Villa trip will come too soon for Branthwaite

Fingers crossed they're fit soon.

Patterson, does anyone expect he'll ever be fit enough to play a few consecutive games? Even if Dyche picked him.

Maybe Jarrad has had a minor relapse, putting him back a week or two?

Well according to Tommy Carter anyway. 🤣🤣🤣

A few thought that being the case for Jarrad's mysterious injury. 😁😁

It was stated on here that he categorically was not injured, that he'd agreed terms with Man Utd, and it was just a matter of sorting the small stuff. 🤣

I am full of optimism once more! It took a day longer than usual this time, but bring on Villa!

To return to premier League fitness is a different matter. It took me a good 6 weeks after the op before I could walk to the pub comfortably!!

So, although I don't like predicting the team, if I was choosing, for me, the centre-backs would be Tarkowski and O'Brien.

Although, as I've been saying, I think Tarkowski has been carrying an injury.

But does Dyche not remember we signed Jake O'Brien and he still insists on playing Keane, whose stats showed he had less touches than Pickford on Saturday.

And at 6ft-6in, O'Brien could have dealt with the crosses in the nightmare 9 minutes.

18 July
"Yeah it's just a little injury I've had. I will be back with the team in the next week or so, it's nothing major I can't wait to get back out there."

27 July
"Jarrad's making steps forward. He is not ready yet. He won't be back next week but should be after that."

29 July
"Jarrad is slightly longer. He has had a longer process because he is coming back from a minor operation."

30 July
"Jarrad is making progress as well but isn't quite there yet."

3 August
"He is making good progress all of a sudden, he had a slow spell but is beginning to move forward. Hopefully he will certainly be in and around it. I am not saying he will definitely be fit for GW1 but he will certainly be in and around it we hope."

10 August
"Still not here yet. I don't think he will be there for next Saturday. He still has work to do yet."

15 August
"We were hoping a few would be back, but they are not. That is unfortunate."

22 August
"He is still a bit away. He is not close at the moment".

So I haven't heard anything from Jarrad since 18 July when he said minor operation will be back in a week or so.

Something wrong somewhere, either the medical team don't know what they are doing or maybe something else going on that we don't know about.

I've never been so gutted supporting this club. Thanks, Moshiri, you prat. Fuck off — and take Dyche with you.

"In his press conference after Saturday's shock defeat to Bournemouth, Dyche was asked if either would be involved in any "bounce games" at Finch Farm for players not on international duty and he replied that, "they are not there yet".

It means that neither player will feature in the Premier League clash with Aston Villa on 14 September".

No it doesn't. A break and 13 days to go. No it doesn't.

Plus all the mumbo jumbo our managers seem to come out with.

I believe we've actually broken Dyche. 😱

Confidence is everything, and although it's on the floor right now, the only thing that everyone should do is concentrate on the good stuff imo, especially because a lot of people seemed to be happy with a lot of our performance, with many people describing it as one of our best for a long time.

I'm not naive but concentrating on the positives whilst learning from the negatives should be of paramount importance because I can't think of any other way of recovering from such a stupidly self-inflicted result right now.

Coleman certainly cannot play anywhere near the full 90 minutes.

Joe, we don't go into any match expecting any type of defeat. Players and supporters.

After playing his first game of the season against Doncaster after injury, I was astounded how Dyche could watch him play a full 90 minutes against Bournemouth, unbelievable.

But the sooner he gets back, the better, because when Tarkowski and Keane are paired, we look like we could ship goals at any time. If Branthwaite would have played we'd have won that Bournemouth game.

Maybe Tarkowski is carrying a knock; if that's the case, bring O'Brien in because Tarkowski has been shocking in the 3 games.

However, Villa away doesn't exactly jump out as a possible win. Saving grace, if there is one, is only 3 or 4 games in but something has to happen results-wise, and soon!

Injured Players

I guess we'll have to wait and see when he is ready to return.

