Everton undone by ruthless City machine

I hope Calvert-Lewin is able to play in the last two fixtures because without him we have no attacking focus. Maupay offers so little he may as well not be on the pitch, in fact only Onana of our subs actually was an improvement on the player he replaced.

What a strange league this is. We beat Brighton 5-1 at their place, they beat Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates. Place your bets for all other results, I just hope Liverpool do us a favour tomorrow night.

If we scrape through and escape relegation and having read Paul the Esk's excellent analysis of our financial situation, I can't see next season being a huge improvement on this one. Doom, gloom and the need for a new broom is vital.

Holgate missed a great chance, which was a choker.

Class told in the end. At least we stuck at it, which gives confidence for the next two games.

A good decision to take off Calvert-Lewin, we need him and Mykolenko starting against Wolverhampton.

It may well go to the last day.

We live in hope but, as above said, the same shite next season if we do survive.

If we'd played like this all season, we'd be mid-table. As it is, relegation is still very much on the cards, especially if the Red Shite crumble tomorrow night.

Classy from the fans that stayed to the end to cheer the players off the pitch. They looked like they expected a less positive reaction. It's important we don't get on their backs at this point – we need to be united.

Today they came up against a weakened Everton side, the result was entirely predictable. We did the best we could. The reality was always about our forthcoming performances against Wolves and Bournemouth.

Neither of those teams are at Brighton's level, so we are bang in the game to get points. We need a full strength team, full on focus and commitment, then we can make it happen.

It's natural to be panicky but I'd rather be in our position than Leicester, Leeds or Nottingham Forest's. (Just about).

My Amstrad 386 says;

Leicester L D W 34 points

Nottingham Forest L D 35 points

Leeds D W 35 points

Everton D W 36 points

Prepare yourself for a stressful last day!

I thought the second goal could have been prevented with three or four players at fault, with Pickford stuck on his line and the ball in his 6-yard area, he really should be coming out to either catch the ball or punch it clear.

Mina seemed to blame him for the third goal; I thought he left a big gap between himself and his right-hand post where he invited the goalscorer to place the ball – which he promptly did.

Losing Dominic left us with hardly any attacking ideas but we never packed in, kept City down to the three goals, and physically battled on with good performances from Tarkowski, Patterson, Gueye, Garner and Everton's best player over the last few games, McNeil, not giving in against a team that is by far the best team in England and possibly the world.

Dyche is doing his best with such a small squad but finding it very hard when that squad is limited in talent made worse when injuries limit it even further.

With just two games to go, he might still drag us over the line to fight another season in the Premier League with whatever players he can acquire to help in the fight while getting rid of some who are just not good enough, certainly for the Premier League.

I'm aware of the fact that fans of many age groups contribute to this site. I also know that, like myself, you are no spring chickens.

It is unfair that players who all season have been called crap and other names should be expected to outplay a team that has been brought together over a period of time and at great expense.

I acknowledge that Manchester City were far superior in every department and I believe that every Everton player had given all he could give for the cause.

It's also my belief that they were up against possibly the best team in Europe and beyond. I left the ground feeling both disappointed and proud.

Expressions on here, 'a stressful last day'; 'As long as Calvert-Lewin not injured, no harm done'; '...the same shite next season if we do survive'; 'Doom, gloom, and the need for a new broom is vital'.

Personally, I feel the players performed like 1-5 at Brighton never happened; if that performance can't give them encouragement to give the same again a go, regardless of the knowledge we can never and are unlikely to ever manage to get near this incredible, finite, intelligent, classy footballing side – whining and behaving like children, aside – it is depressing.

Dyche may well have reminded them of keeping goal difference under control, but they still played with little belief, and nothing but hope in their heads.

I am totally fed-up with their lack of footballing common sense and intelligence. They can't even manage to pass a ball either with pace or accuracy, to feet, along the floor. I can do that and I'm bloody 62!

I thought they lacked pride in themselves, and playing for Everton Football Club. If fans saw drive, passion, and determination in these players today, a la Brighton, then they were watching a different game than me.

They are Premier League players who do this every day, for fuck's sake!!!

The holdgate miss at the back post then 2 mins later we are 2 down!.

A piece of brilliance from Gunduguon for the first, assist for the 2nd and great free kick. He was the best player on the park.

Holdgate shouldn't be anywhere near the team nevermind left back. It was embarrassing watching him against Mahrez. Saying that he didn't pick himself, God knows what Dyche sees in him and Maupay.

