Next up: Sunderland vs Everton

Buying players that don't score goals.

Now with Doucoure gone and McNeil off the pace, the only goal threat comes from Alcaraz and Ndiaye, other than the odd defender contribution.

Moyes, stop with the experiment of "Beto doesn't work so I'll try Barry" -- repeating the same experiment expecting a different result doesn't work! False nine all the time, have it on your bedside table and it's the last thing you read.

We have a few who are a million times more suited to creating a chance, finding space, beating a defender, and scoring goals than the two Bs.

Try it, Moyes, you really have nothing to lose. And just think, if it doesn't work, you can say, "Look, I told you, Beto and Barry are the answer."

Everton stats for Premier League Refs who have officiated the most EFC games.

Premier League games only.
Referee Apps Win% Lose% Draw% Point pg
1. Oliver 55 32.7 29.1 38.2 1.36
2. Taylor 45 42.2 40.0 17.8 1.44
3. Marriner 38 31.6 42.1 26.3 1.21
4. Mason 35 51.4 25.7 22.9 1.77
5. Atkinson 33 33.3 30.3 36.4 1.36
6. Moss 31 32.3 48.4 19.4 1.16
7. Friend 31 41.9 22.6 35.5 1.61
8. Pawson 30 20.0 53.3 26.7 0.87
9. Attwell 29 37.9 37.9 24.1 1.38
10. Probert 23 39.1 34.8 26.1 1.43

Pawson's points per game (less then 1) / lost games percentage (over 50%), stand out for me.
I would request Lee Mason officiates all our games from now on. Interesting.

Thomas Bramall refs the game on Monday. He has officiated 2 Premier League games involving Everton. 1 draw (Fulham nil-nil) and one defeat (Wolves 3-nil). He likes dishing out yellows.

I believe we will win by a couple of goals -- go figure. Moyes must change things around and include Charly Alcaraz. Drop Dewsbury-Hall, play Rohl alongside Gueye and move Garner to right-back. Play Jake alongside Keane.

Pickford, Garner, O'Brien, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye, Rohl, Alcaraz, Ndiaye, Beto, Grealish.

It has worked for other teams before, and as of now playing our strikers are no good. Anyone else?

They are flying at the minute, where we just play the same way every week: slow, laboured... Moyes needs to change it.

Try Alcaraz up front, do something different! I won't hold my breath...

Poor defending on those two corners aside, they thought we could've got a point at least there.

Of course VAR intervened to make sure we didn't have a chance of that.

Plus they've got Muani and João Palhinha on loan. I am sure they'd cost another £100-120M+.

That's fair money for a squad that did very little.

I would agree. Stick anyone upfront, Keane, Röhl whoever — just not one of our "strikers".

Moyes is a stubborn dinosaur and won't or can't change. Mr Kinnear, have a word, please, coz we are shite the way things are.

Sunderland will want to thrash Everton — it's Moyes.

Which midfielders are more a goal threat than our strikers?

Dewsbury-Hall? No, he doesn't shoot.
Grealish? No, doesn't shoot.
Gana? No, can't shoot!
Garner? Maybe.
Alcaraz? Maybe.

Have I left anyone out? The only experiment that I think should be considered is Alcaraz as striker with Dewsbury-Hall or McNeil to replace Beto... but then I fear we will have the same problem, no quality ball reaching him.

My thoughts.

Richarlison's record at Everton (who were crap for most of the time he was with us) was: played 152 games, scored 53 goals and had 15 assists. Not too bad in my opinion.

Or even McNeil at Number 10. He can create, score and can switch with Grealish and put crosses into the box, being an actual left winger.

If Beto is going to start, then more channel balls to him as anything round the centre circle seems to be a lost cause. I think the rest pick themselves based on who's available.

We had nothing going forward, we could've been 5 down. We got a bit better second half but not much. I just hope Moyes changes a few things against the Mackems.

But, when you look at that chart, then it's obvious that this referee has always had a problem with our club.

We do tend to eke out a performance and a win when it's least expected, like last season away at Forest and Newcastle. I have feeling this will be one of those.

Fucking Moyes, same away day Blues I reckon... A 2-0 home win.

They must be shocking at them now. Just like Everton.

Pickford

Garner
O'Brien
Tarkowski
Keane
McNeil

Rohl
Dewsbury-Hall

Grealish (in a free role)

Alcaraz
Ndiaye (Strikers)

Never happen like... Moyes will play it safe and we'll lose again!

I watched him plough alone up top tonight for Spurs, which is what he'd be doing for us; he can't play as a striker for me regardless of him doing so for Brazil, the club football especially in the Premier League is different.

