Premier League — Matchweek 26

Same question as last week to Danny O'Neill. Exactly what did the Newcastle players do wrong? What could they have done better to prevent that goal?

Is he no longer an awful person? Has he been granted redemption though the hefty fine and having his cats taken away? And have the RSPCA now relented and given him his cats back?

[Just curious how quickly social media angst evaporates.]

He definitely hasn't heard the last of it, I'd be certain.

(Btw - I hope Zouma gets banned from keeping any pet. And prosecuted. Gobshite.)

That result makes it doubly harder for Everton in their next two games, but I guess I understand what you're alluding to.

To be honest, the other lot can win what they want, providing Everton remain in the top-flight. Nothing would be worse for our club than relegation – and that includes a clean sweep of trophies for our neighbours.

We don't know whether Leeds are imploding right now do we?

Everton also have important players missing too, perhaps not of the quality of Bamford and Phillips but, if Leeds lose today and again in midweek, that'll surely be in Everton's favour to have another rival on less points than games played?

I think Bamford may well be out for the season. He's got a foot injury which usually means a metatarsal injury. He's only played 458 minutes all season, so I doubt very much, should he play again this season, he will come back firing on all cylinders.

Those two goals by Man Utd were too easy. For fuck's sake, Lindelof, a centre-half, picks the ball up and just strolls through the Leeds midfield in the build up for the second goal.

I remember a young Jeffers helped save us... so time to be brave, maybe?

Rodrigo and then Rahinia inside a minute! 2-2

That will help Allan and Van de Beek who just couldn't cope as a duo yesterday.

I don't want to see Gomes in an Everton shirt again. He should be returned to Portugal for a nominal fee in summer.

I can't help thinking about lost points at the beginning of the season. And no, it wasn't Rafa. Calvert-Lewin not taking chances in draw at Leeds and Tom Davies not shooting at Old Trafford, he passed to Mina who was offside. 4 points lost.

Terrible when you spend more time looking at other scores than our own.

Only when it's at the wrong end of the table, but when Everton lose, any loss to any of the sides around us is more than welcome, although a draw during the week for Leeds wouldn't hurt me too much.

I was also thinking that Everton could do a lot worse than have Adam Forshaw in our midfield right now.

I just hope that Lampard and his staff can get more fight in our bunch of misfits.

If Brentford win, they go 5 points clear, but we've got four games in hand (before we play Man City) while keeping Newcastle below us.

If it's a draw, Brentford are only 3 points clear, but Newcastle jump above us.

If Newcastle win, we are only 2 points behind Brentford with those games in hand, and Newcastle go 3 points clear, but we will have 2 games on them.

If Leeds lose to Liverpool in midweek, we will be 1 point behind them but with two games in hand.

For fuck's sake, why am I even thinking like this? ☹️☹️

Between Brentford and Newcastle, the likelier team to be relegated is the Bees. However, it's never good trying to work out what result is best for us, as the only result Everton have control over is the game in which they play.

Everton beat Man City and the other results don't have the same importance, but facing that wounded City side isn't what we would have wished for next week.

The lad hardly stands out in his own age group except for his size. I doubt very much he is anywhere ready to play in the first team.

Dobbin, yes, I can understand the shout for him coming on from the bench; his pace could cause damage in the last 20 to 30 minutes of games, especially at Goodison Park.

The midfield has to have three in it and has done for the last 10 games home and away. Playing two has been exposed game after game and has cost us valuable points.

Anyway, in answer to my question, a draw is probably the best result. Or maybe a Brentford win, but a Newc… ah shit, forget it!

Even our run-in only has 3 games that we should win but, in this unpredictable form of ours, we cannot wait for those games and we need to fight like the Dogs of War, starting against Man City next week.

I don't know how Frankie is going to do it but I reckon he is shocked at just how poor some of our players can be. Our fate is in his hands right now and it's a shame that he's inherited this cowardly bunch of players that are not fit to have laced his boots.

He is only young and learning his trade but he has to sit down with his staff and players then come up with a formula that is more about fight than playing football and good tactics over technique.

Can any of us imagine sitting in front of the likes of Michael Keane, André Gomes, Alex Iwobi etc and telling them we must fight for every ball? I could only imagine that those players would be shitting themselves with the thought of our next few games.

And I still hate Brenda. Suck it, Leicester

Obviously this is a club who are very much embracing new technology to make them even more powerful, not to mention the extra revenue it will create. I just wonder is this their way of circumventing any new Sky deal, which maybe they wont sign up to, which would have a detrimental effect to the amount that clubs like us will get under a new deal?

And, as sure as night follows day, if it looks a new lucrative way for the top clubs to make money, you can bet that both Man Utd and Liverpool – with bigger world fan bases than City – will be following suit.
City produced their accounts last month which, for the first time, they became the first Premier League club to produce a bigger turnover than Man Utd: their turnover for the year which was greatly affected by Covid was £598.8 million.

So Onyango is not the answer either. I know it sounds desperate (I am) but the midfield needs something different. A fit and mobile Gbamin is not going to happen.

El Ghazi seems to have been written off already. A midfield who got double figures last season. Never seen a blue-shirted one do that for a good while...

Re Onyango, that is just my opinion after watching him since he was 16in quite a few games.

As for El Ghazi, he was offered to Benitez three times; he didn't want him. He's not rated by many Villa fans, looks lightweight in the work area, tackling etc. He scored a great goal for Villa versus Everton at Goodison last season to secure Villa's win.

If he scored that many goals for Villa last season, then three or four goals for us might see us collect a very valuable few points; beggars can't be choosers in these desperate times.