Richarlison news deals Everton another big injury blow

I wish I could feel more positive...

Grim news about these three new injuries. Townsend's foot problem explains why his movement and performance dropped off the past couple of games.

Time for Gordon, Kenny and perhaps one of the youngsters to step up. Chelsea may be a grim experience, but we have a bunch of winnable games starting on Boxing Day and the reserves will have to help us get those points.

Paul the Esk spent a lot of time some months ago going on about "controlling the narrative"... I'm just curious how someone with inside information is able to repeatedly leak it on Twatter hours before the club deems it a fit and proper time to let the plebs know.

Apparently, the same source leaks the team line-ups before the sanctioned time of 1 hour ahead of kick-off.

We used to have a really good head of PR a few years ago. Can't remember his name but he is no longer there.

Bring Billy Butler back!!

"It'll be lonely this Christmas,
Lonely and cold "

Thursday is frightening.

Godfrey at right back, Delph at left back.

Iwobi on the right. Rondon up top.

Champion's League here we come.

"This is the story that Bobble bloke came out with on Twatter at about 2 pm. The club put up an official story at around 5 pm."

I think somebody is asking to get "Disappeared".

This is beyond a joke now. Bar Michael Keane, Iwobi and Gordon, I'm now certain our entire squad has been injured and we're not even halfway through the season.

Would be ace to see some youngsters step in and get their chance, but we all know it'll be Kenny, Gordon and Rondon who FSW will bring in. He'll have to fight his Iwobi urge, but I think even he's had enough of him.

Assuming they're fit: what I'd like to see at Chelsea:

Pickford
Godfrey Keane Branthwaite
Kenny Allan Doucoure Digne
Gordon Gray
Simms

What we'll likely see:

Pickford
Kenny Holgate Keane Godfrey
Gordon Allan Doucoure Gray
Rondon Tosun

It says the injury on Townsend came in the Crystal Palace match from a tackle with one of their players, so it won't have affected him in previous games.

He has been quiet for the last few games (agreed) but probably because he needs resting to gee him back up again and realise his spot is not a god-given right each match.

Sadly his name is on the teamsheet each week as Rafa won't play anyone else, so there is no competition, so the general Everton malaise kicks in again.

Surely now if Coleman is out, this is a chance to bring Digne back in and either move Godfrey to the right or switch Holgate out there and put Godfrey back in at centre-back.

The bottom line: he knew at half-time he had a calf injury, he should have been off on medical advice – how do you run off a calf muscle injury?

If you ignore the names and look at the positions: striker, striker, right-back, right-midfield, centre-back, centre-midfield, then in terms of subs and reserves on paper we have two international strikers, a right-back, an international who can play right-midfield, another who plays centre-midfield, and we have four fit centre-backs.

Any normal club then you'd say "great no problem." But when you add the names of the aforementioned Tosun, Rondon, Kenny, Iwobi, Gbamin, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey and Branthwaite, the story changes.

Other teams endure 10 or 12 players out and survive. We have 2 or 3 out and the sky is falling simply because our squad is so weak. Of the injured, only 3 are usually good when fit. Even if our best 11 was fit every week, we'd still have four or five with obvious deficiencies and detractors.

"Would be ace to see some youngsters step in and get their chance, but we all know it'll be Kenny, Gordon and Rondon who FSW will bring in."

And yet your favored team as listed also includes Kenny and Gordon? So you're saying he got 2 out of 3?

Chelsea will be viewed as a "free hit" anyway, so take the defeat and save what we've got left for the games coming up that can be seen as winnable.

Townsend has been poor and Seamus needs a break.

Not long til the sales.

Not at all I just wondered why you cited two players as being the ones Rafa would predictably pick and then said you would pick them yourself. Why mention them at all? Just say "he should pick Simms and Branthwaite," if that's what you want.

And then when Simms isn't picked, as seems likely based on his form for the Under-23s, you can wax lyrical after the Chelsea game about how we coulda, shoulda won if only Simms had played instead of Rondon.

Let's see what formation starts, but I can't see Chelsea holding back and they will go for the kill early doors.

Pickford to be Captain, but who else in the players available has the personality and fight and leadership qualities to be captain?

Accepting the wrath of many, I'll opt for Ben Godfrey as captain vs Chelsea.

I remember Mick McCarthy doing that once at Wolves versus Man Utd. He got crucified, yet somehow no-one had a problem all the times Man Utd put out weakened teams as it served their own greater good.

Personally, I wouldn't do that because, aside from anything else, goal difference could be a factor. Boring and painful as it might be, 0-3 loss featuring the usual suspects would be better than an 8-0 involving the kids.

Moreover, aside from maybe Pickford and Doucouré, who is there presently fit to get injured that would make much of a difference?

Maybe if he actually gave them a go, he'd remove my coulda, shoulda eh, instead of persisting with the utterly shite and slow Rondon once again… whose form would be just as shite if he too were banished without hope to the kids teams.

