Next Up: Everton vs Crystal Palace (H)

It's Part Two of a Hill Dickinson double-header. This should be a great springboard for Everton's new squad to relish in the progress they are making up the Premier League table.

Micheal, am I right in thinking you are being sarcastic? Shame on you.

It's not in my nature to be sarcastic, true and honest be the way I say.

Tell it like it is.

You don't like David Moyes, do you?

I think he lost the dressing room when he told the players, "I don't have the time or the crayons to explain it to you."

It's a great opportunity for some to get the excuses in early… and often.

Looking forward to see the suspended Dewsbury-Hall replaced by Tim Iroegbunam.

Sincerely, I really did enjoy the feature they made of having Duncan Ferguson on the show, and going over many of his fantastic goals for the club, especially the headers. It actually brought a tear to my weary eye, I have to admit.

Or was it 'UK's favourite football channel'... yea, I would say there is definitely more than a hint of unconscious sarcasm there...

No? Then it must be 'the progress they are making up the Premier League table'. But it depends how you look at it. We jumped back up into the Top Half after that fabulous draw on Monday -- that you cannot deny.

But we had rather been dropping like a stone from the heady heights of 4th or 5th that we briefly attained. I will try to do better, Paul, to emulate your impeccable writing style: truth and honesty.

People say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, that's why I don't use it, and you obviously don't.

Tyler on the Right, Illy in the middle?
Jack middle, Illy left, Tyler right?
Keane centre-forward with two 9s on the bench?

We do have a squad with options, but not at full backs or centre-forward, so let's try and find goals another way. Jack needs to mix up his game, swap wings in-match, go central, get the goals from the middle?

Stop being predictable and mix it up in-match; otherwise, we get 2 or three on Jack to neutralise him. Illy gets squeezed too, and the Moyes gameplan remains rigid and ineffective...

Let's see, eh!

The word is Dibling is a future Number 10 but perhaps that role comes too soon given he has hardly played yet. Maybe Jarrad gets 20 minutes or so at the end.

As a long-standing supporter, and having thus enjoyed the successes back to the '60s, it pains me to say it, but Palace are clearly a much better, more coherent team.

That it has come to this. However, we will catch them at the best possible time, 3 days after a long trip and hopefully a tough run out, so you never know.

Then they travel to Merseyside on Saturday. Hopefully they're knackered come kickoff on Sunday.

Just try it, Moyes. It's called Plan B, or in your case, Plan C.

Yes, Palace are at the moment a better side, but that shows you what can be achieved with a positive attitude, instead of a safety-first playbook.

Palace only have a ground capacity of 25.486, so on a record revenue of £190M last season, which was mostly from broadcasting, they are Top 4 and winning trophies and in Europe.

It can be done, Mark... but with Moyes, I don't know if we can. Keep hoping.

Also wasn't the majority of criticism from the fans on that game that he should have played his strongest side? You go on to state that Moyes will play Dibling against Palace and once again overlooking Alcaraz, just a reminder Alcaraz started the Wolves game and was so ineffectual he had to be subbed at half time.

Same can be said for McNeil another whose woeful performance against Wolves led to him being subbed.

I would also suggest that he is far from happy alternating Beto and Barry but, seeing both are useless, he doesn't have much option.

Someone who can jump, pass and stay on their feet for fuck's sake! Keane for me!

Until Jarrad returns, I wouldn't move him out of that spot for all the grits in Georgia.

Palace boss has it in spades, Davey Boy has a teaspoon of it in comparison.

There are other permutations surely. Paul Kossoff keeps banging on about them.

Playing one up top clearly isn't working, but probably 4-4-2 would highlight the lack of pace.

Playing a false 9 is a message from the manager he doesn't believe in either. It's a fair risk.

Possibly now time to put Ndiaye on to his preferred left side, Dibling on the right and Alcaraz behind Grealish in the middle.

Palace are playing good stuff all over the pitch so far this season and will give anyone a good hard game. We really have our work cut out to get anything out of the game.

I was hoping 3 points from both Aston Villa and West Ham Utd and at best a point against Palace. Hoping and getting is massively apart.

The young lad was obviously going to need time to acclimatise to the Premier League and so the idea would have been to trust Beto who delivered after Moyes arrival. Unfortunately that form has now deserted him.

Barry has been woeful when coming on and looks like he has struggled to get up to the speed of the game; however, against Brighton and Mansfield, when he started, his performance was a lot sharper.

In addition, Beto seems to play better when the game is stretched and when he can get in behind the back line while also showing improvement when he is angrier and can be impactful from the bench.

Both games where Moyes started Barry and replaced him with Beto, we won. I think the Wolves cup game is irrelevant due to the amount of changes made.

Moyes has to change tactics against Palace. It's either Alcaraz or Ndiaye in the Number 10 role with Dewsbury-Hall out. I thought Ndiaye had his poorest game on Monday night, Diouf had a free roll going forward and he gave O'Brien no help whatsoever in the 2nd half, that's how the hammers created their equaliser.

