Everton fail to show up, gifting soft goals to Liverpool

Confirmed. COYB.

I suspect that Dyche will want the same 13/14 players to start each game and play, pretty much, in the same way. Makes sense to me.

Wouldn't we all love it if Simms grabs a goal? Very anxious and the next few hours will be a tough watch… but here goes.

I think it's better to start him than expect the lad to change the game if we are chasing it. Maupay defo needs to play with someone as a pair or off a bigger man. Save Maupay's shithousery for when we are 1 or 2 up.

Let's have it !!!!!

Well we're 3 up on what I feared, so whatever happens tonight, I just want to see our lads stand up to these and fight for every ball, attack them whenever we can and have the same attitude as last week. Go At Them!

I like the idea of Ellis, playing form the start, because last week we could have had at least four goals with CL narrowly missing a hat trick and Doucouré...well missing a sitter! But the thing is we made them!

Perhaps Ellis will get one or two chances like the ones last week. If so, let's see what he does with them. If McNeill plays as he did last week then that'll give them something to think about down the left, Doucouré and Onana can go at them as well as create chances.

No doubt all the media will be whineing about the poor dear reds, but we just play our game. I'm sure Sean will hammering this into all day and every day. As we all would, I'd love to beat them, even with a last minute jammy penalty or manky home goal.

It's imprtant though, for me, that we are 3 points better off than I thought we'd be after two games

Come on you Blues,give them a fight or even a fright!

Haven't felt this optimistic playing there for a long while. Hopefully we'll get an early goal and get the players settled. COYB!!! Have it!

We have no calmness, touch or intent. Our midfield is dreadful.

Bring Gray on and play him up front. It's not done yet but it soon will be if we don't develop some courage. Utterly infuriating.

No great shock so far. Dyche will play percentages and that comes with pretty fine margins. Just got fine was shown in the 36th minute.

Effort is there. Simms has done alright - at least he's playing the role we need. Hiding to nothing.

Not sure how we get back in this. Will Dyche say more of the same, ie keep it tight and pinch one from a set piece?

Ok, need to change things around. Not Maupay, still need a target, midfield need to close it down, defend from the front, giving way too much space and time to allow them to just know 40 yards balls to the wings.

Iwobi and Coleman weak on that side. Don't leave the changes too long.

Everton midfield players all ball watching, rather than covering. Pickford with three players in shooting positions took a risk and guessed wrong.

One good performance and we get our hopes up.

Back to the old shite of can't find a team mate and no creativity.

Lose against Leeds and Forest and we are gone.

The key remains Dominic Calvert-Lewin. If he's fit, we have a chance. If not, well there's nothing of any kind of substance in reserve.

Not defending Lampard or criticising Dyche but signings in January were always the main order of business. We didn't do it and we'll be in a horrible scrap for the next few months.

I think this game is the lethal dose. It had to be them, of course.

Being in the States at least I won't have to watch this shite ever again.

No wonder Frank had a pop at that Doucoure by the way, as a quality midfielder back in his day he's probably dumbfounded at how on God's earth a Premier League footballer can't pass a ball.

That was absolutely dreadful that was tonight.

Can we finally admit now that the problem is NOT the managers but the players???

I only enjoyed derbies with Big Dunc in his first spell.

So many problems it's futile listing them.

To quote Khayyam;

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

We beat Arsenal the league leaders at home and lost away to Liverpool. One win and three points more than anyone expected.

The home victory over Arsenal is important... if we can beat the league leaders at Goodison under Dyche then why not any team?

Bring it on!

The Arsenal game was the exception to the rule mate.

Tonight, that was ugly old Everton that I've seen most weekends for a year or more, spineless, clueless and shit houses.

When did we last score a goal from open play?

Our goal return is absolutely pathetic!!!

Overall got what we deserved but what happened to the passion and aggression we showed last week? On the plus side I would have bitten yer hand off for 3 points from the last 2 games. Also, at least Dyche knows now what he is up against.

The games at home to Leeds and Villa were always going to be the more important so trying to stay positive despite feeling like shite!

There aren't 6 winnable games left, so if we're to stay up we need more results like the Arsenal one and not to put a foot wrong against Leeds, Villa and Bournemouth at Goodison. A big ask. In all likelihood, too big.

Without a decent forward or a crap one getting bodies around him, then we are utterly doomed.

We got beat, no surprise, no new injuries... roll on Saturday for the big game.

I only thought Gana, Onana and Mykolenko showed up tonight.

Pickfords positioning for the first left me scratching my head as well as Coady letting the ball roll across the 6-yard box when he could have put it out for a corner. Real schoolboy stuff.

Thing is, unless Calvert-Lewin is fit, I think that's probably our strongest team.

Tom Davies with that header on the back stick just about summed the whole game up in one play.

The negligence of duty is absolutely on an astronomical scale, failing to address the major issues on the pitch such as giving us some goal threats.

As I say, if we go down this season, we can have no complaints at all.

"Exception to the rule"?

We've had two games under Sean... there are no rules yet.

Look at the history since Shankly's arrival – it is mind blowing in its dreadfullness.

We knew in January we needed strikers and did nothing until the very last minute trying to get them in.

We had Moshiri saying he knows we need a striker.

That shower of shite of a board have stood back, tried to turn it back on the fans and will end up paying for not bringing a striker in.

I've no doubts Calvert-Lewin was played while the transfer window was open to try and justify we have him and Simms.

The fans knew we would not get a full season out of him, so why is anyone suprised the shit we are in?

The fans will still be here, but that board are finished.

I hope now, supporters can see the utterly appalling results of changing managers 7 times, of not having a plan, or any strategy for playing football.

Tonight was for me such a low because all that was good last week was lost in a moment, we hit a post and lose a goal...
not only lost a goal, our midfield was 10 yards behind 3 RS forwards.

Dyche has his work cut out because quite simply we didn't chase, win, try... that was as bad as it gets.

Exactly how is this pile of lethargic shit going to stay in the Premier League? We should have kept Allardyce those years ago until the stadium move.

Liverpool, besides being a good footballing team, they are also good at chasing and scrapping for every loose ball; we don't.

Trouble with us now is we have to beat all the good teams now, as we have lost to the so called weak teams who have added during the transfer window.

"we've been relegated since January!" I am glad you weren't the British Prime Minister during the blitz.

Three points from the last two games is a brilliant return, and the most important thing tonight was to get no injuries or red cards.

Dyche needs to lift the players this week, and we need to make Goodison a fucking bear pit on Saturday. Three points off Dirty Leeds and it's game on.

You could see they RS were low on confidence at the start but we allowed them to grow into the game.

The amount of times our players had chances to put a tackle in and didn't was just shocking. We had chances to take a booking to stop both goals and didn't. The only bookings we got were for petulance and stupidity, not from getting stuck in.

Coady should have put his foot to the ball for their second goal instead of taking the easy way out and leaving it go past him. Onana did absolutely nothing and deserved to be taken off.

Against Arsenal, each time we had a cross, we got the ball in early, tonight it was back to slow play and no first-time balls.

Gray did offer something when he came on and has to start ahead of Iwobi next time out. Calvert-Lewin needs to be told he is starting the next game, the scan says he is okay… get on with it.

I can only hope Sean Dyche can give these overpaid cowards the roasting they deserve. I can take losing a game, but that performance tonight was just not good enough.

What the fuck!

I would have taken 2 points from these last two fixtures, but its the performance tonight that is so concerning.

Leeds is a must-win, folks, and they will be up for it.

It's very hard to retain any optimism.

You don't have seven managers in 6 years, if you haven't got problems, but we have got to stick together now, hopefully get our centre-forward fit, and then try and get a little run of games together, whilst hopefully playing with a settled team.

Football is about many things. Heart and fight, commitment, quality and savvy, and then above all this comes ability, and yet nobody in our squad, consistently scores over a 6 out of 10, when it comes to any of the main ingredients required to be successful in the sport.

I'm glad we have got Dyche rather than Lampard but, as far as the new manager bounce goes, then it's good footballers, that win you games, and we just haven't got nowhere near enough of these.

The players really need the fans now though, and the fans really need these players, to get us enough points to survive, so the only thing we can really do, is continue to try and fight through the pain, and stick together.

If he can't get a painkiller and get on with it, then we need to seriously start thinking he's Daniel Sturridge reincarnated.

We can't rely on a fella like this.

If ever there was an opportunity to beat them, this was it. Almost as meek a performance as the now-infamous 3rd Round FA Cup tie just over 3 years ago.

When was the last time we got hold of a game and dominated the opposition? Semi-final 1995? I swear it's that long ago.

We've even got a point more than two draws, which we'd all have bitten the hand off of whoever offered us them.

Still gutted but we know how poor we are and we know our survival doesn't depend on results against the shite and the like.

Obviously the players are crap. But, all you need is a handful of 1-0 wins albeit centre-backs heading in corners which very nearly happened tonight.

There are other crap teams in the division as well. The year Moyes made the top 4, we didn't have a scoring striker. Bent got just 6. Cahill got 11 but, as I say, that's when we finished 4th.

Our aim this season is to finish 17th. Gray can score the odd worldy, Tarkowski, Coady, Mina even Keane can nab a few off corners. It can be done.

I thought we were gone last season... even posted shit to that effect on ToffeeWeb.

I had absolutely no faith in Lampard last season but I firmly believe this season Sean will get us over the line.

To be fair, I'm pretty crap at this prediction stuff but hopefully not this season... 👍👍👍

Realistically, if you'd said we could walk away with 3 points from Arsenal and Liverpool, I think we all would have jumped at that... but it's not going to matter if we can't maintain a certain standard of play from week-to-week.

Well it's the only positive.