Line-up at Chelsea:

Pickford
Kenny Keane Branthwaite Digne
Holgate Gomes Onyango
Gordon Simms Iwobi

Somehow Benitez has to eke out some points this side of the window: I don't know how he's going to do that but it's imperative that he does.

Dwight D Eisenhower said, "I would rather have a lucky general than a smart general... They win battles and they make me lucky." Is Benitez either of those things? I do hope he gets lucky soon and proves that he was correct with his assertion that we'll be better in the latter parts of the season..

Is it any wonder every man and his dog were scratching their heads at the substitution and had a pop at the manager? Richarlison sulking certainly did not help.

Sometimes we just do not know the reasoning. Much as I like Richarlison, he certainly threw his manager under the bus with his strop.

So let us look again, first few games we performed well with a full team; since then, we have had Calvert-Lewin, Doucouré, Richarlison, Pickford, Godfrey, Mina, Coleman, Digne (earlier in the season), Allan, Gomes, plenty others I will have missed, all out for weeks... months through injury.

Them moaning Red Shites could not cope with just Virgil out, yet we have had almost our strongest 11 out for large parts of the season; is it any wonder we are struggling?

Our luck has been awful, ever since that bleeding Black Cat strolled onto the pitch. [Tongue firmly in cheek.]

That's what years of mismanagement have done to Everton Football Club, mate.

It's so very clear to see, and yet David Unsworth was calling Brands "a proper Evertonian" and then Kenwright said,"it only took him about one spin of Z-Cars to agree a new deal."

Unfuckingbelievable – this club has been getting mismanaged for years, and the ones who are kidding the life out of us – people with incredibly cushy numbers – are getting away with murder, whilst they try and feed us absolute bollocks.

Well, maybe Simms might get a chance now and Coleman is now too costly (unfortunately).

And the very people you are referring to and rightly so are now considering to hold meetings, with the new ESSG, you could not make it up.

New group, "Erm, we want some of the board members removed.." "Meeting closed, see you all in 6 months where we will arrange some tea, chocolate digestives and a heart-warming story of how Bill had to fend off all comers for his uncle Cyril's Licquorice All-Sorts, on a cold afternoon in the Boys Pen."

For fuck's sake, what will it take to get him out of our club?

Would it be a mistake starting some youngsters now as I am sure results couldn't be any worse?

Sure we are not expected to beat the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd or Chelsea but crushing defeats against Watford and Palace are cause for alarm despite the injuries.

Everton have had no real target man since Calvert-Lewin got crocked and, with only second-raters like Rondon and Tosun to choose from, they have floundered.

Only Demarai Gray has been able to achieve anything in an attacking sense so the question is, what the hell is going to happen now with this latest news?

Another sure-fire debacle is on the cards for the next game unless Chelsea have a couple sent off early... and even then we would struggle.

Most of us can see all the problems and I am sure Rafa can too but he will stick to his guns with certain players and his way of playing. It may get worse before serious management action changes things.

Kieran #20, spot on again. You are posting exceptionally well today. PEDs no doubt. (Posting Enhancing Drugs.)

Andrew #18, thanks for catching that. Personally, I'm not surprised that Townsend's performance has retreated recently. That's the history of his career -- he is unable to maintain top performance consistently -- and the reason I was less than enthused about his signing. He's certainly been a big plus for us, but expecting him to remain at his early-season levels may have been over-optimistic.

You can kid most of the people most of the time, and when that fails, just have enough people in front of you, so you can throw one of them under the bus.

In other news, anyone got the low-down on this lad?

Dynamo Kyiv Defender Everton Move Imminent

Robert? Sam?

Rumored to be a target of Man Utd and all the top Serie A clubs. I've only seen him once, against Bayern last month in a snowstorm, but my impression was a baby-faced kid with searing pace.

Coman is one of the fastest players in the world, and this kid stayed with him stride-for-stride, although Coman did score in the game.

The prat (Richarlison) knew he was injured so should have not come back out; in fact, he got that knock halfway through the half and possibly should have gone down and seen a medic.

As for Coleman, he got a stamp and went down but, in his honesty, he jumped back up to prevent the lad getting a card. Pity more players don't react like him. Unlike that rat Ayew.

Gordon will get more game time, so him and Gray with Iwobi as back-up will have to do.

Seamus has been patchy (some poor mistakes but also some excellent bits of play). Got to give him a pass because he gives100%.

These latest injuries actually swing things in Rafa's favour now the narrative is clearly about his crap hand that's been dealt.

Best thing we can hope for is a Covid outbreak at Finch Farm.

It might suit both parties to have Richarlison out of the team before the window opens and the manager can use the funds from Richarlison's sale to refurbish the squad.

Nothing at Everton is black and white – not even the mints.

We also need our walking wounded (or “match fit” players) to show character over the coming weeks.

I hope our away fans will support the team vociferously at Chelsea from the start to give them at least a bit of a fillip to square up to that formidable Chelsea team.

Richie hasn't got a farm, has he? Could be a ruse to deceive Chelsea.

