Injury-decimated Blues see out goalless bore-draw

11 fit first teamers plus Iwobi on the bench, then a bench full of kids: Virginia, Tyrer, Iwobi, Nkounkou, Broadhead, John, Price, Welch.

Not much there to change the game if need be, but you know the starting XI won't all go the distance and 1 or 2 of the kids could be making their debuts tonight at some stage.

Out of adversity, and all that.

COYB!

I'm sticking my neck out here by saying we won't be scoring tonight and if we do it'll be one at most.

How can you spend so much money yet recruit so poorly?

A bunch of kids and Iwobi on the bench and 7 defensive players against Brighton is not where Everton should be 18 months into Carlo Ancelotti's tenure and FIVE years into Farhad Moshiri's reign.

18:38 Carlo Ancelotti is certain Everton's gun front pairing of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison will be on song for a game against Brighton the manager reckons is critical to his side's European chances.

We've seen a succession of weakened teams with effectively 3 subs. This is the weakest yet.

4 4 1 1?

Well probably win now, but there'll certainly be youngsters playing tonight!

We really are limping to the end of the season. No chance of anywhere near a European place now with the injuries piling up

They were all alright until the Rhino jumped on top of the piley on.

Lol It seems like it. I hate to say it, it's asking a lot I know but we may have to ask James if he would mind playing more than his customary 60 minutes.

Since Moshiri arrived, there has been no strategy, at a time when there very much should have been one.

19:37 Ancelotti said: "In the last training session he [Calvert-Lewin] had a little problem on his abductor. He came here but this morning he was not comfortable so I prefer to leave him out. It's the same with Allan and Andre Gomes – they are not 100 per cent. I hope they will be available for the next game."

What side would you have liked to see start the game?

Now they are being given a sniff its negativity all over again.

Lets wait till the final whistle eh, you can start the witch hunts then.

We are playing Brighton with a team choc full of internationals.

The expectation management of the self proclaimed positives will be the death of this club,"Makes it almost impossible for us to win "

We are playing Brighton with a team choc full of internationals.

The expectation management of the self proclaimed positives will be the death of this club,,,1,19:48:40,,2.220.201.122,ok,13643,04/12/2021 19:48:40,dashin@cheerful.com,reader,,,no 1146101,40660,toffeeweb,12/04/2021,Colin Glassar,colinglassar@yahoo.co.uk,I fully expect Iwobi to come on and save the day. 0-0 if we're lucky! ,I fully expect Iwobi to come on and save the day. 0-0 if we're lucky! ,,,1,19:48:46,,104.194.220.69,ok,12051,04/12/2021 19:48:46,colinglassar@yahoo.co.uk,reader,,,no 1146102,40660,toffeeweb,12/04/2021,Michael Kenrick,michael.kenrick@gmail.com,"No predictions from me – anything can happen in football. But the die is usually cast early on in the game and Everton are not renowned for changing the game part-way through... although, yes, it has been known to happen.

So that super-annoying 'hope' crap swings into central focus once again.

Mindfuckingboggling!

Hope he buys it.
No chance of Andy Crooks buying it though

If we cant beat this crew tonight, We may as well start train spotting

Where's the live forum? I may as well start the “Ancellotti out with his zombie football” rant.

I once very nearly sent an email to a sheikh in Oman which should have said "I'll send you the first draft on Thursday" but MSWord autofuckup managed to type "I'll send you the first dwarf on Thursday". Fortunately I caught it.

Do we sign sick notes because they're cheap? Have agents sussed us out as good places to dump their glass footballers?

Dcl and Bernard are out injured?

Not easy mate is it with the amount of players unavailable

My one worry is that half the bench will have to leave at half time because their mums say they have to be home by ten.

Haha.,"They [Everton] have ways to attack all over the pitch so we have to be good defensively."

Haha.,,,1,20:09:34,,81.157.171.196,ok,16865,04/12/2021 20:09:34,grantr,reader,,,no 1146159,40660,toffeeweb,12/04/2021,Rob Hooton,robhooton@hotmail.co.uk,"Blimey, might need a drink for this one! Absolutely decimated by injuries, let's hope those fit and able give it their all and win this.
I doubt it will be pretty, I haven't enjoyed watching us much this season as it is!
Digne hat trick, 3-1 to the blues

Despite strengthening it last summer we will have to add further reinforcements.

Often described as the engine room, ours is truly knackered. Good luck.

Looks like a Walter Smith team ( but without Gordon Watson up front ) !

Looks

You portray every team we play as formidable. You are frightened of your own shadow.

"Its almost impossible to win".....and you have the temerity to call other people negative.

You were born to lose with that attitude

The irony that games this season were ruled out for 2 or 3 viruses in a squad.

When football knowledge met mathematical genius

But mainly they're crap.

No expectations accepted europe was over after palace. Hoping we nick a flukey set piece and forget this game ever happened.

I want a worldy competition between James and Siggy, 1st to score from outside the box probably wins us the game.

Everyone else, mark a player and defend.

Is it a nightmare or am I really awake ???

Maybe there's some yardage in the argument that he's always had decent squads to start with, but is not a proven “coach”. Certainly hard to argue with it right now.

Maybe he's stepping back a bit and leaving too much to Davide, and the players not liking it?

Either way, this is utter shite.

Most of us crossing everything that another 2-3 players come in this summer and make all the difference. However, I'm getting scared he'll want 2-3 “Allans” with similar in-out fitness records, and this time next year we'll also be starting with 6 defenders.

Big cross roads we're at.

Take the point. Turn the page. Forget.

Utterly depressing season watching some mind numbingly dull football from us

Don't really care where we finish - somewhere around 10th I suppose. Not expecting any big moments.

Just wait for the transfer window and see what happens. Ins will be hugely important, but you'd think there'll be a couple of significant outs too.

We wonder why the media ignore us, can you blame them?

1. Needs at least 5 seasons
2. It's not his squad
3. Just 5 more transfer windows.
4. Language barrier
5. Blah! Blah! Blah!

In the first 19 games, we amassed 36 points. 11 games later, we have 48 points. 12 points out of a possible 33.

Next 4 games, Spurs, Arsenal, Villa and West Ham. Yes, top 14 still a possibility!

Such a shame because it was there for us, it truly was. Once again. And we've blown it.

I am struggling to see any easy way back. The teams above us will reinforce and we have nothing there really, we're a ghost side.

Injuries excepted but Seamus was our best player by far, but no excuses for the lack of intensity. NB is King injured, or out of favour?

No midfield, no back up tonight, we must be on par for the most inefficient team in terms of forward passing, in modern football, and it's been slow and side ways, and reverse 30 degree passes for too many years.

No press is really needed as Everton compress themselves. There was SFA, chance of scoring tonight bar, a miracle goal. DCL, Charlie are the only outlets.

Feck my bets, but this performance with so much at stake is for me very diss heartening.

Sadly as well, Old bad habits coming to fore across the defence, and a midfield as ineffective as Ive seen.

My fishing rods, on the canal, Otterspool, or in Liverpool Bay, on the boat bring more satisfaction.

Europe is now literally a distant hope and a million Nirvanas.

Spurs will fancy their chances, quite rightly too.

No point in going in too deep tonight, it's gonna be a long week, but let's hope some players are available.

Brighton taking the piss, sets up a very tough week, and Everton, are by fact chucking a great chance again, today.

Europa League is now in severe jeopardy.

We need to get a quality midfielder, with energy, tenacity, mobility and ability to drive forward with the ball. [ and chip in with goals ]

2 No pace up front to get behind a defence.

We need to sign two forwards with spring and pace to put panic into back lines and stretch defences.

3 A quality right back

This goes without saying, should have been bought last summer.

We need to move on 8- 12 players you know who they are [ do your best Marcel ! ] and replace them with the above.

Unless he can massively strengthen the squad with footballers who can actually use the ball with skill and guile then he may as well throw in the towel before he ruins his reputation.

How far can he go with players like Iwobi, Davies, Gomes, Sigurdsson etc... in MF? Not very far if you ask me. Now I can see why he wants Koulibaly. None of our CB's can play out from defence. They are good defensively but clueless with the ball.

In MF we have no one who can carry the ball. None of them have spatial awareness. None of them are brave. None of them are clever. None of them are quick.

Doucoure has been a massive loss. He's not the most skilful but his energy and enthusiasm more than makes up for it. Allen has been another huge loss but we desperately need 2-3 more players at that level.

This summer will decide whether we continue to be mid-table shite or we can actually aspire to greater things. Given the funds Carlo can do it but he's not a magician.

Well done Nathan Broadhead. Maybe he allows Carlo to play 442 as Broadhead can play left wing too. Well deserved after keeping his head down and looking a goal scorer in the U23s. Hopefully he keeps getting better and can push on as there are places well up for grabs.

Bowler is back fit too, who apparently played well for Hull on loan and looked to progress this season before injury, so another option right mid. At least he can run past his man on the right touchline and then come inside and shoot like Mahrez sometimes does on his left foot.

Grasping at straws... I don't know, but some kind of positive helps me sleep quicker tonight rather than going searching for answers to our obvious problems and sudden collapse of squad players available. Roll on the summer transfer window.

A football worth £35 should be taking it too 😂

Realistically what would we get for some of our players now?

Dreadful match I fear it is season over again ! Without Europe how do we attract the calibre of player we need ?

Brief false dawn after brief false dawn, always falling back to what is now becoming a rather frequent and recognizable type of performance that seems to transcend the individuals involved. Just what is going on here?

I do wonder if Carlo struggles to find true motivation against the lesser sides (and therefore lesser managers). I wonder if he only gets a buzz when pitting his wits against the likes of Jose, Pep and Klopp.

First of all. The training methods and medical staff at the club really needs questioning now. Because the injures are just taking the piss now ans surely Everton can't be that stupid and bone idol to let this pass. Laughable to be honest.

As for the players on the pitch. Disgusting performance. End of season game. Looked like two sides who were already relegated. Only James wanted the ball tonight. No one else did. My god we need about 9 players let alone 4 or 5. We have spent half a billion in the last couple of years. And yet only one player on that bench made more than 2 appearances in the league. Says it all really. On the pitch we have been a disaster. Recruitment has been more disappointing than promising. But blazee Everton will carry on and let the fans suffer more.

