Everton capitulate after high-energy start

Hoping it's more of a 3-5-2 with Townsend in the middle next to Gomes and Doucoure, but could be a 5-4-1 with Townsend on the right and Gordon on the left?

Baffling…..

Either way, let's get behind them. League is everything, but Wembley would be nice. COYBs, UTFT!!

A footie nut told me Friday that he would be suspended: applies across all English competitions... but I was unsure. At one time it was competition-specific... but it keeps being messed around with.

Turms out it's a complete error by our useless club on their own website. Unbelievable!! No doubt a product of the much-touted Strategic Review of Football in all its elements...

Either way, need to be careful we don't get overrun in midfield.

And lo and behold it's a ball passed straight to Gallagher by our striker that starts that move off. How long do we persist up front with the guy who seems to be the only person who thinks his best position is centre forward?

I don't doubt his effort. He chases all game. He fights for every ball. He just ran and got the ball for our throw in. Personally I would have preferred him to be in the box. But he doesn't play in that position.

He might be a centre forward for Brazil but he's entirely ineffectual there in this league. And we've lost the things he's good at. When did he last run at a defender with the ball? I honestly can't remember seeing it recently.

We scored against Newcastle because a deeper player had an option to pass to and had confidence that it might come back to him.

Richarlison isn't that kind of passing option. And it's not coming back from him.

Superb delivery from Palace from their two corners and when we get one, an aimless ball is floated to the back post. Townsend looked really up for it before his injury and sadly now looks to be out for a few weeks if not months.

We really can't afford any more injuries and if our cup run ends today, potentially two less games is the only crumb of comfort to take.

I'm getting sick of that statistic. It's what we had in the last few games before Newcastle. Against Newcastle I think we managed 3 (one in the first 5 minutes... then waited about 75 minutes for the second).

With no intent to score, it all feels a bit pointless.

At 2-0 down in a cup match there has to be a change at half time. Surely?

And to score goals and create some attacking momentum, we need to make the right decisions on the pitch. Always the wrong decision or poorly executed touches in the final third, which takes away our possibilities.

We've been caught by two sucker goals with some shabby defending. We started well and were the better side for much of the half.

Let's not give up at 2-0.

Can't see us getting back into this one, bring Dom on abs put Richy out left with Gray or Gordon supporting him and the other on the right.

A man on the back post might have stopped their first goal, more amateur hour defending from multiple players for the second - if we stopped crosses from coming into the box we wouldn't concede many…

- constantly playing a right back at left back.

- constantly trying a 5 that doesn't suit and leaves us toothless if (more like ‘when') we fall behind.

- two ‘trotting' signings who've added nothing to our plight or fight so far.

- promising kids like Lewis Dobbin and Simms banished, no bottle to give Patterson or Mykolenko a run.

- not seeing the complete lack of goal scorers we have in his sides.

- playing Richie as a 9 because he wants to play it, when clearly best coming in from the left.

- Zonal marking continuing at set pieces, with the inevitable result of increasing our record as the worst team in the league at this key element.

Don't think there's any point calling for his head, but if we go down he needs to go in the summer too. In that event it's got to be Wayne…..

It's gotten to the point where I can't even sit and enjoy a full game of these cloggers attempting to play football so why even bother?

Richarlison run at a defender the other night versus Newcastle didn't have the pace to go past him then stumbled to the floor trying to get a penalty. He doesn't even have the sense to look along the line and stay onside otherwise we would have had a penalty in today's game.

I agree he is fighting a losing battle on his own up-front but, even then, he is too easily dispossessed or gives the ball away too easily, like today, which started the move where Palace got a corner and scored from it.

Not a lot of fight in this team and Coleman is showing most of them up in that respect today.

Set pieces and poor defending. Near post not defended and short unmarked forward.

How many times have Everton conceded a goal on the left, Keane's weak right side and an untracked runner. You could make a stamp for it to save time.

It's shocking, unreconstructed nonsense, especially the comments about Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Is that who we aspire to be as a fanbase?

Severely lacking with Gomes and Doucoure together in midfield again. I know we are limited with players cup-tied and Allan suspended, but one or two of the U23s would be better.

Kenny off and 4 at the back and get Richy out wide and a striker on or we will never score. Gordon for me not the player everyone raves about, runs around a lot and looks keen but when he gets the ball it's head down and he waits for a tackle so he can take the dive, never looks up for the pass. People rave about him being our best player but for me he is keen but offers little other than maybe earning a pen from a dive.

I'm just hoping no more injuries or suspensions from this game now.

No positives from that at all. Deserved defeat.

That sums Everton up – past, present and future.

Who is our left back in this half? I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Gordon who has looked completely baffled by what he's supposed to be doing.

My thoughts on Doucoure and Gomes have been made clear in past posts. They don't have a brain or a heart between them.

Gray gives you flashes. Richarlison not even that nowadays - largely flailing with his back to goal.

Coleman had a go. That's about the best I can muster.

He should stick to 4-3-3 home and 4-2-3-1 away, with a front-foot approach at home, and a little more secure approach away.

But we had two problems:

We couldn't keep it tight and we couldn't pinch one either.

Keane will take us down to League Two if he continues to get picked, he's only decent against a heading centre-forward; when we play teams with skill, speed he's utterly useless.

The ineptitude of the back 4 brings down the whole team, we just sag after conceding another easy fucking goal after easy goal, we were all over Palace the first 20 minutes but once again no finish, not enough class to put away a half or good chance.

Wake up Lampard, make changes and go with the young players at the back – to hell with going with these experienced slow players who are bringing the whole club down.

Feel sorry for the brilliant away supporters!

Worryingly too, tactically naive at best and utterly mystifying. This group of players, organised as they currently are, will be joining the Championship.

Not a brave manager, but a naive one who picks teams on best 11 trainers with no vision at all on shape or system.

If Lampard couldn't organise Chelsea's defence with them players then he had no chance here.

All we've achieved is losing another player to injury and showing how shit we are.

I don't think any manager would make a difference. Keane and Holgate have been this way under 6 managers. Sam and Carlo went more defensive and got abused for being cowardly by the likes of Darren and Ian.

By Rafa's time the defensive approach no longer worked as everyone knew our deficiencies and exploited them. We have two good (not great, but good) players in Pickford and Gordon. We have a handful who are good about once a month... and the rest are just complete crap.

Guehi, Anderson, Mitchell, Gallagher, Kouyate, Eze, Olise, and Zaha would all walk into this current Everton team.

Holgate, Keane, Coleman, Kenny, Gomes, Doucouré, Townsend, Gray are just absolutely below the standard required at this level.

They are two teams who show a clear difference between good and bad recruitment.

Palace were among favourites to go down after losing many first-team players and manager. And have shown what is possible.

We have shown what not to do. We absolutely need a clear out, if at all possible. Players are not good enough and we can't hope they suddenly become so.

Sell Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin, get some good money in. Sell the aforementioned for whatever possible. Then go out and buy players in the £10-20 million bracket like Palace did. (Both central defenders: £18 million; Olise: £7 million; Eze: £15-20 million).

Bring in the likes of Warrington and Dobbin for the bench.

We are a shambles and survival is key. 4-0 to Palace and it was just so easy for them.

Mykolenko should have been given a run. Having the same players that automatically come back in breeds complacency. He should have freshened it up.

The midfield is our problem though and here his hands were tied a bit... but still. Doucouré should not be starting. He can't pass forward; offers nothing going forward and keeps getting caught on the ball. Have Gomes in there for that.

Calvert-Lewin and Gray aren't fit. Look at that Palace team – Gallagher, Zaha, Eze and Olise anchored by Kouyate – a proper monster defensive midfielder. They also had options from the bench. We really, really didn't other than Iwobi and 2 not quite fit or right players. Doucouré and Gomes lost us that game.

If Dominic was fit to come on why not start with him? Richarlison is possibly one of the poorerst players to play the lone striker. It's okay being full of energy but you need control and method to play that role and he has neither as a main striker.

How many of us thought when the first goal went in that we'd see a reaction and a comeback? No, neither did I. August last year since we won on the road, if you don't count Hull as extra-time was needed in that game – that is a terrible record that not many teams, never mind Everton, could have.

It's all about points now, and after today, it looks like very few if any are coming our way from trips away from home – sake, our 'highs', such as they are, never seem to last more than a day or two, do they?

Even if we survive (which we won't) then with no money we won't survive next season. The future is very bleak.

We are facing a future as a lower division club for years to come.

Even if we survive (which we won't) then with no money we won't survive next season. The future is very bleak.

We are facing a future as a lower division club for years to come.

I had a hunch we might win the Cup this year but there are no scripts, alas.

Let's all be hard-minded.

Lampard has to wake up and bench the under-performers or I can't see us staying up.

Townsend going off upset us after a blistering start and the first goal was crucial.

Shit defending for the corner, and then your on the back foot against a team who don't lose when they go ahead.

Richarlison so overrated. Hold up play is poor and doesn't score enough from the chances he gets.

Good work, Everton.

I look forward to the next 5-4-1 formation and League One defending.

Yes, I'm also disappointed in the manager, I know he is working with absolute dross he won't have encountered before. But Pickford for me was a no (always is) and Rondon or Dobbin with Richarlison.

The worry is Frank can't see what we all can.

Frank being a midfielder – can't he see how poor Gomes and Doucouré are?

I feel like I've had electro therapy after watching that, and I sincerely hope that's the nadir for us but I'm sorry to say I don't believe that.

There's too many players who don't have enough quality or are being played in systems and positions they can't work out. The manager is chopping and changing formations which may look good in theory but never ever translate to the real world.

I'm starting to think a blood and guts Duncan Ferguson would have produced a few more points and better performances. Just until the summer. Especially as Frank has arrived on deadline day and had no time.

Worst of all we needed at least one, realistically two combative central midfielders in January, we signed five players and got none of what we most needed !!

To me that was very poor judgement from the club as there were many here that could see it was critical. We are struggling massively and unnecessarily because of the continuing mindless, recurring recruitment policies that our club pursue.

If we scrape pitifully and painfully to 17th place, next season may be a new dawn under Frank, but after watching that, getting 17th is going to be a titanic battle as most teams can too easily just brush us aside.

Phil, Begovic was ill so Frank had no choice but to play Pickford. As for the defence, there was 5 of them, how much protection do 5 defenders need from 2 central midfielders, neither of whom are defensive-minded?

Doucoure has become a target for the boo boys; however, he has never played in his proper position, which is a Number 8 in a midfield 3?

As for Gomes, it was needs must today as we had no other fit or available central midfielders; he is, however, finished and not suited to the Premier League. A complete overhaul of this squad is required if we survive.

Midfield is easily overrun, two international strikers have no on-field rapport with each other, defence is panicky and slow.

Players not afflicted by this 6-year-old malaise are needed now. Van de Beek, Alli, Patterson, even El Ghazi and Rondon. There's enough experience on the coaching staff to recognise this surely.

I said it earlier, why stick with five at the back? It's a disaster, playing wingbacks, taking them off, and playing two wingers in the same system, shocking.

Why not try Branthwaite in a back four? Doucoure and Gomes together in a 2-man midfield, a disaster. Why get rid of the only other defensive midfielder we have, Gbamin, could he have been any worse playing today?

Richarlison as striker, it doesn't work, why persist with it? He's a left winger. Were Rondon or Dobbin not worth a chance today? The last two away games, playing the same system, 5-0 and 4-0, the players have to bow their heads in shame, but Frank has a lot to answer as well.

Seems like Lampard had given up on this game mentally. I didn't get a good feeling about his press conference and his team selection and formation confirmed that.

3/5 at the back never works, I don't know why Lampard persists with it.

We just got off an excellent defensive performance against Newcastle – why meddle with the back line?

Richarlison should be played at centre-forward – he gets into offside positions too many times, and nowadays his first instinct seems to be to go to ground. It is so frustrating to watch. If Calvert-Lewin is not fully ready yet, play Rondon in that position.

I found it bizarre that Iwobi was dropped. After that precious goal on Thursday, he must have been confident. We don't have a game coming up for 2 weeks, so why not play him?

Pickford makes a few good saves but also gives up too many saveable (?) goals. He never ever uses his feet to block shots and that is a glaring weakness in his game. Opposition players have figured out that if you drill a fast low shot close to Pickford's body, it will be a goal.

Doucoure is never a holding midfielder – we just loose so much of our attacking play with him shackled and he and Gomes as a midfield 2 are disastrous. For the next couple of games that Allan is unavailable, I would play Holgate in front of the back 4.

Our centre-backs are all poor – but Godfrey is probably the worst of the lot. He always gets out-headed and makes panicked clearances, usually landing straight back at the opposition's feet.

Gordon needs to be taken off the starting XI for a couple of games. He got poorer and poorer as the game went on, but why didn't Lampard substitute him? And Gordon was not helped by being asked to defend against Olise in the 2nd half – poor by Lampard again.

Lampard and his team need to wake up quickly – make us hard to score against, but also have our midfield take control of the middle of the park.

I wonder where our next goal is going to come from? That is my real worry, we are just not scoring enough goals to make me confident that we will stay up.