"So common in our culture. Why are we as a society choosing this type of leader? (then he quotes)

"Extreme controlling personalities have the potential to cause severe disruption to an organization and lasting harm to individuals in it. Healthy, functioning teams rely on a diversity of talent and this can be undermined by a leader who doesn't like varying views and repeatedly hires people who think like them."

Then he posted a picture of himself and James Rodriguez. His pinned Tweet meanwhile is talking about how great David Moyes is.

The soap opera continues.

He's got the worst losing record of any manager for many years. He sacked the head medical man because he wouldn't rush Calvert-Lewin back. He gets the DoF sacked... Who is next? Probably Duncan.

He will not be happy till he runs the club from top to bottom. He's a dinosaur and a coward that can't have anyone with different ideas that differ with his. Injuries have had an effect on the team but 1 win in 10 (make that 11 after Thursday) – you can't blame all that on injuries.

If I could meet Moshiri I'd get on my knees and beg him to sack this fraud before it's too late. UTFT

The problem is that we seem to have more than one character of that type at the club.

You're right. But I would like to see the various factions stop hanging their dirty laundry in public. Michael mentioned the leaks to "The Bobble" earlier.

Yes, guilty as charged, I read these stories and gossip. But really, it's pretty juvenile way for all of these grown adults to conduct their business with comments like "It's just the players?" to a fan, passive-aggressive tweets from the ex physio, Rafa going on about reviewing departments or Digne, Kenwrights leak to "The Bobbie" that he wants Rafa out, Farhad texting Jim White, DBB leaking that she is looking for a new job, the whole drama around the firing and rehiring of Dan Meis.

It's not very professional.

Reading that makes me think we are perhaps seeing the new era of openness and transparency from the club. At least that's perhaps what they think it should look like...

We are talking about a club that once existed to win though, and if people are getting upset, this is something they just mustn't really understand because they haven't known the old Everton.

Benitez got absolutely destroyed every time he sat in the dugout at Chelsea because of the arrogance he showed towards them whilst in charge of Liverpool, but you know what the little belligerent Spanish bastard did? Something the cosy club haven't done since 199-fucking-5.

Rafa must have skin as thick as a Rhino (and I don't mean Unsie)… the abuse he got from 90% of the crowd was horrendous.

It's sickening being a blue at the minute, and possibly more evidence of how easy it's been at Finch Farm for years.

I believe we have reached the eye of a perfect storm that will result in our relegation. I think we are about to reap what has been sown over the past 20-odd years.

"He sacked the head medical man because he wouldn't rush Calvert-Lewin back. He gets the DoF sacked..."

Got an inside source at the club for those headline news items?

Or are you just making them up?

Pickford
Holgate Keane Godfrey
Kenny Doucouré Gomes Digne (c)
Gordon Tosun Gray

3-4-3 attacking
5-4-1 defending

Subs: whoever is left...

But Everton have a defence that can't defend against corners and set pieces. Against Chelsea, Everton will have little or no chance of stopping Chelsea from scoring.

Upfront, Everton have now lost Richarlison and Townsend. Yet, Everton fans are serious in believing Tosun can replace Richarlison. In a football comedy and sketch, Tosun can replace a major attacking threat, but not against Chelsea in a serious game of football.

Not that it mattered in overall performance and deserving of the result, but with a 1 goal margin, no matter how bad you've played, you're still in it.

I've no idea what I'll see on Thursday, so I'm not second guessing. I'll just find a decent pub as close as I can to the away fan exclusion zone as I can trick myself upto and "prepare" myself.

Also he's contracted till 2025 so would not be cheap. £20m maybe.

Weirdly this is more of a Brands type signing than a Benitez type signing. I'd expect one of a number of cheaper Spanish left backs, ahead of this guy.

It looks like Iowbi will return and Gordon will get a start. Hopefully Allan will replace Gomes who is better as a sub.

I try to be positive but even I cannot see anything other than a damn good thrashing.

I have to say I don't fancy Big Sam back at the helm.

I will be getting drunk before this one and having zero expectations. We'll be lucky to get nil.

Sad, sad times.

FFS we may as well blood some youngsters hadn't we?

For fuck's sake, this a fucking football club... start acting like one!!!

Mazarin had noted that one must not ask of a general “Est-il habile?” (“Is he skillful?”), but rather “Est-il heureux?” (“Is he lucky?”)

You love slating Seamus, but if you think we're better off without him, and should bring Iwobi back into the team, enough said.

Kevin Campbell reckons Benitez has fallen out with Digne, Richarlison and Allan and wants to sell them in January. He's lost the plot.

I'd say it's Campbell who's lost the plot. He's the schmuck who thought Tarkowski's chainsaw tackle on Richarlison's knee was just fine. Richarlison missed five games with that injury.

Seamus has caused 5 goals to be scored against Everton in his past three games. Mostly through error, one due to a lack of pace. On other threads, I have given details.

