Can we please...?

Hopefully we can replicate this and let the Geordies, go home saying similar things about us; there is no love lost between us and the Newcastle fans anyway.

We don't get paid to think positive but we can quietly pray and hope things will improve which most of us have done after each abyssmal performance.

As we are human, we get down after some of these games and it's hard to be optimistic when all the high-paid employees and players at this once proud club don't seem to be able to turn things around.

We are the ones who can't switch off from Everton, unfortunately. It's imperative we get behind these players, even if we can't identify with them right now.

It's undeniably not good enough and everyone knows that. Kicking them while they are this down may create relief from the pain of watching their wretched decline but it will not motivate them to be a closer team or give them the fight to prove you wrong.

We've got to turn that intensity toward the opposition and try to give these players some support that may help them regain some individual and collective confidence.

Good effort, Gerard, and keep it going.

I'm trying to rationalize by separating the players from club. I'll focus on the blue shirts and ignore the person wearing it because you're right – anyone of these could be gone tomorrow.

In agreement, 100%.

It's everybody's right to moan, groan, criticize and abuse players, managers, owners, chairman and whoever else, but the place to do all that is on here, hopefully away from the eyes of the players etc. There can't be any negativity whatsoever during a game, particularly when the team needs every single fan in the ground on Thursday night right behind them.

With the full backing of a raucous Goodison crowd on Thursday, we can beat those skunk bastards, and send the smelly gobshites home with their tails firmly between their legs. This season is far from over for us, and we can, and will, get out of this mess and, come the end of the season, enjoy a trip to the FA Cup Final!

COYB!!

Kenwright has run the club down for over 20 years and repeatedly put his own interests before those of the club. Now he has saddled us with a bad owner with no idea how to run a football club who can't seem to stop interfering.

He has been a dreadful owner when money wasn't a problem; god knows what he will be like now the tap has run dry. He is panicking now as he can see his fortune disappearing and wants out.

The club is in a dreadful mess.

But it all depends what ratio you see – and what side you're on, in the whole Player, Crowd, Chicken, Egg thing.

I'm all for the "Don't hit me with those negatives waves - think Bridge and the Bridge will be there" stuff...Until it isn't. They go on though and help themselves.

Oft times, our players seem not to help themselves – and therein lies the problem.

Whatever, at any given time, the mood the Goodison crowd is – it isn't mindless; they're too intelligent to be mindless happy clappers... rightly or wrongly, they have to have something above basic noisy football noise to cheer about.

They will cheer hard working, gallant, even if they're ultimately losers they don't know from Adam – like North Korea – to the echo and then not stint in appreciation for Eusebio and Portugal.

But not serial losers ! They've seen too many.

Just like Moshiri has wasted all his money, too many teams have wasted all the capital the crowd have invested in them.

For the crowd to, yet again, extend the 'overdraught', the team has to first put down some 'collateral' from the kick-off.

Lose like it's July 1966 by all means – them's the breaks. Just not like we usually do – not with a bang, but a whimper.

We are where we now are as a result of Kenwright's decisions, massively compounded by Moshiri's total ineptitude, he allegedly from his outset giving 90% responsibility for running the club to Kenwright. Yeah, right - good decision!

Obsessing over (and even blaming?) fans who pay hard-earned to endure such decades-long shite is missing the big picture as far as I'm concerned.

If we somehow avoid relegation this season, I'm more than very confident that our club will be "led" to more of the same next season (and those after that) unless we get an owner with the ability of a 10-year-old to recognise and immediately expunge bullshit from the very foundations of the club, embedded as Kenwright and his acolytes have long-since made it.

Gerard is right, but so too is Don and I guess the only thing I can say is that the time for inquests is when we are dead, and we ain't dead yet!

Until then, I am desperately trying to keep my anger and disappointment away from here until we are either safe or when it's confirmed we are relegated. (I can't even bring myself to type that, had to try to think of another way of saying it... but in the end...)