We need 10 wins to stay up. We have four, and there are three winnable games left. The table makes it look like we're right in the fight to stay up, but it's all but over.

Leeds a 6 pointer, need to play Holgate and Godfrey as fullbacks on Saturday. Coleman can't be expected to play two on the trot and Mykolenko was poor tonight.

Hope Garner is fit, Iwobi has to be dropped, and Calvert-Lewin hopefully back, if he was touch and go tonight. I'd play Mina instead of Coady as well.

We were undoubtedly shit today but we'll beat Leeds and things will look better.

It could have been a lot worse, a two-niller at Anfield when you are as bad as we've been this season is entirely respectable for a new manager.

The two shittest teams in the division have both lost 9 out the last 10 games. They both won a solitary one. Against us.

Bournemouth twatted us by seven goals over a 3-day period, the appalling Southampton blew us away at home. We ain't very good.

So going to the home of the team that's been in three of the last five Champions League finals was always going to be an uphill task, especially when they are our local rivals.

Oh, and we've got no striker.
Perspective is needed.

15 seconds after we hit the post right in front of me they go and score.

They weren't that much better than us. Scrappy match. I'm gutted.

I'm in the Arkles for my Grandad as always. Or the "World Famous" Arkles as it now calls itself and is labelled.

Cheeky bastards had a "No away supporters" sign up on the door with bouncers controlling it.

Well I ignored that and I'm now surrounded by half of Ireland and London.

Really sad to see the Police presence, both around Goodison where I went before, during the match and the riot vans queued up on Arkles Lane.

I'll have to sleep on this one.

Coady at fault for second goal. Doucoure anonymous. Gueye his usual Sunday league self. Iwobi lost possession consistently.

Onana schooled by Henderson. Simms isolated and when he got the ball, couldn't hold it up and bring anyone else in. Should have either been subbed at half-time or played in a two with Maupay.

Bottom 4 starting to get cut adrift and it will be really difficult if we don't beat Leeds.

Lose to Leeds and it's curtains.

Strange the board show up at Anfield but won't come to Goodison. Sums the rancid, useless, dysfunctional, hopeless frauds up.

But what did we expect? They had a choice of 5 strikers with a combined value of around 𧶲-300 million, and we had Simms, Gray, and Maupay.

Our season will be defined by the next 3 games. This was a reality check, and the hope is Dyche learned about this set of players today.

Leeds is a must win.

Keep it tight and nick one. Our defensive record isn't too bad. Our attacking record is the worst in the league. Those facts aren't about to change in my opinion. In fact, scratch the "in my opinion bit" it's practically an objective fact. It's not going to change.

The key was always improving the squad. We didn't. We made it worse.

We've gone from years of mismanaged decline to the Board waving the white flag and moving into a period of managed decline. The very fact Thelwell is still drawing a wage tells you that the transfer window wasn't for strengthening on the pitch – it was for strengthening the finances.

We're in a period of "do what you can with what you've got". We even signed a manager known for doing exactly that who talked up the need to get more from the existing squad.

There's no-one in a leadership role at the club right now who isn't part of the problem. They're either setting this agenda, complicit in it, or at a minimum quietly compliant.

We probably need a bit better than one point a game from now on. Our survival chances depend on us either getting Calvert-Lewin fit, or winning 5 corners a game and scoring from 1. Oh, and our defence being close to the very best in the league.

I never like losing to Liverpool. And maybe if Tarkowski's header is three inches to the right then Dyche looks like a genius in the short term. But the result of this game, for once, was only about the points. It doesn't tell us anything about the rest of the season that we didn't already know (What is left to learn? What can realistically change?).

We're not going down because we lost to Liverpool. We lost to Liverpool because we're a very poor side that doesn't have much hope of avoiding the drop.

I'm clutching at straws but the header that Davies had should have made it 2-1, then bizarrely you never know. Yes, Liverpool have 5 strikers but Wolves put 3 past them.

I do however feel that the Everton squad is by far the worst in the Premier League, and a few Championship clubs.

It was embarrassing to see the ease with which they scored first. We just can't have six players in their box for set-pieces because of what repeatedly happens when we play high. We get caught out, and gift gold-plated chances to any team with just two-speed merchants in their midfield/attack. No other team in the division is as devoid of pace as we are in those areas – and it's been like that for many years, not that the gruesome twosome seem to care.

Obviously limiting numbers in our set-piece adventures reduces the chance of us scoring but we most need to keep clean sheets for what's left of the latest calamitous season, and hope to nick one.

According to Calvert-Lewin, our quickest players by far are Godfrey and Branthwaite. Is there a case for recalling / playing them both in such desperate times?

That is exactly the ball that McNeill should have being looking to play to keep the pressure on.Blocking the defender from getting it and laying it off to Iowbi.But also the players covering for a counter attack where caught up in looking for a loose ball, like McNeill that was not the percentage ball to look for in such a situation.The second goal just showed how pace could wipe them out of the play.

I am now thinking why I ever thought that Everton would turn up at this game, knowing they would be out of gas after their Arsenal exertions.

Dyche got a education tonight the players are just not fit, some will never move as they should. Most are just trying to move about, never mind think about what they are doing and being Professional about it.

At player who could have made a difference was either unsupported, isolated or snuffed out.

Maybe Dyche has learned enough now to get Everton enough points and three other teams lose enough points.Dyche has to keep this lot playing to give us any chance.

I know it is early yet as Brendan says and we would have taken three points from this last two games, but it against the lower level teams that the most telling points will count.Lets see how Dyche fares against them.

There was far too much spare in the front of the Everton defence.Tpp many wayward passrs coming out off defence..

Never seen such an OTT police presence as there was at Anfield tonight. Can't have been an officer anywhere else on Merseyside. There to protect us or our board?

Everton have scored ONE goal from open play since October 22.

ONE goal in open play in TEN matches.

I agree we've got to play Holgate and Godfrey at fullback, it's impossible for them to be worse than we saw tonight.

Leeds and Villa are season-defining.

Mina should play of he is fit. Mina in, Coady out. Coady shouts a lot, but defensively is poor. Holgate at right back until Patterson is fit. Coleman is too slow, he can offer something off the bench,.but his good performances are too fleeting.

Garner hopefully can come in, for Gana who isn't up to standard, he's too slow, too weak. not half the player he used to be. He can be an option the bench when we are holding on to a victory.

Iwobi is not a winger, If we are playing wingers, he has to be left of the bench as an option to change set up if required. Play Grey off the right.

Up front, I've no idea. Simms had a tough game, but was hardly an ideal game for a players first start. Would Maupay have been any better? We need DCL, obviously but other than that.

Somehow we survived against the Gunners as they have really quick players who pass very quickly but RS really only have Salah who most defenders can read now but of course Everton would have to be suckered in this game.

The result was a little predictable once DCL was a doubt.

The next game has to be a six pointer and Leeds who played really well against Manure will be no easy task but then no game will be easy from hereon in.

Would like to see Dyche change the shape a little as we are still to easy to beat in midfield and inconsistent.

Everton are too easy to dish out new contracts to players who have one good game and ten awful, it's been ongoing for years.

Iwobi doesn't need a contract extension, he's a part of our lack of goals in a key area.

Davies doesn't need a new contract, let him go for nothing in June.

Doucoure simply has to be removed, highest earner at the club, aged 30, offers nothing, Lampard quickly sussed him out for being a pussy.

Coleman needs to make Everton's mind up for them and retire this summer otherwise sentimental Bill will have another new deal on the table.

Calvert-Lewin is NOT our main striker anymore, we need a REPLACEMENT not a backup for him, I said this in August last year.

Mykolenko is NOT a modern day fullback that can get forward, and is not good enough on the ball.

The reality of a bunch of mainly dysfunctional players in a club with invisible cowardly directors who cannot face their own fans.

Its a nightmare and we need a miracle again to stay up against all the odds.

Whatever happens we will see the last of them all in good time.

In the meantime, as Christine said earlier, we need a few of them to stand up and be counted.

Fortune favours the brave.

We just haven't got the necessary quality up front, when Calvert-Lewin is out we are really limited and offer even less threat.

Liverpool knew our defence is on the slow side and exploited it fully with their pace. They could have scored a couple more breaking away at speed.

No use letting this fester, 3/6 points from the RS and Arsenal most would have accepted as good. The upcoming games are crucial and winnable, we must focus on getting some serious points on the board, but we need DCL fit for the rest of the season to give us a fighting chance.

Fran , those changes changes defensively have to be taken into serious consideration . We cannot afford to get caught out like that again , just the pace of the counter attack made it very easy to score , other teams will be all over it having watched that tonight . It's food for thought for Sean Dyche.

Don't think so. I think Sean got it right against Arsenal but failed against the Redshite.

He'll be working on getting it right again!

We will all be there with them.

I will be.

If Saturday's game isn't high risk, then I'm not going. We need everyone pulling in the same direction, so we definitely don't need agent Kenwright, who seemed quite at home tonight.

If Kenwright attends, then this is only going to turn the crowd away from the most important matter of getting behind the team. STAY AWAY LIAR, LET THE EVERTONIANS GET ON WITH SUPPORTING THEIR TEAM

I don't think Calvert Lewin would have made any difference.Probably glad he was not playing.Actually I thought Simms did lead the line well, but was isolated.Any lay off he made to a recieving Everton player who where mostly off the pace.At was attacking opportunities he had early chance which he fluffed.

History doesn't count, in crisis.

Tonight Everton didn't turn up, barely turned up for about 5 / 95 minutes, which is very deeply concerning, in a Derby, and there was no leaders to work the head, the mind, make it tough, make the RS, think, break their stride.

