Calvert-Lewin 'making very good progress' towards fitness

Let's tear into Spurs on Monday and move three points closer to safety.

Him having a blue butterfly as his personal motif suggests to me that something about "metamorphosis" and "emergence" holds special meaning to him. Suggests he's either been through trouble to get where he is, or thinks he'll have to to get where he's going.

Good luck to him either way, but I don't think Dyche will be the man to sort it out. I'm a huge fan of Dyche and he's definitely the man for us, but it sticks in my mind re:DCL that Patrick Bamford basically stated that he was ostracised by Dyche for being "too close to his parents" and felt like it was a class thing. I can't see him feeling like he's got time to indulge and mend DCL in the way that's needed, in the situation we're in.

Hopefully onward and upward for Everton, and onward and outward for DCL.

There have been a number of players at Clubs over the years that have had issues with "injuries" that have curtailed their season I think DCL is just the latest in that list.
It's a great pity as I believe a couple of seasons ago he had a great opportunity to establish himself as not only our main man but also England's back up to Kane.

He's still only 26 and maybe he'll come good sometime or somewhere else in the future but right now we don't have the luxury to think about him helping us out of the shite we're in

* Poverty and world hunger is cured.
* Mankind opens its first settlement on Mars.
* Boris Johnson finally tells the truth.
* The Lord Lucan mystery is finally solved.
* Calvert-Lewin is 2 weeks away from stepping up training.

I know, that's unlikely.

ToffeeWeb must have posted a similar stories like this one on multiple occasions over the past few years regarding DCL being "back in training" or "ready to fire the blues up the table" etc etc.

This is just an invitation for everyone to take the piss out of him or knock him in some way, our "fans" love knocking the players don't they, it gives them a little sense of control over everything else "Everton" feels totally out of control. I can't help but wonder what this process does for DCL's mental health? It all feels so cyclical.

I for one am desperate for him to return and hit some semblance of form. I hope for us as a team, I hope for the fans and I hope for Dom himself. A run of games and a few goals would no doubt do his confidence the world of good.

It may seem counterintuitive that exercise, a form of physical stress, can help the body manage general stress levels. But the right kind of stress can actually make the body more resilient. Research shows that while exercise initially spikes the stress response in the body, people experience lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine after bouts of physical activity.

So far, there's little evidence for the popular theory that exercise causes a rush of endorphins. Rather, one line of research points to the less familiar neuromodulator norepinephrine, which may help the brain deal with stress more efficiently. Research in animals since the late 1980s has found that exercise increases brain concentrations of norepinephrine in brain regions involved in the body's stress response.

Norepinephrine is particularly interesting to researchers because 50% of the brain's supply is produced in the locus coeruleus, a brain area that connects most of the brain regions involved in emotional and stress responses. The chemical is thought to play a major role in modulating the action of other, more prevalent neurotransmitters that play a direct role in the stress response.

I might be wrong, but I believe hard physical work, definitely toughens people up, and this can then become a tool that is then used throughout their life, whenever things get tough.

I agree with Tony, and I'm also convinced that when Dominic eventually returns he will become a massive player for us in the future. Let's hope so

We don't know what the other niggle is. But hopefully it is soon resolved and we better strength in depth in forward positions instead of this insane overreliance on one person.

“There's a psychological approach to overcoming adversity, and I'm not sure that Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn't one of those players. Maybe not quite likes, but is quite accepting of being injured, rather than pushing back and saying, ‘I'll overcome this adversity, I'm going to make sure.'

“Because psychologically, people can be injured in their minds as much as they can be physically injured. And so when someone gets a tweak or an injury, they don't want to overcome it, they want to succumb to it.”

If he remains out of the game for the rest of this season and isn't playing early next season, his career will plummet, as no serious club would gamble the transfer fee on him. He has another couple of years left on his contract, so unless his injuries are career threatening he'll be an Everton player for some considerable time and I would have thought deserving of our support.

Even if I thought - which I don't - to say some of the comments made by others on this thread, I'd think twice about saying them to a 6'2" lad from Sheffield face-to-face.

Dean, Barry, Tony and Phil, well said and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the truth sayers😀

Assuming Dyche is still in charge next season, he may well want to trade DCL in for a sturdier player, which I think is a shame unless that sturdier player is Erling Haaland.

If you have a spare ten minutes, you really should have a look up on Paul Bracewell and how even the Everton physio said it was in his head, before specialists in America found the real cause.

The Everton physio wrote what the response would be, and gave it to Paul Bracewell in a sealed envelope what the drs would find.