Everton would be better with a player who is not prone to errors at the moment. No team in the Premier League can afford to ship 5 goals and it would have made a big difference to Everton if they hadn't in these three games.

Iowbi plays a different position and he may be the only one available to play that position. His limitations are that he is totally a right-side player, so will never pass the right-back and cross. On his right side, he isn't that hot either, but at least he is a bit more comfortable and the necessary luck might happen.

I don't think that Benitez has fallen out with any of them. . . I think he is taking football decisions, but such is the atmosphere at Finch Farm that they think they can act-up when they don't like the decisions he makes.

It may be also the case that Seamus does not want to play, because he knows that he has cost Everton himself.

I am a Blue Blue Blue Evertonian and always will be, but the present situation is as dire as any time I have known since I started seriously supporting them before we were eventually relegated in 1951.

This is much worse because relegation prior to the Premier League was not so devastating. Teams often came back and seemed to have a new lease of life.

Today, mainly because money is a factor, relegation usually condemns a club to years of mediocrity. Everton should never have to be "mediocre", but our history is all in the past and we just cannot afford to be relegated.

Today, there is far too much dissension in the club which has seriously filtered to the supporters and caused a rift even among fans. We have to get behind the team. We have to stop having such negative views by deciding we have lost before we even play.

I disagree with so much that has happened over the last 5 years. I am not satisfied by the present manager but there are far bigger problems than Benitez.

I am sick of always having to "hope" for the next season, but that seems to be what it is. So I promise to get behind whatever team goes out onto the field. I accept that I may be disappointed but, for this pathetic season, I just have one wish: "not to be relegated". Sad but, for at least Season 2021-22, it is the best I can expect. Whatever happens, I will always be an Evertonian. I don't have any choice.

I respectfully disagree about people giving up. I think the drop-off in posts at times like these is due much more to the relentlessly negative tone on the board. Reading other people's venting, raging, whining and slagging just isn't much fun after a while, and when TW is like this, we tend to move on to more pleasant pastimes.

But I don't think anybody is abandoning their support.

Exactly how I feel, I was so upset to see our great travelling fans fighting amongst themselves when Richalison was hauled off – for what we now know as a deep-seated muscle injury – and booing and cursing Rondon for replacing him. The man was only bought as a squad player – who was to know how our injury problems would unfold that forced him into the spotlight as a striker?

Give him his due, he has lost a lot of weight and finally got a goal. Rafa knows what players are ready and who is not; to include a young player into a team which are playing poorly would be detrimental to his future development.

There's no more like Rooney in the locker – it would be great if there was.

Cheers, COYB

Personally I think the drop off has to do with coalescing. ToffeeWeb is vibrant when posters have diverging views. I think right now most people are on the same page: Kenwright is rotten, Moshiri is incompetent; players are crap. What's there to argue about?

You're probably thinking of Alan Myers, a Blue through and through. I think he had a disagreement with Boys Pen Bill, or the CEO, and walked.

I actually watched Chelsea vs Leeds – Leeds were unlucky to be beaten and yet they had 7 put past them last night. Funny old game, football.

Ancelotti sorted out the set-piece and clean-sheet problem by playing 4 centre-halves across the back. I think we could do worse than that against Chelsea.

My team for the dogfight:

Pickford
Holgate, Keane, Branthwaite, Godfrey
Gordon, Doucouré, Allan, Gomes, Gray
Rondon

I seriously hope Allan is fit because we seriously need what he brings to the side at the moment.

We can resume hostilities over the board and manager after the game.

Yes, 2 actually, but it didn't come from them. If you get in the ground earlier, you will find Duncan not involved with any of the warm-up.

If Rafa is still here after January, Duncan won't be. You might agree with Rafa but I don't. We won't get relegated but we will be a Newcastle.

Seamus has caused 5 goals in the last three games? You may learn how to count, so Gray's pass was Seamus's fault, and because Tierney got a ricochet and our two centre-backs ball watching, that's his fault? And Godfrey ball-watching when Tompkins scored, that's his fault as well? Wow!

Let Benitez do his job; we can all agree that this club needs shaking to its foundations so the owner has appeared to have given Rafa carte blanche… let him get on with it then.

As an aside, this injury news certainly paints Richarlison in a very poor light and shows that Benitez was quite correct regarding his substitution. The theatrics and petulance from Richarlison were disgraceful and turned fans (waiting to be turned) against the manager. That is unhealthy right now.

Barry Hesketh… there are plenty of historians who attach that saying to Napoleon. One thing's for sure – it wasn't Eisenhower's!

By end of play today, I expect the two matchday threads alone to pass the 700 post marker... you rarely get that when we win.

What is missing is the number of articles submitted by posters.

Mike G,

You have superior writing skills... Let's be 'avin' you!!!

"There's a drop off in posts???"

You could be guilty of that too mate, haven't seen you on here as regular as normal.

But you are right, like I said a while back TW'ers love to moan, but are very reluctant to praise. Mind you, being the Devil's Advocate, there hasn't been a lot to praise apart from the attitude and result for the Arsenal Game. Almost reminiscent of the Bayern Munich atmosphere in Goodison Park (second half)!

