Brilliant low-block exposition by Dyche's stalwarts

The perfect chance now to finally play Harrison on his favoured left side and Ndiaye on the right, let’s see if Dyche has one ounce of sense and plays Harrison on the left.

Who's Will Ebb?

Everything crossed here...

Unbelievable miss.

Pickford and the massed blockers have been good enough… just.

Brendan, When Arsenal ebb out of the game Everton will ebb forward.That is the only time Everton get forward under Dyche, except when he goes gungho..

Actually the game is going the way of my initial post.Here's hoping.

I doff my cap to him and the players.

Wonder if they'll appear? 🤔

Brilliant defensive display and kept Arsenal at bay.

Delighted with that.

Pickford made some brilliant stops, but we snuffed out Arsenal's threat superbly.

Some of the refereeing looked a bit dodgy especially booking Pickford for kicking the ball away when the Arsenal player had just done the exact same thing.

Now to see how other results go.

Fair play it's a decent point given the circumstances. Can't knock today.

Agreed, the lad is hopeless. Every single pass goes astray.
He runs all day long but offers nothing.

Tell me anyone, can we cut short Harrison's loan and send him back?

….. and Calvert-Lewin failed to score. 😂

Why Doucoure was left on is beyond me, has he got something on Dyche or embarrassing photos with a Donkey?

Pickford was exceptional. Maybe letting Tuchel know he has to stick with the current England Number 1.

Well done, Blues, we need battling performances like this each week, but particularly this month with our fixtures!!!

They would have slaughtered us if we had played attacking football. Mykolenko was superb and I think criticism of Pickford should be a medically certifiable illness.

All of the back 6 were great and special praise for Mangala and Lindstrøm when he came on, we must get Mangala on the books. Branthwaite was monumental.

A great result but please, there's only so much we can be expected to take.

Always necessary to put in a great defensive display which was nowhere to be seen at Old Trafford – pity about that.

Pickford shows his class again and I don't see a better keeper in the Premier League.

Arsenal are just not going to win the title in my book.

Good point, a Dyche masterclass in the dark art of anti-football. Not what I always want to see but it will do for the rest of the season if we can keep grinding out results like today's.

The new owners may see things the same way.

He does not like it up 'em one little bit.

Gutted for the "Blues" who lost their correct score bets.

I'm convinced Dyche only plays him for his defensive contribution, but today I don't recall him heading any of those corners away.

The defence played their part but Gana Gueye and his work rate is immense for the team.

Great quip.

For once I have to praise Calvert-Lewin for effort going back but nothing worthwhile, as usual, from his main role up front. Subs brought on for once at a proper time giving them time to at least warm up properly, all to no avail unfortunately.

Thought Branthwaite, after his early blooper, played brilliantly and was our Man of the Match.

Fingers crossed that we see the Friedkins next weekend at Goodison.

Where would we be without Pickford though? MotM.

I understand the situation we're in, the finances, etc but at times it was embarrassing to watch. We're Everton, yet we play like a team that's just been promoted to the Premier League for the first time. Anyway, on the positive side, it's 4 points from 3 games in December and many were predicting almost Zero points from this tough run.

(Yes, I know that saying "we're Everton" doesn't mean anything in the modern game, but even so…)

I don't think anyone has ever questioned Dyche's ability to get this kind of result. It won't win many fans but he got it spot on today.

All played well except for the 3 players clearly not fit for purpose already mentioned enough times on here. Well done to the other Blues.

Word Perfect. I can't add to it. Saved me rambling. (A well-deserved point.)

Gueye is Incredible. My MotM.

We need to look for a proper all-round keeper next month who bosses his box.

Enough already with the comedy/click-bait comments. It's circa 16 weeks to April Fool's day.

I would like to eat those weasly words right now. He was, as were the players and coach, superb.

All defensive but, given the quality that they give the defence, it seems impossible that we could go down.

They'll lose fans though if they carry on like they are.

That's why I'll be glad to see the back of him.

Santa is certainly coming on cue for us Blues and delivering those presents: new ground, new owners, new manager (hopefully soon) and new players and football in the summer. UTFT.

15 points from 15 games, that will do nicely;, we are on track for staying up.

Grade One brainless moaning as usual at the start of the thread.

I was thinking of the folk who want him gone, dropped, or neutered.

Giving you a hug long-distance.

More than just today. He's been excellent for 3 seasons. And he will keep getting better for a long time yet.

That's 6 clean sheets in his last 9 games.

Keep an eye on Broja. If he can stay clear of injuries for a couple of seasons with that physique and pace…

Clean sheet intact. Job done.

It's probably not the game to have a pop at pessimists who didn't expect much. Our record v Arsenal is our worst record against any club.

Even when we've had great sides, we usually lose to them, so pessimism for this one was entirely rational. But the good thing about football is you get the odd pleasant surprise.

Apparently one assistant ref was an absolute disgrace and the ref (Pawson?) characteristically easily swayed by the home crowd. The remaining official was apparently praiseworthy.

A hard-earned and useful point but Doucoure is not a foot-on-the-ball play orchestrator, is he?

A promising 17-year-old playing for the U18s was mentioned as potentially not far off first team footy. Anyone know who that would be?

Answer that myself – Harrison Armstrong. I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't realised how young he is.

Over to you now, the new owners, I think you have made a good buy and that we have already turned the corner.

But it's a point in the bag against a decent team. Well done!

But what was Dyche doing against Man Utd?

However, we can not set out to do the same against all the top clubs. One goal against and we are totally screwed, unless we consider that a 0 -1 is acceptable rather than a heavier beating?

The current issue appears to be whether survival this season on the back of turgid dross is our ambition or whether we try to kick on now with a new manager. I know what my choice would be.

I just wish we could have defended like this earlier in the season.

You weren't exactly wrong. Pickford was certainly inconsistent for his first few seasons and the stats support this. But he's been much improved for the last 3 years or so. He actually started this season poorly but has stepped up over the last month or so.

A very solid point. One of the reasons Dyche was an excellent appointment for us is that he has a habit of grinding out points, even in tough games. Not sure that will be the limit of our aspirations in seasons to come but it may be enough for him to see out his contract.

Interesting to see TFG's decision on him.

I love Broja but Chelsea's price is probably more than we can pay?

Gueye's swansong for Everton is great to see though and hopefully more to come? What a buy he was for the cost.

Second half perfomance was immense from everyone, Dyche included.

When that's the tactics he employs against every team, top or bottom, all credit to the defence and Arsenal's poor performance in the last third. 🤔

When Oh when are the Pickford haters just going to shut the fuck up? I've been saying it for 2½ seasons now, he is a fantastic keeper and we are so fortunate to have him. Certainly up there as the best in the league.

The Pickford haters are the ones who booed Iwobi who is pulling up trees this season for Fulham, he has the highest decisive balls played in the final third this season in the Premier League, not bad for a team mid-table. Some people can't pick out a good player in a dysfunctional club, drives me crazy.

Doucoure will hopefully be sold in the window, I hope so, he is on top money but we need better if we are looking forwards. Come on, Saudi teams – give us an offer!

I wonder if the new ownership announcement the other day put a rocket up a few who have been feeling too cosy?

Pleased for Mykolenko today too who on his day can be a really solid defensive left-back. Just watched the Ipswich highlights, what I wouldn't give for Delap, he holds it up like Calvert-Lewin, runs at defences like Cunha, and can finish too, still really young too.

Have a day off mate. I don't think we should renew his contract if we have some money to invest into the squad but the hard truth is this squad lacks real quality, a team of journeymen apart from Pickford and Branthwaite. Dyche will get as much as anyone from them.

Let's just get to May and stay in the Premier League.