When Bracewell opened the envelope after finding the problem in America, our physio wrote just two words, f a, I will not type the two swear words in full.

If anyone knows how to add the full article on here, would be a very good read for Evertonians who have not read the full article on Bracewell.

Even the Everton players and physio Clinkcard was saying it was in Bracewells head, with only Kendall saying no there is definitely something wrong with him.

Let's not be judge and jury on Calvert-Lewin, there is clearly something wrong.

As for Bracewell, one of the finest players I saw such a shame he got that horrible injury, very very underrated player.

The only thing I ever owned in the football domain was my choice to play at less than 100% fit because I gave a shit about my team mates, fans and the people who were paying me.

We shall see…

More like a Reliant Robin van...

You lads are right, it is fun to make stories up.

Some Christians believe the blue butterfly represents the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, which is similar to the Egyptian belief that butterflies represent resurrection.

Brian 31, I think this is the article.

He went through this phase for a couple of months then packed racing in completely, he had spent thousands on bike stuff. It shows when the mind doesn't want it anymore — you can't go on.

I hope Calvert-Lewin can return and get over whatever problems he has, it's an awful situation for everyone connected to the club.

I understand that we all dont recover as quickly as others but this particular injury seems to be taking a long time to recover for Calvert-Lewin. Could it have been he was brought back too quickly that made it worse than the previous injury?

I agree completely. Bracewell was my favourite player of our brilliant Kendall era. I remember no-one believed him, about the pain he was in, as he found in USA, a floating bone.

The saddest part is that he hadn't even reached his prime, and would have been on the plane to Mexico for the '86 World Cup. His whole future shattered by a cowardly assault by Billy Whitehurst, if I remember correctly.

Yes, my mistake, you had to fight over a few years to even walk again, but you did better than that – you got to play football again, even though it was at a lower level. The way you had to fight for so long and wouldn't give up, a long struggle until you got back on your feet.

Does this influence your judgement on the way Dominic has looked at his injury? You fought every inch of the way just to walk again while it looks like you think Dominic hasn't done anything like near enough to help himself?

In terms of stress and mental health, I would never dismiss it. We all suffer from it at some point and to some degree throughout life from the experiences we've been through. Some cope better than others. I had periods when I came home and was a very angry and intolerant person. Fortunately I was able to channel that and I found football, running and sport a really good therapy. As well as family. I know people who didn't cope so well.

It's a sliding scale and everyone deals with it differently. That's if that is the issue with Dominic; we are speculating. Whatever his challenges are, I hope we see him back on the pitch soon to help us over the line again and compliment young Simms. And enjoy his football.

The march will take place before and we can shout afterwards. But once that siren and drum roll goes, it's all about those crossing the white line and those on the bench ready and waiting to cross the white line.

It's nearly the weekend. We're in this together and those empty seats can stay vacant. Donate them to a supporter that can't get a ticket because yet again, we are sold out.

Im amazed that you think you know so much about me, clearly haven't been speaking to my wife for that much sympathy to be present !

You've got it all wrong though, that isn't quite my story, I'm no martyr and I'm not basing that element of my personal experience on my opinion. I was simply talking about a soft tissue injury and I was desperate to play so made sure I did

Joking aside, I think this lad needs a good kicking up the arse. You'd never see a Mick Lyons or a Johnny Morrissey taking paid leave for months on end.

Michael Keane feels like a rejuvenated player since Dyche came in, which to be fair, he has done pretty okay. When we beat Spurs on Monday then get a draw at Man Utd, confidence will be sky-high.

Only downside about his uncle was that he is a Man Utd fan. Still, he seemed a decent fella!

When you posted a few weeks ago, I Googled your name and that gave me the information about you. Seemed to me you had a tough time getting back on your feet after a non-football injury, maybe Google got the story mixed up.

I think it's Dyche himself who has probably tried to push DCL along, then realized that there is more to this, after beginning to work and understand the player.

He told Dominic he wasn't far away after the Arsenal game, and there was then a scan, which allegedly came back saying inconclusive, which might be deemed as meaning there is nothing wrong with the player?

Manager talks to player about this, player says he hasn't felt himself for a long time, and they will probably have then went on to discuss things further?

“Honestly Boss, I'm just not quite there”, but looking at your stats Dom, you're not far away kid. “I'm leading the line by myself, and every time I go to really sprint, I can feel something in my hammy. Plus I can hear people in the crowd giving me loads and calling me every fuckn name under the sun - ending with faggot. (Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone)

Okay Dominic if you don't feel comfortable and you feel you have been rushed back to many times before, and have been forced to play because we have got nobody else, I'm going to take my time with you.