It's not just Seamus, and Onana, who takes the ownership, every player should fight and play with pride for EFC, at every level, and the manager and coaching staff.

Seriously some issues, in that no one took a chance, and took a shot, from outside the box. Why didn't McNeil, shoot first time, instead of taking his deadly touch... Harsh after last week, but tonight they played him into bad angles, for his left foot.

Some humble attempts, in the second half, but the old failings came back to haunt Everton, getting mugged, on the counter attack.

Tom, had the best chance, to score, in real play, pass, move, and create, but I will not pass judgement or any sentence, as at least he was in the right position, but it raises further issues about Evertons coaching in ball skills, confidence, and football, techniques.

There's no excuse at this level of football, for not believing, when playing.

Leeds and Villa, are massive, imho, must win, games, gutted to fade tonight.

Ironic, they got all the post Champions League positives, about Paris, today. But that's not an excuse. Fekkn, a minimum, every game, blood, sweat and tears.

But at the end of the day Everton players, and Management Team, must take ownership, and accountability.

Massive month ahead, but Everton must believe, like never before.

For me, I'd start with Demari running the Leeds nags defence, all over the place, but then who will score the goals?

Was Ellis, playing to a plan, tonight, but I felt for him, but also he seemed, well off touch in timing, scanning the pitch, and gambling for the ball or next move.

I'd consider Vinagre, for Leeds, but perhaps his lack of game time will default him, but as I love the spirit of Miki, but he repeats the same cast iron passing, and position and marking, errors, every game for the time he's been, here bar a couple of games..

This is gonna be some second half of the season.

UTFTs!

But they won't attend Goodison matches?

Shithouses.

I'll be there next week, just as I was at Anfield today and stayed to the end and clap them off the pitch.

It might not mean a lot, but Mykolenko first over to the supporters again.

They don't deserve us. I won't get home until midday tomorrow, I'm surrounded by Kopites and I go again on Saturday.

Everton

Forget the board and get behind the players and the manager.

Night all!

I hope Dychey gets them up for the game against Leeds, they looked less than useless tonight especially after that unexpected performance versus Arsenal last time out.

I thought Ellis Simms was woeful, he offered no attacking threat, didn't win any aerial battles and failed to close down any play from the back.

They looked dangerous every time they went down our left side, Mykolenko was over run and our Midfield went missing when we needed them.

A very depressing performance. Why couldn't that header have gone in, it might have galvanised the team and burst their confidence.

A breakaway goal after Tark hitting the post was brutal but two players missed their assignments. Then the goal that most thought was likely was still shocking.

I think we will not go into shock but I really don't know how Dyche will do it. But I do think he will figure it out in time.

But to score goals from natural forward play, does look an issue, in terms of timing, belief and understanding. No one boosts a gut to follow, or finish a low cross, or take a pot shot...

But, as long as there's air, in my lungs, like never before, this is the year, for Evertonians, to stand up, fight and be counted.

The time is now.

UTFTs!

The RS before tonight were the worst performing team in the Premier League since 1 January. Salah hadn't scored for ages and Gakpo hadn't scored at all!! Yet once again EFC come along, bearing gifts (maybe we need a couple of Greeks to play for us).

When will this stop? Losses to Southampton, Wolves, Bournemouth and West Ham Utd – all of whom were in a dreadful run of form. What is wrong with players who wear the blue of Everton ?

To make matters worse, our blue blooded Chairman turns up, no doubt telling everyone who would listen how awful the Everton fans are and how ungrateful too. (Please, Kenwright, stay away from Goodison. The Old Lady is sick of you.) No doubt you enjoyed listening to the RS taking the piss out of Everton. After all you've pissed all over our club and fans for many a decade.

3 points are imperative against Leeds next weekend. Let's make sure we get them.

Well said, lad, I'm fed up with all this woke shit, can't say this can't say that.

Calvert-Lewin is a big girl's blouse, and he wears them, send him off to modeling school where he can't get hurt.

Dyche has to learn from this, more pace and mobility is needed through the core of our team. I am not going to defend Simms despite his tender years, I simply did not see the desire I would expect from a young lad, that performance was unacceptable.

Similarly, I cannot defend Conor Coady either, that second goal was an atrocity, heads must roll, Sean! Yerry has to play when fit.

On that performance, time has caught up with Seamus, painful to watch his role in that second goal, hate to call him out though as he has been terrific for us over the years.

Despite his quality assist to Tom Davies, Iwobi is wasted out wide, we need his (relative) creativity and mobility down the middle of the park. We need Godfrey back in the side too.

A sad, depressing night but the biggest battle awaits.

UTFTs!

Why is it always the case, we can take on Man City and Arsenal in the league and Man Utd in the cup with an element of bravery and game plan, but travel over the park and we always melt, no matter the players in their team or ours, no matter who the manager is. I'm glad Bill got to attend a home match for his favoured team.

As Jim Bennings noted, it's appalling and shameful that any side never mind an Everton team has only scored one league goal from open play in 10 league games – I'm taking Jim's word for that by the way.

We go again on Saturday, and let's be honest it always was a more important game than the derby; however, I did expect that the team would give a reasonable account of themselves over the park, but they didn't so yet again they owe the travelling fans big time.

Fine margins.

Still gutted, and that was watching from home. I always feel sick after a defeat, and especially one where we didn't appear to offer any modicum of threat.

Where was the fight? Where was the passion? It was a derby for Christ's sake. One yellow card... pathetic. Both goals...take the player out! Don't let him run through... take him down! God, I hate modern football.

Second goal: why Coady let it go and made no attempt to clear it? I am not sure if he thought it would turn into an own goal if he touched it.

I believe we missed Calvert-Lewin more than we thought as, when he was winning balls, he was bringing the midfield in whereas Simms was winning balls but they turned mostly into 50/50 balls that the other team was winning.

We all knew that when Dyche came it was not going to be easy, but I think 3 points from the last 2 games was really more than we expected. With the players we have and the way they were managed they deserve to be were they are, the other team with the players they have should be higher and it showed with the subs on the bench.

I think that Dyche will give the same message as the last game: forget that game, let's prepare for the next one, each one becomes more important than the last one.

Very sensible post.

I've just seen the goals on the OS, it could so easily have been Everton taking the lead, but why didn't Gueye just take out the the guy on the break and what was Pickford doing so far off his line in no-mans land?

As you say, Coady should have dealt with that ball that went across the 6-yard box. As for Tom's miss, it was pretty poor from a Premier League player, although heading has never been his forte.

Reading between the lines it sounds as if Dominic might be missing on Saturday too, which is a huge blow for us. He might not be at his best but he's a great deal better than anyone else we have in the squad.

Dyche may have to alter his game plan, because Simms doesn't appear to be the right type of player to fill Calvert-Lewin's position.

2) Our corner kick looks dangerous. Again that long deep ball to Tarkowski was almost a goal. It's unfortunate it hits the post and we get countered and go one down. It doesn't change the fact that we're more lethal in the set-piece environment. Just force more corner kicks going forward.

3) Still very susceptible to counter-attack. We've lost too many of these kind of transition goals. Dyche has to re-think whether it is worth pulling one more player back in those situation.

4) Playing at Anfield is going to be difficult. But we have our chances and, if the players can execute better (eg, Davies's header), it could be a different outcome.

I was surprised that Gueye even managed to keep up with Sala and Nunez but he was one step behind them and if he took him out there would have been no doubt he would have got a red card.

I don't think he would have got a red if had have taken the lad (Nunez?) out near the halfway line but, as at it was at their place, it probably would have led to a sending-off.

If you are a supporter, you will watch them wherever they play. DAZN show the Championship games.

Me, I just will not watch the Premier League if Everton are not there.

Look at the highlights: Gueye was a couple of yards off one side of Nunez and slightly behind, the same question could be asked why Coleman never took Robertson out for the second goal.

There's not a decent goalscorer in the squad. Even Dyche is probably shocked how poorly equipped we are and how big the challenge is.

Leeds is a must win. Anything else is denial of where it's heading.

The above was the line-up this time last year when Everton defeated Leeds United three-nil, Gray was out injured. The decision not to bring in any type of attacking reinforcements in the January window has undermined an already difficult task and I can hardly believe that the hierarchy at the club have been so negligent.

I remain hopeful that we can keep our place in the Premier League, but I fear that the lack of goals and actual attacking threat will take us down. Every other side I've watched in the last few weeks has a way of creating and taking chances, I see nothing in our squad that does the same for Everton.

Our defending of counter-attacks has been lamentable all season, we were shoddy in possession again, there were inexplicable errors from senior players (again!) and we had to play young Simms isolated up in attack.

The failure to sign a striker in January should have led to someone being sacked – but this is Everton, where lack of accountability and incompetence have gone hand in hand and usually result in a payrise.

But, we took 3 points from 2 games where we probably expected zero. If you look at the fixture list of the clubs around us, they have tough games coming up. It will come down to securing the 5-6 wins we need by targeting our home games and 1-2 key away games.

We seemed to change our game from the performance against Arsenal and until the 70th minute did not seem to get players forward or press them in their half, indeed we seemed to drop back into our own half whenever we lost possession. Our midfield where nowhere to be found and McNeil and Doucoure were rubbish, Iwobi was off his game, Gana's lack of pace and limitations were shown up, and Onana had nobody to play with. If anyone was worse than McNeil and Doucoure it was the invisible man, Coady.

McNeil, to me, was responsible for the first goal and should have lashed it at goal but wouldn't have even hit the target if Doucoure's heels hadn't got in the way while he wasn't watching the ball. You couldn't really blame Pickford as he had three unmarked red shirts on the edge of his box and gambled on it beating the first man which it didn't and otherwise could only have made it slightly more difficult had he not taken the gamble. Their second was just piss-poor defending.

