Man Utd snoozefest summed up by two gifted penalties

My worry today is Man Utd hitting long diagonals into the spaces vacated by our very narrow full-backs. I came out of Goodison last Saturday thinking we will definitely play a lot worse than that and win some games in the future. Hopefully we can keep it tight and nick one with a similar performance to our opponents' smash and grab last week.

Am I a doom merchant? Absolutely not, there cannot just be me who is thinking try something different, we are carrying passengers who are clearly playing on empty, they are decent players but look knackered, tired, out of gas, goosed, whichever way you want to put it.

Starting them from the bench second half is at least an option, let some fresh legs run at Man Utd, then use impact subs around the 65-minute mark.

McNeil and Harrison will be kept on long after you can see them treading sand, that is when Utd will hit us, if not before, instead of making changes, he will leave it to well over the 70 minute mark, unless Utd score and he panics and throws a couple of subs on.

If we can see it, then the opposition team know exactly what to expect and how to deal with it, before even crossing the whitewash.

Do something different, not swap like for like forward, if they have handled a lone striker, change the system, but at least come up with a plan b.

It's dead easy to trot out the same old lines, not your Billy Joel ones Tony, so suggest an alternative line-up with the players available.

Who would you drop and who would you replace them with?

Best of luck; hopefully it'll work this time.

Possibly Patterson at right back for his overlapping qualities and either Godfrey for his pace in a midfield defensive role or Gomes for his ability to see a pass with Harrison on the bench.

Assuming there isn't an untried youngster who knows how to find space in midfield, that is to receive a pass not over the stand.

Not what I would have gone for (Coleman and Patterson on the right together for me) but Sean knows more than me!

Harrison is just lost...

That Garnacho throws himself down with the slightest contact. That first pen was the softest I've ever seen. Never a pen in my day.

All Harrison does is give the ball away. Get him off!

We'll be playing Cardiff next season and Ipswich will pass us on their way up.

Yes, it's the mediocre strike force that's killing us.

Nothing changes.

Not sure how many more games I can take of this. Where is our Brighton result? It's going to happen soon and we'll batter someone 4- or 5-nil. Not today though...

Dreadful finishing, utterly woeful Harrison, Onana... Two sunday league penalties and we have played them off the park!

Credit to McNeil. Beto not at home... letting them run at us. Suckered, twice!

Dobbin for Harrison and Calvert-Lewin for…well, take your pick. May as well go 4-4-2 but we won't. Calvert-Lewin for Beto on 65 minutes — straight swap.

Tarkowski of late seems to be playing to boost his blocking stats but in both penalties both he and Godfrey needed only to jockey the player and ball wide rather than lunging in. Do we coach or learn nothing!

Man Utd dangerous on the breakaways from our set plays on the attack but no adequate cover for any of them.

Only McNeil is doing anything upfront and we've spurned two half-chances again.

Let's see what the second half brings.

I've said for a while that I'd be playing Godfrey in a back 3 with 2 wing backs. Mykolenko would be neither of them – I'd go with McNeil on the left who did it brilliantly last season. We've got options for right-wingback and two quick centre-backs who can play with wingbacks.

Straight away, you get Godfrey and Mykolenko out of key positions where they contribute nothing and you ditch Harrison, which is a benefit in itself.

That's just what I would do. I'm sure others see it differently.

How many would just keep doing what they've been doing after 10 games without a win?

Three subs on for half an hour to go? Jeez!

Jesus Christ. No wonder we can't score! Final balls and crosses have been absolutely criminal.

“Like watching someone in the kitchen cutting a loaf with a blunt knife.”

It is desperate but I have just about reached the point where I don't care if they go down and I am fed up with apologising to my 2 sons for indoctrinating them into the School of Dross.

Has Seamus Coleman fallen out with the manager, because Godfrey is definitely not a full-back?

Martin Mason may well be onto something…

Dyche would be pulling his hair out if he had any. We swamped a woeful Man Utd team and yet still lost.

Hopeless!

Neither side upto much but, two-down and 73 minutes gone, we send on Ashley Young! Really don't know what to say about any of that except that they want to build a "Wembley of the North" to replace their 73k capacity ground while we go bankrupt building a state of the art ground with a 52k capacity.

Yeah, What's our name!

Even if we got all points back, I see us down. Being honest, it's what Everton deserve. Years of miss management from Kenwright and Moshiri.

The most damning thing about today's game is that Man Utd were crap and, despite the win for them, Ten Haag will get shit for the way the gave us so much of the ball.

Luckily for them, they came up against a team that haven't got a clue how to take advantage.

Onana is a shithouse and does nothing but walk about… but then I could rage at them all for one reason or another.

Both penalties were basic mistakes from players that should know better.

Again, we had chances and showed our lack of quality in abundance, today we couldn't even hit the target from inside the box.

It's not luck, formation or tactics. It's a pure lack of quality.

Garner and Onana again played well. O'Neil better than the previous few weeks. Harrison shouldn't be on the pitch imo give him a rest and get dobbin on.

Both full backs are beyond terrible going forward. We are crying out for quality from the wings and up top. Thelwell has his work cut out.

Glad we have the break.

He did okay winning and keeping the ball. The stats say we had 23 shots, 6 on target, but how many of those were genuine goal threats? 3 maybe?

Dyche has to change tactics or try something else as it's far to predictable. Onana and Godfrey are not good enough to wear the shirt.

Onana is just a poser with no impact whatsoever and Harrison and McNeil… OMG!!

This side is so lacking all over the park - I do hope the £60 million rumours are true regards Onana!

Harrison hopes he can stay with Everton, he's on £90 grand with Leeds – who dishes out these contract for very very ordinary players?

Calvert-Lewin needs to get away from Everton and we need to get as much as we can for him. Beto is terrible and we are probably stuck with him unless we take a loss.

I've said it before – strikers who can't score, wingers who can't cross, midfielders who can't shoot or pick a decent fucking pass.

Our usual weekend of despair and disillusionment on matchday begins – just a couple of hours earlier than usual. Sick of it to be honest.

Given our home form over the last few seasons, I'm not hopeful of picking up the 'expected' wins against our fellow strugglers. Strap your seats in.

I'm fed up hearing people seeming to put everything on Dyche. Yes, Dyche makes some strange decisions but, as has been mentioned, there are no youngsters that can come in to the team.

The players, in my opinion, need to have a real hard luck at themselves. The decision-making, effort, the hiding at times, belief, all piss poor.

As for the finishing?????

I would not take them away during this break. I'd keep them at Finch Farm every day practising shooting and passing — basics we seem abysmal at.

I'd also get a sports psychologist in and try and work with them. They need something as well as a foot up the arse!

Maybe the 3-week break will invigorate me... not to mention the team and manager.

Half chances are, without exception, always wasted as our finishing is Bottom 3 standard. Until that is addressed, nothing will change, it's just going to be a hard slog, gaining enough points off lower teams.

We may as well bang our heads against the wall… Although we were toothless in the extreme again, it was two idiotic tackles you'll see up and down the country in Sunday league games that cost us. We can't afford too much more of that whilst we're not scoring.

Just going on the write-ups, i doubt if I will support Dyche again. He is supposed to be good at saving clubs from relegation; he is doing a poor job with Everton as every team know how he is going to play and set up to beat us.

Another weekend ruined...

The truth, though, is that this is just a variation on what has been the Everton theme for a very long time indeed. We always bottle it and come up short – a motto. Some seasons, we bottle it later than others.

We have damp, craven failure written into us. Until someone – maybe no-one ever, of course – comes and lifts us up by our bootstraps, we're fucked.

As poor as we were, we could have got something from this game but we all know the reason why we didn't.

There were three or four times in the second half players just outside the penalty area or even inside with a clear view of the goal decided to pass rather than have a shot at the goal, Godfrey, McNeil and Gomes wasted these chances.

