Schneiderlin challenges “negative” tag

I'm not a coward and shit it's just a matter of perspective!

I don't know about perception, and think the better word to choose when describing his own game would have been deception imo.

Firstly - If Silva ever opts for a 4-3-3 formation I think he would be a good fit to sit deep with two box to box midfielders either side of him.

Secondly - If Silva plays his 4-2-3-1 against the better teams and it effectively becomes 4-4-1-1. He's not a bad option in midfield because of his positional discipline.

However - If Silva thinks about playing him in a 4-2-3-1 where the opposition are likely to defend any more times - he should be sacked on the spot.

I still contend that if Gomes, Delph and Gbamin had been fit all season, he wouldn't even be making the bench. The real question is whether Davies has rightfully vaulted him in the midfield pecking order.

Yes, Busquets passes sideways. He also wins the ball all over the pitch, works relentlessly and brings passion and fire to the side. He has extraordinary vision and football intelligence, and as someone said of him years ago, "If you watch the whole game, you won't see Busquets—but watch Busquets, and you will see the whole game."

Nobody has ever used any of those words to describe Morgan Schneiderlin. They use lots of other ones.

However, none of that matters after this shit. If I was silva I would ditch him for at least a few games, on the basis that even if you need him, he's just going to antagonise the crowd and you need full support right now.

If silva can bounce back like I hope, then maybe Schniderlin can sneak back into a winning team, play well and win the fans back.

Frankly though, I just cannot see a way back. After, missing the last game for conflicting reasons, I wonder if there's something else going on here and while you guys focus on the “perception element” what about the “left united too early” element. Is this not a guy looking for the exit. If so, then that's half the battle with schneiderlin. We're stuck with him because he's on too much money. If he does want to leave, then it's easier to get him to take a paycut.

Just glad I don't support Southampton. 0-5 down after 44 minutes.

But we all now expect him to receive the ball, then fondle it for such a long time that the only option is to pass it sideways or backwards...

So, until he finds it within his very soul to be a helper for Everton's positive movements, I'll keep him on a back-burner for my enthusiasm!

Schneiderlin had such lovely forward passes when he first came into the side! Who killed those? Why does he feel he can no longer play like that? Club/manager or his own head?

PS: I've been very negative towards Morgan for a long time, but that is mostly because he did so much right early on, and we have seldom seen that side of him later!

Successive Everton managers have played 2 DM's for so long it's hard to remember when we played any differently. The objective is to keep the score down when your manager is not confident enough to go for the win.

Who knows he might be included tomorrow if Silva has a relapse in his thinking. If he does it will almost certainly spell another miserable defeat.

I would challenge him here. He wouldn't like watching a match with me.

Also, Morgan for the love of Christ, please don't compare yourself to a Barça midfielder. Yeesh.

Playing him and Gueye together, neither one keen to dictate play. The difference is that one was winning back the ball all over the pitch and the other strolls around with no responsibilities.

He's on massive money and we rightly demand more from him.

When the fans have issues with you on the pitch, your best bet is to be gracious and humble off it. To use some great Aussie terminology, the guy's a flog.

I'd add, it's not Morgan's fault he's gash and we overpay him to be gash. I can take the side passing, the recycling of the ball. It's the lack of urgency, passion and willingness to go the extra that drives me mad.

He's a wimp. A soggy biscuit. A limp wrist. A drip.

He'll be gone as soon as we find a mug to take him and his wife tells him it's ok to move...

Possibly, now realising his mistake we could send him back to complete the years he has apparently missed.

I would hope that Ole would at least offer us a couple of goal nets for him, however, if he doesn't we shouldn't push it just in case the deal falls through.

He should have kept his mouth shut. He's been crap for ages and those saying he's been not bad this season? Well I suppose there is a difference in being really shite or just shite.

It's not our system though. We need to get the ball to our attackers while they're in space.

Should have been sent packing after the Mirallas debacle.

"I've been very negative towards Morgan for a long time, but that is mostly because he did so much right early on, and we have seldom seen that side of him later!"