We had a proper team and characters then, though, didn't we?

You could almost forget Benitez's dreadful tactics against both Brentford and Palace.

With Richarlison being the main reason that we won a game in the last 10, this isn't great news.

Take a look at the form table, fellas, we are bottom for the last 10.

By all means, support the manager… but don't deify him – it's a shocking run of results.

Now, yes, he scored… but he's been bloody awful and the reason the team where awful was because Benitz went there to Palace to get a draw. Absolutely not good enough.

I have said it many times it's time to bring in 1 or 2 young attacking players and fucking go for it. I would rather we got beat 3-1 having a go…

This defensive mindset is not working so let the team go and out and attack and bring on some youth and fresh energy. Do you know what? They may not be good enough... but the current model and players aren't anyway, so give it a try.

We are losing anyway so may as well try something different.

Everton Football Club is in the blood, it's an addiction, it's something that me, you, and everybody else cannot “Just give up”. There have been a few people on here over the last year or two saying “That's it, I've had enough, I'm packing this club in”. These, to me anyway, aren't real fans at all, they are just attention seekers, almost as if they are begging the club and other TW contributors to ask them to reconsider their actions. If they want to go, just let them go.

If Everton, god forbid, got relegated, then relegated again and again, we would still be selling out home and away games, such is the magnificent support this club has. We are going through one hell of a bad patch – which club doesn't – but we will come out the other end stronger. We have to believe this.

I don't think we will be in a relegation scrap come the end of the season. I didn't want Benitez as manager in the summer, and I certainly don't want him here now but, for the sake of the club, I hope he succeeds that's assuming of course, that Moshiri doesn't pull the trigger any time soon.

Now is the time, more than ever, that the club needs our support. Come the end of the season we will be fine, with the FA Cup nicely tucked away in the trophy cabinet.

See you at Chelsea.

COYB! FTRS!

Wakes up in May

Yes. Yes, it can.

Injuries are part and parcel of football but, in all the years watching football, I cannot recall 2 seasons like last season and this one.

This is yet another season where I can't wait for it to end. The injury crisis is horrendous but it's about time that the players did the basics right and if you can't win then don't lose.

I watched the Palace game again, yes I'm into weird kinky S&M games. We got what we deserved; absolutely feck-all. But all 3 goals came as a result of schoolboy errors. What were Gray, Godfrey and Coleman thinking of?

Add to that Coleman's error vs Liverpool when we were still in the game – it would've had Sir raging at the Year 8 B side.

At the moment, we've got all the ugly football of Ancelotti with none of the points. Worrying times.

Setting out an initial strategy of appointing a DoF. Then appointing multiple managers who'd never previously worked, and didn't want to work, under a DoF structure.

Then ditches the DoF model, puts all his trust in one man, a former Liverpool manager, then a few weeks later starts talking to Wayne Rooney to replace him.

How Moshiri ever made his money is beyond me, he appears to lurch from one strategy to another and repeatedly makes bad calls.

I wholeheartedly agree with your team selection with one exception – Rondon to start for me, with Simms coming on as a substitute. Why would you want to drop a player who has just scored his 1st goal for the club?

Pickford
Kenny Godfrey Keane Branthwaite Digne
Doucouré Allan
Gordon Rondon Gray

Chelsea are a bit vulnerable at the moment but, if we pack the defence and midfield, and stay in the game for a long enough time, we could maybe, just maybe, get something out of the game.

Brian (35) – exactly right.

I do not like any Everton player openly disagreeing with other colleagues or the manager – it does not matter if Richarlison was injured or not. If the manager thinks that he needs to be replaced, he should accept that decision and not act like a spoilt child.

I love Richy as a player but sometimes his behaviour is ugly – remember the penalty incident earlier this season when the ball had to be snatched away from his hands? He could have costed us a precious 2 points that day. Luckily, Calvert-Lewin kept his cool and blasted the penalty in.

Our manager is going through a tough time and players adding to the pressure do Everton Football Club no favours.

It goes without saying that Everton will remain "our" club but, in an age when informed decision-making and self-analysis are prominent, the idea of inflicting one's own mental anguish by continually supporting a rotting carcase seems increasingly naff – mindless almost.

I have the excuse of blaming my forebears, the old Jesuit saying "Give me the boy and I will give you the man" springs to mind – they must be spinning in their graves right now.

But why some have volunteered for anguish by supporting this club in it's Premier League guise is one of life's great mysteries. A good subject for a psychiatrists' convention, methinks.

He is probably very good at laundry.

I don't think any Evertonian gives up so to speak. We have no choice: once you're a supporter, it's in your blood. You cannot help being pained at poor performances, nor elated at good ones.

All we can do is ‘self-management', to try to handle disappointment and expectations, and to try to manage annoyance at shallow commentary from the likes of the media and some supporters of other clubs.

