Everton confirm that Townsend's season is over

Probably that's Townsend out for the best part of 2022 now, let alone this season, a big blow when you consider he's still our top scorer... yes, you read that right: Andros Townsend is still our top scorer.

I fancied him to get a goal at his old club. Oh well, another one bites the dust. That said, he's our only current injury, along with Mina, who might make a difference.

Everton top scorers 21/22 : All competitions

Townsend 7, Gray 6, Richarlison 5

Frank has to find a way to get us some goal threat, fast. I think we've scored 1 league goal in about 7½ hours of football.

It's abysmal really, and highlights our shocking lack of threat going forward.

Every time you think we must be due some good luck, we get more bad luck. Perfect storm this season – poor squad, poor coaching staff, bad reffing decisions, and one injury after another. And to cap that, we lost a player for allegedly being a nonce at the start of the season, but he still hasn't even been charged.

You couldn't make it up.

Yerry Mina: (stats for end of 2021);

“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.”

It just goes to show how a stable defence, with a bit of physical height, some quality and presence, can make a big difference, with a bonus of goal threat from set-pieces.

It shows this central defender issue is crucial for our summer transfer policy. It affects the whole team when Holgate is paired with Keane.

Keane is a mule to a racehorse; he was okay next to Zouma, he was okay next to Mina. Holgate next to him weakens the whole defensive set-up. I think, if we tried Branthwaite next to Keane, it would be a better pairing and give the team a bit more composure.,,,

The stability problems then extend to the midfield. Without Allan, there is no ball winner. We need two quality, mobile, combative midfielders in the summer to play with and act back-up to Allan (who'll turn 32). A midfield three with two engines backing up a free-to-attack Doucouré would produce midfield goals. Doucoure is used all wrong; it's criminal for us, and for goals from our midfield.

As you can see, I'm fuming at our recruitment priorities, it is all wrong for the club. Sometimes I think there is a mole in there acting against Everton's best interest.

That's ludicrous, I know, but the abominable recruitment strategy is making me have such outrageous thoughts.

Anyway, I'm off on a bit of a tangle and a rant. Here's hoping to survival and a better future.

I'm not sure why he hasn't played more often because his general fitness, ability and experience could have helped us out in midfield when we have been overrun and looked clueless.

When recruiting, we need a few more robust players. We have bought too many poor to average players. Many of them with a long history of injuries and treatment room comfortability imprinted on their overpaid ass'.

Top scorer this season despite not being used as often as he should have been, he will be a big loss as we enter the last straights of the fixtures.

Best comment on here. The only bright light in that shit storm yesterday, were our fans and Palace fans standing to clap him off.

I'd like to think that, for the available squad players left, this injury will provide some drive to succeed in the reaming games.

It's time that this squad started living up to Everton's motto, because they are now in the battle for survival – and for many, possibly their careers in the top flight of English football.

Hope eternal for Everton.

Dale #17, yes I thought both sets of supporters deserved a lot of credit.

I wish Peter Reid, Big Nev, Pat van den Hauwe, or Colin Harvey, could be invited down to Finch Farm, to try and get this squad to believe in themselves.

Every player has got to believe in themselves, and if they don't have belief in themselves, then the manager should be coaching them.

Easier said than done, but looking forward to the West Ham, and the Burnley game, hopefully for a reaction and a consistent performance for 95 minutes in each game, and Everton victories.

As for him being our leading scorer, yes it's a bit ridiculous... but keep in mind that Richarlison had two goals against Arsenal chalked off for questionable offsides calls, another goal wrongfully credited to Gordon, another goal against Boreham Wood taken off for a dubious handball penalty, etc... He's had some bad luck this season.

His loss for the run-in and the nature of the defeat itself made Palace a much more costly defeat than I ever imagined possible at 12:30 on Sunday. Another mini-disaster in a diabolical season.

But sadly the lack of back bone and character, in this squad, is making playing against Everton, far too easy.

Playing for the shirt, professional pride and consistently, also seems to have gone this season bar a few in the squad who give their all in a game.

But the rot must stop at West Ham, the worst form in Everton’s history is, should be a spur surely to drive the management and staff to improve.

Let’s see what happens.

But hopefully at West Ham, no more pretenders in the squad and fill the gaps with some of the promising youngsters.

Starting Gomes on Sunday for me was part of the cause, of the defeat, and youth, endeavour and guts would have at least let the team complete on a team basis, 11v 11, rather than playing effectively with one player down.

He's only 30 and should recover completely, but we won't see him again until 2023.

It's a wafer thin squad now – and getting thinner all the time. One more injury or suspension and I reckon I might get a game.

