Blues squander tremendous lead allowing three late goals in catastrophic collapse

With apologies to Meat Loaf.

Other teams bring in recruits who go straight in the side, why are we different?

Unbelievable! 😱

People giving Thelwell credit for his signings, I'm not too impressed so far.

It's one notch up from selecting everyone based on their defensive work.

He has his favourites I suppose.

Same old Coleman, Keane, Harrison, McNeil.

Hope I'm wrong.

Bring Garner on for Coleman and O'Brien for Keane.

Holgate not on our bench anymore is a win.

UTFTs — 2-0 to the Mighty Blues.

The bench looks a lot stronger this time too. I thought Garner played well on Tuesday but looked rusty and not back to full fitness and sharpness; I imagine he will get some minutes in the second half.

If Young was in the starting line-up I'd have lost it big time. He shouldn't even be in the squad.

This is his last season for me. He's successfully navigated the chaos but we need to progress and we'll never progress with this guy. We need a straight-talking manager with balls!

1-1.

Or am I a lemon for considering such a thing?

The difference with someone who is prepared to receive, hold and run with the ball is massive.

I'm not surprised (it is Dyche) with the rest of the selection and I'm in the camp of play O'Brien so he can learn rather than Keane who will not improve and should never be a starter.

Would love a clean sheet and I'd accept 0-0 right now. But this is the Premier league, we seem to concede the first goal far to often which does my nut so I'll hope for a 2-1 win.

Hopefully Dom is now fully focused and fit.

Refreshing to go into half time actually looking forward to the second half.

I thought Harrison (8th minute) might have shot instead of trying to find Calvert-Lewin and Gana seems to have forgotten not to lean back when he tries a shot.

I just hope we can keep this up and I've not seen any figures but this must be one of the few games when we have had more possession. All we need now is a goal which might just break them into pushing more men forward leaving gaps at the back as there seems to be plenty in midfield.

Brave, attacking football.

Great Stuff.

For Bournemouth!

Only one team in it.

What an absolute fucking joke we are.

I hate being an Evertonian so much.

Why? Why? Why?

Again, poor in-match management ruined all the previous good work.

Now tell me Dyche is the man for the moment as the look on his face said it all — he cocked up and he knew it!

Work on fitness? Obviously not. Set pieces? Clearly not? Finishing practice? ha!

I am tired of the "we have no money" malarkey too because other teams pay less for players (fees and wages) and get more from them. Other teams also know how to manage crap players to be stubborn defenders. What exactly do we have to offer?

For 40 years, I've followed this shit show joke of a manager.

Cruising in the game, then he takes off our best 2 players. He ain't got a fucking clue.

No way on this earth should we have lost that with less than 20 minutes left. All the good work we had done and the useless bastard screws it up.

Pack your bags, Dyche, your time is up, you fucking muppet!

There were obvious changes. But he didn't have the stones to make them.

He'll blame "experienced professionals making mistakes" and bad luck. Maybe he'll even go back to xG.

Why was it when they got one back you knew they'd go on to win it.

I wonder what dyche will come out with after this one.

Why take off the main conduit from defense to attack??

Does anyone else understand the logic of taking off the only pace and presence up front in the side? Mind-boggling.

The move to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock cannot come quick enough, new ownership cannot come quick enough, and new management cannot come quick enough.

Dyche should have shored up the midfield, brought on Garner and O'Brien, and shut up shop. Especially at 2-1. Just manage the fucking game.

That was in my top five low points of supporting Everton. Fucking rock bottom. Fuck you, Everton.

His reliance on old past-it players his inability to read a need for subs, his cowardly lack of risk with youngsters or new faces is the reason he will never be nothing more than a Championship level manager.

Fuck off, Dyche.

I have never been one to complain give or take the odd Kenwright, Holgate, Davies, Walker, HKIII, Earl Barrett, Stuart Barlow, Steve Walsh, Koeman, most referees, etc but Dyche is to blame for the fact his teams (not just Everton) are never fit and ready for a new season and always start terribly. That is a direct result of his summer preparations. He is also responsible for picking the team, determining tactics and making subs. None of these things have been done correctly. He is just an old school loud mouth, hit and hope, try hard with no courage or imagination.

It's early, but I don't see us climbing out of the bottom three this season.

An embarrassment of a club to be associated with on all fronts.

I'm not hearing again how this team can't play any football. It's the coaching, and it's the selection that does that.

But the players will know. They will know in their souls that they have disgraced themselves today

Negatives - I want to kill myself. And Dyche.

We won't come back from this today for a while.

We've nobody at the top to make changes, the club is toxic from top to bottom and won't change until we are sold

Clearly whatever was going on in that skinhead's excuse for a brain was something along the lines of:
"We've had a really good game attacking, totally dominant. Let's take off the best player and go into completely defensive mode because we've got by far the worst defence in the division at the moment."

Next door's cat would be an improvement on Dyche.

I was going to post my own comment, but you beat me to it.

Ok, we're 2-0 and still looking dangerous at the 75th minute but legs are fading (NB I thought Ndiaye still looked OK energy wise.)

So, why not pull off Gana for Garner as the former's legs seemed to be slowing, and ease Jimmy back for 15+ minutes whilst not under pressure?

If still OK which we were, why not bring off Tarks, to rest his legs and bring on JO'B next to Seamus to help him out. This at the 80th minute and give him time on the 'real' grass.

Lastly, when he pulled off Ndiaye on the 83rd minute, play Lindstrøm who needs the minutes (he would have got 7+ mins) and he is more effective at keeping the pressure on Bournemouth; PLUS #10 is Lindstrøm's best position!

I know hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but Jezuuz on a bike Sean, why are you so fixated on an unchanging narrative that you don't know how to try and chase a draw or win from a losing position, and he just does not 'see' what is actually unfolding on the pitch!?

Does Stone or Woan not see the game any differently?

I suppose the story of Sean attending the Monday or Tuesday debriefs with KT and the sports stattos, being told what was good or bad, and then walking out and ignoring everything he has just been fed-back, must have more than a single element of truth to it?

The real kicker is, he (Sean) is still what is required at the club, i.e. stability and a calm head.

My reality is though, that we could not afford to pay him off due to a) the cost, and b) it narrows the gap in the PSR calculations too much, and finally c) have we a replacement lined up?

Until a takeover occurs, we are standing still...

Like they say in F1 all the time, if you stand still, in reality you're going backwards at an exponential rate of knots!!

All their goals came from crosses not being dealt with, what the fuck Pickford was doing for their third - who knows but defensively we were an absolute shambles.

When they scored their first, I think most Evertonians seen this coming.

We were under pressure and Dyche and the players should have "game managed" Bournemouth - no fucking clue, I'm fucking fed up and sick of it.

Dyche has to go lads.

"I'm not hearing again how this team can't play any football. It's the coaching, and it's the selection that does that."

You nailed it right there...

BUT, IF Sean does go, when and how? No money, no leadership, still too close to the PSR line, no clue...

I mean, then you have the flipside Sean and Co have gone; then who comes in?

I'm not saying there isn't anybody out there, but who can we afford and who would want to come? (unless it is for a pension top-up or pay-day bonanza?)

I would really like to see what Corberan at WBA would do here, but, he just signed Holgate, so I need to see how he uses him, before I'd ask him here...

I called it in play and I'm sure I wasn't alone.

The game wasn't won and he put it back in the balance. Garner, Dixon and Lindstrom were very obvious subs. The one thing he couldn't do was sub Doucoure in for Ndiaye. Even Doucoure into the midfield would have been better.

We desperately needed those points. We needed some confidence. It wasn't the time to revert to the crap we are so used to under Dyche.

But "there's no money". But "I deal in reality". Bullshit. Dyche has successfully set the expectations so incredibly low that he can't fail in some people's eyes. He's a conman. We pay midtable wages - you can play some kind of football with the players that we have.

Don't tell me it's a Ginger one !

Nah, couldn't be any worse than the Ginger Jodrell Banker !

He can stick his finger where the sun don't shine.

Yes the players have to manage the game out but this was all down to dyche imho.

No need to bring ndiaye or dcl off but fresh legs in middle and first sub should have been jake O'brien for gana and switched to a 451 and bring on Dixon for seamus and lindstrom for Harrison but no, someone chose not too and for an ex defender that is criminal.

I and most will appreciate what he has done for the club past 2 seasons but time to get rid and bring someone like Potter or Moyes or even some young up ans coming coach as if we stick with dyche sure as eggs are eggs we will get relegated.

Try and enjoy what we have left of your weekend fellow blues 💙

It's all about him, he made the end of the game about him. He's a small minded. Thatcher loving, myopic bell-piece.

80 minutes of flowing football probably left him in a tizz and Barney and Fred Flinstone next to him don't help either.

Just another historic day at Everton.

We have some good players who just need to be coached better and have a manager who's tactically astute and flexible.

I meant hindsight as in my opinion as a view from myself. Yes, in game as usual Harrison (who had his best game this season) had run his legs off, Gana was puffed as per (but he put his all in and age is no friend to an EPL player), Seamus was Seamus and his legs were going (Iirc didn't their first goal goal come from their left our right?), and Tarks was starting to look laboured and was slowing (he's obviously still carrying a niggle)

With Jack and Seamus both blowing, maybe a double switch of Garner for Jack and Roman for Seamus?

Gana, if Jimmy G wasn't going on the RW then swap them out or put Doucs in there.

Then play Jake O'B for 10 minutes and rest Tarks and let his injury settle. Keane up until the first goal was playing fairly well I thought and I think between him and Seamus could have coached Jake IF Seamus stayed on.

Anyway, as you say Ernie, we could see it, and I never played football past Saturday League; and I don't have access to stats and get paid a few quid for doing the management job... Pretty much like thousands of over Toffee's; if we can see it, then why can't Sean Ian and Steve?

I'm glad I've just put a fresh pot (of tea) on!

Keep possession, draw the fouls, kill the game. Go 5 at the back if you need to.

An easy three points thrown away. Takes off our main threat, when it was obvious that mcneil was contributing little, tim iroegbunam was done.

Put obrien on for the weird sub, and added Garner on to maintain possession.

Instead we are done on our feet, playing aimless balls to beto. Losing our shape with Gana bombing on. Piss poor defending for the goals, but it could all have been helped if that wooden manager could of reacted to their FIVE SUBS.

Putting aside the unsurprisingly poor substitutions, one has to wonder how a manager engenders such fear, confusion and fragility into a team that they can completely fall apart this way.

It's like he engineered it.

He reminds me of such as Mick McCarthy, to whom negative, dull, industrial football is overtly worn like a badge of pride and strutted like it's the peak of professionalism.

This today, was a fucking disgrace. The epitome of how not to operate a team.