We need the shite to do us a favour tomorrow night, then roll on to Wolves at the weekend.
Keep it tight again and hit them on the break. Playing expansive would be suicidal.

Their first goal, Mina just stood watching when he could have moved in to help Patterson, and for the second, Holgate was a yard behind Haaland, ball watching for no good reason and Tarkowski didn't seem to think that perhaps he should have been marking that man. As for Iwobi, he forever gave his man several yards start and just ran after him never catching up.

I thought it was bad enough accepting mediocrity but it now seems it is okay to be appalling providing we think the opposition are quite good.

And the problem with team selection rests with one man who, like some of his predecessors, seems allergic to the idea of maybe using youngsters rather than players out of position or just not good enough. And let's be honest we won't be losing any nearly players whose contracts aren't out of date never mind get a fee for them, and we are not in a position we don't deserve to be.

Mediocrity? I'd love to be able to complain about it!

I assume the other teams that Man City have beaten in the last 15 league games are also mediocre and appalling? Given that they have won 14 games and drawn 1 game, that is quite a list.

Somebody had better let Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle know in particular that they are shite. Particularly given that those 3 teams conceded 13 and scored 3 in the 4 games that they played against City.

Your first couple of lines have described perfectly Man City against Leeds last week, when they went 2-up within 30 minutes, and then took their foot completely off the pedal, even though they could easily have scored a few more, so poor were Leeds.

Jeez, even at the end, the Leeds players, and Allardyce ,were over at their fans, celebrating as if they had got something from the game, Allardyce was even punching the air. For fuk's sake,, what's all that about, celebrating a defeat, or was it merely celebrating they had restricted Man City to 2 goals, when it should have been much more?

The last game they won was 4-2 at Wolves, how the hell did they manage that, the same day we drew at Chelsea. So if a piss-poor team like Leeds can go to Wolves and win, then so can we.

In fact we now seem to be doing okay away from home, drawing four and winning one from the last six.

It's not other teams that I'm interested in or commenting on but, if that performance satisfies you that we gave our all and couldn't or shouldn't consider improving, then that's your right.

I don't find it good enough!

It is in our hands with 2 games to go.

As long as Calvert-Lewin is fit we are in a favourable position.

A win against Bournemouth at home on the final day will be enough, I hope. Anything at Wolves will ease the pressure.

It was the first goal that suckered us and, from my view, given that Gundogan was shielding the ball with his back to goal, there wasn't much anyone could do short of barging him over. It was an opportunist goal and it changed the game plan.

The second killed the game. Imo, with Pickford, it's swings and roundabouts. He's probably the best short-range shot-stopper in the Premier League and, with any other keeper, we would have had a closer scoreline at Brighton.

But he's not a "commands his area" keeper and I genuinely believe someone like Pope, for example, would have taken that cross off Haaland's head. If we need funds next season, I'd cash in on Pickford and buy a young, tall keeper.

I'm not satisfied that we gave our 100% all yesterday, no. But, given the opposition and the players we had available, I'm neither surprised nor despondent. City are two leagues better than us at the moment and once we went 2 down we were never going to touch them. They don't do panic collapse and, once Dom went off, we had nothing.

We'll beat Wolves with a left-back and Dom if we play like we did for most of yesterday's game. If that makes me a happy clapper, so be it.

UTFT

If anyone wants an example of Bill's good times, our goal difference and Brentford have 21 points more than us!

I think a lot of fans, myself included, hoped that we might get something out of this game rather than expected them to do so.

I think it is right to criticise players when they repeatedly make the same mistakes game after game. Some of these players have gone through years as an apprentice then 5 or 6 years as a professional footballer and still can't do the basics of controlling and making simple 5- to 10-yard passes, can't read a game, or the worst of the lot: pull out of 50-50 tackles or go missing from games for minutes on end

Their mistakes deserve to be highlighted and criticised; as a paying supporter, I will always criticise such players.

Yesterday, some of those things happened but mostly they stayed as a team and did the best they could against a team of the very best talent around today, and I stayed behind to applaud the team off the field for their efforts but also conscious that we still need their confidence to be lifted for the last two games.

How would you have set up the team yesterday to perform better.

I get your not happy, do you think any of us are? We have a squad with next to no goals in it, lowest goal scorers in the football league. That hasn't happened over night.

Expectations versus reality. We got a great away win last week, it's just not realistic to expect the same with this group of players against a top team.

Kyle Walker is City's worse footballer, cost £50m he is as fast as anyone in the league, has over 50 caps for England. stopped two attacks of ours on his own.