Lack of scoring ability is letting us down but, let's be honest, lack of football ability is another big factor and Dyche can't be blamed for that.

"You've got to be prepared to get hurt to score a goal."

We were so much better than Man Utd in the first half, and they still managed to shit the bed. I can't be arsed with Everton right now. I just can't.

We are so poor going forward, and it's easy see why. Godfrey, who is not a full-back, and Mykolenko are lost once they pass the half-way line.

Harrison, who was abysmal again today, can't cross the ball, and he was facing Lindelof who's not even a full-back.

McNeil is skilful but he has no pace, so the amount of balls in to the box, you could count on one hand.

How Dyche could watch that for 60 minutes and 2-0 down as well… doesn't bode well.

We need stability and we are creating chances. This is all our forward line's fault, not the manager's.

Sick of hearing it isn't Dyches fault.

Players are poor but his tactics and lack of bravery are worse.

Thank god.

Dyche hawks need to pull a finger out.

Only Branthwaite would get more than 5 for today. Dyche has to shake things up quickly and snap these fuckers out of their sleepwalk and get some belief back into their prima dona heads.

Despite having most of the ball and a few decent half-chances today, we were also actually lucky that our goal difference didn't take a good hammering. That's how fucked up we really are.

This is on Dyche to sort out but I doubt he's got it in him to get us firing offensively.

The so called 23 shots we had were mostly tame lobs straight to Onana or floaty headers. He dived a couple of times for the cameras.

My player ratings are as follows:

Pickford 7
Godfrey 5
Tarkowski 6
Branthwaite 8
Mykolenko 7
McNeil 5
Harrison 3
Garner 6
Onana 5
Doucouré 5
Beto 4

Get Dyche off!

Dyche made a big thing of training as the team would play on the pitch. Looks like it is not working or whoever is watching and coaching is not paying attention. Everton looked beat throughout and I was resigned to it, which isn't good.

I am having a reasonable weekend and will be giving dysfunctional Everton a rest.

Dyche has to start Gomes in our next game, in a 3-man midfield; hopefully Gueye will be back, and Danjuma has to start on the wing as well.

Also, play two upfront, his present system is not working, and bring Seamus back for a bit of leadership and quality.

Two stupid tackles and our inability to take our chances.

I'll comment more tomorrow. It's been a long day.

We are what we are — a Bottom 5 club struggling to avoid relegation, relying on a manager that this is a normal end of season for him. And Burnley fired him… and he bought us some Burnley players.

Also, they signed Ogbene on a free, a winger we're crying out for.

I'm angrier now than I was immediately after the game. Don't tell me that it's fucking sunny outside when it's pissing down with rain. "Moment of truth", "have to get hurt", blah, blah, fucking blah.

He was doing okay with this shit patchwork quilt of a squad. But they're blatantly not working on finishing, which is the team's primary shortcoming. Get them finishing. Day after day. Get them practicing shots. Stop with the fucking stats, stop giving us the sunny day speech, and get them in front of goal.

And for God's sake, stop playing Godfrey at right-back. We had two right-backs on the bench today, and he's playing a failed centre-back.

I stand by what I wrote earlier. We dominated them first half. But because these cowards can't finish to save their lives, we've come away with nothing.

For two years, we've survived by dint of there being worse teams than us. Sooner or later, though, we'll run out of there being shitter teams than us.

Once Plan A is out the window once we go behind, he's tactically clueless. Same like-for-like subs expecting a different result.

The players don't look happy or comfortable with his style of defend first. The buck stops with him.

In my opinion, Dobbin didn't cross to Calvert-Lewin — the young kid was trying to score…say nothing !

Grow some balls and kick this bag of shite into shape. Because it's going to bite us on the arse one day!

We should never have sacked Martinez… maybe we would be in a far better position now with far better players .

Last season, it was all because Calvert-Lewin wasn't fit but that was another terrible mistake, he was never the answer and just pray he has another short purple patch so we can unload him for a fee.

Beto may do okay in the Championship but he's not a top level striker. If that recruitment is on Thelwell, we're back to square one.

Harrison is a liability, McNeil a luxury who seldom delivers. Drop both and try Danjuma alongside Calvert-Lewin.

With the players at our disposal, I cannot come up with any other permutation.

Two players got them out of trouble. Their goalkeeper Onana, who really was very good on the ball – and of course Garnacho.

Our problem (yet again) was the right flank – which is shit. Harrison works very hard and made a great defensive block on Rashford early on – but offers so little going forward. Godfrey is, of course, terrible on the ball (and was presumably included, not illogically, as a recovery defender to combat the pace of Garnacho and Rashford). Patterson needs to feature somewhere.

Doucouré also had a stinker. It clearly improved with Gomes on the pitch, because he can control a football. Doucouré can only run and finish when he doesn't have time to think.

Controversial, I know, but we miss Gray and Iwobi, especially the latter. It is a shame we had to sell them to balance the books.

Really though, swap Harrison for Garnacho and we win that game comfortably. Best player on the pitch was Branthwaite and Pickford, Mykolenko, Onana, Garner and McNeil were certainly as impressive as their Man Utd counterparts.

We rely on set-pieces, even today, Man Utd's keeper caught Calvert-Lewin's header, the only save he made in the whole game.

Dyche has us set up in a defensive formation, as I said earlier; our fullbacks, wingers and midfield offer nothing going forward.

Two years wasted on waiting for him to get fit and frankly, yes, we aren't the most creative side on earth, but Calvert-Lewin looks absolutely shot physically compared to where he was under Carlo.

Beto is simply a run-of-the-mill striker in the Niasse category. I want him to succeed but he's unbelievably limited as a player.

Regardless of other teams' results around us, it's been a terrible season with tepid attacking play most of the time.

Godfrey is Holgate Mk 2, thick as mince. He will never be up to the standard of a Premier League footballer.

Maybe relegation wouldn't be too bad in someway as we might actually win a game — Have they given up winning for Lent? I don't see any victories in the next two games either. Putrid.

Exactly how I feel except I have 3 sons I am trying to appease.

Dyche is in danger with his insistence on playing Godfrey and Harrison on the right and not making more proactive use of substitutions. Waiting until the 61st minute to change the team when we are 2-0 down is stubborness verging on stupidity.

He also talks about our inability to convert chances… how about you do something about it? Change the formation, update your tactics, hire a new forward coach?

I have backed him, but I am rapidly losing patience.

Why Dyche kept Godfrey on rather than bring on Patterson or Coleman, I don't know. I love his energy and drive but he can't pass the ball to save his life.

With a bit more composure in front of goal, we could've won that game.

It says a lot that our players were well beaten without the opposition having to break sweat. Some of our better players this season, notably Branthwaite and Tarkowski, allowed their standards to slip today.

We now know, if we did not already know it, there are no ready solutions on the bench for Dyche to change the shape of the team. We now know Beto is inferior to Calvert-Lewin, Dobbin is not yet of Premier League standard, and that the team's problems are not entirely due to Ashley Young being in the team.

What disappointed me more than anything was the apparent lack of urgency in the second half. Lack of confidence and belief may be at the root of that but we badly needed Seamus to whip up a response on the pitch.

I kept thinking as we dominated those first 10 minutes that it's only a matter of time til we concede easily after missing all of our chances. What's so sad is that any team with offensive skill would've punished Man Utd today. They were there for at least 3 goals today, probably more.

Our only real quality anymore is Branthwaite and Pickford. Such dire prospects for the rest of the season.

Gomes and Gana are both more effective players than the combination on show today, Gana with his ball-winning and Gomes with his passing.

We are so toothless upfront. But some of the selections are really shocking. Why on earth are we playing Godfrey as a right back when we have Patterson? Godfrey has zero sense of attacking.