. if you don't laugh etc

At least we can't say that under Dyche the records don't get broken all the time!

Largest ever PSR points deduction in EPL history (later amended to second largest and not Sean's fault, but under his watch)

Longest ever winless run in the EPL and second longest in a 145 year history. (Longest, 14 games, 1937)

Only team to lose by 3 or more goals and lose first two games in EPL history.

Now, as Steve above says;

"We are the first club in Premier League history to have lost a game when holding a two-goal advantage in the 87th minute."

Got smile Sean. you are a serial Record Breaker...

The recipe for another gruelling relegation battle.

I bet the thought process of our manager was as follows;

First time it happens... [SD] "They got lucky there..."

Second time it happens... [SD] "That's a bit of a coincidence, haven't we just seen that?"

Third time... [SD] "Why can't the players sort it out! They've got bags of EPL experience and are Dyche-fit after all! Bl00dy idiot players..!"

An abstract and tragic lesson in PeePoor ingame-management!

Maybe the only good thing to come from all this, the FA may use this game as a training aid for their coaching courses in how not to manage a game..?

"A cracking example of why demanding substitutions is not the answer some seem to think."

Oh, I don't know, maybe how about making substitutions where and when needed, rather than pulling off your two main attackers, one of whom is the best player who still had legs and was still causing Bournemouth problems in the 83rd minute...

I am for calling out people who 'demand' detrimental suggestions for subs, but... come on Barry, you've got to acknowledge that today Sean blundered, or panicked or maybe both?

Totally fucked up.

What's all this with him and smells?

You miss the point ie no substitution guarantees improvement or even continuation of the same it is a monumental gamble particularly with the squad we have.

He's gone. He's never coming back. He milked his luvvy boss for every penny he could get and then buggered off to Man U to please old whisky breath, his mentor.

There are so many progressive managers out there. Young and ambitious but some of you can't see any further than that Neanderthal. For fucks sake, why not get fat Sam back as well?

Apologies if said already repeatedly

Dyche is a thick manager (that's as kind as I can be)

…. bringing off the two players with 5 minutes to go who were stopping Bournemouth getting the ball was insanity

No game management

Cowardly capitulation

I agree that at the moment he has a newly assembled (in the main) squad with several players injured, some players with age reducing their previous skills and abilities, and a couple of U21 graduates.

In that context, he is locked in between a rock and hard place.

Agreed, in order for him to make a substitution he has to have either faith in the sub to be able to match the on-field players performance, or recognise that a player is too fatigued to contribute, or lastly a player is not performing to his (Sean's) standard.

Based on the bench today and those points outlined above (NB Those aren't every point a sub should be made e.g. a tactical change is required etc etc)

In my personal opinion, as a highly experienced manager with bags of EPL experience and knowledge, years of a playing career, and having a former England International as part of his coaching staff in Woan and Stone, do they actually add anything to the in-game management; or does Sean go it alone?

One thing I don't notice much, but I don't attend live matches, is does he have a fitness coach monitoring the players stats telling him, that 'so and so' is either pooped or OK, is it even part of his decision making process or does he rely on his eyes and nose to decide who or whom to sub?

I just feel he doesn't trust the bench, nor does he seek scientific and professional assistance during a game.

OK, his job, his neck and his decision, but... come on Sean in this day and age there are so many in game indicators and metrics that he should know from the players training what he can do with the bench.

As I said five years ago (on these pages), when I watched the first day training video re BMI and Body Fat testing, Everton are stuck in the 80's for fitness techniques and measurements.

I've no great expectation that anything has changed and that what was once state of the art at Finch Farm hasn't been kept up to date due to the club's financial constraints.

This in turn means that the players are not prepared enough for the ever changing and progressing demands of the EPL.

Q.E.D. See the last two season's starts...

Football is unpredictable of course but surely Dyche of all managers should know how to protect a two goal lead with 3 minutes to go.

Terribly damaging result to take into the international break. Dyche needs to turn it around sharply but Villa away will be very tough and pointless after 4 games is a bad look.

I think today the manager did have the options to lessen the likelihood of fatigue being a big factor at the end of the game; he didn't take them and we have paid the price.

Serious misjudgement in my opinion and worrying that it didn't seem to be on his mind when he did his post-match interview.

It would be really interesting to see the average number of substitutes each manager makes. The weak bench argument shouldn't hold sway when you are still getting players up to full fitness or looking to protect players from over-use.

Some of the garbage he spouts is laughable but not in the amusing sense. Maybe it's something to do with him always tugging on the end of his nose during games.

Horrible, arrogant, intransigent, out of his depth, blameless, out of date, up his own arse, delusional idiot. You'll probably have guessed by now I'm not his biggest fan. Just get him gone.

Some players were knackered well before Bournemouth started their comeback. Most of the crowd could see that but the man who makes the decisions didn't… bleedin' incredible.

Some things are more important than football… in fact, most things are more important than football. Congratulations on the birth of your new grandson.

"In that context, he is locked in between a rock and hard place."

And that's the top and bottom of it: Dyche lacks game changers anywhere in the squad. We still rely on aged full-backs who wouldn't get a game anywhere else in the Premier League and in that context, substitutions (always a gamble) are even more dangerous here.

Trouble is, for those venting, it is the answer, the holy grail this "game management" caper is as easy as making some subs. Today has shown that to be bollocks.

I know you know Sean personally; do you, in your opinion, feel that the pressure around the club (ie, the off-field issues we all know about) is having some effect on Sean's managerial abilities?

At times, from what I've seen watching the games on the TV, he is currently mostly showing exasperation, or confusion, and today, even anxiety in a winning position?

He wasn't doing this last season?

Maybe his contract position and the club's ownership position are finally getting to him?

I'd respect your thoughts on the matter.

Good wishes Dave

Simply put, I agree wholeheartedly.

Many congrats on the birth of the Grand-son. I hope Mother and Baby are healthy and well, and that Dad is coping too...

Good wishes Mike.

Dyche undermined the team and let them down with his disastrous in-game mismagement. And he puts the sole blame on the team. It's never his fault.

If you take off the one player that frightened the opposition and the one player who can hold the ball up, you make it harder to play in their half.

If you stick with two midfielders who are palpably tiring, they're going to retreat and end up playing in our half.

Something is clearly wrong with our defending and I don't believe it's just down to Branthwaite's absence.

Dyche is entitled to expect players to manage the game better. We're entitled to ask why he made it harder for them.

Nobody's really running this club at the moment. Nobody's holding the team management accountable. If there was, there'd be a few people losing their jobs tonight.

You can't give Dyche shit for going defensive when in the lead, like many in here have in the past, then give him shot for not going defensive today.

The players, particularly the back 4 and gana need to take responsibility. It's their job, see out the game, knock it round, waste time, draw fouls and yeah just hoof it away.

I'm absolutely baffled.
Dyche could and should have made more changes, they had more energy at the end and it told.
He can't blame this on no money to spend !

Give it a rest. Which idiot would want to come to Everton?

We've had an awful start to the season and the players also need to take some responsibility. Dyche is no magician but he's no fool either.

The situation will not change until we get new owners. Replacing the manager at this stage won't change anything, and it isn't gonna happen anyway.

Change the record, it's getting boring.

He may be dead but, if the players walked in the dressing room and saw his decaying remains, it would spark some kind of reaction.

I'd have a go at rebuffing your post except you very successfully do it yourself in your last paragraph.

Barry is giving it the ‘Only I can truly see' treatment again.

"Barry, of course there is an element of gambling with any substitution"

So it can't be the simple answer many seem to think. Well done for catching up.

Imagine being a Leicester fan after Maddison chipped that vital penalty into Pickford's hands in the season we stayed up at their expense! But you can't help feeling depressed tonight.

Dyche made a catastrophic decision to take Ndiaye off. He alone was capable of keeping Bournemouth on the back foot. We had no outlet after he and Calvert-Lewin were taken off.

I'm not saying sack the manager but I am (now) very worried that his ‘distrust' of using ‘unproven' players is excessive and too restrictive.

Care to respond to that or are you happy just to stick labels on other posters?

Bournemouth were never in the game and they can be thankful the score wasn't 6-0 or 7-0. Bring on the Villa!

I don't understand why are we not substituting enough when we have players on the bench. So many players tired and just gave up at the end.

Total lack of professionalism and sense of game management. You don't need a manager to teach you how to see out a game which you are winning.

Are the fans ever going to feel proud or just live in the past? Rock bottom today as a fan!

Any sport changes massively from the players point of view when the amount of substitutions grows.

I don't think Dyche (or you) has yet fully factored that into his risk assessment.

How obvious does it need to be? We need the ownership issue resolved first. You could bring Carlo Ancelotti back and I doubt he'd do much better than Dyche with this squad. (Okay, I wouldn't've expected him to lose that game from 2-0 up today.)

Dyche's reliance on his old stagers is irritating to say the least, but for 80-odd minutes we played well today, that was also down to Dyche.

The lack of balance amongst the negative posters here is a bit of a joke. Have a moan by all means, but be realistic for fuck's sake.

Why take off Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin, who were coasting, but Doucoure and Beto coming on didn't make sense. Coleman and Gueye were knackered, as was Tarkowski. O'Brien, Dixon right-back, and Garner to shore up midfield.

The Bournemouth manager definitely outsmarted Dyche. Instead of sitting pretty in the table, we're rock bottom because of Sean.

Coleman, Iroegbunam and Harrison were fucked and he couldn't see it. He replaces the best two players we had on the pitch who didn't look tired and put Doucoure as a Number 10 again when he's useless there and not a threat.

James Garner should have been brought on to tighten and keep hold of the ball. He won't bring McNeil off — as if putting him back on the wing is gonna offer you anything — he's useless there and better as the 10.

There is talk that Dyche doesn't see O'Brien being better than Keane; if that is the case, why buy him? But for a defence to concede 10 goals in 3 games… something isn't right.

However, we still need him out.

Potter or Carsley anyone?

There must be somewhere a publication called Game Management or something like that. The manager should seek it out as a matter of some urgency following that performance this afternoon. He should read it diligently and learn it off by heart.

He should then get his team (if you can call them that) together (whilst he has still got a team) and make sure that they are as familiar with every word as he is as there is absolutely no excuse in this world for the dismal capitulation we saw from them in such a short space of time.

To be honest, it wasn't unexpected though. We have seen signs of it coming in previous matches; however, it was particularly galling to see it after we had started and performed well in the second half until the substitutions were made. Why make them as there was no need to do so?

I think he has done a decent job in difficult circumstances since he started… but today he deserves all the crap that will be thrown his way.

Your point falls down for the obvious reason you can see how the existing players are performing; with subs, you have no idea till they get on.

In that respect, the risk is clearly higher.

What a load of bollocks. That team were in full control today by playing for each other. As the game progressed, they started to believe in each other and found a way.

