A Defence for Koeman?

[Eggs]

..in this morning's Racing Post, 5 football pundits are asked 'What do you put Everton's poor start down to?';

Aaron Ashley says - a tough fixture list hasn't helped but the club haven't replaced Lukaku and a top 7 finish is very doubtful.

Ivor Davies says - fixtures haven't been kind, they were only 11/4 to be in the bottom 3 at this stage. It will take time for the new signings to settle in.

Didi Hamann says - Everton think they are better than they are. There might be a complacency issue at Everton but I expect them to get better.

James Milton says - inflated expectation. Everton have a squad of middling players with a middling manager so it's unreasonable to expect them to gatecrash the top 6.

Kristian Walsh says - it's down to a large summer transition and the teams they've had to face. The impact of selling Lukaku has been underplayed.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Koeman out shouts are laughable at this point.

 

[Azza]

 

[TrixyStevens]

Let's see how things go over the next few months. If he can't get the players that he's brought in to work in an effective way then the board need to get rid.

 

[Nymzee]

We have a defence?

 

[catcherintherye]

..in this morning's Racing Post, 5 football pundits are asked 'What do you put Everton's poor start down to?';

Aaron Ashley says - a tough fixture list hasn't helped but the club haven't replaced Lukaku and a top 7 finish is very doubtful.

Ivor Davies says - fixtures haven't been kind, they were only 11/4 to be in the bottom 3 at this stage. It will take time for the new signings to settle in.

Didi Hamann says - Everton think they are better than they are. There might be a complacency issue at Everton but I expect them to get better.

James Milton says - inflated expectation. Everton have a squad of middling players with a middling manager so it's unreasonable to expect them to gatecrash the top 6.

Kristian Walsh says - it's down to a large summer transition and the teams they've had to face. The impact of selling Lukaku has been underplayed.

I don't think there's a complacency. We have run into the best 4 teams in the league an I suspect at least 10 teams will struggle to get more than 4 points from our equivalent games this season. I don't think we are out of the running for the top 7 at all, but the ext few games are very important.

 

[Eggs]

I don't think there's a complacency. We have run into the best 4 teams in the league an I suspect at least 10 teams will struggle to get more than 4 points from our equivalent games this season. I don't think we are out of the running for the top 7 at all, but the ext few games are very important.

..I think the concern is the manner of the defeats, and more specifically we don't look a balanced team and we carry little threat. Hopefully that situation changes.

 

[AndyC]

..I think the concern is the manner of the defeats, and more specifically we don't look a balanced team and we carry little threat. Hopefully that situation changes.

If we're assuming that we'll try to bring in a proven goalscorer in January, maybe the best threat we can use in the meantime is to show some real confidence in DCL up top with Rooney/Sigurdsson just behind and with Lookman wide to give us width and pace ?

Vlasic and Ramirez to come off the bench if/when required to add further pace and directness in the second half as the opposition defence tires a little.

 

[Paul w]

We need a performance today,a win is essential but we need to win playing well.

 

[ClausThomsen]

Good read that but there's a few things I'd offer an alternative view of.

He was sacked for finishing 11th and getting to two domestic cup semi-finals, which is effectively setting the bar for what is to be considered unacceptable performance.

I'd argue he was sacked for a series of appalling performances and results with absolutely no indicator that he was capable of turning things around. As good as we were in his first season it was nothing but downhill from there and his final few weeks were terrible.

talk that Koeman had “lost the dressing room” which has been a phrase I only remember entering the popular lexicon over the last 10 years or so.

Stan Cullis - Probably Wolves greatest manager with 3 league titles and has a stand named after him. In 1964 he was sacked. “In view of his distinguished record, the directors were reluctant to take such action,” they said in a statement. “But the manager no longer had the confidence and respect of the players.”

Arguably, Gaz Baz said much the same thing near when asked about the disappointing end of Martinez's reign.
“The standards of the players were, for me, slightly slipping last season, on and off the pitch. It was things like time-keeping, dress codes, training, everything really. If standards are slipping off the pitch it can impact on your form on the pitch and the whole team was losing the level that is expected to compete at the top end of the Premier League."

Even before the United game he spoke of how the under 23’s is not a good indicator of whether a player is ready, and named Kenny and Davies as examples of two players who were still some way off in terms of performance.

This could be a attempt to lessen the expectations on young players and as such relieve some pressure. We don't know what he's saying to these players personally and he could very well be letting them know beforehand that his press conferences are nothing to pay much attention to. He's also entirely correct regarding the difference between U23 and senior level. Similarly he might not want to publicly hang out his senior players for any number of reasons but I fully expect he has something different to say behind closed doors.

 

[royalblue66]

7/1 for top six.

 

[Woolly Blue]

If we're assuming that we'll try to bring in a proven goalscorer in Januar

We tried to bring one in this summer mate. I can't imagine it'll be any easier to bring one in this January, in fact, barring someone getting frozen out at their current club, I suspect it'll be harder to do so.

 

[AndyC]

We tried to bring one in this summer mate. I can't imagine it'll be any easier to bring one in this January, in fact, barring someone getting frozen out at their current club, I suspect it'll be harder to do so.

All the more reason then to see if DCL can really step up and be the line leader.

He'll need support and to be managed and that's why I suggest Rooney and/or Sigurdsson alongside/behind him with Vlasic/Ramirez as the options.

Most of all though, we need some genuine pace in the forward line so for me, Lookman must be given the opportunity sooner rather than later.

 

[COYBL25]

He's not really saying anything new there is he ?.

Plus he's a massive bellend too.

 

[COYBL25]

Koeman out shouts are laughable at this point.

Why's that Tim ?

It's looking like he's spunked a load of money on lemons, can't set up a team and he's got a massive fat head ?