David Moyes explains lineup selection after Carabao Cup exit

The goalkeeper should be a constant unless otherwise injured.

As for not playing strongest teams.

You should always field your strongest lineup, again unless otherwise such as injuries or European commitments and bigger fish to fry.

We are not a club with bigger fish to fry, let's be honest, we are not a club where success is around the corner in the Europa League, Champions League etc.

Our best chance of a Cup run and Europe gone again.

The FA Cup doesn't game the system from the 3rd round onwards. A total of 64 teams with no seeding and the possibility of non league opposition not allowed in the League Cup. And more importantly, the top teams may have to play each other.

He may smile more but deep down he's still the KITAP1 coach. The coach that cannot break the self-imposed glass ceiling he invented, with Billy Blue, the first time around.

Why have other teams gone to Mordor and won? Managed by coaches with a lot less experience of the Premier League than the Moyesiah? Attitude is why. A positive attitude to trust your players and come up with a plan to get at them.

Last night, he picked squad players. Why? I posted on Monday, we needed to go strong, take the lead and when things were comfortable, then give those with little game time, some minutes. If the Wolves team had gone a goal down, it would have been a totally different game.

Before last night, the confidence levels of the Wolves players must have been practically nil. Their manager played a second string XI. Yet we encouraged them with our selection. Wolves fans voted with their feet.

Our fans as always, came in their thousands and in return got that performance. It's disgusting and takes them for granted.

The Moyesiah now has one chance of winning a trophy as an Everton Manager. He also, with our strongest line up, has an outside chance of a European spot in the League, given 9 teams are playing in Europe this season.

So for once, please go for it. Have a go. Show me you have the nouse and more importantly the balls to make this a positive season. The last thing we want to hear come May 2026 is another season of "Everton That ".

Nothing forgives that Wolves loss last night. For every game, when fit -- Pickford, Branthwaite, Gueye, Grealish and Ndiaye must start. We had plenty of rest time before the game next Monday. Sorry for the Blasphemy -- The Moyesiah is a fool.

It's realistically our only chance of winning anything but a constant stream of managers disregard the cups and shit on the fans.

Wolves also made 9 changes and walked away with the win.

I just don't understand it. Moyes making noises beforehand about wanting to compete but then fields a weakened team and doesn't change a thing tactically.

The team he picked should have been good enough to beat Wolves' second team.

Blame players who were given an opportunity to push for a place in the league starting eleven for not showing up and wasting their opportunity.

Play your best team, unless injured, or possibly if there's another bigger game in 2 or 3 days time, or at most, rest a couple, but do not change your entire attack line and do not play an aging and rusty right-back at left-back.

I don't think Moyes is furious at all. I think he wasn't arsed.

Last night was a shocker, and Moyes is to blame for it, so the mood around the club is probably the worst since he's arrived, but let's not forget -- he did used to have a habit of turning a run of a defeats (which usually started with a derby one) into a run of wins -- hardly any more than by a single goal, but a decent run of wins or draws nonetheless. Maybe he needs a toe up the hole every now and again and this is it.

We had the chance to break free and what do we do? Drag the shit with us to BMD. We go back 10 years... is it me or does anyone else remember his first time round and how shit it was?

If we actually signed some pacey full-backs -- right and left -- we'd improve no end. Crazy that we didn't.

We will need to find the next Gana as well, pretty soon.

We can't even think about winning a trophy until Moyes has gone.

But we still have every Tom, Dick and Harry telling the world how it's done. Perhaps some on here should relate their occupations, were they good or bad at their jobs? Some people can be leaders, most can only take orders and then many cannot manage that task.

Well quite a lot of managers don't seem able to manage the pressure because they get sacked quite regularly — some many times over.

Maybe they are very good managers but realise being poor ones is much better financially.

Two reasons managers get sacked: players who are happy to take the money, normally without any punishment.

Second reason: supporters, who believe their club are world class and should win anything and everything.

I don't think Everton should have sacked Martinez, again it was the crap supporters Everton FC have to put up with and another reason the club fail.

Also known to drive players out of the club.