Dyche utterly fucked the momentum. He walked into a party and quite simply turned off the stereo and got his banjo out.

He is damaging the confidence of these players. Get Potter now. I don't want to read in a few days time about how Dyche deserves this or he has done really well or the usual diatribe of "He was handed a terrible hand."

He came to us with eyes wide open. He needs sacking asap. Not the players… him!

I've thought for a while either Coleman or Tarkowski are shit Captains — simply not vocal enough and are too weak with either teammates and referees as well.

I'm assuming they are still speechless and in total shock.

Did you see his face today he was smiling all over, none of that dour hang-dog look. I think he may have found the answer to his supply line problem. Now he has so many options, it is up to him to get on the end of them and put them in the onion bag.

I also believe that the fans' tribute to Super Kev will also have left an impression on this fellow centre-forward. I think he will stay for his own accolades.

“Dyche utterly fucked the momentum. He walked into a party and quite simply turned off the stereo and got his banjo out.”

Take a bow, Mark, that sums today's last 10 minutes in a nutshell and made me laugh so loud it's cheered me up!

Substitute 'dick' for 'banjo' and it still couldn't be funnier.
Brilliant mate — take a bow!

As for the team — fcuk em! Until next week, natch…

Shaun (201), have you played the game? Do you recognise the terms ‘fatigue' or ‘gassed'?

Any sports player will understand that, when you hit your physical limits, even the basics become beyond you.

Same to Peter Hodgson. The answer was no subs at all?
Is this when people talk about their wages as if it should guarantee they are undefeatable?

Doucouré is done. He did nothing after coming on. Bournemouth had 5 subs on before we made 1. We looked tired on 80 minutes and they started to run us off the park with their fresh legs.

He could have made a bunch of substitutions to break up their momentum and taken the sting out of the game, lifting the crowd by bringing on the other 2 new boys. He didn't because he has no balls.

All the goals coming down Coleman's side. He can't do 90 minutes. Fresh legs should have come on when it was still 2-0. Totally threw that away. On another day we win that comfortably with better game management.

Potter couldn't tie his shoelaces at Chelsea. So how long do you think he'd last at Everton in this atmosphere?

Have a word with yourself, mate.

It doesn't even shock me anymore though.

Spineless bunch that runs right throughout this football club.

Long before we had sunk this low.

Are you honestly saying no-one can predict who is more likely to be over-run due to fatigue in the last 10 minutes of a 90-minutes-plus game; the guy who has been on from the start or the replacement who came on with 10 minutes to go?

It's not rocket science.

“Listen, you baldy twat, I'm getting you all these young players and all you do is play your fucking OAPs every game. Either you give these kids a go or I'm going to rip off your hairy balls and feed them to my dog!! Now get out of my sight, you ginger fuck!”

Of course there's blame for the players but this one is down to the coach. He had options and yet again got it wrong.

He is devoid of humility which, for me, is a huge shortcoming in anyone with limited ability.

Then, as I said earlier, to take him off and move McNeil back to the left, completely lost, and putting Doucoure at No 10, where he was shite in the first two games… unbelievable!

Still numb over Dyche's subs, he could even have brought Lindstrøm on with pace for Harrison, but listening to Dyche after the game, definitely not down to him — embarrassing.

I watched the game and was really captivated at how they grew into the game and I'm thinking to myself "Well, we have this lot, Mangala, Lindstrøm, potentially Dele (if we ever see him)… Broja after Xmas; we are going to be okay."

And then Dyche gets his dick out, as you say. Get rid of him and we'll be okay. We no longer need his shit football. We have some actual players now. I'm glad it cheered you up but I'm sat here seething with the Disc Beard and his other sidekicks.

Surely his contract will not be that much to pay him off.

Let that record sink in.

If that was Frank Lampard, then he'd have been absolutely crucified.

Yet, the irony in this particular game is that an argument could be made that the one thing the three hard boiled eggs should have done was nothing.

But they took our best player off and a few minutes later Bournemouth had their first shot on target and the rest is a damning indictment of an utter cretin who does not even have the decency or dignity to accept even part of the blame/responsibility in his post-match gravel growl. Is there a less inspiring manager in English league footy today?

Thing is, he's bollocking the players after the game and each one of them is probably thinking this is down to you and your pitiful game management.

He would of course have been rightfully fired at some point in that long winless drought but there is no clear leadership to do that. And this is still the case today. Moshiri is only interested in off-field things now. He is the bookies favourite to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked but in reality he should be at 500/1 until we get a new owner.

Never, ever, in my five decades of supporting us have I seen a more inept manager when it comes to game management and substitutions — I've just moved him above Walker after today.

Is there a remote chance that he might go over the break? That might be like searching desperately for a drop of water when the Sahara is at its most arid and unforgiving.

That's where a top manager steps in and sorts the problem out. He did nothing.

But right now, as earlier on when leaving the stadium, or in the pub afterwards, we thought Nah, we never lost that game. 2-0 up after 87 minutes, totally wiped the floor with Bournemouth, they were lucky it wasn't 6-0 or 7-0, and their fans on the way home thinking "Phew, we got off lightly there, only losing 2-0."

Their manager made five substitutions, more in hope than expectation, while ours took off our best player in Ndiaye, who was causing them all kinds of problems, and Calvert-Lewin, who could have carried on running all night, and again, was a threat to their goal.

But no, the likes of Seamus, McNeil and Harrison were almost literally on their knees, almost begging to be brought off for fresh legs which without a doubt would have helped us see the game out, in a game we were coasting.

I've yet to see any of their goals on TV, but from what I've been told, the two centre-backs, Keane and Tarkowski, should have done a lot better than just watching their attackers get on the end of crosses to score, crosses which were created as a result of poor defending, and could without doubt have been prevented with fresh legs.

I doubt we will play better this season, than we did for 87 minutes today. You couldn't fault any player, until an absolutely catastrophic last 3 minutes plus 6 minutes of added time threw the game away, a game which as I say, we were coasting, had wiped the floor with Bournemouth, and they couldn't have complained if it had been 6 or 7.

Christmas definitely came early for them.

Total tosser, out of his depth.

It was like the 'elixir of life' to Bournemouth, not to us, and it gave them a lift and us a downer. Dyche can make all the excuses, and blame the players, but hasn't he got the nous and balls to admit it was him, and him alone who was the architect of our capitulation?

I am almost speechless to suggest where we go from here!

"He is devoid of humility which, for me, is a huge shortcoming in anyone with limited ability."

That, Andy, is the most important but chilling comment. The gormless Tory twat really does believe that he has nothing to learn and no one to learn from.

For what's worth, it seemed obvious that some players were tiring pretty badly and some subs were needed to steady the team. They were on the bench but Dyche didn't see the necessity of using them or maybe trusting them to take the heat out of Bournemouth's attacking changes.

I thought the changes he did make certainly took the heat out of Everton's momentum after those changes and cost Everton an important win.

Put Dyche on gardening leave and bring in Bainsey to bring on the young lads and the new signings and watch us climb the table!

Also, Beto has the worst first touch in the squad, but comes on when we need to keep the ball and hold it up.

Sitting back with O'Brien and a back 5 would have been better but managers bow to naive fans who want good passing football.

Dyche does not know game management. He had exhausted 30+ defenders and midfielders at the 75-minute mark and he made 1 out of 5 changes in the 80-minute mark... Beto for Calvert-Lewin.

I would have changed Coleman for Dixon, Keane for O'Brien, Gueye for Doucouré, Harrison for Lindstrøm and McNeil for Garner instead of Beto for Calvert-Lewin.

Did anyone hear his comments after the game? Instead of taking responsibility, he blamed the players. Dyche killed us by not using the subs.

Unbelievable, total rubbish! I hope Moshiri takes action now and gives the new manager (hopefully Moyes) the 2 weeks to get some work done with the players before the next game at Aston Villa.

Then take off our centre-forward, who was having one of his better games, and bring on Beto, who struggles every game, and sit back further as they attack, knowing we are no longer an attacking threat.

Poor manager, poor decisions, poor game management, poor substitutions and very poor excuses. He needs to go and a manager with an attacking mindset need to be brought in.

Tim made his poor mistakes after our best player was subbed and gusto and shape fell apart. He should have been subbed after his second big error. He was exhausted, along with the three you mention.

Sadly, the third goal was down to Seamus (imo). That cross should never have been allowed but Seamus did not close him down and he had all the space in the world. Nor did Pickford cover himself in glory when the cross got into the box.

Keep an eye on Mykolenko for some of the goals (sadly). But you're right, awful defending in the middle. I sort of expect that from Keane but not from Tarkowski until the last three games, although he wasn't great shakes in the second half of last season.

Their first goal was a cross well inside the 6-yard box and Pickford watched it across him.

Makes me fume how he doesn't command even his 6-yard box.

He wouldn't say boo to a goose: remember "I agree, Kev, you take it, here's the ball mate."

Then Dyche changed it. Fuck him off now.

Logically it's just a sport, but I'm absolutely bloody gutted today. Going to take a while to recover to be honest. I must be bloody mad.

Do you think that Dyche is suffering as much as you?

Perhaps he knows that a takeover is closer than expected and perhaps he'll no longer be the manager for much longer and therefore just going through the motions until he gets that pay-off.

A stunning performance from Ndiaye; Goodison Park was rocking with applause on his substitution (no gripes from the fans for that).

If he was fucked, then the momentum of the game was surely going to change with Doucouré coming on — unable to pose a threat as great as Ndiaye nor able to get a tackle in like Ndiaye.

That sub had to be Garner for the defensive ability, to help protect the back four?

Dyche out! Replaced by..? Not my job. Just get Dyche out now, in this International break. Get him the fuck out.

In the moment euphoria, happiness, joyous surprise, blessed relief Brent. That, sadly, is why we have post-mortems and that sub was a catastrophic mistake by Dyche and his stooges (even more so in the light of failures to make the right subs: i.e. the knackered ones).

Alternatively, why make subs at all when all is going well?

Apparently the 'ginger one' didn't see fit to replace him at any stage, despite O'Brien and Garner on the bench. Gross gross mismanagement, in a game we were dominating. I could see it, 36,000 others could see it unfold in a horror show of the last 10 minutes. But not the 'master tactician.

Dyche did everything wrong and I will not be able to watch his presser until later with wine, though I hear that he did not shed a molecule of humility.

Cheers for the reply Dave. Sorry, I thought it was you who knew Sean. I've also noticed that Tony hasn't been on here yet (from what I can I see) I take it that he hasn't handled this latest well, and who can blame him, nor would he be alone...

I personally don't know what to think about Sean's mindset?

Maybe he was expecting to be rewarded rather than with just the £3.5m bonus for keeping us up two seasons ago after Fab Frank the Lamp (He's bright don'tya know!)