Note to Sean: Please do as you did with Dom, and please don't rush him back till he's properly ready.

Personally, I'd prefer he return near fully fit, ie, 94% plus, than being rushed back due to 'necessity' as it were.

Christy, I was thinking exactly the same. It was Doncaster he could have played 45 minutes.

He's been close since 2022… hahaha.

Just another one of those injuries that for the rounds with our players, Darron Gibson, Fabian Delph etc etc.

I'm not sure that Michael Keane has even played that badly or made any specific mistakes but the whole defense seems so much more jittery and porous when he plays and Tarkowski seems weaker next to him.

Last season, we had the fourth best defense in the Premier League and this season we have conceded 10 goals in 3 games. We won't pick up any points whilst that continues so the biggest task for Dyche over the break will be making sure that we tighten up considerably.

It's possible this could see the dropping of Iroegbunam. As much as he has been a breath of fresh air on the ball, I do think he has shown glimpses of poor positioning and was arguably at fault for the second goal when Cook ran straight past him (to be fair to Tim, he was knackered and should have been substituted).

It won't be popular but I wouldn't be surprised to see Dyche go for Gana and Garner (or Mangala) against Villa, which I think would make us less dynamic but possibly a little more solid.

I said this summer that full-back was a position that worried me greatly and so it has proved. Mykolenko has started the season poorly and Coleman and Young cannot be relied upon for 90 minutes. I'm surprised Thelwell has left us so bare in these spots but I think we will see a lot of crosses coming in against us and need to make sure that we win the balls in the box. This is one of the places where we miss Onana and Branthwaite who both won more than their fair share of balls swung in from out wide.

Dele Alli may be involved in some of these practice matches now, he needs this before he could be considered for a short-term contract. Similarly Lindstrøm, plus Mangala, need game time. I guess it wouldn't do O'Brien and Beto any harm either.
We need a fully functioning squad, with options.

As others have said, why we didn't seek cover or alternatives at left-back and a first-choice right-back remains a mystery. Full-back exposure is hurting us.

Crude and vulgar? Yes. Wrong? No. After Saturday's debacle and the catastrophic, humiliating start to the season, and the clear and present evidence everywhere that the club is badly run from the boardroom to the ball boys, I absolutely agree with them and they're right to express it.

As for Dyche, the sooner he joins the growing ranks of former Everton managers, the bettter.

The immediate focus is that Dyche turns this around using the new players as they settle in. A new manager won't happen until new owners come in, which I think will be January at best. Moshiri isn't going to pay off Dyche and his coaching staff, so it's either that or when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Despite the result, there was improvement on Saturday.

Someone has a right to do that to you?

You reckon?

I think you'll find it's a criminal offence, my friend, and footballers not playing well and deserving it wouldn't make a decent defence in court.

And I would take it to heart and try to improve. Those “morons” and “Neanderthals” are also guys who work overtime to pay for season tickets, help their mates out at work on a Saturday morning so they can both go to away games and sacrifice time and money and effort to go to games.

So Yes, Brian, a thousand times. Even if I disagreed with them. Yes.

And "he earns thousands a week"?

I'm guessing that wouldn't.

We all get frustrated at a defeat, but his vitriol was abusive. Understandable frustration, but he was overstepping the mark.

Patterson is also out until the end of the month (albeit it said start of September only a couple of weeks ago). Must be on last chance saloon by now. The guy is either injured or not fancied by Dyche when fit, for whatever reason.

Once over this injury if Patterson can't establish himself against a soon to be 36-year-old Coleman or 39-year-old Young, then it's time he found himself another club. He's coming up to 23, so still young, but only 39 league appearances in 2½ years isn't good enough. He's now been out since April so I'm not holding my breath.

I just hope Dyche will trust Dixon more as Coleman will struggle to last 90 minutes against any team.

The fact remains that their critique, though certainly robust and ill-defined, is largely justified. But I would defend their right to shout at players even if they were wrong. The very act of being a professional footballer is saying “Look at me. Admire me. Pay me.”