Football managers are very very lucky people getting those positions.

People pay good money to watch and have every right to have an opinion, regardless of how good they are at the job they perform.

We are all frustrated.

I respectfully suggest that the reason most managers get sacked is their own poor performance. Owners pay them a fortune and want results.

Moyes earns £12.5 million a year and would get his contract paid out if he was sacked. He is well-insulated no matter what happens to him.

The only people not responsible for the calamities of the last 30 years at Everton are the supporters.

Tim is hardly likely to say it is easy having been sacked after short spells at two massive clubs. But with that having been said, pressure is part and parcel of sport.

Simone Biles, top Olympian with a glittering career, pulled out of an event at the last Olympics because, despite her prior success. The pressure got to her. It is part and parcel of sport.

So I don't have particular sympathy for managers versus anyone else involved in sport. In fact, I have less sympathy as they're well paid (in the top flights anyway) and can always blame the players.

Even on the many Blues YouTube channels, their faces looked there had been a death in the family... frustration, angry responses, heads shaking at yet another chance to silverware pissed away.

If Moyes pulls off the same shite in the FA Cup, then he will be sacked pure and simple... I'd sack him now if I was Dan Friedkin, he is a bottle job is Moyes... always was, always will be!

Brave Gaffers win the pots and our Gaffer is sadly fucking spineless.

"No real reason."

Thanks for the explanation, Dave.

Brighton and Bournemouth seem to find the managers, oh, and also decent players. Everton give you a little bit of hope and then kick you in the balls.

Yep, 5 games played in the Scottish Premiership, just 1 point and no goals scored whatsoever - and dumped scoreless out of the cup yesterday - and I thought that we suffered from poor attacking stats!!!!

Good job that Everton aren't their next opponents, eh?

Let's have it right: Martinez should never have been employed by Everton — he was relegated.

Anyone can fluke an FA Cup win — it's 6 games... except Moyes.

Anyone can fluke a Cup win except Everton Football Club -- is more like.

Moyes has an atrocious Cup record agree, but he wasn't part of the club between 2013 and 2025; nothing changed with the club in that decade either.

Fortunately nobody home.

I reckon he earns about £6million per year. I got caught out with that £12.5M. It morphed into one year due to bad journalism.

Still, at £6M, he got away with murder in the Carabao Cup.

Is it some kind of revenge against those supporters who took the proverbial out of him when he managed his dream team? He called them a disgrace, I seem to remember.

No need to put out a second string last night. "Thanks for the good times," your beloved ex-chairman once told fans. Good times since 1995 -- 'Nil'.

That's the only part of our motto that's stood the test of time! The rest is 'Satis Nisi Optimum'. Something the fans believe in but this club seems to have forgotten.

We accepted a safe pair of hands and a chairman who begged, stole and borrowed to proudly keep us punching above our weight; coming 7th suddenly became a cause for celebration.

I know loads of people would bite your hand off for a 7th-placed finish now but surely Everton should be existing to try and compete and win trophies?

Moyes got treated like a hero when he was clapped out of Goodison on his way to Manchester United, despite never winning a trophy, or even winning at Anfield, Highbury, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge (except for that time we won in the cup, and then lost at home to fuckin Charlton, in the next round).

He's obviously very comfortable with never being a winner, because he has already been treated like a god for delivering the sum total of zero trophies the last time he was here.

Why? Certain clubs who have won silverware recently can't be arsed with the Carabao Cup and will field their reserves because the prize money for winning it is a paltry £100k plus £82k for getting to the final.

Compare this with last year's FA Cup winners getting £2M plus £910k for getting to the final. Also, last season, each place higher in the Premier League attracted a merit payment of £1.6M.

And still absolutely zero desire to win a Cup for a truly fantastic loyal fan base.

I hope these new owners are not just happy to own a Premier League club!

However, yesterday's defeat was abysmal and reflects a lack of understanding of what fans crave for more than anything, a decent cup run and possible silverware. The cup should be deemed a priority. Who really cares if we finish 10th or 14th? It's all mediocre, isn't it?