Then, despite the odds, the predictions and the points deductions, he kept us up last season and with a point adjusted 12th place!
Maybe he thought he deserved a contract extension, or new contract?

Maybe he was hoping new ownership would come in, and he could show them the level of work and improved performance, and looked forward to working in a more stable environment and maybe with a little more money going forward?

Who really knows why he seems to have become less 'optimistic' about these matches? Remember the rallying call after Chelsea away last season?

This year, Brighton, and it's the fans fault for demoralising and booing the players (Though the latter point maybe that it was him being booed for bringing Holgate on for Harrison?)

My last point, maybe just maybe has seen all the Social media and forum chat about time for change; "Thanks Sean now off you jog, we, The Fans, (<- which might explain his defensiveness in the pressers and PM interviews) would like some more progressive and someone with fresh, modern tactics".

Well maybe, just maybe, he might think;

"What a load of ungrateful b'tards. You've just had your best point adjusted finish since Ancelotti! Yes, we had a bad run, and yes I'm pragmatic and defensively minded, but... with no money, no real board and an absent owner, just what do you want me to do?"

I'm just being the 10th man here, or Devil's advocate.

Whichever side of the Sean Fence you're on (Should he stay or should he go, if he stays there will be trouble, if he goes it may be double?) YOU have to realise this below;

The Club is a loss making operation before interest repayments are calculated into our PL column.

We have an absentee owner.

We aren't broke, but we need our limited and reducing cash reserves to finish paying for a massive Capex project... BMD.

We are realistically selling our better players to get in squad players, yet despite all this KT who gets no end of criticism from most corners, manages to keep the squad relatively together, and we only lost Onana from our stable of four marquee names. (The others being Pickford, Branners and DCL)

As Rob Tressell and Sam Hoare keep telling us (NB No complaints here gentlemen) The squad in terms of value and quality is going backwards (well quality wise until this window I think)

People complain that we've spent money on JO'B and brought in an injured Broja!!

Well again, maybe KT knows that a deal has been made for one more year from Branners for a move of his choice next season, which is why it is a good idea to get Jake in now rather than next season, and hope he hits the ground running after Keane leaves on a free and Branners goes for hopefully, £50+m plus add-ons.

As for, Broja... might there be a swap deal in place with Chelsea?

Say AB's loan buy-out price is £30m as quoted. Well, maybe we've agreed to rehab Broja at Chelsea's cost, and DCL will join them next season, or even in January? We get between £15-20m for DCL so only pay £10-15m for AB... Better than getting circa £10m for DCL in January, or worse, let him go for nothing next July isn't it?

These boards are so reactionary some time, or worse over-judgemental.

It is always feast or famine... We have 35 games left, an improving squad, and three injured players to come back to add to the squad.

Now is a time for some serious 'critical thought' from everybody.

I personally would Like KT to have a closed door chat with Sean, IW and SS. One-to-ones initially, and then a group chat.

Then I'd like KT to 'speak' or communicate directly to Moshiri and find out just what the plan is in case of a) a takeover or b) no takeover.

This then needs communicating where necessary.

The 1st team performance is sadly blinding us all to the good work being done on the Academy and juniors side.

Apologies, back to old habits re length of post.

Good wishes

While we are all gutted after today's capitulation the evidence of the first eighty minutes suggests better days are ahead. We ought to have been leading 4-0 by that point.

We now have a potent attacking option in Ndiaye, a young player in midfield, Iroegbunam, who has the potential to develop into a class act and once fit and ready, a group of new signings who will provide competition and options for change. The return of Branthwaite will strengthen the defence.

In terms of game management the players invested a lot of energy in the opening seventy minutes. When you are on top you must take your chances. At 2-0 Bournemouth were clinging on as we continued to swarm forward.

Having failed to add a third goal our players ran out of gas. At that point, if not before, the team should have shut up shop, stayed compact and taken the 2-0 win. That might have appeared ugly in the closing stages but when you are bottom of the league the result is everything.

Lessons must be learned by players and management.

You misunderstand me completely.

I'll say it again. Dyche out. Plain and simple.

Get rid of him.

Literally every post I've made in the past week is calling Dyche a twat, which he is.

This is definitely reactionary behaviour from myself, I'm reacting to the matches he serves up for us to watch, which was pretty damn good for 80 odd minutes.

It's too bad that he hasn't cottoned on that both teams can use five subs now if they want.

But today was bad. To change nothing substantial after their first goal was neglectful and to then take no real credit for the manner of the loss afterwards does not help. I've defended Dyche on many ocassions and still believe he should see us safe but today he was at fault. Bournemouth had clearly gained momentum and he did little to affect that. Not good enough.

We should be in 15th and feeling optimistic about the rest of the season but instead we are all condemned to (at least) a fortnight of frustration and anxiety.

At first everyone gave Mykolenko a pass understandindably given the timing of his arrival with the war. But he's been here long enough now to see he is at best a last gasp tackler. He won't go forward. He often pushes into the center too much leaving a gap on the left and his all around play isn't great. In fact he's overall worse than JJK our erstwhile low wage RB who at least would get forward.

I was laughing after full-time as I looked to the sky and thought what have I done? It's exhausting supporting everton. Small joys but overall misery.

Again, we get through it and move on. As, I said previously. After 15 games, bottom 3, dyche must go. Today, I lay blame at the players. Do ya job! Tired? Tell the manager!

Good will come! Believe me, it will!!!!

One of the really sad things is that the way he handles himself and the crap he comes out with in pressers conflates the personal and professional and that usually for me is the parting of the waves.

Dyche said post-match that he knew that some of his players had "fatigue" during the match. He knew; he smelt it! He did absolutely nothing about them and they had large hands in each one of their goals.

I'm astonished that anyone would put the blame on the shoulders of the players after Dyche-nomics set in with the catastrophic first sub that he DECIDED/CHOSE to make.

Let's hope the Testicle Fairy delivers a pair to Dyche during the night and that he knows what to do with them!

I thought it made sense as Ndiaye had worked hard, it was his first PL start, he had played midweek and Doucoure is an experienced player.

I genuinely don't see the problem with it or DCL coming off.

"Good will come!" I think this too, it is going to take time to get eight players assimilated into the squad and for KT to convince Sean the squad is capable of adding a new, smaller, attacking dimension.

Potentially, we will have NDiaye at LW/F, Lindstrøm at #10 (Set piece and creativity) with DCL getting a supply at #9; with young Tim driving thru the middle. Then Garner and Mangala providing the defensive work and link up play. Harrison at RW/F seems to have improved this season, and provides important cover for the RB position.

I am genuinely excited for us going forward.

Other than an RB and cover at LB when JB comes back (assuming he hits the form of last season) we're not too shabby at the back. (maybe even Garner at RB and Gana and Doucs being used in the middle?)

UTFT, we can't get any lower... 😉👍

NB Kev-T, please could we have a decent (youngish i.e.U28) RB, and a creative, quick to fast two-footed RW. Pretty please...

Coleman squandering his legacy by playing another season. No one taking responsibility. Pathetic! They should be ashamed of themselves.

Anyways hopefully Dyche finds a way to keep a goal threat going until the final whistle because with 5 subs many teams are treating the last 15 minutes like extra time and next goal wins. Man Utd in the cup final is an example of this. Once you setup defensive with creative players off the pitch in the last 15 minutes, the team that remains balanced enough to have an attack has chances to score. The defensive team has 99% chance of not scoring. Then it's just a matter of if the balanced team does score or not. It doesn't work anymore this way against a team with 5 fresh subs on.

"I think that I've heard it all now. Game management and substitutions, apparently, make no difference. "

Who said this then?

Make sure you quote verbatim or can we safely say this is another of your fantasies put up as fact.

It was Garner who needed to come on and either Dixon or God forbid Young because it was clear to me that Coleman and Tim (and Mylo) had little if anything left in the tank.

Doucoure for me was the complete wrong choice even with Ndiaye going off Shane. It was the back and middle that was most concerning not the front.

So, although I was not frothing at the mouth with that first sub, that was a moment in time when the most important thing to do was give Ndiaye his due loud and warm applause. It took what followed Shane to fully realise what a howler of a substitution that was and it directly led to us losing.

Just why are so many of them blowing out their asses with twenty minutes to go? Further, why are those blowing out their asses recklessly advancing to Bournemouth's area in extra time, rendering themselves uselessly AWOL when we (again) lose possession as Bournemouth pour forward time and again? It's the epitome of "unprofessional".

It seems a stretch to me to believe that several of our sold players in recent years are in conspiracy when they said how intensively different the training regimes were at their new club compared to those at Finch Farm.

It seems to me that new players arriving here way more than a few years since may well have looked at what's deemed acceptable at Finch Farm and thought, "Sod this - I'm on a lengthy mega-contract so why should I give a fuck either?"

A thoroughly good performance, possibly one of the best under our manager's time at the club, was ruined by the away side taking the initiative and Everton somehow failing to respond.

I mentioned earlier in the week, how Bournemouth have altered Everton's history in recent years, but this was a catastrophic result that I would suggest signals the end of our tenure in the top flight.

You can't lose a game that you have totally dominated, you can't blame the supporters for feeling nervous and transmitting it on to the pitch, because that didn't happen. You might blame the manager for his substitutions but ultimately you have to blame the players out on the park for a complete lack of professionalism and allowing something to happen that a Sunday league team would be ashamed of.

I thought I'd seen everything that football and Everton in particular could throw at you, but I was wrong — there is nothing that Everton can do that should surprise us and dismay us.

I'd need to watch it back again, but I doubt that's going to happen.

I might not agree with all that you said in 276 Fred, but that last paragraph is spot on. Look, I find it hard to have any empathy or sympathy with a manager who says in a post-match presser after that crap: "everyone gets a chance to win in the Premier League". What the fuck does that crass piece of avoidance even mean in that context? And, of course, Dyche can "smell" things that others cannot. Fred, he's losing it. I am becoming afraid that he is not up to the job.

Tim and Coleman were visibly shattered in the last 15 minutes but Dyche chose to take off Ddiaye on 81 mins. What a boost that must have been for their players; the one who'd been tormenting them taken off!!

Dyche followed this by taking off D C-L who hadn't had a great game but at least occupied their defenders. The scene was set for Bournemouth to take over the game and there is no one to blame but himself.

Will he learn from this catastrophe? I doubt it as his use of substitutions has always been poor and usually made far too late.
We could all see we'd run out of steam but Dyche did nothing. Couldn't his coaches also see he needed to make changes? Does he listen to them?

Hopefully, some of the senior players will step up and lay the blame where it belongs; fairly and squarely on Dyche's shoulders.