They have only themselves to blame if their failings elicit a negative reaction.

For me, they just embarrass themselves, the club and it certainly can't make the players warm to putting on the shirt and giving their best.

The players out there may be making mistakes but they're not doing so on purpose and they are not picking themselves to play either. They would likely play better knowing they're not going to get crucified for making a mistake. Imagine having that monkey on your back every time you take to the field.

You say it comes with the territory but I don't think the territory should include that in the first place. It just comes down to treating people with some decency. I would haul my kids over hot coals if they acted that way.

Sorry, feel quite strongly about this; for me, those hurling abuse at the station are just a bunch of knobs. If CCTV can pick them out, they should be banned — I wouldn't want any kids exposed to that.

But the players, manager and coaches need to learn and improve when in and out of possession, to defend as a team, to stay focused, not become isolated, stay with runners. Fresh legs introduced before other players are flagging, not after.

Others may disagree but it's a long season and, whilst players are building up maximum strength and stamina, use subs. I can't understand why at least 4 subs are not used every game and keep 1 in reserve for a freak 95th-minute accident.

Whilst everyone has a right to be angry, disappointed and emotionally frustrated, try and channel it rather than create a toxic environment.

Peter, you always get the "you're shite, Everton" person near you. I don't join in.

But that guy at the station took it too far.

I suspect the weird defensive weakness is not just down to his absence though — and may be Tarkowski and Mykolenko carrying knocks, or recovering from them — and the whole defensive system having to compensate for Young and Coleman (past it) and Dixon (very inexperienced).

It would be a shame to lose Tim from midfield but you might be right, Sam — or perhaps Garner will step in at right-back to try and bring a different balance to the side.

Seems a well-balanced young man and interesting to hear how Thelwell played a crucial part.

And how he has instantly taken to the supporters and his respect for Seamus.

We are becoming either very weak as a society or very woke if calling a player a wanker within earshot becomes so controversial and brings threats of bans. Ludicrous.

If players are really traumatized by that then they either need to toughen up or find another means of earning £80,000 a week.

I think that I know the answer. My hunch is that you wanted to bring it to this thread to kick off again (did it go too quiet on the relevant thread?) in a new place where it has zero relation to anything that was on it before your erm "intervention".

The Euston scenes seem to excite you in your world where you like your men to "toughen up" and there is only scorn for anything that is weak or woke. You bounce onto this thread in a high energy tizzy to defend verbal violence — fucking woke laws — with gusto. You create hyperbolic fictions to keep things at fever pitch - there were not "tens of thousands" angry voices after Saturday's final whistle (your plaintive hope that these "tens of thousands" should not be banned was a limp rhetorical failure in these correct circumstances).

This is all we need to know; you “would defend their right to shout at players even if they were wrong”. What kind of fecking society do you live in PF (you not me)? These are warped words from a very excitable keyboard. You seem to thrive in this little storm in a teacup PF that will be forgotten in due course by us but not by you because you will be eagerly looking for the next time to make mountains out of molehills and continue to create your culture of violence and hatred. Your "ludicrous" is just about everyone else's limit.

“Wanker” was just one of the words spat at the players, but you knew that. And, by the way, while you want to defend your new best friend that big bald fella with the cavernous gob, I do not want to defend those players in any shape or form.

Branthwaite has been and is still missed. The centre-backs, whoever they are, need to be alive to the threat from Watkins.

Garner can do a job at right-back. Midfield also needs to be on its toes as McGinn is a player I think makes Villa tick.

But if we play our own game and with confidence, we can cause them problems.

Where managers always fail is when they shoe-horn players into unfamiliar positions because they are “experienced” or pick players who are seen as dependable despite them being out of form or unfit. Sean Dyche does this repeatedly and has since he took over; the outcome has always been poor performances.

Michael Keane has gotten abuse during the last 3 league defeats, but he has actually been one of our better performers. It is Tarkowski and Mykolenko who have played poorly.

