Lampard optimistic over Doucouré as injuries restrict midfield options

It's surreal what happens at Everton. No other club would contemplate starting a season of professional football without a single fit striker.

And no other club would Mr Magoo their way to the amount of freak injuries they get.

We've got another 6 days to get a striker or two and a midfield player with lots of time to get them integrated into the club before we lose too many points.

Just remember, we only need 40 points and there is still over 100 to play for.

This isn't on Lampard. These are three injury-prone players who seem to be made of glass. And the lack of a striker is the fault of Billy and the fella from Wolverhampton.

Despite all of the above, I'm quietly confident we will be fine.

Name a club that would want to pay Rondon £75k a week? Gomes £90k a week? Keane £80k etc.

It's less us clinging on and more we couldn't give them away for free!

I liked Doucouré, but the player I saw at Watford just hasn't been seen enough in his time at Everton, maybe in Carlo's first handful of games and then Benitez's early games but ,80% of the time, he's either injured or game passing him by.

Onana will start next week for sure.

After Don Alexander and a few others on here, I'm certainly Billy Boy's biggest critic. But this lack of a striker isn't on Kenwright, far from it. It's on the recruitment team.

Every man and his dog knew Richarlison was away, his agent said it last winter. We should have had two strikers, not one lined up.

Maybe we did but didn't get them. But it certainly should have been addressed. But to lay that one at the shysters' door is just wrong imo.

One thing is for certain: it's most definitely got to be addressed asap; otherwise, we're staring down the barrel.

Then again... it could be worse.. we could support Man Utd.

Suppose give Holgate his due, he's, dare I say it, maturing and reinventing himself as decent. Will some strikers transform them somehow?

I'm just fuckin' choca waking up
every Sunday with a sinking feeling... never ending.

Gordon didn't win a single header yet we hoofed it up to him every time we needed an out ball. Whoever thought this good (2 games running) wants a serious talking to.

A friend worked on something like measuring the amount of oil being pumped into tankers. He was given a 5-year contract including accommodation and a large tax-free salary. Suddenly the Gulf War started and Iraqi oil was embargoed. He had nothing to do.

Should he have said, "Please release me from my contract so I can try and find another job"? Or should he have stayed in Iraq and picked up his salary?

Now replace the words "my friend" with Gomes, Gbamin and "Iraq" with Everton. And then explain if you answer changes.

Our only centre-forward did make a difference when he came on. Whatever confidence the poor bugger has must have been blown away by now.