We have no identity, no style and no leaders at the club. And our attitudes fucking stinks at best. Players who genuinely believe they are better than what they are. If at least 80% left the club in the summer. I would not be remotely arsed in the slightest.

But season over. Failure. Big changes needed this summer and straight away rather than dramatic old deadline day. I know Bill loves the drama but fucking hell. Get the job done earlier.

At least we didn't lose.

Holdgate did well in midfield and centre back once Mina went off.

I would take their Basouma all day.

I am dreading Friday.

good points, both.

We also must ask why is this so ingrained in the club. Why do the players default to this. It's been too many players and too many managers now. Injuries or not, that side should be capable of more than that showing tonight.

I can only assume the Broadhead sub was to waste time? Surely he didn't think three minutes would be enough for him to make an impact. But what's worse time eating to hold a point at lowly Brighton or if he does rate Broadhead, waiting until 88 minutes to bring him on?

Every game will be the same defensive mode. I do think that the Crystal Palace defeat made up Ancelottis mind not to put his faith in this Everton squad and to exercise total control over how they play. As he said after that game Everton have not got the technical players for open type play.

He is also determined to make sure that the near post space behind the right back which has been exploited by lower Premier League sides, as it has been by Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Fulham and Burnley. West Ham did also.

No wonder Moyes worn a mask with no one within 20yards of him, to cover his smirk. He won't be Managing a top 4 side by the end of the season. Lucky for Keane, Mina is injured , he should be dropped on his performance tonight. I was so glad he wasn't covering the right back.

What you have is a Manager who has little confidence in the players at his disposal. Olsen was solid enough and safe.

If the dream is a new stadium and a squad that befits it, along with regular European football, then a lot has to change next summer.

He's part of one of the most expensive and useless MF we've ever had. His fellow strugglers eg Iwobi, Sigurdsson and Gomes are just as bad.

The players look like they're doing a "job".

No joy or enthusiasm exists just fellas plodding around thinking "I should be standing here, then there and when the ball comes pass it sideways or back".

It is canned football from the shelf marked "lowest common denominator togger".

Fuck knows what Carlo is saying to them but he ain't Churchill that's for sure

But I'll settle for where we'll end up. West Ham may well finish top 4 but let's face facts. They will not kick on from there.

West Ham should they achieve a champions league group stage will find life very uncomfortable, especially when trying to combine that with domestic competition.

No doubt they will throw money at one or two players, probably players Moyes won't want.

Anyway, back to us. I make the comparison as we looked possible at one stage to break into the top 4. Unlikely candidates, like West Ham.

We are absolutely not ready for this and progress may just be steady in our case rather than steep and that may be a good thing. It's imperative that we keep hold of DCL, Richarlison and James. Richarlison has had his poorest season for us so far and I can't put my finger on why. Perhaps burnout.

We need creativity. We still lack leaders

That was total dross but exactly what I expected. No pace anywhere. We're just lucky Brighton didn't go for the jugular from minute 1. So many players going through the motions. As for Ancelloti even fat Sam is looking better than him. We need a total rebuild, AGAIN!

Same with all the U-23s, with the exception of those few kids with a realistic prospect of coping with EPL football.

Sign a group of fit, fast, strong, motivated players who can complement the few quality players we have, also one or two who can actually pass the ball. Get rid of whoever is responsible for crocking our players at FF and replace the old boys' club there with some seriously competent coaches.

If we get a smaller squad of players, all of whom could do a job in the first team, we would be making progress.

I don't want to add any more than I've said on previous posts, but this game in context can define this season.

Everton are in a bad run and never more do they need a result, heart desire, belief, but with no engine room, in midfield unless there's some miracles, and at least Allan, can play along Tom, plus even Godfrey in midfield, then, we may have a chance.

I hope Shitcreek doesn't come this weekend, but to avoid it, needs one hell of a turn around in belief and desire.

Injuries excepted and Everton, are down to the bare bones, then, Carlo, can only play the players available.

On a positive, I'm made up to see Isaac Pryce in the squad, and for my view, he will do well in his football career.

Summing up tonight took me back to dark days, away when George Telfer, was doing his very best, and George had the ability, the effort but barely one decent chance in every three games.

There's loads of factors impacting the selectable squad, but fair play to Seamus, if the rest of the team showed half of his heart and desire it would be more bearable.

The worst game to watch in many season, but that's become the TW, cliche, for another rank bad, over all poor performance. Tonight wasn't good enough, by Everton.

Europa qualification will drive recruitment potential, if we don't qualify and there's still x7 finals to play, then, fate and facts will play.

But the battle goes on, and there will, be more twists of fate but Everton must beat Spurs on Friday.

I'd say they may be good odds, but Everton, have to get back their credibility back on Friday.

Else it really is Shit Creek, again.

I'd accept heavy losses with that approach rather than the rubbish we saw tonight.

The problem is when we win possession there are few options for moving play up the field quickly: a long ball to Richarlison with a defender up his backside, a pass to James who will turn inside and float a long ball out to Digne, a pass out to Seamus to scoot along the right. That's about it.

We have no midfielder capable of running with the ball. The starting point for our attacks is too far from the opposition goal, there is too much pitch to cover and we are too slow anyway.

I am sure the manager sees this but the solutions are not available currently. None of the youngsters are ready yet for the PL and most of them never will be. Lewis Warrington looks excellent in centre midfield but he has only just been promoted to the 23s. Simms has now scored a few for Blackpool in League One but their coach has commented on the work they are doing to improve his focus in terms of staying switched on, which was a problem when he was in our under 23 team. Anthony Gordon made a good start at PNE but hasn't scored, got injured and is now on the bench for a struggling team.

There are far too many similar players on our books. Get rid of them and sign honest players who will put in an honest day's effort for the indecent amount they are paid by the club.

If the so-called experts at Finch Farm cannot get the squad fit then get rid of them as well. I have sat through 90+ minutes of total and absolute dross tonight the like of which I do not want to see again and I am fast running out of patience with our so-called celebrity manager.

As if squandering hundreds of £millions already isn't akin to an arsenic pill to an allegedly illustrious accountant, the realisation that he now needs to take another significant financial kick in the nuts to be rid of the dross he's been ultimately responsible for sanctioning must do his head in.

But then he needs to find a way of financing BMD in the next few years whilst at the same time splashing out again, big time, to sign players, and especially coaches, who have the special qualities so absent from all but a very few at USMFF, namely heart, pace and skill - and not necessarily in that order, but all three are vital to anyone seeking to win a trophy.

Or does he want to become a bigger version of Derby, Sunderland and Bolton, all of whom have lovely new stadia befitting their owners' aspirations at the time, all of them now having a very diminished fan-base and status as a direct result of cocking up the recruitment policy for years, as Moshiri has done?

So Mr M, just how deep are your pockets this Summer?

But he wasn't talking about Digne's own knee, he was explaining how Digne landed on Gbamin's knee.

John Ebrell, was very highly acclaimed but at the Everton first team squad, did he really do do it, and truly forfill the potential, shown in his youth? No, not even close.

A great goal, I recall at Stockport away, but for me it was almost a reminder of the sad, back, and crab passes we, see perhaps played at Everton, more than most teams.

The tempo, dynamic of the team starts at the back and I reckon, Godfrey precast certain, on current form Seamus for heart and belief, the rest bring errors and chances to the opposition.

But let's see, what happens on Friday.

Hopefully for once Everton, will react, well and I remember the Friday night game, ( plenty of beers after the game), v Spurs when Gary Naismith, scored a cracking free kick, in to the Park End, in season2003- 2004.

Same again, UTFT!

We will shop bargain basement, championship and past it stars from across Europe, who see Mosh's money as a contribution to their pension pots.

Why would you drop Keane? we kept a clean sheet with our goalie making maybe 1 save all game!

We won't win many games without a midfield. Do we have any academy kids that can step into the midfield?

Momentum is a big thing in sport and we don't have any for the final games.
It's looking more and more like we will finish outside of the Euro spots.

We really have made awful signings over the past five years, along with being able to sign players who are CONSTANTLY injured. This season is over as regards competing for anything much the same as the past twenty five years.

The basic check, get feet and position to shoot, not just with Iwobi, rarely happens other than a few freaks of nature in the season, when Bernard, Richarlison, Siggy, have let one go, and they have scored, from more than 6 yards.

Kind of sums up why Everton's goal scoring ratio, is so bad.

The critical point of this season needs all Evertonians, to be joined up, this Friday.

And now to see how this season can be recovered, to respectability.

Once Upon A Time in Walton.

We were only ever going to snatch a goal tonight. If DCL or King been available that may have been the case, but our midfield and attacking options were pretty light. My head tells me it was decent point with everything considered, but my heart is sad knowing that we'll likely finish 8th now.

The big telling point was about 5 minutes after Davies went off. Brighton played a simple ball through the centre of the park, Sigurdsson (who somehow escapes criticism from Colin) stands there waving his arms and the ball goes straight to the Brighton attackers.

Davies, once Mina went off, was in the centre of midfield on his own, as was he in the last game.

Let's look past those minor details though, let's not look at the anonymous Sigurdsson, the clown that is Iwobi, the non existent left wing back, the frequent mistakes from Godfrey (I like Godfrey, but if we criticise Davies then we surely must criticise others), the complete lack of anything from Richarlison. Instead, let's revert to the usual whipping boy.

We wonder why we don't get many youngsters coming through these days, it's hardly surprising when they have us as fans.

Seamus was the only player with instinct and character tonight, why weren't the rest of the team busting a gut, for the Everton cause?

Midfield was the big issue, you don't win games if you lose the midfield battle.

When you are down to the absolute remnants of your squad that you can only call on 12 first team players proper, you'd think that those that step in will make the manager think twice about dropping them for the next game. Nah, not Everton.

Tonight, I noticed how quickly BHA chased down the Everton defenders when out of possession, then I compared it to what Everton were doing. Well, what I saw was that the opposition defence would have the ball and quite often no one within 10 yards or so. Then when we had possession, the desire to break en masse just wasn't there. So many players remained very far behind the passage of play it was ridiculous.

Pickford, Gbamin, Delph, Allan, Doucoure, Gomes, Bernard, Calvert-Lewin, King being out will really impact any team, so stray passes etc are understandable to a point (it is what they do for a living after all), but desire and a lack of it, I find that really hard to grasp!

