James Garner out for at least 2 months

Never rains but it pours when it comes to injuries with us. For those who care, Tom Davies and Yerry Mina should return to training in mid December, so should be available for the re-start.

Yes I had good hopes for Garner, it is a bit of a mystery James getting injured. He finished the game at Bournemouth, there didn't seem to be an injury during the game, so was his another one caused in training? If so, there seems to be too many of these.

So whether its Jan or the summer he will be back with us earning his £100,000 plus a week. Stubbs reckons he has no future at Everton so I guess the cycle of signing deadwood continues irrespective of who the manager is. Even though we are paying Besiktas a big chunk of Deles wages, I cant see to many clubs wanting to take him on loan when he comes back from Besiktas. Also bringing him on for cameos will only result in us paying Spurs for his services.

Another one that is still only 21 years old, so can be developed.

What is it with us? I thought the Finch Farm complex was built on the fields near Halewood where we used to occasionally take my then young son to pick Strawberrys as a Sunday treat. Not on top of and disturbed a Native American burial ground to curse ourselves.

Here's hoping Tom can get fit as well as Mina, even if the latter only manages his token 2 and a half games before breaking a toenail and being out for several weeks. We're going to need numbers going into the English version of the Ruckrunde.

I think the last place we need to strengthen is midfield, lets not forget Frank signed 4 midfield players in the summer window to add to Doucoure and Davies and the improving young lad Price. I hope whatever money we have we spend on forward players with proven goal scorers, as that's the area that has to be improved if we don't want another battle against relegation.

We don't need any more central midfielders although someone who can make a forward pass would be welcome.

You have to remember how this goes. He's out now for 2-3 months for 'recuperation and recovery', he then breaks down in training where they discover he needed surgery all along, then he's out for the season.

More likely he has fallen out of the loft or tripped over a 'Keep off the grass' sign. Everton that.

Are they too fragile or is it just that Everton FC is the Frankenstein's Lab of football?

Seriously I remember when I first started watching football and most players would be regulars, week-in & week-out.

These days, they break a toe getting out of the swimming pool.

I wonder?

Joke.

Yes, that makes much more sense.

Jim @ 14 - someday someone in the club will address whatever is happening here. It's not just modern versus previous; we compare badly with just about all other clubs it seems.

Arsenal went through a phase of this some seasons back, stretching across 5+ years. They got out of it some way or other.

Apologies to those who love Goodison, but it's been decades since we've had any good luck or Bill's "Good Times".

I agree with everything you say. A friend of mine occasionally invites me to Stamford Bridge – and the number of overseas tourists in the crowd is noticeable (possibly more than at Anfield).

When l first moved to London 30+ years ago, I noticed how expensive a theatre ticket was compared to football. Nowadays, you can get a decent ticket for a good West End show for less. (And watch top Blues like Sam Hoare and George Costigan deliver performances that Dele Alli can only dream of!)

Personally I think football is very expensive for what it offers and I have been forecasting declining crowds for years now. However, sold-out Premier League matches and season ticket waiting lists strongly suggest I'm wrong.

I still find it hard to believe that attendances at Goodson today are higher than we achieved in the glory years of the mid-80s.

I think this will open the door for Isaac Price, at least as a starting regular in the squad. If he keeps his recent form and belief going, I think he has a good chance.

Interesting point, Danny, about the London clubs, and of note most of the pubs next to the old White Hart Lane have taken the knock.

A shame the Wilmslow, Royal Oak, Spellow, Brick, Top Hat and County Road pubs can't be lifted and shifted to the Bramley-Moore Dock area, but others will I'm sure be built, aside from the Bramley Moor pub, the Bull, Kerries Bar and then how far do you walk for pint, as for many, The Mons, wouldn't be too far to walk. Loads of scope to suit all.

I recall years ago a pub called the Brown Cow, long since gone, but Everton's new home will rejuvenate the North Docks area, and hopefully the Everton team will do justice to the new stadium and the legacy of Goodison Park.

Times change Everton must do so to survive, and be competing on a level or better par than the rest of the Premier League on and off the park.

But surely one day soon better times, consistency and good football are not too far away for Everton.

Any players we got from them rarely stood much play. Garner probably does have ability, but he has to be fit to play.

Long-term growth on acquisition outlay, based on initial performance data, substantial loss of outlay, no resale value.

Unless Lampard gets one or both out of the team, we will be relegated. No doubt.

I agree about the pubs. If I was one of the landlords there I would be trying my best to speak to Everton with some form of business plan. As in, help us relocate and for the next X amount of years you will take a percentage of our profits etc etc. I wonder if any have tried. Especially the likes of the Wimslow, I mean it's a proper Everton pub which will probably go. The Royal Oak I imagine gets match day custom from Liverpool games?

As soon as there was rumours about our stadium I had a drive down to Bramley Moore. Using google I came across a building once belonging to a pub called the Sandon Lion. I remember thinking wow, I wonder how much that went for and if the owner is now kicking himself. Turns out it was sold in like 2013 for like 30k, and it's now flats. I remember being like oh my god. That's a goldmine now if it was still a pub.

I looked myself down there and had a bit of a pipe dream of opening a pub or bar down there but that's all it really was having got no experience in the area, however I did pitch it to my Dad at one point, very Del Boy style.

This football club appears to have the intelligence of the Conservative Party's energy policy ( let's invest in something really expensive that doesn't work at all when it's needed, but does channel lots of money to our mates) combined with the work ethic of an NHS manager (permanently at home with “stress” issues) and the leadership of the USA since 2020, (a drooling senile destructive halfwit).

That being said, I'd agree with you about just playing one. Tell Onana to sit in the 6, and put two ballers either side. Price/McNeil/Iwobi (or Garner when back) and get them playing quick balls forward. Bring on Gana and Doucoure if we're ever lucky enough to go 2 up again to see it out.

How is the loss of a player that has barely featured a disaster?

And the other 2 midfielders mentioned combined with Iwobi. They can only create on what is in front of them.

There lies our problem.

Disaster? Undoubted relagation?

Last time I looked at the league table there are 23 games and 69 points to play for.

I'll be with the team week in, week out. As I am sure you will be. Relegation isn't undoubted. There is still a lot to play for, notwithstanding the FA Cup.

I know football is a game of opinions and we all see the game and players differently. Until the turn of this year, Iwobi used to half worry me and half frustrate me. I could see a player in him, he just needed to believe it. As I kept saying, he used to confuse his team mates and the opposition as much as he confused himself and the supporters.

But with the confidence and belief he has discovered, he has improved massively.

Well, the Iwobi I've been watching has done anyway. And he's still only 26. His best seasons are ahead of him and he can get better with consistency.

Wilmslow is a place in Cheshire… The pub is called The Winslow!