That's why we're on 15 points from 15 games and why we'll be on 38 points from 38 games.

We'll be shit against shit teams, decent against decent teams; today was one of those decent performances.

Give Dyche a bit of credit when it's due, he will and has kept us in the Premier League for potentially 3 seasons… name me another manager who could do the same with that squad?

I think you mean April 85 but we scored after about 30 minutes and Southall played a blinder, especially the save from Olive's header.

First 4 games = 13 goals. Last 11, okay let's forget Man Utd – Last 10 = 4 goals. The issue is now at the other end of the pitch. At least today it was not a profligate striker – we just didn't create any chances.

Bad news was Ipswich winning - but otherwise the promoted clubs are doing no better than the ones that went down last season and Wolves are in meltdown. We should be okay.

But someone answer me this: If we have had PSR issues, then why, all of a sudden, can we spend money in January?

Or is it we had PSR limits and then, in August, Moshiri did not want to spend because he was not going to get his money back and we had PSR space but just chose not to use it?

Roll on the Friedkins and what a way to greet them by lighting up the new stadium for the first time.

But as I said pre-match, these aren't the games that Dyche is being judged on. He doesn't have the resources to compete in these games so it's justifiable to hope for a 0-0. It's playing for a 0-0 in winnable games that will end his tenure.

Did you blame him for the thumping at Old Trafford? Mmm… I think you did.

How the fuck will we ever know how good we can be if we have a go at teams, when we never try?

Don't you remember the Southampton game and the West Ham game and the 10-man Brentford game when we had the chance to have a real go at them… but no — we just played the same old tactics: sit back and hope for a breakaway?

I would suggest it might have backfired.

Had we won that game, in which we, by the way, never went for a 0-0, we would be in an entirely different place.

I said we play exactly the same way against the bottom teams, when we should have a go.

Hopefully this clean sheet on top ofc the Wolves game will provide added confidence for the Chelsea game.

Many positives to take from this game.

We had the best chance of the game, wasted by Doucouré.

Give your head a wobble.

Did you actually watch the match? You won, I give up.

Don't get me wrong – a point I am extremely happy with but the lack of ambition from our manager is sickening.

I watched the game with my two lads and the only time I got out of my seat was to scream at the totally inept Doucouré waste the best chance of the game.

The ref. at the Villa - Forest game was awful and should be struck off. I hope he doesn't get another Premier League game.

The VAR was poor as well. Some things will never change.

I can accept the dour defensive shite away but, at home, Goodison responds to us being on the front foot and trying to win the game.

Good point away today but we are awful to watch in my opinion.

All that really matters is that we stay in the Premier League this season and, with our new stadium and owners, we can begin to put the nightmare of the last decade behind us.

The sooner Dyche is given the 'Spanish Archer', the better, we can't go on playing back-foot football forever, it's fucking embarrassing.

But, objectively, to keep Arsenal to nil – I think that was 12/1 with the bookies – is a minor miracle.

To think a front foot performance could have yielded more is, in my opinion, absolutely fucking stupid, thick, deluded, unrealistic, bollocks.

Of course, as a polite person, I would not describe it as such. Just to say, you are entitled to your opinion, which I think is absurd.

UTFT. Well done to the Ginger Messiah.

But I'm too polite to say it. I rest my case. 🤣😂

Don't you realise that this is the way we will stay up? It's not pretty but it's practical.

And frankly, I don't care if I'm entertained this season, I just want to stay up and go into the new stadium as a Premier League club – it's so much more important than playing well and getting beat.

Great point today and yes, may we put shit teams to the sword at Goodison, like Wolves.

I know he had a brief good spell with Burnley before going down and bouncing back but, if it means getting a couple of good players in January as a result of not having to pay him off, I think we will see the season out – and may, just may, surprise some folk.

As I say, don't read this wrong because I am not pro-Dyche… but we might never know.

I'm not his biggest advocate but credit where credit's due for today. Hopefully our new overlords won't pay too much attention to ToffeeWeb.

If that was the only time you got out of your seat, you obviously weren't among the throngs of travelling Blues roaring on their feet throughout the last 15 minutes, bringing the lads home through sheer volume and mass will.

They were magnificent.

Not trying to be controversial but who was the last Everton manager to play on the front foot even against the "lesser" teams?

I remember even Carlo saying "I am not a magician."

Lampard perhaps… but I never really figured out what Frank was trying to do.

Hear, hear!!

We haven't scored in five of our last six. That's bad. But we've kept a clean sheet in four of our last five. That's good. The teams that can't defend are the ones that tend to get relegated come season's end.

Let's hope we can do the same against Chelsea and Man City.

If the seat you "got out of" was at The Emirates, then fair play to you, well done for travelling all that way with your lads and I respect your opinion.

If it was in your living room, I think you should consider winding your fucking neck in.

I also would prefer having Beto starting in games like this, he makes his own chances. Calvert-Lewin just doesn't look arsed to me.

My “team” was the '63 lads. For others, it's the '70s.
Others are the '80s. Regardless, we just have to hope we get professional businessmen in to run us and appoint the correct people.

We have a long long long way to travel to get back where we belong. Let's just get through this season, get rid of every player out of contract, though I'd keep Virginia, and start afresh next season.

Great point, however earned, today!

Simple stuff, yes, but both put a shift in and left it all on the pitch. This was crucial in getting the draw today. We don't look like we are going to get overrun in midfield, but the wide players need to improve in retaining possession.

Pickford was outstanding today: I have always had concerns about him dominating the box, but – fair play – he looked well up for this game, and his mental focus seems very sharp.

I am beginning to think the home game against Chelsea might not be quite the daunting prospect it first appeared to be a couple of weeks ago.

They've got to be the favoured two going forward in the middle.

Branthwaite was lucky another glaring error was not punished. Physically he looks below his best at present.

Mykolenko once again performed well nullifying the threat posed by Saka.

Our three central midfielders worked themselves almost to a standstill to see off Ødegaard and Rice and their replacements.

Plainly we lack quality going foward. Ndiaye can dribble and is industrious tracking back. There is little evidence however he is more than a £17M player in terms of an end product measured by shots, passes or crosses. But he's the best of our wide attackers.

Calvert-Lewin is still by some distance our best centre forward. Broja was unconvincing today. He will hopefully benefit from his half-hour on the pitch but it is too early to suggest he is anything like ready for a place in the starting eleven.

Today we were up against an expensively assembled squad with quality players in every position and on the bench. Well done, Sean Dyche and his band of loanees and end-of-contract journeymen, for grinding out a draw.

Doucoure in particular must be world class at Finch Farm because how he's keeping his place is beyond me, the man hasn't got a clue how to pass a ball how to trap a ball or how to strike a ball – and please don't say the Bournemouth game because that was one he got lucky with.

Mandala and Gueye carried him and Harrison today even Ndiaye showed them how to kill a ball in an instant, something Bambi could never do.

Once a new gaffer comes in, he'll see right through the likes of them two and the innefective McNeil and, given time, get a DoF who can spot a player because Thelwell sure the hell can't.

Harrison, Beto, Lindstrøm — all poor poor players. And let's not forget his pursuit of Che Adams and Gnonto – my god, how would anyone think them two would improve us is beyond me.

Good post.

The journeymen brought the jetsetters down to earth at (I was almost going to type Highbury!)... The Emirates.

A couple of points from the next two difficult games and this would be a very pleasing return from a run of games that was always going to be testing for us.

You should be writing a regular column on here.

You have the "gift"

Michael/Lyndon...sign him up!

Please do not reply, this message comes from an unmonitored email. Rate our performance here

8/10

Maybe that's how the show with the cat worked out... but it's not real life.

