last mentally strong team I've seen was in Royle's first season.

Silva: "Mr Chairman, I totally understand and actually agree with your comments. I will clear my desk immediately. And what is the bad news?"

I wonder how much Silva relies on stats versus what you can see with your eyes?

My view is play the same team for a bit and let them gel. Let one have a crap game.

But most of all, play the ambitious and vocal, and maybe make Delph captain on matchday.

As for Koeman, well... that asshole's expertise on mental issues is unassailable.

No need to drive themselves mad pretending to know tactics and turning on the manager who for me, clearly showed his frustrations before the Palace game. And with good reason.

Koeman was right, but he didn't or couldn't do anything about it.

Martinez got our biggest points total with 4 players under 23. This mental thing is another myth confusing everything. Trying to get 20 goals out of Calvert-Lewin will drive any manager mental.

We are as good as the Director of Football allows the squad to be. You know the key issue in all this mental myth?? The answer is we lose our best player the season after the good season… How does that help mentality?

It wasn't when we were 1-0 against an average RS team in the semi and lost.

It wasn't when we crumbled to the mighty Wigan in the quarter final.

It wasn't when we ruined a great season under Martinez, by losing at home to Palace then scored two own goals at Southampton.

It wasn't when we lost the semi to an average Man Utd side.

I could go on. I'll accept that Moyes's team that finished fourth showed great mental strength for one season and I'd argue that your description of that team proves my point.

This is a team chock full of talented players who are mentally weak.

My interpretation of Silvas tactics is that he wants to play a high press game or, in basketball terms a full court press, and this provides openings for counter-attacks and with the defensive set up we have this seems to cause the problems we have.

You need special players to be able to attack and defend starting from the back, and at the moment we only have, Digne, Coleman has lost his pace, Keane's passing rate is fairly high simply because they pass along the back 4 a lot, and Mina is still trying to get used to the Premier League.

There were a couple of games on the weekend were Defense won the points that was at Norwich and Watford. I don't want Everton to set out and just defend like Norwich did, but Everton just do not seem to have a organized defensive plan and other teams are exploiting this.

This is a hard league to be successful in, one of the best in the world, and you have to be aware at all times. Remember goals can get you the points but is defense that wins the game, and that is why Silva has to sort the defense out to use his strikers successfully.

Interestingly, I was working in Burnley the other week; they were unaware of both his shocking injury and lack of pace. They were adamant that he's quick!

I recall one of the guys I met there relating the story of his near fatal escape from a Steam Roller, but somehow, he just managed to get out of it's way in time. :-)

The most worrying aspect is nothing appears to have been learned from last season's debacles at Millwall, Brighton, Newcastle and Fulham and, more recently, Palace and Villa.

We can point at players' lack of bottle when they go behind etc but the common denominator is poor tactical set ups and reactive, rather than proactive, throwing on of substitutes when we are, yet again, trying to salvage something from a game we should have won with the players we have at our disposal.

If the manager cannot, or will not, change then we must change the manager.

Agree totally.

The same old garbage, and we've had 25 years of groundhog days. It is no coincidence that this coincides with 25 years of mediocre to crap managers. They've lacked motivation skills, lacked experience, no tactical know-how, no man-management knowledge, no respect from players, no fire in the bellies etc.

All these lack of qualities apply to our current manager. Until we recruit the right man for the job, this debacle will continue for another 25 years, and the demise of our club will be inevitable.

First he picks two defensive mids who both had nightmare games but played the whole game, then at 2-1 down he took off the goalscorer who had just scored his first since March, then he brought on Bernard and stuck him on the left-wing and then of course he brought on the ineffective Walcott.

He never changed his tactics from the first to the last minute even thought anyone with half a brain could see it wasn't working, the slow buildup from the back which every team has now sussed out.

If the first eleven he puts out starts to struggle he has no idea how to change things, and I can't see him lasting till the end of the season to be honest because surely Moshiri will run out of patience after all the money he's invested.

We need to do something soon!

Last season, he didn't exactly cover himself in glory. I'd go for Maureen. Look he might cause a bit of trouble but he's a winner with experience of top four.

I'll get me tin hat.