Simms had a poor game but got little if any support, should have done better early on with a half chance but every time he tried to win the ball with his back to goal and on his own he seemed barged in the back which the referee let go every time. The pace of Gray might have helped out while Maupay didn't add anything either.

The big question for me is why we didn't press them in their half earlier in the game or were we frightened of their pace on the break. Still, if Tarkowski's header goes in instead of against the post, then we might have seen a totally different result.

On the other hand, even if we somehow miraculously stay up, what's so depressing about watching us today is just how little class we have in our squad. With Calvert-Lewin perpetually injured, the only two players with any promise are Pickford and Onana. Pickford can't score goals and Onana is still quite young.

Maybe somehow we stay up and we sign a new striker and creative midfielder, and maybe Godfrey and Branthwaite hold down the central defense, and maybe Patterson takes a step up, and maybe Garner gets healthy and shows his quality. Maybe Mills and Warrington and Price and Welch will be ready.

But boy is it hard to find hope right now playing Gana (looks slow and has little skill on the ball), Iwobi out wide (where he looked lost for about two years), Doucoure (until he gets a run of games will look awful and even then will not be Premier League level with that touch), and on and on. Just so little quality.

For us to have any chance, we'll have to win about 5 games 1-0, scoring on headers off corners. It will be painful to watch however this goes down. I really wish I could be more optimistic, and I still have a bit of hope due to Dyche, but not much. But I'm wedded to this club no matter what, so onward we go.

But that isn't why we lost, it was because too many players had bad games way before he came on and which may be down to changing the game plan from the last game. At best, and possibly clutching at straws, we lost because a header hit the post. Whichever, a really disappointing performance all round!

I hope after tonight that Dyche drops some of these players for the Leeds game. I would drop both full-backs and bring Mina in for Coady.

That has been exacerbated by the ongoing injuries to our sole goal-scoring striker (but then he is ridiculed by many fans anyway just because of the way he chooses to dress off the field).

Numerous posters lauded these decisions and said that we were lucky to be rid of them. How lucky do we all feel now?

If you strip all the goals and assists from a squad, then you will be in a relegation fight every season.

Cutting through all the bullshit and analytical bollocks, I've come to the simple conclusion of…

We're simply fucking rubbish.

Because the club management remained the same throughout, there was never a serious attempt to spec up on the skills to prepare the squad. Continuous financial mismanagement meant it was difficult to improve the squad, particularly as the best players were sold off, never to be replaced.

Transfer windows turned into last minute hunts for bargains, or loans when they did not materalise. Even they proved difficult as the reputation of the Club was indirectly trashed by the fake news of the Board.

You can only cry wolf for so long in trying to motive enough to fightback. Maybe Dyche can do enough to survive in the Premier League. He deserves our support in this difficult situation. He will try his best and the supporters will give him their full support. It would be a great help if the Board stayed away from games, we could do without distractions as could Dyche and the players.

It is all very difficult for the Fans. It is obvious that the team and the manager needs our unconditional support, but we need to see changes within the club to those that got us into this position, simply because we need to feel that our efforts are worthwhile after numerous disappointments.

It is no use Moshiri doing pullover interviews to pull one over on the fans that the present regime is adequate for survival in the Premier League when we all know that it is not.

Unfortunately this is where I see the situation as being at. A roller-coaster run-in to the end of the season is guaranteed, but maybe if Dyche can keep going with our support, we might have yet another chance of survival, and something might change in the club management. It is long overdue.

"United we stand but divided we fall" is a powerful statement. IMO, every board member should attend at least every remaining home game this season.

If we go down, then so be it, but they'll have no real excuse from the blame that comes at them for the wasted years.

Pickford didn't have a great night. He's an erratic keeper, and you can't have that at any level of the game. First thing I'd do as manager is put Begovic as first choice.

His getting mugged off during the handbags at the end of the game was almost as bad as his positioning for the goals. Our last derby for a few years and we've gone out getting laughed at.

He has the same number of assists this season as the rest of the squad combined.

No manager comes in and changes a team which loses every week into a team which wins every week. He is still working with poor players and I fully expect the remainder of the season to resemble a patchwork quilt.

Seamus isn't fast enough anymore to play fair. He should have strangled both attacks for the RS goals at birth by introducing a darker side to his game. An RS player wouldn't have thought twice.

Mykolenko kind of proved his good performance last week was an exception as opposed to the rule.

Tawkowski and Coady are a truly lamentable pairing. I've got slugs on my patio that would do both of them over 20 yards.

Tarkowski is showing why he battles relegation so often. Unnecessary fouls, staggeringly poor passing and an over-active anal nerve in the face of a decent press.

Coady talks a decent game, but I don't think I have ever seen a centre-half have so many "quiet" games. How does he manage that in such a poor team? He's like a Jeff Beck song. Everywhere and nowhere.

If these two are not dropped, or at least separated, we have had it.

I felt sorry for young Simms. He's probably thinking, "If this is the service and support you get in the first team, you can shove it!"

McNeil is neat and tidy, but he needs to be put on a diet of raw meat.

I'm reluctant to talk about Tom Davies. I logged on here before the match to see the usual suspects had been doing their usual moronic derby day ritual of ignoring the hated enemy and dedicating their time to hammering the guy they have such a morbid obsession with... but there is something which can't be ignored anymore.

Nobody will ever confuse Tom Davies with a guy who can finish, but why does he get so many chances? Why does a player whose game time over the last two seasons has been restricted to the odd cameo appearance get more chances than Onana, Gana, Doucoure etc put together?

These guys could all learn something from Davies. He seems to have been watching the lottery adverts and understands the concept that you have to be in it to win it. In the absence of a striker, these guys have really got to understand the importance of being in it. I can't remember the last time any of them got a chance in the box from open play.

Much to do for Mr Dyche. So little time to do it. He will have learned as much last night as he did in the Arsenal game.

Two games in and he's already seen the good, the bad, and the downright fucking ugly.

It's not often a goalkeeper judges a situation so badly that he loses his bearings enough to allow a striker an unobstructed view of both goalposts.

Anyway. Anger unloaded.

We go again.

Tom Davies might not be the best player in the world. But he always shows for the ball, looks to make a progressive pass, has positional discipline when needed, and makes well-timed runs. He missed the header, but his movement was great. I would take that all day over the discredited senior players we have had in midfield over the last 7 years.

I nearly passed out seeing one of our midfield making a dangerous run into the box.

Pickford may have misjudged it but, in his defence, he was clearly anticipating the ball going to the player beyond Salah. If the ball had reached that player and had Pickford saved it, he would have no doubt been hailed a genius.

However, perhaps, the fault also should be directed to those further up the field.

Also, to anyone thinking Davies should have scored with the header, if any of the best headers in the world had managed to score from that angle with a defender and goalie to beat, it would have been a wonder goal.

Sad to see the board having an outing last night and still no real comment on headlock-gate. Did they feel safe at Anfield but not at Goodison? Pitiful and shameful.

Having said that, I thought we were decent-ish in the first half. They had almost zero chances until that breakaway and, had Tarkowski's header gone a few inches to the right, it would have been a very different game.

Coady inexplicably leaving that cross gave them an embarrassing second and then they grew in confidence and we receded. This Everton don't have the manager or players to score 2 goals or more often so going behind in matches will spell trouble.

Against Leeds, we have to hope that Calvert-Lewin is back and I'd bring in Mina (or even Keane) for the unhelpful Coady and probably Godfrey at one of the full-back spots.

Relegation wise, it's better for us to lose to the RS and beat Leeds than the other way around. Hoping the blunt performance last night gives rise to a thundering win on the weekend.

Realistically we should have been relegated last season, and this season's team is worse. I think the manager will need to make a number changes for Saturday, including finding a solution to our centre forward position. Hard to see any positives from this performance.

On last night's game, I expected us to lose. We rarely do anything there (apart from the Covid game) and it was just the match for them to get back to winning ways.

It seemed from the off that every Red played fell over at the slightest contact and the ref went along with the script. On the other hand, if our lads went down, it was ignored. Slowly, they became more cofident and we retreated into our shells.

Tarkowski hit the post and the series of poor shots set them up. A crafty striker might have gambled on the rebound. A winger with balls might have hammered Simms's pass at goal, but Mc Neil somehow passed it against the gormless Doucoure.

Their break could and should have been nipped in the bud. Our lads are just not cynical or ruthless enough.

Tarkowski got his head to most things and for an hour did well but, l don't know if he tired but the last 20 mins he was like Bambi on Ice.

I am another who doesn't really understand why Coady is in the team. He was culpable again for the second goal but seemed to do nothing all game.

I thought Mykolenko was one of our better players. McNeil did little to cover him and he was often on the back foot, but he dug us out of some awkward situations several times.

Onana went missing for long periods. I though Gana did okay but the biggest problem was Iwobi constantly giving the ball away. He did it at both ends of the pitch.

We would have been better off going with 4-4-2 as Matip was nervous and we rattled him a few times early on.

Simms looks out of his depth and with nobody within 5 yards must have forgotten to brush his teeth.

I presume Dyche earmarked Leeds for Calvert-Lewin. The lad is going to be treated with kid gloves and, without him, we are toast.

Leeds brought in that Gnonto kid, full of pace and agression with an eye for goal. We will struggle to cope with him. If only we could have signed him for ١.8 million.

I can see where you are coming from; I suppose it is avoidance in my case, since I am thoroughly sickened by what has happened over the years. Yes, they should stand at games and at least and face the reality, like the rest of us.

I was having breakfast in a hotel in Glasgow this morning. At the next table were three workers in high-vis vests, all from Liverpool. They supported Liverpool and were glad of the win, since the team had been playing so badly lately.