Keane is not responsible for Tarkowski's performances — James is at fault but he is continually picked regardless. Mykolenko has also played badly this season and needs to step out of the team for a period. Non-existent in attack and poor in his defensive positioning.

Dyche is unlikely to drop both of them, even though they deserve it.

Some players are versatile. Phil Neville was a good example.

For me, Garner should play central, but if needs must, he can play full-back.

I have this debate with my brother.

Night and day come to mind.

I've no doubt they're very different anyway Col but you do have to take into consideration the situation they both find themselves in.

Not saying that Dyche would do as well as the other fella but the clubs are chalk and cheese at the moment.

They're well run, in a stable state and have been for some time while we're..............Everton!

IMO young Tim has been a better player for us in the short time he's been here, has been more influential and effective, than Onana ever was.

He'll make mistakes, and has done, but we have some player on our books there mate.

I think it might be better if Iroegbunam played the first 60-70 minutes then being swapped for another player. During those 60-70 minutes, he has done very well and has been in the game the whole time he has been on the field.

He tired badly on Saturday, which most of us watching realised, along with other players, and should have been replaced, along with the other tired players; unfortunately, the manager and his two coaches never noticed.

I couldn't disagree more fervently. The idea that paying lots of money entitles you to abuse the performer is archaic and unhelpful.

These lads are paid to play football, not to receive the foul abuse of frustrated, middle-aged, bald men who should frankly be able to control their tempers better.

Of course some dissatisfaction, some groaning and some booing and people leaving early might be expected when things aren't going well. But what happened at Euston was far beyond that, it was childish and moronic, a bad advert for our club and a poor reflection on the individuals involved.

Also, the idea that these players are not trying is far too simplistic. Of course they are trying. Dyche's team regularly top the running charts and if anything the team collapsed last weekend because some of them had run too much.

Maybe some of them lack talent and they often make mistakes. But I don't see a lack of effort. It's just more lazy hate.

Schneiderlin would be the nearest I can get and, to be fair to him, his ability to hide, look annoyed and point, probably did require considerable effort.

Pathetic and ridiculous but damaging.

I'd maybe agree with that if it wasn't such a blatant attempt to change the narrative… and if that was what actually happened.

It wasn't what happened at all though, was it?

Having said that, I've had enough of trying to reason with unreasonable people and anyway I've just left the hospital and I'm not happy at all that the people there were unable to sort out my medical issues.

I'm waiting for the consultant to come out so I can shout abuse at him, to his face, because surely, with the money he earns, that's okay?

Last word, no more wankers for me!

All the best.

A lot of those supporters seemed to be talking to the players and shaking hands. I'm sure they were asking questions and sharing their frustrations, but not like that bloke who went nuclear.

Anyway, hopefully he doesn't get a second chance at Villa.

I found your post offensive and inaccurate but I got over it about five seconds later. It's called freedom of speech. You availed yourself of it just like they did.

By the way, I've read more offensive remarks about players on TW over the years than anything said at Euston.

More interesting will be who is going to line up in midfield for us.

Given the number of "football people" on our bench, I find it staggering that they could not spot those suffering from fatigue and take action when many watching on clearly could.

I recall a story about Dennis Bergkamp (towards the end of his time at Arsenal) getting upset at being regularly substituted at the 60- or 70-minute mark. Apparently Wenger and his team of analysts showed him how his performance level dropped at this point — and with it his effectiveness.

This is an example from years ago yet in 2024 we don't seem to have got a grip on it (unless we have but Dyche ignores it).

Yes, sometimes there are players who are visibly unengaged. I don't see many (if any) in Dyche's squad. Don't think he'd allow it.

Scheiderlin was one my pet peeves too!

I think there was one player who was visibly unengaged for the two seasons he was here and Dyche put up with him until near the end of last season when he left him out of the team and we won three games on the trot without him.

I don't think he was missed.

If I practise my freedom of speech by calling commuters “useless wankers” while they head home from work on Merseyrail, I can guess the result!