It's hard to be an Evertonian, but but it will be harder still in the Championship, so, shout, cheer and make Goodison the bear pit and drag these boys in Blue over that line.

We desperately need a win tomorrow night and the fans will be crucial to that.

Serious question: Have you ever looked up the definition of "supporter"?

I'd say that what you are is a disgruntled customer rather than a football supporter.

Can't help but feel that the jig is up though.

It's so hard trying to get any enthusiasm watching the current set-up. We went from arguably the best manager to worst in one appointment. Appointing him was like the club giving me a big kick in the bollocks, treating me and thousands of others like a right mug. It was a show of power and a big "Fuck you" to the fans. He sold any kind of luxury player we had and bought an aging lump of a forward. How can anyone get onboard with that?

The rot set in, we sacked the guy who was taking us down and replaced him with an ambitious young manager that hasn't been in a relegation battle.

Lampard keeps messing around with formations even though it is obvious a 5-man midfield is the way to go. We knew before a ball was kicked that losing the midfield against Wolves would probably lose the game and, lo and behold, we lost.

Pick a 5-man midfield, Pickford to miss out the defence with his kicks and let's win some 2nd balls, thats the only way of getting the crowd going. Arsing around at the back has the opposite effect. Clear the lines and get organised. It's not pretty but it is a way out of the mess.

Despite the dismal individual performances, booing and screeching abuse at players may make you feel better but it'll have a detrimental effect on the team.

Surely, when we are as deep in the merde as we are right now we should be doing everything to help the team. No player's performance will improve with 39,000 people verbally ripping them to shreds.

Look at it this way. You go to watch your young son or grandson play football for his team. He persistently gives the ball away. Do you run on screech abuse at him? Yeah, that'll help his game won't it?
Or do you put an arm round his shoulder and try and help his confidence?

However, there must be many fans that work in poorly paid jobs that they absolutely hate. Many people probably go without any other treats (takeaway, no tv, pint in the pub etc) so they can spend what little spare money they have on going to the game every other week, to be greeted by players – who earn in a week what most people don't earn in a year or more – saunter around like they couldn't give two shits in most cases.

If it was just a case of them not being good enough, then I imagine most would recognise the effort being put in and would applaud rather than boo. With a few exceptions, most couldn't care less.

Why would a footballer attempt a risky forward pass that might not come off, knowing that the whole crowd will collectively boo or sigh if it doesn't, when they could play a safe sideways pass and avoid the crowd reaction?

We've had 2 good wins under Lampard with the crowd behind us – that's no coincidence.

They will make mistakes – they're human and nervous. Encourage them to try again.

Make your feelings known at the end of the game, but get behind them during the game.

At the home game against Norwich, Danny O'Neill and I were sat near a cretin who screeched abuse throughout. It was a sad spectacle.

We have a site here that tolerates most venting and ranting. At the game, I support every blue who tries. What I see from our players now is fear. Booing isn't going to help.

The relationship is two ways, and the players have had, and always will get *plenty* of support from us home and away (online is different, and if post aimed at ‘end is nigh' ToffeeWeb posters then I can sympathise a little more).

They put effort in and try to win = we get behind them 100%. They pass around the back aimlessly and pass backwards against teams not even high pressing us and whilst already 1 down = we have every right to shout in frustration.

What you are asking for is blind faith and brainless happy clapping?

Sometimes tough love is the right love. I'll be there every year no matter what. I'll cheer goals like lottery wins, and I'll never give up believing we can be the best again one day. I'll start every game with an open mind and, when I see the effort, I'll get behind them with everything.

However, I won't blindly happy clap the same playing behaviour that's got us in this mess to begin with, and I won't support “nothing we can do” Holgate attitudes nor “we're just too good to go down” either.

Staying so far away from EFC and having never stepped in to the hallowed portals of Goodison Park, I cannot claim to have any influence on the outcome of this season's relegation fight.

But, I will try and post my support to the team in the forlorn hope that some member(s) of the playing or coaching staff are trawling ToffeeWeb and get lifted by my support for EFC.