Spent a lovely Friday with Dave Abrahams seeing Liverpool and I met Danny O'Neil on the Saturday and he escorted me out to Goodison where I met a few ToffeeWeb regulars.

Sun shining, 2 nil up with a few minutes to go...Everton that FFS!

Big shout out to Michael Abrahams who met me at the ground and sorted me with a taxi for the return into Liverpool city centre.

Still buzzing though...Great city...friendly, friendly, people.

First goal, not much to say, just a good goal.

But for the second, in the 92nd minute who it's being suggested was knackered, is looking for a through ball in the inside left position before we lose possession.

He's also caught out of position for the winner with Gana falling asleep when he should've been for Myko.

The players are obviously not blameless. They didn't t do the ugly things, they didn't do the basics. They didn't manage the game either.
All football revolves around confidence, Everton's is fragile at best. High at 2-0, teetering at 2-1, collapsed at 2-2. Leaders and captains need to step up. We are not awash with them, far from it, but those we have need to help manage the team confidence better. It seems it all goes out the window.
Football is a game of fine margins, could have been so positive today, but we really must learn from this. Brighton exposed us out wide, Bournemouth did it today. Others will see it and follow. What's the plan.

Nor should he have hung up his boots "years ago" Paul. That's just silly. I agree that he is in the deep winter of his career and should be used accordingly and he will most definitely not play a first-class game at the Dock.

Look, far-right skinhead Dyche and the other two hard-boiled eggs are paid to miss nothing in a game and he should have taken Seamus off well before his clear "fatigue" (Dyche's word) left him pretty much unable to close down his winger for the third.

For about 83 minutes we were watching players with a smile on their faces outplay a decent Bournemouth side.

Players who had been told they weren't capable of playing football and had spent the last 18 months collectively defending in hope of getting a corner were enjoying expressing themselves and showing what they are actually capable of.

Then the changes. Credit to Bournemouth for seizing the initiative but it was given up first by Dyche. Doucoure for Ndiaye screams "we're not going to have the ball anymore". It wasn't even shocking to see it - I knew he'd do it and I knew he'd be wrong to do it. These players are fragile. Some of that in their nature, some of it because they've been told that the way to survive is to defend for your lives and hope nothing goes wrong.

Dyche can't change. Over the summer people kept suggesting that he's more forward thinking than he gets credited with but is working within constraints - well that's Dyche's own words coming out of posters' mouths (or fingers). It's bullshit. There are some decent premier league players at his disposal. He's scared shitless of asking them to play football.

I've been criticised for using the word 'coward' when it comes to Dyche but that's exactly what he is in footballing terms. With us dominating the game he was scared of what would happen if Bournemouth seized the initiative... and his negativity brought it into existence.

Lindstrom, Garner, Dixon, even Doucoure in midfield would have replaced tired legs while showing we were still confident and still able to cause problems. Doucoure in place of an attacker just says "we're going to stop playing now - knuckle down for a tough 10 minutes".

Yes the players still should have been able to hold that lead but they also need a manager who is brave enough to show a little bit of faith in them.

Meaningless PH. It's just me being silly. The only thing I know for sure about his views is that he is an atheist.

There you go: the fecking skinhead godless non-believing twat's subs lost us that game PH. He should read The Bible rather than endlessly self-pleasuring himself to his masterclass tactics video.

Surely any doubters have had their deluded minds made up. We've had some poor managers, but this destroyer of the beautiful game tops the lot.

Burnley were the scourge of the Premier League. Unwatchable, Diabolical. Just No point in them. Of course that's us now.

What have we done to deserve this wretched dinosaur? Nobody above him to give him the bullet, which should have been done long ago,..

I cannot wait to see the back of this Neanderthal fraud. Enough is Enough.

ps: I've just litened to the ginger fucker on MotD. I hate him even more! Totally deluded! I am sick of his bullshit bollocks and excuses. Please Please sack him!

Just as an aside, re the use of Coleman; surely by now we should be using him and Ashley Young as firemen, ie, to put out a fire, or to make sure one doesn't start.

In other words (starting at left-back) play Mykolenko (who remember got crocked vs Liverpool on 24 April, and didn't play again until Preston on 3 August, after an ankle injury, which for a full-back, is probably the 2nd worst injury behind the knee going).

Then, once we've settled and are leading the game, put on Young if necessary. Or if Mykolenko breaks down, at least we have Young on the bench.

As for Coleman, same deal: pick a right-back, Patterson or Dixon (or Garner) and, if things are going wrong, bring on Captain Coleman.

Else leaving Seamus on the bench rather than starting, gives Nathan or Roman a chance to get meaningful minutes and get a proper run of games too, with Seamus as insurance.

Starting Seamus jeopardises his fitness and his ability to cover with two players who are young and are learning the game still.

Or rather how Sean likes his full-backs to tuck in, and not go past the halfway line. I think this is why Nathan was dropped, because he was adventurous and he covered his man as wide as he could.

This made Nathan look like a bad defender because Tarkowski was too close to Branthwaite most of the time to be able to meaningfully help.

Anyway, I digress...

There's a reason that God gave us two ears, two eyes, and one mouth. It's so you can listen and watch twice as much as you talk.

Best of all, listening costs you nothing.

80 minutes and Bournemouth were being outplayed, on the backfoot and unable to deal with Ndiaye; he and Dom still looked full of running. However, Coleman and Iroegbunam (who ran himself into the ground today) were both knackered — make the first change there!

I know it's unpopular Young coming on but at least it would have made sense, along with Garner for Iroegbunam, that should have been the very first two subs made, fresh legs on around the 75- or 80-minute mark.

Then you had Harrison and McNeil on empty, get Lindstrøm on; address the players that are shattered first, fresh legs on, then and only then think about taking the best player on the pitch off.

The moment he came off, they pushed further forward, knowing even if we won the ball, we had no one that could catch them on the break. Doucouré was never going to run the length of the field, McNeil and Harrison were goosed; they were terrified of Ndiaye.

This one is firmly on Dyche, those players who were goosed were struggling to track the opposition. Then, 2-1 down: okay, any moment now, Dyche is going to throw the 3 remaining subs on… yet bizarrely, he chose to make only one more sub, leaving a further 3 unused.

Go back to the Brighton game: again, we played well, egg scratching how we are behind, suddenly 2-nil down, Young sent off. He can use 3 subs… again, just brings the one sub on, a defender, and leaves a further 2 subs unused.

People can blame the players, bad defending, whatever you like, but every man and his dog can see two home games running McNeil is shattered late in both games, along with Iroegbunam, yet the manager keeps both on the pitch for both games, instead of getting fresh legs on.

In years to come, we will look back and ask how the hell did we lose this game? We played them off the park! The answer is simple: Dyche without a shadow of doubt showed very poor management.

But what worries me most is Dyche said he could not put his finger on it, when every single Evertonian could see it. If he cannot see there are players on the pitch running on fumes, then we really are in the smelly brown stuff.

Ian't agree with that because I didn't see that happen on the pitch. We had chances to score after Doucouré came on.

In fact, I'd say, rather than ordering a general retreat, Dyche actually didn't do enough to bolster the defence. It's what he didn't do that counted the most on this occasion.

Not sure why anyone would suggest Young before Roman Dixon as sub for Seamus yet be completely confident that barely used Lindstrøm would cover all opposition runs from the middle.

"If we go down, it's our entire fault" is about as plausible as Kenwright being admired as the club's perennial saviour.

No offence, but it's absurd because us fans (you included) have shown ourselves (the "odd" loud-mouth yob aside) to be the only worthy element of our club for decades, and never more so than the most recent one.

At 86 minutes, we are seeing the game out. Poor concentration and individual errors cost us. Fitness? Maybe? Who could honestly see that result at 85 minutes?

Paul, I do think players should inform the manager if they need to come off, if they are struggling. Yes, Mr Dyche takes some responsibility but Premier League players shouldn't let this happen.

It's early days. Two weeks in the sun! Everyone comes back refreshed. Apparently, deep breathing exercises help to relax with stressful situations. Supporting Everton, it's a cardiologist or psychologist. Good times are coming!

We couldn't hold the ball. We couldn't string anything together. The game got ragged. Only one team was able to play football.

The guy who was still holding the ball and progressing us up the pitch was gone and replaced by a guy who runs a bit but can't control or pass a football. Doucoure did have a good chance from Harrison dispossessing a defender... whoop-de-doo. He scuffed it.

Loading up the defence wouldn't have been my preferred approach but it was at least a viable option that I agree he didn't go for. He just went straight to the same dysfunction that has progressively become a feature of Dyche's reign.

I keep getting accused of expecting tiki-taka or free-flowing football with players who aren't up to it. But that's never what I've wanted — I've just wanted a plan for what we do when we get the ball as opposed to being happy to give it away and rely on the plan for what we do when we don't have the ball.

Dyche finally stumbled on something. Then he ripped it up. Unsurprisingly, the opposition, with some pacy and talented players, were able to give us a problem once we weren't a feature on the ball anymore.

Dyche's approach puts an impossible level of accountability on defenders. To get a result, they need to be perfect for 90+ minutes. That's an unreasonable ask. Just look at the criticism aimed at Pickford.

But it gets Dyche off the hook a lot and that's exactly why it's his approach. He can blame 'experienced professionals making mistakes'. While, if they somehow pull it off, he's a miracle worker.

He's lasted 88 minutes, another 7 or 8 will make no difference but it does surrender the Initiative and upset the balance...

Okay; you've just given up a daft goal — shit happens, so you just knuckle down and do what was effective for 87mins.

But Doucouré then just compounds the error. That's — again — down to Dyche. But the players need to look at themselves, they all engaged headless-chicken mode.

And for all the Moyes fans — he did more or less the same thing 19(?) years ago vs Spurs.

But we all know he went nowhere and neither will Dyche — not this side of Halloween or an ownership change anyway.

I think that Paul H means 'our' in terms of Everton FC and not us the fans in particular.

Except, Dyche Out!!

What a load of bollocks, when we'd played quite well. Sean — it's all on you. Suck it up!

"We kept trying to score and push players forward. Beto can't hold the ball up… schoolboy stuff!"

I've just rewatched his presser — Why? — and it only gets worse, even with a really nice dry white. Whatever Dyche's higher qualities might be, he was a shithouse coward in that presser as he was in the first two of this sorry season — deflect, avoid, gaslight, try to be chummy, stay stern, look solid, don't give an inch.

The deep issue for me at this moment is that I'm finding it hard to detach the professional from the personal with Dyche because his character is becoming a large part of what is going wrong.

I bet he didn't swerve his bonding Saturday night curry with the other two hard-boiled eggs. You just know that Dyche wears a napkin like a bib and once again blanked Stonesy when he politely inquired about the possibility of vegetable side-plates.