Dreadful times to be an Evertonian. Feeling for all my fellow Blues today.

Lampard (0) - back 5 a disaster again with one goal scorer in side and one goal scorer on bench. Dropping Iwobi was utter idiocy.

Not going to see it (Lampard another coward who'd rather play failed shite than take a chance), but team for West Ham:

Begovic
Patterson Godfrey Branthwaite Mykolenko
Gordon Van de Beek Doucouré Dele Alli Richarlison
Calvert-Lewin

Dobbin, Rondon, El Ghazi or Gray from the bench.

How many more times will Frank play three at the back when it is obvious that Keane, Holgate and Godfrey don't understand the system?

It is good that Calvert-Lewin and Gray got some playing time which should improve their match fitness for the important games.

I have nightmares being pointed out by Nelson with, “He's an Everton fan – Ha ha”.

Rafa made us hard to score against but the problem was that when we defeated and let the opponents play we inevitably had that moment when Keane or Holgate cost us a goal.

These guys cannot be trusted to hold on for clean sheets. So we either lose 0-1 or roll the dice and see what happens...

These are shit times but let's ensure that our enemies don't get what they are praying for. Fuck them all.

We all know the situation we are in, and the squad of players we have, so having someone like you who rolls up before every game and talks about how terrible we are and how we've lost the game before a ball is kicked it isn't particularly constructive or interesting or insightful.

What do you get out of it?

I agree, Lampard's hands were tied, we were depleted in midfield.

But playing Doucoure and Gomes in a two-man midfield, doesn't take a magician to know it's doomed to failure, neither can tackle.

But what do you get out of it? In the face of extreme difficulty, the easiest thing to do is throw in the towel. You're worse than the players.

It never looks right on paper and looks even worse in practice.

The set-up looks okay with 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 so we should just stick with it.

I like Lampard as a bloke but he's not really improved us at all. I think we'd be more or less in this situation with Benitez.

Perhaps putting it on ToffeeWeb is a coping mechanism.

Yet another manager appointed who hasn't got a clue about how to organise our rabble of alleged footballers. Pick a way of playing and stick with it, for fuck's sake, and stop trying to get the useless pricks to do things that they aren't capable of doing either physically or mentally.

I honestly believe we have the weakest players in the league mentally and the least intelligent in terms of football savvy and this, together with the naivety of the manager, will see this rabble of a club relegated.

Here are a few suggestions:

Our three centre-backs are all shite, so play as few as possible, ie, two. The wingbacks are also substandard, so get them to play as full-backs only and focus on defending.

The midfield players are all slow, cumbersome and cannot pass to colleagues, so to stop them being overrun every game, make the pitch smaller by playing four in midfield. Make the lack of pace less obvious.

Richiarlison can't play on his own up front (once today he headed on a throw-in and then chased his own header, madness), so two up front please. Ask Calvert-Lewin straight: is he injured or can't be arsed... and sort him out. If it's the latter, leave him out and be honest with the fans.

Give Dobbin a game with Richarlison, might as well lose with kids than with the established "stars", it can't be any worse than one goal in 6 games and the usual two shots per game.

They need to get back to basics, but unfortunately, as likeable as Lampard is, I don't think he is able to sort the mess. There hasn't even been a 'new manager' bounce. Worrying.

Maybe it's overly negative to talk defeat in advance but ironically this season, such an approach would have proved a valid betting strategy.

Best to just let everyone say/vent their own views and opinions. It doesn't kill us. The team might however.

The guy just ambles about, plays simple passes and gives away countless free-kicks. I know he has the injury but he's a liability. He can give a decent cameo at Goodison, every blue moon but the last decent away game I remember him having was the Anfield derby when Pickford gifted Origi their winner.

Nice guy. Looks the part. Dreadful player. Expected nothing less when I saw the team sheet.

But, as I have said on the Live Forum, if the Board is not expanded with people of relevant expertise, then it is a matter of if not when we will be relegated, even if we survive this season.

With the same fraudsters running the show who have overseen the recruitment we have had over several years and including January, the re-build will just be more of continued demolition of the Club as we replace our better players with more expensive shite.

Just hope we can scrape another 3 or 4 home wins as that is what we need to stay up. I also hope we go to a settled back 4 for the rest of the season!

Winks instead of Dele Alli?

Frank is naive in this situation - he needs to get tactically switched on quickly as games in hand mean nothing if they are lost.

Most of our players are inept and characterless - getting them off the books is going to be the hard bit whether we stay in the PL or not

Kenwright should be driven out of town for what he has done to this club over his whole tenure and his shameful pronouncements, the last of which was about good times if I recall - it is truly shocking he still has a place on the Board.

Graeme Sharp's appointment has achieved exactly what we expected - nothing in return.

Our lack of quality was hard to watch, our lack of any kind of savvy was even harder, but the hardest thing was witnessing the general acceptance, from a team of multi-millionaires who haven't got a medal in senior football between themselves.

I'd play Liverpool every day of the week because I've never been remotely scared of that football club, but I'm not stupid, and for that reason I'm glad we've gone out today (Im not one for telling lies but I still can't believe I'm writing this) because I couldn't imagine this spineless set of players, being able to put up a fight on the wide open spaces of Wembley, against Chelsea, City or our neighbours.

I just hope we have got enough to stay up, and then we can hopefully rip this squad apart and begin to start again, with my biggest wish being another sale, and the removal of our very amateur boardroom, and finding an owner who wants to give our club a lot more of his time.

About seven of that team need to be moved on in the summer, plus Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin to bring in funds for new players.

We also need to get rid of the people running the club who are even worse than the players.

How many people said before the game about Gomes, Holgate, Keane and many others being a liability before a ball was even kicked?

I am gutted of course, as I think all others will be too, but it is the manner we were beaten that hurts. How can players on God knows how much a week not be able to tackle? It beggars belief.

Can't wholly blame Lampard, although I think most of us could have chosen a better starting eleven and bench. Just got to concentrate on Premier League survival and then get a JCB in the summer to clear all the shite out!

They can't press, they can't defend, they can't keep the ball, they lack pace all over the pitch and worst of all, they lack any sort of fight in them.

Rabbits in headlights at every away ground. The worst Everton side that I can remember.

As we did in Marco Silva, we again have a manager that's learning on the job. Although the end was no surprise, it's still incredibly disappointing. We have players snatching at any chance that comes along. Calvert-Lewin doesn't look fit. Doucourè just had a 'mare.

It's a must in the summer, no matter what, that we need to bring in better defenders. That will come unfortunately at the expense of Richarlison. If we do go down then it will be a firesale.

We can all wring our hands at the current state of the club but, if we cannot find a way to get through this extended period of potential disaster, then that improvement, when and if it finally comes, might only arrive with the club mortally wounded.

But I think the game in midweek shows that a little bit of positivity can go a long way, and while things are in the balance, and until that disaster has officially arrived, I'd like to think everyone will keep their towel in their corner.

I also assume that the government have instructed the media not to use the word as it officially disappeared when the restrictions were removed?

Gomes is probably one of the worst central midfielders in the Premier League, but he still gets a game in that position. 3 at the back means there is less one defender. A 4-0 beating should prove that point conclusively to Frank Lampard. This was also a game when playing 1 upfront is always a waste of time.

Yet, Frank Lampard should have been much boulder and given Patterson a game because Everton have nothing to lose with Coleman in the defence that has conceded 9 goals in 2 matches away from home.

Right now it feels like going to see someone who has just lost the closest person to them. There are really no words that will bring them much comfort, are there.

Just feel empty.

I was all in for Frank Lampard as our new manager and that was before the dickheads in charge of our club had decided on giving the few applicants a multiple-choice questionnaire down in London.

My thoughts are Igor now that this job has almost broken him and I take that from photos taken before he was appointed and the images of him on the sidelines tonight.

Whether he is simply out of his league and not yet ready or the players are simply beyond coaching, I'm not sure but we are worse now than ever before.

Maybe Sam Allardyce was perfect for us just until Kenwright parted ways with this world.

Four full-backs left and right, four centre-backs – not an unfit tart like Mina, some proper central midfielders, not nothing players like Doucoure or Gomes and four strikers and not another tart with no heart.

Sort the recruitment out and stop trying to build a castle out of a pile of sloppy shite.

When he bought the club, I never heard people saying "Why is he buying the club? He knows nothing about football." No, it was "At last, we have money to buy new players."

No-one knew at that time how incompetent he may have been in either hiring or firing managers, or leaving it to Bill Kenwright.

The players and manager are to blame for the performances on the pitch, more the players, as most have them have reached international status with their countries, so are not novices in tactics or formations.

The 3rd goal summed up Everton's season to me, how often are you going to see a player miss-strike a ball with his left foot go off his right up in the air that everyone thought was going over, comes down off the post and drops to a player 2 yards from goal. You could not script it.

And these players need to realize that the game isn't lost just because you go down 1-0...

We need to stop conceding those cheap goals, the players give up when conceding first.

Today we had more than an hour of gametime to get back in the game, but instead of upping their game, fighting harder, they just surrendered.

For example, why the f is he playing Holgate? He will never be a good player since he simply does not have the concentration and mentality to ever become a good consistent football player.

Lampard has obviously not told Doucoure what he is supposed to do in midfield since I have never seen him so bad in an Everton shirt.

Gray and Richarlison has forgotten how to pass the ball. What is the problem here? Lampard obviously has not adressed this problem as it is not getting better.

He is also setting up too weak midfields. He is setting us with a lone Richalison upfront, that is up alone with a leftwing that do not pass the ball. Well, if you do not see this trend is doomed to failure something is wrong. Lampard has to go in and micromanage this or talk to the players as things spin out of control, but it seems like that does not happen.

Also, why is Duncan Ferguson trusted? He came in and has been here about since the downfall started. That can not just be a coincident?

I think we should just let Lampard go right away as this is the road to nowhere.

Our team were not on song except in the first ten minutes in which we had Palace on the back foot. This midfield was a shambles, passes going astray and unable to win the 50-50's. Our other main tactic seemed to be a hoof upfield, look for a stray header or lucky bounce. I thought we looked better in the second half when Gray, DCL and Iwobi were on. Why oh why was no-body passing out to Gordon on the left. Our conductor needs to think about why he did not continue with a winning team. Can we avoid relegation? Yours, worried.

Vieira gets the Palace job, most of their defenders and senior players gone out of contract and gone, favourites for relegation, look at the young players he signed, and done an incredible job.

Oh, yea, Moshiri brought in Benitez.

What will we say if we win at West Ham?

George McKane, 106, nails it (as always). The club has brought the situation on itself. We are walked all over by bureaucrats and officials on and off the pitch because for years now EFC has been seen as a soft touch. Fundamentally this is what has to change as part of a total reset.

The biggest cheers came for the six year old Everton fan who scored in the half time competition and then the 11 yr old who celebrated his goal with a Tim Cahill boxing of the corner flag.

Doucoure tried hard but gave the ball away countless times and Gomes really has to be dropped. Ritchie should never be played through the centre again. Palace eventually just cut through our midfield. We seemed bereft of confidence.

The train back meandered through the Sarf London suburbs with Everton fans ruefully lamenting the worst Everton team they had seen in years. Thank goodness I was only going back to New Cross. Very cross.

I personally think that Richy is a busted flush and has become a liability, hardly ever stays on his feet, body language awful, wants to play where he plays for Brazil, well sorry lad the Premier League is not South American International football, with his back to goal he is a liability. Get rid in the summer and I swear we won't miss him.

Lack of game management (along with an inability to defend and to retain the ball for decent periods) has been our main problem for many years. That and goals.

We know the new Holy Trinity: commanding centre-back, tempo-setting/hard bastard midfielder, natural goal scorer.

Having said what I've said above about game management, if I had to choose I'd go for a goal scorer. That's the best sort of game management and we haven't had a whiff of it since Lukaku left. You could see it today in the first 20 minutes: we were dominant but toothless.

Also, lets not forget that Brands (who senior management sacked as the man most responsible for picking this rabble) had his contract extended not long before they sacked him so the muppets up top some how thought he was doing a good job! You can lay blame all over the Club but the buck stops with the people up top (Owner and Chairman) whose incompetency permeates all the way down the Club and out on to the field of play. They could install a Board with more expertise to improve the entirety of the Club but we currently have a pensioner, a charitable foundation CEO and an ex player who happened to be a convenient appointment as the sole Board members which is an absolute dereliction of duty by the Owner and Chairman and until that changes, and they are so useless they do not even seem to recognise it as an issue, this Club is going no where.

If and a big if we stay up? What next? Next season? Thursday was a 98th minute win! It will be luck, other teams that keep us in this league!

Today we played Crystal palace for goodness sake!! It was pitiful to watch! Unless things change at this club. It won't be if we are relegated it will be when!

What really kills me is I can't walk away from Everton!!

Stephen @159, it was 3 points mate.

We're going to stay up. Stop drooping.