Sean Dyche is clueless. I know there has been lot going on lately with regards to the club's future and the point deduction saga but, at the end, Dyche needs to get the better from the players and use them effectively. It is patently obvious that Godfrey is neither attacking nor great defensively in that position. At the end, he conceded a penalty and looked poor throughout.

Harrison needs to be dropped and may be Dobbin needs to be given a chance. Dyche is very rigid and it seems he only has Plan A. My interest and optimism is fading with every game.

Criminal and Fernandez weren't even in the game. We lost it on the flanks with Harrison in particular not effective again and Godfrey not offering anything except physicality.

Man Utd showed us exactly what we're missing – players who can score goals.

For fuck's sake — we can't even score a penalty!

Moshiri is leaving us with maybe 3 players who might get a game at top half clubs yet people are getting after Dyche as though he has serious options.

We are justifiably Bottom 4 material and would struggle to be favourites against anyone in the league; a massive amount of luck is needed not to finish in the Bottom 3 this term.

The other three players in the back 4 pick themselves, put McNeill in the No 10 slot, he doesn't have the pace to play wide but does have a decent skill set.

Bring Doucouré back into a box-to-box role and pair him with either Gana or Onana.

Put Calvert-Lewin back in as the other option. Beto has the worst technique I've seen in a footballer for many a year.

Give Dobbin a run on the right and Harrison on the left (only because there's no other option) and have them play with the correct foot so they don't cut back inside all the time and come back.

The idea of wide players playing on their wrong wing was to cut inside to allow the overlapping fullbacks to go past them — which doesn't work for us because they aren't good enough.

Dyche needs to mix things up as this isn't working.

He only picks the same losing team week after week
Plays the same negative losing tactics week after week
Makes the same late tame substitutions every week.
No way it's his fault.

I was sat (well… stood) there today at no time thinking we were going to score. That can't be right and must be someone's bloody fault.

Listening to Alan Stubbs on Radio Merseyside post-match. His thoughts on Beto are similar to yours.

Beto is clearly not a Premier League centre-forward, Godfrey is not a full-back, and Harrison is not a right-winger – but all 3 were selected when their limitations have been obvious for some weeks.

The team are clearly playing badly but the Manager and his staff seem unwilling or unable to come up with a different game plan.

Apparently, the team are now going away for some warm weather training, so here's a list of things that they could practise: passing, taking throw-ins, varying corner routines and shooting.

Sadly, they all seem to be a good bunch of blokes, but just at present they are a very poor football team, so let's hope they come back with more than a tan.

Dyche is suffocating the play. He won't change, so expect more of the same from him. Don't be surprised when we lose the next one.

I'm not a fan of Dycheball.

They should be trying to score goals — what forwards are paid thousands to do!

We are a poor side bereft of confidence in a poor run. We need inspiration and a shake up. Over to the coach.

There's a weary acceptance amongst fans that this is how it is and it won't get any better any time soon. It is hard to disagree. There's no point in looking back and pointing the finger on who's to blame because it won't get us anywhere. We are sliding into an abyss and time is running out.

Sean Dyche has a big 3 weeks ahead. His system is not working. Harrison and McNeil are not working. Godfrey at right-back is not working. So change it!

Arrange a 'behind closed doors' game next week, try another formation, do something different, it cannot make things worse!

What worries me the most is the seeming lack of urgency here to do something to stop the slide. Shrugging the shoulders and blaming VAR, the Premier League, bad referees, lack of money and players, and quoting xG statistics is not the answer. It needs changing now!!

"Over to the coach."

It was sitting outside with the engine running after the first penalty!

Harrison was hopeless going forward but he worked very hard again. Without his early defensive block on Rashford, we might have conceded. Dobbin is not going to do that. Hence he's more of an impact sub from the 60-minute mark.

It's clutching at straws to say he is "better" than Harrison. In truth, he's not better at all.

Although I would have preferred to see Patterson at right-back, Dyche got this right tactically today. Apart from two really amateurish tackles, we were the better side.

We were on top for long stretches and Rashford didn't get a sniff apart from the early chance that Harrison snuffed out. Man Utd didn't look remotely like scoring from open play.

McTominay, who plenty of ToffeeWeb posters would love us to buy, was shown up as a very ordinary player indeed. He got no change at all up against Onana who was the best central midfield player on show.

Well said, Robert.

The commentator nailed it today, we are like a boxer who's doing all the nice jabbing but can't hurt the opponent with no power, then we just get knocked out!!

I liked Harrison at Leeds, he's just not having the same impact, he works hard but many of our attacks today ended when he couldn't beat the full back or just dithered too long.

We are set up to get it wide and get crosses in, but we don't have full-backs who can provide that width, the wide players need help. Godfrey tried to cross several times and it was just embarrassing.

Mykolenko defends well but offers nothing going forward. I know he's going to turn back and square it every time he's in an advanced position.

Doucouré hasn't got going since coming back, has never had a good first touch and looked like he had boots on 4 sizes too big today!

So 3 weeks to work on something for the last stint of the season. Why not try 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1? Play:

Pickford
Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Branthwaite
Coleman, Onana, Garner, Gomes, McNeil
Doucouré
Calvert-Lewin or Beto

Two or three seasons ago, Eddie Howe took over Newcastle Utd at the bottom of the table. The Tyneside outfit had failed to win their opening 11 matches under Bruce and Howe failed to win any of his first three.

No Premier League side in history had previously managed to stay up after failing to win any of their first 14 matches. But he's not a Bruce or Dyche — he's a forward thinking manager who took them to 11th.

We need a Howe type.

"What worries me the most is the seeming lack of urgency here to do something to stop the slide. Shrugging the shoulders and blaming VAR, the Premier League, bad referees, lack of money and players and quoting xG statistics is not the answer. It needs changing now!!"

That's exactly it.

Of course it's not Dyche missing chances or making mistakes but he's watching them do it and then basically saying that our luck will change.

It's not luck. It's March and we haven't won since December. That's not bad luck, that's our form.

These players are capable. They're not elite but they're capable. It's incomprehensible that they could be this poor and it's just accepted.

The manager's job is to do something about it. I don't care if it's changing the approach to training, psychology, voodoo, formation change, personnel change. Just do something. Doing nothing should be a sackable offence — if we actually had anyone responsible for doing such a thing.

This team is on its arse. Try something else. In this current form, what do we really have to lose?

Things are going to be difficult. 30 years of Kenwright and Moshiri have really taken hold now with nothing left in reserve whatsoever.

I hope those who were on the board who failed to give evidence or support the club during the hearings sleep well at night – few genuine supporters will as this season goes on.

We will stay up. My worry, however, leap-frogging an absolutely crucial summer for us in so many respects, is that the three clubs coming up will be a lot stronger than the awful three who came up this season and will go straight down.

For several years now, the refrain has been there are three worse clubs than us, but that might not be the case next season and it depends on what happens over the summer.

Newcastle have reportedly spent €440million since late 2021 post-takeover. No "for sale" notices, no hints at fire sales of their best, just a happiness to keep on ploughing in whatever monies are required.

That's what we really need – owners with bottomless pockets.

"That's what we really need – owners with bottomless pockets"

Erm, didn't we have that with Moshiri and Usmanov? Look at the mess that has left us in!!!

Must admit though… bottomless pockets are better than bottomless trousers! :-)

I really admire and respect Eddie Howe. However, he will be sacked in the summer and I really doubt he is the man for us.

We, unfortunately, require a manager who can protect the goal difference and grind out enough points to survive. We have one.

These totally shite players and management team will get rewarded with a sun on their arse holiday. It won't be a boot camp because these entitled arseholes will come back and will deceive all the Everton fanbase without giving a shit.

Rewarding failure is typical Everton. We don't deserve to be in the Premier League. We can blame VAR, the Premier League, referees, or any other gobshite.