We've all played football, even if just as schoolboys, and how well did you respond to your teacher calling you "a fucking bellend" if you missed a sitter, compared to how well you responded to him shouting "keep going" at you?

On the other hand, ToffeeWeb is the perfect place to hurl abuse and negativity. We've got to get it off our chests somewhere.

I hate to break it to some of you, the likelihood of Richarlison spending his precious downtime reading posts from the beauts on here is zero.

Good old Everton.

Unfortunately, Covid rules have left us with no choice but to house the opposition in Portakabins, consequently they walk past their own fans on their way onto the pitch.

Anyway, if according to some, booing doesn't have any effect, surely, by the same token, cheering won't either.

If Covid rules are now finished over there in Engerland, won't the dressing rooms under the Main Stand be usable again? Wales rules may still be different.

Yes, praise loudly, criticise with a whisper... but that's for young players. At Goodison, we are watching professional footballers, after years of training and playing the game, who repeatedly can't find a teammate with a simple pass. No composure defending or in on goal with a good chance, no teamwork, running off the ball and finding space – all basic parts of being what they have trained for.

When certain players keep making the same mistakes, game after game, it's hard to keep quiet and the moans and groans of the crowd come impulsively, mine do anyway, but as I'm up in the Bullens Road stand, no player is going to hear it. If they do, I can only wish that their football ability was half as good as their hearing.

I mean, I've tried that with the Council and all it got me was a banning order.

I hope they have chosen the positive calls and emails and not chosen at random any from TW, as that would completely destroy any positivity.

Also, he said that the ground is also to be prepared with additional flags. Certainly smacks of desperation and, to be fair, the fans have created a good atmosphere inside Goodison since Lampard arrived, but despite this human nature takes over when the team are struggling to even create a shot on goal, it's very hard not to get a bit downbeat and fear the worst.

I would think all of the clubs in the relegation battle would love some of our players, but it's amazing what a run of terrible results can do to the confidence of good players.

I think, apart from Martinez's season, when we amassed the most points in a long time, this group have always struggled to score goals under a succession of managers and I really don't know why that is. We have decent forwards but, apart from Sigurdsson, we haven't really had a scoring midfield player.

Certainly Allan, Doucouré and Van de Beek don't have much goal threat, so that puts a lot of pressure on the front 3.

I would hope Lampard will address this problem, as I can't think of to many times in the last 6 games have I seen any of our midfield have a shot at goal.

If Goodison is akin to a morgue, people write "What's that about"? If the team plays really poorly and is messing around at the back whilst showing little appetite to get forward, and a 'few' show their disdain, people write "What's that about?"

I didn't agree with those at the end of Sunday's game booing and jeering the team when they approached the Gwladys Street, or apparently singing "You're not fit to wear the shirt!" – that's bang out of order.

As the Echo has noted, it wasn't the booing and jibes that were most worrying at the end of the game on Sunday, it was the majority leaving the stadium in stony silence – which could mean that many supporters are realistic about the fate of this team, no matter how much they genuinely want to be proven wrong in that assessment.

Are they more likely to play poorly and make mistakes with a critical and abusive crowd against them?

Will Newcastle prefer the crowd to be quiet and critical or deafening with encouragement?

As others have said, the time for recriminations is once we know our fate and the clearout begins. Until then, for heaven's sake get behind these players and try to get them to win some games.

Let's show the journalists, ex players, Paul bloody Merson, RS supporters and all the other doom-mongers that there is life in the club yet and anyone playing us can expect an aggressive and noisy atmosphere matched by the team.

It can't do any harm, can it??!!

He should have said weeks ago that we are going down if we don't wake up. That would have taken the pressure off and made the penny drop with players and fans.

We are in the last chance saloon because of this approach. I like Frank but his set-up has been wrong at Spurs and vs Wolves.

Anyone can see that the Leeds set-up suits this squad. If he doesn't see it, he is either stubborn or stupid.

His press conferences have turned into Ten Green Bottles, as he counts down the games left after we've lost yet another one.

