Premier League — Matchweek 11

Rebecca and the lads on NBC prattling on about Edu leaving Arsenal... who cares? But it tweaked a long-buried memory from years back that Edu was going to be the world's greatest ever footballer who would blow everyone else away.

Thought I'd check to see if they were connected — and what did happen to Edu? Well, Wikipedia list at least 40 'Edu' footballers… so which one is it???

Brighton showing what can happen by not being frightened by Man City's reputation.

Man City have been frightened of Brighton for most of the second-half, Bill, and that's why they are now losing.

A bit of an Everton-like performance from City, take the lead and then sit deeper and deeper until the inevitable happens, albeit with far superior players to our lot.

Well I suppose once more supporters will be asking Where the hell do Brighton get their managers from?

I suppose the answer is, unlike Everton, they have people that understand the modern game.

Ah shite.

Salah would catch Doucouré if he gave him a 20-yard start.

That's where most of our problems lie: pace (or lack of it).

That was a very fast goal.

Bailly should have got a red, goal or not.

Villa playing right into their hands by throwing everyone up for corners and getting transitioned to death.

Do you mean Freddy Adu, Michael? The US wonderkid who flopped? It's not him.

The Edu who has just left Arsenal as DoF or similar is the left-footed midfielder who, I think, replaced Petit. He's credited with recruiting / assembling the squad which has got them back on track under Arteta.

What a block that was by Torres.

Watching the shite game with music on (Buddy Guy 60s Chess masters), I must say it's a delight not to listen to the commentators. I don't normally watch the Orcs but it's more palatable with music on.

Maybe it's the way forward when watching the Blues? Felt like using an ice cream scoop to remove my peepers this afternoon.

Bill, Hurzeler is doing well, that's true. But I suppose you could also say that Brighton are bearing the fruits of painstakingly building a squad through top-class scouting, statistical analysis adapted from the owner's betting business technology, youth development, use of an affiliate club in Belgium etc etc and then spending over £200M this summer.

I think if we'd done all of those things in recent years, we'd find it fairly straightforward to get ourselves a decent manager.

Robert.

This is a half-decent squad of players we've got now, we obviously need 2 full-backs and a half-decent striker who's a 1-in-3 goals-per-game man.

But other than that, there's some good young players here, Iroegbunam, Branthwaite, Ndiaye, Mangala – albeit on loan… I've not seen that much of Chermiti apart from the odd cameo but he may come good.

Dyche is wasting Ndiaye playing him out wide, he's a playmaker and would be better suited playing just behind the strikers. Yes, because a new coach might possibly play the thing that Sean would have nightmares about: playing 2 up top from the off.

It's the manager who needs changing and the system tweaking because, believe me, these players aren't as bad as some make out.

Under Dyche, we've got to believe there's 3 worse teams, fortunately there's 2 in Ipswich and Southampton… who that other is, god only knows.

Brighton have shown that it doesn't take years and years to get a structure in place. It takes getting a good manager in and a brilliant scouting system and teaching them how to pass, move, pass, move, pass, move, shoot, score, press.

It's honestly not that hard, and it's not something that takes years. You are talking about coaching professional athletes some basic skills which many already have otherwise they wouldn't have made it so far already.

I'd wager if, for example, we had Eddie Howe managing some of these players we have now, we'd be a far far more adventurous football team and you'd see Ndiaye, McNeil, Harrison, Calvert-Lewin prosper more than we are now.

Harrison under Bielsa, Kalvin Phillips under Bielsa – two prime examples of a good manager getting hold of players and maximizing them.

Dyche is the most basic of basic football managers. A negative pragmatist that, at the age of what, 54, is unlikely to ever change his mantra now.

He falls into the Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis, Mark Hughes school of thinking. As long as he doesn't lose thats all that matters.

Every game Everton win is like a non-league team in the FA Cup shocking a higher-ranked team, it shouldn't really happen and we should be eternally grateful for when it does happen and all hail the Messiah we have in charge for making it happen.

Jim #15,

I think (hope) some of the building blocks are already in place or getting there at least. We've begun recruiting more heavily at age 15 to 17 - players like Clarke, Loney, Graham and Gomez. We've beefed up our scouting in Scandinavia as a reliable low-cost market. It's a start.

Ipswich 2 up at Spurs !!!!

We need Spurs to come through for us in the second half.

Ipswich have gone away to Spurs, not shit themselves.

And are winning 2-0!

Need to follow Liam's idea and play some Junior Kimbrough or RL Burnside. Richy for the comeback.

Richarlison injured unfortunately.

Spurs, one back.

Damn, goal disallowed.

I've got Spurs in last man standing today…

Of course they are shitting the bed, for fuck's sake!

Thanks Kevin, I'm watching from the kitchen barely awake.

Alright then.

Spurs one back again!!

This one's standing this time, game on!

If Man Utd score again, I believe we go above Leicester City.

Not much time left though.

Funny how we can never go to a tough away ground and get a win.

I think our aggregate score against Spurs away over the last 4 matches is 18-0.

Think Ange might be looking for a new job after that defeat.

Not really funny, Daniel.

One word is all it comes down to.

Belief.

That's because we never go away with the intention to win.

A draw or get lucky appears to be Dyche's only tactic.

Dog eat dog at the bottom. Three from seven to go down.

I still believe it will be the three promoted sides that will get relegated come May.

Forest looked weak to me. Barcodes deserved the win. Curse of manager and player of the month strikes again!

Ruuds brought a smile back into Old Trafford – an outside shout for next Everton manager? We'd keep hold of Branthwaite if that happened.

Spurs doing a "Spurs that!". Arsenal will win to rub it in now.

Watching Chelsea v Arsenal, with the commentary on, which is highly unusual for me, and the constant interruptions from Mike Dean are so annoying, why do we need a former referee in the comms team?

Spit the dog is bad enough, but Mike Dean??

Mike Dean is a tit, Fred.

How many leads has Arteta now lost?

I really don't get the praise he gets with the backing he's had. Tactically inept and his game management is questionable.

As Paul Ferry mentioned on one of the match day threads yesterday, some managers do hold their hands up and say so in public, when results or performances are not deemed good enough.

When asked about the reasons for their inconsistency, Postecoglou told BBC Sport: "It's just down to me. I'm not getting consistent performances from the players.

"It's something I need to address. I'm the person in charge so that's usually the way it goes.

"I take responsibility when their performances don't meet the levels that they should."

How long do Evertonians have to wait for a 'good' weekend or even a good football day this season? Every set of fixtures seems to end in a plethora of good news for our Nay Bores.