They said they had friends who were Evertonians who they used to have the batter with. Because things are so bad, that does not happen anymore. I told them I didn't think Liverpool played well and the goals were soft goals. They all agreed.

When the cross came in, he was stood near the penalty spot, when he should have been more by the 6-yard line, but then this would have given Salah even more time to control the ball and slot it past Pickford.

Watching the goal from behind, there are actually three RS players in a central position without a defender near them, and anyone of those three would have scored. So, while it looks bad from a positional sense, I doubt very much Pickford would have saved the goal if he had been further back, and also not made a move to his left.

I'm all for defending Tom, but that was a ball he saw for about 20 yards. It wasn't a difficult skill. His execution was pretty awful for a top-level player.

This isn't an example of a decent Everton team shitting its pants or Dyche getting tactics wrong or any such nonsense.

This is an example of a team with absolutely no attacking threat being taken apart by a team with Gakpo, Salah and Nunez (with Jota and Firminho on the bench).

Of course in the process of losing there were individual errors. But unfortunately without Calvert-Lewin and a home crowd, this wasn't going to be a good game for us.

We are where we are primarily because of the quality of our squad – and the weakest attack in the division by some measure. Much inferior to Bournemouth, Saints and Forest.

They were underperforming under Lampard but not by much.

Put aside the fact that it was the RS last night. Much more important than bragging rights is avoiding relegation. So, in that context, 3 points from 6 from the last two games, against teams significantly higher in the table, is very acceptable. Very acceptable.

So, on to the Leeds and Villa games, with a test for Dyche to get this lot up for it again.

Iwobi looks a fraction of the player he was last season in the centre and I really think we need to accommodate him back there again or drop him. As for McNeil, I cannot for the life of me understand what he offers as a footballer: no pace, no football intelligence, no skill, no creativity. Absolutely woeful.

Once again, the board have left us absolutely bereft of attacking options and sadly I'm struggling to see us scoring enough goals to keep us afloat this season. Bad times and absolutely atrocious mismanagement of our beloved club.

Up the Blues, sack the Board.

They might not be the best options but the fact that we have no choice but to throw in Ellis Simms, who at 22 is no longer a bright prospect but already seems to be destined for a Championship career or lower, shows we are a club from a bygone era.

The Premier League has shifted up another notch, It's now become the de facto Super League, and we are simply not fit for purpose. Even the most recent change in the rules – allowing five subs – seems to have caught us by surprise. We have nothing on the bench, and it's not because of injuries – we haven't had many of those yet, but surely will – it's because we are the only team in the Premier League not to have strengthened in response to that rule change.

In all honesty, it breaks my heart, but we deserve to go down. We are not good enough, and it's the club's own fault.

I'll still be turning up to watch us play the likes of Reading and Hull, but the fans have been let down in the most unacceptable way by those in charge at the club.

There is a reason why Doucoure has been nowhere near the first team; he must give the ball away with every touch, treats the ball like a hot potato.

I felt sorry that Simms had to be hung out to dry like that, although he could have looked like he wanted to be there.

There is absolutely no chance that squad of players has it in them to stay in this league. From what I have seen of the other teams, Leeds will run them ragged this Saturday and game over. It would take a miracle and it's not going to happen from a known squad of bottle jobs who panic when they get in the opposition's half.

Last night was dire and does not bode well for the up coming games and the Arsenal win was a welcome relief but quite fortunate on the day. Two hard-earned draws, with better consecutive displays, I would have preferred in a way.

However, that extra point against Arsenal may be the one that keeps us up in May. "Fortunes turn on a sixpence"... and all that.

A very good post, Darren, until you got to Tom Davies, mate. You know I don't mind Tom, and I can also understand why you constantly back him up, but if that's in training, he would score, or make the keeper work every single time, although I definitely agree that this isn't the reason we lost the game.

We lack so much professionalism: two clever fouls and Liverpool don't cut us open twice on the counter-attack. But we lack more than anything the desire to roll up our sleeves, immerse ourselves in the game, and play with the effort and desire, that means you will enjoy it. In other words… Feint – not Faint.

We needed to keep it tight and score first. We had no focal point up front – no criticism of Simms, who worked hard. They did to us what we did to Arsenal. Both goals were poor from our view.

Onto the next game.

Last night changes nothing. We're in a 16-game mini-league. It's in our hands.

What intrigues me is the obsession that some posters have with our players' dress sense and how they feel it is an issue. Like we would be top four without this unsavoury girliness.

Too much protesting, I think.

We critically lack creativity and firepower and it's anyone's guess if we will stay up. Dyche will try his best to get them to fight but our fate is now in the lap of the gods. If we go down Dyche will be responsible for rebuilding the entire shitshow of a team, what a monumental task that will be.

I think your point about separating Coady and Tarkowski is really important — I think this will be one of the main factors in us staying up.

Absolutely he should have buried it, or at least make the keeper work. No arguments from me, but that's not really the point I was making.

I want to know why he gets so many chances despite so little game time, when others who play far more regularly treat the opposition box as a complete no-go zone.

Andy Crooks.@175. Final sentence;

Nail. Head

Last season, we had Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin for some of the time and their goals largely kept us up. But we lose Richarlison in June and our manager and our DOF decide we need a new centre-bck pairing and 4 midfield players who don't score goals.

Then Calvert-Lewin gets injured a week before the season starts. So we start the season with McNeil as the leading striker, then change that to Gordon. This was 5 games before we bought Maupay whose goal-per-game ratio is awful, so how was that going to solve the problems of scoring goals?

We have won 2 of 27 away games, and are the lowest goal scorers in the Premier League; how Dyche changes this, I shudder to think.

I would argue that both Tarkowski and Coady are no better than what we had, and it's arguable that they are in fact worse than what we had.

In midfield, we have a 6ft-4in player who should be christened 'Anonymous' as he disappears for large portions of games he has played. People tell me he has potential… well, that may be so, but we need players who can perform now – not in 12 months time.

I felt sorry for Simms, he was given little or no support; I suspect he was relieved to be taken off.

How you let a side break on you so easily for the first goal is unprofessional. As soon as the ball was played out of the box by them, we should have fouled the player in possession and stopped the move right away. I am sick and tired of Iwobi and McNeil, who carry no goal threat and play more like auxiliary fullbacks.

Sean Dyche will have to work miracles to keep us from relegation, even the clubs around us have goals in them. Our only chance is from a corner-kick or a free-kick.

Iwobi looks like the boy playing in front of his pushy parents and is too scared to do anything in case he makes a mistake. Someone needs to get inside his head and I'm not being flippant. He has a psychological issue preventing him from playing without fear. It needs addressing so we can unlock the talent that is clearly in the lad.

Last night the RS had 6 strikers to pick from we had 1 – an untested kid: Sarah, Gakpo, Jota, Firminho, Nunes and soon-to-be-back Diaz. Probably a few good U21s too…

This club needs a new board and new investment fast.

Those who are resilient: Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Coleman, Gana aren't good enough. Those who are good enough: Gray, Iwobi, Calvert-Lewin aren't resilient.

Then there are those who are neither good enough nor resilient – pretty much the rest of them.

I find it hard to fully explain what I mean and certainly don't have the answers – let's hope Dyche and his team do. At this point, Michael Keane upfront would provide more chance of goals than any of the fit forwards at the club.

I don't think I've ever seen an Everton performance where so many players just gifted the ball straight to a red shirt. Coady seems to think he is Beckenbauer, spraying passes but they go straight to the opposition or in touch. Coleman played it straight to a Liverpool midfield player in the centre of the park under no pressure. I lost count how many times Tarkowski just surrendered the ball.

I've never understood the high regard that Idrissa Gueye was held in during his first spell but his second spell has been an umitigated disaster. He consistently passes backwards or surrenders possession and, when the opposition break, it's like he's running in treacle.

If you showed me the positions of the players from the first goal and I didn't know who the two teams were, I would know that it was Everton who conceded that goal. Remember the Man Utd game at home when Iwobi lost it in a good position and 15 seconds later, Ronaldo buries it in front of the Gwladys Street End?

It happens so many times. Villa away at the start of the season. Why are we so vulnerable when we're in their half of the field in good positions? The reason, I suspect is that we have too many slow players.

I didn't get caught up in the euphoria of the win against Arsenal because the RS, even with their recent travails, are 100 times better than we are. That's just fact. They have better footballers.

Dyche needs to find a solution to the Calvert-Lewin conundrum because, even when he's on the pitch, he's largely ineffective.

It's going to have to be down to the Goodison faithful to rally the players. Again.

If 4-4-2 is an option, though, I would go with this v Leeds:

Pickford
Patterson Mina Tarkowski Godfrey
Gray Onana Davies McNeil
Iwobi Maupay (assuming sparrer legs isn't fit)

However, the bottom line is we have got to score more goals. And to do that, we have to create a lot more chances.

I certainly agree with your earlier comment that Allan is a big miss this season. My theory is we wanted his wages off the books.

I agree after last night that the central midfield needs reshaping but you leave Onana in the side and drop Gana and Doucoure?

While none of them played well last night, Onana was the least effective, he gets plenty of praise on here as a future great player. To me, he stands out as being very frugal with his talent which he hides very well.

Good points from Darren, great perspective from Brent. We lost a match. Hard work ahead but we are not toast or done.

I'm sat next to a London kopite on the train home who I told to remove his hat. He did. We had a conversation and both agreed, we were not far off them last night. The difference is what we all know. We are toothless and have no goal threat. They do, but they are in decline as a team.

I don't really do the player rating thing, but just to put a few thoughts out there.