Yes, it was mostly stony silence at the end. A few in the Main Stand clapped but I said to my mate "I won't boo but I won't clap either".

Walking back to Kirkdale Station, waiting on the platform and the short journey to Maghull was all conducted in near silence.

It does seem like the majority of us have accepted we will go down. I just can't see us winning more than a couple of games and the situation is worsened by the fact we will play extra midweek games from now to the end of the season.

I'm sure lots of companies and football clubs do the same. He has backed us blindly but fair play to him. Still amazed that he's a qualified accountant though.

No-one is blaming the fans at all, Gerard and other posters are simply saying what the crowd need to do to help the team in this dire situation.

That is not happy clapping – and by the way, I thought we'd got rid of that bullshit phrase on ToffeeWeb until you decided to bring it back – it is just plain-as-day common sense.

Fair enough, nobody is right or wrong here, regarding the fans in my mind. Some of these players have been making the same mistakes under manager after manager, yet the managers have gone but the players are still here...

Surely that can't be right? Although quite a few of us fans know where the problem stems from, or think we do, as other fans might point out.

"Get in, Doucouré. Great sideways pass from next to your own centre backs with 10 minutes to go!!"

What planet are we on?

I hope the chant of "You're not fit to wear the shirt" stung a few. I hope some of the more passionate players demanded better off their teammates.

They know, or they should know, that effort on the pitch will be appreciated in the stands. It's a simple formula.

The fans will do their bit. The players, well that's very much in doubt.

After the lacklustre turgid shite we've had shoved down our throats year after year, is it any wonder the fans are angry and down in the dumps???

And I'm not talking about cheering Doucoure's sideways passing, or Keane's brain freezes, just not being too vocal about how shit they are during the game because I really can't see how it helps.

Once we're relegated, believe me, I'm going to be up and screaming the foulest abuse at the useless shower of clowns. Until then, I'll try to keep my boos low-key.

Our form is terrible and getting worse. The squad is poor. The time to act was when we lost 2 - 5 at home to Watford. But we'd already done the Sam Allardyce routine.

I don't care for any of the other Premier League clubs, I'll still watch us in Division 2.

I've said it before, the circumstances here are almost unique. Founding fathers of the Football League,spending more time in the top division than anyone else with an illustrious history comparable to any up to 1970.

The frustration here is unmatched as a result of decades of decline bar the brief years under Howard Kendall. I fully understandable why people are peeved.

Between you and me, the players don't seem to take a blind bit of notice and carry on making the same mistakes, but I'll take your advice and try and keep my displeasure to myself.

League 2... now that is being negative! 😊

He said that McEnroe was a once in a generation genius, Borg was beautiful to watch and Connors was a very limited player, who won matches by sheer force of will.

I asked who was the best? He said they were all great, but if he wanted someone to play Tennis for his life, it would be 'Jimmy Bloody Connors' because, even in the worst of situations, he simply refused to contemplate defeat.

Let's all turn up on Thursday, shout and sing our heads off, and all react like 'Jimmy Bloody Connors'!!

We are a part of the problem, so many are unable to see it. We are weighed down by expectations set in the past.

To support is to get behind them whatever – not to boo and heckle, not to jump on players' backs. COYB.

That said, the minimum required to expect that support is commitment and a sense that every player cares deeply. I don't think we have that, not throughout the team.

So can I suggest this is a two-way relationship, not just about the fans lifting the players but also the players lifting the fans. That doesn't need Man City style beautiful football. We aren't capable of that so can't expect it but we can expect to see the team fighting hard and never giving up.

Away from match days, we have every right to be critical and we should be. The article outlines how it is 'possible' we could avoid relegation. I've supported Everton for well over 4 decades and that it should come to this??!

As in any sport, if players optimise whatever ability they have through effort, preparation and training, we cannot be too hard on them individually. Many of our squad, even if they try, are simply lacking quality and it is not their fault some fools buy them for way too much money, overpay them, manage and coach them poorly or play them in the wrong positions.

