Everton hang on desperately for a point off the Foxes

Hopefully a draw then and beat Palace next week will put a better picture on our season so far. Coyb.

Shame Tim Iroegbunam is on the bench, I would have preferred him with Mangala. COYB

Why not have an Under-21 for experience if nothing else?

Yes, we have injuries. But Dixon did okay in the week and deserves a start. Young starting feels like it could eventually cost him his job.

I think Dyche is getting desperate. I remember Martinez and Silva etc doing it towards the end of their reigns. Just mad line-ups. Picking players in piss poor form.

I can't see us getting anything here in a winnable fixture.

And Dyche favourites Keane and Young starting again, could be his swansong if the result doesn't go his way?

If an outfield player gets injured, would either of them go on? No wonder the fans are done with him!

And picking Young to start, for fuck's sake! The quicker he's gone, the better.

It's amazing that Dyche still sees him as the most risk-averse option despite all the evidence before him.

The gruesome twosome at the back again…….nightmare.

Alehouse version of Martinez.

I can't see us getting anything from this game then!

Dwight McNeil leads the Premier League in chance creation, better than any other player in the Premier League.

Yet our wonderful centre-forward can't score because he continues to be starved of a decent supply?

Confused of Walton.

What the Fuck?!?!

Hope we will win but look at the line-up – no chance!

Is this buffoon looking for the sack?

And then a fourth ahead of Young…

Even the joke is now becoming stale.

Still, Sean Dyche appears to have learned something from the Bournemouth debacle so hopefully he has some sort of cunning plan.

Come on, you bloomin' Blues!

I've always been grateful to him for keeping us up twice… but his inability to fashion even the slightest strategy in possession and stubbornness in picking Keane, Young and Doucoure has become indefensible.

I don't think the second goalie is blocking anyone's progression when we've only named a total of 8 subs rather than 9.

Sat there waiting to be beat… again.

Pathetic team selection from him again. Leicester will run right through us.

No worries for those kiddies then???

Prove me wrong, please prove me wrong, but this team won't win today or any day.

I thought Lindstrom should have put that chance away after 3 minutes but Ndiaye showed the value of players who have skill and pace. It is also good to see players getting forward in support and quickly reforming if possession is lost. Score and all, pleasing to watch.

Leicester look more open at the back than Everton have been all season. Keep it up, Blues.

There'll be some very disappointed 'supporters' (I use that word carefully) if we manage to get a win, or even a draw.

How low are your standards, Jimmy?

Dyche is a clueless coach.

We had some very good chances to kill the game – Calvert-Lewin shot too close to the goalkeeper, Lindstrom should have found Ndiaye in front of an open goal.

A pulsating game of football, which we should have won if we had some of our regulars fit. If Jarrad Branthwaite had been there, no way that goal goes in. Terrible defending by Keane and Tarkowski.

Have a look at the childish defending before the goal and after, Pickford running out and then going back when it was his fuckin' ball and we gave away a corner which they scored from. Four stupid fouls given away.

With Doucoure, we were lucky to get a point from a very winnable position. Lindstrom had to come off, he was very poor; even Harrison failed again when he came on. Another disappointing result but at least we got a point.

And I didn't understand the substitutions unless it is because Dyche sees more of them in the changing rooms at half-time than we do but I couldn't see why Lindstrom was taken off, and certainly not for Harrison, and then I could understand Iroegbunam but not for Ndiaye. If anything, the changes should have been the other way around, Iroegbunam for Lindstrom if any subs at all.

The big question has to be whose idea was any of it?

We got one.

Positives: everyone's whipping boys, Keane and Young acquitted themselves really well.

Negatives = Calvert-Lewin and Lindstrom were absolutely rank (again) and the reason we didn't get two more points.

It's "Ooh, I'd better take off my best options for a second or third goal!"

He hasn't got a positive thought in his head; that is why he or any team he ever manages in the Premier League, will be no more than mid- to low-table.

It was woeful defending leading to the corner and then from the corner too. I was screaming at my telly for Pickford to come and claim that ball. But….