No comparison with John Moores can be made - he made the club spend money wisely and live within its means

Results like today's can happen anytime, but performances like today's are happening on a regular basis, and once the opposition score it becomes game over, simply because we have no character whatsoever in our squad.

We need at least four wins to stay in the premier league, and Lampard really needs to start picking the right players and the right formation to get us those wins, starting from now.

Frank words from Frank in his interview, but he has to shoulder some of the blame. Mitigation on his part; some changes were forced through suspension and injury. We only played on Thursday evening. The players selected let him down.

But, once again, he is overly tinkering with formations in my opinion. I get player rotation and the need to adapt to different opposition in the modern game, but generally keep your formation and system of play relatively consistent so players know what they are stepping into. Other teams change players, but tend to stick to a trusted formation most of the time.

The inconsistency in formation is relating to results. After every ray of hope and calm waters, there is a storm that knocks us sideways and backwards resulting in us having to regain control of the ship's tiller.

I couldn't attend. My poor brother did instead. I wasn't able to watch. My poor son did in some invaluable down time he had. From what I understand, we started brightly. It sounded like Palace weren't great, but were more clinical and we were found wanting defensively. And yet again, once they go behind, such is the fragile confidence of this group of players, they don't just lose, they collapse.

Huge games coming up. I know it doesn't work like this, but I have my eye on Burnley and Watford away as well as Brentford home. Knowing Everton, we'll pick up a point against them and beat United as well as Leicester.

Lampard is correct in saying he can only go so far to butter players up to want to win and get to Wembley. There has been too much buttering up of this squad over the years. They've been living on easy street for too long. Lampard is facing the reality that several managers have faced. They can't all be wrong.

I said at the end of last season, Carlo Ancelotti was correct in declaring he was not a magician. It's been obvious for seasons now. We need better players. We only have one or four at best. The result of a catastrophic recruitment strategy. I thought long and hard about using the word strategy there.

Apologies, my thoughts are all over the place right now. I really thought a win today would galvanise the season. It's not a killer blow, but now we have to focus. Our fate is in the hands of these players and we have to push them over the line. Then we can re-group in the summer.

This morning, I thought I would be excited about going to Wembley next month by the end of the day. As it happens, my footballing highlight of the weekend is that Brentford lost.

Disappointed Danny. More disappointed than the one after Benitez was appointed last summer.

See you at the next one blues.

Or just stay on this site and relentlessly pour poison onto the wounds. I imagine you'll just do that. You clearly cannot help yourself.

Notice from the club July 2019. DBB Will oversea the work of Stadium Development Director Colin Chang and take responsibility for the new Stadium Project, including the delivery of a community led legacy at Goodison Park. this is for after Evrton move to the new stadium.

Brands had been appointed to the board January 2019 so this is were someone on the board was to help in running the football side of a football club.

its time people stop going over the same argument of who to blame after a performance like today. If you watched it today the blame is in front of your eyesight, players bought by various managers not fit to wear a blue shirt, Professional footballers unable to pass to another player 10yds away and a manager who has come into a struggling club with players that cant get over a defeatist attitude.

Allthough it cant be used as an excuse wasn't Everton the only team out of the 8 that only had 2 days off and plus made to play the earliest. And remember we have to get rid of a number of players to buy, and nearly all of their value has plummeted

If Lampard continues to play Richarlison up front on his own, we are relegated, simple as that. He is never a No 9. He knackers himself out running around losing battles all over the park.

Play Rondon, Calvert-Lewin or even Iwobi, just not Richarlison on his jack.

Happy now, folks?...'cos this shite will just continue, a million backpasses, painfully slow build-up play, no shooting from range, woeful crosses, slack marking, players off form being selected, constant changing formations, no youngsters given a chance, and our midfield three consisting of only defensive players.

Also, why not play our new full-backs?

It's sobering to see how much better Crystal Palace are than us and damning to consider the £500m spent to achieve a significantly worse squad than them.

However, the FA Cup, as much as it was a distraction, was not our priority. We can now focus on picking up the points we desperately need. Hopefully we are better than the three teams below us.

Newcastle LOST 3-1
Southampton LOST 2-0
Spurs LOST 5-0
Palace LOST 4-0.

But just for Andrew Keatley.. we won all 4 and have a Wembley Semi to look forward to.

Still, when the important football decisions are taken by an elderly luvvie impresario and an accountant, what else do we expect?

Now we are in a relegation fight and we have no fighters. Hard to muster any optimism.

Take Holgate for example. I know I pick on him, but he irritates me hardcore. If he had a better head, he would be a good player. But he is not. He has the physicality, he does have decent football skills, but he does not have a good enough mentality to be a good football player.

Several times, every game, even though he is playing centre-back, he does not run as hard as he can to get back and defend. Instead, he jogs around looking like he is on a trip picking flowers or something. What the fuck is that all about?

If I was the manager I would take that chewing gum he chews and put it somewhere else. Pick out the fuckin chewing gum and fight your ass for every second in every game. That is a winning mentality. If you do not get this, a manager has to tell you!

How the fuck no manager has told him this, is beyond belief. If the managers did their job, they would start to work on this guy to make him a better football player. But nothing happens – whoever you throw in as a manager at Everton. What is that all about? Our managers, they don't manage?

This is just one example out of at lest 10 obvious things a manager should take care of. Instead, I see things getting worse.

I think we have decent players but they need a manager who knows how to organize them, tell them what to do, and then maybe most important, they need to be built up mentally.

That is why they do not play good for 90 minutes. They do not believe what we are doing and they are not mentally prepared. Why run when we lose anyway?

Newcastle interest in Godfrey mentioned again.

Given the abject performances we've been subjected to recently (with hardly any exceptions), he probably wants to tell the vast majority of the players their days at Everton are coming to a close during the summer. They aren't fit to wear the shirt and are stealing a living. Notify their agents to start putting the feelers out now for a new employer etc.

However, he needs these imposters to play for the rest of the season and somehow (don't ask me how) keep us up. Telling them their fortune would probably result in them "downing tools". Truth is would we notice?

The following players should be shown the door: Coleman, Holgate, Keane. Godfrey, Gomes, Kenny, Davies, Iwobi, Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.

Some might be surprised at Godfrey's inclusion in the list but he is a very limited footballer who has pace but little else. A centre-back who can't jump, goes to ground too easily and won't chip in with the odd goal or two? Remember Mountfield?

The last two might raise some decent funds on which to start a new squad, let's pray that squad isn't for the Championship. Our run of games after the international break doesn't augur well.

For example, getting the players to understand how we play and to bring in new players. Then it will be pretty obvious what we lack at any given point.

I'm not disagreeing with you about the team being dreadful, or expecting anyone to disregard the table, or our form, or our performances. But the way you confidently predict that we will not take a single point from any of our remaining away games is what separates your line of thinking from mine.

Every point is up for grabs as far as I am concerned, and while I am not confident that we'll get lots of points from those games, I would hate to be the sort of person who has already given up on getting any.

There are many dice to fall between now and the end of the season, and plenty of surprises in store. Or that's what history tells us anyway.

Yes, I'm smoking. But none the worse for that.

Godfrey, I agree on that one, very limited football player. What he has is running and mentality. It can take you far but that's about it. In a football sense, I don't really know what he has. Certainly not very many assists or goals in him, which as this level makes him a liability.

Would look a little weird for Liverpool if Robertson and Trent had about 0 goals and 0 passes in a season.

How about we just make this into a simple ToffeeWeb wager then. If we fail to get even a single away point in our remaining away games this season then I will never post on ToffeeWeb again. And if we manage to get a point or more then you stop posting instead - also forever.

Ready to shake my spit-soaked hand?

I know of course it's not as simple as that but I honestly have never seen as untalented a bunch of misfits in all my years.

Spot on. I believe only a handful of us wanted Pereira out of the 2 choices. And I read, back then, that he had lined up a few young Portuguese players to bring in if he got the job.

Getting on Lampard's back about this formation and that formation is fucking ridiculous.

Did someone say play Holgate in centre-midfield? Jesus fucking Christ, the lad can't pass the ball for shit at the back – let alone have the awareness to play in the middle of the park.

Honestly, there's some shite written on here...

Under Frank, we are a "first 15 minutes" team.

The game we saw today is typical of many we have seen over the years, where teams just seem to be too physical for us, they batter us and we fall over like little poodles.

We only have one or two players willing to bark back. Anthony Gordon deserves a lot more than he will get this season. He is a true fan, it shows. Some others hardly lifted a leg as soon as Palace got their first.

The result on Thursday allowed a glimmer of hope, even though no-one could say we played well. We have been horrendous this season. Truly horrendous.

So, it's the middle of March and we have a nice relegation battle to look forward to. My worry is whether these guys have the required ability or courage for the next 2 months.

It's easier to ask who came out with any credit at all from this latest shambles. I would suggest only one player deserves any credit from this diabolical pathetic display and that is Seamus Coleman. The veteran at least showed guts and tenacity. If only he were a few years younger.

All the 'Usual Suspects' have been mentioned on here, but one who stands out for me as shockingly lacking in every department, yet seems to regularly escape scrutiny is Doucouré.

His positional sense is awful. His awareness dreadful. He's constantly caught in possession when attempting to pass backwards or sideways. He's ponderous and lacks initiative. The position he occupies requires split second precision. Doucouré is totally devoid of those attributes.

There were other culprits equally as poor today. But the reason that I single this 'player' out is because, for some reason, unfathomable to me, his appalling displays are seemingly overlooked. His weakness is obvious to me. What baffles me is that other Evertonians seem blind to his shortcomings.

Weak minds and weak hearts but then people ramble on about formations the manager should be playing.

Outside of Coleman, Gordon, Allan and Richarlison the rest have no fucking desire or bollocks for this.

Which manager are we talking about? Seems we've been say this about Martinez, Koeman, Allardyce, Silva, Ancelotti, Benitez and now Lampard. Maybe we're right about all of them?

Mind you, I very much doubt any of the above managers have told any of the players to go out and not put 100% commitment into the game, not shit out of 50/50s, not complete simple straightforward 5-yard passes, and on and on and on.

The players seem to just decide when to play and when not to play. We know they can compete when they want, show effort and willing. We know they really do care, as we saw after Iwobi's goal against Newcastle, but, for whatever reason, they can't do it for two consecutive games.

Of course, managers make mistakes but, by God, the players are ultimately responsible for the dire shite we see, week after week!

Make no mistake, they have destroyed Everton as a once-proud club.

Even if we do manage to escape relegation this season, the future of this club looks very bleak. Staying up would be like putting a sticking plaster on a bigger wound. The club is broken and beyond fixing, in my opinion.

We are part of the problem: crying losers.

We've hounded out a DoF and a manager. We could turn our attention to the chairman, but the root of our problems lie elsewhere.

I'm as bad telling friends/family we are relegated, all over. Then Thursday came to give hope. Yes, a coping mechanism to handle relegation if it comes. We must be realistic as statistical data and performance don't look good but football is not just a numbers game.

To go forward, the management team must find a way of keeping goals out. Hard to beat, boring, but not conceding is good. Stick a runner up front! Chase them down! Get a goal and defend it with your lives!

No more ifs and butts anymore. Who we could have had as manager, players bought and sold... oh yes, all Bill's fault – must be put to one side. What happens after the season finishes is for then, not now. Actually, today might be a blessing to purely concentrate on league matters.

We must get behind this squad for the final chapter of the season. We have 2 weeks off to go away and relax as fans. Remember all fans write in frustration, worry and anger. This is good as we all understand each other's frustration and joy when it comes.

As one, we all must stick together!!

Stay positive all!

We were utter shit against Newcastle but fluked a win. We've been dreadful in almost every game since September.

I have no doubt whatsoever that we are going down, so it's all about what happens in the summer. Lampard, sadly, has looked out of his depth and can't continue with us next season.

But our real problem is what to do with this incredibly sub-standard squad. I've never seen this bad a group before, not just at Everton but in any Premier League squad. We are so much worse than every other team in the division, it's hard to credit.

I wish we could fast-forward to the end of the season, because the misery of watching our beloved club sliding slowly into the Championship is killing me. Just relegate us and be done with it. Then rip it up and start again.

I had the chance to go but declined, due partly to family reasons and partly to disinclination, having suffered in London recently at Spurs. Well done to those who travelled.

The performance was a shock to nobody. We have seen it all too often; we have many poor players, and nearly all of them have very weak mentalities.

We also have a manager who is failing to grasp that this bunch of footballers needs to be drilled into a very straightforward method of playing to maintain our Premier League status.

I suspect we will see other such performances before the season is over. I am accepting that as a virtual inevitability, given what we have witnessed from them over the past few years.

The only thing we can offer is our total support over the remaining games of the season, to help scratch out the points required. It's vital that we do so for our Club – not the players, management, directors, owners, they will be gone one day, but the Club and the supporters are constants.

All that matters is that Frank Lampard gets his team to accumulate enough points to finish 17th in the Premier League.

So, whether he's part of the problem or not isn't the point. He is the solution. He's got two weeks to figure out how to get at least a point against West Ham.

I fear he doesn't have it in him. And if he doesn't, then I reckon the players will smell it, and you know what happens then.