That's exactly how I feel.

I was delighted when we got the guy, and ecstatic when I first saw him play. He was our best player over a 10-game stretch in early 2017. And then it all went to hell.

That's why I'm so negative towards him. I see a lack of responsibility he had not shown before. With Morgan 2.0, it's somebody else's fault.

He let me down.

We all lose our grip on reality from time to time. Don't worry, we're all gonna support you and get you through this. We're there for you.

Would anyone truly want him back in the starting XI?

I've watched him closely in some matches to make sure that I am not unjustly criticising him, however I often get exasperated watching him and it is a bit like confirmation bias. He seems a bit of a shirker and you never see him busting a gut or trying to take a game by the scruff of the neck.

As others have noted he often seems to hide behind our opponents when WE have the ball severely limiting our options.

I too liked him when he first joined but for some reason it quickly turned sour and I groan seeing his name on the teamsheet - Tom deserves a run as the middle of the park until last week has been as uninspiring as it can get.

England and Everton double tomorrow please!

Read this from the perspective of the uninformed, neutral, prospective buyer:

We're looking for a holding midfielder - Busquets is the benchmark.

He was at a Champions League club; Manchester United, he's not just not a player who can't get in Everton's team.

It was ‘his decision' to leave.

Look at his stats ("compare me to Busquets") but he's playing in a failing team.

It's not ill-advised at all. He's looking for one last move. Good luck to him.

Gran rarely had a bad word for anyone, she was kind, warm and thoughtful. She was also one of the most truthful and happy people that I've ever met.

The whole situation ended when Gran smilingly said "Oh look, here's our Albert playing the trumpet. Doesn't he look smart in his band uniform. Shame they are all marching out of time with him".

Kidding aside, not everything is Silva's fault.

However, there's a fair few variables that need to be considered, as well as some home truths. I'm in no way advocating his selection ahead of players who perform better than him, but I'm also not one of the many fans/posters who write off his contribution regardless of how he actually played on any given weekend.

Firstly, the team looked a lot sharper with Davies and Gomes paired in the middle last week, that much isn't really disputed. Most would see this as evidence that Davies is a better option than Schneiderlin going forward. I agree for now. I think if those two guys aren't the midfield two (assuming Silva goes 4-2-3-1) on Saturday then both or either should feel fairly aggrieved. The only real counterpoint to this is that both Gomes and Davies have shown patches of bad-to-terrible form during their time at the club. Based on the most recent data though, Schneiderlin should be behind both players in the pecking order.

To be fair to Morgan, he did explicitly say he's not trying to compare himself to Busquets. Obviously there is a comparison made by the very nature of the comment, but he knows he's not at that level. To read into that that he thinks he's as good as Busquets is disingenuous and looking for a reason to contradict. At the end of the day, comparing the two players is totally fair as they play similar positions for teams that either do or try to play high possession football. Comparing doesn't mean equating and that's where a lot of people get angry for no reason.

Schneiderlin has also spoken openly about how his time at Man Utd kind of spooked him into playing negatively because of what Van Gaal was telling him to do. Yes, a six-figure weekly salary should be reason to "get over it" and sort yourself out, but that's not how the human mind works, and I've seen players of all sports get "ruined" because of certain things that happen to them or around them. When Everton bought Schneiderlin they were really looking for the Southampton player from a couple of seasons earlier, and obviously hadn't done their research into how he'd turned out after moving to Man Utd.

The other factor I like to keep reminding people of when criticising him is that it's all well and good saying he should be making incising passes forward to players that can move forward to attack, but who can honestly say Everton's movement off the ball has been good enough for players to make those passes in the first place. It's been like that since I started watching the team in 2002, and, barring about half a season under Martinez, it hasn't been something Everton players have been good at in a long, long time.

I know this will look like I'm championing Schneiderlin, but I'm only trying to be fair to a player who seems to pick up more blame than other players who are performing just as badly and have done for some time. I do think it'd be better if he found a new club to play for, and we probably wouldn't get much of a fee for him but you win some you lose some.