Who is setting them up to defend corners like that? Southampton also scored from a corner midweek so my question is, what are they practising on the training ground to defend corners?

Apart from the missed chances, mostly Lindstrom, I can't fault the effort or overall play today. I thought Doucoure was much better in a deeper role than further forward, Young didn't put a foot wrong that I saw, and the forward line played pretty well. Creating chances is half the battle, we just need to start converting more of them.

3 points and a clean sheet would have been most welcome, but baby steps eh? We got a point away and let's kick on from here and get a few wins from the upcoming fixtures.

And I wonder, who'll stop the rain? Hope Danny remembered his coat but I'll wager he didn't!

And why take Ndiaye off? I really enjoyed watching him, he looks like one of the trickiest players we've had in quite some time.

Some players were totally spent there and should have come off for fresh legs with 10 minutes to go. He's so stubborn. As soon as Ndiaye came off, we had no out ball.

First part of his conservative approach was taking off Lindstrom for a, clearly not 100%, Harrison, who only gave the ball away every time.

Garner looked knackered but so did a lot of others. Dixon and Armstrong should have come on for fresh legs. We should have won that but were holding on towards the end.

Harrison is totally crap, he should have moved Garner to midfield, bring Dixon on, and Tim for Doucoure, not our best player Ndiaye?

I just hope Branthwaite and Patterson come through tomorrow's game and are available for next week.

I couldn't see that he was tiring. In which case, appalling to again haul him off.

We didn't take our chances. Unless we put our chances away, we either lose or will just about scrape a draw.

For nearly 80% of the game we were good enough. I am pretty sure, once we have most of our players back, we will do much better.

I'd love someone to name me if we could have a better keeper, we can't and we won't.

We're throwing leads away and it's down to one man and one man only. Dyche he's a fucking numbskull and the sooner he goes the better. 1 point from 5 games, 5 wins since January and no away wins since last December.

An absolute disgrace and the sooner he goes the better, I honestly think he hates us, with his "I'm gaffer, not you lot."

Keane, Young, Garner at right-back and Doucoure back in — it's dereliction of duty. I've been going a long long time and I don't think I've seen worse football dished up.

Hey but it's all Pickford's fault, isn't it?

No wonder our expectations have hit rock bottom when we've got fans that actually laud this imposter.

Fuck off and take your prehistoric football back to the '50s where it belongs.

Dyche is a total fuckwit.

Negatives:
We didn't win;
We failed to hold onto a lead again;
No clean sheets in the Premier League thus far;
Winless league games goes to six (including Arsenal, last game of last season).

Palace next up.

All this talk of isolation and long balls but in recent games we've frequently played the ball to his feet when he's had a clear run on goal and he can't even control the ball, slows down dramatically and can't finish.

Brent, I agree on Ndiaye – totally baffled me.

A point today on the back of wins at Villa and Bournemouth at home, two games which should have yielded the six points, fair enough.

But we are going into the end of September with one solitary point to our name and a defence that seems incapable right now of just basic elementary defending from set plays.

The game swung in Leicester's favour when he took Lindstrom off, funnily enough, his pace meant they had to stay further back, Harrison just meant we went deeper and deeper, the Iroegbunam swap for Ndiaye just iced the cake.

Two monumental home games that must bring two wins now before another international break, whether or not this manager returns after that break will probably be shaped by those two games against Palace and Newcastle.

A couple more draws and the players will stop being accustomed to losses. Then, we can build for the rest of the season.

It will be long and painful, but, like the old British Rail slogan: 'We're getting there!'

You fuckin genius, Dino Dyche!!

The good: A well set up team that dominated the chances even with less of the ball and should have been at least two goals ahead at the hour mark.

The poor: Terrible game management and quite baffling substitutions. Playing Iroegbunam deeper than Doucoure suggests a manager who just doesn't see his players' strengths and weaknesses clearly.

In current times I'd always take a point away from home even if we have given up a lead once again. Some encouraging work from Mangala, Lindstrom and especially Ndiaye. If we can re-find the defensive solidity of last season we'll be fine.

