The First Twelve Steps

Tue 3 Dec – Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)
Sat 7 Dec – Liverpool (h)
Sat 14 Dec – Arsenal (a)
Sat 21 Dec – Chelsea (h)
Thur 26 Dec – Manchester City (a)
Sun 29 Dec – Nottingham Forest (h)

Wed 2 Apr – Liverpool (a)
Sat 5 Apr – Arsenal (h)
Sat 12 Apr – Nottingham Forest (a)
Sat 19 Apr – Manchester City (h)
Sat 26 Apr – Chelsea (a)

The likelihood of ending our time at Goodison with relegation is frighting. If we keep Dyche, then I think we are heading for the Championship. Hopefully we can stay up by the skin of our teeth, but with Dyche that seems more and more unlikely.

What do you think has been the biggest problem so far? Injuries? Weak tactics? Something else? A combination?

And do we have the players available to deliver the tactics you describe against Brentford? And if so what does the First XI look like?

However I conjure up the First XI, most weeks there's often a square peg in a round hole or poor unreliable players in a few positions.

Or was it really, as I first thought, a subtle recipe for some Twelve-Step Programme to get us off the addiction that has us spiralling headlong toward the doom?

Unless we miracle up better players, results and performances will continue as is and we can only pray we snaffle enough points to avoid the Bottom 3.

That's it.

I don't see Dyche being sacked before the new owners take over, and couldn't call if they'll do the deed before the end of his contract. I fully expect TFG to make a statement manager signing in the summer, absolute latest.

The question is: How much they will back Dyche or another manager in the coming transfer window?

No wonder it is all going wrong…

His system has two full-backs who never venture forward and overlap, we have Ndiaye totally wasted on the left spending most of the game covering our left-back. He'd be excellent as a No 10 beside Calvert-Lewin, but Dyche prefers Doucoure there, whose first touch is awful.

I can't understand why he leaves Dom totally isolated with two defensive midfielders covering our back four. We play everything through the middle and no crosses from the wings, our game plan is so rigid and defensive.

Since the introduction of five subs, we have done nothing whatsoever to take advantage of the opportunities this presents.

I have always said that Dyche's weaknesses were his team selection and in-game management.

For a start we did not recruit any full-backs (a major mistake) which could have been down to the board or Thelwell but nevertheless a big mistake while paying £17M for a centre-back who is yet to play any part in the first team.

Then we leave our $100M defender on the bench for 2 games for no other reason than favoritism.

Having 2 goalkeepers on the subs rota instead of taking the opportunity of grooming the youngsters.

Having players run their balls off chasing shadows and then leaving them on the pitch when it is obvious to everyone that they are running on empty.

There are very few players in the world who can continue to chase the ball with only 30% possession for 90 minutes and not get knackered and/or disillusioned.

Yes, we have had injuries to contend with but so have every other club.

It has been thoroughly discredited with several taking the 'first I heard of that' exit. Join them and be reasonable. There are plenty of sound criticisms one can direct at Dyche, that isn't one of them.

If it was at the expense of someone with a faint hope of getting on the pitch, I could see the point. Or if it was at the expense of giving a prospect some match-day experience – but we had Bates and Armstrong for that.

As you say, plenty to criticise Dyche for but don't understand the fixation with things that are either not real or don't matter in the slightest.

That's why I'm genuinely interested in Gonzalo's take on the tactics – because these do matter and Dyche is accountable for that.

If Dyche was capable of changing his tactics and actually going out to win the game, we would have a good chance as their defence can be a bit shaky.

I would be impressed to see the “pace” of McNeil, who is a skilful player, but I would hardly classify him as a speed merchant and the fact that Calvert-Lewin is seen as our primary attacking threat says it all! Even allowing for the poor service he gets, he misses far too many chances.

With a brain transplant for Dyche and discovering how to score goals for Calvert-Lewin, we would have a good chance, but I don't believe either will happen.

I'd love us to win and win well but, with this manager, I don't believe it's going to happen. He needs to go – sooner rather than later. Leaving it till his contract runs out is just too risky.

Hope I am proved wrong, but another frustrating day looks to be on the cards. We are so predictable.

Also, given our style of play has many outfield players running on gas towards the end, it would be more prudent to have outfield subs available and every bit of exposure the young players can get will help their development.

That's my opinion and the basis for it anyway.