To me, that is the issue!

I really cannot fathom why we are paying a player, but not using him during an injury crisis.

I would genuinely like some one to explain that to me; not speculate, but actually factually explain it!

I would certainly give him a run with already paying his wages, rather than put square pegs in a round hole.

Might not be good enough, when we have our midfielders back from injury, but you can bank on him putting a tackle or two in. And should at worst, be an option from the bench.

It is weird that he isn't even on the bench!

I share your bewilderment on Besic. In January we finally added him to the EPL squad. I assume therefore he trains with the team? And yet it's better to have an empty seat on the bench? Certainly I'm not his biggest fan. He's prone to task tackles — kind of a poor man's Xhaka, but he's got hundreds of appearances in high level leagues, he's also an international so surely he is a consideration over a young kid or even an empty seat! Fucking mystifying. There has to be more to the story because football wise his apparent exile makes no sense. Did he rob Carlo's house? Date Moyes daughter? Seduce the dynamo?

Or keeps touching himself up in the communal shower? haa haa!

Who knows? It is mystifying as you say. He could have at least added some steel to that line-up tonight. It was the same with Bolasie - was paying him, but he was outside of the first team squad. Seems madness to me!

People wondering, again, why Davies was taken off confuse me. At 85 minutes when you need a goal, you take the player off who has pretty much proven that he can't score or create. Sure, he works hard, but his shot that hit row Z is about as close as he's been to scoring since his 21st birthday in a massage parlour. Add to that he's as slow as a wet week.

Richarlison is not a striker. Maybe for Brazil he can play there but international football is very different to club football.

Sigurdsson is what he is. Capable of scoring or looking like scoring but very little else.

Keane, after having a good first half, should be nicknamed Lampwick as he has, once more, turned into a donkey.

Can see 0-0 being the best case scenario against Spuds.

It's a very short list. And most have been hit with injuries.

Then I think of how many are lower half or might not even be Premier League level.

That's a much longer list.

Basically, I think Carlo can be satisfied with what he's done. Even if it's been horrendous to watch.

Basically we need 2 or 3 great signings and a whole bunch of decent mid table ones, while we get rid of the dross. And it's not going to happen quickly.

Strap in gents. It's not going to get any more watchable.

I'm in full support of Mr Ancelotti after the previous mob of short stay inefficient managers to the point that those inflexible, one thought only contributors might call me a "lighthouse happy clapping fanboy" but I get the feeling he would sooner play with eight men than risk gambling on a few juniors in their usual positions. And I'm almost as fed up asking if the casual viewer might know which team was nearer the Top 5 than the Bottom 5 as I am of hearing commentators and "experts" talk of "winning" free kicks and corners.

I'm almost at the point of accepting finishing in the bottom half of the League if Mr Ancelotti occasionally gambled on being more attacking when the full first team is not available. I got a little annoyed that when we did cross the halfway line the only pass available was to either Coleman or Digne outwide who then had nobody to cross it for.

For me, only James, Coleman and Davies came out of the game with anything to their credit but I could not include any defender as there were that many of them but nobody up front in attack.

I guess we could have squeezed Nkounkou or Broadhead in somewhere to give us some pace / width / energy - but equally there's a good chance of them being poor and us losing a tight game. Broadhead really isn't a Premier League quality player unfortunately. In fact he probably isn't a Championship quality player, at least yet. Nkounkou obviously looked great against Fleetwood but has not been seen since.

The trouble is we have a really poorly assembled squad - a legacy of bad spending, chopping & changing managers and not being able to simply spend our wat out of it like the Rich 6.

It isn't about wholesale changes but tonight we were without one of our strikers and the on-loan "deputy" so perhaps the choice was between Iwobi or Broadhead up front with Richarlison. It is possible that we might have used Bowler as a winger or even given a run to a young midfielder but really, FOUR central defenders and TWO full backs even if those two were almost our attack!

I thought Iwobi had for a split second..

How many times has that happened with us? An early surge and then an extraordinary falling away.

We're a poor team with so many inconsistent players in-fact your hard pushed to find any consistency at all these days,

We are not good enough for Europe and that was the goal, so Carlo will be under pressure.

A lot of the players know they wont start games next season, some of them wont be here.
The lack of effort makes that obvious.

As I can see Michail Antonio ploughing a lone furrow up top on his own in the champions league being somewhat of a struggle to them. They'd require much strength in depth. Lingard is also unlikely to be at the club and in the event that he is, he's not going to continue the purple patch he's in currently for an entire season.

In terms of champions league quality, their squad really doesn't have any. Despite what the media try and convince me about Declan Rice, I see a decent player there but no more.

Players like Jarrod Bowen, Coufal, Cresswell etc are steady Premier League players but no better than that.

Their only star is Tomas Soucek who is a player I advocated us signing a long time before he ended up at West Ham. Please see my history on this. I suspect he could be prized away for the right money.

So for them to contemplate a season of domestic football combined with a real crack at the champions league and ‘kick on' I would expect at least 7 top class players to come in and hit the ground running.

Some ask.

In my opinion, we haven't moved on from Silva or Allardyce. Millions spent in the meantime... yet the squad depth is a shambles.

I think the players thought the season was finished because we beat Liverpool. Anyone who thinks we are a Top 4 team is on another planet.

At another low point a few years back, I said that it was pointless changing managers as there just seemed to be a poison within the club and that the only solution was to purge anybody from Bill Kenwright down who was associated with the old guard. I realise though that it's as ridiculous a concept now as it was then.

Having 9 injuries is hard to compensate for and we have been worse at Brighton with a full squad. We need our better players back for Friday.

I don't want to post a knee-jerk emotive response to Monday's game but I feel totally despondent about football right now. For the first time in 35 years of being a Blue, I have felt really ambivalent about watching us or even checking the results!!

I guess it was one false dawn too many, that said I know, come the summer, after a couple of decent signings, I will believe again and think it will be different this year... setting myself up for disappointment no doubt. Why do we do it to ourselves?

Tommy Carter, I recall you pushing for Soucek before he signed for the Hammers. good call, what a bargain they got there!

I'd like to agree with you. But look at their run in. I think they might even do 3rd.

@ Steve. A bargain indeed. Although they paid more than he could have been acquired for when I first flagged him.

Also flagged Buendia a while back but after the season he's had it will be mega bucks for him. Expect him to have a good season next year in the premier league prior to a big move.

Something is very rotten at the club.

I can, to a degree accept that injuries are part of the game, but these are happening in training! You could be forgiven by thinking that training must be so intense and possibly too much so.

Alas, there is rarely any evidence at all, of any Training Ground practices 'coming together where it counts' – in an actual match, in fact often the opposite, 2 or 3 players all going for the same ball, having little evidence of shape or game plan.

Right, we accept that injuries have occurred, you pick the best out of what you have, and possibly, like last night, draft in some youngsters. At least they would put in a lot more effort to try and impress, in the hope of being in the future thoughts of the Manager.

Broadhead, who I like from what I have seen of him in the U-23s, is given 2 minutes of normal time, plus whatever time was added to impress?

I like Carlo by the way, but sometimes, the tactics, or apparent lack of them, leave me scratching my head. Quite often you see him on the touchline, eyebrow raised, puffing his cheeks in disbelief or incredulity, at what is unfolding before him. Are the players incapable of carrying out his instructions, or is he not getting them across?

You would think as this has been repeated so many times this season, we have X games in hand, 2 of which are at home, 6 points will see us seriously positioned in the Table. Then what happens? The same culprits are playing like it was a meaningless pre-season friendly, resulting in nil points, or a loss.

So, unbelievably the same players, if fit, get picked again to rinse, repeat, and fail to spin.

I think that Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin will jump ship in the summer, given half the chance. They have laboured manfully with limited help. The rest of the squad have realised that they are either, soon to be replaced (Iwobi, Bernard, Sigurdsson, Gomes) or are completely knackered (Coleman), or want to go to an easier ride (James, Bernard). So European qualification means nothing to some of them.

The likes of Spurs have more strength in depth but the extra games have dented their challenge. We are told that European football attracts better players but can you imagine dragging this lot to Ukraine on a Thursday and then Southampton on a Sunday?

I would gather, from what I have witnessed, that the players know we won't get 4th spot. They also know that 5th and 6th will mean awful travelling and more fatigue (in a shit tournament that brings little money, some horrible places), where only winning the damn thing gives Champions League qualification. A fat chance of progressing once the big boys slip down from the Champions League group stage.

The lads know, the manager knows, the squad is too small, lacks quality, and this weird season has drained the team of energy and ideas. Next season will merely see more tired players returning from the Euros and pre-season training being adjusted accordingly.

We need a minimum of 4 new faces with a mixture of experience, athleticism and pace. If we limp to the end of the season playing like last night, we will end up 10th.

Being optimistic, Champions League is a fantasy but Europa League is a reality. The games against Spurs and Arsenal will decide the season.

We're stuck with Ancelotti for next season and he will be given more funds to spend for sure. The big question being: Will his additions make any difference at all to a club that is clearly so badly run?

Without the hierarchy or know-how of how to find a successful formula, the truth is we a have little to no chance of progressing with a manager who is used to managing superstars. He's the wrong man for Everton, too old and too cautious, with our average squad of gutless mercenaries.

But deluded Moshiri is convinced his past glories mean he can pull things around. Standby for more of the same next season, it's going to take an age for the penny to drop this time. Ancelotti is a motivator of great players, not an organiser of mostly average bums, bar James who is pure gold.

I can accept injuries but cannot accept the clueless, headless chicken performances from those out there. This was not a team forced to play kids to fill the gaps, it was a team full of internationals.

I fear Moshiri is now forced to stick with Ancelotti whatever happens as he just wouldn't know where to look to next.

Following last night's abysmal performance, I ask myself once again, have we really improved at all since Ancelotti took over? He attracts better players is one argument put forward. Fair enough. He has improved our defence. Yes, again, fair enough, he has.

The overall impression though leaves me shaking my head. If this is progress, I don't see it. I simply don't. Injuries can't be a perennial excuse, all teams get them, it's the luck of the draw.

What disappoints me and most fans on here is the attitude. Coaches aren't only about organising and tactics, they are about motivating, aren't they?

Howard Kendall got it right. His players were perceived at the time as being ordinary but he got every ounce out of them. They played for the club, 100% every time. I know football has moved on since then but why should attitudes have changed?