I put €1 on Brighton to go down yesterday at 130/1. That's how hopeful I am.

Our forwards seem incapable of mustering a shot on target and the only positive to come out of today is thank heaven it wasn't a Premier League game.

I don't know how Lampard changes the mindset of this group of players as, any set-back, they just fold like a pack of cards. He and especially Ashley Cole must not believe what a mediocre weak-minded group of players they have inherited.

This group have underperformed for years and, despite spending hundreds of millions, we sit 4th from bottom. Unless we somehow find a backbone, then we might not escape the drop.

I think what is quite evident is that this group cannot play 2 high energy games inside 3 days. You have to go back to August since our last away win – how shameful is that? And we haven't picked up any points on our travels this year.

I thought Rondon might have got a run-out today as he is now fit and can hold the ball up – something that our front players struggle with.

I don't completely give Lampard a Get Out of Jail Free card either; he brought Dele Alli to the club and so far he has had only cameo roles. Donny van de Beek was also a player Lampard brought to the club on loan and just like his fellow countryman, Klaassen, he looks ill-suited to the pace of the Premier League.

As many of us suspected, without Allan in midfield, none of the others are capable of putting in a tackle or try to impose themselves on the game.

Doucouré is a Championship player at best, it's embarrassing to see such a big unit hassled and harried out of possession, and that added to virtually no goals – I don't see what he offers, doesn't get his head on it either in the opponent's box, or ours when defending corners.

Okay, only the first and last sentences are true. Not sure what or who can make a difference with this team. I think it might all depend on Brentford. Use the games in hand to get above them and beat them at Goodison.

I've just read a report with the headline insinuating that Lampard has looked to blame the players once again.

I think Lampard is right: he said nobody was criticizing the tactics early on in the game, when Palace couldn't get out of their own half, and I like the fact that he said it might not only be a lack of confidence that is affecting our players, but maybe it's also a lack of bollocks. Can anyone who watches Everton on a regular basis genuinely disagree with that assessment, of our squad?

In saying that, we looked a much more compact and fluent team against Man City, mainly because of our formation that day, and this is why I agree with Peter when he talks about Lampard needing to simplify things.

Two questions – why doesn't Frank use his U23's as they would put more of a shift in.

And the 2nd question is, after 76 years of supporting the Toffees, why do I still punish myself by loving them?

I doubt many fans will find anything to argue against in your post. I found myself agreeing with all of it – including carrying on giving our support in the remaining games, especially those at home.

Doucouré has to play because there's no-one else. I'd play Gordon next to him with the young lad given a chance – he can only be better than what we have seen.

Calvert-Lewin will surely be fit if he gets 2 weeks under his belt and play him with Richarlison wide left and Dobbin popping up everywhere.

That's three young players plus Gordon, surrounded by experienced players and their energy and effort might just make a difference. Gomes, Holgate and a third full-back making way will not make us weaker. Time for Frank to stamp some authority on this lot.

Also, the draw has been made, we'd have got Chelsea and, let's face it, probably no chance against them.

The priority is staying up, clearing out the shite and starting again …. Onwards and upwards.

Just imagine, brimming with zeal, those soldiers of the Dark Side with lightning fast movement that exploits our weaknesses, crisp confident passing and razor sharp finishing, everyone of them desperate to win the Premier League and prove themselves worthy of the FA Cup and Champions Legue final teams.

Not to mention they could be the team that damages our moral beyond repair and the honour of flushing us down pan (if circumstances conspire and shit-shows persist).

Hard to see us taking anything from the West Ham game, Burnley is a 6-pointer.

The weird thing is that our managers do hit upon the right formula – but then the next game it's a different formation and different personnel. Lampard has not just cost us the game today, he's robbed the players of the feelgood factor and momentum from the Newcastle game.

Ancelotti has showed us how to get points away with this bad group of players. It's a 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 playing very deep – with Holgate and Godfrey as full-backs if needs be.

So no need to overcomplicate things – just do that. It will bring us a few draws and an occasional backs-to-the-wall win. Allardyce bored the tits off us to similar effect and got a bad team to 8th place.

At home, it has to be the 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 but with a higher line and more attacking purpose from the full-backs. Adopt the direct, awkward and relentless approach that Benitez used to good effect early in the season.

And whether we believe it's the way forward or not, ditch zonal marking at set-pieces. Ditch 3-4-3 / 5-2-2-1 / 5-4-1 etc. Ditch the idea that Gomes can ever play in a 2-man midfield. At least until summer when we can regroup.

Seems to me that Lampard is gambling very hard on scoring the first critical goal in away matches and it's led us to shipping 9 goals at Palace and Spurs.

So please, Frank Lampard, stop doing the things you and Benitez have already proved don't work. And just keep doing the things that you and Benitez have shown do work.

He asked me “What's your team supposed to be?”… and after further conversation tennis it turned out his question related to the team having an identity. He basically then said “Man City and Arsenal are Basque, Liverpool are Gegenpressing, Chelsea are Big and Athletic, Villa and Southampton are trying to be Liverpool-lite… can't work out what you're supposed to be trying to do.”

I think this is really astute. We have no “School of Science”, we have no “Dogs of War”, we have no “plucky, financially challenged over achievers”… we have absolutely zero identity.

Over recent years, it was the “exciting project”, but even that's now gone. We are a schizophrenic (hope that's not un-pc, and apologies if so) club.

Koeman and Walsh started the rot, of course, with the former wanting “quickly bought success, so I can step on to Barca”, and the latter wanting to unearth a team of great youngsters to show Leicester was no fluke. It's been exasperated by multiple managers and the 3 way pulls of Moshiri, BPB and Brands.

We are an utter mess. A patchwork quilt. From first team to the entire playing setup.

So, I think we need to ask ourselves what our identity needs to be, and start enforcing it asap. For me, this is why so many of us (me included) crave for the young lads to get a go. This gives us an identity and one with potential. Being seen as a club that gives players a chance would attract other good youth perhaps.

Interested to hear others' views on what identity we should be aiming for? Think a few want the “plucky” days of Moyes back; some might settle for another Basque blueprint (I'd take Bobby back after the World Cup right now!), some may take going with Calvert-Lewin, Rondon and Richarlison and just lumping it like a Wimbledon or Stoke of days gone.

Not sure how any of it helps our plight right now, but I think Frank really needs to decide what identity he wants now too – because “the hardest trainers who are shit on match days” just ain't cutting it.

We desperately need a younger set of midfielders with plenty of pace. Frank should be ideal for this, his knowledge of younger players seems to be very good. Hopefully we stay up, then give him his chance.

When the chips are down and the odds against you, often surprises happen. Let's face it, the very few derby victories we've had over recent decades have been surprises.

Still upset about today, but we have to pick ourselves up quickly and, more importantly, pick up points. We can do this. We will do this.

He's looked jaded in recent games. Could really do with a rest.

Excellent posts, and in some respects tie in with each other.

The 4-3-3/4-5-1 attack/defend has to be at the core of the identity question. Train players to play it, buy the best players we can to strengthen it. Give players responsibility for their specific roles in it. Train our kids in the same role to break into the first team seamlessly if they are good enough.

Our identity will flourish from this stability of purpose and play, the fans and crowd will respond to it.

The club and its direction has been all over the place, it's time to change.

Our identity is that we lack bollocks, and when things are going wrong, the players are scared to upset anyone, and by that, I mean each other, which is why I come to this conclusion right now.

No leadership, no savvy, just an acceptance that we are not good enough, and the reason why people say Goodison is toxic, is because when it comes to their football club, one thing Evertonians have never been is shithouses, and that's why we can't identify with most of this current squad.

So now the players lose as they have no bollocks whereas last year James wouldn't play with his swollen bollocks. You can't win for losing with this lot.

Tony @ 228 - no idea what you're disagreeing with, and very much doubt “no bollocks” is a deliberately imposed identity, or that simply “having bollocks” is the one we can aim at. It's indisputable that we want them to show some bollocks and fight like lives depend on it…….but is that enough on its own?

Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Gray, Gordon... there's enough talent there to threaten the opposition. We don't. Even in the early stages when we were forcing mistakes, we still didn't really look like scoring.

We're still playing too safe. Trying to keep things tight at the expense of offering any kind of threat. The problem is we do that with a suspect defence and an absent midfield.

Play to the strengths of Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Gray and Gordon. That's the only way out of this.

As for effort, well that's the minimum standard.

The basic mistakes all over the pitch were too many to count.

I asked on the Live Forum is there anyone in our team that can take the ball down and control it and pass to a teammate? The answer came back "No".

Why is it we get no second ball, our tackling is non-existent and we seem to be running around like headless chickens.

There's no leadership on or off the pitch. Poor Anthony Gordon gets kicked up and down the pitch and no-one sticks up for him.

That Gallagher lad isn't the most gifted player around be he outplayed our entire midfield. The snidey sod tried to do Gordon on a few occasions and got away with it. No-one in an Everton shirt told him to fuck off. Cowards.

With that sort of cowardice we will go down. Thursday's result was a one-off.

I never wanted Frank (poser) Lampard near our club. Unproven in management. He brought in some of his cronies like Cole. Again unproven.

We need to fall like Humpty Dumpty and hope Kenwright won't be near this club when we do.

I don't want us to fall but I fear its the only way we can rid ourselves of the Devil's Spawn.

I don't think that just showing desire (bollocks) is enough in the long term Gary, but it was enough to get us 3 points the other night, and it might just be enough to keep us in the Premier League this season, which is the only thing that genuinely matters right now imo mate.

Tony A it is a lack of bollocks, absolutely. But the fact that the formation, tactics, personnel change every game is draining the life out of a group with no confidence. They are confused, they don't know their roles and too many are being asked to perform roles they are not good at. It is harder to have bollocks in such circumstances.

He may not wear the armband, but he's a leader. Constantly in the ear of his fellow players. Pointing, shouting, moaning, instructing. Not afraid to give them an earful when they need it.

He may be past his best, but he is a leader on the pitch. Off the ball as much as on it.

We don't have enough of them. A proper nark, willing to take one for the team as he demonstrated on Thursday.

Gary, yes, his view on all that was very astute. I'd love to hear the answer for Everton. Or at least our first team, because I think I see an answer in relation to the U23s.

But one thing that stuck out to me, happened at the end of Thursday night's game. Coleman, who is a “man” you can rely on, but he's not genuine captain material in my book (just my own opinion), ran straight to Begovic at the end of the game, and it was (I might be wrong) because he was constantly shouting at his back four throughout the game. This Everton team haven't had leadership like that in years. I think leadership is something that is only underrated by losers.

Leadership is a big one. We are weak as piss. We have been for the last 20 years or more. It's why we get the bum deal with referees and lose Derby matches etc etc.

I hadn't spotted the Begovic thing but it's interesting. There's more to the game than ability.

We have too many players that are just not very good. The back four are terrible – no amount of coaching will fix this – they are just not good enough.

Gomes is slow and lazy; Doucoure has lost whatever mojo he had – can he pass the fucking ball?!

Gray is a bottler and a liability; Gordon is trying hard but is beginning to behave like Richarlison and the opposition know he can be wound up; God knows what has happened to Calvert Lewin!

The only hope we have of staying up, is the three below us doing us favours!

I thought, of the three manager candidates interviewed, Lampard was the best choice, but moving forward I'm convinced he is not the man to sort this fucking mess out. This club needs a manager who isn't going to take any shite, knows what he's doing in terms of spotting a player that will make us hard to beat – Lampard isn't that man.

I thought two players were gut-wrenchingly horrible to watch today, and one of them was Andre Gomes, who put in a really horrible, incomplete performance, meaning that we definitely missed Allan today.

There's the priority to get enough points to stay up, and I do believe despite form and the prevailing gloom, Everton will etch out some victories in the must win games, v Burnley, Watford away, Brentford, Palace at home and get a point v United and beat Leicester.

But the demise for me, started after we beat the RS last season, and the team, blew arguably their best chance of Europa League qualification with some efficiency, alas very bad style and manner. Rafa's era speaks for itself. What the hel has happened to Everton at Finch Farm this season?

It's a massive challenge for Frank and his staff, but hopefully today it's shown the true colours of his squad members.

The midfield without Allan was like a block of cheese today, holes all over and too easy for Palace to exploit.

Noticeably the lack of confidence with being in possession and reading the game, so there's the lack of ownership and leadership on the Park.

I feel like a broken record and the dark forces of Old Nick are gathering steam, but seeing that shower get another lucky decision doesn't make today any easier.

But you must make your own luck and there's simply not enough fight and guts in this squad to merit the luck needed to win games consistently.

Disappointing that Begovic was sick today, but Palace took their chances but Everton served them their Sunday lunch on a plate.

Frank must get a dirty dozen squad and mentality over this break and make sure that Everton get at least a point or beat Burnley.

Frank must get a dirty dozen squad and mentality over this break and make sure that Everton get at least a point at West Ham, and beat Burnley.

Everton must stay up, as the winds of fortune aren't blowing in the right direction on and off the Park.

Well we live in hope eternal for all matters Everton.

