Match Thread Sunderland 1-1 Everton - Monday 3rd November 2025

[evertony]

Moyes summed up the game at the end very accurately.

I’d have countered with “ you’re management of the game was abysmal too David - do you agree”?

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

Exactly.

Garner's playing out his skin so far this season. But because our recruitment has been poor, he's the one that should be moved around?

Is he? Xhaka played more progressive passes in one half than I have seen Garner play all season. Why do we expect so little from our central midfielders?

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

I’d have countered with “ you’re management of the game was abysmal too David - do you agree”?

Exactly, the managerial equivalent of missing an open goal is surely bringing McNeil on instead of Dibbling. There isn't a single Evertonian that wanted that change. Admittedly, we don't watch Dibbling in training but he must be terrible if McNeil is the better option. It's not like McNeil is better defensively he ran away from a header and sh!t out of two tackles within minutes of coming on.

 

[Swartzy]

Just got home now. Draw fair result in reality, on another day either team could have won so not too disappointed.Will be sticking around taking an interest as always with Everton, classy fans today, nothing but respect for you's. Great to see Pickford back today, he's yours, he's ours, he's one of our own.

Must be loving Xhaka, really has grown up since leaving Arsenal.

Definitely stick around mate, your posts are a good read.

 

[evertony]

Dwight McNeil’s cameo performance reminded me of the most embarrassing half of football I’ve seen an individual play in the Premier League…..that was Simon Elliott, a Kiwi I seem to recall, who played for Fulham at Goodison in the 2005-2006 season. Virtually everyone in the ground that day questioned if he really was a footballer he was that poor. McNeill was Simon Elliott tonight.

 

[Haydn]

This. The slow centre backs are a massive issue, they drop far too deep which like you said leaves our forwards isolated to win something from a hoof that barely makes it to the half way line.

Isn’t there meant to be a key element of the team, in-between the defence and attack ?

None of the team fits together coherently. Whether we play defensively, on the break, or go on the offensive.

There’s nobody there, unless we manage a Jack G or Illiman worldie, like tonight.

 

[SAFCInPeace]

What a good pub The Dun Cow is , thanks for the tip

Hope you had a good time marra and our lot were all friendly!

 

[HalfTimeSayers]

They could have gone second with a win which is incredible for them. That makes a point sound ok. But aside from effort, determination, and appealing for loads of penalties, they were actually poor, and created nothing of real note despite us putting in a hour of absolute filth.

Good luck to them really. We absolutely had the quality on paper to have that game won within 30min, the fact we can’t is because plan A is quite abstract, and there are no other plans other than swapping the strikers and doing the same things but with less care.

The standard in the PL is pretty awful, with efficient teams racking up points by playing for throwing and corners. The fact we can’t ever shape a team in a way that can beat objectively worse teams reliably is infuriating. Was expecting to play peak Brazil tonight but they were as bad as us but with much more verve. It will serve them well.

 

[MACCA75]

Dwight McNeil’s cameo performance reminded me of the most embarrassing half of football I’ve seen an individual play in the Premier League…..that was Simon Elliott, a Kiwi I seem to recall, who played for Fulham at Goodison in the 2005-2006 season. Virtually everyone in the ground that day questioned if he really was a footballer he was that poor. McNeill was Simon Elliott tonight.

Yep. Phil Neville never kicked a ball again for Everton (or anyone actually) after his shocking display in the cup v Wigan.

McNeil won’t play for Everton again.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Go back and freeze it just after he first gets the ball. Pass on, simple square, and no question of offside.

Instead he held onto it too long and blew the opportunity.

I'll take your word for it, I don't want to watch anymore of that game.

 

[Rehnman]

Did Moyes have too much control though? I’d suggest he wanted Grealish and KDH but had very little to do with any of the others. His team selection seems to confirm this too.

Only Alcaraz of the others has remotely done enough to warrant a start.

No, it was absolutely all Moyes - Angus said as much in his big sit down interview. He clearly fought for control of recruitment before he took the job - it’s not a coincidence that the old team left and the new “team” is weighted with old contacts and friends. The problem is that the scale of recruitment necessary must have then been a nightmare for him. He’s always been cautious and taken his time to make any decision hasn’t he - in his golden period of signings he was making as few as one a summer - and suddenly that wasn’t an option. Hubris made him grab as much power as he could whilst his stock was high and the result was that he pushed himself off a cliff. Clint Eastwood said a man’s gotta know his limitations. Moyesy just forgot his.

 

[windymiller]

No idea who gave you the finger for this post, but we all know it's absolutely true.

He gave you one too!

 

[Rehnman]

Yep. Phil Neville never kicked a ball again for Everton (or anyone actually) after his shocking display in the cup v Wigan.

McNeil won’t play for Everton again.

In Dwight’s defence - and it’s not much of a defence, but still… - I went to the Blackburn friendly and saw him have a shocker on the right wing. I came out of it thinking that he should never play on the right for us again, it’s actually cruel. So why would a manger bring him on in that position against better opposition tonight and expect things to be different? Is that the player’s fault or the manager’s?

 

[MACCA75]

No, it was absolutely all Moyes - Angus said as much in his big sit down interview. He clearly fought for control of recruitment before he took the job - it’s not a coincidence that the old team left and the new “team” is weighted with old contacts and friends. The problem is that the scale of recruitment necessary must have then been a nightmare for him. He’s always been cautious and taken his time to make any decision hasn’t he - in his golden period of signings he was making as few as one a summer - and suddenly that wasn’t an option. Hubris made him grab as much power as he could whilst his stock was high and the result was that he pushed himself off a cliff. Clint Eastwood said a man’s gotta know his limitations. Moyesy just forgot his.

I just don’t believe Moyes came up with names of Barry, Aznou or Rohl. He signed off on them, but I think he’d have signed off on anyone, the amount of rejections we had.

 

[Drico]

I just don’t believe Moyes came up with names of Barry, Aznou or Rohl. He signed off on them, but I think he’d have signed off on anyone, the amount of rejections we had.

Would he be the kind of manager to attract players from abroad? I wouldn't think so. For me, he's part of the problem.