Pickford, despite his increasing maturity and making a couple of outstanding saves, lost his head. He is a frustrated figure. At one point, and not for the first time in the last few matches, I thought he was going to join me in the Anfield Road as he walked towards the Evertonians. I was shouting for him to turn around and focus on the pitch!

Liverpool's style of switching and playing wide meant the fullbacks were always in for a hard shift. I thought Mykolenko had a good game and Seamus gave everything and more as always.

Onana was our best player again, in my opinion. Gueye done what he does and broke the game up. Iwobi seems to be going back to that player who is confused and doesn't know what to do. Maybe it's because there is nothing in front of him.

I don't get the Tom Davies thing. Okay, he fluffed his big moment, but he didn't do a lot wrong and by the time he came on, he had little opportunity to impact the game.

I thought Tarkowski done as well as he could and won a lot of challenges. Coady was poor. I know I'm a sucker for punishment, but hearing the Kopites in the Arkles cheer him on watching the highlights was nerve-tingling. I was a lone voice.

Onto Simms. The boy done well but was totally isolated and had no-one to play off him.

Small margins. That one goes in off the post and we win that.

Let's get up for the next one.

We didn't play badly. We lost a derby and I'm hurting as much as anyone. But I see improvement in the effort and commitment.

Still confused about the over-the-top police presence. We're all relatives.

Just on another point that Danny touched on, I wasn't at the game but saw quite a few pictures posted before the game showing a heavy police and stewards seemingly preventing our fans getting to the turnstiles – this was 30 minutes before kick-off.

No doubt most of the sports channels will be covering Uefa's report into the authorities were totally to blame for Liverpool supporters with tickets not being allowed to enter the ground for their Champions League final in Paris. Maybe some questions need to be asked as to why this happened? And I believe the same thing happened last season, so why?

Try and grow up and stop showing your ignorance. Jim when would a pain-killing injection cure a hamstring injury?

Jerome #108,

I believe Calvert-Lewin would have made a huge difference, no disrespect to Simms, he's not as physical and as mobile as Dom. I don't blame him, no experience in the Premier League.The board hung the manager out to dry, knowing a striker was a must in the window.

I felt sorry for Coleman and Mykolenko they were overrun with Arnold and Robertson overlapping with Iwobi and McNeil passengers. I'd still start Holgate and Godfrey at full-back on Saturday with Mina and Tarkowski or Keane.

Hope Garner is fit, and would start Davies ahead of Doucoure, and Iwobi on the bench. Calvert-Lewin is vital, if he's not fit we're in big bother.

Hope the board stay away, we're the worst-run club in the Premier League, and to sell Richarlison and Gordon for 㿙M, 4 days before the window closed and not to bring in a couple of forwards… astonishing.

The redshite complaining over the report after the Champions League final, after what happened in Paris, 30 years after Hillsborough, no problem with that, but they seemed to forget to mention that Heysel did happen

How many Norwegian relatives have you got?

The margin was huge, a fucking abyss of difference in speed and quality. It was really disappointing and there is a real demonstrable chance we will be relegated. I'm preparing emotionally for it.

I don't think I saw one tackle yesterday unless I missed it. After apparently having Peter Reid in this week to rile them up, I expected to at least be first to every second ball or at least show them we were up for it, but we did neither.

Although the first 20 minutes were quite tight, and Liverpool looked for once more nervous than we did, there was a breakaway where, as soon as we got to the edge of their box we shit ourselves. I could see the mind set change from both sides in that moment, they thought "They have nothing" and we agreed; game therefore handed over on a silver platter.

I got taken aside for a search with a search dog and I'm one of the most passive people you will meet.

I complied but they made it very difficult. Even around the streets of Goodison. A good job I kept my calm because a lot were getting antagonised.

Only Speke and Garston, Paul. Grandparents from Belfast and Glasgow. Inlaws I can claim Northern Ireland and the West Midlands, but none are Evertonians. Quite a few Kopites in that mix though.

I think the fall from grace has finally reached rock bottom.
Although relegation is a horrible thought, I can't see any other outcome with this team, they don't deserve to stay up.

The first one is world class. It's the sort of goal modern coaches dream about, and the speed of the Liverpool forwards is undefendable. They would have scored that goal against any opposition.

The second is just terrible. Really really poor. If I was Tarkowski, I would not have been happy with Coady there, he was a bag of shite.

We can't play a high line with the talent available to us unless we drop Coady and play Godfrey. When Patterson is fit he come in but until then we have to keep going with Seamus.

We can get by with our midfield options, perhaps plat Iwobi in behind Calvert-Lewin or Simms but not in an area where if he loses possession that we have a major problem. Have we a player at the club who is happy to sit in front of the back four and stay there for the duration of the game?

We lost Charlie and Gordon and have Simms, Maupay and McNeil, therefore, we are weaker up top than at the end of last season.

A big task to stay up but it can be done, however, it's going to be a battle.

When Bournemouth needed a hand we were there to help them out, when Wolves, Southampton, West Ham and Liverpool needed a similar helping hand, we delivered, next up Leeds Utd, we cannot afford to lose next Saturday afternoon.

We would require 3 new strikers, and at least 3 new midfielders (no one is gonna take Davies or Gana). Onana will be gone, and thankfully Pickford. Coady can piss off back to Wolves and hopefully Seamus realises it really is time to call it a day before blubbering Bill gives him an extended contract until he's 40, as he Gets Everton and he's one of us.

Since 1977 been following this club, even the 4 years we were good the custodians never built on it. Decades of neglect, living on a few past glories from many years ago is finally showing, and the way back will be very-very difficult.

I'm not being a doom merchant, but how do we expect a team that doesn't score goals (and hasn't since Marco Silva) to start winning games.

I've just seen the Davies miss again, its incredible.

There is no pace on the ball. If you watch it, the cross dies on him in the last 5 yards and he loses the track of it.

If it was Trevor Steven sending that ball over it stays on its trajectory and with twice the pace.

If we are going to play 4-4-2, then the two up front should be forwards. Two of Calvert-Lewin, Simms and Maupay.

I should be wiser now I'm older, because although I expected us to lose last night, it's the fact that our board, have made quite a few headlines today, that makes me feel both angry, and nauseous.

What's it going to take for Bill Kenwright, to fuck off, Relegation?

Talking of relegation, it's a massive fear, but my own personal feelings are that it is probably going to be the best way for Everton football club, to have a complete reset. I'm aware we could be financially fucked, but I also believe we are emotionally fucked, and after giving quite a lot of thought to it over the last few very boring years, I'm definitely prepared to take my chances, on Everton rebounding as a much stronger and more positive club.

Quite simply, I'm prepared to try anything if it means we can finally get rid of the absolute and inept poison, that have led us for way to many horribly boring years.

Look at our forwards. Talk about playing 4-4-2, and then look at what you have got to play it. No wonder we are in such a bad position.

If we do go down, the two sides who joined us, would likely be in a better position to be promoted automatically, we might have a chance of top six, but then would face the vagaries of play-offs and the gamble that we would return to the top flight at the first attempt, is too much even for the current owner and board to contemplate.

The board should do the right thing and step aside now, and allow some new blood to give some fresh ideas and input to a club that is failing so badly it defies logic.

We have 16 games to at least try and retain our top-flight status, it's a tough ask, but somehow the team and fans have to believe they can do it - if we don't, I really fear for the future of the club, financially and competitively.

Relegation is a good thing? Don't make me laugh.

Plenty of games left to turn this around. All is not lost if we don't beat Leeds but a scrappy 1-0 win would go down well.

Davies missed a good chance, but to call it "incredible" makes you sound like you havent seen or played in a match before.

Chances of this nature are missed up and down the country every week.

Talk up the missed opportunity all you like, but when Romelu Lukaku ( The guy you talk about so often) missed four easier chances in one single match in the world cup. You didnt say a word.

Unlike TD. Lukaku is a striker. He wasnt having his first touch and he wasnt coming on cold with 10 minutes to go.

Lukaku missed four absolute sitters which meant the team many believed to be the most talented in the competition was going home. He didnt just let down a nation. he compounded it by crying like a baby because it hadnt gone his way.

THAT ! My friend, is what you call "incredible".

See the difference. ?

I get helped out a lot. Friends and family get me tickets at face value. Some have to upgrade at minimal cost. Some give me them for free, which I don't always like. But always with honesty and trust.

The Kopite I spoke to this morning paid £450 to sit about 50 yards from me.

Now I spend a lot of money on Everton, mainly on travel, but that is ridiculous.

I almost felt for him.

Almost.

The only time that relegation would have been good was when Everton beat Wimbledon to survive relegation, when the Evertonian kiss the centre circle spot.I actually thought he would be a good thing then.
Hh?
Now as you say it would be a disaster, drop in revenue, losing money already and coming under Football League Profitability rules, would sink the Club.

Many delusional Evertonians refer to some Everton players as ' only Championship players', but the truth is they would struggle in the Championship.

I would be surprised if aTony does not know all this anyway.We are in frustrating times.

From open play we've seen some horrible misses from Doucoure and Davies and Calvert-Lewin should have had at least one vs Arsenal. Where are the goals going to come from?

We've just been twatted by the shite without a semi decent performance from anybody. We are battling what many believe to be a certain drop.

Yet after hammering Davies before the match despite the fact that he was never going to be selected. The only player they can talk about after the match is him The guy who was sent on when the game was already lost.

I wonder if the obsessives actually watch the game or see this place as some sort of bag wash where they can come and bitch about their favorite hate figure.

We used to have such a Knowledgeable fan base. but a section has been replaced by a load of Dot Cotton`s telling us where we are REALLY going wrong..

When we had a goal threat- and not that much of one- we had Richie, a fit DCL and Gordon. Now we have McNeil, Maupay, Iwobi and Simms. Go figure on that.