We don't need 13 wins, we probably need about 8 or 9 with a handful of draws. 27 points was enough to stay up last season and I reckon this season it won't take much more than 32 or 33 points.

We're off the bottom of the table with some decent fixtures coming and (for the first time in a while) some players who look like they can create chances from nothing.

Right now, thanks to the torrential downpour, I'm like a drowned rat.

The streets were flooded so my snacks and shoes got soaked.

I should thaw out by the time I get home.

He hasn't learned, I think he is a bit thick, tbh.

You can cut it any way you like... but we're shit.

Nothing more to add.

Is the guy on a retainer from a holiday company? Wish he'd take a long one.

Anybody who uses advertising slogans instead of proper English is a complete thicko.

Simples!

Leicester came into it more in the second half and I couldn't understand why he took Ndiaye off. I don't think the player understood either.

I thought Doucoure had a great game and linked up well with Mangala. If Calvert-Lewin had been on form today, we would have won… but Faes seemed to have the measure of him.

Disappointing to only get a point from a game we had so many chances and they hardly troubled us.

But I think Paul Ferry has a modern rendition of that slogan: "Go to work with three eggs" (hard-boiled).

Is it just fear of conceding possession so they panic and lump it blindly back towards goal? If Vardy was a few years younger, he'd have capitalized on one of those balls.

So, when he went off, it was like saying "Okay, we've removed the most threatening player", and when Ndiaye followed, the entire threat was removed , with Calvert-Lewin, reasonably, not being considered any kind of threat unless the ball is delivered onto his head.

Effectively, Everton went from a position of threat and reasonable dominance to one of abject capitulation and surrender and another re-enactment of the Alamo (which unusually didn't result in pathetic defeat). Leicester realised that there was no significant danger, threw the kitchen sink forward and, unsurprisingly, scored.

As an aside, Leicester's manager has to be the ugliest creature seen near a football ground in living memory. Most of the forum decided he looked like Gollum, but I was more of the opinion that he looked like the hideous Rory Stewart.

Removing Ndiaye was a real head-scratcher, as was leaving on Dom when he looked a bit knackered (understandably so after a hard day's graft), late on chasing a hopeful pass, the defender beat him to it easily.

Also moving Doucoure further forward when he had done well sitting deep was strange.

Leicester's manager is Spud from Trainspotting, but Haaland is definitely uglier.

We are no longer bottom of the league and will improve further in the weeks ahead.

Don't be so sensible.

You are always the calm in the storm.

Always negative, never positive.

But I've come to accept only Moshiri can change the manager and he's lost interest, so we have to wait for new owners and pray they won't arrive too late.

In the meantime, all we can do is wish Dyche goodwill in the quest to keep us in the Premier League because harping on for change is pointless!

Bloody hell, if you want cheering up, don't come on here! That's not aimed at you, John, it's at the curmudgeons in the thread.

A sad state of affairs.

Can we stay up on alphabetical order?

Might be something to hold on to.

And we've got him… how unlucky is it to have that manager?

Everton that.

Once the defense is fully fit and the new signings are fully integrated, it's a decent enough squad. Hopefully we'll be able to start building some momentum and confidence.

I had never seen it from a flight before, felt fitting being the last season and all. Somewhat makes up for my last visit being Alardyche's first game against Huddersfield. Although I did enjoy that win with Rooney up front.

And saw the new stadium from a Mersey ferry, what a venue – brilliant. My American in-laws loved it.

I guess you are probably about right. And if we do survive it will be a reflection of there being 3 worse teams than us.

With survival points totals being so low, I think it demonstrates how big the gap is becoming between the different tiers within the Premier League.

It's almost astonishing how in around 2010 - 2013 we had edged ahead of Liverpool. And a little over 10 years later, we are stratospheres apart and they have gathered a number more trophies in the cabinet including the top prize.

There is a lot to look forward to.

My brother's best mate is a Liverpool fan but said he wants go with him on a tour of the ground.

I can't wait to see 50k fans sell out the new stadium every other week. C'mon, feel the noise.

As Sam said, his game management was atrocious.