Dyche and his team need to look in the mirror to see who is to blame. Week-in & week-out, they fail.

No, we didn't. It was yet another delusion to gain ground for some unfathomable reason.

I get your point but I believe that a sunshine break will be good for morale and team spirit.

Don't get me wrong, Sean, it hurts to type that and I doubt very much that they hurt as much as we do. But.. that, God help us, is how it fucking is.

With the money saved, give a trip to the sun camp to eleven of our best away supporters and their partners. They are the ones that deserve to be rewarded.

Incidentally, a crack group of Everton coaches are heading off to Hawaii on March 18 for a "soccer" camp with Hawaii United. Good for them, though we might need a fact-checker to help anyone thinking of registering for the "camp":

"Expert-Led Sessions":

"Led by top-tier Everton coaches, this camp offers unparalleled coaching expertise from the academy level to the professional levels".

"Global Soccer Experience":

"Experience the authenticity of Everton coaching as our esteemed coaches make the journey from Liverpool to Hawaii. It's a rare chance for participants to learn from the very best, right in our own backyard".

" ... an unforgettable international coaching experience".

https://hawaiiunited.org/camps/everton/

What do they do? Because I can't see any evidence of their input in our squad. Maybe a craic group of Everton coaches is more apt, Paul.

Meanwhile, diehard fans go back to their jobs to make money for travel and tickets.

I go to my grandson's football matches on Saturdays. It's under-12s. The enthusiasm and commitment from them all is amazing.

He's a decent centre-half with an eye for midfield. I'd love to see just 10% of their passion in this Everton team. It lifts my spirits each weekend whether they win or lose but the enjoyment has no boundaries.

I remember when that used to be my Everton weekends but fear I won't experience those weekends again.

“Our lack of composure” had us constantly making the wrong choice and it was very galling to watch at times.

Two or three good passes, followed by the next player to receive the ball constantly making the wrong option, was so frustrating to watch, along with players slowing the pace down when it should have been getting picked up, or players rushing (to make a mistake!) when in good possession, which definitely helped our opponents instead of hurting them.

I thought nearly every single Everton player was very, very poor today, they lacked the composure and the drive that is required to genuinely compete.

The players will be fine once the coaches get back from Hawaii.

Branthwaite. That must be what you hear on commentary... I can't believe you actually call him 'Brainthwaith'? Repeatedly.

I'm not very happy with our current coaches Paul, and just wish I was still on the training ground with them, because I wouldn't have put up with that lack of composure, or that lack of savvy and drive, in my younger days mate!

My partner keeps telling me I'm stuck in the dark ages now her son is playing football professionally, but fuck me, how many one-two's did we play today, whilst actually trying to drive forward and hurt our opponents? I counted one, but I gave up watching at half-time.

Another frustrating match where the general approach and attitude had some effectiveness but it was just criminal stuff by us in both boxes, which is where it counts.

I feel exhausted by it all. Bring on the international break and some clarity about ownership.

That's exactly how I feel, Sam. I think in US electoral term,s Sam, you and I are now independents floating in the "not one or the other" middle. I think that there are many more of us, if you don't mind me typecasting you.

It will be a sign of trouble ahead for him if Dyche ever starts to lose the support of these independents. I couldn't honestly definitively say whether I want him in or out at the moment.

It is pragmatic and realistic, I think, to want him to remain in place for the rest of the season. But we haven't won in the league since December 16! 84 days: not far off one-quarter of the year! And in that time, we have scored 9 and conceded 22.

That is nailed on sacking form. But perhaps one of the deflating crestfallen things about being one of us right now is that many of us know this but also that he will not be sacked.

We hope it will be alright in the end but then three buses come along at once and our anxieties turn to another potential point cut, the nerve-racking long-drawn-out takeover saga, and the void if 777 Partners get their marching orders (as they should, but would we then leap from the frying pan into the fire?), selling our best players with little hope of adequate replacements it seems in season 2024-25 when the three promoted clubs will be much stronger than the three who came up and will go down this season.

God help us because last time they came back from a similar camp in the Middle East, we ended up with even worse performances than before!

We've got the opportunity of a small window for decison-making here: so, managerially, do we stick or twist?

Who?

Yet again for the 5th(?) time, it doesn't really matter too much.

Change! is required, Moyes wouldn't / couldn't, nor Martinez, or, or, or...

I presume... but this is Everton after all... that 'technically' the Director of Football, Thewell, if that is indeed his title, has the power to hire and fire the manager.

If 777 Partners aren't discussing this, then it's another reason they're not fit, though it could be part of the plan to drive the price down.

It's a bit of a worry and no mistake.

We'll probably be in the Premier League next year. I think they'll be pretty happy with where we are at.

Makes you wonder why we even bother.

Ownership has left the building.

In a similar vein, I just saw a Google News headline “I've supported Dyche but I question his substitutions”. Naively ,I clicked on the link thinking it might be an interview with some managerial Svengali like Guardiola or Mourinho. Or some opinionated Everton legend like Cahill or Ratcliffe. But no. It was a piece by some young, fucking nobody barely out of diapers newish kiddo Echo writer from Northern Ireland whose speciality is boxing. So I find myself like Begbie asking “Who the fuck are you?”

I don't have an issue with Michael Ball in the Echo, Tim Howard on NBC or Sam, Paul, Barry – hell, even Ian Edwards mouthing off on ToffeeWeb. But somehow some kid from Northern Ireland who knows more about Barry McGuigan than Dixie Dean mouthing off and getting top Everton billing on Google News just pisses me off.

We have a 3-week break until Bournemouth away, so Dyche cannot use excuses for that game. He has enough time to address the finishing issues. Perhaps a friendly with a non- league club, to give the strikers scoring confidence, would help? Dyche has to ditch his cliches and face up to reality.

Okay, we really did fuck up with Man Utd. Two badly timed tackles. They didn't score from open play. We should have really at least come back home with a point. But we didn't.

Learn from it and, as some have suggested, let's get off this idea of changing the manager. Too many in such a short time has proved nothing. Blending the players in to a successful team is the secret and Dyche has had little or no cash to do this.

If the weather is shit in UK, go to warmer climates for a couple of weeks and wind down. Otherwise, stay at home.

I've supported Everton since 1954 and I am more pissed off than ever with the results. But I still remain positive that we will survive.

It is the ridiculous attempts at tackling that should be questioned and condemned. This is clueless football and Dyche cannot be held accountable for the stupidity of players.

Last time we won, I was putting up the Xmas decorations. Didn't think the next time I would be cutting the fuckin grass and cleaning the garden furniture!!!!!

When Branthwaite was showing composure throughout the game, it was galling to watch the thoughtless passing and movement of the other players.

There was one spell when Onana, Garner and Godfrey passed the ball between them in a small space near the touch line seven times, never moved forward an inch, then one of them passed it backwards to Tarkowski who passed it back to Pickford who lashed it upfield straight to a Man Utd player.

This fear of the ball went on throughout the game.

Dyche makes mistakes selecting the team but, no matter who he selects, he is upsetting some Everton fans yet I don't think he makes as many mistakes as the players.

Yes, it's extremely frustrating as once again the overall performance had some merits. I've seen us play far worse at Old Trafford and we were the better side for periods. But results are key and this current run is damning.

I'm not sure that there is the appetite or finances within Everton to sack Dyche. No doubt Thelwell will be looking at the performances and thinking at some point, just on probability, some of these shots will start going in. A broken clock and all that.

But at some point the hand (whose I'm not sure!) may be forced and, if we fail to beat either Bournemouth, Newcastle or Burnley, then the writing may be on the wall.

I honestly don't see many personnel or tactical changes that I think would improve us, other than dropping Godfrey at right-back. Pinning hopes on the lines of Dobbin and Patterson seems scary to me though maybe Coleman can crank time back for a few last outings.

