Not the worst thing

In respect to your ratings, although I am a big Calvert-Lewin fan, I think you have flattered him. My Man of the Match was James Garner, who I thought worked like a trogan and, with another player alongside him in our usual 4-3-3, we would have won the match. So I am hopeful that, on Tuesday, and assuming we will still be without key players, Ben Godfrey gets an opportunity.

Finally back to your son, and all other young supporters. This is a sorry Everton team to watch when they play as they did yesterday. Yes, they work hard, but they do the simple things so badly: passing, throw-ins, and dead-ball situations are all basics that we need to do much better. And if things don't improve soon… the immediate future looks bleak.

Just very poor, overrated players who were beaten again by a team of lesser-known players. Be honest, how many could name the Luton first eleven?

We have a supposedly Premier League savvy manager, they have (with all due respect) a Premier League greenhorn who out-thought our fella with regards tactics and could motivate his team more effectively.

Back in the Moyes and Martinez days, when, for the most part, we weren't looking over our shoulder in the league, I used to be equal parts furious and gutted when we went out of the cups.

I remember Martinez putting our second-choice keeper in against Arsenal. Why? We were never going to win the league and were desperate for a cup.

Now? Well, odds were stacked against a cup win. I'm happy to see the squad rotated and not too disappointed to see us out. Losing narrowly yesterday wasn't the worst outcome; the worst outcome was a replay, followed closely by a heavy, morale-sapping defeat.

Onwards.

It might not even be the end of the world if we go down, which is a distinct possibility unless we get some points reimbursed. It would be an opportunity to completely overhaul the club from top to bottom.

New owners? I don't know don't care… they can't be worse than the present incumbent.

If we do go down, probably a lot of the present players will depart meaning an opportunity for younger players maybe, the likes of whom lots of posters are currently screaming to be given a chance.

My lad, who is in his thirties, supports Tranmere and says he wouldn't swap places with me for a gold clock.He says he has had "exciting" times watching Tranmere: Wembley appearances, a League Cup Final, playoff encounters, promotions and, yes of course, relegations.

If I'm honest, 'excitement' is not a word I could use in relation to Everton. The club is a joke: mismanaged and run in an ameuterish way for years … hence where we are.

I don't have any answers to the myriad questions of what should or shouldn't be done, I'll leave that to the experts in the know. All I do know is that I want my Everton back, our Everton back, and if that means losing to Luton and even a relegation, then so be it.

Just a note to the Eds and anyone who thinks I'm being defeatist or whatever: I'm not. I'm being pragmatic and realistic.

My dad took me to Wembley for the 1966 FA Cup Final and I've supported Everton ever since. That will never change —irrespective of whatever league they end up in.

It might be refreshing to play in a league minus the VAR and the corrupt agenda-driven Premier League. Then again… tomorrow I might think the opposite.

if you're asking me, yes – I don't think Dyche is all that tbh. He's probably the only option for us at the moment but I don't see a tactical Plan B or C when a vital player (Doucoure in this case) is out.

4-4-2 is as out of date as my three-star jumper and penny round collar and has no place in the Premier League.

I'd be interested to see a 4-3-3 but without the flank players being told to cover the full-backs, as in our usual 4-5-1.

We need goals.

Doucouré has been a huge loss. His workrate is phenomenal and he scores goals. Losing Gana and Gomes strips us of midfield cover, and what on earth are the coaches doing with our young players that none of them are worthy of at least 20 minutes from the bench???

Allowing PrIce, Samuels-Smith and Small to move elsewhere without being given a chance here is neglect of the highest order.
Where is Onyango? What happened to Whitaker? Was Dobbin not worth 30 minutes at least?

Sean has a very weak squad which isn't his fault but our brighter young players seem to have moved on or disappeared!

I am with you regarding Dyche.

Playing 2 big lads vs Luton, whose centre-halves have been used to playing against long-ball football for years, was tactical ineptness par excellence!

Why didn't Dyche try Dobbin alongside Beto (or Calvert-Lewin)? – I just don't get it. Bringing Chermiti on for Calvert-Lewin just continued the turgid hopeful long-ball tactics.

I'd give Dyche a 4 out of 10 for his team selection, tactics and substitutions.

We have players on huge salaries, eg, Alli, Gomes, Keane etc, who are not in this manager's plans or any others but we have to pay their (3) weekly wages (£400k estimated) while they grow callouses on their arses.