Onwards and upwards.

I thought he got his subs about right for once, both full-backs did okay and Doucoure looked better a bit deeper. On another day, we win that comfortably. Let's not go backwards from here, please.

Regarding the post-match interview, if you're having a whinge about that, you're getting desperate. But there are some desperados who'll moan about anything on here. They're not representative of the wider fanbase fortunately.

COYB.

He took Lindstrom off who caused them problems all game and got in behind them on a number of occasions, for Harrison, who gave the ball away constantly and didn't go past the full-back once in 30 minutes?

He then took our best player off at 1-1 with 10 minutes to go, against a team that will be relegated. Both subs totally negative and I would say unnecessary. Cost us 2 points imo.

But I watched Match of the Day last night (I don't usually) and wow, some of those goalie performances made Pickford look good. Bournemouth's goalie, Fulham's, West Ham's, Wolves – and even the Pope had nightmares.

Mind you, I still think Pickford could have come out and punched that Leicester corner.

Pickford should have come out and collected the ball before we gave that corner away, he came out then went back when the ball was his to collect.

He will never change and will continue to give goals away by his poor performances in controlling his 6-yard area – an important part of being a top-class goalkeeper. This with his ranting and raving throughout the game doesn't help his game and definitely doesn't help the team.

I must have missed that vote.

You don't have to vote on Jimmy's point of view, just disagree if you think he is wrong, I thought he was right in a lot of what he said.

Fans will have a go at some players, sometimes deservedly so, but will turn a blind eye to other players who they favour even though they make mistakes constantly.

The mad thing is: Jimmy's right. Steve's right and you're also right.

I come from an Everton-supporting family and background, no-one else I know uses this site and they don't share the negativity around Dyche. That doesn't mean they're over the moon either, but their views, and mine, are more balanced.

I wonder about the motivation behind some of the posters on here, I'm sure a few would've preferred us to lose yesterday so they could rant on about 'Dyche out' again. I support Everton; at the moment, he's our manager, so he gets my qualified support.

You are also right, Dave, that blame is wrongly apportioned when we have lost. As Dave C has said for weeks, Tarkowski has been given a pass by supporters this season while a better performer (Keane) has copped the blame.

Young has been abused by fans for being selected at right-back when that is down to the manager. He did well at left-back yesterday.

I do disagree with Jimmy's assessment of the substitutions though. Taking off Ndiaye and Lindstrom handed the initiative to Leicester.

Dyche has got his team selections wrong consistently this season, his game management has typically been late and ill-judged, and his substitutions constantly result in lost momentum. And I am still a supporter of his!

If I was to suggest practical things to improve the team:

1) Do not select players out of position at full-back.
2) Break up the Tarkowski - Keane partnership.
3) Get Mangala in the Number 6 position and Tim Iroegbunam or Doucoure at Number 8.
4) Keep Lindstrom on the right as he is the only player we have with real pace.
5) Switch Harrison to the left and let him compete with McNeil for that slot.
6) Move Ndiaye in behind Calvert-Lewin.

In order words, play players in their right positions and select based on form rather than experience. Hardly radical, I know.

Give over, mate. They were like-for-like subs for tiring players, it's not like we have a world class bench. You're making a story out of nothing. Fake news.

I also come from an Everton-supporting family and background and the majority share the negativity around Dyche!

My sons want him sacked, and regard me as an apologist for dross for saying we should give him time. I do think he should be given more time as he only had 13 players complete a proper pre-season, has suffered numerous squad injuries, and seen experienced Premier League players depart.

And the only luck we have had is bad luck. (Dhuran's and Bissouma's crackers, Calvert-Lewin hits the bar against Villa, Mavididi hits the ball into the ground and it ends up in the net.)

But, Dyche is making it difficult for me to support him this season as he has got more wrong than he has got right.

Half right, Jimmy. Dyche did cost us 2 points. Leicester will be relegated? Where exactly did I say that?!

He ain't the best manager we've had but neither is he the worst and there is no way he'll be gotten rid of until a new owner appears!