It's all very unsettling. And madly infuriating that at times we have looked more coherent and organised than we have in a long time but we are continually failing to get over the line and put the sodding ball in the net.

The buck always stops with the president, prime minister, mayor, social welfare leader, bishop, BBC chairman, and so on, or fecking footy manager.

Dyche is failing, okay. I want him to succeed, I want him to be the gaffer who keeps us up. But Sean, do you think Dyche's record since December 16 is satisfactory?

Dyche will keep us up by the scuff of our teeth, That's what he does. It's his mojo. But this is a year when the three promoted teams are going down and the three coming up are serious rivals.

Your words, Sean, sadly, are hollow and shallow. To separate the team and Dyche is fecking bizarre. We will stay up with Dyche but we will never progress under his safety-first Bunley wing.

Fuck me, he makes Moyes look adventurous.

I dearly want Dyche to succeed – if the bare bones pitiful strategy is keep us up – but I also think dear God what have we become when "Keep us up, Dyche, please keep us up" is our mantra.

It's increasingly becoming not enough to say the baldy three on the touchline will keep us up with our record since the middle of December.

Dyche has a fucking disgraceful record since then. He as manager is responsible or why fucking have him?

My patience for his sturdy pluckiness and everyman/woman attempted peoplespeak is wearing thin now.

Remember, the more we don't score, the more likely we are to score…

Dear God.

Two decent crosses came into the box yesterday and both Harrison and Doucouré went for them with an outstretched leg. They were nailed on for an Andy Gray type diving header and almost certain goals. I could not understand the lack of nous there.

After the game, Sean Dyche said we need to be prepared to get hurt sometimes to score a goal, and I know what he means, if he was referring to those two half-chances.

We are a team that is completely devoid of on-field partnerships right now; we are a team that don't really run forward into any real threatening positions, so hopefully our saving grace is going to be the 3-week break, because it looks like everyone needs it.

I remember Marco Silva was getting a lot of stick and then he got an 18-day break around this stage of the season, and his team won eight of the last eleven games, so I'm hoping Dyche, can produce something similar, now he's got a chance of getting his players away from the constant negativity that currently surrounds Everton Football Club at a time when it seems that every single journalist on the internet constantly wants to stick the knife in right now.

I think Sam's last sentence @130 sums things up perfectly, but in a lot less words than I have used.

If Paul the Esk is correct in his comments on last night's ‘Talking the Blues' podcast, Kevin Thelwell's immediate concerns may be focussed on his own future rather than worrying about the manager's position.

There isn't a lack of effort in this team but they do lack quality going forward. We seem to get within 10 yards of the opposition box and have no clear plan what we need to do.

The club is in such a mess that we have the owner in Monaco not saying a word, the organisation he is trying to sell the club to haven't convinced the Premier League of their suitability to run the club. So we are left with the guy who was brought in to oversee the building of the new ground put in temporary charge of the club.

I heard Dyche getting interviewed after the game, and he said we put in 44 crosses and we just need to convert our chances. I don't think to many of those 44 crosses found a blue shirt, but he still persists in playing Harrison out wide in practically every game.

I find it unbelievable that our best right-back both offensively and defensively has been left on the bench for the last couple of games. Surely if you are going to play a high pressing game, have an attacking full-back playing.

Also, stop trying to turn Mykolenko into an attacking full-back, he doesn't look comfortable doing it.

This problem of failing to convert good chances has been going on since the first home game of the season and is still happening 8 months later, and the problem still hasn't been sorted.

We now don't play for 3 weeks and, with most of the other clubs around us playing next week, we may be in an even worse position when we visit Bournemouth for our next game.

I said in a post on Thursday given we now have a 3 week break, its to late to change the manager you cant bring any players in but there is one thing you can do that may help.

That is go and get a top sports psychologist to work individually and collectively over the next 3 weeks. I know Liverpool some years back used Dr Steve Peters and Ronnie O,Sullivan uses him. These players have lost all belief in themselves and maybe just maybe someone like Dr Steve Peters might help, as I cant think of any other quick fix for this group of players.

I listened to Alan Stubbs on the radio yesterday; I think he is being wasted and should also be used in some capacity by the club now that Bill Kenwright has gone.

I actually think he would form a very good partnership with Sean Dyche (knowing both of them to different degrees). I often have a laugh with one of my mates at the kid's football when I say that nobody seems to point people in the direction of someone they believe would be perfect for them with regards working together in football.

I think we need someone with the football equivalence of The X-Factor's Luis Walsh!

We have 10 games to play, starting on the Easter weekend and we have to start improving things. The 3-week break is thankfully a help given the slide in our results.

If the next 10 games mirror the past 10, then it will turn out to be a disappointing season and no manager could realistically survive such a bad run of results.

The director of football has not been a success to date and his position must also be under review. With the exception of Garner, I am struggling to find another signing that has been a success for the money paid for them.

Looking forward to a couple of weekends without stress.

Now I see Luton have 2 games next week.

Looks like it will be between us, Luton & Forest for the 3rd relegation slot.

I keep hoping Brentford may get dragged in, but the fact that they have goal scorers up front and in midfield will probably see them okay.

While most of us, if we're lucky (?) get a tin of Fiery Jack, and a flat pint of Harp lager on the Merseyside Riviera (New Brighton)!

I just hope it has some effect (a bit like that Fiery Jack) and they return rejuvenated, are friends with each other, and more importantly the ball. Maybe an element of 'Jackanory' in that, but what other hope have we as fans got?

I, like many on here, have supported Dyche from Day 1, but it's his stubbornness and resistance to change. Even though, he is limited, by inheriting a mixture of good, bad and ugly. His use of subs with 2 minutes left on the clock (?). All equally frustrating!

Get out of the past, please, we all need to stop saying we were good once, we weren't. Martinez couldn't defend, we nearly got relegated where Wigan did.

We then filled our team with players from relegated teams and this has been going on for ages.

But yeah, "the Everton way" is the most backwards step ever so please move on.

I would say start in the academy - our lower league conveyor belt that costs a friggin fortune.

I'd say the thing we are lacking the most, apart from actually being able to score from open play, is pace. We have no one who breaks the lines and runs with the ball at pace. The thing is, do we actually have anyone in the squad capable of this?
Danjuma?

Do we also put Gomes in (despite his defensive deficiencies) as the only one we have who can find someone with a pass?

One certainty is that Godfrey needs to be taken out as right-back and Coleman needs to start.

I guess Jarrad Branthwaite's agent will be getting loads of clubs ringing him trying to persuade him their club is Jarrad's best option. Possibly Pickford may be of interest to some clubs, although quite interesting that neither Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal who have recently changed goalkeepers didn't seem interested in Pickford.

We have heard for months and months about how many top clubs were eying up Onana, I will be very interested to see if any top club makes an offer for him.

The rest are either probably too old or not good enough to get too many offers from Premier League clubs, unless the clubs coming up maybe after an experienced Premier League player.

We were crying out for a right-winger to attack Lindelof who was playing out of position, but Harrison, who's left-footed, hasn't the guile or pace to do that.

Okay, maybe Dobbin isn't the answer but he's right-footed and is quick, could he be any worse than Harrison was for the 60 minutes yesterday and his previous performances?

Why does Dyche persist with the same tactics? He talks about the amount of crosses into the box, he's looking at a different match to me, even the corner kicks were pathetic yesterday.

He plays a totally defensive formation, no wonder we offer nothing in the final third, and for me, Beto offers a lot less than Calvert-Lewin.

We need to be reaching for the stars but instead we are hoping for survival. We should still be striving for excellence and to achieve our full potential. We have realigned our sights and lowered our expectations. We settle for less. It's not the club I grew up supporting.

I don't care who does or who doesn't own the club. Dyche needs to be left in Hawaii or wherever they are going on their well-earned rest and we need a restart right here and right now. The football is dire and he loses football matches.