I would probably aim to mumble “sensitive snowflakes” from my hospital bed, but it might be difficult with my jaws wired.

Give it a try though by all means.

Schneiderlin, Ashley Williams, Sigurdsson, Moise Kean, Van Der Meyde, Drenthe and latter period Mirallas.

There have been a few non-triers. I wouldn't class any of the current squad as comparable to that lot.

The lengths that Schneiderlin went to avoid receiving the ball provided a weekly masterclass in positional play.

"So today I have decided to quit football. I can't live my life like this. I can live without football and that is what I am going to do." — Alex Nyarko.

At least the guy had the courage to go onto the pitch and abuse him to his face. Shouldn't make a difference, but it kinda does. Nyarko was a big lad, but he had hardly broken sweat. He knew he was being called out legitimately.

Opera goers in Italy do not hesitate to express their opprobrium if they don't like the performances. The Goodison crowd lets players know when they are displeased.

What the Euston guys did was no different from booing. They merely added some color and detail. And you are talking about a violent response... I'm not in any way justifying violence.

Okay, his replacement has made a couple of errors, but he was actually involved to make those errors, unlike the invisible man.

I'm not condemning what happened at Euston, but I do prefer the honesty of saying something to someone's face, rather than behind their back. I'm genuinely beginning to worry for mankind with regard to so many things and especially the way free speech is slowly being eradicated from our society.

A so-called civilised society relies on self-restraint and knowing where the boundaries are. As far as I'm concerned, one or two of those guys at Euston went way beyond those boundaries.

We all get frustrated at many things going on in our lives, but if we reacted by screaming and shouting abuse at people because of it, it might make us feel 'good' for a little period, but it wouldn't make the things that frustrate us go away or help to improve the performances of those that we'd abused.

I myself am no angel, but in no way would I stand on a station platform and shout abuse at somebody that had disappointed me.

Life has definitely moved on but not always for the better though, Fred, and sometimes I feel that our civilized society has also become very snide.

A civilized society should live and let live, but nowadays there is always someone who is outraged at anything and it leaves me feeling very sad because I feel that the human race is slowly getting drained of its natural character.

I perform in the theatre and frequently people will cough loudly or sleep or fidgit or leave. Those are all acceptable. But they are not allowed and should not be allowed to get up on stage and start telling me to fuck off.

As Fred says, some of the 'freedom of speech' brigade seem to be using it to justify abhorrent and uncivilised behaviour. Who do people think they are helping by these aggressive outpourings of hate? Themselves? The players? I'd wager it benefits absolutely no-one and just contributes to this increasingly polarised society we seem to be witnessing.

I know you well enough to know that if some scally after the game started mouthing off and slagging your dad and calling him allsorts, you'd put him on his arse.

If the hero at Euston didn't have the barrier between him and the players and the likes of Tarkowski squared up to him, he'd have shit himself.

Imagine the stick he's had since that video began circulating? Scousers are naturally funny people (I remember Jimmy Armfield telling me they were a little bit too funny at times) and I'm sure that kid has taken some stick and might have second thoughts in the future?

Polarized is a better description, Sam, but it still doesn't stop me being worried about the future,

But there's a limit to it becoming abusive. I'm sure he's looked at himself after that went on the internet.

I remember that Nyarko incident. I don't know if it was that match or a later thumping; 7-0? One supporters protest was to fall asleep in his seat!!

I'll need those who watched in the 60s to confirm the story of Harry Catterick being approached by supporters when he dropped Alex Young for a young Joe Royle?

We recently had supporters chasing players' cars down the road. Big Yerry handled it well, stopping and getting out of his car to talk to them. He let them vent, but calmed them down. Mind, you wouldn't mess with the big Columbian!!

It's a good job no one had a go at Duncan, the burglar "fixer", or Rooney, who I believe was a handy boxer!!

Likewise Leicester and the home match against Fulham.

Here's hoping for Southampton.