If he switched to Everton, he'd be managing Portsmouth in L1 within three years. I don't want to see that happen to him.

Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 2. However, with our opening fixtures, we should be at least 3 points better off, but we're not.
Why?

They called Ranieri “Tinker Man”, but he was successful. For me you don't get a reaction from sitting on the sidelines with your head in your hands!

What is Boa-Morte's role? I'll wait and see what happens at Burnley to see if our away performance improves. However, not over-optimistic!

But hold up... let's get Eddie bloody Howe.

It's goals that win games, a good defence can only get you a point if you don't score, which is why strikers are the most expensive players.

We haven't got the conviction, courage, to attack away from home, we win the ball back and within 5 passes it's gone backwards. There is no drive from midfield, there is no commitment to run at defences and create spaces and there is no courage to actually try to shoot.

As infamous Roy Keane says you need leaders everywhere, winners everywhere on that pitch, men who won't accept failure, it's a mental belief. You don't develop it, you have it from birth. Managers need to find those men!

I can see where you're coming from. It could be argued that in the last few years we've shelled out top money on players (is it 4th highest spenders?) but not on managers.

I do think that we need a transformative figure. Both on and off the pitch. I think there is something in the club, something systemic. It's become a cultural thing at the place.

You don't develop the kind of away "records" that we own (we all know the ones) without something being deeply wrong. And these things are very difficult to change and it's deeper than just getting yet another new face from a mid-table side in the dug out and a new wide man.

On an immediate level, 6 wins out of 41 away, or whatever it is, is clearly not good enough. Losing 14 and drawing 3 of the last 17 games when conceding first – if accurate – is pathetic. It's got to the point that if we are away and we concede then I pretty much know that's it. And the players will know it as well, as it's become routine. So clearly something isn't right. Something is wrong and it's deep-seated.

On a broader level, let's take the Anfield derby record. It's a complete embarrassment and, I try to never use the following word as it's the standard word in football for just about everything, bit it IS a disgrace.

The entire club has a complex about Liverpool FC in general and playing there specifically. It's crippled by it from top to bottom. I've heard Lukaku and Phil Neville say things along the lines that people at the club turn it into such a big thing and bang on about it so much that it became unpleasant. Meanwhile, they just turn up and swot us aside as if we're a minor irritant.

Pickford made an extremely revealing comment after last season's Anfield derby, the one where he gifted them the 3 points. He said, "It's the Everton luck at Anfield." No it's not. It's nothing to do with that. You screwed up, made a mistake and gifted them the 3 points. The Everton "luck" at Anfield generally involves turning up, folding like a deck chair, being awful and getting beat. A failure to even lay a glove on 10 men twice in close succession confirmed that for me. They are dead on arrival.

But the point is that people at the club, be it football or non footballing staff, or both, is telling Pickford that that most definitely IS the Everton luck at Anfield. That we will never get anything. Because we just never get any luck. That's the kind of messages the players get. It's a joke. The semi-final surrender, against a Liverpool side with Jay Spearing in midfield, told you everything you need to know.

These things are deep rooted, cultural and take years to change. On the pitch we clearly need an nark or two. Leaders that will basically crack the, whip in the dressing room and on the pitch.

As for the gaffer, I think Silva is a decent manager. But I doubt that he is the man to bring about the kind of systemic change that's required to achieve what we want to see.

So, who is the transformative figure? I'm going to float the idea that, even though he's arguably on the downside, if there's even a chance we could get Jose then we should go for it. We are the kind of underdog club he's best at.

He would hit the place like a truck and bring an arrogance and mentality the place hasn't seen for decades. And that, in my eyes, we badly need. The club and all its employees need shaking out of the "nice little Everton" cul-de-sac it has walked itself – itself by the way, no one else did this Heysel obsessives – into.

The fella in the dug out is the most important man at any club. It's time we got one in with a track record. Taking 'never has-beens' from non-entity clubs won't provide the club with the slapping about it clearly needs.

It's lazy to blame issues on ‘Jonny foreigner'. English/British players are just as mercenary.