Get shot now, re-set and let's stop simply hoping for survival. We are sleepwalking into the Championship. Wake up, Everton, wake up!!

Yet Mykolenko continues to get a free pass. He is useless. He's always been useless.

He works hard, he's not bad one on one in defence, but he does the same thing with the ball every single time. He comes back inside and passes the buck.

You can't play football without fullbacks who are prepared to do something with the ball. We have been trying to do it for months now. It's madness.

Godfrey in comparison really tries to get forward. Attempts to overlap. Attempts crosses. He's just not good enough in that position.

Both need to come out.

Re your last paragraph in that a lot of Everton fans prefer McTominay to Onana and he was made to look like a very ordinary player and got no change out of Onana who was the best central midfield player on view yesterday.

All I can say is they must have cancelled each out because what did Onana bring to yesterday's game, walking and ambling around for most of the time? How did he influence the game in any way to the benefit of Everton's team?

I'm still at a loss as to what this lad does that makes some fans think we will get upwards of £70M for him.

As for Calvert-Lewin and Beto? Show them what a goal looks like and how to celebrate. They have forgotten.

One of his best games was against Newcastle when he played as a No 10, and his telling contributions in that game all came from the left-hand side of the field. Playing him on the right means he always cuts back inside to get it onto his strongest foot.

As others have mentioned, moving McNeil into a more central position would allow him to play to his strengths, which isn't lightning speed, but good close control and an eye for a pass or shot. Then play Harrison in his natural position and Danjuma, if fit, on the right.

Drop Onana and move Doucoure back, again similar to the Newcastle game. Finally play any of the other 3 specialist full-backs instead of Godfrey.

"Dyche won't change unless he really has to. Look how long it took him to drop Keane for Branthwaite."

2 games.

Beto scored last week.

The squad should better prepared after the break and the further point deduction should be manageable enough to survive in the Premier League. Dyche won't change much, but he will have to use the full squad, which should bring about enough change to get by.

We are relying on Luton to not win many games if any. We are definitely circling that plug hole now... it's just a matter of time.

I remember him running through the Villa defence with purpose and creating a goal on, I think, his debut. In that moment, he looked exciting. Don't recall him doing anything like that since. We'll make a profit on him in the summer.

Doucoure gets the odd one in open play but who else does? The midfield offers little although McNeil comes alive sometimes.

We are creating chances but are toothless at the moment. I'm really at a loss what Dyche can do; if we get another points deduction, we are really in trouble.

They look like 10-year-olds who the coach has told where to stand for 'different phases of the game' (in bad coach speak ) and they stay like that.

When the centre-mids look up, there is no movement except four of our players running towards them. Very rarely does a front player make a decisive forward run into space. Take a chance and give an option.

Harrison in particular plays the role of 'backwards passing bastard' very well (copyright a nice lady in front of me in the Gwladys). Lack of movement, lack of flair, lack of nerve to take a chance.

Mostly down to braindead players (if they worked on peace work rates, their kids are going hungry) and partly due to the set, regimented ABC coaching they receive.

Dyche has nothing to lose now – so go 4-4-2, play Gomes, who can actually pass a football, Dobbin for Harrison, Coleman for Godfrey, and play Danjuma next to Calvert-Lewin.

Like I said weeks ago – go for it!!!!

No player wants to get a shot off, they want too much time to try and get an extra few touches, by then, they are closed down.

Now they get rewarded with a warm summer break, get them on Ainsdale beach and running up and down the sand dunes, cue the donkey jokes. :-)

They do not deserve a warm break, get them in and work on their shooting.

Pace is everything in today's game, and you could see utd didn't create much but their pace caused all our issues. We don't have that option.

Without no pace we don't have a cutting edge, we don't have anyone who can run in behind, so we are so 1 dimensional. Teams can just keep us at arms length.

I watched the highlights of Bournemouth last night and although he's not pulling up trees there, I was watching sinisterra, who we were in for thinking we haven't got a player like that. Pacy, direct, tricky and Bournemouth have a few like him.

Danjuma may help, hes our quickest attacker but he hasn't exactly shone for us.
We find ourselves clamouring for gomes, Patterson or Coleman, gana and yes they may improve us, but on the whole it's not going to affect the lack of pace, or creativity.

It's all very worrying, we can only hope the break can recharge a team that has been stretched to breaking point now.

Onana did run through the defense and manage to bundle it over the line in his debut. But he also made an awful turnover the first time he got the ball that led to a goal right before.

Mykolenko has been our only player besides Branthwaite who as actually developed. He has a sweet left when hitting a half volley and is a great one-on-one defender like you said.

I think the problem is that McNeil is so limited and has to go left which means Mykolenko can't overlap and get crosses in.

The last couple games Dwight has come more inside which I think is the key, and Dyche spotted it. Mykolenko is big, athletic and talented enough that he can handle the whole touchline.

Yes, Coleman or Patterson I'd swap for Godfrey tomorrow. But apart from Gomes, I don't really see any options. Beto or Calvert-Lewin – it's not changing the approach!

A shift to 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-1 maybe could help the midfield and give us some more width. But mostly it will be the same players.

Dyche did well papering over the cracks at the beginning of the season. The longer the season goes on, the more we are going to suffer from the anorexic squad, while others are able to rotate, give players a rest, get a loan or 2 in January, we are struggling, playing 11 players from a pool of 15 first teamers.

I don't live in the past just yet, mate, and I haven't advocated Martinez for the manager's job because I don't think that being a first-team manager suits him.

When Martinez was our first team manager, I always thought he would have been better suited to working with young footballers and being the head of our academy, and now he has gathered a lot more experience, I genuinely think he would be absolutely perfect for that job.

It's definitely not Moshiri I would be advising either, Dean, because I can't wait for him to sell our club.

I'm not saying we should sack Dyche. But we now have a 3-week break, now is the time to do it.

We're absolutely not sacking Dyche.

We can't afford to and, to be fair, if any of the last few managers had done as "well" as Sean... we wouldn't have sacked them either.

We're haven't won a game in eleven.

Look at his and Calvert-Lewin's record this season but I don't wear rose tinted glasses. What I see is two crap strikers (sic) that can't find the net.

Last win Dec 16th, I wonder where that ranks in all leagues?

Also docked 6 points — but still not in the relegation spots...

Rotherham - 13
Port Vale - 12
Everton - 11

So we should be on 31 points, I'd say we should be on a lot more. He's probably the most negative manager I've seen here in 45 years.

Granted we're lucky not to be in the drop zone given the quality of teams below us, but we're at least creating chances. One of these games, we'll finally put the ball in the net to win.

Three weeks off in which it's impossible for us to drop into the Bottom 3 so everyone can focus on something else (maybe).

Especially when

- in 2 out of 3 transfer windows, he's been unable to spend

- in the window he could ‘spend', he had to get a 38-year-old free transfer, a loanee just relegated, a loanee who couldn't get a regular game at another club, and 2 strikers we didn't have to pay any money for (upfront). He's had no wiggle room.

- despite that, he's amassed 31 points

- that's without a functioning board above him providing support & help

- that's with the stresses of a 10 point penalty (albeit reduced to 6)

- that's with a further PSR charge hanging over us

- that's with a team creating chances and, until the Man Utd match, a decent-looking defence

Obviously it's not perfect. Obviously it feels so rotten at the moment. Obviously I'm sick to the back teeth of it all – just is every fan

But the only employee at Everton that deserves some credit in the last 14 months is Dyche for his work across that time. Lest we forget that he kept us up without a striker last season?!!!

Yesterday was a good performance and we were unlucky not to have scored but, as others have pointed out, playing well does not get points and has been the story of recent games. We've created loads of chances but no end product, with neither Calvert-Lewin or Beto able to deliver.