The lads who are called up week-in & week-out try their best but with limited (skill-wise) ability and an uber-conservative manager (who's terrified of giving the kids a game). It's a long, hard slog to turn effort into goals and points.

I think we'll stay up but it won't be pretty and it won't be without drama – thanks to the above-mentioned crettins who destroyed this club.

I never thought once during that good run that, all of a sudden, our players and manager were as good as the results. We were fuelled by spirit and anger but that all “popped” with that Onana penalty in my view.

Even though I agree that the players Sean has at his disposal aren't top notch and we are missing 2 key players in Doucoure and Gana, we should still have enough to beat Luton Town at home!

Never have I said Dyche was a good or decent manager.

My opinion of him has always been that, as far as footy is concerned, he's old school in regards tactics; that won't cut it in today's game.

He has imo some good or decent youngsters who have been brought up on the modern game – not his circa 1990s or the like way of playing.

Brave move for recognising what Calvert-Lewin brings to the side even when not scoring. That's not really on-message for ToffeeWeb.

Anyway, it's interesting how, when things start to go badly, a few recurring themes emerge on ToffeeWeb:

1. The manager is incompetent and / or a dinosaur.

2. We should switch formation (usually to 442).

3. We should try a particular player in an entirely new position (often Ben Godfrey midfield or Michael Keane up front).

4. We should be using players from the youth system (last season, it was Simms, who has now scored a grand total of 3 in 28 for Coventry).

If only this were all the case, it would be an easy fix.

Unfortunately, the reality is that our First XI is weak (about the 15th best / 5th worst in the division) and our squad depth is extremely limited. That is why we are losing matches.

The quality and depth is not there purely down to the poor recruitment strategy and mismanagement of the club largely between June 2016 and June 2021 (and most acutely the Koeman - Allardyce period). After that, the money ran out which explains why we've been replacing the likes of Sigurdsson and Richarlison and Gordon with more limited players.

But for Dyche, we would be in the Championship already. But for Dyche, we would be sitting bottom of the Premier League following our points deduction. So we won't win the FA Cup this season; well… big surprise there then.

As for the use of youth, I can only think that comes from people who have never seen these kids play or maybe just fail to appreciate what a low standard U21s football is. The reality is that our current best academy players are miles behind the standard of Davies and Kenny at the same age.

Put two big men up front but don't hit any crosses in from the wingers, or full-backs, or free-kicks, or corners. Let them drop back looking for the ball because messers Harrison, McNeil, Patterson or our friendly Ukrainian don't give them anything, even our keeper kept hitting long balls... to their keeper.

Midfield duo of Onana and Garner, totally overrun, gave up trying to mark 4 players – after 10 minutes. Until we start lobbing crosses into the box, neither Calvert-Lewin or Beto will score.

We looked short of 5 players yesterday – I bet they were glad not to be involved. Dyche may have got everything wrong, but that's only half of it; Luton we're poor, but we were dreadful.

We need players back and Dyche needs to play a game with what he has got, not what he thinks they can do, because they can't.

Their five substitutes meant half the team were fresh. If, as Dyche apparently said, he doesn't like substitutes because “the best team is on the pitch at the start”, then we're doomed with that attitude.

Why can't a master tactician vary corners or free kicks? Try a short corner or an astute pass to someone on the edge of the box, anything but the predictable ball into the keeper's hands.

As Christine said, the excellent Virginia was no doubt following orders with the hoofball but, Christ on a bike, someone help the lad and occasionally vary it.

What game were you watching? He stunk the place out.

I was surprised Dyche opted for 4-4-2 but it was an attempt to try something different in the absence of Doucouré and Gana. Unfortunately it made the pitch bigger than our midfielders could cope with. I doubt we will see it repeated.

In the short term, the next couple of weeks could be really difficult. To eke out a point or two in the next few games will require the players to dig in.

After that, with the return of key players such as Doucouré, Gana and Young and a one game per week schedule, I expect performances and results to improve.

I assume that the injury to Gomes, who had been tasked with linking midfield and attack in Doucoure's absence, forced his hand. It really didn't work - so what will he do on Tuesday?

I was interested to hear Dyche say he thought the goalie went too long too soon and too often. I'd assumed it was the plan.

I desperately wanted Everton to get to another semi-final at least, but alas we were just not good enough in very winnable cup games (yet again…).