The players and perhaps coaches have lost touch with what this means for us, the fans. We work hard, we come home and we want to see the players give a damn. We want to see them play like it matters. They need to sort it out before they lose the only thing that counts, the fans. Over to you, Mr Ancelotti.

This summer is a watershed moment for Ancelotti and Brands. The recruitment then will see both sink or swim at Everton.

To do list , Forwards with pace , Sarr , Bailey sell Kean buy both

Midfielders with good technique, assists , goals , desire and under 25 , Buendia , Ward Prowse

Right Back , Brands finds a bargain diamond.

To sign them we will need 150 million , we may need to sell not just Kean but one of our Crown Jewels, Richarlison last year alluded to wanting to move on after this season to play in the Champions League, he could be sold .

I feel the same as I did during the final few games of last season. I just desperately want the season to end. We've done nothing since the marvellous win at Anfield. I guess we've won our cup final so we might as well get to the end of the season, recruit some players over summer who look promising on paper and get all excited, discuss on TW talk "of top 4 or even winning it", only to be hugely disappointed all over again. Then suggest we need a new manager. And repeat.

Unless the squad is well blessed and full of quality it's not going to do us any favours.

The Europa League must be the most distracting competitions in football and we haven't got the squad for it.

Apart from Seville I can't think of any teams its been good for long term? And even after winning it 3 years running they are still not an elite club.

Sadly football is Champions league or you are just another number.

Who were they aiding? Apart from swelling their bank Accounts, it wasn't even Comic Relief!

They're terrified to say Moshiri has landed us with another dud, because, let's face it, that's what he is.

Soccer Aid is a British charity annual event that has raised over £38 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public

I know the last thing our fans want to hear is "jam tomorrow" but that is the harsh reality.

Patience is not an option.

Bissouma looks pretty good. Might be useful if he's not costing too much.

Ancelotti is having our trousers down and the majority of our fans are happy to walk around naked.

What is the alternative choice Casho? ,"Patience is not an option"

What is the alternative choice Casho? ,,,1,12:10:36,,109.249.181.43,ok,23848,04/13/2021 12:10:36,Tomrichards2@outlook.com,reader,,,no 1146415,40663,toffeeweb,13/04/2021,Rick Tarleton,rttsjt@gmail.com,"In the two recent matches our possession stats, against two of the the League's lesser teams were below 50%. I expect us to dig in and counter against the better teams, but against Palace and Brighton!
Our midfield is incapable of running a game, of providing opportunities and it struggles to regain possession. Without a functioning midfield,we cannot challenge for a European place.
Injuries have been a problem, I worry that in training, someone expects Sigurdsson and Gomes to run, someone expects Gbamin and Allan to manage a whole problem. Tom Davies is a willing body, but his control and Iwobi's too is far below the level expected of Premiership midfielders.
Without Calvert-Lewin we had no attacking focus. Can someone please explain why we signed King, as the manager obviously does not rate him.
On Friday night we could try seven defenders instead of a mere six.
Feeling rather disillusioned.

Do you rate Ward-Prowse? He'd be mega money and take away his set pieces and there's a very ordinary player there I think.

I get what you are saying but that is an expensive market. I think we need to be more astute than this and it really doesn't take much effort.

Too much scouting these days is based on statistics instead of somebody having the ability to spot the kind of talent that a football club requires.

The ship has sailed with Buendia. The window was there last summer for us to get him for a reasonable price. I'd seen more than enough from him last season to know that there is a very talented player there who has the attributes required to be a success at Everton Football Club.

In terms of a right back. We don't need a superstar right back. We need a defensively strong right back who can support going forward. This wouldn't cost anywhere near the fee of Max Aarons who for me isn't worth all the hype.

Matthew Lowton when he left Villa would've been an ideal signing for us all those years ago. A steady and defensively strong right back with a crisp delivery from out wide. Someone in that mould.

I don't know how many times I've been on here to extol the virtues of Domenico Berardi. He would be an awesome signing but once again the ship has sailed as his performances will likely attract a big money move beyond Everton.

Then there is a market at the big clubs with players who aren't getting games.

Once again, I highlighted Reece James at Chelsea before he was getting regular first team football. I saw him at Wigan and instantly I knew he was going to be a star. Ship sailed.

Chelsea have a squad of talent to be had for good prices as there are many of them not getting games.

I do not include Zouma in this, who is absolutely not my kind of player.

But let's wait and see. We'll probably splash all our kitty on some never has been like Iwobi, Tosun, Sigurdsson etc etc

Maybe its not constant now managers that's the problem, its the what seems like cozy Finch Farm life. The players need to learn how to perform for their lavish wages and lifestyles.

Its no wonder Unsworth wants to stay at Everton forever is it. Steven Gerrard wouldn't put up with this shambles.

What a come down after the high of actually being able to go out for a drink. Dull. Tepid. An uninspiring game of football in which Everton duly played their part.

We have improved in certain quarters but it is clear we still have a lot to improve on. What was called out at the beginning of the season by many is coming home to roost. The squad is thin and once we get hit by injuries, which all teams do, we are back to where we were previously. Only now due to clearing out the deadwood, which most of us have called for, we don't even have strength in deadwood numbers.

Given our realistic target this season was European football and not top 4, I for one will not yet throw in the towel and call it a dead rubber of a run in.

I do however suspect, as I said after Palace, this feels like it is going to be a wasted opportunity of a season characterised by multiple wasted opportunities along the way.

Squad building still in progress. Last summer was a start, clearing out was necessary, but now we need to fill more of the gaps. This is long term rebuilding, not short term magic wand waving to change sawdust into diamonds.

It was always going to take two or three summer windows before we could change the squad sufficiently to enable us to challenge top 4.
I thought we may get away with doing that in two windows. The evidence suggests it will be three summer windows.

Go through the current squad.
How many would get a start for a top four club?

265/294. Yes, I think you could possibly be right. In my head and in my heart I'm still thirty but I just don't have the same drive. Perhaps Carlo has lost it. I'm not advocating him but Tuchel seems to have drive, enthusiasm and a purpose.

People going on about Moyes/ Allardyce. Like them or loathe them they've both got their teams playing with verve, speed and directness that I wish we had. Sam's only been there five minutes. How's that ?
297. Everyone who posts on here, reads the posts or just goes to the match knows a right back has been needed for two or three seasons but it's never been addressed, why ? Our scouts have not been able to find a decent right back in the whole of Britain that isn't that could step up and wouldn't cost a fortune.
Comments that Carlo's command of English isn't wonderful. Bielsa doesn't have much English but his team have pace, pattern and motivation.

Finch Farm seems to be the sort of place I used to read about when I was kid but they were always called 'The Misty Isles'. All sorts of strange stuff went on there but you could never get to the bottom of it. I suppose Chelsea Pensioners are similar, serve your Country and if you're a deserving case you get fed, looked after and a red uniform. We give ours a blue one but you have to be an Ex Blue.
We have had lots of talented young players come to EFC over the years but for some reason FF has never been able to progress them on. Why is that ? Some of the youngsters need to be given a chance to prove themselves and see if they can kick on. We seem to drain all their talent and football out of them a bit like the the T.V. series 'The Invaders '. The senior squad never seems fit and they never seem to have a style of play or a game plan.
I can never understand our recruitment policy.
We signed Lossl. I think he was out of contract at Huddersfield after they were relegated. No job. He'd been getting 15K. We signed him and doubled his wages ! I think he then went back on loan. We've needed pacey forwards for years but don't sign them. If players have a history of injury, lack of effort etc. why sign them ?
BMD should be named The Chateau D'If and the sign over the entrance
' Abandon hope all ye who enter here '

I think Everton as a business has been badly run for the past forty years and I don't see it getting any better.
I don't despair for Everton they've drained me even of that.

A WHOLE weekend? CONSIDERING?
That should put a stop to this filth

It is a sad realization, when an organization as large as Everton can not field a competitive side, and rely on using a defensive team to get a point with the chance of stealing a win against a team fighting relegation. All teams get injuries, and I suggest Everton's management get a long hard look at their training methods leading up to a game, plus their loan policies.

After defeats and draws we get the same message that we are still on track to compete for Europe, but as long time supporters we understand with our fixture list compared to our competitors fixtures that ship has sailed.

I understand the league position we are in, but, over the last 6 games we have not taken advantage of other teams struggling and to me reflects on lack of ambition on the playing side of the club. The administrative side of the club are doing their part with financial backing, the new stadium and full support to the manager. It is up to the manager to turn things around, he was the one who was hired with the outstanding record. It is difficult to believe as supporters he is as good as his CV says, after looking at the performances from the teams and substitutions from the last couple of months.

We all say he needs time, and I understand that, but the time he needs is to make Everton a regular top 4 or 6 position. He has had enough time to use the players he has presently to play a lot better than they are. The sad thing today is the lack of spectators at the game, I know the media coverage and talk usually brings out the message of : I understand how the supporters are feeling : but that is not the same as thousands of supporters screaming and yelling and at one time throwing cushions and attendances falling, to raise the point to the manager that they are not happy.

Media coverage today gives the opportunity to get world wide support, but this Everton squad with the management and players we have are not going to attract many more supporters the way they are performing.

Any thoughts on this?

It's really disappointing to see any opportunity we had to gift ourselves the power to decide given away.

The teams above us aren't super teams and have their own share of bad games but there's nothing left in the Everton tank. Nothing. I wonder what the squad will look like next season as there are plenty of passengers this season. I want to know if Richarlison will go, as was his promise: One more season, I think it was?

The question is where the rebuild starts as there are gaps everywhere.

The telly hasn't missed much like but thank god I haven't had to put myself through all that rushing around after work for the anti-climax of watching Everton.

Another thing they didn't miss on Sky was the opportunity to sell Bissouma for Brighton. It would have been lovely to hear them say something like, if Brighton can add sone more quality to Bissouma they can chase Europe next season.

It wasn't even a thought and this is why we are all kidding ourselves.

I see right through it and still kid myself so god knows how believers get on.

As I listened, I thought: "What is the point of Brighton then?" It's the same for us. Someone performs and they are gone.

If the wage bill isn't at elite numbers, you can't have too many good players.

Last night's team included 8 current full internationals and two current under 23 internationals, we brought on a 9th international. How is that team not equipped to compete with Brighton??