I think Dyche is doing okay in the circumstances, but fear already for next season. No money for new signings and the likely sale of Branthwaite, Omana and potentially Pickford will leave us in a terrible position to rebuild.

Dyche will need a miracle to keep us in the Premier League before we move into the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. I've not been this negative on the team since the Mike Walker days. Just hope we can ride the storm and no more points deducted.

It starts long ago. It gathers pace with Kenwright. It accelerates through Moshiri's time to a point where we have to sell off our best players and have no leadership at the club. And it continues through the appointment of a first-team coach who was anything but the answer to our problems on the pitch.

The club leadership elements have been done to death so let's just get to Dyche.

He came in with a mantra of discipline, fitness, defensive shape, set-piece effectiveness (and no snoods).

And what are we now? A disciplined team to the point where we never break formation, a team that works its socks off, a team with one of the better defensive records in the Premier League, and a team that scores more set-pieces than anyone else. (And the players don't wear snoods.)

Make no mistake. Dyche pulled his levers and had absolute success at doing so. We aren't just relatively good at the things he's brought to the club – we're actually exceptional at the things that he has drilled into this team.

And what does that success give you?

LLLDDDLDDLL

A team that is completely bereft of ideas on the ball and can't score from open play. Players look scared senseless when they get the ball in the opposition half. We complete hard – we win more headers than any other team in the Premier League, we're 2nd for interceptions, we're 5th for tackles... but only Sheff Utd have less of the ball than us.

When Dyche took over, we were actually defensively decent. We were top half for goals against. We just couldn't score.

He's now transformed this team into one that has a better defensive record and is even worse in attack.

It's not fair to judge Dyche on the squad size or overall standard of players at the club. It's absolutely fair to judge Dyche on what he's done with the players. The above is absolutely what he has done.

You could almost sum it up by reminding people that he chased the frustratingly individualistic Demarai Gray out of the club and brought in the hard-working and incompetent Jack Harrison as a first-team regular. What would you give to have brought Gray off the bench on Saturday?

This is a team in Dyche's image. His prints are all over it now.

And LLLDDDLDDLL is what you get for that.

If it wasn't for the mind-blowing incompetence at senior levels of the club, he'd be gone.

He must see that, at best, Harrison is playing on the wrong wing, that if Coleman and Patterson are fit enough for the bench, then they offer more at right-back than Godfrey.

If we persist in playing one man up front, then it needs more support than Doucoure arriving late. And did anyone notice that, for West Ham's third, we had Gomes standing on the halfway line as our sole defender.

I can't vouch if it's correct but I read somewhere that Onana turned down Arsenal at Xmas but whatever, he does make himself available to take a pass and we need to get others in midfield to do the same as invariably Onana's only ball is square or backward. With Gana out, it looks like Onana has been told to take on that midfield defensive role.

Perhaps Gomes should be alongside him as a player who can see a pass but then Mr Dyche has to work out who makes way for whom, and what tactics to use rather than just asking players to change positions in the same defensive first system.

Maybe Mykolenko could get forward more but would that be at the expense of leaving the opposition wide man (winger?) free? I tend to notice that, when he does get the ball in a forward wide position, he tends to look up to see who is where in the penalty box and, seeing little or nothing, tends to play it back and/or inside to McNeil. But if just crossing it into a penalty area almost devoid of attackers would seem an improvement, then it also falls under what seems our general tactics.

Having said that, we do seem in the last couple of games to look to play through midfield more in conjunction with the long ball which for me asks a lot more from the opposition.

But what to do about striking options? Get more men forward when we attack as, the more players that need marking, then the more space that should present itself.

And that's where Mr Dyche has to step up.

Tony @180, I said that years ago when Martinez was still our Manager. In my similar opinion, he was better suited to being a youth development coach. That's what I thought at the time.

Dyche even rolled the dice earlier than normal, and Dobbin got a run-out. I think it just proved why Dyche has kept to his favourite eleven starters. The only player that makes this team tick who is missing is Gana Gueye.

Watching Dominic Calvert-Lewin, I got the impression that he was sulking even when he got on the pitch. Could we be witnessing the player-power that has undermined many managers at our club?

The fellers Dyche has brought in are limited but they are busting a gut. Beto, Harrison, Garner, Tarkowski, McNeil, and even Young, who was rewarded with a cameo at his old stomping ground.

Doucoure tries his best for the guy who brought him out of the Lampard cooler. Godfrey is a poor footballer but he gives everything, thankful for his chance.

I detect a split in the camp. Pickford having a go at Tarkowski for the penalty, Dominic too busy sulking to see Dobbin's cross. The pressure on everyone is starting to have an effect. The time off will hopefully get them together again.

The problem was that the players we had were not capable of playing the way he wanted too. Okay, he should have made adjustments to his style of play when it became obvious that the players couldn't carry out his instructions.

With a much better squad, he would have been sucessful.

The simple fact with regard to our current plight is that the players with one or two exceptions are not good enough, we are creating chances but they can't find the net.

I don't see what Dyche can do to make the forwards and midfielders a more potent threat, they don't appear to have it in them.

Talk of sacking Dyche is dumb in my opinion.

"I don't see what Dyche can do to make the forwards and midfielders a more potent threat."

That's interesting because I absolutely can see what can be done. And it's not even my job.

I was watching Millwall the other week and when the crowd was getting very exasperated (Toxic Goodison on steroids), I suddenly realized I had seen exactly this same type of football before at Goodison, last season, and it never suited the players one little bit.

Joe Edwards was the Millwall manager, the same Joe Edwards, who Lampard headhunted to be his first team coach, and it suddenly dawned on me that you can't just go and get average footballers to adapt to this type of style, and it needs to be ingrained into a footballer in his younger years.

That's why I don't believe putting Martinez in such a massive role to build the academy up to become a success again would be kicking the can down the road, à la Bill Kenwright, although it sickens me when I think that the finest talent Everton have ever produced helped keep that self-centered man in charge for way too long.

Best club side I've ever seen was Guardiola's Barcelona. I'm sure that a lot of these players perfected the system and made it become perfect when they were younger players all coming through the club's famous academy.

Top to bottom, same system, so it is relatively seamless when players are asked to step up.

That Barcelona team was special. Guardiola is special. But I wonder what he does next? I know this is an Everton website, but I wonder too what Klopp's next move will be.

Bayern? With them trailing by 10 points to Liverpool's probable next manager, there will be a vacancy there.

German national team?

On Bayern, now there's a couple of decent managers. Tuchel and Nagelsmann.

Not that we are in a position to attract those types.

I posted last night that there were still good managers without jobs at the moment. The two you mentioned plus Hansi Flick, the ex Bayern and Germany manager.

Now I know we ain't in the best shape at the moment. But if we do get new owners and the new stadium round the corner, maybe one of them three might like a challenge.

"The pressure on everyone is starting to have an effect. The time off will hopefully get them together again."

Just keep them away from Chinese Restaurants, I hear that didn't end well last time.

What I would do doesn't matter. Though the fact is that I would do something. As opposed to our current manager who is changing nothing.

The statement you made was that you didn't see what Dyche could do to make our attackers more potent. He could opt to not have Calvert-Lewin chasing into corners – just tell him to save himself for key moments. He could opt to give a creative player a role – say Gomes for example. He could opt for full-backs who offer something going forward. He could release a midfielder from constantly being goal-side of the ball.

He could try any or some of those things at a cost of defensive stability.

At the moment, we are getting out pretty much what we put in. We don't invest much in attack, and we get little out of attack. We invest a lot into defence and we do pretty well in defence.

How much he's prepared to shift that balance and accept the consequences is for him to decide. At present, he's not changing it at all, which indicates he either really believes we're the unluckiest team in the league or he's actually comfortable with what he's getting from the team.