I'm lucky: by the age of 22, I'd seen us become Champions twice -- and we all know it should've been a title hat-trick. I'd seen 6 major domestic cup finals and Everton named European Team of the Year and European trophy winners.

By contrast, lots of us have seen nothing. The fan base is desperate for a trophy and we have surrendered the competition with feeble comments from the manager. Where's the apology to the 3,00 fans who were there watching that rubbish?

Moyes did well in the league Mark 1 with regular decent finishes and excellent astute signings but he had 1 lost final in perhaps 25 Cup campaigns. Last night brought all those memories back. A lack of relentless desire to win a trophy.

In terms of recruitment, only 2 of the 9, Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall, actually improve the team whilst we are clearly lacking a centre-forward capable of the task. Let's hope Barry comes good but he's shown very little so far.

There's a lack of desire to win the Carabao Cup. Yes, that's galling to us fans, but it's also a man who is practical about how he will steer us through this period of change. It's exactly why he's at the club. He's not been brought in because he's a proven winner; he's here because he can build a solid base.

We've got a squad that looks half-decent compared to the last few years. You do have to play them at some point.

And yes, Barry looks a bit lost. But the club has made a conscious decision to buy young. It's obvious that not every purchase will be a success. It's one of the risks that comes with that transfer strategy.

Not every selection decision was perfectly aligned to those strategies against Wolves (eg, Coleman) but maybe it wasn't quite the disaster that we're portraying it as.

If, by the end of the season, we've improved the squad, improved the average age of the squad, and finished closer to the top half (or in it), then it's probably good progress.

I keep saying it on here but strategy is often about staying the course.

Wonder why Forrest didn't go for someone who can build a steady ship and instead went for kamikaze football from a manager who has a proven record of winning things.

We will find out soon enough if the Friedkins want a steady ship to milk the Premier League and club, or if they want to break through the glass ceiling with a bit of ambition.

● Travers is not a decent back-up;

● Seamus needs to concentrate on coaching;

● Aznou has a lot to learn to be trusted;

● Iroegbunam is a £10M player... and it showed;

● We are stuffed without Idrissa;

● McNeil was the standout 2 years ago and has regressed, or we now have better players

● Alcaraz (who we all clamoured to get) is not all he is cracked up to be;

● Dibling is still only 19;

●Barry means France may struggle to score if he is their hope;

And in summary, once again those players who are not first choice really cannot seize their chance when given to them. That is not the first time it has happened in the last 20 years and we have a history of getting knocked out of cups when we do not play the best XI.

Moyes learnt a lot about his back-ups last night and must be worried to death should one of the best XI get injured and he has to bring in one of the above. Oh, and it was confirmed there is no goalscorer in the team.

Seamus needs limited games but, when he does play, he should get his best position. Why not try the three centre-backs with Seamus and Aznou (helping the kid out defensively) as wingbacks?

Tim Iroegbunam was very poor last night, and hasn't had anything above a moderate influence so far, so could have been left out to allow that 5th defender.

Ndiaye was taking on, and beating, three men at a time but was generally operating too far away from their box. Like others, I'd like to see him given a go as the frontman backed up by another 3 tricky and agile attackers.

Mind you, they all need to put some work in on shooting.

That's it; Moyes really hasn't changed. But that game showed a new low. He not only cheated the fans, he cheated the players and he cheated the owners.

A younger Summer transfer window of hope was dashed by presenting them with a formation they could not play in and showing them that all the talk of their preparation was rubbish.

Those 7 first-team players watched Moyes look as if he appeared not to have a clue and must have thought cynicism was at work, since they would have been involved in the preparation and pre-match talks.

The owners will get the feedback and analysis of the performance, which won't be pretty, and a missed home draw against Chelsea will be seen as a loss.

Moyes has probably miscalculated the reaction and has not got away with concentrating on the Premier League. He has damaged the trust he had.

The £12.5M is for the 2.5 years of his contract duration.

Hopefully he will still be able to pay the electric.

“I know loads of people would bite your hand off for a 7th-placed finish now, but surely Everton should be existing to try and compete and win trophies?”