People can see right through Dyche — I'm one of them. I've been going long enough to know exactly what I'm being served up and, apart from 40 minutes against Bournemouth, it's atrocious.

And yes, Jimmy, I am representative of the wider fan base and have been for 58 years, because that's how long I've regularly been going home and away.

Isn't it our worst start to a season for something like 66 years??? If you're happy with that, then you really are a comedian.

Lindstrom and Ndiaye were giving them food for thought yesterday, especially the former. Yes, his decision-making was poor but, given games, that'll come.

So what does Dyche do? He brings them off!!! Appaling subs so he could put one of his boys on — the woeful Harrison, who actually plays like a 7-year-old child.

I've said this time and time again: keep this clown and we start at the new stadium in the Championship.

There is negativity about Dyche, not denying it. He does not help himself sometimes, but some of the comments on here are completely out of order and over the top, it's dispiriting to read.

I'm not the self-appointed voice of anything and didn't claim I was, what I said was ToffeeWeb does not reflect the views of the wider fanbase and it doesn't. Not the first time I've said it either.

There are a small number of posters on here with an agenda so I will keep challenging that agenda as it doesn't address the bigger picture of the future of our club, which needs sorting more urgently.

I think I read somewhere, probably the Live Forum, that it was a needless corner given away which they equalised from. I don't think it was.

From what I remember in real time, Keane had no option but to put it behind. He was facing the by-line and had an attacker coming from the left, so the only option for Keane was to put the ball behind. Yet again though, the corner should have been defended better.

Pleasantly surprised at how our defence coped with what was, in the end, a poor Leicester attack, although I wouldn't like to see the same defence against a better team than Leicester.

Yet again, soft ollies takes off what was probably our two best players, which led to panic mode for the last 15 minutes or so, with our attacking threats removed, handing Leicester the initiative to get forward.

Still, the losing streak ended, the first point on the board (should have been all three in my opinion) and also off the bottom. The only way is upward now with a nice little run of very winnable games coming up.

ToffeeWeb reflects the views of those who take the time and trouble to post. The only 'agenda' they probably share is a concern about the current and future form of Everton and their destiny in the Premier League.

What you are doing, as many have tried to do before, is to find ad hominem methods to downplay, negate or otherwise reject the views of other fans as posted on here, for the very simple reason that you don't agree with them or don't like their tone.

It's fair enough for you to disagree without invoking this 'wider fanbase' nonsense. It just gets people's backs up — and rightly so.

He said in his post-match interview that Garner became available at the last minute, but why not play Dixon, who is a natural full-back?

And as others have said, taking off our two attacking players who were causing Leicester big problems, and bringing on Harrison, definitely put us on the back foot, especially as he has been so poor in every game he's played this season.

Dyche's decision-making and substitutions deserves to be questioned.

One team takes off their two best attacking players and it tells your opponent to take the initiative. It tells your own team you're happy to stop taking the initiative.

Why take off your best players, ever, unless they're injured or absolutely on their arse? It's insane management.

Dyche had built up credit in the bank, but it is as a lot of people feared – give him better tools and he doesn't know how to use them.

Evertonians are not like Burnley fans. We know our football. We have much patience but won't allow a manager to take the piss. He needs to sort himself out or get ready to get out, coz simply put, this is not good enough.

His in-game management is terrible, his substitutions only ever influence the game to our own detriment.

What is wrong with someone calming things down in their own half? They seem to lack a calming influence at vital times even allowing for the poor conditions. The pitch seemed like a wet sponge after the storm but it was the same for the Foxes.

I don't see why Calvert-Lewin is starting ahead of Beto these days.

Evertonians who had been sunbathing outside the Counting House pub before the game ended up resembling drowning rats as the made their way back to their cars, trains or coaches.

I personally would not have made any substitutions. The amount of rain which came down in such a short space of time saw the conditions deteriorate from superb to treacherous. It was never going to be easy for anybody to come on and adjust to those conditions.

Lindstrom had been good and Ndaiye had at times been quite brilliant. But – and there is a but: they had both showed signs that their petrol light had flashed up and Dyche acted quickly in both cases.