Personally, I don't think there's much room for improvement in our defensive record and there's a truckload of potential improvement in our attacking record. That would make me think that it's worth sacrificing some defensive responsibilities.

There is a great documentary on Pep on the Player: Chasing Perfection — well worth a watch.

It shows his drive, desire and, well, perfectionism. Sadly, it shines a bright light on just why we have failed. We never appear to have anyone with a quarter of his passion.

Stubbornness is probably one of the worst traits a person can have. It's a sign of weakness and unwilling to learn. It will, in the end, cost him his job.

"Personally, I don't think there's much room for improvement in our defensive record and there's a truckload of potential improvement in our attacking record. That would make me think that it's worth sacrificing some defensive responsibilities."

That's probably where you and Dyche disagree.

I get the impression he has the defence/attack balance right where he wants it – as tight as he can get it!

A little bit of good luck in the box is all that's lacking... turning just a couple of those pesky xGs into Gs.

At present he's not changing it at all, which indicates he either really believes we're the unluckiest team in the league or he's actually comfortable with what he's getting from the team.

But the point is, we could be more potent in attack. It's not as simple as the players being incapable. We'd need to roll the dice and sacrifice some things.

Personally I think it's well worthwhile. The players look completely demoralised - as I would if I was in a job where the skills I would prefer to be demonstrating (and honing) were basically limited by what was being requested of me by my manager.

The cars are bigger these days so the boot could accomodate a man over 6 feet.

I don't know what the answer is but, going by what I saw with my own eyes, Beto has got to start before Calvert-Lewin and Gomes has to start before Onana.

Luton at Bournemouth next but we can't expect Bournemouth to do us any favors after their poor showing against Sheffield Utd.

It's worth noting that, after us all moaning about penalties, we finally get one against the Hammers and it becomes the most abysmal attempt all season by anyone in the Premier League. Not surprisingly we somehow managed to lose the game anyway and then concede 2 penalties (not surprisingly) at Man Utd. Never rains but it pours.

I wouldn't fancy us against the Back Entry Diddlers on this form. (For those who read the Football Echo many years ago.)

I like Danjuma but the manager is closer to the players than we are and I'm willing to go with his judgement.

Even with the slump we are now in, we would be sitting in 14th, but for the 6-point deduction.

I just hope that we can put away some of the chances we are producing.

If a footballing master identified him, then he must have obviously been impressed by the player's footballing brain, and I agree James, it's about having belief, talent and drive, and the will to keep succeeding, whilst trying to continuously evolve.

I think it's something I understand, but that's the easy bit, the secret is making the players understand because nobody can go lazy when a team is trying to constantly pass the ball.

I also think Dyche is playing to players' strengths and the formation suits most players besides the lads at the top end of the pitch. You can see the improvement in overall performances are like chalk and cheese compared to the previous 2 seasons.

Calvert-Lewin will only ever score from crosses into the box. Beto looks similar.

What do fans genuinely expect from the team this season given the previous two relegation fights, the need to sell players like Cannon, Simms, Gray, Gordon and Richarlison?

Also, bringing in loan players from clubs that don't want them and players who aren't as good, or gambles on the likes of Beto and Chermiti.

I would have settled for Premier League survival.

Add to that the 6-point penalty, the uncertainty over another points deduction, the prolonged takeover, and total absence of owner.

I would bite your hand off for safety at all costs.

Dyche has been labeled on here the most negative manager in 45 years. Do people not remember the end of Walter Smith or yo-yo of negativity under Moyes???

Who in their right mind would manage a basket case like us, the ex-Bayern manager Naglesman? Potter, Loperteli? Unless they can agree to the same restrictions, there is no manager with even a half-decent reputation touching us.

Dyche is working under the worst conditions of any manager I can remember. We are currently out of the relegation zone. I am not sure I should expect much more.

https://youtu.be/vA_m_7bD-1k?si=YKk9m7XaLBP5a1cb

Yes, he scored a hat trick and the first was a great goal... but just watch the second goal. He turns his defender 3 ways and gambles on something that wasn't really ever a likelihood. And he gets a scruffy tap in for his efforts.

This was when he was told to stay between the width of the penalty area. Basically get involved in front of goal.

It's a striker who is still fresh at that point of the game and with the confidence to take a chance on the ball maybe arriving. That's how Lukaku played too – he saved himself so he was there for the key moments.

You compare that to the chance from Dobbin's cross (let's be generous and call it a cross). Calvert-Lewin was marked and eased away from the first ball across and, instead of going again, he turned away in disappointment and wasn't ready when the ball came back from Dobbin.

The lad is a shell at the moment and I can't blame him. He's been asked to chase everything, be the man winning headers against two centre-backs and then dropped because he's not also in the box, losing his markers and finishing with confidence. All while the rest of the team are placed a long way away from him launching diagonals.

It's an impossible task. He'll be back in the team soon enough because Beto won't be able to do it either!

As myself and others have said, this is Dyche's idea of balance.

And maybe there's a grand plan once we scrape into the Premier League again next season. But I seriously doubt that.

I really don't think that's an unreasonable level of expectation.

He is playing Godfrey instead, and it's obvious to everyone that Godfrey is not in the same class as Coleman. Even at 2-down on Saturday, he doesn't think to replace Godfrey with Coleman, but still manages to give Young, who is 2 years older than Coleman, some minutes on the pitch.

I was really pleased to see us adopt a high press at the start, and surely if you are going to play that system, you needed Coleman in that set-up.

I am amazed that he still picks Harrison every week, and he produces nothing; do you really believe if Leeds thought he was that good, they would let him go on loan, when they must have been desperate to keep their better players to help get promotion. After all we were supposed to be interested in Gnotto and they made sure we didn't get him.

When you go 11 games without a win, then the manager must take the responsibility, and for those who say "You can't blame Dyche for our players to miss so many chances", but I say you can.

This problem has been going on since the start of the season, and we still start with practically the same team and formation as we did back then.

For their 2nd penalty, Godfrey fouled Garnacho in the middle of the 18-yard box, and he was playing right-back? I can't fault Godfrey's effort, but it doesn't make sense.

As for Calvert-Lewin being blamed for not getting to Dobbin's cross, it was a shot, with too much pace on the ball, plucking at straws.

Ernie, I agree especially with Calvert-Lewin staying centrally. I think we are splitting hairs a bit as I just don't think this set of players are any better than those in the teams around us. We are a bottom 5 team.

I want to believe we are better than the position we are in but reality tells me something else. 11 games without a win isn't great but is still enough to be above the Bottom 3.

My expectations are at an all-time low, 4th from bottom will do for me this season.

The bit I disagree with is when you say that you can blame a man who is standing on the touchline for players missing chances out on the pitch. I'm not sure about that, Brian, and think it would be a lot easier to blame the manager if the team wasn't actually creating any chances.

My biggest concern on Saturday was our lack of real belief, lack of drive, and a genuine lack of composure. Although you could definitely blame the manager for some of those failings, I'm hoping the 3-week break allows the players to regain a bit of freshness, which I think has been taken away from us because of the way we have been treated by the authorities.

Coleman has been on the bench for the last 2 games; that tells me the player is fit, just that, for some strange reason, Dyche has decided not to use him.

Wonder what would have happened if he had done it against Man City, Chelsea and others? How did he get away with it?

Tony, there was no drive or belief on Saturday, our passing was awful and, at one stage, Doucouré couldn't even control the ball and it went out for a throw.

I believe that if Seamus had started our last two games we'd have got something from both.

At the moment our full-backs offer nothing.

The worst thing about the weekend was they were there to be beaten; a bit more craft, endeavour and composure we could have took all 3 points. With a bit of discipline in defence, 1 point was easily attainable.

Dyche is going nowhere soon, there's no one to sack him, no one to appoint a successor, no one to pick up the bill, and no one to negotiate with a new guy, so let's just support him!!!