I'm less concerned about formations, we have limitations clearly, but at least be as effective as you can be wherever you are on the pitch.

Let's see at Fulham, no doubt the fans will get behind them and drive them on; away from Goodison, we might look a bit better.

But honestly, I couldn't give a shit about the cup. We just need to survive, and any extra games hamper that effort. We need to get to the end of the season, when a lot will be trimmed from the wage bill (Alli, Gomes… maybe Keane, even if Dyche does have a semi for him).

Dyche is still the man for the job for me.

But we badly need our full complement of players back. The back five are fine, but the midfield are running on fumes,.Calvert-Lewin is… honestly, I don't know what to make of him at the moment. Beto is shit, and our wingers currently give about as much benefit as an Iain Duncan Smith led Work and Pensions Department.

Any points from the next fortnight will be a bonus. Because we are beyond bare bones at the moment.

This club will probably never win another trophy now in the lifetime of anyone over the age of 50.

We can't buy success now due to the way it's gone and the shit we've put ourselves in (not that we did very well with the money when we could spend it).

So, in all likelihood, we will never see this club lift silverware again.

One Cup Final in 29 years we've had, absolutely embarrassing that is. But we are meant to scratch off every season with the same old excuse.

To be honest, even if by some miracle we did get those deducted points back, I still don't think this is a good Everton team. I'm still bored tolerating shit football, shit players, strikers that look like they've just fell out of the Farmers Arms.

But what can we do, it's Everton Football Club in the modern era, isn't it?

I really thought Luton were going to get Maidstone, seeing as they were two of the last four balls left.

Luton were poor – we were as bad if not worse. Hopefully that's the last we see of 4-4-2. Meanwhile, our passing remains terrible.

I'm more concerned about the chances of getting something at Fulham on Tuesday. Good luck to those like Rob H who'll be making the long return trip.

I thought Beto and Harrison should have been substituted first, and Patterson's position play in the 2nd half was baffling. We need 3 in midfield against Fulham, or they'll destroy us.

I enjoyed your report, especially about your son and being excited going to the game. Reminds me when my dad first started taking me as a kid in the mid-70s. I would cheer for Everton no matter what the score.

I remember the Mancs beating us 6-2 at Goodison, they were 5-0 up before we scored. I think I was the only blue who cheered when we scored; all the Man Utd fans ironically cheered as well!!

Anyway, I digress.

Yesterday was just poor and the standard of play seemed to infect our only consistent performers this season in Mykolenko, Tarkowski and Branthwaite. Nobody came out with any credit.

We are lazy, second balls are given up to the opposition, I thought Onana, again, looked pretty disinterested, more looking for a free kick than actually playing the game. I guess I'm being unfair singling him out – the midfield in general were awful.

When McNeil and Harrison have off games, it's not just average, they are awful. No energy, no control, losing the ball time and again. May as well not be on the pitch for me. To get to this level, you allegedly have to be very good.

You get the big bucks for allegedly being able to perform on the big stage, to be able to be composed and be at least able to play a pass that reaches a teammate. None of that was on display yesterday, or for that matter, in a lot of games this season.

It's really soul-destroying how far we have fallen over the last 10 years. Don't forget, when Moyes left, we were a Top 6 club, ready to make the push onto Champions League places. Now look at us!

I'll never think it's a good thing to go out of a cup competition. Before the game yesterday, I shook my head at one of the Everton songs played on the tannoy, "We're after the league and we're after the cup", bloody hell how dated is that now!

I don't know where we go from here. There is no desire, no urgency, it's as though the players just don't care that much anymore.

To go back to your story of your son playing football and about hard work, the old adage sprang to mind: "The harder I work, the luckier I become." It's been a long time since I've seen that kind of attitude on the pitch from an Everton team, Tarkowski, Branthwaite and Mykolenko excepted, apart from yesterday.

I was speaking to my mate who I've sat next to for years at the game, wondering was it any better in the 90s? He replied that probably not but we knew we were rubbish then, the players were rubbish but at least they tried.

Today's players are technically better than the 90s versions, but they just don't seem to try as much for me and it shows as to where we are at now. Shambles of a club.

I'm not Dyche's biggest fan but I accept that maybe he is the best we can get… any young managers out there?? But blimey, this ale-house football is horrible to watch even when we've managed to win.