We all know the leadership group at this club has been abject for years and trying and caring, if indeed they do, doesn't get them a free pass, they are the true architects of this mess.

Dog's abuse from their own fans is highly unlikely to help a player produce his best. More likely it will make him go into his shell, a position many of our players have adopted in recent months. Interestingly abuse from opposition supporters sometimes has the opposite effect. It can motivate players to prove ‘em wrong.

Lampard has an important role to play in all this. He came into the job with a fund of goodwill not available to his predecessor. That has dissipated with each passing defeat. He needs to get the crowd out of their seats by getting his team back to the basics of closing opponents down, making tackles and interceptions and moving the ball up the field quickly into attacking positions to enable a few shots on goal. Not asking too much, is it?

Persisting with the pedestrian passing along the back line and the walking football in midfield will just silence the crowd. Furthermore it won't get the team where it needs to be; making things happen in the opposition penalty area.

That was the Everton team that lined up in October 1964 for a draw with Sheffield Wednesday, a month after Everton had beaten the other lot 4-0 at their place, and an Everton that was in Europe, however: 'HECKLERS AT GOODISON TURN ON OWN TEAM' was the headline for the match report in the Echo:

Everton's performance was bringing roars of disappointment from the crowd. Only rarely was the Everton attack in the game, and on one of those occasions Alex Young headed just over the bar from a centre from Harris

That Everton had beaten Spurs 4-1 in August but didn't find another home victory until early December. Was that the fans fault? Or the players?

Seemingly the blame in the postbags of that era would suggest that it was the fans who were to blame.

The lack of enthusiasm of Everton fans when their team is playing moderately at home concerns S F Long (94 Ponsonby Street, Liverpool 8) and, I suspect, not a few others. He complains: “If only Everton received the vocal support at Goodison Park they receive away from home, they would not have dropped points to teams like Sheffield United and West Ham. It is the seemingly apathetic silence when things are not going well at home that does not encourage the team to give of its best.

On opponents' grounds it is a different matter. If the players make mistakes then the loyal followers (followers being the operative word) take these mistakes in their stride and roar their support, thus willing the team to try the same things again without fear of the jeers which invariably come at Goodison Park.

"At the present time, an Everton player only has to mis-time a tackle shot or pass and the stay-at-homes who haven't been to an away match all season emit groans and sarcastic comments. It is a sad commentary on the impatience of home crowds that Everton have only managed two wins at home with ten goals. Yet have gained four wins away with sixteen goals.

Let us hope the Goodison knockers will be more tolerant in future and perhaps we shall win something yet.

All information courtesy of the Blue Correspondent.

I don't take much notice of some pundits, but listening to Tim Sherwood the other day, and others on the panel agreed with him, he said it may come down to Everton or Burnley and at this time he would go with Burnley staying up, as although Everton have better players, Burnley have a better team.

So this is Lampard's dilemma, you play a big money player with a reputation or you play someone to improve your team. We all have our own ideas but he is the one that needs to build a team that can play together.

The position I take on all the teams that are left for us to play, some have better players but there is not one of them that have not lost.

On the booing and jeering, my only time watching Everton at Goodison Park, apart from various visits back, was between 1954 and 1976. I still get mad at the TV with poor play, and as human beings, everyone has their own way of expressing themselves, but I believe what someone else wrote: "There was more emotion expressed in the people leaving the ground in silence."

I'm sure he has his way of playing and it's not really working because the players are not good enough and lack confidence but I also think that most of the players are a bit thick and can't stick to tactics.

For example, I don't think he would have told Doucouré to close down in the Spurs penalty area last week and so leaving us wide open to the counter.

It is clear to see in a lot of our players, once they receive the ball, that they don't know what to do and hence why the ball goes backwards straight away. I'm sure Frank is shocked by how poor some of the players are.

I'm hoping that Lampard and his team have now realized this and they set the team up to suit whatever strengths we have. If it means all-out effort, closing down, challenging for balls and upsetting the opposition; then that's a big portion of how we may get a result. We may not create many chances either but hopefully we take one of the few that come our way.