Reasoned, balanced opinion. Yes, out of place on here, but just what we need.

Suppose we get someone in who wants to play expansive attacking football, and we end up on 30 points? Nah, I'll take my chances with Dyche for this season.

A good (unexpected, to be honest) point… but we fucking earned that. I was right next to the home fans (only Danny O between us) and they were gutted (and really fucking silly).

A great defensive performance but I never thought we were in trouble. An Arsenal fan in the pub after the game got upset when I said “You look better on the telly!” But honestly, I thought we dealt with them exceptionally well!

Someone said we got battered? No we didn't. We conceded possession but, as not a Dyche fan, we got it right!

They look good on the telly – we earned a good point.

Up The Fucking They shalt not pass Toffees!

They don't have Sean Dyche as manager right?

But some go there and get beat 5-0 or 6 -0

Sometimes us… today, we didn't.

Since our win Chelsea, City (2), Liverpool, Brighton (2), Villa and West Ham.

Apart from the last, there are teams that go toe-to-toe with everyone these days.

I bet you were on the Live Forum giving us shit!

By the way, I assume your betting slip (the correct score one) is in the bin. Liverpool dropping two points as well, I assume you backed them to win 4-0. Never mind, you can't win them all.

“a good, honest, well-earned point”

Perfectly put by someone who was there today… thank you.

I watched the full game on my dodgy stick – okay, not the full matchday experience… but more than a lot who comment on here without watching the full game or even 20 minutes.

I remember Marco Silva trying to have a good go at some of the better teams, and I can also remember Martinez sometimes trying to do likewise, but those performances have been few and far between over the last 30 years since Joe Royle's Dogs of War didn't give a fuck for anyone.

With this manager, we will continue to just sit back and hope to nick a point. How we have fallen

As someone who is lucky enough to be able to attend every game, I am more than privileged to share my thoughts in the comments section. More than that might be seen as overstaying my welcome, if you know what I mean!

I'm sure you enjoyed today's performance as a well-earned point at a very difficult place to go and get anything. Like you, I'm a bit disappointed in the reaction to a brilliant away point.

For the record, I'm not anti-Dyche. I think he worked wonders at Burnley, did what we needed here, and don't advocate sacking him, but I do reserve the right to criticize if I think we could have done better in various games.

I love that scouse thing... even when they are agreeing with you... you think they want to throw you off the Top Balcony.

I can't complain, however. When I was in last in Liverpool, I was told with my accent that you could tell someone "you loved them" and it would come across as a threat.

"Possession Martinez" not for me... Silva may be one we let go too early.

Not sure where that post came from other than the last time in Liverpool I enjoyed it so much. Apologies.

Personally I'd keep him for the foreseeable.

I see it "in the round".

Not many of us get everything right... but if we get enough?

Reality EFC. 4 points, still half the month to go

Plus we always win a Christmas game.

COYB

He got it right today. I'd keep him until the end of the season.

I'm putting a tenner on the "Grumpy Old Man" category. Does "Crooks" have one or two "o's"?

Could go tits up if we twist now.

You'd have happily lost today because that was your prediction.

Tosser category?

I currently hate watching Everton away from Goodison, so I mostly choose not to. I know that it's very different being at the ground, surrounded by thousands of fellow supporters, all of them getting behind the team and being happy if the team comes away with a point or three, sometimes, regardless of the overall performance.

I also realise that Everton staying up this season is particularly important, because it's the final one at Goodison, and we need to be in the top-flight in order for the new owners to have some breathing space to assess and decide what they want to do with the club.

How we played today should perhaps have been employed in our last away fixture at Old Trafford, and we may have gotten something from that match. How we played today is probably how we'll play in our next two fixtures too. Should we employ similar tactics at home to Forest or the other sides who have more pace and ability than we currently have?

How or when do we begin to edge our way out of what seems to be this necessary but settled style? We won't be getting too many better players in the next 12 months, we may not even get a better manager than Dyche to achieve what is deemed necessary, but my word, it's the very essence of functional football.

Whilst gaining a point a game achieves the overall objective, how long should we refrain from asking for a little better?

The new stadium won't automatically alter our footballing abilities, and there's nothing to say that we won't be taking the pragmatic route for quite a few seasons to come. Some will accept that as a price worth paying; I'm not at all certain whether I'd agree with them, as at some point we'll have to begin building a team that can play a little more expansively than it currently does.

Keep it real.

Thinking or indeed expecting us to lose... doesn't mean someone is happy if we do.

I'll say what I see, week-in and week-out.

With all due respect, I don't need you to tell me to keep it real.

Some just don't know what supporting is all about.

You have the likes of Bournemouth and Palace and other supporters who know they'll win fuck-all year after year, yet they get behind their team, their club, week-in and week-out.

And then you have some, who probably never even go near Goodison, who relish being negative and just decrying anything positive.

I thought you would argue if the donkey had the right jockey and was fed organic carrots and went 4-4-2... it would win.

I wish we could win every game, but that clearly isn't going to happen.

It's ToffeeWeb... it's only opinion. I hope Everton can always win but I'm not always confident.

People post a lot of shit but they do not want Everton to lose any game nor do they relish when they are correct when we lose.

Doesn't make them less blue.

All told, a great defensive display. A couple of dodgy passes by Branthwaite nearly let them in, but nothing was getting past England's Number 1 today.

Okay, our offensive movements were minimal but, let's be honest, not many teams will go to the Emirates and attack them. Not many teams will go and keep a clean sheet either.

Calvert-Lewin ran his nuts off, but yet again as a lone striker, got nowhere. Mangala and Gueye provided great cover in front of the back four, restricting Arsenal to only about four or five shots on target, three of which were brilliantly kept out by Pickford.

I thought Broja looked decent again, getting a good 30 minutes or so run-out. Pity he can't play next week. Couple of good runs by Ndiaye in the second half ultimately led to nothing, but at least he is prepared to take his man on, unlike Jack Harrison, who will not be missed if he returns to Leeds next summer.

So another long day comes to an end, but a good day all round, with a result not many on here expected or predicted,… 4-0… 😁😁😁😁

Yes, I've been going to away games for over 55 years, often hitch-hiking in the early years to save money! I've seen us lose more aways than we have won but those matches in which we totally dominated the play were unforgettable and made it all worthwhile.

I really hope in the years ahead we can build a squad capable of competing on something approaching equal terms with the best clubs. We are way off that at the moment; in fact in a much worse position than we were 8 or 9 years ago.

Making the best of the limited talent available is why I think Sean Dyche is the manager best suited to guiding us through these tough times.

If your son was a car thief and you worried he'd get caught, does it make you a bad parent if you tell him so? And a good one if you say “Carry on, lad” then he comes home with a stolen car and you celebrate his success?

You can be supportive in terms of wanting the best without blindly accepting everything that transpires without second guessing it.

Credit to the players for digging in, but they do that most weeks. Sometimes it works; most of the time it hasn't. Very rarely do we offer anything of interest with the ball. That doesn't mean 'front foot, attacking' football as some have claimed. It just means football.

But as I said pre-match, it's unfair to judge this team and management on how they perform in games that they are completely out-resourced in. We expect their best efforts and hope for an unlikely result. We can, though, judge them on plenty of safety-first performances against teams that we should have competed with.

I'm not blind: we're shit. Thing is, I don't need to tell everyone at every opportunity because people would rightly get bored of hearing it.

They actually call him donkey — because he-haw, he-haw, he-haw to be shot.

I am totally entitled to have my say on this site. If you don't like it, fair enough… but I have been watching Everton from the stands home and away and from the comfort of my armchair for 51 years now.