As if we haven't got enough with the VAR, premier League and referees sucking the life and joy of watching our beloved Everton, the quality of football we put on show is just horrible to watch and we are getting what we deserve — nothing.

I feel that the cup defeat against Fulham, a game we should have won, has depleted any kind of will left in the club. Dyche needs to be kicking some backsides in the dressing room as the current effort is just really unacceptable for me.

The only part of the club now with any standards left is the fans as far as I can see… and that is waning fast given how many people see it as a positive getting knocked out of a cup competition.

But... it's hard to feel anything for the lustre of a competition which "big clubs" disrespect, and which is now showing matches on a Thursday night.

I'm not really sure how the FA can further bastardise their own competition, but I've no doubt they'll plumb new depths of shitness.

Bar one or two fortuitous seasons, we've been utter cack since the '90s, Moshiri accelerated the race to the abyss with what looks a monumental confidence trick.

He did buy similar numbers to the challenging clubs but only one player over £40M - Sigurdsson. Arsenal signed 11; Liverpool, 14; Man Utd, 17; Man City, 18 and Chelsea, 21 in the same period.

Always wondered what it felt like to be conned…

Same clubs winning trophies, in finals etc, unaccountable refs, dubious governing bodies, Cup replays scrapped because the elite don't fancy it... I don't celebrate a goal anymore because I am paranoid the VAR will rule it out.

There were days when you could just turn up, watch a game, enjoy two committed sides going at each other, walk out of the ground, and forget it till the next game. Now, days are filled with dread and existential anxiety over whether we will survive another season, and survive as a club.

There's only one target this season and that's staying in this league. Yes, we lost this game but once again there was a glaring foul on Calvert-Lewin for their first goal. Do we ever get an important decision our way!

My sentiments exactly, mate.

It's even got into most supporters' mindsets nowadays that we can do without the Cups and it's better to be out of them.

Football should be about glory and about winning, that's why the game used to be great.

Did anyone think it would be better to be knocked out of the Third Round of the Cup in 1995, despite the spectre of relegation looking large until early May?

No, if anything the Cup was a massive welcome boost for the fans and I dare say a welcome distraction for the players too. Heroes were found that otherwise wouldn't have made it into Everton folklore such as Daniel Amokachi and Paul Rideout.

These days, and it's not just amongst Evertonians by the way, but I hate the attitude that survival in the Premier League is be-all and end-all.

Why can't you have both?

I'm sure they'll struggle with a witty comeback to that.
UTFT

That's not the football I grew up with and loved.

“Football should be about glory and about winning, that's why the game used to be great.”

Jim, as much as I'd like to have the glory of winning a cup, I don't want that in the trophy cabinet of a club that's been relegated. Survival in the Premier League comes before cup glory for me. The league below us is littered with clubs once “gracing” the top tier but now with years of struggling to survive behind them and in front of them; some of them with a past cup to boast about.

Winning for survival first. Glory later.

But now we go to Fulham on Tuesday and focus on the task at hand.

The true ebb and flow of sport should be a team comes good for a few years, the bubble bursts, they come again... new teams are competing – and that should be healthy, but it doesn't seem to work like that.

Survive to survive to survive... if that's the best we can hope for, is there a point?

You want to see exciting moves, great goals, great saves and devilish trickery — footy is none of those things now.

My thinking about Everton has always been on the new stadium and new revenue streams etc. Thats' my hope.

Of course, we need to survive as a Premier League club this season, next season and the 1st season in the new stadium to lay a foundation to do this. Everton only have to take one hit of relegation (and that's if the PSR deductions don't get us) and I reckon we're done.

Carlo Ancelotti at the helm yet we go to Anfield and lose to their kids team and not just lose but get absolutely schooled.

I think that was the day when subconsciously I knew Everton weren't getting anything back anytime soon.

Something I was talking to a friend of mine about the other day: what is the analysis of a team – that lot – that is successful? What's the mindset, approach? Take the jealousy out of it, what makes a team successful, for a period? Why them, not us? But what is it they do, that others don't?

We lose a cup game, people go it's no big deal. Do you really think our players can turn it on and off whenever they feel like?

A lot of us on here have probably played at some level. When you win, you can't wait for the next game; lose and it's picking yourselves up all over again.