Their worst cost more than our record signing from 5 years ago!

They play simple, yes simple pass and move football and dictate the pace of the game.

We on the other hand were chasing, harrying and basically trying to impose ourselves on a game that we had no chance of winning.

That's the reality, we weren't good enough, and never will be good enough to play or compete at City's level.

I can't really argue against your right to criticise. We all have our own way of handling such situations; mine is initially frustration, leading to disappointment. I have been rebuked on this site for stating that players are only human and can't be programmed, but I stick to my view. I have also stated that I have never misplaced a pass, or spurned a goal scoring opportunity, from my seat in the Park End.

Regarding the treatment that Mason Holgate has received, it appears that it was his fault that Everton were beaten. Every player from Pickford in goal to McNeil on the wing, plus anyone who has deputised, has had their share of criticism.

But in fairness, I think that sort of behaviour could be true of supporters of any club.

My gripe is more with several individuals that could have done more particularly at the goals as I've pointed out in other postings. However, I don't think I'd have played Holgate at left-back.

I don't know how Mykolenko got his injury and you may have to take it back a couple of steps but I might have worked on both full-back positions at training as that is where we are light.

If I was to go with the squad, then I might have looked at Gana or Onana for that position. The manager should also have considered that which he ended up playing, 3 at the back, but I'm not privvy to his thoughts on possible variations.

Also, I doubt I'd have considered Maupay at any stage and probably considered pace with Gray or more likely Simms even – considering that we got him from City, I think, and might have wanted to prove a point. At least he would have made any wing play and crosses more worthwhile than Maupay who gave us no outlet whatsoever.

Given it was half-time, I might even have considered moving Iwobi to play striker and added to midfield or wing-half but Maupay was just surrendering.

Finally, I don't follow your argument. I doubt you are but it comes over as you saying the team selected would have played better had we paid more for them.

And my point is not that no-one is overly happy but a lot seem to be happy with the performance because of who we were playing rather than if there were instances that could have been better with more effort which I've pointed out in previous postings.

Somebody said I should watch the game again so perhaps some should follow their own advice and look again at the players I mentioned in those instances.

I was of the opinion the rule was you had to leave the field of play and wait for the ref to call you on.

You can praise Man City as much as you like but for us to cough up three goals so effortlessly yesterday on the back of previous maulings to the mighty Fulham and the Geordies, and with so much riding on it, shows that we have a serious problem.

That problem was further illustrated yesterday with Holgate apparently in tears after being taken off. I thought we had learnt our lesson last season about how counter-productive anger is towards the team. It is almost literally like taking a shotgun to your own kneecaps.

And the contrast with the other lot across the park is horribly apparent. It is something they never ever do. The penny dropped with them years ago that you back the team no matter what.

Now you could say 'they've had more to cheer about' and that's certainly true recently, but they also had 25 years of Siralex to enjoy. We really need to start learning this lesson, if it's not too late that is.

Are you talking about the same fans and how they reacted to Stevie G's possible move to Chelsea or their goalkeeper who had lots of abuse from them because he didn't play too cleverly in a final?

We have nothing to learn from those fans from over the park. I don't in any way condone any player being booed by Evertonians when wearing a royal blue shirt, but taking lessons from Kopites… no thanks.

Alan 28, My point being their whole team and squad are like the Harlem Globetrotters compared to ours. Their worst player cost more than our record signing from 5 years ago. There is a correlation between how much teams spend and their success. Only Leicester winning the league and Forest 40 years beforehand have won stuff without buying it.

We gave it a go and got beat. I would have loved to have taken a few more yellow cards and tried to physically impose ourselves more but we didn't.

Every time someone concedes a goal blame can be pointed at the goalie or defender. Their first goal was a moment of genius from a top quality player. Other than stop the cross, I am not sure what else could have been done.

Terry 29, That has happened a few times this season not just yesterday. It's so random, I have no idea why. I assume a rule was brought in that we aren't aware of.

Fair enough, each to their own. As for never misplacing a pass or spurning a goal-scoring opportunity, your're not getting paid to do those things but the players are, and very handsomely these days.

If they make mistakes, which even great players do, now and again, I don't complain… but when they make them nearly every game, then it's fine to point it out on here.

Constructive criticism, if the managers and coaches are pointing it out to them, they are not taking a blind bit of notice, John, and you watch the same games as me so you must know who these players are and get frustrated and disappointed with them quite a lot.