Sorry I don't agree, if you go 1 goal up in the first 5-10 min the forwards have got the point it is the defense's responsibility to make sure you keep the points. If you are tied it is the defense's responsibility to keep the point and give the forwards a chance to get another goal for the points, and then your defense keep the points, that is why I maintain that you have to have a strong defense to win a game. you can score 4 goals and that is useless if your defense lets in 5.

My comment is that Silva is concentrated on pressing for the ball and move it up-field quickly that leaves gaps in the defense that other teams counter attack.

Everton need to have a strong defense, as at the moment we start to loose, the manager seems devoid of any ideas to get us back into the game. The other problem I watched on Sunday Everton had 2 corners and 3 passes later Pickford was getting the pass back.

I am not for changing the manager but unless he improves his overall tactics, he keeps making that decision easier for a board or an owner that has any backbone easy.

I am not advocating that Everton become a defensive team but Silva has to get a balance between defense and attack to hope to finish in the top 6.
As I said this is a strong league were any team can get an upset, but if you want to get points from supposed weaker teams you cant continue to keep making silly amateur mistakes.

I think we are in for a tough period until the January transfer window (or beyond).

With respect to Palace, Villa and Bournemouth they are very ordinary and very beatable sides and although like all we have no divine right to win, Everton are better and we should be well able to win against this class of opposition away and home.

Instead of a potential nine points, we got one, scored one goal versus five against us – disgraceful to say the least. We should be top of the league, for fuck's sake.

Brands had his priority's and he didn't deliver. No excuses about deadwood needing moving on. Zouma and Gana needed replacing and with the latter, from January he had to work on this. Delph isn't going to do what Gana did, and we won't know about Gbamin until he gets fit again.

According to some on here Brands would have us unearthing some amazing players from South America, a market apparently he is an expert on – where the fuck are they then!

We needed a quick top-class centre half (at least better than we have) and a proven striker who could help bring the young players on and what happens – say no more, we buy a kid.

Mosie Kean may do something and then again he may not, but I doubt he is going to be the answer for us this season even after his brief minutes on the pitch.

For me Moshri has failed to go and get a manager that is proven, a manager who is respected and will bring the right players and take no shit. Lots of opinions on who, Simone for me would have a great appointment and a REAL big statement.

Silva just resembles Martinez for me. I have no doubt he is a decent manager but after these five games I very much doubt he will be the man to make us a formidable football team capable of winning more often than not.

People saying its early days and we are only one point off third may be factually correct, but this type of defence is only papering over the cracks.

I am not a fan of this European idea of a Director of Football. A manager must be able to manage and be in control (as was Alex Ferguson and many other successful managers).

I agree with your assessment of Ghana and Zouma but I can't understand why we still play the same system without them. It simply seems we don't have a backup plan without them or expect what we have is just as good, and that is not going very well.

If you can't get a tune out of them, then you might as well go home and play tiddlywinks.

You just reminded me of the difference between good, and the best. Beauty's in the eye of the beholder.

Blue-tinted, rose-tinted, dock-tinted...

Table tinted is 11th. 😔

I'm sick of fans saying "Give them time to gell." It's been near on 25 years since we won anything, how much longer have we got to put up with these over-paid charlatans?

I'm sick of the players coming out saying "That's not good enough, we need to turn it around" — We know it's not good enough, less talk more action.

They don't deserve the support they get. I could go on but what is the use?

When was the last time we saw an Everton player run at a defence? When was the last time we saw a central through ball?

Marco. Your football style does not work in the Premier League.

Everton forced some chances but it wasn't good enough. Calvert-Lewin and Kean can't play up front on their own. Sigurdsson needs selling. Richarlison just dives every time an opponent goes near him. Pickford needs dropping. Digne can't defend. Mina is a liability.

The formation is negative. It results in a narrow three and an isolated forward.

We need to face the fact that we need another rebuild. Plus another Manager. Time for Manuel from Fawlty Towers to jog on.

I will probably be a lone voice in the dark but we have to keep at it.

He must know Keane and Mina is a bad partnership.

That Schneiderlin is shocking.

Sigurdsson is too infrequent.

Richarilson turns up once every 3 matches.

Walcott is a Championship player

Calvert-Lewin is a 1-in-8 striker

Kean was for the Under-23s and not the 1st team.

Weve existed without a striker since Lukaku left.