I'm not particularly looking forward to Monday, I can see only another loss, probably a narrow 1-0 game in my opinion. We'll no doubt show Sunderland too much respect, like we are the newly promoted side and they are seasoned old heads.

I hope we win but I can't see how or where goals come from.

He will be a good player and Sunderland is where it will start.

And don't forget... we could have been 1-up if Jack Grealish had taken his chance and 1-1 if VAR hadn't stepped in erroneously with a far from clear and obvious intervention.

The people I asked are all match-going regulars who give Moyes and or the team pelters when they deserve it. My question to all of them was “How was the atmosphere at 0-2?” and they all said “Not so bad as we were playing well.”

Personally, I thought we were too slow and predictable and that Charly Alcaraz should've been on from half-time, but we played okay. Still an improvement on last season and still encouraging signs.

What we miss is obvious -- attacking full backs and a competent striker -- but, defending those corners apart, we still matched Spurs for all their talent.

But it's opinions, and the opinions of the people I asked, most of whom post, or have posted, on here differ very much to the ones you've asked.

I think we'll beat Sunderland and that we'll finish 12th-ish.
I'd rather we had Iraola in from the start of this season... but we haven't... but we're still better than we were.

'Which midfielders are more a goal threat than our strikers?

Dewsbury-Hall? No, he doesn't shoot.
Grealish? No, doesn't shoot.
Gana? No, can't shoot!
Garner? Maybe.
Alcaraz? Maybe.

Have I left anyone out?'

Ndiaye?

He could develop into a fast, mobile striker if given game time in that position to get used to the crosses or through-balls from Grealish and Ndiaye. And I would compensate for the loss of Beto's or Barry's physicality by playing Röhl just behind Alcaraz.

4-3-3:

Pickford
O'Brien Tarkowski Keane Mykolenko
Garner Röhl Gueye
Ndiaye Alcaraz Grealish

Mr Moyes, work ethic does not score you goals! Try something different up front, for God's sake! How many more games are we going to lose before he realises this?

Unfortunately, Pickford's major weakness, no dominance in the air, is back again. Yes, he is a great shot-stopper, but teams know this weakness, and when they exploit it, he'll lose us at least half-a-dozen games a season.

With today's big forwards, a goalie must be big and powerful, so forwards are afraid to go up against, in case they get twatted! Sadly, Pickford is a kitten in the box.

I'm sorry but Moyes will takes us nowhere. As I've said before, just 2 pathetic trophies in over 27 years to his name!
I'm afraid we'll get twatted on Monday night.

He was never brought in to be the long-term solution. I believe Moyes himself admitted as much when he took over when some reporters were asking him about the team he managed to build between 2007 and 2012, as he said he won't be getting 5 years here this time to reach that stage.

We are now a club where patience has not rewarded us. We've been told to be patient for 30 years but it has yielded little or no rewards.

Look at last night again, the clubs competing for a place in the Quarter-Finals of the League Cup: once again, no Everton at the party. Last night would have been 52,000 at home to Chelsea... more missed revenue, more missed opportunity.

We need to start being a "here and now" club.

Charly is very talented but Dithering Dave plays him wide; he's a Number 10 but has the ability to play as a striker, so play him up front, as a false 9 even, give him a run with Ndiaye also in his favourite position at Number 10.

James Garner is a super pro but I think he would better serve us at right-back, make the position his own. Rohl looks tidy and must start vs Sunderland.

Dewsbury-Hall is not a Number 10 but a good central midfielder, he can even play the holding roll too with crisp neat passing and energy and replace the once brilliant Gana.

But we all know Dithering Dave will stick to his tried, tested and useless formula with Beto up front.

Barry has ability and with being new to the country, the Premier League etc, he has time on his side. I'm not buying the age thing though, as I said, he's 23 — lots of younger players doing great at a younger age: Ekitke, Woltemade spring to mind — same age... but time will help him and hopefully he will settle in his new surroundings.

But from what I'm seeing, bad body language and average ability at the moment don't bode well. I hope he proves me wrong.

Wondered why you made the comment about Sunderland supporters and Moyes.

This reminded me of the bad blood between them:

Why David Moyes will get no sympathy from Sunderland fans when West Ham axe falls

Is it in any way possible to be even a teeny little bit optimistic if you are an Everton supporter?

Something has to change on the pitch. It simply isn't working.
2 class players in Grealish and Ndiaye. Most teams would kill to have those pair. Fuck all up top to supply to.

Changes are needed. Fast.

The recruitment crippled them with a high wage bill, not suitable in the Championship. Too many ex-Everton players who never delivered including Victor Anichebe and Darren Gibson (who was always injured, like at Everton).