I believe you are a very good player, but if you don't feel right, you are not going to produce your best. It's up to you Dominic, keep running, keep getting stronger, and hopefully soon you will feel good! And so on.

I might be a million miles away, but before Benitez came to Everton, DCL, was always ready and available to play for Everton, and because of this I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt? Even if some people believe he's absolutely cack!

I was first introduced to very hard training around 13/14 years of age, and it was a complete shock to my system. I slowly began to see the benefits and believe that this initial hard lesson has helped pull me out of the shite a few times during darker spells in my life.

Of course it's not going to work for everyone, but I believe that this will have been a get out of jail card for many people, who were taught to train/work hard during their childhood?

Are Daily Mail and Daily Express readers not welcome on this site?

With Calvert-Lewin, it probably won't help his morale if he hears derogatory remarks getting screamed out at him. It's always gone on, though. Well, I've heard scorn poured out at players ever since I've been going.

I can remember Alex Young, Kevin Sheedy, Paul Bracewell and even Peter Reid, and more when they were playing through injuries, who were getting stick. I suppose that's a mental battle every player who gets some of that, has to try and win, or else it will pull him down.

I think we could have done with a more effective goalscorer than Calvert-Lewin after Lukaku left (mind you, he got some terrible stick as well!) But that doesn't mean I don't rate him. He's a decent player, good with his head and is getting better in and around the box.

But we should always be looking for better. Now though, he is probably the best bet we have for upsetting opposition defences and making room for other players to get in on the goalscoring job.

So until we get better, we have Ellis Simms, Demarai Gray, perhaps Doucouré and, if he gets fit in time, Andros Townsend who could benefit from Calvert-Lewin leading the line.

So basically, the quicker he can get fit and lose any tormenting furies he might suffer from... the better.

Autism comes in many forms – some more servere than others – but let's be very clear: a person on the spectrum often needs reassurances before they feel comfortable with a situation, environment etc.

As Stuart stated... it is not an ailment, it's a condition that inhibits functioning on certain levels and elicits responses that manifest themselves when under stress.

Jim @64, you've only gone and mentioned Bracewell and dropped the Sheedy bomb.

It's a school night and nearly the weekend. Did you have to?

More chance of Lord Nelson getting his eye back! :-)

It included the stunning news that our old friend Li Tie, formerly China's national team coach, is apparently in prison.

He was arrested at a coaching clinic in November, charged with "serious violations of law." The president of China's national soccer federation was arrested on the same charges. There is no information on trials or convictions.

Meanwhile Jiang Guangtai, formerly Tyias Browning of Everton, may still have a job in the collapsing Chinese Super League. He transferred to Shanghai Port from his dying club Guangzhou Evergrande after the sponsoring Evergrande real estate conglomerate collapsed under debt.

As for Browning's national team career -- remember he took Chinese citizenship and changed his name -- he was a regular starter at center half for a team that went winless in its last 7 games of World Cup qualifying and was eliminated by Vietnam.

My nephew Kevin, who moved here from China in December, says there's a popular joke in Chinese about a country with a billion people that can't find 11 decent footballers.

If I see any updates on Li Tie, I'll share them.

It's not really for me (or anyone) to comment on that, and certainly not on the validity of that. That's his own personal battle.

Regardless of what is ailing him, I hope he gets better. Obviously.

From a football perspective, we could do with him on the pitch but only if he's right to go. Plenty of professionals around the club have deemed that he isn't yet in that position.

So we go with what we have. I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to have a crack at Dom. There's nothing to suggest he's out drinking, crashing cars into petrol stations or doing anything unprofessional. He's just out of action due to matters which are out of his control, which happens.

You can't just create a league out of nothing. You guys tried it in the 70's with “it's a kick in the grass”. Importing the likes of Pele, Best, Marsh, Oblitas etc….

The gulf states are attempting to do something similar but at least they have a football culture and knowledge of the game.

Try no sick pay, 2 days off in 30-odd years.

It never seemed sustainable if there is validity in the rumour. Let's see, the Chinese Government may well step in.

I didn't know that about Browning. Free world, freedom of choice and each to their own.

Still seems odd.

Ray, you're thick as mince. ADHD is not recently discovered and the problem with ADHD is treating kids like ‘little shits….' literally kills their futures before they've finished school, you absolute melt.

Jesus. Have I stumbled upon the talkSPORT or The Sun comments section. What a grim set of responses from Evertonians.

Lastly, anyone ever consider that two years ago DCL was playing and scoring for England. Anyone at all think that just maybe he'd still like to be doing so??