As for the root of the problem, I think it's a combination of factors. As I like to say, an illness doesn't arise from a single cause, but from the sum of its symptoms. In Everton's case, this includes ineffective or overly weak tactics, poor decision-making by the players, and, unfortunately, injuries. As far as tactics go, Dyche might consider options or alternatives in his system, but it's clear he won't, as he's quite set in his ways of seeing football.

The question, however, is aimed at me. If my objective is to avoid relegation, then we should focus on grinding out draws, as it's better than losing matches. A 5-3-2 formation is very defensive, but given we have a fair number of defenders and that our wingbacks and wingers aren't explosive, this setup might help us control games better. In my opinion, this formation is also effective for launching counter-attacks. Of course, it has its drawbacks, such as leaving the flanks vulnerable or creating congestion in midfield, but shifting from a 5-3-2 to a 3-5-2 in attack might—or might not—prove effective.

In the hypothetical case where all players are at 100%, my ideal XI would be: Pickford; Coleman, Keane (Yes, I can imagine what you'll say), Jarred, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Doucouré, Garner or Mangala; Calvert-Lewin and Beto. I know this formation is extremely defensive, so another alternative could be a 4-1-2-1-2 or even a 4-4-1-1, including McNeil and Ndiaye. However, I'd go on forever if I got into more detail.

As for the matter of having two substitute keepers or not, on my side of the pond, it's seen more as a tradition to keep, or rather as an odd superstition. If you ask me, one substitute keeper is enough (and if it were up to me, none), but as I said before, you never know.

I'm more for including a youngster in the squad even if it's just to experience a 40,000 crowd and if time on the pitch is only when we are a couple of goals in front... Oh, hang on, Bournemouth scuppered that, didn't they?

Even then it seems odd to remove Ndiaye and Lindstrom- our most talented attackers from the line up. Especially Ndiaye who is the one bright spark.

Nuno Espirito Santos would do a variation as a 5221. McNeil and Garner (maybe Patterson) would be wing backs - but 2 in midfield as anchors and a front 3 of Lindstrom, Ndiaye and one big centre forward.

Your 532 / 5221 etc might be the best way to get some much needed width and crosses though.

I'm not phased by having two keepers on the bench. It's a modern thing in football. A lot of clubs do it, we're not unique in that respect.

I believe that clubs can name up to 9 subs and make 5 changes. So it's highly unlikely we would use the goalkeepers unless in extremis, but they are involved in the squad, and if you watch the warm ups, play an important part.

No match report from me this week. A dull affair between two teams that cancelled each other out.

I did have a good day out in the East End. We could have won it, should have won it, but failed to take our chances yet again.

Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Sunday with family. Then with the Chelsea Pensioners yesterday with my cousins and Chelsea supporting mates. They seemed intrigued by me as my cousin introduced me as "he's a Scousers, supports Everton, but he's my cousin"!!

Great company and Pie and Mash!!!

Onto Brentford, which we can win.

It would be brilliant if Dyche could sit in his office and have a “eureka” moment, solving all our problems, though I doubt that will happen.

Stu - In 1910, it was essential reading at the Allardyce and Dyche Football Academy, Boreham Hall, near the village of Crudd in darkest Bognor.

Your suggested line up is indeed negative. It should enable a side to control a game in theory but it just encourages your opponents to pin you back and hunt you down high up the pitch.

It only works if you have a sparkling No 10 or super fast wingers. Under Silva it worked sometimes but he also had combative forwards like Richarlison in the mix. We don't have them but could try deploying McNeil, Lindstrom and Ndiaye in a capacity behind Calvert-Lewin or Beto.

Totally off topic but respect, and I note your age at 53 so born in 1974. I'm staggered by the detail of your recollection of games you must have watched between the age of about 7 or 8 (1982) through to 16 (1990) especially given the number of games you must have invested in over the years from then up til now to fog your memory.

I was in my 20s in those years and really struggle with remembering details, even names etc. (And my memory is good btw, before we get any comics commenting!) So as I say, respect… (Or do you watch a lot of old footage? lol)

When I've spent time away, I've had to rely on watching when I could, or just getting a crackled message over the radio from the lads to pass me the result.

Funnily enough I was watching Porstmouth mainly back then (Mick Trebilcock among others). My Dad (RN) was stationed at HMS Collingwood then before his early passing that same year, and we moved back up to the Wirral.