So no, Moyes won't be welcome... and who can blame the Black Cats fans??

We do have the players capable of putting better results and performances on show, but they have to be played as a unit. Branthwaite back (hopefully) soon to make us better at the back.

As to predicting a result on Monday, please read the first paragraph!

We'd have to score to win. We'd have to keep a clean sheet not to have to score at least two to win. With no obvious goalscorers and a shaky defence, you can see the difficulty. And we're away from home.

Of course, these are not insurmountable problems. But Moyes is in danger of becoming one.

Moyes has to change things up so at least we are in with the shout of a point. The midfield is a soft touch so I would bring in Merlin Röhl at the start. They have to start limiting the space in the middle of the park and not let the opposition walk into Everton's third so easily.

Gana has been useful but is past his best and Garner may be best used at right-back with Big Jake moving into the middle of the defence. Mykolenko needs help and dare I say McNeil was good help for him last season.

However, overall they need to be more solid until the striking options have improved which may be some distance away.

After 2 games without a goal, maybe a point would be a good result on Monday.

The idea is for the backs to provide the width (think Baines and Coleman) if the move breaks down, the 2 holders fill the spaces (think Barry and McCarthy)

Because we haven't got overlapping backs, Grealish and Ndiaye are forced to be wingers instead of supporting the lone striker. They regularly beat their man and put a cross in to the striker with no one else in the box.

So once again, Moyes should look at the formation and go 4-3-3 or a variation of 4-4-2 so our shot-shy, not very good strikers have some support.

I would kill for 'just 2 pathetic trophies in over 27 years'!

I was lucky enough to be at Wembley the last time we won a trophy. Thirty years without even one 'pathetic' trophy.

McNeil can do that job on the left. Time to try a back three??

Moyes's post-match interview against Spurs concerned me. He just shrugged the result off like it didn't matter, and that performance was worrying to me.

The problem is that we have 'Groundhog Moyes' in charge. Even in the presser, he was asked whether he would change to having someone else up front to try something different, but he answered that that would be to too difficult to adapt to how we prepare for the game.

So, you can bet your bottom dollar that the line-up will remain the same and the losing result also ad nauseum. (Or until we fire him!) Sorry folks, but we must face facts that, with Moyes, we are going nowhere except to the Championship!

I have suggested playing Ndiaye up front before and would be intrigued to see what he does there but I also think it's possible he would be less effective as getting the ball less often with space.

I'd be interested to see Dewsbury-Hall drop further back with Alcaraz coming in as he seems to get the best out of Beto, both being a little chaotic. it doesn't give us any control but it seems to create opportunities.

Tarkowski looks like he could use a break though I don't see it happening.

Pickford
Garner O'Brien Keane Mykolenko
Gana Dewsbury-Hall
Ndiaye Alcaraz Grealish
Beto

The problem for Moyes to solve is building that system while not being sussed out and neutralized by adjustments once teams get film to observe.

We don't have many options with only two ball carriers and no width. This forces Moyes to use them on the wing since hold-up play is easily contained.

Again, the lack of interchangeable positions makes us easy to figure out. Without some dynamic twist to Moyes''s initial improvements, we will face continual defence adjustments that limit what Ndiaye and Grealish can do.

I think we can agree we have class players in Grealish and Ndiaye, but not far behind Alcaraz, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall (on his day) and Branthwaite when back. I would have included Röhl and Dibling but haven't seen enough to date to include them both.

I have no reason to doubt that, given the chance, both will prove to be quality members of the squad. Let's face facts, Moyes inherited Beto; now, whether he keeps playing him is influenced from other quarters or his own choice. Neither of us, or any other TW members know how much influence he had in the Barry signing (again, jury still out, as in the case of the previous two).

Although we do have (in comparison to other teams) a fairly thin squad, made even thinner through injuries, I genuinely believe we have enough quality to gain better results than we have been getting. This is dependent again on choosing what we believe to be the best available for any given match, stop carrying hitch-hikers and stowaways!

Unfortunately, neither Moyes, nor anyone else in the backroom team for that matter, reads TW. Purely conjecture... but I wish they would!

If that doesn't work, he will play Beto; if that doesn't work, he will play Barry, if that doesn't work... well, you know the script.

I think a change is definitely needed, I suppose I was questioning how much change. It's easy to be tempted by dramatic roles of the dice but I was just saying that can do more harm than good.

Certainly some tweaks to both tactics and lineup could be beneficial and I agree, and said on another thread yesterday, that currently we seem to be less than the sum of our parts.