Jim Benning (3) your comments are usually worth reading with an accurate point of view on the article being discussed. THEN..You make one of the most ludicrous statements that I have ever read on Toffee Web. You had to blame someone for the accident."Seamus was too slow". Unfortunately in these difficult times players are under verbal assault in the need to find scapegoats for every mistake.

Accidents happen all the time, in this case a serious one. Even if Seamus WAS too slow, to make him responsible is beyond idiotic. I still cannot believe what I read in your Comment(3)..I just hope this is not the typical Evertonian response.
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We may have a ready replacement in El Ghazi - he plays in a similar position as Andros and is also a decent goal scorer but his attitude is a bit suspect.

What does 12 goals represent from the three main strikers ?

A Brazilian International center forward who has held his shin probably more times than he has had shots this season. Read today that Manure will target him in the summer as they are looking to replace their strikers. Richie in 90 premier league appearances since the 2019/2020 season has scored 24 in total having had 206 shots in that time with 72 recorded as being on target. A total of 8 shots on target this season from a total of 35. Works hard as they say; well that should be expected of anyone who pulls on a blue shirt. Unlikely to save us based on goal returns so far.

Would snap off their hand for 50 million

DCL with a total of 3 goals. If he doubles that before the end of the season, again probably unlikely to save us. Granted he has missed the bulk of the season and his expected tally has been sorely missed based on what he did the previous 2 seasons. Another one being targeted supposedly by Arsenal come the summer.

Would snap off their hand for 50 million

Gray was a good acquisition for the few bob we paid for him but was expected to and has dropped off as he has done so everywhere he's been for the past four years. Maybe the odd goal or two before the end of the season again probably won't save us.

Will most likely move on for 10- 15 million if we go down

Their goal returns are maybe a consequence of the the really poor service to the strikers with it being virtually non existent as we have repeatedly seen since Cuntalotti shut up shop half way through his tenure.

Is it poor tactics or is it just crap midfielders who don't have the ability and confidence to get forward and support the strikers?

My personal opinion is that playing with a two man midfield is suicidal in today's Premier League.

5 across the middle with three going and two staying utilizing a high line back 3 would maybe plug the gaps that we leave so exposed between the lines. Refrain from pissing around at the back where we pass it backward and sideways allowing other teams to regroup as we don't have the quality to bring it out from the back. Godfrey and Holgate for all of their slackness in defending corners and free kicks both have pace and we have an excellent footballer in Branthwaite who reads the game very well. Even Keane if required has an acceptable range of passing should we need balls into channels or over the top for the front two. Avoid the high press from teams that usually kills us by condensing the gaps between the back three and the middle 5. Let the middle 5 become an intense closely committed unit and deny other teams this space.

Meena if he comes back might add a bit of resilience from corners and free kicks but having glutes like over ripe bananas means he will forever be out with his monthly hammy strains.

Should it be a big hoof from the keeper or a ten yard pass that invariably goes back to him and usually ends up in the crowd after two or three more pass backs?

DCL can win his fair share but needs support which invariably he or whoever is up front rarely get. Condense the space and pack the midfield to offer support around the strikers which then increases the press purely by reducing space available to opposing players. Scrap it out. Might not be very pretty but it will make us more difficult to break down.

Scrappy draws in our position may keep us up. Continuous hammerings surely will take us down.

Trying to copy Pep's "got the ball" pass and move "keep the ball" works well with him having many world class players who all work to one system. Having 8 -9 very average players all being swapped from pillar to post every game means "go back to basics". Shut down the space, stop trying to play a nice attractive City style game, put the foot in as required and put in the effort required to win personal battles.

Frank can't put it right trying to play easy on the eye. Check out in a few months time will be the probability for most of our so called stars including Frank if we continue with the current system.

Brought in two big name midfielders recently, but both have no balls and no desire to mix it when needed and have really offered little to an already under productive and lightweight midfield.

Right back who couldn't get a game for years is now the regular left back !!(FFS)

Young player, highly rated and good enough to play international football has had half a game since he arrived !!

BK has protected his arse once again with a sack clause in the manager's contract obviously fearing that we could go down when he appointed Frank. Wont be able to maintain the coaching masses brought in by Frank in the Championship plus retain all the dead wood past Everton players who are seemingly on life long pensions. Unsworth, Ebbrell, Jeffers, Baxter
Baines and Ferguson. Why do we need ten coaches on the staff ?

Easy life with new flip flops for the summer seems to be the agenda now for the big car owning flashy bastards who don't give a toss about Everton Football Club.

Hope and prayers sometimes works.
Effort and commitment might also be enough.
Let's hope that a combination of the two can keep us up.

Of the Calvert-Lewin 3, 2 were penalties also.

Hopefully the players left will step up to the mark, and play like professionals for Everton FC.

As he is our top scorer, I would question why he has been used so sparingly?