No? We'd rather assume he's happy to be injured and take the money.

Even though he would make more money playing than not playing and his career and ability to make money is dying in front of his eyes.

Depressing reading. No offence to the great points made by empathetic posters but some horrific opinions on here.

Another player I will throw my hat into the ring for and again was unlucky with a long term injury was Joe Parkinson.

When you look at the Southall, Heath, Bracewell and Parkinson injuries, we never were blessed with any luck, on the injury front, probs throw Snodin into the mix as well.

I watched the cup winners cup final game again last night, what a game Bracewell had in that game.

Breaks your heart when you hear Brian Clough in the Commentry praising our team and saying this is a young Everton team, they will rule for years, with his final quote, nobody does it better than Everton.

Except I can. Sadly.

You forgot the J League luring Lineker for millions as well as Zico. I should imagine India, Indonesia or Nigeria will be the next to try their luck buying over-hyped unmotivated mercenaries and expecting success.

I'm surprised Everton haven't started a rival league of their own as we've been enriching mercenaries whilst getting worse for decades

I'm not an overly politically correct person, and I can look past the childish, ignorant comments about DCL's sartorial choices. But it's pretty sad to see so many people mocking one of our best player's mental health, especially when he's stated it's been an issue for him. Oh, and it's the player who came on last year to score the biggest goal in the last 30 years.

I may be relatively new as a fan, but I love the club because of the passion fellow fans feel for the club. But when passion turns so nasty, it's pretty sad.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been nothing but a hard-working loyal player since coming to Everton, proving doubters wrong at every turn in those early years to become an international scoring bags of goals when he finally put it all together. Whatever is causing him to miss games, it's sure hard to believe he doesn't want to be out there.

I can't wait until he comes back stronger than ever and the same people on here saying awful things about one of our own are forced to cheer him on and eat their words.

As for ADHD, it's a bit like autism. We may have, decades ago, dismissed the condition as being "naughty" or "strange", but science and medicine moves on as we try to understand disease and behaviour and the reasons behind it.

A very good friend of mine had his son diagnosed with autism at 5 years old. They were devastated. At my friends funeral, they had to do a full dress rehearsal (military funeral) the day before, so that the lad knew exactly what was going on during the real thing. To dismiss these conditions is going back to Victorian ages. Lock them up in mental asylums and feed them soup and bread?

As for dress sense, he and anyone else for that matter, can wear whatever they want. I don't really care in the slightest. I'll judge Dominic as a footballer and Everton player when he gets back on the pitch, because that's what matters to me if I'm honest.

Whatever is going on with him, physical, mental or whatever, I hope the club look after him and get him back to doing what he enjoys doing and we enjoy seeing.

I can still see that diving header. That is going to live with me for a long time. Good luck, Dominic and when you step back on that turf, you know we will be right behind you.

If he's playing, contributing and scoring, no one cares about all the other nonsense.

I wish him well, some people have very short memories. Get back, prove them all wrong, Dom!!!

"...there's a popular joke in Chinese about a country with a billion people that can't find 11 decent footballers."

That's funny - and it reminded me of a story back in the 70s (80s?) when Desmond Douglas enjoyed brief notoriety as our no. 1 table tennis player, someone commented that there were about 20,000 Chinese who would beat him in a match.

Different worlds, eh?

Even if I was qualified to comment on his medical condition, without access to his medical records and without examining him along with the rest of the medics, I would not be able to speculate.

I do know that a few players have been very dependent on the club's medical staff for mental health issues. I know this for a fact from a club insider.

Whether DCL is one of these, I don't know but to me the lad has bust a gut on countless occasions and scored some important and memorable goals. His work rate has been remarkable when he has been fuly fit.

When he returns and plants a header into the back of the net, I hope all of those muppets above, reflect on their ignorant tripe.

In the Premier League, Dominic has played 175 times for Everton, scoring 46 goals and having 11 assists. That's a goal every 3.8 games, in a side that has generally been very average. Not too shabby.

I think you are right. I have a son going through rehab and, although he has become more capable, his mind is lagging behind. This is common in most long-term recoveries. Being displaced, not being engaged in the team, not feeling fit enough to engage.

The solution is the player accepting his situation, then surrendering all goals other than those for the day he is in, and taking the time to recover.

Calvert-Lewin, as a centre-foward at Everton, has always been under pressure. Firstly is the long-standing Evertonian fixation with centre-forwards. Secondly, throughout his Everton career, he has been pushed in as a saviour into the team, which it was impossible to be. Thirdly, this has been detrimental to his development as a footballer. And fourthly, he is very dependent on the attitude of those around him, who are under enormous pressure.

