cautious positivity

[Number_25]

We looked better balanced, that's for sure.

I'm actually fairly happy with BFS's performances since he has come in, it'd be interesting to see how he does next season once we get a couple more faces in.

 

[Prevenger17]

We've just taken our first steps into the opposition penalty box after a few months' hiatus, let's just keep our positivity to ourselves for the moment

 

[Kaiser Soysauce]

Everton are always BOSS

Except when they're not.

 

[PITA]

I feel exactly the same as I have all season.

Last night told us absolutely nothing that we didn't already know, we're capable of beating the majority of teams in the league at home, and have done so with regularity. We're a midtable side, have been all season. It's just that people lurch from believing we're great to awful depending on what our last result or two was like. Just accept that we are what we are for now, stop thinking we're going to get relegated or that we're going to go on a mad run and push the top 6. We'll finish 8th-10th, and hope to improve in all areas next season.

For large parts of the season we have looked like a group of men who have just been introduced to this thing called football.

 

[The binman chronicles]

Dangerous thread. You can tell this team when it has confidence can play ok but when things get difficult it's like Bambi on ice out there. If we can get 2 quick goals up in every game and not concede silly ones then we could be boss!

Be prepared for more up and downs over the rest of the season.

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

One swallow does not a summer make.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Until we start to show some consistency, then we're still gash.

 

[Lanolin]

For large parts of the season we have looked like a group of men who have just been introduced to this thing called football.

No argument there, but even while looking like that we've still been better than more than half the league. Not a single team below us has beaten us at Goodison so far this season, and I don't reckon any of them will. We're nowhere near as good as I hoped we would be, but nowhere near as bad as the 'Martina is conference level', 'Niasse is the worst player in the world', 'Schneiderlin has got the worst attitude of any player ever ever ever and will get us relegated all by himself because it's his lifetime ambition' crowd like to claim.

 

[mikey 62]

Come back after Arsenal smash us 4 nil

Tut tut , you also backed Leicester

 

[Toffeelover]

There were times last night when we looked like a real footballing side however we had a big slice of luck as well.

 

[granter79]

get on the ale early Saturday to prepare for the fume returning

 

[PickeringBlue]

Such a Jekyll and Hyde performance last night. Before the goal we were a relegation dumpster fire. Like ultra turbo gash and looked like a team that would struggle to get 5 wins in a season.

Right after the goal and then in the last 10 minutes of the first half we were really good. The difference was as RK would have put it "aggression". There were similar ebbs and flows in the second half.

What was clear to me was:
- When we play with confidence and aggression we have the ability to move the ball quickly and be a really competitive team
- Confidence is really low. There is way too little movement off the ball...like WAY too little most of the time. It seems that quite a few are unwilling to vacate a defensive position to make a run and make themselves available for fear of being caught out
- Most importantly we seem to lack a leader at the back. Right after Leicester scored there was an incident where we were an absolute shambles defensively and we only just managed to get the ball cleared. It was clear that momentum was shifting, but no one was having a go at anyone. Pickford just stood there. Keane literally looked scared for his life and like he wanted nothing more than to leave the pitch and cuddle with his mum. We really need someone at the back who can just yell at everyone to shape up and keep going.

 

[sageyefc]

Tut tut , you also backed Leicester

Our first win in how long was that??

 

[canuckblue]

Come back after Arsenal smash us 4 nil

Even without Giroud and Sanchez, I can't escape that feeling.

 

[degsy]

Knee jerk following a win?

I am not suggesting for one minute that everything in the garden is rosy, but just a few weeks back the threat of relegation loomed very large, (and yes I'm aware that things could still yet go breasts up.)
I believe however that we are now looking at the teams immediately above us rather than those below.
The return of Seamus was always eagerly anticipated, but the manner of his return and the promise shown in the partnership between him and newly signed Theo Walcott has helped to foster a feeling of cautious optimism.
Despite the reservations (and outright hostility) shown by some, I also believe that the loan signing of Mangala was a no brainer. He is a very experienced, powerful, left footed defender and I think he will prove the doubters wrong and will be a huge boost to our unbalanced defence.
The season has been a nightmare, it's a right off, we have nothing to play for (again) and we will all be happy when it's over, but I am at last actually looking forward to our matches again.

Arsenal are up next at Highbury. Pfft, so what? Bring it on. COYB

So much knee jerk you'll be out longer than Funes Mori
We're totally gash - 250M in the hole for bog standard players and we haven't even put a spade in BMD yet

So yeah we're deffo on the up