I have seen some dour sides and some brilliant sides (only too briefly). I actually think that George's comments are fair and felt that he was being attacked by fellow armchair supporters because his view didn't fit their narrative.

If you read my post, I stated it was a great point; however, as has been case for the last decade bar one season, we have been generally awful to watch. If you don't agree, fair enough… but as I have said I have been watching this team and the club that I love as much as anyone else on this site and state now we are fucking awful to watch.

I would use the term 'armchair' very carefully, Andy, as it probably relate to 90% of the posters on this sight for one reason or another. Mine is because I spent £250 and wasted 18 hours of my life at the Spurs debacle earlier this season and made the decision that there are better things to do with my hard-earned money and valuable time.

Football is after all an entertainment business; I believe that the club has played on the blind loyalty of Evertonians all over the world and I am becoming more and more bitter as days go by. It affects my relationship with my wife depending on results and also my mood for days after.

So listen, mate, I won't wind my fucking neck in as I have done the hard yards and all the fellow blues who felt George was being negative have their opinions, which they are entitled to, but I don't necessarily agree with.

You speak the language of football like you know what it means.

"Okay, our offensive movements were minimal"? And did you mean Dychey 'moments'?

I'm not sure common sense can outstay its welcome. Like others have said, your contributions (whichever way you want to submit them) are clearly appreciated.

Brendan @107,

You are surely not suggesting Sean didn't invent Dycheball?

Therein lies the Dyche conundrum, paradox, dichotomy – whatever! He was, in general, hired to average a minmum of 1 point per game over 38 games. Last season, without deductions, he hit 1.26 (48 points).

But all of these averages have in them a margin of error: last season, it was on the plus side and we were '12th' net 15th(?). Right now, we are bang on our target average of 1.00 points per game, 15th with 15 points.

My fear is that, given Dyches 'built-in' (in my opinion) margin of error and the fact that he seems to have no real Plan B, our at the moment 15th (plus or minus 3) – on a good day 12th can, if the fates conspire... and, let's face it, Dyche can't or won't change much, can become 18th.

TFG… For fuck's sake, come on down!

At 11:30 last night, me head was cabbaged, and I couldn't think straight. 😂😂😂. I thought it sounded very professional at the time; now, it sounds just like shite!

But you knew what I meant. 👍👍👍

The midfield three operated superbly with the defence, and Branthwaite and Mykolenko survived some moments of uncertainty to have good games.

I would like the manager to play 3 in midfield going forward, with James Garner or Tim Iroegbunam slotting in for Doucoure when fit. That should get us to January where we can bring in a player on the right and full-backs. For god sake, no more Harrison as even his own team-mates have stopped passing to him.

On Paul Hewitt's, Paul Johnson's and George Cumiskey's comments, the bottom line is they can post what they want. If you don't like it, then skip over it. Coming on and calling them “tossers” is pathetic.

I thought that Calvert-Lewin was smashing holding the ball up on his Colin Todd. That one mazy run was brill. Pickford is our best since Nev. Tarkowski was astonishingly good. But Idrissa, wow, MotM for me.

Being honest here, if Arsenal had got a goal and won the game, I think plenty of these posts on here would have been entirely different – both about the manager and the players' performance.

For me, the point was the most important thing today; the performance, good, bad or indifferent, was in the eye of the beholder. We all mostly see the game differently.

Here's to it being a good confidence booster and to better football in games to come. I don't believe that Dyche should be fired before the season ends but that is for the owners to decide.

I thought that we were much better balanced without McNeil yesterday.

I agree with someone earlier saying at Goodison we should be more on the front foot. That gets the crowd going which in turn motivates the team. We can see that as fans but just to add to it Tarkowski said it in a recent club video at the new stadium.

This season, the home performances have been dire on the whole and the atmosphere in the stadium pretty poor on the whole.

We shouldn't be hard on Doucoure too, he had a great game yesterday.

I heard that Danny had a bad fall at the ground, I really hope that he is recovering well.

I've been on the fence regarding Dyche for the last few weeks, and frankly thought he'd be a goner in January, but our form is slowly picking up.

He's not lost the dressing room, the players fought hard for him and that point yesterday, so the naysayers with their "I've heard a rumour" routine can put that one to bed.

He's also beginning to use his subs at least a little more proactively, he obviously prefers Broja to Beto, alternating him with Dom yesterday made sense.

While Doucoure will never set the world alight, it's quite obvious he uses him for the ground he covers, there is method in there and signs that he's learning at least something about using the players he has at his disposal.

The noise about Young has completely dissipated. I'd rather see even Patterson at right-wing than Harrison though.

This might all be irrelevant once the takeover is complete and the new guys get their feet under the table, but I'm beginning to think he could see us to safety again this season, which was surely the only goal all along. I didn't have that feeling after the Man Utd game when I felt he was probably toast.

There is definite relish amongst certain posters who take pleasure in predicting a thumping before the game kicks off. Someone else described this much more effectively than I ever could last week so I'll paraphrase their words: There's some right bellends who post on here.

COYB!

Our defenders are not found wanting in the art of defending and our midfield 3 together with Calvert-Lewin complemented them in the task that was at hand yesterday.

If all of the above sectors are breached on the odd occasion, then we have Pickford to keep us in the game.

I'll be honest and admit that before the game I too expected to get beat – I just don't see the point of writing it or telling others that. Everyone I met going to and at the game yesterday, when asked what they thought, sucked through their teeth and said they'd take a 0-0 now.

The away end was “different”. It was packed as usual but not as loud. The singing never got really joined up and was more like a Goodison game. You could sense the nerves. But then, with 15 minutes to go, we could've nicked it, a sense we had ridden the storm, and we joined the team in defiance.

I remember some lovely Arsenal fans after they beat us 7-0 being very nice about us and how they always enjoy playing Everton. I met none of them yesterday. Some of them, with their wives and kids alongside them, got very very nasty with some Blues who faced them down.

On the field, they all played their part. I wasn't impressed with Doucoure or Harrison but they gave what they could – it was a team performance.

Special mention for Gana Gueye. He was everywhere and we need to find a like-for-like for when he can't carry on. Also Pickford. Yes, I was one of those who called for a change after those first four games... but to be fair, the Pickford I've seen since then is vastly different to the one who was rooted to his line in those horror shows. Maybe Dyche sorted that out?

I said recently that Dyche has sorted the defence out and got roasted. Even including the Man Utd game, we've conceded only 8 goals in 11 games. I think we've got the 3rd best record in the last 12? How many people realised that Spurs have lost more games than us?

So thanks, Sean Dyche, for making us hard to beat. Stay on for now and see us safe and then move aside for someone who can “fix” the attack.

The reaction from the crowd at the end was telling. Most of us stayed, stood and applauded and roared when all the players, but not Dyche, came over. I wasn't impressed but particularly pleased to see O'Brien joining in and giving a young lad some kit. He clearly felt involved.

Clearly, if that had been 0-0 away to, say, Leicester or Ipswich, or indeed anyone lower than mid-table, the reaction would've been different and rightly so. But we appreciated the circumstances and the task of keeping a free-flowing Arsenal at bay and I, for one, am very happy with the whole day.

I bet their set-piece coach isn't so fucking cocky now!

I find watching us under Dyche unbearable at times and – while it was great to get a point against a Top 4 side, something we find almost impossible – we need to be more positive when in possession, even against a Top 4 side.

I realize the gulf in class between the 2 sides and you have to be careful as to how and when you attack; but to not ask any questions of their defence in the parts I watched was unforgivable.

I've read it a few times so only sat on the table at mine, pointless buying it when you can have that one, free of charge.

Will let you know nearer the time.