I'm going to bed with an headache, goodnight everyone.

In reality, a team should have several leaders rather than one who wears the armband.

It's a night for reflection and nostalgia, but listen to the 80s team talk. Southall, Ratcliffe, Van den Hauwe, Reid, Gray, Sharp.

There may have been a nominated captain. But in name only. There were multiple leaders on the pitch.

Sadly, Allan is the only one in that category; we have no-one who resembles Lee Carsley.

Whilst certainly not the only problem we have, I think you're absolutely right about lacking a tackler in the middle being the biggest immediate issue.

For me, I agree with Tony that a 4-5-1 is best way round it. If we can't fix it with one, then fix it with 3! Alternatives like ‘hope Delph gets back' or ‘try Holgate, Godfrey, or Coleman there' are risky.

However, I also think we are badly lacking goalscorers too; Gordon and Gray just aren't contributing goals, and Richarlison can't do it alone. So, maybe packing the middle with 3 who are capable of goals (Doucoure, Van de Beek and Dele Alli) will help.

With Richarlison on the left of the 5 and Calvert-Lewin up top, that's at least 5 who are capable of a goal. With Gordon and one of Kenny or Patterson getting down the right, supplying crosses for that lot there could be hope.

Unfortunately, I think the latter two are very far from ‘Dogs of War' too though, and whilst this would help us score, the belly is still soft as shit. Not sure we have any other option though.

We hounded out Big Sam for no real reason: other than he played crap but effective football to avoid relegation. But he knew we needed to defend and needed points and was pragmatic. God, I'd love him now.

He achieved the aim so well, we barely looked like we were ever in trouble. He didn't even get a chance the next season to bring in flair players with character (like he did at Bolton). Because "We're Everton. We demand more. Nil Satis..." and all that rubbish…

I'm in my 40s and have barely seen a decent team: Royle did well and so did Moyes for 3 or 4 seasons. But we didn't have the right to disparage Big Sam and he'd have got us out of this trouble.

If he'd stayed, he would have bought men. Proper strong players. Instead, we have these namby pamby losers (and they are a bunch of spineless losers).

He'd have created a team with identity and with flair.

Unless or until Frank sorts out the defence, plays 3 in midfield, and develops and an attacking plan, we're doomed.

He has to give Patterson a go, Dobbin a go. He must be able to see who actually gives a shit.

I'm hoping for Holgate to be culled and Gomes too.

Sam Allardyce did a good job. He have done absolutely nothing to earn shit from anyone. He came to save our club and he succeeded. He should be hailed. Most of the other managers after Moyes have been doing much worse.

I don't get the thing why people dislike Allardyce so much. Yes the football was boring, but frankly I rather play boring football and take points than trying to play nice football and then end up with nothing.

After Thursday's match, our bemused Frank was interviewed and was gushing in the praise he gave Kenwright for having personally addressed the players pre-match, to remind them what it means to be Evertonian. Frank said, "other clubs are corporate in their boardroom but Everton are different. It's like family". Gee Frank, thanks – who'd-a-thought that?

Sigh!

I know he's only been here a little while and I know he's had a career in 100% successful clubs being led corporately, but if he still can't even begin to see that the entire Kenwright smoke-and-mirrors ineptitude, still promulgated at Finch Farm by so many of his ex-player n'er-do-wells, is at the weak, flaccid heart and foundation of our formerly excellent club, he needs a rapid visit to Football Intelligence Specsavers.

He has inherited a dreadful situation, the reasons for which have been well documented. The defeat today may well prove to be a blessing in disguise. The focus can now be solely on the retention of Premier League status rather than effort being dissipated on an FA Cup campaign.

Arguably, with the possible exception of Ancelotti, in Frank we currently have the first decent manager at the club since David Moyes. Now is the time to get fully behind him and to stop the carping about tactics and team selection.

Well, I'll tell you where, or rather when, my day started… 2:30 this morning when I got up to go and search for a small cooler bag in the garage to hold some essential supplies.

I've not long got back home, 21:05 to be exact, fucking knackered, fuming, disillusioned and quite frankly fed-up to the eyeballs with everything.

What happened in the intervening 19 hours? Well, I think you all know.

A 5-hour coach journey to Selhurst Park, a few pints in the nearest pub to the ground, full of blues and not a Palace fan in sight, a shit match (depending on which club you support, obviously), a near enough 6½-hour coach journey back home, including a 45-minute stop, and picked up at The Rocket by the missus.

I can't be arsed describing the match because everyone saw it, an absolute shit-show by Everton. A convoy of Blues coaches leaving Selhurst Park shows yet again the magnitude of the support we've got, and we're served up with that!

Now I'm off to bed cos I'm done in!!

I agree, but many on here won't even hear his name mentioned.

I was absolutely gutted he left. A top man and manager.

I noticed Gordon badly scraped a player's leg and a free-kick given, utter nonsense and the reason I now switch off.

The VAR, rules and player behaviour has ruined the game. That Man City handball sickened me to the back teeth, no integrity in the game at all.

Back to our plight, what we don't have is players with a strong mentality, they don't care win or loose. I can't as a person fathom that but watching Gomes meander back for their second was criminal and an insult to every blue the world over.

I could go on. I don't give a shit if they're reserve players but put out a team with heart, please. At least go out fighting.

I'm glad we lost today because the inevitable humiliation at Wembley would have been one kick too many for most of us. How fucking sad is that?

Frank Lampard may be hard working and it looks like he cares a lot but it's his job to get the best from this admittedly limited group and I'm not sure he is currently. It may be time for him to take a few pages out of the Allardyce and Ancelotti copybooks, because the ‘expansive' approach is not working.

Frank and that spineless shower's performance do not reflect yours.

We'd have a better chance of earning points on the road if Carlo and Big Sam were in our defence – even at their age.

This season has been an unmitigated disaster but I wouldn't want Allardyce back.

I don't think anyone really expected us to beat Palace after our inconsistency all season. At the very least we would have found out if they are up to it. After today, we still don't know.

The mental state of our first team is fragile at best if not broken. Now Lampard will revert to type again in our remaining games as he does not know or trust if our new full backs or U23s are up to it.

Most of our senior team are corrupt. They turn up each week and don't perform and don't care while taking out a wedge every single week. Too many of them are looking for a way out of playing or looking for the exit door.

No matter where we are next season, we will only be left with those that no-one else wants.

What I saw today was the cumulative investment put into the club by Kenwright over his tenure which has seen a diminishing of the club's football status, is now getting close to a diminishing in league status, backroom and boardroom filled with acolytes and investment in players not fit to play for the club.

We have seen two well-respected chief executives leave the club in that time due to taking one look at how it was operating and deciding it was not for them. We then saw Kenwrifght appoint the disastrous Elstone and we all know what investment he brought to the club.

Now, we see Denise Barrett-Baxendale, who has little or no experience in the field she now operates and would be well advised to ensure her current stay does not stain what appears to be very good work at a similar level in charitable matters.

The common denominator of Everton's collective failure over the past three decades is clear.

Today, I believe the loss of Townsend was a game-changer and perhaps a season changer. We looked excellent until he went off and then the fragility appeared and the fear crept in. See, easy excuses but it could have been different.

Also, I believe we look a much more confident side without Pickford. His distribution is shit and he oozes unease.

Finally, the revisionism with regard to the lamentable Allardyce is astonishing.

Never play Gomes again. He is the equivalent of betting on a team minus a goal. Play a reserve goalkeeper in midfield, play with ten men, play with an inflatable woman, a wax work, a cardboard cut out, but never him again.

Did Sam buy those players or the director of football? Again these buys were to sure up the squad in January.

I believe Sam at the time was given a raw deal by the fans. A level of snobbery that he was not good enough for this club. If the owner had been stronger and kept Sam I personally think we may of had stronger leadership on the pitch. He would have demanded more from the players. Yes the style pf play may have been hard to watch at times but this is a results business. I personally think the money spent and expectations has been wide of the mark by the fans.

Yes I would have had Sam back in January. Experience in these situations is key. Time will tell if Frank with no experience of a relegation fight can keep our premiership status.

Couldn't agree more. Pickford is an unsettling nightmare, I feel much calmer with Begovic, but Gomes should never play for us again because he's a total fucking liability!

How can't Lampard see this?…that's my massive worry.

The fact that he keeps playing Coleman and the Sunday league Kenny makes me wonder how these people make multi-millions, because they obviously know so much more about football than we do!

The Allardyce mistake was replicated tenfold when Moshiri decided that it would be great to have a former Liverpool boss in the dug-out, but that was always doomed to failure and the players have done little to help – save the mini run in the early part of the season.

Allardyce was never the answer and Benitez well I don't know what the question was so I don't know how he would be the answer to anything.

Frank has his work cut out, to a) motivate this workshy group of players, and b) keep enough of them onside to give us a fighting chance of remaining in the Premier League. I'm afraid his chances are slim, to say the least.

We started okay. We pressed Palace, didn't let them settle, and had a go.

But then we fell apart.

It is the worst Everton side I have ever seen.

It was the angriest I have ever been as an Evertonian. I screamed with rage at the end. It got it out of my system and I calmed down on the walk to Selhurst train station. The free drinks & food in my hotel's Level Lounge soothed me. Palace stayed here last night; if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!

Palace are clearly better than us, but the worrying thing is, they weren't even that good today and still beat us 4-0. Those players should give up their wages, they don't deserve to be paid. I'd sell every one of them, but you'd likely get no takers for most of them. Appalling.

I've looked at the fixtures, I think we'll get six more points. We have a keeper who makes occasional mistakes. A defence which can't defend. A non-existent midfield. And a front-line that can't score. With an awful bench. Those who think we're 'fine' clearly haven't been watching our games. It doesn't get worse than this.

I've been home and away for years, I can't take much more. I won't go away any more. Not even sure if I will use my ST seat, it's a waste of my time, energy, and emotion.

Everton Football Club are a disgrace. Sack the board. Sack the manager. Sack the players.

Enough is enough. Scumbags, all of them.

By that, I mean we recognise that others in the Premier League think of us as no-marks. We have a recruitment policy (where are you, Director of Football?) of signing the best young players we can find. These may be in the Championship, or in foreign climes. And throw in the occasional Patterson from Scotland, and the odd Seamus. Then augment that squad with 3 of whatever is the modern day equivalent of Paul Power, Richard Gough and Gareth Barry. All, of course, within FFP constraints.

It sounds simple, but it's beyond my pay grade as to who the personnel should be. Do leave the task to a recruitment expert who really knows the game, not someone who has agents in his ear and in his pocket.

Then, hand them over to the manager. I think Frank Lampard understands all sides of football, elite and grass roots. So he says to the young lads - “play your bollocks off for me, you'll end up getting a transfer up the scale. But we'll need to beat some big boys. We need to win something, and get into the top 10”.

To the old hands, he says “we'll have some fun”.

A decent medium term strategy.

It's an insult to the U23s and U18s at Everton that Gomes gets the nod for the squad when he's not fit for the Sunday morning ale house leagues.

How can the lenses be so different at Everton Football Club when spotting potential?

But the season has an opportunity for Everton to try and turn up consistently.

Frank, now's the time and make the best of the international break to galvanise the players in your squad, not on tour.

The likelihood is the players away will come back with knocks and not be available, immediately.

Let's see the damage report on Townsend, who was shining today until his injury, and the most enterprising player up till that point in the match.

I have supported Everton for 56 years and have to say that this may be the worst we have played in all of that time. I think we have had worse players over the years but, as a team, we are pathetic.

Frank is chopping and changing the formation and players because he is searching for that magical formula. The problem is the current crop of players are gutless and apart from a minority don't play for the badge.

On a post before the game I said Gomes should be nowhere near the starting 11. He is a substitute at best because he does not have the legs and is so slow with it. I would have started Iwobi today ahead of Gomes.

It is also telling that Frank does not trust either Mykelenko or Patterson. This is supposedly £30M of talent from the sale of Digne. Seems again like a total waste of money, the pair of them.

I am also unsure as to why folk on here are clamouring for Rondon to start ahead of Richarlison?? Some guys must have very short memories!!

Worse than that, though, with the players we are saddled with it is getting more and more evident that Frank ain't got a clue and the notion of getting the best out of the players you've got is totally foreign to him.

I hope our DoF is working all the hours god sends to unearth a whole team of talented youths because wholesale changes are required and required on the cheap due to the extent of the changes we need.

Pickford is a liability. Always has been, always will be. We will win nothing with him. He instils no confidence whatsoever. His temperament offers no stability.

The odd flash of agility is no substitute for a calming influence. If we needed an acrobat there's plenty of circuses we could have hired one from.

Haha, can you explain what style of play we have really? I think that QPR guy Gary talk about in #223 is right on point. "What is your team supposed to be?"

Well, I certainly do not know what we are trying to be. I just see that we really have no basic strategy at all.

#268 –Pickford, he needs to be replaced. I have a very simple reason for this. He is almost incapable of going in to get an incoming ball in the air.