Unfortunately the substitutes confirmed my fears. Neither of them could adapt. I'm not a Jack Harrison basher, but I can't escape the belief that his appearance marked the turning point. He suffered from the minute he came on. He gave the ball away every single time he got it.

Dyche was murdered recently for not taking off "tired " men. You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

Rob

I think the corner you refer to where Keane ushered it out was the one before the one they scored from. I seemed to remember Everton players strongly contesting the decision to award the corner which did lead to the goal. You may be right though. I haven't had the chance to look at it again yet, but our players seemed quite upset by the decision.

Just wondering if you saw Beto's performance against Southampton in midweek? With no striker on the bench, he was taken off on the hour mark.

As I've said in the past, I can walk out of a stadium and not remember a thing about what happened. I've yet to see any highlights of the game, or how the corner they scored from came about.

I do remember reading the Live Forum on the coach on the way home, and someone saying a needless corner given away by Keane, which led me to believe that was the one they scored from.

The fact that many are uncomfortable in possession and our management don't seem to want to coach possession football, makes game management, when you have a lead, very difficult. We continually give the ball away, concede possession, concede impetus.

One other concerning thing for me, and it is linked to ball retention, is the tiredness we are showing last 15 minutes. Our pre-season was supposed to be the toughest…?

But from where I'm sitting the club has been mismanaged – firstly by Kenwright and now Moshiri – for maybe a couple of decades, Dyche is just one more patsy in a long line of them in the manager's seat.

I think the picture regarding Everton FC's current predicament is a little bit bigger than just Sean Dyche.

Calvert-Lewin starts because, although limited, he is by far the best option up-front. I'm sorry but Beto is not very good and that's being kind.

Calvert-Lewin showed us once again that he is bang average but his overall effort was piss poor. Doucouré on the other hand always puts a good effort in but, my god, he is crap.

The player who lost the game for us once again, in my opinion, was Pickford. Call him a great shot-stopper as much as you like but he lets the team down with his cowardice around the area.

How ironic that we had two goalies on the bench!

The things going on at the club as regards the takeover, finances etc are out of Dyche's hands but he knew what he was taking on when he accepted the role.

My gripe with the man is his in-game management, his tactics, and the style of football he serves up.

He continually plays his favourites, and I've no need to name them, over more deserving players: Young over Dixon, Garner over Dixon yesterday… it's maddening.

You're right when you say the club has been badly mismanaged for donkey's years but what goes on, on the pitch, is down to Dyche and his coaching staff.

Yes, if (and god forbid) we go down, to me, the blame will lie squarely on Dyche's shoulders, because in my opinion we've got a decent squad of players who I think another decent coach and his staff would well get a tune out of.

Dyche isn't that man because he's stubborn and arrogant and I'll bet anyone that Harrison comes back into the fold against Palace rather than Lindstrom who I thought caused Leicester problems yesterday.

And I'm not one who wants us not to win because the manager will perish. To coin a phrase, I'd love it, absolutely love it if he turned it around. Unfortunately, I don't believe for one minute he will because he knows in his own mind he's living on borrowed time.

As soon as the takeover is completed, I hope they relieve him of his duties because us, as long-suffering fans, deserve better than to be at the wrong end of the table, season-in & season-out.

I'm certain, if we get to the new ground with our status intact, there's better times around the corner.

If we don't… well, I'd hate to think which way we'll go.

Lol, sorry to disappoint you, but no I'm not.

I went to yesterday's game and my opinion of Leicester City is they are relegation certainties.

Tiring players? The substituted players were clearly not tired. The first one was made after 60 minutes, at least 10 minutes too early. Lindstrom had just made a burst into Leicester's box, so he was clearly not tired?

The second one was just unnecessary, as Ndiaye was our clearly our best player and caused them problems all game.

Both substitutions were negative and had a negative effect on the team and supporters. We were in control & looking the most likely to score when he made the first substitution.

Therefore, in my opinion, the manager cost us two points. I get you're a fan of his, but he got it wrong yesterday — and that's not the first time this season.