That is absolutely right and I really have no time for dumbing down of ambitions, standards or expectations. It is usually wrapped up as worldly-wise pragmatism and financial realism, but that wears thin after 30 years. Or at least it should!

As John Moores said, “Everton expects success. We've a very good crowd and our crowd are very loyal. But, of course, they pay money and they expect to see us do well. If we don't do well, then something should be done about it, and something will be done about it."

Perhaps Everton as a fan base have been brainwashed over 30 years that “Magnificent Seventh” is success. But I think it is more than the fans have had no power at the club, were never listened to, were often lied to, and became disenchanted or resigned to failure.

Despite that, they have turned up in their thousands away from home in the dark days and could have filled a 75,000 seat stadium at BMD.

So overall, I blame the owners, the board, the senior leaders, the managers and the players before I blame the fans.

We have a fan base that every year says the same thing, just stay up, let's have a stress free final day, settle for 12th.

This same thing is churned out by some every single year and it's been the same for 20 or 30 years with them.

Have the relegation scraps of the 90's really scarred some so bad that they can never expect a brave bold Everton to have ambition to risk things like success again?

We are in to all intents and purposes the modern day Coventry City.

They stayed up for about 30 years and lifted a single FA Cup in that 30 year spell but never threatened anything like a challenge on anything else and were content every year to finish just above relegation, mid-table was like gold dust.

This to me is Everton now and a lot of our brainwashed fan base mentality.

It's always a case of "not this season chaps let's just stay up and then we worry about a trophy another time"

Only thing with Everton is they never want the comfort blanket of 40 points taking away.

The game showed us in some respects.

Without Grealish and Ndiaye, we offer very little.

I doubt TFG are particularly bothered. The risk for Moyes will come if we start to look like relegation candidates.

I understand the £12.5M was for a shorter deal than the 2½-year contract, which he refused to agree to. He then got a figure, estimated at £6M, yearly for 2½ years.

This is were the confusion started, when reports got it wrong as £12.5M per year, which I and Steve picked up on. His actual salary maybe become clearer in the end of year accounts.

I agree with Steve and Jim, though Robert I do think TFG will be pouring over the data and looking for change. They seemed very willing to back youth in the Summer transfer window and won't like the data they get from the Carabao Cup match. Moyes will have to explain that data.

Moyes does not take initiatives, trusting his own, often flawed, decisions rather than seeking to win first -- which surely has to be the criteria for any match, cup or league.

If this was a one-off, you would simply chalk it off... but it isn't. Already this season, we have not adapted tactics to compete to win from the off.

Those of us who remember all too vividly the failure to grasp the nettle and trust the quality of players. He is paid to win, paid to select the strongest teams he can. Always. Not to experiment.

So many, many, many times over the years have we seen him do this. Hasn't Moyes realised he has zero security now? That his current masters expect far more than previous masters?

To all those who feel we should give him a chance, the benefit of the doubt... No. He is the one who "knows" the club, its supporters.

He used up every ounce of credit the first time around. Unless he pulls his kecks up pronto, then he will lose any backing he thinks he has.

Rank bad management the last week or so from Moyes.

Buying youth means being patient. TFG probably didn't expect a cup win this season - and are probably expecting a 14th to 8th finish. If Moyes delivers on that and helps to bed in the younger players over the course of the season, I expect TFG to treat that as job done.

I don't like it.

But I'm a fan -- not an owner with a huge financial investment riding on our Premier League status.

I haven't seen anything yet or heard anything yet from them to suggest to me that they are going to be seriously intent on trying to steer the club upwards.

I look back to when Newcastle got new owners, the Saudi's, they were in pretty much a relegation scrap with with around Spring 2022 but no sooner than the owners took the reigns, they were instantly talking about winning things and aiming for Champions League.

TFG seem to have money available, they sacked Dyche instantly, an easy decision given the start of last season and the paucity of entertainment, they played it pretty safe with Moyes, but it didn't smack to me an appointment with any real tangible progress on the horizon, it was basically a "let's try and survive a while".

Now for me, I still feel we had a poor summer window because we failed again to get what we've needed for years.