I think I'd have taken Doucoure off to bring Broja on and see if we could have kept their defence busier, but what do I know?

Anyway, I was expecting a battering, at least 3 goals, so very happy with a point.

Well said, but angst at opinion musing what the vast majority think, ie, "We'll get beat", will continue. They just can't let it go.

"On Paul Hewitt's, Paul Johnson's and George Cumiskey's comments, the bottom line is they can post what they want. If you don't like it, then skip over it. Coming on and calling them “tossers” is pathetic."

Bang on.

As an armchair supporter myself, I take back the comments I addressed to you. In fact, consider my neck wound in!

Nothing against Doucoure, he's been a great servent to the club, but his speed and passing have taken a downward slide.

We could alternate Doucoure and Armstrong but would certainly start with Armstrong, then use Doucoure for say the last 15 minutes as a blocker and closing players down.

With McNeil now out and Harrison struggling, other than Lindstrøm, our options are limited, possibly Patterson or Dixon played as an attacking wide player could be worth a try.

The performance yesterday was outstanding, we defended really well, we learned from the Man Utd game where we tried to take them on and ended up gifting them 3 of their goals.

We do not have the options to attack a lot of teams, our passing and getting it forward is shocking. McNeil and Harrison, no pace to go past a player, Doucoure who struggles to play a pass, either over- or under-hits it and behind the player receiving the pass.

If the manager had a Plan B, then surely he should be looking to tweak the attacking side of it, look to get at least either Patterson or Dixon attacking out wide, move Armstrong alongside Gueye and Mangala, and get Ndiaye behind the striker and not out wide.

We all want Doucoure and Harrison to get back to their best, but sadly both are weak links in the team; we cannot keep going into games carrying two passengers.

That performance yesterday showed we are capable of playing well; to turn the hard-grafted 1 point into 3 points, we have to look to at least address the two weak areas and players being carried by the rest of the team.

Carry on from yesterday's result, but let's go out and better ourselves and go for the 3 points, get those tweaks made that will get us up the field quicker, and offer options to turn teams around.

I expect more of the same over the next few weeks and we have to get behind the team. I find lately that opinions are being polarised and I believe this is due to how the club has been run over the last 30 years. And it reflects the different generations that follow the site.

Maybe one day we can have a beer in the new stadium and regale in our Champions League qualification…….

Barry @183 not sure what your slant was but I can assure you that I ha,ve never gambled on or wanted Everton to get beat.

I said after watching a half of the U18s that Armstrong was too good for that level.

I'm not saying he's a starter just yet, but ready for being closer to the first team.

I'd also like to see more of Dixon.

Not with Dyche, it's not good. And as others have said, we'll play the same against Southampton. 3 points against Saints and a defeat to Arsenal is a better combo than what Dyche gives us. Embarrassing to watch, anti-football. I hate the man and what he has done to our club.

Yes, he will go on a run of not losing, but then there will be a run of losing 4 or 5 on the bounce against low opposition.

TFG – please remove him ASAP.

They brought on around £150M of substitutes, we brought on two loanees. There's a gulf of talent between the squads.

A very good point, well defended as a team.

Well, we have a number of tools playing for us …unfortunately, none go near the box.

Both of them need to go out on loan in January, along with Martin Sherif, hopefully a new face or two will allow that to happen.

His dad was a toolmaker.

Wait for the new manager bounce! ⛹🏻‍♂️⛹🏻‍♂️⛹🏻‍♂️

You pays your money and you takes your choice. Keep on posting, Paul, because, at the end of the day, this is an opinion-based site and you are more than welcome to your opinions.

Yesterday was a great result but, while delighted with it, it's now 5 blanks in our last 6 games. That doesn't make for good reading and that's why we won't be shooting up the table anytime soon.

I was listening to Dyche's post match presser before and he actually said Doucoure was exceptional. Now I don't know what he was watching but it certainly wasn't the game I saw.

If anyone is happy to see us draw our way to the mystical 35-odd points mark, then fair play… but count me out because I'd tell Dyche this if I met him:

"We are Everton – not fucking Burnley. Take your archaic football elsewhere because this is one good Evertonian who quite frankly is sick to death of watching us go away and concede 75% possession etc."

Arsenal ran out of ideas after an hour yesterday and I never thought for one second they'd score, but Dyche never showed any desire to go and try and win the game. Why not bring Broja on and leave Calvert-Lewin on and go for it? No, that doesn't suit Sean's narrative, does it?

But hey, these are only my opinions. A big shout-out to our brilliant goalie and all the back 4 who were excellent; also Mangala and Gueye who were superb. The lows were Harrison and Doucoure, Calvert-Lewin ran his socks off with very little service again… yes and if he goes, we will miss him.

It'll be more of the same next Sunday, against free-scoring Chelsea. Hope our concentration and application is as good.

When the back four is on it, they're one of the best in the league. With Mangala in the midfield, we've got a player with nous who does the simple things consistently well.

It won't take that much to get this team higher up the league. Two or three players with pace and genuine creativity and a manager that lets the attacking players attack. The new stadium and new ownership will make us more attractive to managers and players alike.

In the meantime, I hope Friedkin either knows what he's going to do straightaway and does it quickly, or gives Dyche a few months to bore us out of the Bottom 3.

We need decisiveness, either way.

I haven't seen Martin Sherif "on the grass" as it were since he last played for the U21s over 2½ months ago — usually the sign of long-term injury, alas.

Michael, I hope that when Dyche goes, I never hear the phrase "on the grass" again. I don't know why, but it grates me!!!

I really do get how you felt after the Spurs game. My last two visits have seen home losses to Fulham and West Ham!!

I'm glad for your sake I didn't say "having a moment making some noise on the grass" as that might have been over-egging it.

Despite all the fallouts on this thread, I am sure everyone
is delighted with a point but is praying for the day when
we start playing on the front foot again.

Let's get through these next two matches. I know they're flying, but think we'll be okay against Forest.

It was not pretty yesterday, but the players were sent out with a plan and they implemented it very well.

After a dreadful start to the season, since mid-September we have played 11 Premier League games, winning 3, losing 2 and drawing 6, yielding 15 points. I'll be satisfied if we can continue that sort of form until Goodison closes its doors to us.

""We are Everton – not fucking Burnley"

Our descent over several decades means in terms of footballing ability there's not much in it these days.

Get the new owners in, start at the top and bring the right people in at the boardroom, then work downwards.

Rebuild in the summer, May take a few years, but I never ever want to go into another season, working out enough points to keep us safe, are there three poorer teams that can save us.

Start a rebuild, try to bring a top class manager in, a decent coach and make the youth a must to focus on, be patient, small steps and gradually put all the pieces into place, it will take time, but we have the best chance of getting our football club back, with a new state of the art stadium, the future is bright.

Up the Toffees.

I can see both sides of the argument regarding Dyche. I thought he was doing a very good job until this season began and, although we weren't prepared once again for the start of a new season, I just got the feeling that something wasn't quite right behind the scenes, especially when Dyche started picking little battles with the fans that would be impossible to win.

The Bournemouth game, followed by the Villa game, both probably had a massive impact, and the way we have played since has been incredibly boring and so frustrating to watch.

I believe he is capable of more attacking football (casting my mind back to Spurs away, this time last season, and using this as an example). But since those back-to-back defeats and the manner of our capitulations, we have been nothing but cautious, and this has perhaps made a lot of people think that the squad is very, very limited.

I have those same feelings myself but when Brentford went down to ten men, I couldn't believe how poor Everton played with regards to trying to do the right thing or playing in a way, that might make use of our numerical advantage.

I was shocked at our lack of nouse, and definitely blamed the manager for this. Since then, and possibly proven yesterday, I have had thoughts that this has been because Dyche has just been setting his stall out, trying to make us hard to beat.