Our three forwards cost pushing £100M (£130M when Iwobi dawdled on) and one of them was free. I don't know how much Brighton cost, but I bet it wasn't much more than that in total.

Yes, I too have noticed that Davide is in his Pa's earhole, discussing tactics, whilst Duncan is sat quietly watching... impotent and abandoned.

I would like to know what they were saying...(translation) " Papa, ..." — any lip-readers out there?

Rodriguez, exceptional, but the most he would play for a Top-4 team would be an hour every few weeks. Sigurdson, is another who can play but can't run.

Davies is honest, Coleman is honest, Mina, every time he looks like he could be okay he gets injured. Michael Keane is our most improved player, but he wouldn't get near a Top-6 side, and Everton, will never be able to go and play higher up the pitch on a consistent basis, whilst he's a regular in the team.

Holgate? The jury is out imo, Digne, hasn't been playing well, but he never gets a week off even when he needs it. I wouldn't keep Olsen, I'd make Godfrey captain. and the only midfielder who I would be personally disappointed to lose would be Doucouré.

But just because I can see progress though (as bad as it is, I do) – that doesn't necessarily mean it's happening!

I suspect it's because a lot of our players are on Easy Street. They leave it to someone else to make things happen; they know they can just go through the motions and stay in the team.

Sigurdsson was good a few months back, before all our injuries, when he had to fight to get back off the bench. Now, he's playing like he knows he's bomb-proof – no matter how poorly he plays. Likewise Digne, he knows he's a shoo-in, same with Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin. Just a bunch of unmotivated, rich boys doing the minimum.

Then we have people like Davies and Iwobi – who do make an effort but are just not very good.

Good summary. I have to agree on your thoughts on Godfrey and Doucouré, with the rest being highly replaceable.

Disgusting the abuse black players are getting from anonymous social media accounts.

Futile gestures such as Premier League "considering a weekend's ban" won't do it. Nor will taking the knee, another futile gesture.

It needs a captain or manager to lead his team off the pitch every time it happens. Black sportsmen and women need to withdraw their labour for anything to happen.

Imagine the horror of knowing you are singled out for abuse purely for the colour of your skin.

Apologies for going off-topic.

Godfrey is my choice of skipper.

Even if we had close to our best 11, would they be as motivated as WHU and WBA are at this important stage of the season?

If the answer is “no” then we have to be concerned about Carlo's ability going forward, as he will not attract the super star status type players if we are not in Europe and he is showing he cannot motivate the less than super star status of our present team (James apart).

So my question is given what is happening at WHU and WBA, do we have the right man in situ? (I am not advocating we return to these two, just using them as a well known example to EFC).

Up to last night I remained a big Carlo fan -but on reflection I am just beginning to wonder if he is a great coach driving down the wrong road. Or am I panicking too soon?

Football frustration results in cowardly and ignorant rants and responses. Unfortunately, at times we can all be guilty of unnecessary invective, often directed at individual players, for having the nerve to play a bad game of football for Everton.

On a personal level, I myself should never respond to a performance such as the Brighton game before at least 48 hours. I am usually irrational of late for even longer that that. On TW fans are often inclined to use foul language and violent invective directed to either the whole team or an individual player. After a bad game, constructive criticism is usually seen as a weakness.

After seven decades of watching Everton, frustration is an expectation. Unfortunately, I cannot change my support, but I do hope I can at least try to be realistic. I will never resort to racial abuse or foul language. The F-word is often the most effective and needed... but, if it really gets too bad, I can just turn off the TV and read a book. Probably one about Everton in the sixties or eighties, or even better, about living in Afghanistan or any of the other "-stans" where nobody has even heard of Everton!!!

Godfrey needs to develop at centre-half (imo) and Allan hasn't played enough, because of injuries.

The progress I see is pragmatism, but the progress we really need to see is more pace and more quality, which would then result in us having more belief.

Imo, Godfrey will develop rapidly given a settled position to play in. He has been all across the back four or back three this season. It would be interesting to know his longest run of games at centre half this season.

I would have him as skipper next season purely to lead by example. He has the biggest winning mentality in our current squad, imo.

In possession and in the final third (which we didn't enter very often), it was like watching amateurs. Injuries aren't helping, but it's no excuse when we play that badly.

We lack pace, Rodriguez has guile, but only two forward players to play with, and the thing that gets me, is when people say that Ancellotti is only used to managing better players, as if another manager would do better with this present squad, considering the injuries he's had to contend with.

Seriously this squad might be good enough to win a cup, with a lucky draw, but instead of moaning and saying this manager, isn't used to managing this standard of player, then pray to god that we spend and get him better players, because this is the biggest problem at our club, and only when it's rectified, will it then be possible to argue if Carlo Ancellotti is the right manager for Everton imo.

Let's hope there's a positive reaction for the Spurs game, and Everton can get a win.

I don't think it helps at all when he indicates that he thinks his players aren't good enough. On a simple psychological level that must be demoralising. And this is a thoroughly demoralised team, just when we needed the opposite.

I think Ancelotti cops a lot of the blame. We can't keep pretending that we're a couple of transfer windows away from fulfilling ourselves. Work with what you've got and make yourself tough and confident. We have injuries but we've been like jellies too many times under this manager.

He needs to improve dramatically.

Maybe some in the sense they'll play regardless because of injuries but on the field I think they have got it tough and frustrating.

James annoyance at Richarlisons passes yesterday was clear to see. Siggurdson looking up to the sky when he couldn't adjust his feet for a break away pass.

I am getting sick of the performances but I can see some of the reasons why.

Early on in the game Holgate intercepted in midfield and played it simple, we broke and Richarlison had the ball. James is 8 yards to his left and somehow he played it straight past him.

Can anyone honestly say Richarlison has improved technically since he arrived? I doubt it. His passing is an insult to Brazilians.

Siggurdson is flat on his feet so many times in a game, that image where he looks like he has stood up off the ground but he has simply put the breaks on for a poor pass played behind him - is becoming too familiar.

Tom Davies doesn't get on the ball enough to control any play, James is gonna end up picking the ball up from Centre Backs just to see an attack build up.

He is already going deeper to try and force the play and the movement ahead of him is slow and predictable.

Doucoure was a big miss yesterday with the lack of energy we displayed but we need our next midfielders to be better than him or this passion is more and more pointless by the season.

He is at an age when time catches up with tackling machines. Once these non-footballers start getting muscle tears through stretching for a ball that isn't theirs, the decline is usually rapid. He won't stop getting these injuries in his 31st year...

A few of us said on here he didn't look right in his return the other week and it appears now that it was because he hasn't recovered from the injury.

Its a shame if it continues because, as a fit performer, he has been a good player and often a driving force for us.

It will not take another two transfer windows to make this assessment a fair one. It's pretty clear right now, for anyone with eyes.

Duncan Ferguson is the man we need right now to improve our current team. We don't need to bring in more overpaid players to play slow, uninspiring football, who we then can't get rid of.

Once the crowds return, this manager's style of football will not be tolerated, and he'll be booed out of a job at some point next season. There is no sophistication to anything he's done in over a year.

The problem Klopp had in his first season or so was being too adventurous and attacking, raising concerns over defensive frailty. This manager is simply not intense or motivational enough to get us playing the football required at the top end of the Premier League in the 2020s.

Put pressure on Everton and they play backwards, and if you've ever played against a team that constantly play backwards, then it's never going to be one of your harder matches. Ancellotti has made us much more pragmatic, now he needs the players to make us cleverer and more offensive, otherwise the exasperation will grow!

Give Carlo the players he wants – teenagers, 20-somethings, or even ancient 30-year-olds – and he will get the job done. ICIT!!

We are playing with a depleted squad when we have a centre-forward who is playing in the quarter-final of the Champions League, a winger who is doing good at Southampton, and potential first-team youngsters on loan.

We cannot put together a full bench.

I don't know whether getting Moshiri on board has helped or hindered our progress, apart from his poor judgement in managers he has backed everyone of them financially. We will because of his finances end up with a new stadium, but Sunderland built a brand new stadium and its hardly been the panacea they hoped for. So maybe when its built we just have nicer surroundings to watch the same mediocrity that we have been served up for the last 40 years.

The academy is full of ex Blues, but sadly they are the ones who managed to win next to nothing in their careers, so is it any wonder that we don't produce young top quality players when they are coached by such mediocrity. Now I know you can get some excellent coaches who won very little as players but to have a club full of ex Blues just to keep some misty eyed member of the board happy makes no sense.

I agree with every word!

On the subject of age, it isn't just about the numbers but whether you have players around you to do the water-carrying. I imagine Pirlo was last in the Bleep tests!

Good old Barry could read the game and could get away with his speed (or lack of it). Keane needs Godfrey alongside him. Remember in the 80s how the Rat could get us out of trouble with his burst of pace... and that was in an age when everyone marched up to halfway and played offside.

if we had a pacey midfield, we could get away with two slow centre-halves but unfortunately, we are blessed with a midfield of VW Diesels in a world of Ferraris.

Howard Kendall mark one was almost booed out of a job by the pack after 30 months let alone 15 or 16 months. Short termism born of frustration is not the answer. Duncan Ferguson because he won a match and picked up a ball boy is not the answer. Carlo Ancelotti may not be the eventual answer, but I'm certain that when he leaves, he will leave us in a better place than when he picked us up. Repeating myself, I liken it to Chelsea & City's approach of gradually improving the manager and the profile of the club over years. Not months.

Doucoure and Godfrey are stand out as to the type of player in this squad that would survive a magical cull if we could have one overnight. Allan has improved us when fit. Digne is one of the best left backs in the Premier League and James Rodriguez is pure quality when used sparingly. That's how squads and individuals are managed in the modern game. Richarlison and DCL given the right service can trouble any team and score goals; when given the right service (excuse the repetition) being key. Crystal Palace aside; they should have put that one out of sight between them.

The squad has improved but still needs the next phase of improvement and depth adding. It is the great first 11 but thin squad we all feared at the start of the season. Those fears are now founded as we are subject to inevitable injuries that see us exposed and peeled back to what went before.

