2nd season nonsense

[hibbos left peg]

so it seems Everton have shaken off the media tag of perennial overachievers/ captain slippys long ball delights/ man u's nursery, and in their desperation to find us a new place in the coup the phrase that keeps gettin thrown about is this second season bollocks.

i thought that was in reference to the yoyo clubs not a consistent top 6 club.

granted its bobby's 2nd time out but we were meant to struggle last season, remember David Nostradamus James' 16th shout, wat a bellend.

heres what i see happening next season, we have more possesion we get more points and hibbo scores

COYB

 

[youngblue66]

I see a couple more young players doing what Stones and Ross did last year; we will have the luxury of our best and biggest squad for many a year, and, if Bobby sees it necessary as we push the 'big spenders' once again for a top 4 finish, we will make a big transfer statement in the January window.

 

[Billy Dean]

Can't see us getting 4th unfortunately but live in hope. Could see us getting 5th again though and another high points total.

 

[Goat]

Last season was the perfect chance to get 4th, thats why the vermin did so well. United were struggling, Spurs were "distracted", Arse trying their best to lose every game, Jose in full NEA mode.

We actually had 4th in our grasp, but sadly our Manager didnt react properly to the loss of the 1 and only fit Striker in the squad, the reaction was to loan an injured striker and it cost us big time.

Oh well, at least hes finally bought a striker, right? Its not like we currently have no first team strikers fit in the squad or anything, oh no.

 

[TGW89]

If we sign Lukaku... IF.... then it will be more or less the same squad as last season.

The only significant recent example we have of a manager underachieving the 2nd season would be Moyes (in 2003/4)

Although he had practically the same squad, Rooney was still our only hope and massive debts didn't help either. None of our squad saw the big picture and Moyes was living off the past rather than steady progress and a future he would create through astute managment (as Martinez clearly wants to).

If you look closely, a lot of our performances in 2003/04 (with the obvious exceptions of November, April and May) weren't actually as bad as our final place made out.

I do seem to recall a lot of bad luck within reasonable performances - for instance, those draws at Leicester and Soton, the home defeats to Man Utd and Charlton (where Diamond kindly scored their winner!)

If Martinez doesn't emulate 5th, it will not be because he's "lost the dressing room). It will simply be because THIS TIME the clubs with (a lot) more money than us actually spent it wisely and have simply improved more than we have.

We've got to remember that there are two key factors at play, which didn't affect us last year.

1 - The europa league

Shouldn't be too taxing on squad fitness, but if there is any repeat of the biblical injury crisis we had in autumn 2009 then it probably will affect our placing.... but it's a cup and a route to the ECL so still no complaints!

2 - Our first seven games

Undeniably these are tough, I can imagine that Chelsea in particular will pose a threat to our early optimism. If we were to go winless in 7 (as in 2010/11) but finish "respectably" then we'll all be looking back at that start as the reason for a failure to emulate 5th.

Also: Walter Smith's (remember him?) second season out of (nearly) four was his best of the lot, when we finished a mighty 13th place but occupied a UEFA spot going into March.

 

[marty mcfly]

Last season was the perfect chance to get 4th, thats why the vermin did so well. United were struggling, Spurs were "distracted", Arse trying their best to lose every game, Jose in full NEA mode.

We actually had 4th in our grasp, but sadly our Manager didnt react properly to the loss of the 1 and only fit Striker in the squad, the reaction was to loan an injured striker and it cost us big time.

Oh well, at least hes finally bought a striker, right? Its not like we currently have no first team strikers fit in the squad or anything, oh no.

If we had of bought a striker then. He would have cost 10m minimum and we wouldn't have the money now for Lukaku.

The only games that would have made a difference where City and Spurs away. Even with Lukaku they weren't exactly nailed on.

I'm not saying your wrong but you would have been gambling any chance of getting Lukaku for a striker to play 2 games and then for us to get 4th. We ended 9 points behind Arsenal, we weren't that close.

 

[Goat]

How many goals did Lukaku score THIS year?

It was a gamble and it backfired, yes we ended up 9 points adrift, but we lost momentum with 3 defeats in 4 games due to having a squad full of injured strikers.

 

[marty mcfly]

Brilliant have you just seen Sky sports news?

Atsu is forcing the issue. Allowing it to drag on was my worst fear.

Get the Henan kid in and then Atsu and Lukaku and we would be good to go.

 

[Goat]

Brilliant have you just seen Sky sports news?

Atsu is forcing the issue. Allowing it to drag on was my worst fear.

Get the Henan kid in and then Atsu and Lukaku and we would be good to go.

Still think we would lack another striker and a number 10.

 

[chicoazul]

How many goals did Lukaku score THIS year?

It was a gamble and it backfired, yes we ended up 9 points adrift, but we lost momentum with 3 defeats in 4 games due to having a squad full of injured strikers.

Hahaha, do one. You proven wrong on that.

We occupied a Champions League spot with four games to go, then it caught up on us. But it was for a worthy cause. Man City like.

 

[marty mcfly]

How many goals did Lukaku score THIS year?

It was a gamble and it backfired, yes we ended up 9 points adrift, but we lost momentum with 3 defeats in 4 games due to having a squad full of injured strikers.

Yea I know but the point I'm making is this only makes sense in hindsight. They where hard games and another striker might/probably wouldn't have made a difference and buying that striker during January never an easy time would have meant we couldn't this summer.

In my view buying another striker then was a bigger gamble.

 

[Goat]

Hahaha, do one. You proven wrong on that.

We occupied a Champions League spot with four games to go, then it caught up on us. But it was for a worthy cause. Man City like.

No my Friend, I said the lack of a January signing would cost us big time and it did, just like it cost us the year before when Moyes didnt act and we failed to kick on.

Its ok tho, cos we can just go again next season and if that doesnt work, we go again the season after, cos its not like any of us are getting older and will be dead soon, we can just wait and wait and wait some more.

NSNO

 

[chicoazul]

No my Friend, I said the lack of a January signing would cost us big time and it did, just like it cost us the year before when Moyes didnt act and we failed to kick on.

Its ok tho, cos we can just go again next season and if that doesnt work, we go again the season after, cos its not like any of us are getting older and will be dead soon, we can just wait and wait and wait some more.

NSNO

Typical bed wetting nonsense. We were in a top four position at the end, so it didn't hamper us like you predicted almost in tears after getting beat in two games. You also couldn't put forward the name of a striker who was available or moved at that time who was appropriate for us.

And if we did splurge money like what you wanted then we wouldn't be able to afford Lukaku to buy now. So what about next season?

No, my rotund friend, you were doing your usual hysterical short term solutions and hampering our long term chances.

 

[Goat]

Yea I know but the point I'm making is this only makes sense in hindsight. They where hard games and another striker might/probably wouldn't have made a difference and buying that striker during January never an easy time would have meant we couldn't this summer.

In my view buying another striker then was a bigger gamble.

Last season we had 5 teams to battle with, this season we will have 7 or maybe 8 teams to battle with, im not saying we had to BUY a striker, we did end up loaning 1, a very injured 1, it was short sighted and it cost us LAST season, lets hope we feel the benefit THIS season.

 

[marty mcfly]

Still think we would lack another striker and a number 10.

Lukaku, Kone and Henan. We would be set there, anyone else would just be a drag on wages.

Barkley, Naismith and Osman. Anyone better than those two wouldn't come and play 2nd choice to Barkley.

Personally I would like a left sides playmaker but all our wing positions are filled.