So I'd play Ndiaye at Number 10 with Dibling on the wing, and I'd tell Gueye not to press so far forward, sit back and let Garner be the offensive midfielder, he was caught out of position so often the other night, he's best in front of the back four.

I'd also tell Grealish, who is a class act, to move the ball forward quicker, and hopefully Beto can up his game 80%!

Best player I have seen for holding the ball and keeping it.
Sadly we have nothing like that.

Yes, the quality of our football has improved but that is no good when you are blunt up front and error-prone on the counter-attack, or turnover as the Americans have taken over our terms.

The big issue remains at full-back with neither left nor right overlapping very much and then not having the pace or nose to get back when the counter comes.

Palace have a very sound defence and some good footballers, so we will have to be at our best.

Fortunately we have a good record against Palace as their style of play seems to suit us. Let's hope our form against them continues on Sunday.

Time for a total change in Number 9 though and why not give Ndiaye a try there -- at least he knows where the net is and, if the defenders bounce him, we are more likely to get a penalty.

I hope I'm wrong but Barry is looking in that mould. Yes, he's only 22 and been on the pitch about 8 times and from my observation. has not had a sniff of scoring. Yes could blame the other players not providing a service but CFs also have to make runs and create space to receive the ball - I've not seen much of either.

As I say I do hope I'm wrong but I really would love Everton to be buying players who can hit the ground running rather than waiting for the potential happening.

Maybe I'm asking too much?

How long might you need to wait -- maybe 18 months or more. It certainly took the likes of Solanke, Wissa and Cunha and others many years to hit decent goal returns.

To get a draw out this would be massive. I hope they do a Leicester City.

6 games in - 9th place!?

Really?

I agree with Michael regarding trying youth. He should have been introducing them gradually, prior to the Wolves game. Throwing them on in the Wolves game really gave us an inevitable result. It probably demotivated them.

Well, think of an all-round player, say Maradona or Messi. Good on the ball, good finisher, takes on players and a good passer. Grealish could do that but I would go for Ndiaye.

He can drop deep out of the Number 9 slot, then leave that hole for another forward to take, or allow him to run at the defence. Confuses the opposition.

You have to play the ball on the ground if using a smaller player though, pointless Pickford booting the long balls.

Would Moyes ever use that system?

Unless he was up against Unsworth!

If not your idea, one would be to give Barry a sustained run and see what he's got. But Robert T reckons we need to give him 18 months. If he's right, am I the one only one who believes we haven't got 18 months?

But I don't think he'll do that now. He'll give Beto and Barry time to get their stuff together. I'd bet on Conor's idea that for the next couple of games he'll start Barry and bring Beto off the bench.

He has also scored 26 goals in his career - 6 of them headers.

I think he is a potential wild card.

Ndiaye on the left, Alcaraz in the centre, Dibling on the right, and Grealish just in behind them as an attacking midfielder.

That would give Glasner something to think about.

Too daring.

Charly certainly knows where the net is. Something our two big lads seem to struggle with. He is also good at linking up play.

The build-up is too slow for the whipped-in cross to the near post. There is no interplay to provide a pass for a centre-forward to run on to.

Counter-attacks are rare and set-pieces often result in a shot not being on target. There appears to be no preplanned moves and keeping it simple seems out the window.

Moyes complains about decision-making in forward play. I was taught early on that a forward who has to think does not know.

Moyes doesn't do “daring”.

If he was head of the SAS, his motto would be: “Who Dares Dies”.

Excellent idea... can't see it happening although I can see us holding out for a draw and all the Moyes fans saying it justifies what he's doing and give it more time.

But I'd love to see Charly up front and not dropped after 1 game because it didn't work.

Like always, I go expecting to win. I always do and will.

I can't see any big changes. Anything would be dictated by Branthwaite's availability, which I think Sunday has come too soon for. Even then it would be a shuffle, although someone makes way, because I can't see Keane being dropped.

Aside from the rich 7 only Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland are doing better than us. We are 1 win off the Champions League places.

If we can maintain this dismally boring form with our ups and downs there is a good chance of a top half finish still.

There is a very interesting article on the Evertonia site about Barry.

Some ToffeeWebbers have already seen it and commented over there.

Definitely worth a read.

Link

The way I see it is, yes, it has been a little disappointing given the end to last season and some of the specks of light and optimisim this season -- but 'crumbling'? Hardly -- especially when compared to previous seasons. Lost the first game - then narrowly lost at Anfield - hardly 'crumbling'.

Let's not forget Everton have had a big turnover in players -- and injuries. Calvert-Lewin, Doucoure, Harrison -- 3 starters gone, Branthwaite out, and an injury to Mykelenko too, resulting in much shuffling around of the players.

That said -- despite the undeniable good job Moyes has done since coming in -- I am not without criticising him. A lot of my critiscims come from my perception of his seeming intransignece in his team selections, tactics and lack of effective squad rotation.

I am not sure how useful it is to look at Moyes's previous stint as Everton manager as a guide but I always thought he was exceptionally good at assembling a team... but then, despite the team being more than it was worth, not getting the best out of them.