Age is a misnomer in my opinion. Dreams of building a team of 22 year olds that will conquer the world and dominate for then next decade are just well intended dreams. We need a combination of adding ready made and proven quality (e.g. Allan, James & Doucoure) alongside young potential (e.g. Godfrey). I don't care for resale value, it is more about do something now to get us back on the football map quickly. The long-term stuff can get done in the background concurrently.

We are playing with the players we have. Slow, pedestrian, instinct to look sideways and backwards; it is engrained into some of them.

Playing forward starts from the back. Some rightly called that a centre back is not a priority with recent talk of Koulibaly. I tell you what, start next season with a back 4 of Coleman (or Coleman replacement), Digne, Godfrey and Koulibaly, and Everton are not playing backwards and inviting the opposition onto them.

Apologies for being an apologist. I prefer to call myself an optimist. We could still limp over the line to 6th or 7th and claim a European spot. I know some don't want that but I do. And it would represent progress before we go and further rebuild in the summer. With 4 or 5 similar signings to last summer, our starting 11 is practically non-recognisable from what Ancelotti had to select from when he arrived.

They're like a flash mob but not very flash.
Carlo is the captain and in command of SS.Everton to get its speed up I don't expect him to run down four decks and throw a couple of shovels of coal into the boiler there are others employed to do that, however, when he's on the bridge I expect him to be in control and guide the ship through turbulent and stormy waters. At the present time he's more like Capt. Pugwash than Capt. Nelson.

Apart from Ian Snodin, not one who will speak out.

Too late in the Day, due to his other commitments, but Neville Southall, Peter Reid, even Andy Gray would have done it their way, apart from Gray, who was already sitting on mega money with sky,ever wondered why none of the above were offered some kind of work at Everton.

Could you have seen Sheedy, Jeffers and the likes having a go at some of the players.

Have you ever heard Graeme Sharp be positive, or point out our problems, even years back we had Dave Hickson doing the Goodison tours, another likeable guy, brilliant player, but too nice for his own good.

Joe Royle had us right, but never gave him the backing to move Everton forward.

Bill still at the club, that's the problem we have, too many of the past hanging on, letting sentiment get in the way of taking the club forward.

As long as Moshiri has A teary Jiminy cricket, sat on his shoulder as his voice of conscience, we are going nowhere fast, but until that stadium is built and he cuts the ribbon, with a tear in his eyes,do not expect anything to change much, just yet.

You can probably enhance a player's pace through training, but I don't think you can make players faster much beyond their natural pace.

What you can do though, I agree, is improve their speed of thought and decision making. That can be a decision to make a run into space or to play the ball quicker.

Too many of our players are too pedestrian in the mind as well as with their feet. Also, they often don't have movement in front of them to influence a decision, so they turn inwards and backwards as there is nothing on in front of them.

Richarlison, Godfrey, Coleman, and wait for it Iwobi are the only players who have gone on long stretches up the pitch with the ball at their feet. Yes, Iwobi missed a great chance against Brighton at the end. But: he did run a long distance to get there to be in a position to take a shot. And also in a few games this season, has gone across from the touchline to the centre and it's great when it happens (yes we want more of this).

So why not have James who rarely loses it, play deeper to get the ball off Davies often so that possession is guarenteed to go up the pitch on the deck. Then with Richie and Iwobi in space around him picking up the ball to travel up as far as they can go. Both these two thrive off a ball into feet facing the defender and can travel.

The only problem with this set-up it would mean Siggy gets dropped, hmm..

Summary:

>James behind Richie and Iwobi means he can find that ball as he's the man that can make the connector pass.
>James waiting in the number 10 position and the second furthest forwards means he hardly gets the ball, and then Richie hardly touches the ball, so our two best players touch the ball the least every game.

Put some players names up, go on I'm curious.

I agree with you except Sheedy who nice or not seemed to be in his element when he coached the younger kids. He oversaw Dowell, Kenny and co who were the best in the age group. Something went amiss when they tried to push on from the under 23s to the first team. But Royle was definitely a straight shooter. I think Stuart and co just like basking in the adulation too much to rock the boat. While Jeffers is probably thanking his lucky stars we keep offering him gigs.

It would be nice to see less bile about him.

The U23s goes back to other debates. There is likely a problem at Everton in the relationship between Finch Farm and the first team, but I'm in the camp there is something fundamentally flawed with the set up throughout football.

Our biggest loss for me was Joe Royle, should have backed his judgement in the transfer market, let him walk away, way too early.

I know he's a great Evertonian. He won the league with us as a player and my father spoke fondly of him. He won our last trophy as a manager and we had what felt like a great 18 month period with him at the helm.

But I also remember us not playing particularly great football. Committed? Yes, absolutely and we all want to see that. I remember coming home and going to the match with my best mate Dave (RIP - taken too young). He warned me that we were not great to watch. Sheffield Wednesday at home. I think Duncan scored the opener but we lost 4 - 1. Same season we won the FA Cup but were dismal in the league as I recall.

I do agree with you and the backing thing though. I can't remember the player, but wasn't it the Norwegian forward who went onto have great success at Chelsea he wanted to sign for £1m and the board would back him because they'd never heard of him??

On top of that we lost out to Nigel Martyn, when Peter Johnson had Martyn attend his Park hamper depot, instead of Goodison, then he gave Martyn directions to get to Leeds.

Royle then brought Gary Speed in, but just as night always follows Day, we got hit with injuries to Hinchcliffe, Kanchelskis, Watson, Short, Parkinson, Grant and Ebbrell.

You highlight the fact that injuries are part and parcel of the game. Building a depth squad is key to success in to modern game even more so than previous generations. Okay, and account for the odd prison sentence!!

Nigel Martyn first time around. Apparently all set to sign for Everton but the Chairman / club didn't convince so he went to Leeds. We bought Simonsen right for around £3M.

Call me cynical but we paid Tranmere, owned by our own Chairman at the time, £3M. So we shifted £3M of Everton's money into his other holding for someone "sold" as a potential future England keeper as opposed to signing the actual England keeper.

Call Bill what you like but Peter Johnson was a fraud of the highest order.

And yet some of us revere the lazy slob, and u-no-who employed him as a totally unqualified (but no doubt very cheap) coach.

Yet plenty of us still openly wonder what goes/doesn't go on at USMFF with our plethora of otherwise destitute, unsuccessful, unqualified ex-player coaches all choosing to grovel at the feet of our self-proclaimed greatest Evertonian, who's still our fucking chairman, for a living!

Liverpool, you know, the club who've won 16 trophies since we won our last one, have long since dispensed with the sentimental "boot-room" mentality seized upon by Kenwright twenty years ago, but twenty years too late of course, as the way to achieve success. They've had no ex-players at all for years, and yet it grinds on at USMFF.

I suggest that every manager this century took/takes comfort from the fact that we're infested with Kenwright-loyal inadequates at USMFF (the consistent cause of every manager's own alleged failure when they apply for their next job I'm sure) and I believe that the football world at every level agrees with that assessment, seeing him as the softest, most-deluded bloke anywhere near a so-called top-level club.

But when he last spoke of him Moshiri announced that Kenwright had a newly enhanced role.

Jeez!

Here we go again. Another manager failing and the FF fact finders are back out blaming the junior coaches.. 600m on players and managers in five years and the best people can come up with is to attack proper Evertonians about whose roles they have no clue.

Nobody and I do mean nobody on these pages has come up with anything to suggest they have a scooby about what these ex players do but they are non contributing "yes men"...Where the fuck do they get this stuff from ? Its utter unsubstantiated drivel.

Ask yourselves when this clubs problems started. Then ask yourselves how long these ex players have been coaching the juniors and see if you can spot the enormous fuck off anomaly in your argument.

Not only have we made a steady stream of managers among the richest failures in sport, we have armed them with a 500m war chest to turn us into the ugliest team in football ....And people point the finger at the likes of John Ebrell and Leighton Baines ?

There are not many happy clappers among the match going faithful and they will not tolerate the shite Carlo Ancelotti and his expensive coaching crew have come up with for over 15 months. As Andrew above points out. The boos will be ringing in Carlo's ears for for days if he tries to serve up these home performances in front of a crowd.

I'm reading the excuses with a sense of disbelief. Carlo brought in a player who has long since been recognised as a 1-3/4 performer. Sure he is blindingly talented once a month, but the rest of Carlo's signings do not have a creative bone in their collective bodies.

Long established game spoilers like Sam Allardyce and TGT are sending their teams out to play a standard of football which is way, way beyond the shite Carlo is serving up.

In a season where other clubs seem determined to blow their chances of a top four place. Carlo has repeatedly sent his team out to stifle the moment rather than seize it.

There is a very stark difference to being positive and nailing your colours to a broken mast. You would think people who have steadfastly supported a steady stream of piss takers would have realised that by now.

Make no mistake. As soon as crowds are back. Carlo will either have to grow a pair and put an end to his spoiling approach or he will be run out of town by a Goodison crowd who have had a belly full of negative shite. Shite which has achieved nothing in five years - Cept of course a nice little pay off for the piss taker.

I blame Franny Jeffers meself

Ferguson's prior links with United?

Mourinho and Ancelloti's prior links with Chelsea?

Pellegrini, Mancini & Pep's prior links with Man City?

Klopp's prior links with Liverpool?

Be proud of heritage and tradition, but get rid of the sentiment and focus on the future.

a handful people handed out leaflets not forty thousand. Howard may have inherited a poor squad, but he never ever tried to spoil games like this manager. Unlike the current crop of happy clappers, people had expectation back then...

Keep up the appologies. The excuses and the thirty five year old whataboutary. Its that sort of "positivty" which makes Moshiri believe he is on the right track

It was a pretty dire situation in December 1983.

I agree though, sticking with a manager who you could see was trying to sort out the shit of previous neglect was important.

Hold your nerve as they say.

You rant on about five years of general crap, and you're right in my opinion. But to blame Carlo for them is bizarre. He inherited a basket-case club, for the past two, and nearing three now, decades. He's been here less than two years.

You (again) rant on about critics of the Everton old-boys squad of coaches (and Ebbrell and Baines never entered my head when I posted - I'm focussed on Unsworth and Ferguson) and whilst I have no incontrovertible facts about their input, the quality of play and fitness, and lack-of heart we see in the first team squad reminds me very much of the two of them throughout their careers with us. Bog standard on a (rare) good day.