Lampard is our only hope and if he's struggling then I also hope he's man enough to get on the phone to somebody with experience for advice. He's only learning himself after all and I hope for all our sakes that the players don't let him down tomorrow.

COYB

This is like the Tory government blaming the unwashed peasants for the spread of Covid, and not their inept decision-making in early 2020.

Was a hardcore section of Gwladys Street Ultras booing Moshiri while he was making consistently horrendous decisions? Is that where it all went wrong, it's our fault.

There is also absolutely no equivalency between senselessly booing players at the match (which I agree is beyond daft and totally counter-productive) and venting our negative thoughts and emotions on ToffeeWeb.

It also makes no difference, by the way, if everyone on here was relentlessly positive about our situation all the time... in fact, it would be beyond strange and also weirdly dark and Orwellian.

No-one on here who posts negative comments about the state of the Club goes around thinking that way 24/7; it is a venting of frustrations.

Do the negative commenters ever try to single out the positive commenters and tell them to stop being so naïve and annoying? No, we allow you your space to say what you want to say.

It's not our fault you can't handle reality, and your world would collapse if Everton were relegated. You need to grow up and deal with it. Life will go on, it will be fine. (How's that for positivity, and I mean it!)

When the game kicks off, us negative commenters are fully behind the team and we believe we can win.

When the dust settles after the final whistle, we come back down to Earth and realise the potentially very serious downward spiral we are in as a Club, which comes from piss-poor executive decision-making from the owner and his gang of bellends.

I know in the grand scheme of things it can be perceived to be a minor point but I think every little helps in these circumstances.

Get the barcodes to walk out at the halfway line and make them walk towards the Gwladys Street.

Alternatively, a narrow walkway from the top to the bottom of the Lower Gwladys St would suffice.

I'm sure they would be offered plenty of water on their short scamper to the pitch. :-)

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. Maybe it provoked us into signing, some 18 months later, Howard Kendall and Alan Ball?

Would that history repeated itself

I put the time of the birth of hardcore boo-boys at the birth of Social Media. Anybody now can find somebody who agrees with them and that makes them right.

My own opinion is that you support the club or you don't support the club. Supporting the team when they are in a bad way is being positive and commenting rationally on how improvements can be made.

I believe now that we are going down but I won't criticise the team or how they play as them coming and how they play is above their pay grade. The fault is 100% Moshiri and Kenwright as owner and chairman, the buck stops there and that is where the boos should be aimed.

Play with the slow tempo of the Wolves game and fail to get stuck in and the crowd noise reflects it. Tomorrow night, we must get into them from the kick-off and not give them a moment to settle.

We can't do that. The opposition has to get changed in the car park and walk between the Park End and the Bullens Road stand.

Joking aside, I think current Covid regulations permit us to do away with the portakabins and invite the opposition to walk out in the traditional way at the halfway line and walk towards the Gwladys Street end.

Bear in mind the restrictions which the skunks place upon opposing fans in locating them as far away from pitch side as possible.

Small margins, I know, but everything helps.

I agree that everything legal should be done to give us an advantage; however, the logistics involved in moving the Skunks fans into the Gods would be insurmountable. Season Ticket holders in the Upper Bullens would have to agree to be moved, you'd then have their fans above ours in the Paddock... doubt if it'd ever get done.

If the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock ever gets built, put the away fans as high and as far away from the pitch as possible, preferably with the seats facing away from the pitch.

Although I wish my season-ticket seat was an obstructed view this season!

Maybe a sprinkler system with iced water…..

Each should support Everton how they wish. Some are vocal, some observant. Some are overly positive; others overly critical and divisive.

There's no harm in airing frustration. Each to their own in how they do that.

These days, I quietly observe the football, commenting to those around me on the good, the bad and the ugly.

I will rejoice at the end. I will vent at the end. But during the match, I support.

Andy Crooks, earlier in the thread. That was a special one at the Norwich match!!