We can reduce how much we watch, which is what I've done (because I got fed up watching shite a while ago), but it's difficult or impossible to go beyond that.

Seamus without pressure attempted to pass the ball across his own backline to Gray. A cardinal rule of defending broken. It would have given Jack Charlton a heart attack.

He was caught out of position and was skinned by the Arsenal winger, whose cross got eventually to Tierney. Most Arsenal attacks were down the left for that reason, to exploit a weakness.

Crystal Palace were the same. T ompkins was untracked and unmarked on the back post and had time for two touches. This is the area that the right-back should cover zonally and be marking-up at a corner. Tompkins last scored last Xmas. Godfrey done as instructed.

I know that Seamus has been loyal and gives 100%, but the Premier League is an unforgiving place if you are not at your best. It's professional football teams you are up against and they are out to, and will work hard to, exploit weaknesses.

Well, any owner or board in the mess we are in, under the pressure we are under, will be talking to others. Bonkers not to have a contingency plan.

Rafa has gotta be told: "You've been unlucky with injuries. But you've had the games (Watford, Brentford, Palace, a few others) to be 9 points better, in a safe mid-table position. You're not a good enough coach anymore to do it. The pressure you're now under is of your own making, son."

"27 points up 25 and we could have lived with you, the owner. Now, lose tomorrow and Sunday and the owner knows he has lost the crowd, you lost the squad."

So, are we, the fans, prepared to accept Duncan on his own? Maybe Tim Cahill alongside him. Duncan and an assistant???

If we go down, then we go down fighting and accept we haven't been good enough. Or a big gamble: Duncan and Wayne – joint managers??? Novel!!!

Or Wayne as No 2 – he won't come. Will Dunc be Wayne's No 2? Do we ask for what a majority will live with, even with a chance of relegation?

Sounds like some critical decisions to be made in this next week or two.

Keep Mourinho out of here.

The fans, Goodison will, must have a say, a voice in who we support for the rest of the season.

It's got to be Duncan, but he will inherit a broken, injured, weakened squad. What would he be allowed to do???

5 days until a change if we lose 2; at the outside, 2 weeks. What do we think? We have been shafted by an ex-Red manager.

We are all entitled to our own opinion but you are way off the mark with a few of points above.

Coleman tried to clear the ball; it went to Gray, who then messed up. He didn't try and pass across his box. I would say in every Premier League game played over the last 5 years, the most common pass is between the two centre-backs. Jack Charlton would indeed be spinning!

Arsenal scored a well-worked goal, it happens, it doesn't mean there is a mistake. Ødegaard could have scored a hat-trick on the night with his movement, that's what quality players do.

Coleman had a good game against Zaha. He was fouled in the run-up to their 2nd, got clobbered by Benteke – which should have resulted in a red via VAR then he took a quick free-kick with a moving ball which the ref should have stopped play for.

He isn't responsible for not putting players on the back post at corners... See how you can spin both arguments?

We all know he is past his best. Is it his fault the manager keeps playing him?

We have bigger problems than cover for right-back.

The pressure is on Chelsea here big time, they desperately need to win to keep pace with Man City and their fans will see this game as a banker. Could they panic?

Maybe it's time to throw caution to the winds a bit. We keep giving players like Branthwaite and Simms extended contracts. Let's see what they offer. I appreciate Simms in particular is raw, but can he truly be worse than Rondon? Why waste money on him if he is? Gordon, Simms and Gray as an attacking 3 and hope that we can catch them on the break.

I criticised Benitez for the substitution at the time, but now I have to defend him and agree with him in saying that Richarlison waving his arms around was not helpful to anyone. What a stupid and damaging reaction.

Perhaps Seamus should have been more cynical and tried to get VAR to look at his incident, as it was likely that it was the contact that has now put him out for a spell.

In a couple of games recently our lads have failed to bring attention to possible penalties or fouls. Then we see other teams like Liverpool, Chelsea et al questioning refs at every decision. Indeed, Henderson seems to ref most of their games.

Another good example was Tarkovsky on Richarlison. Not even a foul. No cards. VAR could have given a straight red. Richarlison was out for a few weeks.

We should have had a pile of angry players demanding a VAR check.

As you say, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine is borne from what I was coached as being good football practice.

FPP rules like a noose around our neck. Enter Benitez. Love him or loath him, he entered the fray with a squad that at best would probably finish 8th or 9th. Decimated by injuries and a club that needs a full shake up from top to bottom. I do have a degree of sympathy towards him.

Was he my choice – No. What I do admire, however, is he seems to have a backbone that so many charlatans involved with us have lacked.

I'm not saying he is the answer but we've changed so many managers to little avail. Let us get behind him in the absence of some other miracle cure. Everton have had a pretty abysmal last number of years so I say don't judge a new manager 5 months into his tenure.

If I pop to my local bookies and have a punt on Everton at 15-1 to beat Chelsea away, I am in danger of missing the Leicester game on Sunday with being carried away with the men in white coats.