Reflect please on your own demand for proof of my opinion, and then explain what proof you have Dazza of any measure of success being delivered to the team by the years-long Kenwright appointed ex-players at the top of our coaching tree, manager after manager after manager after manager after manager after manager, as is now the case in their very comfortable "careers"?

Were you the man with the Xerox by any chance?

You make a mistake if you think I was responding to you

Fair one. Play it down all you want, there was discontent in December 1983. Big discontent. And rightfully so, the football being served up was dreadful but you could sense we were trying to do the right thing.

That was 30 months into Kendall's regime and we gave him time to rebuild. His first trophy came 3 years after his appointment.

Liverpool was in the grip of a quadruple dip recession. Many people chose to do other things with what little money they had. We were regularly playing in front of many empty seats even before Howard got here.

Howard inherited a poor side, not one choc full of internationals. Any protests were against the entire club and its lack of ambition while the Shite were winning all before them.

Lets not try to make tenuous comparisons in an attempt to apologise for the dross we see now.

like the mugs before him. Ancelotti has been backed to the hilt by this chairman and he is still producing eye hurting shite. Any boos from the Goodison faithful (and there will be boos) will not be directed at the club. They will be solely directed at him.

By the time they get something to eat and a pint, going the match cost your average supporter about a grand. It's so much harder to happy clap when you have parted with a huge chunk of your disposable

If I recall the 80s then the whole country was in recession.

Acknowledged the city was impacted harder than most and I personally suffered directly as a result.

Tenuous comparisons? Everton had only last won the league 11 years when Howard took over and were still considered one of the the "big 5".

I think they are relative comparisons. Manager comes in and takes over shit show and needs time to sort it out.

Some wanted / want him out because he hasn't done it within 15 months. But then some never wanted him.

I get that. It's an opinion, which is fine. But even though it is different from mine, it isn't utter bollocks or foolish. You do have a valid and good opinion for what it is worth.

Not sure where the empty seats thing came into the equation. Thought we were talking about what went on on the pitch, the transfer market and and training ground??

I have acknowledged the "pack" mentality and personally refrained.

I like to come on here to debate with Evertonians about all things Everton and football, whether I agree or not.

But "utter bollocks" and "foolish". If you are going to cry wolf and claim the pack circles on you, just be conscious of what you say to other people yourself.

I leave it there and revert back to not responding or commenting.

Crying wolf ??? Not me its footy debate alls fair and if people think I'm talking bollocks. They are perfectly at liberty to say so.

If you are going to give it out when you think it will go down well with the majority...You have to be prepared for what comes back over the net.

I will say though, in the short term...with Kenwright, Coaches, DoFs - all medium to longterm problems and potential causes - Covid, a lack of crowd (and cushions) has given Ancelotti somewhat of a pressure free ride.

In all that time we've had the same Kenwright, the Kenwright Dazza deplores, appointed ex-players as coaches, almost all unqualified on appointment by Kenwright, and yet he bizarrely defends them in massive contrast to the guy they owe their livelihood too, the guy he denigrates as I do!

Dazza (or anyone else) again also refuses to answer my polite question to him seeking enlightenment on why he's so enamoured of his/our Kenwright coaches. Bizarre!

For the record, I didn't say anyone was talking "utter bollocks". Just using another posters quote. I don't think you do for what its worth.

Totally agree with you, as I have done many times, if you post, you are there to be agreed and disagreed with. Debate is healthy and to be encouraged, even when people disagree.

For the record I have never accused of you or anyone wanting Everton to lose or not being an Evertonian. Very convenient twist of words that I never used.

For the record, what I said is that I believe you want Ancelotti to fail. That didn't mean I don't believe you to be less an Evertonian than me or anyone else here. I don't think you wanted or want him here. I even think, in fairness, you've pretty much said that yourself. That is what I meant and could have worded it better. To twist it like you have is inaccurate. We've all watched managers and players we'd rather not have at Everton and wish they weren't here. I'm no different and doesn't mean I want my team to lose or don't support them.

I realised that could have been worded better and apologised. The apology was, as is the right, treated with contempt.

Contempt to accept an apology can be treated with equal contempt.

"There are not many happy clappers among the match going faithful"

"By the time they get something to eat and a pint, going the match cost your average supporter about a grand. It's so much harder to happy clap when you have parted with a huge chunk of your disposable"

Suggesting?

Next season will be more interesting though, because I'm sure a lot of managers looked at this season's condensed league, and maybe held their players back a bit?

I remember some people were writing City off after ten games, but it was obvious that they were just going through the gears, although Guardiola has been lucky with injuries this season and also has a squad full of quality players.

You can make a player fitter, and sharper, but it's not so easy to make them quicker, and anyone who thinks they can, should be knocking on the training ground doors of every EPL team imo David, because if anyone possesses that ability, I'm sure they'd become a millionaire coach very quickly.

We all have opinions and views and the so called debate many on here say the love to debate is only a debate when you evaluate the facts of the said/ typed word and respond accordingly. To critise others views and belittle an opinion with name calling says more about the person doing the name calling

Debate is a two- way street, I see pockets of people rounding the wagons and taking things to personally. We have been an also ran club since the brief limelight days of the 1980s. We are however now run by an astute very successful businessman and his associates. Good, bad or indifferent I intend to enjoy the ride and accept there are only 3 domestic trophies available with some exceptionally funded clubs mopping them up yearly. change aint happening over night 😴

Next season will definitely be more interesting, especially as, all being well, the fans will be back in the grounds.

I see more links with the Norwich right back this morning. £30m being touted.

I don't know enough about him but many see if as a good option. As I've said previously, I just wonder if Norwich's imminent promotion not just affects the price, but the feasibility of it happening full stop?

We'll be shifting out a lot of players at the end of this season too, so the squad, even enhanced, will be under pressure again.

Best realistic analysis i've heard in a while although its not nice as blues to keep waiting.

Usual teasing and flirting by Everton but realistically the best we can hope for is to limp over the Europa line now.

For those who want it that is. I appreciate not all believe it worth the hassle.

I came back from NY about two years ago. I didnt get to any games in four years. I don't consider myself to be an inferior blue to anybody. What I do know through going to GP all my life is that it is a very tough crowd. I don't consider myself a happy Clapper either. So when I see somebody posting there are very few Happy Clappers at Goodison I don't take offence. I agree.

As for calling former players like Ebrell, Baines. Unsworth and the rest of the junior coaches "proper Evertonians". I am at a total loss as to why anybody would find that disrespectful.

There are some on here who always appear overly keen to be offended.
Let them get on with it mate - Morning Thomas just popped in to say Hello. You never disappoint.

If I spend money and the day to go to a match, I am far more disgruntled if we play badly Than I am if I just switch the box on for 90 minutes and enjoy a beer. Especially if the weather is shite and I've had to have a battle with the Mrs to slope off. I' m Still a passionate blue either way.

I predict The old lady will be bouncing next season. When Carlo proves to be a massive draw in this summer's window. Let's not forget either. There is still all to play for this season

.

How many teams would Harry Kane change? He could make about 6 or 7 teams title contenders and its so hard for us to get one player that good.

I warned about complacency last summer and it's panning out exactly as predicted Carlo deserves the boot if he makes the mistake again

Morning Casho
You have more comebacks than Lisa Minelli,"Morning Thomas just popped in to say Hello." (again)

Morning Casho
You have more comebacks than Lisa Minelli,,,1,12:28:38,,213.205.196.204,ok,23848,04/14/2021 12:28:38,Tomrichards2@outlook.com,reader,,,no 1146607,40660,toffeeweb,14/04/2021,Colin Glassar,colinglassar@yahoo.co.uk,"Danny, he's a player all of Europe's top teams are looking at. He's a brilliant prospect who will be worth much more in the coming years. He was the standout Norwich player, for me last season more so than Godfrey, Cantwell or Buendia.

We always seem to be linked to good, young players only to miss out at the last minute eg Maddison, Dele Ali, Kyle Walker, Adam Lallana etc

Without Allan and Doucoure, we're playing like we did at the back-end of last season. Why is anyone surprised? Forget Europe, I'm surprised we have as many points as we have.

By the way, Buendia is undoubtedly a fine player, but does nobody else think he's also a little on the slow side and a bit like Gomes and Davies in terms of his tackling discipline?

Top players know what they are going to do with the ball eg James before they even receive it. The likes of Gomes, Sigurdsson, Davies etc... look confused and in two minds when on the ball. Iwobi just looks like he's shitting himself and wants to hide.

Until we sort out our MF mess our defenders will stumble and our forwards will die through lack of supply. Criticise Carlo all you ant but until he has players who can use the ball it will just be deja vu every season.

As an alternative, I like Cash at Villa, but doubt they would sell or he would want the move.

After that, I guess we're hitting the continent or international market?

If the won't sell him, maybe we can get cash from villa for some of our dead wood. Get it. I'll grab my hat

I've ordered a taxi.

Hopefully have some luck with injuries next year.

It's the decision making, being one step ahead in the thought process and anticipation that can be coached, which will improve "pace", but not necessarily in the raw physical sense.

Our squads have never been able to handle injuries. Our players struggle to play 38 games, never mind the 60 that trophy winning sides do.

I don't know what that all saids, perhaps that genuine quality costs for players developing into their peak.

Call me old fashioned but some abilities are just innate and / or down to physical attributes. Awareness, positioning, conditioning, tactics can be coached but not everything. Thank God, otherwise all players would become even more like robots / clones than they already are.

For those who like a no nonsense traditional fullback, you can't go far wrong with Target.

Robert (433), Robert do you think all the top outstanding clubs don't have two or three steady reliable players who make up part of the team, I was thinking Targett would be a good acquisition for around £12M or thereabouts and could be relied upon to be fit to play most of the season as a consistent performer.

Says a lot that despite the media hype they don't rate Mings.

I agree with the principle though, you need 2 good players for each position.

But none of the rich 6 would but a player like Targett as their reserve left back because he'd be such poor value. He's the sort of player they might take for free.

We can't improve by accumulating lots of expensive mid-table players.

I obviously defer to Profs Tressell and Gaynes on acquisition targets.

The cosy ex blue club needs to be replaced by coaches with a winning mentality who would be hurt and ashamed like us fans that we have players who cannot pass, move and connect a hard shot. WTF they practice at training I don't know. There are also way to many training ground injuries.

We will finish 10th with a negative goal difference.