I can seriously not remember the last time he grabbed an incoming corner. He really spreads around uncertainty in the team and the back four. He cannot catch the ball, he cannot really distribute the ball, he does take bad decisions frequently.

He is a good shot-stopper but, apart from that, I seriously do not understand what people see in him as a goalkeeper. I would take Begovic over Pickford any day.

Sending a team out to play like that shows a lack of tactical know-how and is an attempt to make up for poor preparation by telling the players to burst a gut.

After 20 minutes, and a slight readjustment by Palace to shorten the distance between the forward and midfield lines, the lack of tactical know-how and poor preparation were exposed.

Everton are a poorly coached side.

Jordan Pickford returns from illness after missing out against the Magpies on Thursday night, his stand-in, Asmir Begovic, not in the squad this afternoon due to illness,

Frank did that with Chelsea and master mechanic Touchel fixed the problem; he did not buy a whole plethora of players just changed the system and used different squad players.

Most of our players just need to be used correctly. The average age of our squad is rising again, it is now 25.8. Crystal Palace is now 22.8.

Burnley has an average of 29.8. Note Palace released 8 players aged 30 or over last year.

Our youngest player on the field today was Gordon 21 then the next was Richarlison 24. Everyone else was over 25. Palace had 7 players aged between 20 and 24. We also had no younger attackers on today's reserve list.

Our players are being used week after week without rest and you wonder why we have had so many injuries.

“You cannot win anything with kids” remember Alan Hansen's words. When we played our ‘kids' against Chelsea we got a draw. Then bafflingly Beneitz dropped almost all of them in the very next game.

Message: you can play well and not lose but you are not in my squad selection. Crazy!!!

Prior to this game, I suggested using Dobbin (19 years old) for 45 minutes with an added chance of playing in the next game if he played well. This would have given us two attackers in Richarlison and a very fast Dobbin. Currently, we play excruciating slowly and predictably on the ground and inaccurately in the air. When we moved fast, we scored against Newcastle.

We speculated that Iwobi must play brilliantly in training and crap in every game so why not give the opportunity to Dobbin and Simms even if they do not shine in training.

We need to be playing younger players now not next season or when they get better they will improve just like Gordon did. They need time and opportunity.

We also need to stop being nice to players who want to leave – they signed for 5 years, they stay for 5 years, not 3, then off for a bigger paycheck. How much better would we have been if Gueye had been kept for the following season?

Lampard, wake up, lad, start coaching – each player needs different improvements. Holgate needs to pass forward better, most passes are straight to the opposition. Iwobi needs to be closer to opposing players; other players need improving too.

This job could be your last as a manager, Frank: sink us and you will drown your managerial ambitions.

Holgate or Keane wouldn't even get on the fucking bench of any of the Top 6 – been there, done that... need to offload especially if Lampard wants to play "football" from the back.

Moshiri and Arsenal connection, Walcott, Iwobi and Arsenal?

This is one of the reasons we're in the mess we're in - Moshiri thinks himself a decent DoF.

When Tosun came I remember Allardyce saying something along the lines: "Tosun is the best the club could get for the money", implying it was the DoF?

You are right though; some players can only give 100% over 60% of the game and then they give away stupid free-kicks. Other players have talent but spend no time improving it. When you are selected week after week, there is no requirement to improve some keys skills.

Still, they get paid the same if we win or lose.

Oliver, do you not think Keane is better than Maguire (Man Utd)?

The thought of another drubbing at the hands of Moyes makes me fucking sick, we need to be braver now or we'll just sink into oblivion.

My team... 4-3-2-1:

Begovic
Patterson
Godfrey
Branthwaite
Dele Alli
Onyango
Gordon
Iwobi
Gray
Rondon

Just try something different, Frank... For fuck's sake!

Have you seen Everton's goalscoring record this season, how many chances do we create? How many are taken?

There's no way this team can go toe-to-toe and outscore any team. If Everton were creating loads of chances and missing them, I might agree, but that's not happening and it's also why the defence is nervous about conceding as it usually means defeat.

Since the start of the season away from home, league goals scored sequence for Everton. 2; 2; 0; 1; 1; 0; 0; 1; 1; 1; 1; 0; 0

In Everton's last 20 Away League fixtures, the team has managed a grand total of 13 goals.

At least they would have been trying their guts out. It is delusional to think we could have got past Chelsea, Man City or Liverpool in the semi (surely the pre-quarterfinal certs) let alone won the FA Cup.

1. In the last two games he has started he has scored 5 goals.

2. He has played the target man role throughout his career. That is what this squad is crying out for.

3. Richarlison's best position is wide left where he is at his most dangerous and can also drop back to help defensively.
4. Richarlison, Gray, Gordon, Iwobi, Alli are all players who will benefit from running on to the ball facing the opposition goal.

5. Point 4 is reciprocal – Rondon knows how to get in front of his marker and will score if the ball is delivered into the box because of his movement and experience.

6. The players mentioned in point are all capable of delivering decent balls into the box.

7. He will not be bullied by any centre half.

8. He can hold the ball up.

9. He can be substituted for Calvert-Lewin.

10. Realistically only two (maybe three) of the players mentioned at point 4 can start in any game. The upside of that is there a good options for substituting players at the 65 minute mark.

Frank Lampard needs to have a long hard think of how he wants to use the players available to him.

In the "olden days", they used to reckon that if the "spine of the team is solid" you had the basis of a decent starting eleven.

Sam has gone but, from the players currently available, his starting eleven would look something like this (and he would play 4-4-2 and drill it into them remorselessly).

Begovic
Holgate, Keane, Branthwaite, Godfrey
Gordon, Doucouré, Allan, Richarlison
Alli just behind Rondon.

He would scrounge the points we need to keep our Premier League status. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a snowball's chance in hell of Frank starting with that eleven in that formation.

If you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and you haven't got a magic wand, make the most of what you've got.

At 38 or 39, he's ten times better than anything we have in defense now.

Somebody earlier on the thread actually wrote his problem was that he didn't save enough with his feet. I know he meant, that he seemed to be beaten too often along the ground close to his body, if indeed he is, but he is the one player in the team allowed to use his hands.

I suppose the next complaint is that he has too many rebounds off his feet, or he should practice juggling. This is not to denigrate Begovic who I thought had a good game against Newcastle.

I think Frank has a difficult decision to make when Gray is back to full fitness as I'm not sure with just one man in the middle up front if we can afford Gray and Gordon playing wide on opposite sides, or if they offer enough in the box when they are not putting over the cross.

Gordon has increased the amount of defending/chasing he does but Gray seems to do little of it. It also means that we can't get another player to support the centre-forward, whoever he maybe, or strengthen the midfield other than to ask both to work more.

It then seems the only other option is to ask the full-back on one side to get forward more often which then leaves a gap that, if used, means stretching the two central defenders and/or pulling the opposite full-back into the middle.

I could double the amount written if I started on which players (injuries and illnesses permitting) should be where, not necessarily on the pitch, but enough for now.

Any news on what all these illnesses are yet?

I agree with you. Everton currently have not got the ability to maintain shape over the course of a game and Rondon starting would help them to do that.

Everton's very opening attacking football, dependent on a high octane start, is unsustainable and is easily dealt by the opposition, by pinning back the left and right back to a back five.

This stops Everton's wing play support. The problem then for Everton is further compounded with a exposed 2-man midfield which is compacted by the opposition defensive line being able to move as the Everton sole attacker isolated.

The fact that both Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin cannot hold up the ball and are poor passers of the ball just adds to the problem. In the case of Richarlison, he is clearly out of position. Everton's jittery defence is exposed and easily overwhelmed.

In Benitez's side, Rondon's role was primarily to maintain shape and provide third quarter space and lay-offs for other forwards. He also a superior craft leading the line.

I don't have stats but would say that Richarlison and Calvert Lewin lay off and pass completion stats are the worse in the Premier League. Calvert-Lewin's lay-off to Iowbi after initial poor ball control is indeed a rare animal.

Tactically, Frank is coming across as a real novice, with the added problem that the players who were previously brought in are not fit for purpose, having never been brought in for the roles he is giving them. Add to that some pretty mediocre footballers in a system that exposes their weaknesses and the results are explained.

A lot of Championship teams would hammer this pathetic squad; after £500 million spent, that is unheard of. No new stadium, Woodison for ever – the club is in serious trouble and decline.

If Everton was a dog... (you know the rest).

I am hoping many are nearing the end of their contracts, assuming we are still in the top flight, will we have enough in the Transfer Bank to basically start afresh? It is what is needed I'm afraid.

With Chelsea being recently up for sale, there seemed to be no shortage of various £2B + offers, obviously there are investors around. Maybe one could start to look our way at a much less asking price with New Stadium on the way.

Oh and please let's not have greedy, selfish Bill insisting on him remaining as Chairman, as he has been the root problem for 28 years of non-entity!

I thought yesterday was nailed-on for an Iwobi start, maybe even Patterson, a focal point in Rondon or Calvert-Lewin perhaps (he hasn't played since he scored 2). Players are letting him down left right and centre and he is dropping them/throwing them under the bus, he is running out of players to rely on.

The truth is we have absolutely no chance with these bunch of players. An accumulation of players who have zero footballing nous, slow, are not comfortable on the ball, can't make a 5-yard pass and rarely show any magic. We have forced all those players out the door over the last 5 years and we are left with this.

Teams must lick their lips when they play us, nothing changes, the same mistakes happen, passing through the lines is child's play and the defenders might as well take the day off as they won't get an easier 90 mins.

I've said it for a while now, we all love Richarlison for the way he loves the club etc but he provides nothing, if the ball cannot stay up top for longer than 10 seconds without coming back we have no chance. That goes for Doucouré, Gomes, Coleman and all the other senior pros who constantly give the ball away.

Why does it look so difficult for us when we attack? It's insane. A team which cannot defend is unfortunately more comfortable defending.

My only hope is we can scrape over the line, and hopefully Frank has the opportunity to re-build. There's some big players who can go and some out of contract this summer; however, I can't see us getting anything from Burnley and Watford away I'm afraid.

He gets a lot of grief, much of it deserved. However, he's had good matches for us at say, right wing, only to miss out on the next few matches and then find himself playing as a false No 9 or left wing-back.

Why he didn't play at Palace, I've no idea. If he was tired then play him for 60 minutes. But allow him to pick up where he left off.

He's never been given a chance to perform a settled role in the side.

It's the same right around the squad, constant chopping and charging – so they all look like strangers every time they play.

I can't think of a single pairing that looks like a partnership – apart from maybe Allan and Doucouré at a push.

Another terrible shout from Brands, just look around us and see what the other sides are bringing in (Palace for one). Only 2 players worth taking forward for me and that's Gordon and Gray.

Begovic
Holgate Keane Branthwaite Godfrey
Gordon Doucoure Van de Beek Richarlison
Iwobi
Calvert-Lewin

Stick to this team - home or away, no need to be very clever. This team should be solid enough, creative enough and clinical enough to get us the 10-12 points we need to survive.

I pray we have enough to stay up and then we have to clear out all the deadwood in the summer – and not just the players.

Absolutely spot-on, very good point. There is no partnership throughout, is there, rarely given a constant chance and the constant chopping of formations, especially midfield every week doesn't help.

Also, is Frank really correct when he says there was nothing wrong with the tactics? Personally, I think some of his selections and set-ups have been highly questionable, including yesterday's.

These players have had an arm round the shoulder and a boot up the arse, neither works. Personally I just think they are thick as pig shit and shouldn't be playing football.

It looks like a sink-or-swim strategy to me. Hopefully there are enough players who will think 'that's not me' and will set out to prove him wrong.

However, that was with a view to getting a mid-table / 8th ish placed side into contention for Champions League places and trophies.

We have unfortunately deteriorated to the point where this approach would be too risky. The decision to spend so much money on rookie full backs has been a huge gamble.

So I totally agree we must go full fat Moyes to settle the squad.

In particular, 23 to 25 year olds still on an upward trajectory from:

- relegated clubs

- the Championship

- Big club reserves

This should be supplemented with low cost young talent from cheap markets like:

- Scotland

- Scandinavia

- The MLS

- France, Belgium & Portugal

Add to this the steady pros like Gough, Barry etc who can still do a job and show a good example.

We really don't need to be paying more than about £10 to £20m for players. The players are out there.

And I hope he becomes a star but we absolutely have to stop buying players on a plummeting downward trajectory like Dele Alli. The cost is not worth the risk.

Broadly agree with you. I think 4-5-1 with Gordon and Richarlison as the wide players in the 5.

I'd still have Coleman in at right-back as, despite his limitations, he's usually up for a battle – and we'll need this mentality.

Neither Calvert-Lewin nor Demari Gray look fit to me – hopefully in 2 weeks time they'll look better, but I hope Frank Lampard finds a place for Rondon & Dobbin on the bench.

They should have been thrown under the bus by Silva, Koeman, Allardyce, Benitez, Dunc and Ancelotti but they wouldn't do it. Instead, they kept buttering them up, as Frank says, and it's high time they were well and truly publicly flogged.