I haven't seen a late, late collapse like that since Barcelona scored a ton of goals (3-4?) in the last few minutes against PSG in the Champions League a few years ago.

Gobsmacked is what I am.

When is Sean Dyche going to learn that he needs to swap players who are dead on their feet! Seamus and Gana can't last 90 minutes plus added time.

The performance until they scored the first was excellent.

I'm sorry to be a broken record — coward, deflect, avoid, gaslight, don't give an inch. This Dyche is weird, inarticulate, with no space for self-reflection and the mere whiff of responsibility.

And we got the Dychean classic 'noise' back today, as in 'the noise was changing' and he 'smelt' it (and we had a weird 'feel' thrown in twice for good measure). Can you smell noise?

He put the blame on everyone but himself in his broken English and that is absolutely fucking unforgivable, unprofessional, undignified, and reprehensible.

And why the fuck is someone in the media, press or punditry not calling out this instinctive gaslighter for what he fucking is???

Dyche most definitely has a case to answer, but many people have been calling for Beto to get more game time. He got it. The contrast between him and MotM Calvert-Lewin was as stark as it gets. From the moment Beto went on, the ball started coming back at us. He simply cannot make it stick.

Ndiaye may not have always made the correct decisions, but he was thrilling the crowd with some quite magical play. Why Dyche took him off will remain a mystery to me...

But why do we always protect players because they are held in affection due to past heroics? It's not about yesterday. It's about today. The here and now.

Seamus was a shambles yesterday. If Ashley Young had've performed like that, he would've been murdered on here. I don't want to hear people say he was tired. He had enough energy to burst into the Bournemouth box to miss the season's worst sitter to date.

Tarkowski also had enough energy to be missing an easy header when it was 2-0, so the "tired" excuse cannot be offered for his nightmare switch-off. Players need to be prepared to put as much energy into seeing out a game as they do when in search of glory.

I'm not having the claim that Idrissa was tired either. He just left men to run off him hoping somebody else would do the job instead of ensuring the job got done.

I'm getting tired of Dyche's bleating, but I will not jump on board this particular bandwagon. Yes, he has pissed me off again, but he sent out a team to win this game. That team dominated the game and should have been out of sight.

Two of these players have already been honest enough to admit they should take a long hard look in the mirror. I'm just waiting for the third one to hold his hands up too

Pour all your anger out on the guy in the dugout if it makes you feel better… but remember this: We lost a won game because three players with a thousand Premier League games between them switched off to take a breather, believing their work was done.

The modern game is all about the ability to substitute players at the right times during a game — something that Dyche finds very difficult.

It's him who's loathe to make substitutions; then, when he does, it's him who takes our best players off and puts Doucouré and Beto on.

It's him who claims to get the players as fit as possible during the quite frankly embarrassingly titled "Gaffer's Day" — yet they all look fucked.

It's him who sets us up the same way every fucking game.

It's him who tells Pickford to lump it forward and give the ball away every time.

For Dyche, read Allardyce, Warnock, Pulis, Megson etc etc. The games changed and we're stuck in the past with this self-styled Sgt Major dinosaur.

I'm always amazed by their in-depth knowledge of football matters considering they're just punters who have never played the game professionally.

The personal vitriol that is hurled at the manager on here is pitiful. Such individuals wouldn't have the nerve to confront the guy with those words in real life but think it's acceptable to make baseless accusations against him while hiding behind a keyboard. Embarrassing.

In amongst the hysterical dross on here, I've read a few insightful posts about the game. I hope the players and the management team have learnt some lessons from yesterday's match, that's all I can say. Those thinking Dyche will get sacked on the back of this need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Lack of leadership and game management once again killed what up till 87 minutes was a very good Everton performance. But sadly the lessons of the past are never or very rarely digested at Everton. I sense most had a gut instinct what would happen after their 1st goal. They and the back line, including Pickford, were all at sea.

I'm sick to the back teeth and surely Sean Dyche must take responsibility as coach. Taking off two of Everton/s best players for two tryers was the thumbs up for Bournemouth to clean up.

Time for some basic game management coaching for the manager, his coaches and team.

"The modern game is all about the ability to substitute players at the right times during a game — something that Dyche finds very difficult." Well said!

I'm going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France. They fly in V-formation but the second ones don't fly. They're the subs for the first ones. And then the second ones take over — so it's teamwork.

Very clearly the manager and his two assistants made serious errors of judgement with his substitutions; rather than strengthening the team, they made a tiring team worse.

In the circumstances, the manager has to accept that the two players he sent on added absolutely nothing to the team and left the tiring midfielders and defenders further exposed.

Obviously too questions have to be asked of our experienced defence, with the England goalkeeper and 'two' captains on the pitch. They seemed helpless and exposed an ongoing issue for me.

I believe that Coleman should be made Club Captain, but the matchday Captain should be Tarkowski, and he should have a voice when substitutions and changes need to be made.

Sadly, Dyche spoilt yesterday and cost us the game. We have to move on but, to do so, he has to accept his own mistakes and importantly learn from them. This time, blaming others is not acceptable.

I was the same as you with 5 minutes to go, thought of Brendan sitting in the Upper Gwladys Street stand and said to myself “Well, Brendan, you've brought us the luck of the Irish; made up for you and myself!" … Jesus, then that happened!

I had a great day myself on Friday with Brendan and his lovely wife Briege around parts of Liverpool — more of that later, I'm just off to church, to pray for God to forgive Dyche and some of the players for those terrible last 9 minutes!

Dave (314) well said. It doesn't fit the narrative of some folks here to blame the players. They have an agenda and will blame the manager for anything that goes wrong. They will present their own interpretation of events on the pitch to prove themselves right.

I don't think you quite capture what Dave was saying, Jimmy. It was rather more nuanced than that.

Tim Iroegbunam is a fine player, but plays it loose and switches off in games. At 2-0 up, I felt we needed someone else in the middle with Gana, as we started making stupid mistakes and looked generally leggy. Taking off Ndiaye removed any threat we had.

The goals are a catalogue of errors. Mykolenko out of position at left-back, McNeil not sprinting back, Harrison losing it, Coleman not stopping the crosses, Iroegbunam not tracking his man, Pickford staying on his line for the 1st and in no man's land for the others.

The players should take the blame for the catalogue of errors, but the game management goes with Dyche. If he can smell something isn't right after 450 games and being regarded as a defensive manager, make the bloody changes!!!

In today's world of 5 substitutions, these decisions can be far more impactful than the old days of 1 or 3 subs. Sounds to me like the bulk of the responsibility lies with our staff.

Congratulations to the Bournemouth coach for making the changes that gave his team a chance of getting back into a game they should have lost. I suspect, in his position, our coach would have settled for a 0-2 defeat.

They were scared stiff of Ndiaye who was fantastic. They were too busy worrying about him that everyone else had space and time. Other players were following his example of hunting down the ball and showing an eagerness to score.

When he left the field, they breathed a sigh of relief and the pressure lifted off Bournemouth. They threw on their full contingent of subs as they had nothing to lose.

We totally blew our substitutions. Extremely poor decision-making from the manager who admitted he could smell a sea change in the game. If that is so, then why didn't he instruct a player or two to go down and kill their momentum whilst he reorganised (and/or) made better more appropriate substitutions?

Yes, maybe the players should have thought of this but he is the one watching and pulling the strings from the sidelines.

A potentially great afternoon of football, which looked like a pivot point for us as a team, thrown away by poor leadership.
I find it hard to pick on players for crumbling after seeing what they had given earlier in the match.

I have been watching Everton for decades but this can be classed as one of the most crushing defeats I can remember. I have witnessed capitulations to Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal etc but they were partly anticipated.

This almost ranks with the pain felt when we had the best team in 1985-86 and gave the League and Cup double to Liverpool.

We witnessed for 80 minutes that we are capable of excellent football if set up positively but is Sean Dyche the man to take the potential forward? Can he control a game for 90 minutes?

We had the players on the bench to help out the tiring legs and heads that capitulated. Absolutely criminal… There was so much good out there yesterday.

I think for 85 or so minutes, that's the best we have played under Sean Dyche for a very long time. But in the first half again we hit far too many long balls to Calvert-Lewin with nobody within 20 yards of him and we were just not clinical in the final third.

Let's make no mistake: this was a very winnable game for us which makes the defeat doubly disappointing. The 2nd half up to the capitulation was an absolute joy, and to see someone in a Blue shirt show such magical skills as Ndaiye took me back to the Young, Vernon and Kay days.

Calvert-Lewin looked more motivated — maybe at last seeing he had someone in Ndaiye who would produce good service for him.

The whole game changed when the subs for both sides came on. I heard Sean Dyche's reason for bringing off Ndaiye was because he wasn't recovering as quickly. Well, from my seat in the Upper Bullens, I didn't notice his work rate dropping off.

And the substitution of Calvert-Lewin was equally puzzling. I think Dyche thought "2-0, job done; I will give Beto and Doucoure some game time…" but, with taking off our two best attackers gave Bournemouth the green light to throw more men forward seeing our attacking threat had been withdrawn.

Also, prior to subbing Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin, I said to my son both Tim and Seamus were really struggling fitness-wise. Surely if Dyche and his coaches were concerned about Ndaiye being slower to recover, how come he didn't notice how Tim and Seamus were really struggling???

I heard Joe Hart on MotD point out how Tim and Gana hadn't got back defensively, but when you are being asked to cover the ground these two are expected to cover, is it any wonder that fatigue sets in late on?

Thankfully, we now have an International break — these players might need all that and more to get over the last 10 minutes of yesterday's game.

If you are thinking of John Charles "The Gentle Giant" — hero of Swansea, Wales, Leeds United and Juventus — he died 20 years ago.

Bournemouth were petrified of Ndiaye and he was causing them all sorts of problems; we've been crying out for someone like him since Rodriguez left.

That defeat — and I can't believe I'm typing that — was purely down to Dyche. Everyone sitting by me was screaming for subs to made well before the 70th minute.

Iroegbounam and Harrison had great games but both were dead on their feet; ditto Coleman. How can us fans see where the changes are needed to see the game out but some clown and his 2 assistants can't? — It beggars belief, it really does.

I was at a party last night and quite a few lads who were there went the game and they all to a man said the same: shit, shit management and decision-making.

I've been banging this drum for weeks now, but there are coaches out there who will mould them players into a decent outfit.

Unfortunately for us, it's not Dyche because, if we keep him, we are well and truly lost.

What makes it worse is that he seems totally incapable of self-reflection and is too egotistical to admit he got it wrong. I can't stand the way he talks like he isn't anything to do with what goes on.

Yes, the players need to shoulder some of the blame — they are professional footballers and they should have had a word with each other when it went 2-1 and certainly when it went 2-2. But he is paid handsomely to train them, to motivate them and to select a team and make changes to get points on the board.