We've brought in players like Branthwaite and Nkounkou - but these take around 3 years to mature. That's what smaller clubs do to develop players before big clubs come around sniffing. So we have started this process to save millions of pounds. If we as fans want to see us copy other clubs that find earlier gems and develop them, then we have to go through the waiting game too, I guess.

Kean and Godfrey were 1st team squad ready and will at least hold their value from the off.

Unfortunately, Brands has come into a new manager pretty quickly and having to spend hours negotiating moving on players like Sneids and Niasse, and also moving on very old U23 players too. Hopefully this summer he has more time on recruitment than selling!

We should have faith in the process. If nothing was happening in terms of bringing in good young players and we bought in more old players like Walcott and Siggy - then I'd say the house of cards is about to collapse. But it's not. It looks like we are bringing in more good younger players than older players.

Put it this way, if Kean, Kenny, Bernard and others get transferred out etc, we might have 4 decent players coming in like last summer. And that will address quite a few issues.

You come on like a bulldog chewing a wasp on a nettle that has been pissed on, chest all bulging out.

Do you think you are the only knowledgeable Evertonian and that no matter what, your view is all that matters.

You might be right about the former Evertonians, that have roles within the club, maybe you tuck them all in at night, to ensure they are all safe and sound, out each morning with the coaches, overseeing everything is hunky dorey.

You give some valid points and I do enjoy a lot of your posts, but just because other Evertonians may have a different view point, respect their posts, respect their views, but most of all respect that every single Evertonian will see things differently and not always agree.

This is the beauty of this site, it brings Evertonians together, each with view points, some may have us scratching our heads thinking nah, but that is their post so rather than us all jumping on a poster, let them get whatever they feel they wish to post, and not be afraid of others disagreeing and making the poster feel awkward.

I will always put my view across, some may agree, others may not, there is no right or wrong, but I will never stop posting, because others do not agree with me.

But I will never ever jump on another poster, for their point of view.

The only reason I picked up on your post is because someone else dared to suggest part of it could be down to our retirement home to former players, that is their view, a simple response, rather than ripping into a poster will still get a different point of view across.

I love reading John Mcfarlene snr posts, a perfect gentleman, same with some other posters, there is no reason to go steaming into posters, who may have a difference of opinions.

I think there is an interesting mind switch in your logic.

ToffeeWeb is a cosy blue club - we are not ex, because that is based on having played for the team. Put any of us here on ToffeeWeb as coaches (all us magically turned by the wave of a wand into qualified coaches) and we would be hurt and ashamed of poor passing, work rate, decision making etc. Day 2 in the job and we would be at home with laryngitis from the screaming on day 1.

But you are saying that the current crop of coaches who are former players are happy with what would make us unhappy. I think all these guys are as passionate Evertonians as the rest of us on here. John Ebbrell, Duncan Ferguson, Tim Cahill, David Unsworth, Leighton Baines. I think we may wish to question their abilities - in the same way they can question mine as a finance person - but I cannot accept they are not upset when we play badly.

And to agree with Ray (#470), the difference between those who were athletes (Branch) and those who were instinctive (Jeffers/Rooney) are what enables youngsters to make the grade.

Johnson was sitting behind a table, displaying his 4 Olympic Golds and 8 World Championship Golds.

He pointed to the medals and said: 'If only I'd had 'proper' running technique... I might have won something'!!

I think it's very noticeable with Foden actually, because he's probably always been a natural central player, (feels more comfortable centrally because he can go either way?) but he's been popping up in wider positions and looks so much more aggressive in his running, so hopefully this running coach, will end up a millionaire, because he's someone I know, and we always want the people we know, to do well!👍

I take it John Collins skipped out on those sessions? He was Gomez slow with Davies strength.

Liverpool have double figure asthmatics playing for them.
Way above the national average of asthmatics

Shame on you, call yourself a blue, you sure your not a Kopite!!!

Physiology gives you a ‘limited' range to work in, but where you are in that range can be very dependent on how your training is tailored. I know because I've done it, that is I've been at peak fitness (for me) in very different ways
One year in my mid twenties when I routinely did 80 - 90 minutes running / cardio five times a week, I really got into distance running and after a pre-pre-season peppered with 5 mile cross country runs I turned up for pre-season training at my leanest ever as an adult and, consequently at my quickest. I was bouncing along, leading all the runs, enjoying it more than I'd ever enjoyed pre-season training (which wasn't a high bar but I was miles over it). I really got into the sprint training then to round off my fitness going into the season proper.
Problem was, as a not very tall front row/ occasional back row player, the lower weight compromised me in certain circumstances. My top speed wasn't significantly increased so no option to switch to being a back (no thanks, anyway) but I was much more mobile and quicker around the pitch simply because I was quicker off the mark and quicker up to top speed.
Long story short, I actually lost all the benefit of the ‘runners' fitness rather quickly 3 quarters of the way through that season because no one had informed me of the importance of how you exercise your core muscles (too many sit-ups, not enough crunches) and ended up with a series of groin strains that developed into full-blown ‘footballers groin' and six months where a moderate walk was my top speed. After that, I went back to my basic ‘natural' fitness profile which relied very much on stamina / endurance despite not being at all skinny.

As Tony has added, I think there is potentially still room for specialist trainers for players who need that extra guidance to improve their performance in very specific ways. It is hard to know how much difference it might make without knowing the details of what regimes our players are currently involved in.

I've followed this club since 1977, and I do know what a winning mentality is, and I'm sure many of us want it showed on the pitch. Oh and Lukaku would have become the player he is, even if he didn't meet your fave Big Dunc. He looked up to Drogba remember.

I was pleased when Carlo Ancelotti was appointed. There was a part of me that thought he was only coming for the money, but overall I came to the conclusion that he is an excellent character, hugely respected and knowledgeable, and someone who will have the ability to handle Mr Moshiri.

Having had years of watching away games, either live or on telly, where we simply offered nothing, it has been refreshing to see us improve. Our home displays have been very poor, our lack of creativity needs to be addressed. I believe it will be.

And yes Joe I agree the performances have been bad. While we can be justifiably devastated at the condition we've found the club in we have not developed that condition in the last year. In fact, we reduced the chances of it occurring and the odds went against us and we stepped in the pile anyway.

Where were you? Stuck in your living room on the sofa posting Cod's wallop.

Duncan deserves our support and respect for what he did as our caretaker manager... The great Howard Kendall was Duncan's mentor and friend. Howard wanting Duncan to be the Everton manager. That will do for me!

He will learn so much under Carlo and a few years down the line, he will be more experienced and ready, should the offer come along again.

There is a very clear difference between wanting your manager to fail and believing in your heart that he will. If you believe a manager will not take you to the promised land, you want him gone. If you believe his presence at the club is going to be another 2-3 wasted years, you want him gone. If you feel him being here is denying somebody else the chance to succeed, you want him gone.

Carlo Ancelotti is a charming man... but I want him gone.

Our boy Carlo is unique among Everton managers. Unique in the sense that he has not faced trial by Goodison. Unfortunately for Carlo, the crowds are coming back. After a few games, the faithful will suspect our boy is short-changing them. A few more and they will grow restless; a few more and they will charge him with the heinous crime of spoiling the beautiful game. He will of course be found guilty and, like previous offenders, he will be gone.

Forgone conclusion.

I spoke out irrationally once or twice (not repeatedly). I worded it badly and I apologised.

I look forward to yours and everyone else future contributions to all things Everton.

Mary, no I wasn't in my living room, but I'm glad you're happy with Duncan. If memory serves me correctly (I may be wrong) you have Roberto to thank for bringing him in.

Darren.
If Ancelotti leaves would you promote the new manager from within?
If not who would you like to see appointed?

Fairs fair if you want him out.
Be good to see if you can offer names of alternatives.

Can't we all just come together and support the players and the manager? Will we never learn? Come on, let's get behind Carlo and the team, please come on!!

Are memories just total blank or is it ignorance to the fact our atmospheres are total dreadful and hostile if the players aren't up to it.

I think most of us know someone that only goes to aways because Goodison is miserable except for 2 or 3 games.

The style of football? All seater stadiums? Sky turning the game sterile? Who knows and probably a combination of all and other factors, but I get your point. I witness far better atmospheres at Bundesliga matches these days. Maybe introducing safe standing areas will help along with seeing better football on display.

I'm probably generalising to the highest order but that's my experience in recent years.

Now, unless you are a season ticket holder, you will struggle to get so many in the same area of the ground, everyone is spread out.

The big games, fans would be in the ground, in their fav standing spot a good hour before the game.

Everyone knew where the singers were in the Gwladys Street and it would carry right throughout the Street end.

Even the paddock had its singers, before we changed it to a seating area.

A lot of the other grounds are the same.

When the new ground puts in safe standing, I hope it is made unreserved standing, rather than allocate everyone a specific spot, fans with tickets will then have the chance to stand with their mates, rather than their usual spot.

Maybe that is a way forward to getting the singing back.

Now, it seems most leave it as late as possible to finish their pint, as they know their "spec" is guaranteed, and just about make it to their seat for Z-Cars. It creates an initial rush of atmosphere only to quickly dampen down as we take our seats.

There did used to be distinct pockets of atmosphere around the ground too. The Gwladys Street with the younger fan base, high pitched voices and singing too quickly, out of excitement!! I always remember the corner of the Enclosure, when standing and when the Park End was entirely for away supporters, being a hotbed for the more provocative members of our home support!! And then the wise men and women of the Main Stand and Bullens Road imparting their superior knowledge and wisdom.

Final point. I don't think us Evertonians, in my opinion, were ever renowned for being a choir like our red cousins. Noise, passion and chanting; yes. But we've never really sang from the songbook so to speak. We just create noise when we get excited or get rattled.

Give them a bit if something different, a little bit of aggression and most of all show them unbridled passion. That you would run through a brick wall for them.

Do that and you've got yourself the most animated, fist pumping, partisan crowd in England. One which will drive you to greater heights. One that will intimidate opposition. A crowd that will in turn run through a brick wall for you.

Give me the managers job. The tactics may be shite. the team talk wont be sofisticated. The selections wont meet with approval...But the place would be fucking rocking. Lol.

I know it like the back of my hand and I would do it for 500 quid a week...Thats all I could afford

😁😁😁

Brilliant post

ToffeeWeb poll time.