He definitely needs to get us attacking more but, if he was sacked tomorrow and a new manager was brought in, I am still unsure if they could do a much better job offensively with this group of players.

I have got loads of wishes for Everton but my first wish would be a good wide player because I believe with Ndiaye and another good wide player, our team would suddenly become a lot more effective offensively. We will see.

The problem is that the rest of the season could be really painful for us to watch. You only have to say one thing about Dyche, we lost at Southampton.

Looking at the table, said boring asshole with a limited team of journeymen is proving you can do more than merely survive while the similarly maligned Dyche is doing the minimum.

His skill is that he redefines the minimum. This season, with the Bottom 3 the way they are, he's got plenty of room to apply his skills.

“You only have to say one thing about Dyche, we lost at Southampton.”

That brought me back to earth. Damning but oh so true.

However,such is the nature of our club, and by that I mean the fans, I believe the day is coming that we will be great again.

I am only a distant armchair supporter now but I was once one of them when we were great. Those fans, especially the youngsters who attend home and away, make me proud to be an Evertonian. They deserve what I believe is coming for them. The rest of the Premier League had better watch out then because they won't know what has hit them.

A special mention for Jordan Pickford who, I am sorry to say, I have lambasted on here in the past. He walked over to the fans at the end of the game with a big smile on his face, gave his gloves and shirt away to the kids, then turned to them, hit his heart with his hand, and gave the old hand on the elbow fist pump. He understands.

On to Chelsea – Singin'!

Forgot about Rafa ….

Ernie

Too true mate

At Burnley, he took a club that had been primarily second and third tier and got them promoted to the Premier League twice, even getting as high as 7th. If anything, he hugely improved their minimum.

At Everton, he took over a club that had been decimated by poor decision-making at the very top and was hurtling towards relegation under Lampard after poor work by Benitez. This season has been turgid but last season we would have been 12th which was what the great Ancelotti managed with a better squad.

If you're talking about the style of play then fine but in terms of league finishes etc there's not much evidence (so far) to suggest Dyche lowered the minimum at Everton and certainly not at Burnley.

The game has moved on significantly since he was even barely capable and he was just left behind.

We're 16th. We're a game away from the relegation spots. We haven't scored a goal in over half of our games in the league. We've scored in one game out of our last 6 matches.

There are still people arguing that he's the one keeping us up. I've heard our last 6 games being referred to as 'form'.

It's dreadful, yet apparently acceptable. He's told us over and over how limited this team is; that he can't solve our scoring problems by chequebook. It's nonsense. You solve a problem by having ideas and trying things, not by abandoning it.

And no, I'm not talking about the Arsenal game in particular.

Your post got me checking the 1974-75 season to see if it was true that relegated Carlisle United cost Everton the league by beating us twice.

It was true.

Met twice, beat us twice. Sobering.

“12th which was what the great Ancelotti managed with a better squad.”

C'mon.… you can do better than that. The great man certainly did.

I will never forget that 3-0 defeat away to Carlisle, as it was on my birthday. My dad drove us up there, and all I can remember is standing behind one of the goals, which seemed more like a field, and had no segregation between fans.

What a great birthday present that was!

Some perspective needed here, Forest a 'limited team of journeymen' you claim?

Morgan Gibbs White
Murrillo Santiago
Neco Williams
Nicola Milenkovic
James Ward Prowse
Chris Woods
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Anthony Elanga

I would suggest most of them 'journeymen' would currently walk into this Everton team.

Don't forget Forest invested heavily over the last two years, something we have not been able to do.

I was in the Gwladys Street stand when Everton managed to give us a typical early Christmas present of turning a 2-0 lead to a 2-3 defeat against Carlisle that season.

We won away at Arsenal and Liverpool in the same season – when did we last do that? During his 18 months at the club, he ended up having the 3rd best win ratio of any Everton manager, and the best points-per-game ratio of any Everton manager in the Premier League.

He did all that and only signed 2 players: James Rodriguez, who we sadly never got to see live. and Allan. We did sign Godfrey and Doucoure but both admitted that Ancelotti didn't know anything about them, so I think we can put these down to Brands.

I also believe, had Mina been available for more game, we would have finished a lot higher in the Premier League.

He proved what a class act he was as he went on to lift the Spanish League as well as the Champions League, but according to some not good enough for Everton.

He's a smaller cog beneath the much bigger wheel of the club owner, the Executive and the Board. What happens on the pitch is a reflection of what's happening off the pitch, and I think we can all agree that what's happened off the pitch has been years of mismanagement.

Kenwright and then Moshiri have defined expectations – minimum or otherwise – at Everton; the team and the manager react to them. Everton is a corporate institution, that's how corporate institutions work.

As fans, we see and measure things by what happens on the pitch, but there's a lot we don't see or know about. The bare minimum of avoiding relegation, by any means, may have been the mission Dyche was given by the Board after he was appointed. The mission is not his to define.

Alan #221 – not if you count cup ties. I was there with the other madmen for this one:-

Link

One wonders how much the break-in at knife-point colored his decision to go. Real Madrid didn't come calling, he called them on the pretext of seeking players, and a different conversation ensued.

Unhappy traumatic incidents colour decisions, but the first half of that final season was brilliant. Injuries took their toll, no money to bring players in and the writing was on the wall.

Some think he was a dinosaur or even a charlatan but he went on to win the Champions League. I think he is football's most successful manager, yet he is definitely not universally loved or respected on these pages.

[*Scratches head...*]

Great stuff, thanks for that link. And of course it all ended in tears that May. What a "glass half-empty" kind of guy I am!

I find it unbelievable when people slag off Carlo, saying he's not all that. It sounds like a line from TalkSport to get dickheads to call in and have a barney.

He's the most successful manager in the history of world football, yeah but is he all that?

It's not just us he legged it from he did it at PSG for his comfort zone at the top of the tree – Madrid.

Agree, a lot of top managers only takeover top teams.

We are about to see just how good Pep is. Personally I think he will quit before the end of the season. He looked broken in his after-match interview yesterday.

Ancelotti did not have us top of the league on Boxing Day. Defeats to Sheffield Utd, a very poor Newcastle Utd, Leeds Utd, Man Utd and West Ham Utd ensured we were not even Top 6 on New Year's Day.

Despite having top-class players, further home defeats to (at the time) inferior squads like Newcastle, Fulham, Burnley, Villa and Sheffield Utd were even more embarrassing when you take into account we surrendered possession and barely mustered a shot in those games. And let's not forget that humiliating surrender to the RS kids.

Dyche needs to be gone and he needs to be gone soon, but I won't be buying any of the hypocrisy and foolish snobbery made up by posters about Allardyce, Lampard, Benitez and indeed Carlo. They all routinely surrendered possession, they all routinely tried to ruin the game by putting 10 men behind the ball.

We may have had international managers and serial trophy winners, but if you were to take all things into consideration - quality of squads, starting position, budget, etc, you would not get a Rizzla between the past five Everton managers. They've all been crap and they have all served up anti-football.

Dyche didnt start the fire. it`s been burning for years.

No reported protests outside Molineux. We might find out if we missed an opportunity or dodged a bullet.

Ernie @219, but how has he redefined it if we were dreadful when he arrived? We were arguably worse under Lampard and Benitez and yet you would blame Dyche, only because he has stayed in the job longer as a result of being able to keep us up.

And he's right, the squad is limited. If anyone has redefined expectations in this era then it is surely Moshiri?

Yes, Dyche's football is dour and dry which is why I think many people, including myself, are hoping for a change of approach under the new owners at some point. But to blame him for what has been a steady decline under Moshiri seems a stretch indeed.