We also have some of the slowest players in the EPL. McNeil, Maupay, Coady, Doucoure, Coleman and others. You can hide one, maybe two but not half a team.

As with last year, we rely on 3 other teams being even worse. That's not remotely so certain this time around. Even the two most likely, Southampton and Bournemouth, have both beaten us handily recently. Who else is worse than us?

The reason I still talk about Lukaku is he was the last genuine goalscorering striker we've had in a very long time. RE the world cup thats on Martinez as he'd not started a match for weeks after an injury. He was too rusty to play.

Nothing else to say, we are all pissed off (again).

Ive never been a fan. I am an admirer of his courage, I think hes better than the likes of Doucoure and offers more to the team, but I have never claimed he was a good player. so please don't say it.

I just get pissed off by posts like yours which totally ignore the shite in front of you to focus on a player who is only ever on the periphery.....Do you really think that miss was "incredible" ? or did you just say that because of who missed it. I suspect it was the latter.

Breaking news...There are about 20 players who need to leave this club if we are to go forward.

When players who don't play are bashed. it stops being about football.

We now hit a few games where we can contest it more like a 4411 / 442 with Simms and Maupay up top together. Gray can feature more too.

Simms won't improve back on the bench or with fanciful / daft suggestions of playing Keane or Mina up front. He just needs a bit of help and Maupay can do that.

Worth sticking with him if DCL is unfit. He's a very good finisher b⁰ut needs a chance to acclimatise to the big step up.

Thelwell tried but the problem at the club reared its ugly head and turned players away, with the prime example being the player who was ready to put his signature on a contract but turned round and went to Tottenham, there were other players who openly stated they preferred going to Southampton and Nottingham than Everton. This shocked me as I always believed that no player would turn down a chance to come to Everton.

About last nights game, Everton should bring in a specialist to find out why Everton players freeze as soon as they step onto the Anfield pitch.

Without going into individual performances good or bad, there was no problems we were beaten before the K.O. by a better team that had most players on the bench that would get into an Evertons starting team.

I suppose the crude way to describe Dyche's problem is, from following previous managers picking up dog shit , he has ended up behind a Team of Clydes - dales.

Relegation would be a financial disaster. There is never a good time to get relegated from the Premier League. It would also mean the likes of Rob Halligan having to travel the length and breadth of the country for Friday and Monday night matches for televised games, as Sky always home in on fallen giants for maximum TV audiences for Championship games.

Bill 219 I absolutely agree that we need a sports psychologist to try and sort out why we freeze when we play at Anfield. I would suggest we need a psychologist to work permanently with our players, who seem to freeze on a regular basis.

I know you said let's stop slamming Thelwell, but surely he has to take responsibility along with Lampard as to why we have so few alternatives to Calvert-Lewin.

Perform like we did against Arsenal with the Goodison Park crowd and we'll be back on track. Not all doom and gloom, loads of games left and Leeds are just as much of a shambles as we are.

Big game next!

We need more money and better players.

Worried but not over.

I also wonder if Palace might start to slip, someone usually does!

Rob, what will they see? I don't have a season ticket so can't check myself.

I've just had a look but can't find anything that is 'shocking' unless you mean they have 19 games for next season penciled in? You'll have to be specific on what I'm looking for.

Maybe not a shock as such, but it looks like the club are banking on definitely being in the Premier League next season. Suppose it's easily adjusted, to say Championship 2023-24 season!

The only real surprise is that they didn't put the losing scorelines down for the possible 'derby' dates.

We have won 4 games? We are not very good, don't have a striker, and play predictable long-ball footy.

We needed a point from last night's game really. In fact we can barely afford to do again what we've mostly done all season; lose.

Maybe I do single Davies out, I can still see him passing to Mina in an offside position at Old Trafford rather than shooting late on. That would have won us the match and a win at Old Trafford for Rafa!

He lacks confidence; it's just unfortunate that a Premier League team regular would need this, and it's again a wrong decision years ago that he didn't go out on loan for a full season, probably around 2018.

Re Doucoure, correct – nowhere near enough goals in a position that requires more.

Having attended 50 consecutive Anfield league derbies before the pandemic, I have seen many worse performances than last night's.

I did not see a lack of effort. There was a lack of quality in key moments of pressure and of course we continued to struggle to create chances in open play.

It was one of those performances in which our team would produce a moment of individual class but follow with a moment of individual error, usually in the final third where it really matters.

Survival will obviously be dependent on taking points from the teams close to us in the Premier League table. Those points would be of more value than for example the last four we gained against Man City and Arsenal.

Losing to Bournemouth, Wolves, Southampton and West Ham has put us in an extremely perilous position. Indeed by virtue of denying opponents 2 points, four draws in those games would have put us in a relatively better place than we now find ourselves.

That means a win against Leeds on Saturday is imperative. They are another team against whom we dare not leave ourselves open to the counter-attack.

50 consecutive league matches at Anfield. Take a bow! You deserve a medal. I don't know how your heart has withstood all that tension. I find it hard to watch any derby game – home or away.

The fans in my view protested against the wrong target at the wrong time and it could end in relegation as a result given the winnable home games Lampard lost after Bournemouth. Not a popular opinion but undoubtedly correct.

"Not a popular opinion but undoubtedly correct."

Pure gold, Ian.

This pre-supposes that we, as supporters, can only consider one issue at one time and only in one mode. But not only is it possible to protest against the manager at the same time as protesting against the board, it is also possible to support the manager at the same time as protesting against the charlatans and nonentities who own and run our club. In fact, that is exactly what we are now doing.

This is what I describe as 'correct'...

There is no end to the stupidness of how this club has been run, with Bill Kenwright the main culprit, closely followed by our owner. I cannot stomach these people any more with their constant fuck-ups, lies and ignorance, so it's imperative that they leave the club regardless of our status next season.

I would be happy with Kenwright and his board being replaced, though, so at a minimum, this has to happen. We should not let up on the protests.

We are about to go into a run of games that will be gut-wrenching for us all because of what's on the line but, at the same time, we don't really trust the team to get the job done, just as we saw against Liverpool.

As ever, the supporters will be there to try and lift them but we need a massive response against Leeds to get the 3 points. Dyche needs to find the formula to win this game.

I reckon we will be lucky to score more than 12 goals for the rest of the season given the paucity of our team, so it's gonna be very very hard to find those wins. Critically. they must come against the teams around us to have any chance of survival.

As for the board, I don't want to go there… they are torture, this club.

A lot of people believed it was a good decision to put Mina in with an unmissable chance, only it was the big Colombian who cocked it up by racing ahead of the ball when he could see right across the line.

Out of the numerous horror shows we have witnessed over the past two seasons involving so many players, I find it curious that you can be so riled about that one.

At least you're honest, mate.

I do have a question for you, Darren. If we go down, do you think Kenwright will finally leave?

We've never learnt to shift the ball around the pitch with pace and buy forwards who actually score lots of goals and entertain. Now, it looks like it will cost us our place in the Premier League. Thanks, Uncle Bill… King of Incompetence, he's the Benny Hill of Chairman.

Liverpool have adapted but even they have only won the trophy just once which is woeful considering the amount of titles they won in the old system. Certainly not a record to be proud of.

The sight of Robertson running round like a demented Muppet is ugly X-rated football which has become their hallmark, it just about sums them up, as long as that is deemed acceptable and that goes for most of their players, ugly nasty bastards that the media love. I think they will eventually empty every ground in the country. If that's the new benchmark, the game is finished. Beautiful game, my arse!

● Thelwell: the man tasked with improving a squad with no money, even after the forced sales of Gordon and Richarlison. The signings – or the lack of them – are because of our financial position. That's it.

● Davies: the guy who hardly plays and when he does is generally no worse than the other (often big-earning) rubbish in midfield like Gomes, Allan, Doucoure, Gueye etc etc. Could have been a better player but has had a different manager or more every season since he broke through and the mess as much as anything held him back.

● Calvert-Lewin: the guy who worked his socks off for years, turned himself into a top Premier League striker through hard work and then gets a quadricep injury and others which rules him out of a World Cup. Managed to keep us up last season with a superb header and a few important cameos. But wore a daft outfit in a magazine so is now a workshy fraud.

The culprits for this mess are the people who chucked all the money away about 5 years ago – and the owners who allowed it to happen on their watch.

You'd have thought the past couple of weeks would be enough to make him walk. But to my eyes. He is taking 'brazen' to a height only the biggest ego could scale.

The board selling our best player, Richarlison, allowing Gordon to leave for 㿙M with four days left of the window, and not bringing in a forward with Calvert-Lewin injured, is one of the reasons we're in relegation bother.

Kenwright and the board putting out a report their lives were in danger if they turned up for the Southampton game, coincidently the same day as the fans sit in and protest.

Surprise, surprise, the Mersey police knew nothing about any such threat, dragging the fans and EFC into the gutter, telling lies again to boost their own ego. That's why we are where we are – 'The Board'.

Pete Taylor, Jeff Moorad and Jahm Najafi of MSP Sports Capital where in the stand also.

Kenwright didn't know they where attending?????

I sometimes think our amateurishness has caught up with us, but the money is simply not there, clearly. I think the likes of Thelwell etc know the problem but can't do anything about it.

Today, I have really wanted to find some positivity amidst the austerity but it's a challenge.

I can't see us winning 6 home games and I think we're nailed on to get relegated. If we lose to Leeds, I think we're done.

Lampard spent the Richarlison money on Maupay, Onana and McNeil. That was down to Lampard as he always said he had final say on transfers. His signings, tactics, team selections and subs are the reason why we are Bottom 3.

