Premier League — Week 17

Interesting that the Echo publish the news of Newcastle being able to gain sponsorship from related parties as a threat to our neighbour's ambitions in the coming years, yet they don't highlight the immediate threat it may be to Everton FC for this season.

Just watched a film "Unholy" set in a place named Banfield, apt in a couple of ways Banfield

When City are in this mood, the opposition are onto a hiding. Only glancing out of the corner of my eye on the BT Sport App on my phone, but they seem to be at the dominant best.

Villa beating Norwich, which as well as maintaining a harmonious household sadly gave me the thought at least that looks like being one less place in the bottom 3 to worry about.

Maybe we can get Bielsa in as DoF after today's result

Some thought Bielsa was a genius. It looks like he is just another manager struggling to deliver results with a small squad and a load of injuries.

John, I honestly think more people understand this, than they might be letting on!

John (4),

Bielsa let Leeds play an open game and they went out and tried to score at every opportunity. It was good to watch for all neutral fans yet, if Benitez had played this way versus City a few weeks ago, Everton quite possibly could have been on the same score as Leeds.

I've got to say though that there was no need for Everton to be set up the way we were for the Brentford and Palace games.

Nick Ware for Goodison News reports that:

Everton supporters will have to provide evidence of vaccination or provide a negative test before entering Goodison Park for matches.

Sky Sports shared the major update on Wednesday morning (15 December), in a video relayed on the Football Daily Twitter account.

Sky Sports News presenter Jasper Taylor said: “Some more breaking news to give you. Liverpool City Council's ground safety advisory group has recommended to approve the covid plan B protocols for both Everton and Liverpool.”

Co-presenter Jessica Creighton added: “It means that fans will be asked to provide evidence of vaccination and/or provide a negative lateral flow test, and that's before they enter Goodison or Anfield.”

I know that many fans including myself, haven't so far this season been asked to supply proof of vaccination or a negative test result, but it would seem that checks will be ramped up in the next few matches.

I'll be honest, Barry, I thought this would have been the case all season and expected to be asked. But to date I haven't.

I guess now it will be, so it will be interesting to see the impact it has on getting 40+ thousand crowds into stadiums across the country.

Also, the mask wearing, which apparently is going to be required?

It may be a bit of fatigue creeping in (rightly or wrongly), but so far I've watched these political statements be just that. Be seen to do something by saying something and then there's no enforcement.

As always, I'll do what's asked of me. I'm just getting cynical of political announcements versus reality on the ground.

It's sad that I'm delighted Leeds and Norwich lost as the only place I'm looking at results is down!

Leeds, Burnley, Newcastle, Norwich are the results I look for. Burnley and Newcastle games coming up for us are the biggest 6-pointers we've had in a long while! Lose them both and we have to be amongst favourites for the drop?! Win them both and start looking up the table again!

So depressing…

Indeed, Stephen #9

I've even checked to see who we play in the final game of the season just in case we need a result... been a long time since I've felt the need to do that!

Last season, Brendan, when we could have still qualified for Europe.

You never know!!!

Nice one, Danny #11

Made me smile... I now know for sure that the "O" in "O'Neill" stands for "Optimist"!

Going back to the Covid Plan B guidance, I've just had an email from the club and it contained a link to a questionnaire, which I assumed would allow me to give my vaccine status. However, the link didn't work and therefore I'm unable to 'update' my vaccine status.

Perhaps, it's not fully functioning as yet, but it did seem like a good idea for fans who are attending Goodison to be vetted prior to the day of the game. Anybody else had any luck in accessing the link?

Burnley v Watford game due tonight, has been called off due to Covid outbreak in Watford squad. This has only just been called off, or announced anyway, within the last few minutes.

Nothing wrong with calling the game off, but surely Watford must have known of this outbreak before now, which is just over 2 hours to kick off.

Watford fans would have well been on the way upto Burnley, so will have to turn round and head back south. Is this another case of “Stuff the fans”?

Rob @12

I think Spurs were trying to keep their European dreams alive as they apparently wanted to play their outstanding fixture tomorrow, instead of playing Leicester City. Like you said, if the squads are hit significantly by Covid the games should be postponed.

That's Burnley with two games in hand of us by the time we play at Goodison on Sunday. Points in the bag are important, but if Burnley is stronger when the rearranged games come round, they may have more chance of winning points than they do right now.

Barry, and Rob:

Rodger's is clear that most aren't Covid infected but he argues they are ‘Covid related' because they are having to play the same players due to lack of squad depth and them players are picking up injuries.

Look at Man City last night: Sterling, Gundogan, Ake and more on the bench having already bought Mahrez, Stones etc into the 11 from the weekend. Meanwhile most teams are patching up and making do with broken players. Then they wonder why some clubs don't want five substitutions. Because they don't have three – never mind five decent subs!

Meanwhile, Man City last season and Man Utd this season can cancel games as they wish.

The top two/three teams will pull away even more over the next few seasons. The system is set up for the rest to fail.

Barry, my link worked fine.

Watching the Arsenal v West Ham game, with Arsenal having just been awarded a penalty. To me it was similar to ours v Spurs only the Arsenal penalty stood. Coufal slid in on Lacazette and played the ball against Lacazette and then brought Lacazette down, all in the one movement.

Lloris "may" have played the ball first, but then brought Richarlison down after Richarlison knocked it past him. Anyway, Lacazette had his penalty saved, and Coufal was also sent off!!

Handy that Palace equalised against Saints, sad that it's even a consideration though...

My link worked fine as well.

Interesting to see that Potter is without a win in eleven matches at Brighton. I fully understand why some of our fans thought he would be a good choice for us. So why is he struggling?

Part of the answer is an extensive injury list and now a few with Covid. This is another example of managers not being magicians.

Rob @14

Thanks, just tried again, but I still can't access it, must be my browser or security system that's preventing it from opening. I'll just have to wait for it to be checked manually on Sunday.

Actually that's not an option as it appears that processing the questionaire is mandatory and, if it's incomplete, access to the ground will be denied!

Arsenal now 2-0, and heading for 4rth place. Maybe Arteta may not have been a bad shout after all, and Ancelotti going to Arsenal?

Rob @18,

How familiar looking is that Top 6 once again, with Spurs able to leapfrog into the mix if they win their games in hand? Predictable League rather than Premier.

All boils down to referees and VAR, Barry. Yet again last weekend contentious penalty decisions for four of the so-called Top 6 teams, and tonight a contentious penalty for Arsenal. Okay, it was saved, but in my opinion, it was very similar to ours v Spurs which was ruled out by VAR, yet VAR deems Arsenal's to be okay.

Officials of the Premier League have an agenda – surely not, Rob! :)

Let's be honest: apart from Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea, the rest of the Premier League are crap.

I think Man Utd are going to get stronger Paul, but I agree, because most of the other teams, can all beat each other on there day.

They can

Sometimes you to buy in.

I remember watching a bunch of Canadian "opinion forcers" at Monsford Hall in the late sixties. My cool mates at Cardinal Godfrey – who got all the tickets courtesy of Nobby Hall – were not having it. Who where these fuckers? They're not even proper Seppos?

The Godfrey cinics are still my closest friends. How could we be wrong?

Even if you were all cynical, there is nothing wrong with free-thinking Darren, and the thing that surprised me most about Cardinal Godfrey was the level of lunacy amongst some very intelligent kids.

You take some stick on this website, Darren, and I know a few of your mates would be giving you a new nickname after reading that post, mate! Well, I know I'm smiling anyway!