There is only so many times that you can put an arm around someone before they start to take the piss and this lot have done that for years. Many will know "It's not me" but the likes of Delph, Holgate, and Gomes do not want to put in a full shift ever and it's high time they were sacked off. Branthwaite, Dobbin, and Patterson need to be given a shot, even Rondon will try if you let him.

Coleman, Richarlison, Gordon and Godfrey look exhausted at full-time, week-in & week-out but Holgate must be related to Prince Andrew, blue blood indeed. Not a bead of sweat on that lad's brow, ever.

I'm happy Frank is fucked off because he needs to be, we all are...

In my opinion, if Clement is being a mentor to Lampard, we are fucked. His record as a manager stinks.

In my opinion again, how many youngsters are coming through from the academy?

Unsworth has got to go. Bring back Kevin Sheedy and with big Dunc and they can start, where they left off, when they were together coaching the Under-18s.

Gomes and Doucouré in a central midfield 2? Richarlison as the main central striker up top? Coleman still playing most games? Holgate and Keane picked again? A stubborn refusal to set up with a proper 5 in midfield/3 in the middle? It's like watching the ravings of a lunatic.

However, he is right in saying it can't all be tactical – because we were the better team for the first 20 minutes. If it was all down to his tactics, that would not have happened.

As every Everton fan is painfully aware by now, much is down to the players and I agree with Lampard holding them to account post-game. Maybe they will finally take some responsibility now?! This same group has seen off multiple managers and it can't always be someone else's fault.

The game yesterday highlighted why we're in trouble with this group. They are a combination of over-the-hill, error-prone, lazy, weak, unfit, unfocused and just not very good – often all in the same player.

If you simply gift opponents 2, 3 or 4 goals every game through your incompetence or lack of desire to do your job properly, you have no chance. That's what happened yesterday – they obviously thought it was too much like hard work after 20 minutes and gave up – again.

The 2nd goal really brought it home – Doucouré decided tracking Zaha back was too much bother and then his mate in midfield, Gomes, let Mateta run off him to score as he ambled back. Disgraceful – neither should play for us ever again after that.

I think just as big an issue running through this side is, as others have noted, there seems no footballing intelligence, no awareness of what's happening around them and really poor decision-making in games.

They pass when they should shoot and shoot when they should pass. They play quick when they have time and dither when they need to play quick. Trouble is, you cannot teach that – players have either got it in them to read the play and make the right call... or not.

It's the same with leadership on the pitch – there just doesn't seem to be any. The first goal was a classic example: someone (ideally your captain who is a defender!!) should be seeing a 4-on-3 mismatch and doing something about it quickly. Not our players, though – they just stand by and watch it happen.

So, what to do next? Luckily, Lampard's post-match comments show he has finally come to the end of his tether with most of the squad, I think. We just cannot keep picking dross like Pickford, Holgate, Keane, Coleman, Godfrey, Gomes, Iwobi, Allan (I know he wasn't playing yesterday) and Doucouré if we expect to turn it around.

The manager must be brave and tell these senior pros that their 'experience' means nothing and show them the door; they have had more than enough chances to impress and have blown it.

Bring some of the fringe players (El Ghazi, Dobbin, Patterson, Branthwaite) in and put some of the younger lads (Price, Welch, Onyango, Tyrer) into the team. Try to get Simms and Warrington back from loan to come into the side.

Play Begovic in goal (I know he was ill yesterday, to be fair). Only play Richarlison on the left wing. Make sure we play 3 in the middle – 2 to protect the back 4 and 1 more attacking type player (Dele Alli or Van de Beek maybe) to get us going creatively, with the help of the wide players. Make the wide players track back when not in possession and help their full-backs out. Stick Dobbin, Calvert-Lewin or Rondon up top to work the opposition defence.

Come on, Frank, now is the time to be truly brave – I really think with his comments yesterday, he might have finally seen the light and be prepared to drop some of the underperforming players we have had to suffer this season.

Look at the league table before he came and how it was going and then compare it to where we finished that season – the facts prove he did a good job, if some fans could look past their own blind prejudice.

We should have stuck with him and let him bring some stability and pride back to the club. It might not have been pretty to watch but I prefer winning ugly, rather than being relegated playing 'nice' football. I firmly believe we would not be in our current situation with him still in charge.

How many Premier League clubs are full of academy players? It's been the same for years.

Howard Kendall only brought a couple through in the 80s but bought a lot of young talent in from elsewhere.

The 4-0 away at Spurs in particular, didn't we also go so many games without a shot on target.

The £50M he spent on Walcott and Tosun which is still having an impact financially now. The comment that he would have brought better players or men up to the fight is therefore unfounded, the man is a dinosaur in the modern game and should never have been appointed.

Frank looks to have a great coaching staff around him, therefore I'm surprised with the lack of improvement even given the squad limitations. It will be interesting to see if he plays into the hands of Burney and Watford away as he has done at Spurs and Southampton. I will reserve judgement for now.

Chelsea, Man City and someone else. They seem to produce them. Where did Sheedy come from?

The academy is there for a purpose and no-one is coming through.

Don't forget, Kendall purchased some shite: Biley, Ainscow, Ferguson, who went awol.

If he (Paul) had been a weatherman, his reports would have been consistently In-Clement!

“This latest bid, backed by Centricus – which has £29bn in assets – features several Chelsea season-ticket holders.

At least four other consortiums have said they have bid to buy the Blues.

There is a group featuring Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Coe, and one headed by British property investor Nick Candy.

United States interest comes from the Ricketts family, while a group consisting of Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly has also bid.

There are also reports that a bid from Saudi Media Group has been lodged, with the American investment firm Raine Group handling the sale.

It is understood that those bidding will be whittled down to a short list this week with a sale expected before the end of the month.”

I doubt any would pass the train-set test, mind you. That's the only reason we ended up with Moshiri. The current malaise really occurred after Martinez's first season when The Great Saviour couldn't or wouldn't sign anyone else to freshen the squad up and we went stale, finished 11th (we were 13th going into the last game) and the rest is history.

We've been chasing our tail ever since, making rash purchases for far too much money on big wages (to get them in, even though they all took forever)…. all because we were playing catch-up because he was totally and utterly incapable of running a Premier League football club. Moshiri just funded the madness.

Eventually, the poor decisions and mismanagement catch up with any business. I doubt we're barely break-even after massive player sales and relegation plus a points deduction would make the club insolvent.

Quick, give Everton a call and see what Bill would do... He might just give his big mate Phil financial genius Green a call to figure what the Other Expenses line in the Porfit & Loss Statement includes. The man who ruined Everton.

Who the hell would be interested in this dated antiquated set-up, with some kind of pathetic Danny La Rue character and ex-players (again, that no-one's heard of) hanging around, thinking it's still the '60s.

Kevin Sheedy joined Everton from Liverpool after only playing a couple of games for them. They bought him from Hereford Utd who he played 50 games for. Only Ratcliffe and Stevens were first-team regulars from the youth set up.

This team / squad is reminding me more and more of the Mike Walker days. All over the place and not playing as a unit.

I know, through a very good friend of mine, that when the Mansours were discouraged buying Everton, by none other than Boys Pen Bill, to invest and turned their attention to City, they went through the Club with a fine-tooth comb, examining all aspects. No stone was left unturned.

A bit like Hercules when one his 12 labours was to clean the Stables of Augeas, where the oxen had defecated profusely untended, and there was a 10-year mountain of the brown stuff to clear away. He achieved a solution, and completed the odious task by diverting a river so it ran through the stables, washing all the offending detritus away.

I know Hercules has since passed, and the Mersey will have to remain in it's present position, but he had the right idea for dealing with Everton FC!

He will not let go of his power base, excuse the bad analogy but... he is football's equivalent of Putin, sitting back with a smug look on his face whilst the club crashes and burns, and like the Russian despot, he thinks he's doing nothing wrong.

Let's just pray we get 3 league wins and avoid the drop.

Premier League clubs are giving young, homegrown players more opportunities with the top flight recording a 50 per cent increase in playing time among U23s during the Covid-affected 2019-20 season

I think of it as like a university graduate in the IT domain. Very talented, but only going to get skilful and learn common sense by getting involved in the real stuff. Unfortunately we have too many like Rondon holding back too many like Dobbin because we somehow think having the experience is more important than giving the experience.

Anyway, he's giving rousing team talks now at Finch Farm, so we're as good as safe, lol.

Rooney.
Osman.
Jeffers.
McMahon.
Dunne.
Hibbert.
Barkley.
Rodwell.
Vaughan.

It is staggering that any current board member stays in post. The Chairman has overseen the stock of the club fall to its lowest ebb in history. He has presided over the longest failure rate of any Everton director and he has told consistent untruths to the fanbase throughout the tenure.

He has employed second rate Chief Executives (the ones that were first-rate left almost as soon as joining due to his meddlesome influence and a quick review of club accounting) and since supposedly giving up the handles of power, seems to wield more power than ever in who takes up plum positions of unsackable nature within the club structure.

No individual or corporate entity of any significance is going to come in to assist Everton under this regime. I wonder what his 'good times' this season will be when questioned?

We battled against Leeds, Man City and Newcastle and players looked like they knew their roles. I don't know any other teams who change formation because of one player (Allan) being out – it weakens the little momentum from the last match.

We have looked far better with 4 at the back – he has to be able to see that – 3 at the back only works with top quality fast defenders and wing backs who push on.

Calvert-Lewin would never be heard from my lips in that context.

Palace were very positive and have 4 attacking midfielders with a solid, mobile defensive anchor. We had un unfit Gray and 21-year-old Gordon with our other attacking option playing at striker, when he clearly isn't one, plus Doucoure and Gomes.

Kenny was also in there somewhere – I wish he'd just stick to him at right-back and bring Coleman on if we're protecting a lead. Play players in their best positions.

I can't say when I became the tolerant person I am today, but I no longer pick on individuals – I believe that a team wins or loses collectively.

I understand the frustration of supporters but, to be fair, anyone who earns his living as a footballer is far better than the majority of critical fans.

To put it in a nutshell, it appears that the current Everton players are 'simply not good enough'; in my opinion, it's not their fault that they lack the ability to challenge for the prizes at stake.

I also think that it's a fact that every player who has turned out this season has been vilified at some stage or other, a typical example being Alex Iwobi, who until the Newcastle game, was the butt of many, and "He should never put on an Everton shirt again" was the popular call. Now we have people saying he should have been selected to start the game against Crystal Palace.

I'm not looking for 'Brownie points' but I have renewed my season ticket, irrespective of which league Everton may be playing in. As an Evertonian, it's something I seem to have no control of.

Well-done, Carlo! 😄😄

I think you are absolutely right in saying the players are simply not good enough. I fully agree it isn't their fault which is why, unlike a number of supporters yesterday, I didn't boo them or issue abuse of the two-fingered variety at them after the final whistle. I just don't see the point of berating players for a lack of ability.

I was chatting with a few fellow travelling fans on the way home last night. There seems to be an emerging consensus that our problems go well beyond the capabilities or deficiencies of individual players or indeed whichever individual happens to be managing them.

We can only hope the current manager can find a way of making the best of what he has available in the remaining weeks of the season.

I know I wanted Sam Allardyce basically to organise us. Frank has no clue who to play or what formation suits us. Confused? Imagine being a player?

Sam is a back-to-basics manager. Do your job first to the players. Take responsibility and work as a unit. The key is to make the opposition not enjoy playing us. Not many teams playing Sam's teams got off lightly and had to earn a win! We are easy to play against!

A reporter asked about Everton for Top 4? Sam smiled and replied "No"! He was right. We have never had a Top 4 squad. Big club but not a big team!

No-one likes the truth but Sam Allardyce was realistic with the players he had. Something some fans found difficult to take. Also, it became personal without not knowing the guy. Hey-ho... here we are, struggling to stay up.

All we can do is get behind the team and Frank. There are no other options now! What will be will be!!

I blame the players 100% – they're not trying hard enough!

And like me, I'm sure you've seen the talentless (Brett Angell comes to mind) the honest triers (Carl Tiler, Mitch Ward, Scott Gemmill... in fact too many to mention) and the current crop are neither talentless and they're certainly not triers... in fact, completely the opposite.

IMO, the Premier League has 15 teams that could be 5th or 20th, and we're one of them; so as a team we're average. But I've never seen an Everton team with a marshmallow centre, a level of self-pity when they go behind, no character, no fight.

Cast your mind back to the last 6 or 7 games; well on top for 20-25 minutes, give away a piss-poor usually a set-piece goal triggering the inevitable collapse. But to touch on the 16 set-piece goals conceded, that's got nothing to do with talent or lack thereof, any dickhead should be able to mark up from a corner, it's got everything to do with not taking responsibility, weak mindsets, lack of professional pride etc.

To quote Lampard, have they got the bollocks to dig themselves out of the personal and collective hole the team finds itself in? That's the problem, the 'not good enough' players can turn into giant-killers, sweat blood, run through walls to cover talent deficiency.

This gang of frauds can put in 8/10 performance one week and a 2/10 the week after. Lampard must be tearing his hair out at this bi-polar squad.