We can all say Leeds gave them a game last weekend but, when you look how we folded against Watford, Brentford, Liverpool, along with other games, then you look at how Chelsea have been dominating games this season, I just cannot see anything other than a drubbing mate.

There is trying not to be negative, but at the same time being honest, we would have struggled with a fully fit 11 against Chelsea, let alone a team ravaged with injuries and low in confidence. If the same set-up, sit back, pack the defence and midfield, then only a matter of time before the floodgates open.

So apologies if my post seems rather negative.

With the garbage he was dealt at Derby by the owner, pressure of a 21-points deduction. Coaching young lads, having to throw them on. I don't think there is a player in the world who could talk to Simms, Branthwaite, Dobbin etc like Wayne.

Problem is, fans don't stop and think about Wayne Rooney. We sold him as he was way too good a player to stay with us. The man is football.

Remember that Rafa is a Spanish Sunday League footballer. Wayne Rooney played for a decent manager here, then arguably the best manager in the world. How many years???

Duncan has been alongside, Moyes, Martinez, et al – the best, Farhad and Bill told us. So he's had a flipping good apprenticeship, at what cost. Football man, Everton man.

Wayne, well make your own minds up.

We've supposedly got world class footballers paid shit-loads. When they step on that field, they've got to deliver, think, and change stuff a bit, react if they need to. But it's playing away that suits this squad, the team ya put on the field.

Wayne is a genius footballer. Not trying to be a brain surgeon, or rocket scientist. He would have got more than 18 points by now. Duncan too. At least 25... maybe 27 or 30. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The only options we've got: Stick or Twist. An unknown to the club. Duncan game by game, permission to buy, loan-to-buy in January.

Duncan, Wayne, joint... why not? Get safe then sort it. In house. Wayne, see if Dunc will do assistant.

I wanna know any other ideas!!! I am a Sam for safety man, but would he come? Then accept the bullet again? Bad choice.

Mess, mess, mess, mess, mess... I just wanna be in the Premier League next season, and in a new stadium next year.

I don't want Rafa at any price now. I got behind him on Monday... And then he did that.

I never wanted Rafa, he's done exactly what he has with every other club he's managed, split the board, upset players, played atrocious football, and never takes any blame.

After Arsenal, he was grinning like we'd won the league. Every defeat is never his fault.

I'm 40 and had a lifetime of utter shite with Everton. My son is 8 and starting to follow us more. I genuinely feel sorry for him. We'll never win the league, never win a European trophy. We may win a cup at some point but not anytime soon.

It's a curse being a Blue at times.

Was there no other factors in this appalling decision, Adrian, because a few little things did start coming out in the wash, not so long ago?

FSW Out Now!

Wait and see. We are short of players but we will be waiting for transfer action on the last day of January. Depressing and very worrying.

Purely on a football basis, too good, great money he went on to do what he did. Issues in the personal lives of managers etc shouldn't really deter us from making football decisions. It's rewarded us with success in the past.

Could it be that Rooney could be better than Gerrard? Why did he take McAllister to Rangers, bring him down to Villa? We are in a really difficult position. But if Benitez gets beat or hammered tomorrow, what does anyone think the atmospher will be like? Two flipping ex-Liverpool managers giving it to us at Goodison Park, folks. You couldnt write the script.

So he gets beat tomorrow... at the very least, stay at home and give the game to Big Duncan please. Two Shite managers sending us nosediving to the bottom 3.

Ideas on a postcard to Mr Moshiri. How much does he think we can or will put up with? Has anybody thought that through? Benitez in one dugout, Rogers in the other. 0-5, thanks Rafa, job done, mate. Leaving us precisely Where!!

Duncan, Wayne, Bill anyone but Benitez by Sunday please. He's done enough damage, showed us he has gone. Director of Football for him, I think.

No, you're not being unduly negative. Looked at rationally, we have no chance. Believe me, I'm a bucket half-full man by nature, so I see that, it's hard to imagine anything other than a beating.

Just that sport has a habit of throwing up the near impossible, at the unlikeliest of times, and that would be now. That is all I'm clinging to. I grant you it's not much.

Every other manager has had money to buy; Rafa, because of past spendings, has spent just £1.7 Million.

He has to work with the players that have been handed to him. Strange really... Rafa could be a week away from the sack, or 16 Days away from the transfer window reopening and strengthening the squad.

It really is a make-or-break couple of weeks, but I will finish by asking who you would rate as our best player this season so far? And at a guess, I would say Benitez's signing, Demarai Gray will be high up on the list.

I will apologise for using the term "given up". I did not in any way want to give the impression that fans had given up on Everton. I did suggest that fans are just tired of stating the obvious in print, "At the present time, we are a poor team with multiple problems."

Many of you negated the possibiliy that posters had declined by posting. Great!!! – that shows, to some extent, that there are those who may be disappointed by results but are still willing to give their point of view. More important... nobody is wrong in what they see as the problems with Everton. That is always their honest point of view.