I therefore have changed my mind regarding Calvert-Lewin and would advise him to look after his health and concentrate on building a lifeboat out of Everton.

Actually Everton wheeling him out as making 'very good progress towards fitness' is not very helpful, but they feel it necessary to appease the fans, to cover the prevailing incompetence in club management.

I used to take the naughty kids to school, or that's what I thought, until the teacher told me to tell one young boys parents, that they should not send their son to school, unless they had given him his medication.

I remember them going on a school trip for a couple of days, and everyone of them had an envelope full of tablets, which they had to give to their teachers, when they arrived at school. Very sad.

Once I became aware of it, it then became easy to spot the tell-tale signs, but one mum told me her husband didn't believe in it, which absolutely astounded me, and made me worry for this child.

Honestly I once had an 8/9 year old kid, push his grandad out the way, running into his house screaming “get out the way you arl c**t”, before running back out with a big bread knife, to try and attack one of the other kids, who he had been fighting with in the back of the vehicle.

One of the kids was convicted of a joint enterprise murder, before he had left school, and I think because of his condition, he's still inside, whilst most of his co-accused are back on the streets.

This world has become to fast for so many people, because the one true religion is $£â‚¬Â¥, unfortunately.

These players are human-beings, but it's all about the 90 minutes to us, and just because they are in such a privileged position, doesn't mean they can't suffer the stresses that modern life provides.

I'd love to go into our club and change things. I'd start with the academy, this would be my base for changing everything else, and every single first team player, would have to contribute financially, but they would be repaid tenfold with whatever kind of education they require.

I am qualified to comment on ADHD, I've been a psychiatric nurse for 40yrs and have come across a wide range of behavioural disorders.

ADHD, ASD, BPD, EUPD...to name but a few.

I never commented on whether he suffers from ADHD, I just pointed out how it can manifest in an individual.

Tony # 90
Your last line is sad but so true.

“ and a ‘naughty' kid with ADHD or any other recently discovered ailments was a little bastard and dealt with accordingly” is what I wrote.

That was the attitude in the forties and fifties, because no one had heard of autism, ADHD, or dyslexia so you were regarded as thick or naughty. Countless kids were caned (and worse) because they couldn't read properly because of what we now know is dyslexia.

It's only relatively recently that these conditions are recognised and treated.

Likewise the poor sods who suffered shell shock or what we now know as PTSD in WW1 and were executed for cowardice. Only medical knowledge and general acknowledgment of such conditions have enabled those whose lives are blighted by these conditions to get treatment.

So drop the Edwardian and 21st Century jibes please.

Si Pulford @79

You're another ‘thick as mince” poster who has slagged off a comment without reading it properly. So, you gormless melt, read it properly, or get someone to read it to you.

And it's. 'you're' not ‘your' you thick twat.

Happy getting verbally abused?

You can be frustrated that he isn't on the pitch but wild speculation, comments belittling mental health problems, crap about wearing a skirt, questioning of his attitude are all way out of line. You don't know the guy or what he's going/been through.

Nobody wants to have health problems whether that's physical or mental, least of all someone whose career had just taken off. None of us know what's gone on behind the scenes and this kind of speculation doesn't help anyone and just feeds the negativity. Try supporting the guy rather than slagging him off.

The kid was funny, he was nuts, he was around the bend, but he unfortunately had a condition, that he simply couldn't control, and life was always going to be hard for him because of this.

Hurry up and get fit Dominic lad, because this thread is going deeper than the ocean, and our team needs you!

It is looking increasingly obvious that DCL might not return to the fitness he and the club needs and that is probably more disappointing for him, as in time the club will find a replacement. Just so sad when a young man cant get his body into the shape that would allow him to get back to what he probably misses most that's playing. I know many have given their prognosis as to what's wrong but I think we would all be best if we leave it to our medical team, who will be trying everything to get DCL back on the pitch.

Dyche is being helped, (or helping himself?) because he has got the team much more disciplined, and other players have also stepped up, meaning we don't feel as desperate without Lewin.

Players get injured and recover all the time, and even though he hasn't been right for around 18 months, I'm still hopeful that Lewin can come back a better player?🤞

That's a powerful and sad story Tony. Sorry to hear that.

Dave @92, I don't know if you thought I was referring to you; I hope not, it was more generic. We don't know what's going on or what the issue is. I hope, for Dominic, it is just physical injury, because mental illness and conditions are much more difficult to come back from depending on the individual's ability to cope and deal with it. Not that I'm as qualified as you, but I have dealt with traumatic stress in individuals caused by things they have experienced and witnessed. It takes a long time for them to cope. Sometimes they never do.