There's no knowing what another manager might have achieved but plenty of 'free-flowing football' practitioners have seen their teams relegated over the last few years. Such scraps favour the pragmatists.

Michael @222, yes, perhaps misleading to include 12th as a half-season finish but even his lauded full season saw us only to 10th, two places higher than Dyche managed last season (without deductions) and that was with Rodriguez, Richarlison, Allan etc.

Not sure revisionism is the right accusation here, Ancelotti was/is a top class manager but if even a man of his calibre can only get us to 10th (with better players) then perhaps Dyche's work is thrown into a different context?

Colin@235, exactly! Well said. Some people seem determined to judge on reputation rather than results.

According to Transfermarkt we have the 19th valued squad in terms of transfer expenditure, €238M. The "journeymen" of Nottingham Forest cost €315M, Wolves €330M and even Southampton cost €252M.

There are odd examples of clubs overachieving, eg, Fulham, so I am not saying Dyche couldn't be doing better, but generally there is a pretty good alignment between money spent and where clubs are in the table.

The important thing this season is to stay in the Premier League, by whatever means necessary, and then build next season with new investment from the owners and increased revenue from the stadium being available under the new financial rules.

I admire what Dyche achieved last season, but we would have finished 20 points off a Champions League spot without the deductions.

Managers should be judged on results. But, maybe don't overstretch to make comparisons one where one manager has a win ratio of 46.3% and the other 32.9%.

As for the reported escape clause in his contract, Ancelotti seems to have been pretty sensible to include it given what happened since he left. But, I suppose it is all hindsight when all is said and done.

Putting it a better way, from the poor position when he took over he has had to put up with a squad that is valued at £75M less.

2 or 3 of our ex-players had excellent games shown on MotD on Saturday.

For me, league position is more telling and also comes with attached prize money. But of course points are a good indicator too and Carlo was perhaps unfortunate not to come higher.

As for win percentage, that's never going to favour Dyche whose best quality may be grinding out draws when the underdog, as with this weekend!

I am not trying to compare Dyche and Ancelotti directly of course (one is a relegation-battling pragmatist and the other has won every trophy going) but neither could get Everton much up the table and both endured long spells at our club playing dour, defensive football which I think speaks to the limitations within the squad put in place by the owners over the last six years or so.

We sold some overpriced and overpaid players and bought better value. Good management but Dyche isn't the manager, he is head coach. He is responsible for that wonderful style ball game that we see every week.

Are there any other teams in the Premier Legue as painful to the eye as us? I live in hope though that this isn't what we will get for the rest of the season but I fully accept that it would be difficult to find a manager who could improve this team very much.

I think this season the style is way secondary to staying in the division, I don't think it's a good idea to start changing tactics at this stage.

One had a much better squad than the other one, although it was probably the poorest squad of players he had worked with for a very long time.

The other has a much poorer squad, but it is possibly as good as any other squad of players he has worked with.

The guys you list aren't exactly world beaters:

Morgan Gibbs White
Murrillo Santiago
Neco Williams
Nicola Milenkovic
James Ward Prowse
Chris Woods
Callum Hudson -Odoi
Anthony Elanga

You reckon they'd all walk into the Everton team? Would the average Everton fan say Woods is better than DCL? I suspect not as people have been derided on here in the past for suggesting we should buy woods. How many would swap Branthwaite for the two center backs you mention? JWP a set piece expert at Soton was a miserable failure at WHU and is now in his 30s/ Hudson-Udoi, once linked with Bayern as a wonder kid when he was capped by England but since then he has become more of a Demarai Gray type. Is he really better than McNeil or Lindstrom? And Elanga is another one who was over hyped but isn't exactly setting the world alight. I would suggest Morgan Gibbs White is better than the rest of their squad but the Pickford is head and shoulders better than anyone at Everton or at Forest. So I would say all in all we have a very similar squad to Forest in overall strength.

It's a case of diminishing returns. Any attacking intent (of which there was at least some in Dyches first 12 months) has now dissipated to nothing. We don't look capable of mounting anything in the final third, never mind changing the style of play.

We probably have to suck it up for a few more months, stay in the division and hope for a reboot in the summer. But it will be horrible and not what anyone wanted for the last season at Goodison.

Carlo had more talent to work with. The current squad is as poor as any that I can remember in my lifetime supporting Everton.

Can anyone think of a worse one?

Strikers are judged on goals and assists, and as much as I've defended Calvert-Lewin, I am running out of patience with him. Wood might not be that quick or that great of a touch, but the facts are he scores regularly and is a handful.

Ndiaye is probably ahead of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi in terms of potential. But both of theirs are way more effective than Lindstrom and Harrison.

Gibbs White is better than Doucoure, McMeil, Gueye, Mangala.

The two centre-backs are better than Tarkowski, O'Brien and Keane.

Nico Williams is a better player than Mykolenko, Patterson, Young and Coleman.

As a team, they score goals home and away. They take more risks, and have better players.

It's hard to make a case that our squad would consistently be first choice in a Top 10 team apart from Branthwaite, Pickford. The odd team might have a deficiency up top or full-back, but our squad isn't the best and why most will be leaving on free transfers on lower wages than we pay.

I am going well back with those two shouts, and when I look at our current squad with everyone fit, I honestly think a couple of additions at full-back and wide midfield would really improve us and possibly even give a much brighter picture in the minds of many suffering toffees?

That 97-98 squad had some real corkers.

Ancelotti was pragmatic and the team ran out of steam in the second half of the season. He may have had a better squad, but there was little depth there once you went past the 14. I always remember his "I'm not a magician" comment!

Many point to him finishing 10th, but despite the drop-off, we still could have qualified for Europe on the last day. Only the opponents were Manchester City.

Dyche has done a good job holding our heads above water, with not as good a squad as Ancelotti had. But this season hasn't been pleasant to watch. Ironically, he does have better players at his disposal, he just needs to fathom out a formula to get them playing, and supporting the striker.

Those 90s teams either side of Joe Royle were dreadful by the way.

Only good thing about the HKIII squad was it was so poor it cleared a path for some decent homegrown players like Jeffers nd Ball in the aftermath.

McGann didn't stick around long but was good enough to have a lengthy spell at Villa and Graham Allen was decent too although he spent most of his career at Tranmere whereas he seemed like he could have played at a higher level than that with respect to Tranmere.

Dyche through his actions and words has done that. Staying up is the only thing that matters apparently. Can you imagine how bad we would have to be to finish below one of Ipswich, Wolves or Southampton this year? Our first team is too good for that.

Right through the spine we have Pickford, Tarkowski, Gueye, Ndiaye – they're well-regarded and highly paid players that are so far out of the reach of many teams. We do still spend, just not so much on transfer fees.

You're right that some teams have gone down playing foolishly optimistic styles of football. Some have gone down with 'pragmatic football' too by the way. But most teams who moved into mid-table security did so playing some kind of football at both ends of the park.

We play no football, will have a pathetic goals scored outcome, will be barely watchable for our loyal support, will finish 15th to 17th due to there being worse teams, and couldn't really finish lower, yet that is being judged as Dyche doing his job and keeping us up. Because he says so.

We're only scrapping for survival because that's what we're doing. We could be contributing something to matches, attempting to climb the table and we would still survive.

Good point about depth with Carlo. We had Delph and Gbamin perpetually injured, Mina in and out of the injury room, James who'd only play 60 minutes at best, Gomes who was useless etc.

So thin was the squad that Holgate and Davies often got selected due to lack of other options.