I think we definitely do need to take that lesson from Kopites. I'm not saying they are great, I am saying they are tactically more astute than we are.

They have built Anfield into probably the most difficult venue to play footy at, and there are reasons why this is so. And whilst this is going on, we on the other hand have our worst home record in over 100 years.

If we don't self analyse now, we never will.

That can be compensated of course if his partner in midfield possesses these other attributes but unfortunately that player in our team is Doucouré and he is actually not much better if at all than Gana. And these are the good players. Very very limited.

Nearly all Premier League teams have this problem and even Guardiola and Klopp, despite having really strong squads and being top coaches, will moan about one thing or another despite all of the favouritism going their way. I'd love to see either of these coaches doing a job at the likes of Doncaster or somewhere like that. No disrespect of course.

Every season, there is a team that stands out. Arsenal have been outstanding with a well-coached young team. Newcastle have done well without setting the world alight, Brentford have done well but Brighton are the team who have caught everybody's eye.

Are the Brighton players good or is it just good coaching? I'm with the latter which is amazing because that's 2 good coaches on the run. Some of these players will get snatched away by wannabe title contenders like Spurs or Man Utd and Brighton will end up back in the Championship. We will buy the cast-offs.

All-in-all, we get very little back in enjoyment from this overpriced product that is the Premier League and Everton in particular. In fact, we get downright ripped off when you take the VAR and crap officials into it.

Take Everton out of the equation and I'm not sure I'd be watching the game at all – unless in the local park of course, which is enjoyable. I can watch almost any sport down there and enjoy it.

The Everton bug is hard to shake off though and we live in hope of seeing our team with great players in it and fighting to win games, trophies and titles. For this to happen, there has to be a whole lot of changes from top to bottom and start a new culture at this once-proud club.

I hope that next title is not the Championship. Then again, this time next year, I may just be hoping for that! What a horrible thought!

Fuck that and anyone who thinks that, in my humble opinion, should get an intimate learning experience by moving someplace across the park. And take that fighting spirit with you.

Sorry, man, but that is ridiculous wind-up material, you deserved it.

Frame it however you like, I use them as they are the starkest example. But the bottom line is we are our own worst enemy when we castigate our own players.

I couldn't imagine a Liverpool team going 28 years without a trophy and I'm sure neither could you. City have only managed to dominate by having a takeover Everton would never be able to get. Although rumours Bill said No to those owners.

However, we have nothing at all to learn from their fans.

We can talk about an "If we go down" scenario without amping people's anxiety if that is of interest. The responses are likely to be more informative than confrontational in that space.

So you've had another look and think that my points on who could have done better don't hold water or is that just your generalization?

I think that several players could have done better, a lot better, for the first two goals, I'm not asking for miracles. Mina needed only to move two paces and indeed half raised his foot towards the ball but then lowered it less than half-way through.

For the second, Holgate stood still and ended up a yard behind Haaland, knees half bent and a grimace on his face, instead of shoulder to shoulder contesting the header, while Tarkowski was marking nobody, not that there was anyone bar Haaland.

All I'm asking and pointing out is that both may have been stopped with just a little more effort, about two paces worth.

Oh, and by the way, the Harlem Globetrotters never played a competitive game, they were all exhibitions against selected opposition with some choreography; otherwise, Meadowlark would have had a cupboard full of rings, medals and cups.

Trouble is, they've known long periods of undiluted success while we've had glimpses of glory then had it taken away. They started getting the glory as they started showing football matches on the telly. It also coincided with the Liverpool Sound when the Beatles and all were conquering the world.

I can remember us playing Inter Milan for our first European Cup game in the first round. And getting knocked out by the odd goal over at the San Siro but having our goal ruled out at home, as offside. They went right through Europe, beating Inter 3-1 (I think) at our Old Ground before getting whacked over there.

I can remember when they got into the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead of us when the competition was one team per city. They had two great managers who built a dynasty and we didn't.

And they carried on building a worldwide reputation by a combination of factors.

The fact that they had never won the FA Cup since joining the Football League uintil 1965, so waiting nearly 70 years before winning but all coinciding with TV and the Liverpool sound.

Since then well, we know what happened at Heysel, and how our team and manager left for other clubs.

So a lot of poor players poor managers, okay managers and one or two good managers, very little success apart from the 60s and mid 80s and watching that lot win bucket loads of trophies.

I call them devil worshippers but whatever, we were left trailing.