However, what is wrong is that nobody in the club seems to have any sensible ideas on how to put a wandering ship in rough seas in the right direction. I am sad more than plain angry. Anger never solves anything. We need "clever minds" to get together to avoid the unthinkable "relegation".

I reitterate what I said before. Relegation in this day and age is the worst thing that could happen. And as pathetic as it is it seems to be, our major goal, for this dreadful season, should be to avoid it.

Among posters, there are very few that have "given up" on supporting Everton. We just have to get behind them, whoever is in charge, and hope that things improve. Foul-mouthed rants about everything to do with Everton may make you feel better and are quite understandable, but they are not cures. Just much-needed medicine for a frustrated mind and soul.

Kenwright was fucked, Trevor Birch, told him that if “he” was to survive, he was going to have to sell his main asset, and this was obviously more important to the skint owner, who chose to stay in charge, rather than let Everton keep Rooney, which probably would have also helped Kenwright sell the club, IMO, Adrian.

Issues on personal lives shouldn't stop us making football decisions is exactly how the skint owner got away with another disastrous decision imo, especially when Evertonians say he was too good for us.

The players raised their game for every single new Manager for a few weeks, yes even Benitez got results at the start of the season, only one games stands out, being the Arsenal game, what was different in that game and every new manager coming in?

For me on every occasion, the fans have got right behind the team, never gave up when going a goal down to Arsenal whether that brought confidence in the players, I just do not know.

All I do know is now more than anything, we have to unite as supporters, we need to try and do our bit, take a leaf out of Leeds the other night, their fans were brilliant, never gave up. We on the other hand are fighting among ourselves, booing, arguing among ourselves, fan base split.

We need to try and get a togetherness; even in our darkest day against Wimbledon, the fans got behind the team. They need us more than ever now, if we can do our bit for 90 mins, then at least we have done our bit.

But rest assured, rightly or wrongly, booing is not going to help these players.

His methods for Ireland were light-years away from top teams though the one thing he had that was better than most of his opponents was team spirit. Those lads would run through a brick wall for Charlton.

Team spirit is often overlooked in the modern game as we are looking at top talented footballers and marvelling at their ability. Even our squad is littered with full internationals that have ability. They just don't seem to have any drive or desire to back each other up.

The fans have been quite clear as to where they think the blame lies and have shown it by chanting “sack the board” and by the 27 minute walk out.

The fans lifted the players against Arsenal for the last 20 minutes to achieve a most unlikely victory. As you say, booing wouldn't help.

I agree 100%. Kenwright got rid of Gregg, brought his own gang in, never put a penny into the club, ran it into the ground.

We were heading into administration, and Kenwright said Newcastle Utd offered £20M+ for Rooney, which was a bluff to make Man Utd offer bigger money to sign him. After that, he sold off Finch Farm, the merchandise contract, and any asset we had.

David #109, let's not forget that, preceding all the injuries, a lineup mainstay was suddenly deleted from the club for a truly horrifying reason. No question, this is the worst of times.

Brian #136 & #139, agreed.

John #137, thanks for the clarification.

God knows what the atmospher will be like if thats allowed to happen lads.

Us nosediving to the Bottom 3, Benitez blaming injuries for not securing at least 27 points by now. Everybody elses fault.

Lose tomorrow at Chelsea, for god's sake please don't leave him in charge for Sunday so the above happens.

If a decision cant be made, just ask big Dunc to manage the game until it's sorted.

Two ex RS managers giving it to us. I wanna scream.

Everton striker Richarlison has admitted manager Rafael Benitez was right to substitute him in the defeat at Crystal Palace. “It was frustrating … but Rafa did the right thing” he chirped. “I wasn't able to play at my maximum capacity because of the issue with my calf and if I stayed on I would have done more damage.”

Like a lot of points in Everton's history where fate played a hand, such as the outbreak of World War "with a fine team", "that week" in 1971, Catterick's prolonged illness, the 1977 FA Cup semi-final goal and Heysel, Rooney's sale is still a hard memory, principally as unlike the others mentioned, it was entirely avoidable if Kenwright had acted in the interest of Everton and not the interest of Bill Kenwright.

While we should never throw in the towel, tomorrow has to be about taking some chances and seeing what the likes of Simms and Branthwaite can do for us. Let's get real: Simms must be just as good as Rondon; if he isn't, he needs to be shipped out quickly. The same goes for Branthwaite.

It is an ideal opportunity with both Digne and Coleman likely missing. Benitez obviously doesn't fancy Kenny and so why play him before Branthwaite?

We know what Rondon is capable of so why not give Simms a shot for at least 60 minutes? Common, Benitez, show some backbone and try something new!!

The difference with the games that you say the fans got behind the team was the players put a shift in.

There is always a starting point and against Arsenal it was Godfrey's tackle on the half-way line. It was immense whole hearted 50/50 that he won that was the start and I bet that happened in all the other games.

The reason the fans' backs were up at Palace was because there was none of that; we were second to everything and let a young lad run the show (he's very good mind).
All fans want is bloody effort.