Take the Leicester team that won the Premier League. At the time, we might have said Fuchs, Drinkwater, Simpson, Huth, Albrighton, Morgan would have been better than what we got but reality suggests it was a perfect storm of Pearson creating a tight-knit group and Ranieri following through. Add a dash of Vardy, Mahrez and Kante and for a season you are title winners. Then you're back to being good pros.

The point is, a different manager might come into us and at the end of the season Forest fans might say "I wish we had Lindstrom, Dixon, Garner, O'Brien, Beto, Mbappe (for the sake of this we did some good business in January!)."

Because for all I think Dyche should be gone, the defensive solidify deserves credit and will serve another manager well.

Dyche on the other hand has had nothing. A completely dysfunctional club, with no money, and an owner who wants out that badly he was prepared to sell Everton to anyone, and surely this leads to the manager only thinking about survival, because this is how the club has been set up since Carlo Ancellotti, decided to leave.

It’s easy giving Dyche stick, there’s loads of things to beat him up with when you consider the awful survival football we have been playing, but putting myself in the situation our manager and squad are currently operating, and thinking logically, has managing Everton, ever been so difficult?

We used to at least joke about whether NSNO still meant anything. We don't even do that anymore. Who is looking forward to a cup run?

Solid, sit deep defence doesn't work in isolation. But if you combine it with a man who covers incredible ground in midfield and another midfielder who can use the ball pretty smartly then you've got something. Add a workhorse forward doing the dirty work, a quick but limited winger, a pacy off the shoulder type for counter attacks, and one little bit of magic in Mahrez.

They found a way to be resilient with mostly limited players but also effective at the other end through the talent they did possess. Joe Royle did similar with us - the Dogs of War used minimal attacking talent to their strengths ahead of a group of resilient defenders.

It doesn't need to be great. But there has to be something. You can't just quit on half of the job. Defence coaches don't get paid 6M a year.

I think you’re making a false equivalence between poor football and no ambition. Dyche is certainly guilty of the first but not necessarily the second.

And I also don’t think there are many on here who would judge this as Dyche just doing his job. Many of his fans, including myself, have been critical of him this season. All seems a little bit straw man!

No... Moshiri never said the standard at Everton was to simply avoid relegation (nor did Dyche to be fair) and he did bankroll the club... initially.

But I think he decided to cut his losses and sell perhaps around the time Sean was appointed. And although Moshiri didn't actually come out and say it, once he decided to sell, I think simply avoiding relegation before he sold was his primary concern.

I have been helping coach the kids, and I know I get on a few of their nerves because I'm constantly shouting, "Pass, pass, pass," usually followed by "Play it wide." (Although, to be fair to myself, I am always telling the two chew-the-balls to drive with the ball, once the team has passed the ball into clever little areas!)

Although I'm totally 100% aware that professional football is different, I just couldn't believe how much Everton struggled because we simply didn't have “the method” to open up a team playing with 10 men. (Our kids had played much better football that same morning!)

I've had enough, it's fucking boring, and for the first time in my life, thoughts of Everton, don't come first when I go to bed on Friday and wake up on Saturday morning.

I half-listened on the radio on Saturday, and after listening to my Arsenal mate telling me that he doesn't understand all the love for Arteta, because he thinks they are way too methodical, and very slow in transition, considering the skill and pace they have on the flanks, I cast my mind back to last season at Goodison, and thought he's got a real point.

“Everton will either get a nil-nil,” I thought, "unless Arsenal hit those early long diagonal balls early to exploit our very narrow defence a lot quicker – and if they do that, they'll absolutely destroy us."

I'm glad we got a nil-nil, but I agree that standards have never been lower than they are now, especially after years of punching above our weight, even though the reality was that we were just stagnating. (You know this has always been my biggest gripe.)

It's why I said to Liam that “Things have got to change” because, if they don't, there's no way that Everton will be getting crowds of over 40,000 once the initial excitement that comes with moving into a fantastic new stadium has passed.

Football is about many things but ultimately it's about entertainment and I don't think Evertonians are getting entertained. Of course, we have more loyal, die-hard fans than most clubs, but there is simply no way Everton will fill the new stadium – for long – if the entertainment levels don't massively improve.

Make no mistake: this point against Arsenal was an excellent one and, as posters have pointed out, the players were heroic and no doubt are still playing for the manager and the club.

I hope the last two games are a turning point for Dyche but logic tells me they are only papering over the cracks. If, however, we can eke out another couple of points over our next three difficult games, then those in total support of the manager can feel that his 'point a game' approach will ensure our status next season, our number one reality.

Kieran has alluded to the fact that our squad is much better than where we find ourselves and he is right. Moreover, what will surprise most of those who constantly harp on about finances is that Nuno's first choice team has a combined total of £88M. Elliot, their major signing, has only really become a regular the last few games.

Though Kieran, I will say that I am not Nuno's biggest fan either and, in reference to Steve, this is a totally different scenario. At the time, we were a team who had finished 8th or so and wanted a manager who could qualify us for Europe. Nuno, when he has managed clubs with big expectations, has generally failed and he is a Moyes type manager who has his teams well organised, well coached and plays percentage football which can only take you so far.

For me I am in compete agreement with Tony and Stu that a different manager would bring a different view on some players. It has generally been a given that our forwards are impotent and our defenders are good but this is because our manager's approach is a collective one to defend.

For example, Jack Harrison has been dreadful but for me his confidence has been shot; his goals-to-games tally at Leeds was frightening, making him unrecognisable from that player, aka what Chris Woods is now. I wouldn't be confident that Mo Salah would get double figures under this regime.

What surprises me most is that our fans generally are accepting that this squad is relegation fodder. Indeed, even on this thread, one poster is heralded for his balanced outlook yet he is one of the posters most dismissive of our playing staff, yet rarely critiques the manager. Eloquent, interesting and challenging… but 'balanced' – he most certainly is not.

No, obviously he hasn't said "staying up is all that matters". Not even the great pragmatist would outwardly declare that. I'm not sure my view really counts as projection though. He's talked and acted in that way very consistently.

You're not sure he's guilty of lacking ambition? Realistically what would it take for this team to perform better? The over-simplified answer is 'goals'. We don't score goals and we don't really attempt to play any kind of football that might produce goals.

My opinion is that it would be a minor risk to gamble a modicum of defensive stability in exchange for a bit more offensive opportunity.

Mind you, from what I've witnessed recently, I think the attacking confidence in the team is shot anyway. The setup has screamed "You're not good enough to have the ball, so just defend it" for so long that I don't think the team has that kind of appetite to do things instinctively and take chances.

Yes, his football philosophy is a very defensive and conservative one that many of us are bored with but such a philosophy does not rule out success. Just as a more expansive philosophy does not guarantee success (see Southampton this season).

Matches under Dyche are always likely to be tight and decided by one or two moments of class or quality, that we have struggled to find this season. But I maintain that your assertion he has lowered our expectations is unfair.

They were low when he arrived and actually his results in his only full season to date (if not the style of football) was superior to his predecessors. He's done what he was bought here to do and will likely make way sooner or later for (hopefully) some more progressive football.

He's not been great but he does not deserve some of the stick you give him.

A purple patch of 3 wins in a week against sides and a win over doomed Sheffield United highlights he's hugely lucky to still be in a job.

A different financial or ownership position, and he would have had a P45.

Wolves have just employed a very good manager and we can't afford to let Dyche keep stealing a living. Managers such as Sarri, Potter etc will be snapped while we procrastinate with the Destroyer in charge...

Even against the 'lesser' teams, the Dinosaur sets up for nil-nils at home!!! Please, Friedkins, do it now!!!

Hopefully Everton can take confidence and take Mn City for 3 points.

The Best of The Seasons Greetings to all TWrs.