I'm not getting involved in the headlock / board not attending subject as it's totally irrelevant.

We should have joined you in all those Lampard Out demonstrations you organised. Good to see you are not casting it up to us. Your view only became unpopular after you repeated it on every thread night and day twenty million times and, for the love of fuck, are still repeating it after Lampard has been sacked.

Shithouses. I keep using that word too much lately.

I've been in many situations where the boys and and girls didn't like or instinctively want to do what I was telling them to do. But I was there with them not absent because I was afraid. I was afraid. For them foremost and because I didn't know if I would be going home again. But I didnt / couldn't shy away and I never would have.

We didn't last night and the vast majority of our supporters stayed to the
bitter end.

It is definitely relevant. They have damaged the relationship with their best asset. Right now, like most, I'm focussed on the team, but it doesn't hide the underlying issue.

An escalation of their own making through poor judgement, bad communication and not really understanding this fanbase and what OUR club means to us.

You quite reasonably ask me where the goals are going to come from.

We all know we don't have a consistent, fit goal scorer just now. I think we might get away with small contributions from various players (we have enough big men in the box) as they feed on scraps at corners and set pieces, with the occasional worldie from Gray, and hopefully some from DCL if we can get him fit.

You're correct, the usual mindless optimism from me.

Oh for a Gary Lineker. I remember Nev saying years ago that Lineker would stroll in on Monday, do light training on Tuesday, complain about his toe on Wednesday, do a little more light training on Thursday, rest on Friday, and score three on Saturday.

Lampard then spunked the Richarlison money on McNeil, Maupay and Onana. You can't blame the Board for that.

Lampard should have been forced out after Bournemouth. It will bite us on the arse for the fans getting sidetracked by headlock nonsense.

Just as we were not saved after the Arsenal game; neither are we doomed after almost inevitably losing to a much, much better side away yesterday.

“Lose tonight and beat Leeds, we're out of the bottom three”

“Win tonight and lose to Leeds, we're still in the bottom three”

I know it's all hypothetical at the moment, because we've still got to beat Leeds, but I know which one most of us would welcome, hopefully, come 5pm on Saturday evening.

Of course, win both would have been better, but that was not to be.

And Robert!

As if Lampard and Thelwell thought Maupay was really the player we needed. Lampard was obviously not a great manager but he isn't thick.

It's obviously boiled down to the fact that we have no money so the payment terms / wage package etc massively limited our realistic options.

Broja on loan was the one they wanted and maybe there weren't a lot of realistic options beyond that.

The way I see it, if we win our last six games we are safe. Before that we've got 10 extra bites of the cherry. What's there to fear?

Ian, we'll just have to politely disagree.You obviously focus on managers. I'm more concerned with how the club has been run since failing to build on what we had achieved by 1987.

It starts from the top. Our top level is dysfunctional, which in my opinion is why so many deverse and different managers have failed at Everton.

That's tactical thinking, not strategic or having a plan or vision.

Living week by week and hoping for the best.

Klopp took 3 years to turn that ship around Ferguson several at United. But they had long term plans and were backed by competent boards and owners.

And look what they achieved.

Under Lampard we were one of the three worst teams in the league.

The jury's out under Sean but I'm hopeful

Christ hopeful that we're not one of the worst three teams? NSNO eh?

The headlock is irrelevant? Only an absolute fucking idiot could say something so stupid Ian. Seriously mate, sometimes you should actually think about it, even just a little bit.

I'm with your optimism.

When are you next at Goodison?

Remember over a quarter of the sides in the league haven't won tons of games, four sides including ourselves have secured maximum points on four occasions, West Ham have won five, whilst Forest and Wolves have won six.

A few back-to-back victories at any point from here on in, will have a huge significance to how the table looks, we all hope that we can do it in the next couple of fixtures and then again a couple more times.

At the moment it looks as if Forest, Wolves and Leicester are all safe from danger, but who really knows if it will look that way in a month's time?

Our problem and we're all fully aware of it, is the same as it's been all season, can we score the goals that secure the points? If we can't, all the other teams' results won't matter as we won't garner enough points to stay up.

Danny (252) I do genuinely believe we have a realistic hope of survival. We will most certainly need some good fortune along the way but if we can drag ourselves out of the bottom three this weekend I think it will build confidence among our players and fans that we can put a run of positive results together.

Pickford (c)

Godfrey, Mina, Tarkowski, Mykolen

Iwobi, Garner, Onana,

Gray, Simms, McNeill

J.H Christ

Tommy Wright (78) - Ratcliffe (for pace) - Watson (for commitment) - Van den Hauwe (for lethalness)

Reid - Ball - Parkinson

Steven - Dean - Sheedy.

Surely a new manager can find current players at least their equal?

...............Then enter the owner/chairman! .

Play mostly Route 1 and surprise the fuck out of them?

Psycho Pat for his sheer aggression and intimidation. The tackle at Villa Park in the semi final that made Phil Neville's look tame.

Blatantly flooring Speedie at Goodison and walking away as if nothing happened and getting away with it. The Scottish player didn't go near him again.

Sheedy to score the winner after having to retake the free kick.

Sorry, I had to!!

He tried to replace the defence and midfield with leaders in Coady, Tarkowski and Gana which the squad was seriously lacking in in his opinion.

The players he actually wanted in were Mudryk, Gibbs-White, Kudus and Broja. Who we spent all summer probably trying to sort deals on installments, not willing to pay 㿔M for GW and Mudryk and hanging around to see if Chelsea found a new striker so they would let Broja leave. None of those deals worked out leaving us 5 games into the season without a striker and having to beg Mauypay to choose us over Fulham.

I'm not sticking up for Frank here becuase he let himself down with his tactics but something tells me if we had MGW, Mudryk and Broja up front he would still be in a job. It's unfair to say Frank blew his budget, I don't think he had a choice to spend it on who he did, whether it down to FFP or the board.

A more strategic view owuld have been ot have sold Gordon and DCL knowing his injury issues in the summer to have been able to spend, instead of holding on to players who clearly didn't want to stay in the first place.

Your post is probably the most accurate description of the Summer Transfer window and Frank's ideas on midfielf.Frank finding that like most of his predecessors that he was constrained by the Club Management involved in transfers and interference at the highest level.Moshiri in his pullover interview described the requisition system.Potential transfer where sourced by the Director of Football, and others, in consultation with the Manager.Those decided on as fit for purpose are put on a requisition form, which is sent to the Chairman.As for Gordon's transfer they mismanaged it and their was no interest in Calvert Lewin.

Apart from not going anywhere near the biggest creep and sneak in the Premiers League, Robertson, during the melee, Van Dijk, another creep, just shoved him in the chest, and he just stood there and did nothing.

Iwobi is dreadful, never makes a tackle and consistently loses the ball. Godfrey has to come into the back 4 or 3. The lack of pace with Coady and Tarkowski was obvious on Monday.

Went up to Auckland a few weeks ago to see Elton John, cancelled at last minute, caught in floods, wading to safety as car write off… last couple of days a massive cyclone hits the North Island, huge wind and rain, a national emergency called for only the 3rd time in the country's history..

Watching the storms blow out of my window is fascinatingly scary, but so many have lost everything, 250k homes without power, roads gone, literally, or buried under huge slips and to top it all, the derby... bad week. So, we have had plague, floods, cyclone, earthquake.. a year in the life down under..

Perspective, dad used to call it… bloody Everton.

Iwobi has contributed 6 assists this season, the same as the rest of the squad combined. So, the answer is to drop him?

I am beginning to think Everton fans are allergic to goals.

I've read that stat a couple of time in recent days, but wasn't Gray's goal at the Etihad from open play and his goal at Bournemouth in the League Cup?

Not much of a consolation though is it? A dozen games and only two goals scored by the same player, from open play.

Danny, they are rebuilding the cathedral but not likely to open for about 5 years yet.

The derby took all the stuffing out of me.

He had a better patch early in the season, but has been really poor recently.

Sheffield United and Derby County hold the dubious distinction of scoring the fewest goals, 20 each, in a Premier League season, in 2020-21 and 2007-08 respectively.

Hard to digest the two sloppy goals, but overall the pansies in their nappies had no stomach for the fight from minute 1, that was very obvious.

Starting with eight men plus the children, Iwobi, Mykolenko and NcNeil, who were fucking disasters on the night, must have ha Rabbit's gob laughing his socks off.

Nobody wanted the ball and nobody wanted to take men on. Cowards and imposters in blue shirts. Bounce did not last long!!

The Leeds team has lots of pace and that little feller Gnonto will run rings round new totem poles (that were brought in to replace the old totem poles).

I also think we need Godfrey in at right-back because Seamus is struggling, not only for pace in the second half of games, but he is going to crack if he has to play all of our games.

Hoping to see Garner, who did score goals for Forest last term, and I hope that Calvert-Lewin is ready (but I fear that he will be on the bench at best).

I hope Garner is available, and I'd even be happy if Calvert-Lewin made the bench. Seamus can't be expected to play again, I'd have a back four of Holgate, Mina, Tarkowski and Godfrey.

Another 500-mile round trip to my home city in 5 days.

Just give me something back.

Show up, Everton, because we do every week.

We live and breathe you. Try doing the same.

Unless it is sorted out soon, then our beloved club will simply never win anything ever again – after all, Cup finals ain't played at Goodison!

As for the derby... we simply shit ourselves yet again with a full house at Mordor and on hearing that fucking dirge playing before kick-off (from a musical!), our players failed to show up yet again!

Truly pathetic... we truly need some sort of spark, a new face, a player that will ignite us,i nspire us... is Isco still available? I'd take him now!

You'll Never Walk Alone is our song! — Manchester Evening News