As you refer to, it's about spotting the signs and when necessary, stepping in to remove them from the spotlight or front line duties before it manifests and becomes a bigger issue for the individual and those around them.

Come Monday evening, if Dominic isn't in the squad, then he doesn't matter. That doesn't mean I'm being callous or that I don't care. Of course I do, he's an Everton player.

But for 24 hours, if he's not there, he doesn't matter. Everton and the players on the pitch do.

Unfortunately, the occasional knee-jerk comments on here when people misunderstood a post can lead to a 'pile-on' and the original post is lost in the melee.

DCL has suffered dog's abuse on here for his interest in fashion etc and as for his wearing a skirt….. how many times do people have to say that it was a pair of baggy shorts (culottes) that he wore?

Leave the lad alone, It's his life.

I know you're ex services and I have personally dealt with a lot of ex forces personnel with PTSD in the last 20 yrs of my job.

Its heartbreaking to see young men who wanted to earn a living representing our country so fucked up by conflicts started by politicians whos only aim is to take control of other countries resources at any cost.

With Dominic I have always seen a player who has always tried his level best for the club, played and used in different positions, I don't think for one moment he isn't doing his level best to get properly fit to get on the field and continue to strive for the team.

To me they are two different players who play in different ways one is whole hearted and the other is chicken hearted.

If every politician who enters his country into a war had to send his own family to the front line, there'd be fewer wars.
Old men start wars. Young men die in them.

Getting to April with your only recognised striker on 1 goal is a disgrace but not DCL's fault

‘ADHD was only really recognised as a valid condition in the UK in 2000 when the first National Institute of Clinical Excellence report on the condition was brought out‘ – Taken from Lanc.org.uk

In the grand scheme of things,I would say that that is relatively recent, certainly 36 years after my school days ended. And that was my point, general ignorance of a medical/mental health problem led to kids being disciplined unfairly.

If you're not right, say so. To be honest in the high octane, athletically fine tuned modern game of small margins, if a player is even fractionally off the mark, it will make a big difference. In comparison to the game of yesteryear, when players got away with a night on the tiles and a cheeky smoke at half time.

...DCL, whether mental, physical or both, needs support. Whilst I'd love to see him come back and prove the doubters wrong, I can't help thinking he'd be better doing it at another club with a fresh challenge and without the history or perceived baggage.

To the point about PTSD and other such symptoms - I'm just glad we're not (yet, anyway) in a time where those will be stress tested for any of us.

And, there's some absolute shite on here about Dominic. There's clearly something wrong but none of us know exactly what, so just support one of our own. He clearly needs it.

And when/if he returns and bangs one in at the Street End under the lights, we'll all be celebrating together.

It's Our fuckin club, so support it and the players. Especially one who obviously tries and has scored a good few goals for us.

A very graceful player, but worked for the team. Alongside Peter Reid, we had a formidable, hard working and talented centre midfield with Trevor Steven and my boyhood idol Kevin Sheedy (there's my Sheedy drop for the day) either side of them.

It was such a shame injury curtailed his Everton career.

Exactly. "very good progress." We've been hearing about his progress for aeons. Obviously it's not "Very good" as every presser seems to indicate he might be ready for the next game and he never is. So yes it would be better to stop going on about him and let him quietly do his rehab away from the spotlight.

BTW it's easy to bash “Big Pharma” but if they weren't there, who would develop the drugs we need? Need as in without them, I wouldn't be here.

Absolutely my view. One of the problems caused by our poor form, until perhaps recently, is that players' reputations are enhanced by not actually playing. We pine for them if those on the pitch serve up dross. Even the likes of Townsend, who is a decent pro but hardly likely to change things all that much.

We pine even more for DCL, because we haven't actually got a striker (maybe Simms, we'll see) and the former gets better in the mind the longer he is on the sidelines. Problem is, he is notoriously slow to get up to speed so even when he finally makes the squad, I wouldn't count on him for several more games to make a proper impact. So that's near enough season end which is why he's not much in my thinking in terms of playing a big part in the rescue act. Maybe next season

If he can't hack it, like Dele Alli, he should fuck off, and the money should be spent on someone willing to contribute. This is a football club. It is not somewhere people are paid to "find themselves" or "resolve inner conflicts" or whatever bollocks is fashionable this week.