Its still early in the season and there's little betweem 5 or 6 teams at the bottom of the table.

The priority is always but even more so this season is to stop in the top division nothing else matters in my opinion.

The problem is we are in a mess at the back at the moment and we need to find a full back or two in the next window.

If we can and get lucky with injuries I think we will improve enough to climb the table to safety.

That's not to say I'm not worried as its looking a little dicey just now.

You won't see how that corner happened on the highlights because they never showed it but I'm sure it was the corner from which Leicester scored and that was down to Pickford's reluctance to come and claim the ball that was his. He started to come for the ball, then changed his mind and went back to his line.

Seeing out a match with a lead requires a regular rotation that is beyond the main problem of fielding a healthy starting eleven. We are still on the first problem and developing the second is progress. It wasn't that long ago that people were whining for shots while dreaming of taking leads.

So now we regularly get leads and a new more difficult problem, with even fewer options available, is the declared failure of a manager who succeeded in solving the first problem. Whatever he does, there is an option unchosen that will be cited as the obvious alternative. And there will be no sense of irony about the various suggestions made which actually make the case for the manager's decisions.

We are building a way of getting goals and then limiting the openness of the play to suit our squad capacity. It is perhaps the most difficult of tasks for an undersized and unbalanced squad in the Premier League.

But don't let these observations get in the way of a good rant.

MotD does show the corner that leads to the goal, Mate. Just watched it.

It looks to me as if Garner plays it against the Leicester forward and had a very good case to dispute the decision to give a corner.

I think the calls that Pickford doesn't come off his line are becoming a little excessive. Whilst he has certainly been guilty in the past, that corner landed on the 6-yard box. Very few (if any) goalkeepers would have deserted their goal when it appeared his two center backs had it covered. Keane had it, but Tarkowski misjudges the flight of the ball, gets himself under it and backs into him.

I think It should also be pointed out that Pickford did come well off his line several times in the latter stages to catch and ease the pressure we seemed to be inviting on ourselves.

I'm not talking about coming off his line for the corner but coming off his line before the corner then going back onto his line when the ball was his to safely gather, and then no need for arguements over the corner.

The calls for Pickford to come off his line are not excessive in any way, they are a consistent claim and genuine claim ever since he came to the club and they will come again in the future because it is a fault he makes in every game whether they end up with a goal against us or not.

He is a very good shot-stopper but these mistakes and his temperament are never going to change, has he even tried to?

I rate Ederson and the other Brazilian keeper across the park, but no goalkeeper is really dominant now, and although I agree with my father when he says Pickford is a very good shot-stopper, I sometimes prefer to judge a goalkeeper by the saves he prevents himself from having to make, if this makes sense, mate.

It's not often I disagree with you, but I'm afraid I do on this. Pickford is no Pat Jennings. That's for sure. He clearly isn't comfortable coming out of his goal, but I don't think the goalie has been born yet who doesn't have any flaws in his game.

You have a reputation on this site for calling things as you see them. It's deserved and I respect that. But I think the "Pickford didn't come off his line" argument is getting on a par with the idiotic claims that every effort Calvert-Lewin has (no matter how good) is deemed to be a sitter.

Being honest, I'm no fan of Pickford but I wouldn't blame him if I didn't think he was at fault.

Unfortunately after all this time, I'm unconvinced with him. Yes, he does have some fine acrobatic reflex qualities, but I believe he lacks considerably in positional sense, physicality, and I'm sorry to say, bravery.

I would give Virginia the jersey for a spell, if only to show Pickford that he isn't an automatic choice.

I actually think you're right. However, with our parlous finances, we need Pickford more than he needs us.

If we drop him, we'll piss him off and he'll want to leave. And across a season, Pickford has proven he has the stomach for a relegation battle.

So for me, better the devil you know!

We created some great chances, it could easily have been 0-3. Goals will come eventually. We need to sort out the defence. Hopefully Branthwaite back in the team will bring back some balance at the back and some clean sheets.

3 teams with 1 point and another 3 teams with 3 points. Hope this is the start of turning point and have a good run of games.