The fact he had 5 wins since December 2023 tells us that he can't do this. This squad isn't brilliant but it also isn't as abysmal as we sometimes think. They just need some basics drilling into, some self-belief, and someone who us going to motivate them.

Dyche talked a lot about ‘changing the story' when he first came. Well he's failed to do that — and he doesn't look like he's able to.

At a time when we needed possession to see the game out, he put on two guys who can't pass. Tim Iroegbunam has tired in the latter stages of all of his appearances for us. Surely it was clear that Garner needed to come on?

Is it obstinacy or stupidity?

My ambition is to watch Everton in the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the Premier League before I die… Well, it can still happen.

After yesterday's farce, my first reaction was: How much frustration and suffering can one take? More humiliation or drop my support altogether and ignore the results.

Winston Churchill said "Never give in, never, never, never." So I won't be leaving just yet… but it isn't easy.

I agree about why Ndiaye was subbed but contrary to his usual far too late substitutions this one was much to early. It should have been done well into added time.

Obstinacy or stupidity? It was a combination of both. They changed half of their outfield side and, although the likes if Tim and Coleman were obviously out on their feet, Dyche didn't respond. That was sheer stupidity.

He said he could smell a problem. Smell it?Most of us could see it. Why couldn't Dyche and his coaching team?

If he brought players on to go defensive and still lost there would be just as much uproar..

I remember how much you love to play your game of heroes and villains but the failings here start and end with Dyche. We played very well for 80 minutes, then Dyche got involved. Half the team were starting to fatigue, and he took off two players who weren't - and left on every single one that was. Iroegbunam was knackered, and Gueye was starting to struggle positionally. Mykolenko, Harrison and McNeil were clearly blowing. Dyche froze. The notion that we lost that game because Coleman, Tarkowski and Gueye "took a breather" is, frankly, absolute guff.

Incidentally I knew it was undeniably you about a week ago Darren; you launched into your time-honoured impassioned defence of Tom Davies. Dead giveaway.

This is why Dyche ran it so tight with the players we have. Trying to find roles for players that got you to this place is also needed for morale reasons. The decisions Dyche made were reasonable. The players had a meltdown.

I'll keep it short this round and reply to incoming. Grab yer thesaurus for some novel ad hominem moves for your atheist, follicle challenged target for wayward enmity. You can't just tighten it up at 80' when youve been pushing to the final third the whole match. With Branthwaite, Mangala and Garner that doesnt happen so please settle down.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Coleman played his first game of the season against Doncaster on Tuesday night, he was never going to last 90 minutes.

Also, Tim Iroegbunam went missing in the first two games after the 70-minute mark, the same again yesterday; definitely down to Dyche.

This allowed us to comfortably get numbers into their third, where we created better quality opportunities. We never had a squad to provide for the backup plan if we lost overall control of possession.

There was no way to build the defensive house around the box at that point and we were beaten by runs from deep onto accurate crosses.

Short version: this was growing pains of the worst kind but these new kids will not permit it to be repeated.

I don't for one minute absolve SD if you read all of my post. I don't understand why he brought the two players with the worst control in the squad when all we had to do is keep the ball.

However. I simply cannot subscribe to the notion that Dyche is solely to blame. To me that smacks of utter scapegoatism. Anger spouted by people who don't want to face the truth, or simply didnt recognise what was unfolding before their eyes. At least Tarkowski was honest enough to admit "Our intensity dropped".

Seamus went a bit further. He was embarrassed - "We let ourselves down in front of our own fans. We cannot take our foot of the gass at this level. unfortunately we did that. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror"

There you have it. from the horses (captains) mouth.

Wouldnt have happened in Tom Davies's day

Graham Potter, anyone?

Its all if, no but, what if, its gone its history now.

It was conceeding 3 goals in the last 10 mins that made the defeat much worse, we had a full team out there its not like we were a man short.
Whatever there is only 1 point between us and 5 other teams at the bottom.

We do seem to have had a curse placed on us though, if you believe in hocus pocus.

I was heartened by the standard of play up to the final 10 mins, and think it bodes well for the future. Bournemouth came to the fixture as favourites, and many Everton fans were not optimistic. Yet they were vastly inferior to Everton on the day, a point acknowledged by their manager.

I think we will be just fine this season, and beyond.

As Ryan # 347, says, who exactly is within the club to sack Dyche? We have an owner who probably doesn't even know the results of the first three games, we have no chairman, and an acting CEO. Should Moshiri have one ounce of interest in what's happening to our club, then he should at least have the courtesy of making a decision on Dyche. A simple phone call to Kevin Thelwell or Colin Chong, the acting CEO, to either back him or sack him. Somehow though, I don't think there will be any change in the manager until the takeover is sorted.

You've posted a couple of great messages at [337] and [341]

I think, from the game-plan/tactical setup, you have pretty much nailed it.

I've posted plenty elsewhere why and how we lost this game. How maybe the pressures surrounding the Club regards all its off-field issues might be finally getting to Sean, and also where possible solutions might be found. No, that does not involve a knee-jerk reaction to sacking Dyche; though a succession plan must be at least formulated, so if it is deemed necessary, and if it is financially prudent to so at the time.

However, EPL survival is of paramount importance.

If the club get relegated then all these worries will go away anyway🥹🥹

However, as you say Dale, if we keep the faith, and if KT and his professional backroom team can get Sean to listen to to their opinions and maybe formulate some sort of plan to bolster the current fragile defence, and improve the attacking options much like yesterdays first 86-87 minutes then, as you say, we could well be fine.

I think with players returning from injury; Branthwaite and Patterson, and Chermiti.

The new players in Lindstrøm and Mangala to get up to speed, and with Tim and Ndiaye (and the rest) to get better match acclimatised.

Maybe something akin to;

Pickford

Dixon/Patterson* (Coleman as backup)
Tarks
Branthwaite* (While we have him) (JO'B as backup and MK)
Myko (Young as backup)

Garner RM/C 6-8 (Doucs)
Malanga DM 6 (Gueye)
Tim O LM/C 8-10 (Doucs)

Harrison RW/F (..?) NB Lindstrøm is not a RW, QED see Napoli)
Ndiaye LW/F (McNeill)

DCL (Broja*, Chermiti*, Beto)

Bench: Virginia, Coleman, O'Brien, Young, Doucs, Gana, McNeill, Broja*, Chermiti*, Beto, (Dixon for now, Patterson*)

* = when fit

We, the club and team, will hopefully improve and replicate the near 90 minute performance from yesterday week-in, week-out...

As many posters have said, that means leadership and football-nous from the pitch (players) and help, intelligence and 'common-sense' from the dug-out.

On that note, as I don't attend the matches and only watch on TV or streams, or worse highlights. Could someone please tell me if we have any data-analyst times in or around the dugout?

If we did then maybe they could tell one of the three coaches that a player is nearing or has hit his limits?

Anyhoo... Back to the positives, as the Thread re The Dyche Rollercoaster, buckle up, put your arms in the air and scream if you want to go faster!!

We could be just on the big descent before we get that slow uphill trundle before the ride really starts to go up and down...

To us fans;

"The purpose of this sport is to wash the dust of life of our souls, believe and it will happen!"

To Sean;

"What good is it to have wings and lack the courage to fly!"

UTFT and COYB we believe!

What hierarchy? Who's going to pull the trigger..?

Remember West Ham (A) 2022;

Q/ "Mr. Moshiri is Frank getting the sack?"

A/ "I don't know, it's not my job."

So, straight from the horses mouth.

We currently have no hierarchy as such;

Mr. Moshiri, talking sales pitch to anyone who'll listen

Colin Chong, Must... Get... The... Stadium... Built... On... Time... we can't afford to miss the deadlines between now and December. Oh, and where are we going to find the money for a £50m fit-out once it's been built?

John Spellman, 😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

KT, Juggling plates. Womens Team, Academy, recruitment, loans, communication - Moshiri, Chong, Dyche, Department heads, EFF etc etc etc oh, and the Mens Team

Have I missed anyone?

We are a rudderless ship, holed below the waterline, with the Captain back ashore trying to sell said sinking vessel, whilst the crew are trying to reach a destination port, with little to no fuel, a newly recruited rag-tag crew, senior crew members looking forward to retirement, jury-rigged engines, and no radio...

Going well innit!? 😁😇😂

People who think this is all on Dyche then what responsibilities do players have ?

It wasn't the people he should have brought on, in my opinion its the people who he took off. They had nothing to fear once DCL & Ndiaye were off.

How many times have we seen dyche go defensive after being 1 up to only lose and then get slaughtered.

I don't want him as our manager, I don't like his football or his pity me attitude, but let's be fair players need to take responsibility as much as he does.

I don't want him to be our manager either. I see nothing but unrest in the coming weeks. That cant be good for anybody at this club.

Unfortunately we have players dining out on previous heroics and even when they hold their hands up in embarrassment and shame. We still have fans who blindly deny they are at fault.

Quite how people can be in denial in the face of such overwhelming evidence is beyond me. Lets not forget; It wasnt just the goals. Jordan Pickford made two outstanding saves during this late collapse. We were given up golden opportunities at a rate of nearly one a minute. I've never that in my life. Nor have I seen any group of players go into such a state of blind panic.

All Dyches fault though. it was him giving the ball away, Not picking up his man and running round blindly looking for all the world like he had never played the game.

Sean the Sheep

If you can't defend your box, then you're on a hiding to nothing and when I was looking at the goals that Bournemouth scored, then it was obvious that Everton couldn't defend their box.

A calamitous finale, after what looked to have been a very good performance, and if Dyche doesn't want to shoulder at least some of the blame, then he's not learning anything from a game, that we should never stop learning about.

Everton have conceded ten goals in three games, because they have simply stopped defending as a collective unit, and once we stopped playing on the front foot, then it looks like we began to invite pressure that we simply couldn't cope with.

Dyche is culpable because his substitutions changed the course of the game, but any defence, that concedes three goals in the last seven minutes of a game, when ther team was cruising, do seem to be getting away with murder right now, because people have once again had enough of another manager.

I hope Dyche learns very quickly because the last thing we need is more managerial upheaval right now. I know some/loads want him gone, but until things are sorted out regarding the sale of our club, I don't see how sacking another manager, and putting more unrest, on a club that is already of unrest, would achieve anything but a lot more uncertainty.

I don't know why Dyche is overlooking O'Brien, but it does show how important Jarrod Brainthwaithe has become, and it's imperative the kid is back very soon.

Iroegbunam was dominant in midfield until he tired. He's young and inexperienced but looks an excellent signing who will get better. Ndiaye was superb and put in the kind of performance we haven't seen from an Everton player for a long time. Mangala is a very good player and will give the midfield energy and a physical presence when he comes in. Branthwaite will come back from injury and improve us at the back….