Indeed, I suspect that having him around, being paid a fortune for coming up with a new ailment every few months, is highly corrosive, helping neither those who go out there and get kicked up and down the park by goons whose antics are ignored by Sky 6 friendly referees, nor genuinely injured players (Townsend) and those whose careers are on the edge (Coady, Davies).

What a footballer, like a salesman, a software developer, a roadsweeper or a surgeon, is worth, should be a function of outcomes and contributions. How they feel about matters is not important.

The problem for him is even we're not stupid enough to have not covered the base before then. Mind you….

Everyone read it wrong. Got the wrong end of the stick etc?

Certainly not poorly worded in any way shape or form.

Maybe you could proof read what you post to see if it comes across as you intend it before pressing submit.

I won't rise to the grammar police bit. I couldn't give a fuck about an Oxford comma or where an apostrophe goes.

I have no idea where the ADHD chat started on this thread or why (there is no news to my knowledge that DCL has ADHD?). However, as a psychotherapist who has ADHD I feel I have something to offer this discussion.

There are numerous mental health conditions which (if severe enough) can make one feel unable to leave the house, to be around others, to get out of bed etc. Just because some of YOU feel he should be able it doesn't make it suddenly possible to do so.

Yes it is frustrating our main striker has not been available, yes I want him back as much as many of you, but don't project your frustrations onto him and potentially worsen his mental health, you did not walk life in his shoes, with his brain and you have NO notion of what he's been through.

And yes, there is something wrong with reading the Mail and the Express if you aren't smart enough to distinguish their political agendas from your own perspective and just ignorantly go around passing it off as your own venomous bile.

As for his effect on others, how would you, or any rational person, especially one whose occupation is based on physical confrontation and competition, regard someone who has strung out a minor injury (we are signally not talking about a Seamus Coleman with a broken leg, or a viciously assaulted Andre Gomes - who returned much earlier than expected) for season after season and whenever there appears to be some likelihood of returning comes up with some observable-symptom-free new issue.

I'd be pissed off, not just with the player but with the club that paid me less than half what the malingerer was getting. And perhaps I wouldn't be motivated for the 50-50 challenge, maybe I wouldn't be that bothered about giving away the penalty by getting my timing perfect, or running 40 yards back at full speed when someone misplaced a pass near the opponents' penalty area.

I used to run teams of UK staff in various foreign locations, Switzerland, Poland, the UAE and Korea being just a few. I would interview candidates in London, and choose only those who seemed attracted to work in places where they would need to be pretty self sufficient and could handle being away from friends, family and such delights as London offered.

Most adapted, some with more ease than others. however, some did not, and the effect of their complaints, denigration of the local culture, people and circumstances would begin to be infectious. When this happened and it was recognised, they would be on the first plane out. Being stuck in Warsaw in February in 1994 with astronomical international phone rates, no English language tv, awful food everywhere (Pizza Hut was the best at any price) is not conducive to morale, so a moaning or lazy team member certainly was deeply corrosive.

My teams consisted of graduates mostly in their 30s and 40s, and they found it hard (there was lots of serious and sometimes worrying levels of drinking), so we are not talking about young footballers who are not noted for their intellectual attributes or maturity.

My duty was to deliver modern systems to my clients, and having a team who were not resentful, miserable or drunk formed a utterly essential part of that process. Everyone who went out there got a more than decent chance, we all knew the transition was hard and many concessions were made early on. But damaging the team ethos was the line which was not to be crossed.

I was one of those who was glad to see the back of Lukaku, an excellent footballer who saw himself as superior to the club I support, but whose attitude was a major problem and I believe, harmed the team. Conversely, I will forever hold Richarlison in the highest regard, he left to advance his career which is his absolute right, but he never gave the impression of playing with anything but the highest commitment..

I don't know what happened to the Express. Years ago it was my Labour supporting Grandfather's favourite paper.

Now it seems like a UKIP voice piece. All headline, no substance.

As someone with an immediate family member who has suffered mental health challenges for over a decade, it is honestly no laughing matter. It is very tough for him and those who care for him.

Thankfully, there is much greater understanding in society of this issue than has been demonstrated by several posters here.

Yes, that's pretty much it. One person gets it wrong and the sheep pile on. And get abusive too.

And how did ‘your' not ‘you're' slip past your razor sharp proof reading system?
Anyway City have just equalised. 😁

The little bastard (a true but horrible phrase in context) did used to get dealt with accordingly and, on second reading, it was easy for me to acknowledge what I believe Ray was actually meaning.

I hate the written word sometimes and think if we were in a pub, a few people might have looked sideways before realising what Ray had actually meant with his deadpan statement which I viewed to be a sarcastic phrase about the way life used to be.