Quite a few of us have seen all our successes since the '60s, even more have seen our successes during the eighties and one or two FA Cups. and many have seen bugger all in the way of success!

So a lot of frustration throughout our supporters.

I think many of us have been at Goodison when the attendances were around 20,000 to 30,000 and even less. I certainly remember wandering round Glwadys Street, trying to find a fellow smoker for a light, yet now we've got a regular 40,000 at each match.

So Evertonians have passed their passion from father to son and daughter; but still there's the frustration there. The feeling that we're getting left behind and, for too many seasons, the worry of relegation.

No wonder booing takes place from some of us as we sink down and further away from the top echelons of the league, where we've always been apart from 1929-30 (thanks, Barry!) and 50-51.

However, my view is that booing is totally destructive to our players. It also boosts the opposition's morale. Destructive, totally destructive.

On here, well, it's a discussion forum and just like mates in a pub, it can get heated, but a load of common sense is also spoken by many posters of all ages. Experience, wisdom, enthusiasm, good laughs and reminiscences, and sheer bloody devotion to our club from Blues all over the world, keeps us going. Especially all the Blues who go away as well.

Barry (39) you're dead right. If they ever hit the hard times, watch that support shrivel.

Joe (38) I've been told they're not rumours. Nevertheless, We had Mr Moores who brought us success in the sixties, and that's the way it's been going since. Now it's countries! My hope is that we get taken over, as otherwise trying to keep up will just become harder and harder.

Let's see where we are after two more matches!

Let's agree to disagree. I thought the first and 3rd goals were fantastic. I thought the 2nd was scored by a modern-day Dixie Dean.

As Dave said above, the fans that stayed until the end clapped and sang the players off the pitch knowing we have bigger battles ahead.

With the new stadium nearly done, it is imperative that we stay in the Premier League and, as long as the manager and players understand that and give everything in the last two games, I'm hoping it will be enough for us.

If we do survive, there is a massive amount of work to be done in the close season with us only keeping half a dozen players from the current squad. I dread to think of the alternative.

I get as frustrated and disappointed at the number of misplaced passes and wasted potential goalscoring chances as yourself. I may have been less tolerant in my younger days, but experience has taught me that these players don't make these mistakes on purpose. I find that this attitude has removed the pent-up feelings that I used to have, which are now a thing of the past.

Well, I'm glad that you're more relaxed and tolerant of players' mistakes, it's much better for your health. But the thing about players not making mistakes on purpose is they don't bleedin' learn from them either which I find hard to tolerate.

Anyway, the main thing is we stay up this season and that Everton FC starts the reset of the club which has been needed for a long time.

As Alan 54 says, we were all expecting one last summer but ignored the fact that we had no strikers outside of an injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Everton must be the only club to keep doing the same things that fail, year-in & year-out.

The definition of madness.

Yes, I understand the frustration we all feel with the club standing still year after year but I'm hoping the main obstruction to us moving on will be removed in the very near future.

I don't think I have to mention who the main obstruction has been!!

I'd keep Patterson, I'd definitely bring back Brainthwaith, and I'd also keep Tarkowski, but the rest of the back five/six/seven/eight, can go.

I'd keep Garner, I'd keep McNeil, i'd maybe keep Doucoure & Gueye for another season, but the rest of our midfield can go.

I'd keep DCL, and I'd keep Demari Gray, but the rest of our forwards can go.

Maybe Onana can come good, but he's a sellable asset, along with Pickford, and Everton are going to have to do some serious wheeling and dealing to get through the next couple of seasons, because not having a proper thought out plan, has really caught up with us?

Apart from the mid part of the game I thought we did a sensible amount to try to get something from the game.

Mason Holgate may have looked like he was all at sea in the game (at least partly understandable due to the lack of recent games and it not being a suitable position for him) but I don't think he really cost us anything.

Their first was out of the blue, the second was lost when Iwobi didn't get back to aid Patterson in clearing the ball. For their third I thought the preceding foul necessary but in a terrible position. I think Pickford has to primarily cover his side of the goal and hope the strike is nowhere near as good as it was.

Iwobi improved second half but by then we didn't have DCL as the attacking focal point (so crucial he is available for last 2 games).

McNeil and Gana were Trojans, rest decent enough. We needed near perfection and so the writing was on the wall from fairly early on when Doucoure overhit a pass that would have played DCL in.

Very disappointed with how many left very early. I know people will say they've paid so it's their right. Personally I think you pay for the opportunity to possibly share in something momentous and historic and turn that into your right by the support you give through thick and thin.