MATCH THREAD: Stoke City vs Everton - Sat 29th July - KO 3pm BST

[HokieToffee]

Didnt watch but...

Branthwaite + Tarkowski
Onana + Garner

They should be the partnerships.

We need an attacker to combine with the midfield and forward(s) and a centre forward.

Also, have Holgate and Godfrey got any minutes preseason? Perhaps both out the door?

Holgate has been playing with the u-21s which says a lot

 

[Zatara]

But we were only able to do that because it was installments

We need sales. Gray, Holgate, Godfrey, Iwobi and Maupay at the very least need to be moved on to bring in funds and replacements.

Gomes and Gbamin cleared out as well.

 

[Bluewolf]

Honestly not sure I'll last another season of this yanno.

My hearts been going like a bongo in general recently so I reckon the boys will finish me off for good this time around.

I used to have jet black hair until this relegation crap...now I keep getting called the silver fox

 

[davids]

Sign an actual centre forward and some threat from midfield (Gnonto?) and it'll make the world of difference in our scrap to stay up.

Now all we need is some money for the deposit and Leeds desperate enough to take the payments over 10 years

 

[joebocop]

The positives today were Branthwaite and onana.

Iwobi has been worse than ever this pre season. Honestly think it's him that I'd take out the team for danjuma. And I know that means starting maupay.

Hopefully McNeil is okay.

 

[II McColl II]

Thelwell needs to start working with the manager on who we sign, Danjuma in lone striker looked like he had 0 interest being there and kept drifting out left when we'd very rarely get the ball.

You either get players who fit Dyche's system or you bin him off. None of Danjuma, Maupay, Dobbin are even remotely similar to Dom and Dom fits Dyche's target man type forward. The lads we've been linked with don't match that either so it just shows the continued disfunction not just at board level but between recruitment and manager.

2 strikers, 2 wingers and a CB need to be the minimum before the window closes, it's not happening before the season starts so again we go in unprepared but they have to get players that Dyche can plug and play.

 

[paulf]

I'd be quite happy with Dobbin taking our lil French snails place from today

 

[ricer10]

I honestly think that the club are just thinking “it’s ok we have DCL to come back.”

THIS ! It is absolutely criminal to not have addressed the striker position in the last few seasons.
DCL cant manage a 10 min runout in pre-season and the club think he'll be back leading the line ? Even if he recovers ... he's not starting the opener and can't be trusted to avoid another injury blow. Not his fault neccessarily but that is the fact of the matter. Maupay or Gray / Danjuama playing out of position ? Dobbin but Simms not good enough ?
We scored 36 goals in 38 matches last year and we have survived by the skin of our teeth the last 2 years. Third time's the charm ?
Largely stayed off the forum since season end .... not looking forward to another relegation scrap and the club continues to spiral the drain.
Frustrated..... hoping the next few weeks hold an "un-Everton like " surprise ......

 

[ramacca]

At least we kept going, and it was pleasing that we actually put away one of the chances we created, something we couldn't do against Bolton. Solid enough pre-season game but stating the obvious, finishing is a problem.

 

[BenToffee79]

Missed the first half good job it seems after reading the reports, Onana Branthwaite very good ,Dobbin did well, we play some nice triangles but my god without a focal point we are staring down the barrel, delighted for Onana who was terrific

 

[sdk]

The purpose of preseason play is to get the support back into match fitness as embarrassing hysterics and by all measures, this preseason has been an unalloyed success. Excelsior.

 

[BenToffee79]

38 year old Ashley Young our best performer says it all.

Onana was excellent when he came on

 

[Tommy Chong]

We are 100% going down if we don't get a striker or preferably 2 strikers in asap.

I bloody hope so! Because throwing Maupay on match after match hoping that he'll magically turn into a proper forward is not working.

I hope whoever it was at the club who got conned into buying him from Brighton got the sack!

 

[Mark barnett]

Give the lad a chance, to be fair I would have been fuming if Maupay had of missed those two chances but the lad has shown a bit about him. A goal would make a world of difference. His weight of pass could improve but he has skinned the e full back a couple of times wit one touch. We need more direct play like that.

Yeah I was actually praising him for making the effort.

Maupay wouldn't have been anywhere near those chances because he's slow and doesn't have the instincts.

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

Dobbin may be a little raw still, but he’s a player who makes things happen around the box.
He brings pace and aggression to our attack which are otherwise sadly lacking and have been for some time.
Has to feature from the off for me.