So are they the worst footballers I've seen in a blue shirt? Talent-wise, absolutely not; attitude-wise, absolutely – Yes.

I'm sure Frank came in thinking he could blow smoke up some arses and give others a cuddle. He now knows that he must be more hard-nosed.

These lads have taken the piss with their managers, previously knowing that they could go through the motions until they got him the sack. Now, the stakes are higher and relegation and all that it brings are the punishment for downing tools.

Now Frank has told them how he feels about their shortcomings he should also hold his hand up and explain just what he has been trying to do, playing guys in the wrong positions, not playing a recognised striker, and failing to give youth a chance.

I was very keen on his appointment but he has a lot to learn, so let's see him do something that makes sense. We need 4 at the back and 3 across the middle. Simplify the game and grind it out.

Like Ancelotti before him, Benitez had the team doing quite well in the first month, at least results-wise, but then it was just awful performances culminating in his walking papers. At least under Ancelotti, Everton did win a few away games, especially in London, but inexplicably faltered at home.

Lampard doesn't have the experience as yet but, to be fair, has inherited one holy mess of a squad that cannot play two decent games in a row... if any at all.

Even getting a draw is not something to fall back on when the offence is stuttering badly, showing that the discipline is not there nor leadership.

The two new full-backs are kept out by others who continue to perform poorly. What's the story there, Frank?

The games in hand are crucial as Leeds have just won two in a row so we have to hope to win a couple of those to rein in Brentford and keep Watford at bay.

It's hard to see when the next victory will be but surely Frank & Co can get things sorted soon, even if they are last-minute points gained, like in the Gunners and Barcodes games.

This little break may be just what they need.

Asking players to turn into giant killers will only take a team so far. Players can raise their performance above their normal level but only sporadically. We have seen that with our team in recent weeks and months. We were ‘giant killers' against Arsenal with a late winner, at Chelsea with a late equaliser and last week against Newcastle with another late goal. Those are the exceptions which prove the rule of a team occasionally playing above its normal level but incapable of maintaining that standard.

The problem at corners is partly attributable to a lack of organisation but also a lack of physical presence. Recruitment of a top class central defender, who can stay fit, was identified as a priority by Ancelotti and ought to be a priority this summer. We will continue to struggle defensively if that issue is not addressed.

Can anyone defend David Unsworth as Under-23 coach?

This is nothing personal, it's the way the club has been run over the last 10 years.

It's indefensible. There is speculation that his special 'relationships' with both Barrett-Baxendale and Kenwright (for very different reasons) are what has kept Unsworth, an underachiever in his playing days, in a job.

The same applies to others on an endless list: Ebrell, Jeffers, Baxter to name a few. Where else would these no-marks be employed in the Premier League? Allegedly, Ferguson's role now is restricted to distributing the oranges at half-time! It's absurd and pathetic in the extreme.

Nothing short of a complete cull of all these parasites from Kenwright down will suffice. Failure to do so will only prolong the agony of decline for our once-great club.

It never ceases to amaze me that Kenwright actually had the opportunity to sell to the current owners of Man City many years ago. But chose not to as it would have meant him relinquishing his last little grip within the club and all the perks that go with it.

The board being the self-serving, eternally acquiescing puppets of our-10%-only-involved alleged owner in Monaco – and his fat smug faggot in-situ, with his eternal ex-player acolytes, of course.

In league (pun intended), they have seemingly squandered £500M to £700M on collective basket-case players to reduce us to a relegation battle and no hope at all under FFP that we can hope to sign any player of note for the next two seasons minimum (and read Paul the Esk before you seek to denigrate me).

Team selections, formations etc are all well and good for pontificating on the remainder of this (and previous) appalling seasons but they skim over the real year-after-year cancer within our club, and cancer depends on undiscovery by its victims to prosper, of course.

Newcastle getting linked with Godfrey.

Start again and see if this new DoF has more about him than Brands and the dope before him. Then proper board members fit for purpose and take on the world.

The Palace after-match remarks tell me he's getting really pissed off with EFC – is it just the players? If we lose to Watford and Burnley away, he may well walk.

Good times, eh, Bill?

Anyway, I support Frank's comments after the match. These guys get paid a small fortune to play football. There's a time to build their confidence but it's not now. Show some balls. You're in a fight. So fight!!! If it takes calling them cowards to get a response then so be it.

They're far too happy to go through the motions. A bit of effort here and there but don't really expose yourself.

Have a shot. Try something. Create something. Carry the ball. Play 10 yards ahead of where you currently are. Make a run and support the attack. Get tight on your opponent.

Those things take effort but they take bravery too.

We're like a boxer trying to defend ourselves and not offering much in return. Well we're in the championship rounds now. It's time to throw a punch or lose.

I'll add that Frank needs to show some balls too. We need goals. Set your team up to score.

Darren Ferguson resigned from Peterborough a month or so ago.

Also worrying that, in one of his interviews last week, he was praising Kenwright for all of his support and help. If only he knew?

Some of the tactics, substitutions and resulting statistics since his arrival have been very worrying, in short he has not made us better than under Benitez.

I argued with a few on here that Lampards work at Derby and Chelsea did not bode well and that his ability to organise a defense was a particular concern and a team that concedes almost 2 goals a game is going to struggle in any relegation battle especially as since Leeds we have scored just 1 goal in 6 matches against PL opposition.

Yes Lampard is dealing with a bunch of mediocre players bereft of confidence but his job is to give them a system under which to improve, that has not looked like happening so far.

I wonder whether it's vanity or naivety sometimes with managers. Maybe they think they can do a much better job than their predecessor.

But this group, with it's injuries and bizarre loss of Sigurdsson, was never going to pick up points playing open and attractive football.

That might be hard for a guy like Lampard to understand - since much of what he achieved in the game was through strength of character as much as talent.

Hopefully the penny has dropped.

My perfect storm would be for Frank to keep us up, then resign and blow the fucking lid on the workings and ineptitude of the club, go public with it and out the bastards who are destroying the club.

Because lets face it, for a player of the stature he was he deserves more than the shit show that is Everton.

Will be curious to see how long Lampards's tenure will be. Will he stay if we go down? Will he want to?

The players we have are not helping him of course and central midfield especially continues to be a massive issue. Allan £20m, Sigurdsson £45m, Gomes £25m, Schneiderlin £25m, Gbamin £25m, Doucoure £20m, Klaassen £25, Delph £9m, Alli £10-30m(?). Astonishing that we have managed to spend £200m on central midfielders in the last 5 years or so and still look so very deficient there. Though similar accusations could be made in most positions.

We have problems all through this squad, the forwards this season don't score enough goals Richarlison although runs himself into the ground I think has gone 9 games without a goal, and Gray and Gordon have only scored about 3 league goals between them, and even if you add Iwobi he has only scored once this season. Even worse when you look for goals from midfield Allan no goals, Doucoure 1 goal, Gomes no goals, DVdB no goals our top goal scorer is Townsend.

So we struggle to score and away we concede at least 2 in most matches, so the perfect storm a team that doesnt score many goals and concede for fun away from home. I think even if we stay up their will be a mass exodus at the end of the season, obviously those out of contract like Tosun and Delph will be gone and Sigurdsson as well, I do think we have missed his goals from midfield and it seems extraordinary that after 8 months he still hasnt been charged. Then its which current first team players will leave possibly DCL and Richarlison, and possibly because of his injury record Mina. I think this will be the last season for Seamus so there will be a lot of rebuilding to do come the summer irrespective of what division we are in.

Obviously DVdB will go back to Man Utd and the question will be what happens to Dele Alli, as we are committed to pay Spurs quite a bit more money after he has played 18 games which will kick in early next season. The problem with that is if we are in the Championship we cant afford to pay it and looking from the inside it doesnt look like Frank fancys him now he has seen him close up in training.

Was that the Chris Sutton that downed tools from international duty when he only got called up to the B-squad?

We've just lost out leading goalscorer (Andros) so DCL - if he can get fitter over the international break - and Ritchie Calvert-Lewin really needs to step up.

However, I read that our 2 top assist providers last season were Sigurdsson and, surprisingly, James. Losing Digne as part of what will become known as "fullback-gate" now seems to guarantee no decent supply from the left side.

Frankly I'm not surprised we are struggling to score and can't see that changing. Given what he has to work with, I think 4-5-1 is Frank's only option to try and pick up a few points.

He is also showing his inexperience in the line-ups and tactics he has chosen for a team in terrible form:

1) Spurs away - back 4 playing a high line and two in central midfield against a midfield 4 for Spurs
2) Wolves home - back 5 playing deep and again two in central midfield against a central 3 for Wolves.
3) Newcastle home- back 4 sitting deep and compact and midfield 2 against a midfield 3 for Newcastle
4) Palace away - back three pressing high up the pitch and midfield 2 against a midfield 3 for Palace.

He needs to simplify our tactics and formation drastically and keep it for the rest of the season. And ditch zonal marking to play a hybrid system like Ancelotti did last season.

“Their win percentage with him in the team was 57%, but just 24% without him. Everton's points per game with Mina was 1.9, but dropped to 0.9.”

Sam, Robert: Central midfield recruitment.

Arguably the dominant central defender issue is even bigger, stats can lie but that stat above is beyond any threshold of doubt.

In January, we needed a young mobile tenacious midfielder to compliment Allan, working like a demon to close down and win back possession. Allan is 32 next season so we need two of these midfielders desperately; Frank has to be right on it.

Doucouré is being continually misused because of our poor recruitment strategy. He's not a poor player at all, we are not getting the best out of him. He needs two fighters in there with him being the box-to-box player with freedom to support attacks.

The same issues seem to be ever-present, year after year, and are always not or confusingly addressed.

I am expecting that Frank along with Thelwell can decide on a strategy, formation and buy properly targeted players to feed that formation and system.

With the crowd and some talent that we have, we can scrape to 17th. Then we can get back to hoping that with we can rebuild in a more coherent and strategic way.

Back to the top, with regards the dominant centre-back, Branthwaite is very young but him and Keane could bring a little bit more stability than the Keane & Holgate combination. Branthwaite is the better player, a better brain, more class and more height for the set-piece clearances, also as Chelsea can be a threat from our corners or free-kicks.

Frank is terrified of putting a 19-year- old in there but the alternatives are arguably more risky.

Howe won one out of his 13 games at Newcastle. Then it 'clicked". Let's hope for the same.

I think it only clicked at Newcastle after they signed a few players. Without those signings, they would still be in the relegation places.

There's another painful aspect to it too. Of that £200m outlay, I expect we'll recoup only the c. £12M we got for Klaasen. Everyone else has left / will leave for free or a nominal amount. So nothing to reinvest in their replacements either.

Both Allan and Doucouré will be out of contract in June 2023. I expect the former will be released, maybe the latter too.

Wood scored an equaliser at Southampton in a game the Geordies went on to win. His physical presence up front seems to have helped the support runners such as Saint-Maximin and Fraser become more effective.

From what I saw last week Guimaraes looked the best midfielder on the pitch at Goodison. But the player who has probably been their best signing is centre half Dan Burn. He has made their previously porous defence much harder to beat.

All that said, Howe deserves credit for identifying the players he needed to spark an improvement. I wish our January signings had made the same impact. As things stand only Van de Beek has made any sort of contribution, and that only in home games.

No doubt that Doucouré is being mis-used. Allan is also possibly better as a box-to-box player than a holding midfielder. It's extraordinary really that we bought in two central midfielders in January and neither of them were the athletic, ball-winning central midfielders that we have lacked since Gueye left.

And yes, Branthwaite may well be an improvement on Holgate. The full-backs are also an issue and once again I find myself questioning the recruiting wisdom of spending almost £30M on two young, raw full-backs unlikely to hit the ground running.

That's not to say that all these poseurs don't care as well. But their concern is more about the loss of the money tree who is the real source of their funding which has only been so misused that it sees our club having to have its finances monitored by the Premier League.

Everton, of course, are by no means the first Premier League founders to 'go down the plughole' when apparently owned by the rich – just ask the fans of Aston Villa, Leeds Utd, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday. Only Villa and Leeds are with us now – and they've both had to wait a while to re-join the elite.

Someone posted this week that the club 'will get all it deserves' and seeing daily the horrors of Ukraine, it's not difficult to accept – just as it is not difficult to blame but one greedy bastard for dropping us in it in the first place.

All above in my lifetime... have a bit of faith.

I don't recall many of those clubs you mention going down in the Premier League era.

As for having faith, I – like many others – lost it a long while ago – relegation or not. Our beloved Everton is a rotting fish!

Everton as yet haven't been relegated in the Premier League era either and not many supporters of those other clubs have seen or remember Everton playing outside of the top-flight.

Hope Delph is back, that's how toothless we are in midfield. I'll probably get a backlash for saying this, Gbamin was the only fit defensive midfielder we had (apart from the suspended Allan) but he was sent on loan to Moscow.

He's played and won the last four games, scored, and was named Man of the Match at the weekend. It might be a weaker league, but would he have been any worse than Gomes and Doucouré at Palace? He might have even made a tackle.