There will be many that will say we made some good signings, which we did, Grealish is a fantastic football player, I also think Dewsbury-Hall was a shrewd acquisition.

But we have wasted a summer again without purchasing all of the key components that we needed this time last year, pace, a right back, a proven better experienced striker.

This time last year we actually had 4 striking options, now we have 2.

The fact that we signed a 19 year old left back yet the manager chooses a 36 year old right back to play there tells me Aznou was not a Moyes buy.

I'm not even convinced Barry was a Moyes pick, he usually loves player that put the hard yards in or at least are proven at this level of English football.

So who is choosing the signings?

I'm awaiting until this time next year, but this far, I've not heard or seen anything from these Americans to tell me there are anything other than what we had previously.

Time will tell.

Which is a shame as it's a big cup to win and something that can really propel a football club. The fact that it's been dominated by the biggest clubs for the last decade or so means that, if you can get amongst them and win it, you have the prospect of challenging them domestically.

The big problem now for Moyes is that he doesn't have a striker who can be relied on to score goals. Neither Beto nor Barry are up to the job, and both are now lacking in confidence.

So I doubt very much they are either aiming for or willing to fund anything to bridge the gap quickly. Since the gap is big with the richest 7 clubs.

This is why I seriously doubt they have any concerns about our cup exit. It may even be their preference to prioritise the league.

After all, TFG are not fans! They are business owners with various interests around the globe and do not need a sports club for profile or reputation washing reasons, as do the Saudis at Newcastle etc. TFG are here to make money.

So disappointing.

It quickly became pretty obvious that we had no left flank at all.

He's definitely used up any credit he had with those 11½ years he was here and became a very rich man with Kenwright's complete backing.

To be honest, the way he's operated this season, I think he would be more than happy to walk from Everton. Better still if he gets another big payday.

Saturday and Tuesday night were a clear indication, to me, that he's had enough... and he's rich enough to have no worries for the rest of his life.

That's why I said yesterday — be a man and resign, it's the honest think to do, if he had any integrity, intellectual honesty, he should do it now and help the club he's supposed to love like Kenwright did.

Get the man sacked by Forest before any other club move in for him while there is still no compensation to pay.

It took me a while to remember McNeil was playing and I have never been convinced about Alcaraz; for one so young to have already played for 4 clubs tells you something isn't right with him.

Tim Iroegbunam has shown us on a number of occasions that he just isn't up to Premier League standard. And even more worrying is young Dibling, who has played a number of games in the Premier League but hardly showed anything; he is young and hopefully will get better. Barry was another who looks way off the pace.

I did say in a post the other day, I do wonder how many of the summer signings were David Moyes's choice? Certainly Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall were obviously his buys.

But last season, he was questioning Beto's quality, so why would he sign a very raw youngster to be his main striker? Anzou another I couldn't see him signing, and given how little playing time he has given him, maybe Dibling wasn't his despite us paying £35M for him.

Surely seeing he had grave doubts about Beto, he would have used what money he had to spend on a proven striker.

Moyes has a big squad; if you don't let your squad players play for months on end, it's bad for everyone. McNeil and Alcaraz were entitled to expect an outing. They are good players.

Otherwise we had a good team out, full defence other than injured Mykolenko, the only other slightly dodgy pick was Iroegbunam. The rest were expected.

But it was a very disappointing night. I think at this point the goalie will be moved on next year. Not good enough. McNeil has checked out, that's it. Barry's attitude is already a problem.

And we've gone into a dip, Villa and Liverpool also being below par. So suddenly, the pressure is on: the West Ham game is now going to be tricky.

I think you have hit upon a good point. The Strategic Plan was to bring in young players, but Moyes wanted seasoned professionals. West Ham was Mark 1 for this with similar outbursts around transfers as Mark 2 at Everton.

The Strategic Plan is about building the club from the ground up and having it effectively produce a challenging first team.

Moyes is about status quo and survival in his job. He just wants a solid team and to buy in experience to keep it midtable, and maybe a venture into Europe, though the latter is not his plan this season.

The problem for him is that TFG want all departments functioning and producing for the first team and that includes the manager at the receiving end of what they produce.