Dyche messed up yesterday by getting his subs wrong, no doubt about it. But now is not the time to sack yet another manager and bring in someone else with totally different ideas and players that don't fit another style of play. It hasn't worked for any of the Moshiri years and won't work now. Get through this season, get to the new stadium with new owners and then think about making change. Adding even more instability at this point would be suicide.

Hope you're well mate?

I posted this yesterday, mistakenly to your old man. He directed me to contact you, as ;
,
I know you know Sean personally; do you, in your opinion, feel that the pressure around the club (ie, the off-field issues we all know about) is having some effect on Sean's managerial abilities?

At times, from what I've seen watching the games on the TV, he is currently mostly showing exasperation, or confusion, and today, even anxiety in a winning position?

In general he wasn't doing this last season, so what's changed?

Maybe his contract position and the club's off-field and ownership issues are finally getting to him?

If you have the time and interest, I'd respect your thoughts on the matter.

Good wishes Tony

Also I posted at 177 what my thoughts are.

Seriously I think he's done a great job with very little resource and this has enabled us to bring in a few players (mostly on loan, with a view to signing them if they do well) who might just improve us this season.

Yesterday counts for nothing in football though especially if your managerial style has been dictated by “fighting for survival” and this has given a lot of people a preconceived view that Dyche, is simply a dinosaur.

I'd like to have a discussion with him about this and also put him wise to the fact that there are also a lot of very knowledgeable Evertonians, who can see the hand he has been dealt, and how a lot of these people would really back him, if he changed his managerial style and opened up just a little bit more to the fact that although the club is fucked, WE ARE STILL FUCKING EVERTON!

That makes sense to us, but we have always been Evertonians, and let's face it, take away Bramley Moore, and our rudderless club, is absolutely rotten to the core.

For a team to let in 10 goals in 3 matches, there are serious problems. Yes, we have been short of key players, but Garner and O'Brien could and should have been utilized at some point yesterday.

Wrong subs at the wrong time in the wrong situation. The game was well and truly won and failure to see it through when it was clear to all of our weaknesses, was a major error at the feet of Dyche. That's why he gets big money.

It's clear too that the Everton we saw yesterday for 87 mins is a good side. But the team lacks a character who takes charge on the pitch, a Peter Reid character who can marshall the troops no matter what, one who can "give the nod" to the manager to make subs where and when.

The back four has been an Achilles heel for this club for years, one which of late we just cannot seem to get right. No matter the undoubted commitment from Coleman, Young and Keane, none of them now belong in our starting eleven. Even Tarkowski doesn't cut it of late. Mykolenko is adequate but nothing special.

This isn't about wing-backs' defensive duties; if it was, it shows up the failings of Harrison and McNeil. This is Defence 101.

Yes, it's about the players… but ultimately it's about getting the best out of the best you have and that's Dyche's job. It would be refreshing to hear from the manager about his responsibilities and ownership for that start we have had, not just the players.

The manager cites ‘experience' as the deciding factor between starting Michael Keane rather than exploring other options.

This ‘experience' has led to three straight defeats. Two at home (6 goals conceded). Late capitulation. Anhialated away from home. Goals galore conceded from crosses.

So, by continuing to refuse to pick the new players, Dyche is directly implying that we would have lost these three games by heavier score lines.

Dyche is directly telling us that we would have conceded 11 or more goals. That we would've scored fewer than 2. That we would've had more than 1 man red-carded.

Because this is the only way it could have been worse than what he and his ‘experienced' selections have delivered.

After the Chelsea game last season,Dyche somehow, from nowhere, managed to produce a breathtaking series of results that dragged us out of trouble.

But when the final whistle blew at Stamford Bridge, most Evertonians had concluded that this man wasn't up to it. The run of results that followed bought him some time and lent him some good will.

But they were commodities that were only ever temporarily available to him — it was imperative that he showed signs of forward momentum and the exact opposite has occurred.

We are not any worse off in terms of player trading. I do not think we miss Onana as he never really performed for us anyway.

I'm not making excuses for Dyche, (I can't when I criticized his team selection for the opening game) but our club, has rarely been prepared for the start of the season regarding the playing personnel, but hopefully soon we are going to have a squad with a little bit of depth, and then a much clearer picture of wether Dyche is good enough to “start slowly” moving us forward, will emerge “quite quickly”

While I have a lot of time and a lot of respect for your views because unlike a lot of us on here you've played the game at the very highest level.

But I can't really agree with your view that Dyche has done a great job he hasn't.

His record is shocking and 5 wins this calendar year is nothing short of abysmal.

I honestly thought we couldn't go no lower than Benitez but unfortunately we have and yesterday took the biscuit

It's nowhere near as bad as Rafa being affiliated with our club for any amount of time. My stomach actually turns that Moshiri hired a red and thought it was a good idea.

We also shit ourselves and turned to Big Sam when we weren't really in danger.

We are a dumpster fire and dyche is one of the few positives about this club at the moment

Dyche was at fault in terms of tactical substitutions, but let's not get carried away by demands for his instant dismissal. Personally, I'm not a fan of his football philosophy, however if he were to be replaced, then please, no return for David Moyes. That would unquestionably be a backward step.

The squad is much healthier than in recent seasons. I'd have liked a bit more firepower, but DCL will be a better proposition given that his service will improve. Also Chermiti progressed just prior to injury and I'm anticipating a brighter future for the boy.

Let's take a deep breath and a long hard look at the combinations soon to be available to us.

I'm prepared to give Dyche some more time, at least until after Christmas, to see if he can find a winning formula with our new additions. Sacking him right now, could prove to be a knee jerk reaction that Everton fans may live to regret.

That said,I do agree that there is a decent enough team in there. If the game finished at 87 minutes I believe we would have all been on here raving about the impact of Tim and Ndiaye, while acknowledging the great performances of DCL and Harrison (never thought I'd say it). For only the second time in years (there other was the Derby) we were exciting to watch.

But, for me, that's the biggest argument against Dyche. He's convinced everyone that we can't play any football, direct or otherwise. It's just not true - I've seen these players play. He's not conning me.

We can aim much higher than Dyche. He deliberately sets the bar incredibly low and then celebrates his status as a miracle worker.

For me we're clearly better off without him. And I still think we'll stay up.

I think Dyche has come into an absolute shell of a football club, and after he kept us up once, he was allowed to sign Beto, on the never- never, after we had once again started the season without a recognized centre forward.

We were starting to improve and play without pressure when we got hit with a ten point deduction and although we quickly claimed back those points, my own personal view is that it took a lot out of a very small squad physically.

The second half of the season was poor, but the players regrouped and took us away from relegation, and without the initial points deduction, I think we might have been a mid table team, which would have been a massive improvement on the previous two seasons.

I'm just repeating what I've written many times before Andy, and I think what I wrote in my last paragraph@373, is the most important thing with regards our team right now. I believe Dyche needs to be given a chance because I don't think we would be a premier league team, only for him (just my own subjective opinion) and my own view is that he can surely get us playing better football, once everyone is fit, otherwise he won't get much longer at Everton.

This latest run of results and the shocking collapse at the weekend is not the first time it's happened when he plays regularly. Look at last season - we were generally poor with him in the team and then got a lot better when he was dropped.

I think he's an ok footballer to be fair but he's always liable to costly mistakes and his mere presence seems to spread panic in the rest of the side.

I don't think we lose that game at the weekend with someone else in defence, as we would have stood strong after their first goal. I'm not saying he was directly to blame for any of the goals but the guy just seems a jinx for us when he plays. In much the same way as Holgate was.

I would rather have O'Brien or even one of the young kids in until Branthwaite is fit again. We keep playing Keane, we'll keep losing most games.

I have never heard Dyche say this and, being totally honest, I was trying to get a couple of hours sleep before getting on a 7½-hour flight in the middle of the night, but was waiting for Saturday's game to finish first.

I was reading Michael's match report (which was/is a continuation of this thread) and my feelings when reading your very early posts on this thread were that Everton must be playing really well if Ernie Baywood is praising some of the football!!

Each to their own but, after going back to the thread after flitting between the live scores website, I then read your post saying he could go right now. Although I don't believe that was a knee-jerk reaction, because you have stated clearly you don't want or like Sean Dyche, it did show me how fickle a lot of football fans can be considering some of your earlier posts, Ernie.

Once everyone gets fit, then I believe we are only a couple of full-backs and a decent wide man away from having a good squad. I would definitely expect Everton to be at least mid-table by the end of this season, and certainly nowhere near the relegation places, even affording for this terrible start.

This should be the absolute minimum requirement for this season, imo, even though I'd sooner come 17th and win the FA Cup.

Given that Everton's defence was our greatest asset last season, how has it succumbed to being so brittle this season? Only Branthwaite is missing; surely one player — as good as he is — can't or shouldn't make that much difference on how the team defends.

It seems plain that the midfield, who had been on the front foot for most of the game, which is what we like to see, couldn't adapt itself when defending became the primary aim.

Two goals, or even a goal up, Everton defended those leads last season, with guts and gusto. Did they get carried away with their dominance on Saturday and forgot to manage the game? Where they so unfit in those last 10 minutes that they couldn't find the legs to chase and harry for the ball?

Whatever happened, the manager and the senior players within the squad should have reacted far better than they did. The first goal conceded should have set the alarm bells off; the second should have made them regroup and take a point; to allow a third to be conceded was nightmarish.

And the fact that the manager said he smelt trouble but didn't seem to act on his instinct doesn't say much for his ability as a manager.

Experience is very important, but when the manager prizes it above ability, form and slotting players into their best position then it makes him look stubborn and illogical. Also, Dyche really let himself down in the post match conference by not accepting responsibility as the leader in the dressing room.

The newer players like Tim Iro, Ndiaye and O'Brien look more confident, capable and adaptable, and the Academy players Dixon and Armstrong are definitely ready for the match-day squad. Lindstrom may take a bit longer, and Mangala can soon be integrated into the squad.

If Dyche persists in relying on ‘out of form' players (Gana, Tarkowski, McNeil, Mykolenko), players out of position (Young at right back, McNeil (again) at No.10) or players who are simply not good enough (Keane, Harrison) then he will lose credibility rapidly.

Ultimately. it may be his caution that finishes him off. That would be a pity as he has earned the right to manage us this season.

It isn't just about legs, the defensive assignments are not easy to reset once the match opens up. It isn't the same as building up that understanding from defending deep for the majority of time.

We simply haven't had the talent to control a match like that and once it developed that way, there was nothing to do but ride it out to some extent. We don't have the experience and have not prepared for the phase following possession dominance.

We basically moved to a more dynamic style whereas our previous efforts were static setup patched to address defensive vulnerability. For what it is worth, we took some baby steps and face-planted. Get up and try again.