Yes, there have been anomalies when teams have won a trophy and been relegated but are you suggesting that we lump ourselves in with Wigan and Birmingham et al? If so, then we are truly fucked.

Can you imagine the 95 squad thinking the same? Me either. We carry on accepting this and we may as well all give up now!

The way I see it is we have a wafer-thin squad in quality terms even before injury. With injuries and the likes of Afcon, we have a bench that would struggle in the Championship or lower.

Winning does become a habit – if you're winning in the first place.

Not sure it does anyone any good but it's understandable with the shit served up week-in & week-out. Passion and frustration, I suppose.

Then the numbness at Goodison after Everton 0 Wigan 3 with a semi-final vs Millwall waiting pissed down the drain.

We've properly struggled since. Players are not interested, Onana, instead of looking to make amends, looks like he can't be bothered, and the three most consistent players at the back in Tarkowski, Branthwaite and Mykolenko have been dragged down to that level.

Losing begets more loss. Fans were consoling themselves that the RS would have beaten us anyway but that's not the point. We'll never know, will we?

I'm just sick of the loser attitude that's infected our club and sick of everyone thinking it's okay to lose to Luton at home in the FA Cup as though it really doesn't matter.

The players aren't available for a quick one-to-one for a few home truths that is vastly overdue, so this is one of the few places where we can say our true thoughts. Every defeat matters to mei

The big one now is the appeal; a few points back from that, alongside a decent league run.

Onwards and upwards.

I just wish the club and all who play for it would care just a little bit and show it, that would be a decent starting point.

I could forgive all that's gone before if I saw players have given their all on the pitch. Sadly, it's been a long time since that's happened

Never mind the disaster we've been inflicted with for decades courtesy of self-serving Kenwright and his various puppet-masters, but the chronically bad failure of our players for years to control the ball, pass it accurately, shoot accurately and work cohesively as a professional football team is bewildering.

What actually goes on at (rented) Finch Farm (courtesy of self-serving Kenwright) has long mystified me.

In my youth I had nowhere near the pace or talent to win a football career (but in my twenties was regarded as a good player as an amateur) and everyone identified my deficiencies beyond pace.

As a Iad I trained hard to improve them, for years. I forced myself to become two-footed. In my twenties I took all the threatening free-kicks because I scored from them with a degree of regularity (and spare me the piss-take on being Everton's "lost genius" please).

I'm now nigh on 70 but I know that other amateur lads in my youth did exactly what I did to improve in their own time, for no money.

So why are so many of our £millionaire squad so regularly inept at the basics, for many years, as are plenty more fabulously wealthy players at the level of "small" clubs, which many of my vintage understandably have disdained for decades to be part of, despite the obvious truth of life under Kenwright and beyond?

The one that gets me racking my brain to understand is that Dyche has no plan, and his tactics are always woeful. Maybe that opinion is perfectly valid, who knows? But it seems to me that to have a successful tactical plan in the Premiership, it presupposes that your players can keep the ball, play speedy one-twos, and play accurate passes in terms of line and length. From my observation, regrettably none of these is being achieved at present. The two upfront failed because they couldn't locate each other either with passes or headers. Our wingers lack the pace to take on their fullbacks, (McNeill is the slowest winger I have seen) thereby making pullbacks to onrushing players something we can only dream about.

As I say, not sure what tactics could be used to combat this skill shortage, but maybe there are wiser heads on here to help me. For sure Mr Dyche could sub players rather more quickly to demonstrate he is at least trying to mix it up a bit. But does anyone really think we would have beaten Luton if we had not gone 442, used some other system instead but with the same personnel?

One last thing. I don't see any sign of a lack of desire in that team. If you recall our super run of results last year was put down to the amazing team spirit. I think the guys are giving whatever they can.

Sorry, one last last thing. Our defence has been just great, clean sheets galore. But honestly if you let the opposition have 70% possession every game, the pressure will tell eventually. Keep the ball, give your defenders a rest.

But, as Neil said in the Harlech on Saturday, the away games are far more enjoyable than Goodison these days — no negativity in the away end.

Great article, Paul. Coincidentally, I took my Grandson to his first game when we lost to Luton in the league. When Luton scored their first he asked me 'Grandad, why weren't we marking the centre forward, didn't we think he was any good'. Out of the mouths of babes hey!

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow evening – the Eight Bells will be rocking. I suppose I should go the match as well though….
UTFT!