Going deep, I believe one lad I knew might have committed suicide because he was actually too fit. Hard to fathom, but when I heard he was going into his gym looking for the man who tutored him, and was becoming very frustrated when hearing the man was on holiday, this was the conclusion I came to, even though I'm aware there would have also been other factors involved.

This was a tragic outcome for somebody who had suffered with mental health, but it still won't change my belief that physical exertion would definitely help a large percentage of people who are suffering from mental health.

I remember having glandular fever, and it was turning me into a schizophrenic. I would arrange to meet someone, but then have to cancel because half an hour later I would be wanting to go and lie down. It was driving me crazy, until I realized I had to start fighting it.

I'd go the gym do 20 minutes, feel tired, but tell myself it was better than lying in bed and gradually I overcome something that I'm just glad was just physical, even though it was beginning to affect my mental state. It also done my head in because I realized that I should have been putting in these little steps after recovering from tuberculosis, because I used to train like I was still a professional footballer, and must have given myself at least 50/100 chest infections over the next few soul destroying years.

The secret as always is trying to learn as much about ourselves as possible, but not many of us are blessed with this gift from an early age?

Nick, I am also glad that you can now see my post for what it was. I have never given DCL ANY criticism for his dress sense, or his fitness problems, be they physical or mental. I just hope that the lad can return soon and continue to be the player we know that he can be.

I was really hoping that DCL could have played our last 10 PL games of this season. Though it´s very frustrating that it has taken and it still takes so much time for him to return into action, it´s the right procedure by Sean Dyche and his coaching staff to be absolutely sure that DCL is fully fit when he returns. If so, be it even after Easter, when we have more winnable matches coming, although every match is of course very hard and competitive in PL. Having said that, let´s hope Everton will prove that in our favour against Tottenham and Manchester United.

For the all pro DCL supporters on this forum backing him and believing these stories coming out of Finch Farm, is their no alarm bells ringing here, serious question, please no smart arse, keyboard warrior answers

It's savvy because it diverts journos from probing too much and keeps the player onside averting a sulky arse in the camp disrupting the hard earned harmony.

Whatever happens I fully expect Dyche to ship him out in the summer

Tony, people forget sometimes that we are a biological machine, chemical balances in our body dictate feelings, depression, joy etc.. our mind does not operate in isolation from the chemical balance in our body. We take anti depressants, tranquilizers or recreational drugs to alter the way we think. Physical exertion often helps bring the body and mind back to health, but sometimes that alone is not enough, an underlying defect or condition untreated returns. I have no idea what the issues with DCL actually are, what he is combating, but I hope he can work through it. In EiTc we have at least as a club we understand the need to support and not condemn.

I'm certain he will also make Lewin, much better on the floor, because he will be demanding him to get hold of the ball which enables second and third phase play. (Hopefully he can turn into another Cyril Regis😂👍)

McNeill has hit over some brilliant crosses in our last few games, but nobody has been there to attack the ball, and this is something I believe Dominic will thrive on.

(I hadn't read your post Kevin)

Phil@144, when he didn't join the squad after the international break then I did start having suspicions that he might not play again this season, (something a few have already predicted on these pages) but I'm still clinging to the hope that because Dyche, has adapted a completely different approach to Dominic, than our last few managers, that he will reap the benefits of this approach in the future? I could be wrong.

I think Dyche is doing what any good manager would do publicly with his approach to this situation. The narrative has been pretty consistent with little deviation and little information.

I have been very critical of DCL and his unavailability, citing my scepticism that it was actually any injury at all. However as time ticks on, I am genuinely thinking thinking there may be something underlying going on

and you know the true state of DCL's condition, and reasons for his continuihg absence?

I suspect like me, you don't. You are choosing to take his statements at face value, fair enough. I am not. I think he's scared of breaking down again and has agreed with himself to give it a good rest and go again in the close season, whether Everton are up or down.. That doesn't make you right, it's just your opinion. But fans are absolutely entitled to question and criticise his behaviour, and to be dubious, like I suspect the manager is, about whether he can play or not. If he had an injury, that would of course be different. But he doesn't. this is elite sport, he gets paid top end wages to cope with the slings and arrows, and to put up with the dialogue that floats around it all.

This appears consistent with Dyche's welcome attitude of seemingly waiting for players together to actually be fit to play before bringing them back on rhe pitch.

I just choose not to make negative, inflammatory comments based on knowing fuck all.

I find that's usually best, for me anyway.

I just don't get the slating of somebody based on no knowledge of the facts.

It says more about the person making the comments than the person they're directed at.

Just my opinion of course.