"Some people say I pass square but I don't see it. Look at Sergio Busquets at Barcelona. I don't compare myself to him but tell me the passes he does that I don't?"

No disingenuity or contradiction from me, sir. Schneids may say he's not comparing himself to Busquets, but that's a clear comparison statement. He does in fact equate himself to Busquets as a passer, and that's just plain delusional.

Nor do I credit your belief that Everton hadn't done its proper homework in acquiring Schneids. On the contrary, his superb play in his first 14 appearances for the club -- we were 9-3-2 in those games, with a +19 goal differential -- indicated that we'd landed an outstanding player. It's not the club's fault his performance pancaked for the next two seasons, or that all of his managers during that period apparently found his attitude wanting. That's on him.

That should be him finished here and I would like to see Silva freeze him out until some team is willing to take him from us. He has made no meaningful positive contribution to our team for a long time showing no courage on the ball to drive our team forward.

Hopefully Silva will continue with Davies, Gomes and Delph in midfield and give the youngsters Beni and Denis some minutes also. Some might think I'm being harsh here but he has had more than enough opportunities. Can you tell I'm not a fan!

The week after his lovely gesture, this painful lack of self-awareness.

They don't help themselves, these people, do they?

Give me Tom Davies any day of the week.

I hope Drew@44 is correct, because Schneiderlin leaving Everton can't come soon enough, especially when the man chooses condescending “words” because his lack of effort and desire, really negates the ability that he once showed.

Must be so hard to motivate a multi millionaire that has little respect for the club.

Let's hope someone wants him in January.

Top teams don't really have them, every player is expected to be able to attack and defend. We're loaded with them and still can't defend.

Yeah, you should have stayed at Man Utd because you are as good as Sergio Busquets.

In fact, no. Cirque du Soleil needs a new clown though.

How are PSG for more French-speaking almost defensive but nothing more midfielders?

Mr Brands, hello, Mr Brands. What do you mean that my in my call is important to you but the holding time is how bloody long!?!

Catterick used to say that a player's form would often suffer after getting married and cited this as the reason for indifferent spells from some of his younger players.

Maybe there is something in this; maybe it causes some players to lose that edge which makes them special. Morgan was great when he first arrived to the point that we all despaired if he was injured. Since that summer, he has been pretty awful and clearly lacking in desire and will to win.

I'm no Sigurdsson fan but he is a different player this season to last and looks totally shot to me… but he is too young to be finished. Maybe his goal will revitalise him but hopefully not at the expense of last week's midfield.

Well if you helped get the ball back from your own messed up pass, it might not look so bad, you cretin.

His reference to Man United is a typical French reaction. Remember since he joined the nightmare we have all come through, which wasn't his fault. Well aleast he got game time here, which you thought he would be grateful for , but maybe not since he is French.

Looks like Jay BRZ was onto something 🤔

I could be wrong but is he the only player to be booed onto the pitch by us?

There could be a reason for that Morgan?

A big problem for us this season has been our attacking play. 2 of our biggest culprits have been Schneiderlin (slowing everything down) and Coleman (running into trouble up the wing before then passing it backwards). We attacked far quicker last week against West Ham and could have scored 5. He's picked an unchanged team again this week (apart from Mina). Let's hope for a positive result today.

Schneiderlin is not a class player by any means - but he ain't ‘ shite ‘ either.
Managers are getting much more from lesser players throughout the Premier league.

You and Allardyce are the absolute nadir of this club and should serve as a warning from history that consistently making shit boardroom decisions results in a totally unacceptable and expensive indifference that pollutes everything it touches.

If he knew anything about the club we love to hate them he'd realize energy and character are the things we love in our players.

Too often his character and judgement has been questionable. One of the first to go missing when things go south and several times he has lost his discipline, I'd even go as far to safe he's tried to hurt a couple of players both in the Bournemouth and City games. His sendings off have all been avoidable.

You see Morgan is not your footballing ability that's the issue mate it's the stuff between yer ears. The article just confirms it. Ugh.