But turning that around is difficult and Moyes will not put the demands in for it to happen. He will complain about the seasoned professional positions that have not been brought in.

Private equity firms that take over sports clubs in America now go for continuity and don't do wholesale sackings. They then concentrate on the data available and bring in changes according to that. They don't listen to outside influence because they have the data and outside does not.

So at Everton, they are working on the data and making changes behind the scenes. This is what Moyes is dealing with and he is kicking to get his way and stay in his comfort zone. But TFG will continue and change and hold to account.

Whilst we may analyse from the outside, they will have the data and will be asking questions and demanding answers. TFG will not be happy with the data from the Carabao Cup game.

However, Moyes knows these players and, if their utterly rank showing surprised him, then something is wrong.

I agree about McNeil, who was a disgrace. As for Barry, well he will likely need time, but a stinking attitude is hard to coach.

I got a little sense of unease with Grealish's statement at half time in the derby that 'they had a chat with the manager and changed it'.

This is the danger of having a star player, he thinks he has chats with the manager. What he should be doing is following instructions.

Hopefully he just misspoke, but we do seem a bit lopsided at the moment. And everything going through Grealish.

TFG will look at the data and say you agreed to purchase this player, you are in charge of developing this player, training and coaching him, selecting and tactically placing him in the team. Why is the data of this player as it is? That goes right back down the line.

All these players were training and developing at Everton, they need match time to develop and so as to see how they are doing.

Moyes just dumped them into the Carabao Cup with no plan or proper formation for them to play in. They should have been introduced earlier in the season to see how they were getting on, with a style of play to suit them.

But Moyes went Dycheball and players are expected to function rather than play too many times. Now he has ended up with less opportunities to give them match time and develop depth in the squad.

What will Moyes do? He will whine about needing 5-6 players. He did it at the Liverpool presser. He has had to explain himself more and look as if he cares, such has been the questions and reaction to this defeat. But next week he will be whining on again.

You just can't introduce young players into a system they have never played in or been developed to play in, never mind introducing them all at once.

Regarding this summer's signings, some of them don't look like Moyes's buys, and I'm actually okay with that, if they turn out to be decent that is. It's too much to expect Barry, Aznou and Dibling to hit the ground running, they need time to develop and adjust to playing for Everton in the Premier League. But if Moyes completely freezes them out to pick his favourites, that won't be good news for any of us, including him.

I agree and do think our new owners (via their management team) will be watching these developments closely. They made the financial investment, after all -- not David Moyes.

Also, data would probably show Wolves were shite too. But they snatch a goal and data goes out window! They are through!

I feel for Barry a bit. He gets a start and all the creative players are on the bench! Data could tell you he didn't have a sniff, but is that his fault?

Keep him in the team, give him time and creative things for him; if he then misses a load, we will have "data" on him! 😉

Judging by his facial expression at full-time though, he didn't look like he 'threw the game' to me. He looked absolutely furious and ready to offer someone a Glaswegian kiss.

I imagine a cold wind has been blowing through Finch Farm this week.

It is not just the data during the game.

While you are right that it looks like TFG are wanting to go down the route of bringing in young players in, I don't think Moyes would be opposed to that provided we brought in quality youngsters.

I am not sure how many of the young players who played on Tuesday will be first-team regulars. As Hansen said, you win nothing with kids. I know Ferguson and Busby proved you can, but twice in 60 years proves Hansen was correct.

I would also remind you Alan Ball had won a World Cup when he was younger than some of our supposedly young players. What a manager wants is to improve the quality of the team; certainly Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall have done that. I can't think of any of the other summer signings who have so far improved the quality.

Mo Salah had played for 5 clubs by the age of 24, and before signing for our leftovers. So, the number of Alcaraz's clubs is no indicator.

However, I was disappointed at his lack of creative involvement against Wolves. And not for the first time.

Instead he's always been fundamentally formulaic, unambitious (except for his own bank account), and an accomplished bullshitter when it comes to accountability to the very fans he feigns to respect.

Anyone surprised by the Wolves game needs, with respect, to give their head a wobble.