For example, a team containing Coleman, Baines, Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill, Fellaini, Yakubu - and others like Carsley, Gravesen, Distin etc was put together very well within a very effective budget -- but for me they underachieved. Not sure if and what combinations played together, but you get my drift. Great squad, utilised well, but not maximised.

I think we have the same issue now; we need to mix things up a bit. I was hoping for more postion swapping within games, especially between Ndiaye and Grealish. More clever use of subs: Dibling, Alcaraz, McNeil etc.

We have become a little predictable already -- that is my take on things. Not enough fast inter-play to be honest. Too one-dimensional; it looks like the team picks itself too much... and, with this squad, it shouldn't. No one should be resting on their laurels; players should be pushing each other -- are they though?

I will give an example: O'Brien has done a good job at right-back -- a surprsingly good footballer for a guy who is 6 ft - 6 in. But he was having a difficult game against West Ham, they doubled up on him, yet we had 2 natural right-backs on the bench...

To me, that is puzzling. If they don't get brought on in these circumstances (outside of an injury), why have them if you are not going to utilise them? (I do realise I have answered my own question there.)

Back to my point - the season is hardly 'crumbling', 6 games in. A little optimism out of the window, granted... but 'crumbling'? Nah!

Anways, it would be nice to see an actual striker score at some point too, but that is another post altogether!

I don't know how useful or motivating it is when Moyes talks about not being able to get a top striker in -- for the actual strikers themselves. When all said and done, there is around £60M worth of investment there. Calvert-Lewin was £1.5M.

No matter whether you are thick skinned or not, if you have just signed for a club, in Barry's case, and you are immediately being labelled as not quite good enough, you'd be a little peeved. Yes, players should have the mentality to prove the manager wrong... but still.

And whilst I am at it, and I actually do like Moyes, but when he refers to men in their 20s as 'boy', you'd be a bit peeved at being labelled 'boy' -- they are men.

Am I wrong?

A good sensible reply which I agree with up to now, 'crumbling' is too heavy a word for what has happened recently, but we have yet to meet more top teams, which we will face in the next three games.

You might agree a lot of fans' confidence has left them following the last four performances, selections and results, I'd absolutely love Everton to get some points out of those games, as Kevin Keegan might have said, but I honestly wouldn't bet on it.

I've been pleasantly surprised before, even with Moyes in charge, so here's hoping he will manufacture some better results and performances in the next three hard fixtures!

Someone will correct if I'm wrong but the use of “boy” is a Scottish thing.

The Palace crew won't fancy that. I'm optimistic.

I'd say no you are not wrong and the one thing the shy, introverted Barry needs is an arm around him to give him the confidence he thrives on, not remarks that will put him on a downer.

After reading that link and my own view that it is far too early to say whether the lad will or will not achieve his aims and become the player that he has the ability to become, I'd start him for the next few games and tell him that he is the striker to start those games — not have in and out like a hokey-cokey dancer!

The two league games we have lost, Leeds was just timing. A newly promoted team away from home with a vociferous crowd behind them. We lost to a contentious penalty late on. Draw was probably a fair result.

The other loss against them, well 80-90% of the league will go there this season and drop points. Two clubs which will finish above us in Arsenal and Bournemouth have lost there.

We are in games under Moyes, he'll keep things tight and it may be a little frustrating like Monday night but it's small steps in progressing forward.

I can see where you are coming from Dave (as the actress said to the director etc ) and yes, there are a lot more top teams to play - but I think it is also a wait and see - a wait and see how this version of Everton gels. Plus the league looks a bit weird this season in terms of how the quality is spread.

A quick edit - just saw your other post - yes, a little bit more thought should go into Moyes' comments when talking about a young player that has just come into the league and a new team. You don't need to basically be told that we would have bought someone else if we had the money!

Frank Fearns - 49

Maybe, I have a lot of Scottish mates - and I ain't heard them say that. With a non-Scottish squad though, it may come across a bit weird. Who know!? Not me.

That said - we do use 'lad' a lot.

Without trawling through the stats, I'm sure we've got a decent record against them?

To be fair, I had heard rumours he couldn't settle in England.

Look at the cost of Wissa €57.5m and Woltemade €75m. Does anyone expect us to pay that in January or even next summer?

Scout a hidden gem?

Like Thiago at Brentford? The guy who cost more than Barry last summer when prices were much lower.

Without top dollar and / or patience our chances of finding a decent striker are pretty low.

It is harder still when the squad is still a mess and we’re struggling to find any sort of attacking rhythm.

Putting my thinking cap on though I cant be optimistic at all, but sometimes its best to go with the gut.

BBC Sport has been told the new rules if adopted could also include TBA, and would come into force at the start of next season.

The PSR is a look-back profitability test and has its own strengths and weaknesses. No system will be perfect," said Masters.

Record spending during the summer transfer window reinforced some top-flight clubs' concerns about PSR, and whether changes are needed in order to protect competitive balance given the additional revenues being generated for those involved in the expanded Champions League and Club World Cup.