Bottlers?

[EFCPaul]

There's a reason we don't win any big away games. Celebrating draws is one of them and so shouting down people who want better. Small-time mentality.

 

[Walken]

We didn't bottle tonight. The players anyway. They set up and executed their game plan perfectly for 94 minutes.

We bottled the tactics. We scored, Koeman soiled his pants and tried to hold on for an hour instead of putting them to the sword and grabbing more while they were on the ropes.

It suggests to me that Koeman doesn't have much faith in the players currently at his disposal. He's probably right in that judgement, but on the night he shouldn't have reined them in that deep that soon IMO

Spot on for me, for all the vitriol thrown at the players, it's koeman who has cost is the points, not saying he isn't up to it, but the chubby one has had a bad couple of games, starting line up tonight aside

 

[Toffee-nerd]

There's a reason we don't win any big away games. Celebrating draws is one of them and so shouting down people who want better. Small-time mentality.

That's the sort of thing I'm talking about. Even in my own hypocracy I'm seeing everton finishing 4th as the target for our next few seasons. But that's not success. Everton should be pissing that every year and that's not me being entitled, that's the minimum a successful football club should be achieving. The minimum. We would all be ecstatic if we finished 4th next season. And what would that give us, likely a brief champions league escapade. The bar is just so low at the moment.

 

[chicoazul]

There's a reason we don't win any big away games. Celebrating draws is one of them and so shouting down people who want better. Small-time mentality.

I think this is just something used commonly amongst football fans to win online arguments mate.

The amount that the fans wanted to win tonight didn't really affect the game. Neither does any fan being content with the draw.

What is more important is what the players, manager, coaching staff and board of directors do or say.

 

[macdog]

Bottlers is waaay too simplistic. For starters, I cannot imagine that the effort and dedication required to become a professional footballer at this level would be characteristics of a bottler. It's clearly the fault of the aliens on the far side of the moon who control the world and have it in for Everton.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

There's a reason we don't win any big away games. Celebrating draws is one of them and so shouting down people who want better. Small-time mentality.

Who's celebrating a draw? At best people are accepting it. Can't imagine anyone is happy.

 

[Khalekan]

Who's celebrating a draw? At best people are accepting it. Can't imagine anyone is happy.

indeed.

Most of us feel like we were beaten, never mind celebrating a draw

 

[VentureBrosEFC]

Might be alone in this but I wouldn't have taken off Ross for DCL or anyone else.

Absolutely. Ross wasn't at his best but he was carrying the ball out well and taking away the danger. As soon as he went off, we only had poor long-balls up and gave up possession too easily with them.

Had nothing left in the tank! He ran his socks off today.

The game was lost with lookman or Valencia not coming instead of DCL.

Barney got it spot on. The camera panned to him on the bench when he was taken off. For a few seconds he didn't even lift his head to look at the game, was just trying to catch his breath. He must've been feeling it for a bit because when Lukaku had drug both Bailly and Rojo to the right Ross had to whole box to run into and he barely got up to a trot to make up the ground.

 

[VentureBrosEFC]

I think this is just something used commonly amongst football fans to win online arguments mate.

The amount that the fans wanted to win tonight didn't really affect the game. Neither does any fan being content with the draw.

What is more important is what the players, manager, coaching staff and board of directors do or say.

Don't get all serious. Unbecoming.

 

[cadex]

I don't agree with that, Joey.

Gana should have got a second yellow near the end and I would say more refs would have overruled the linesman over the offside goal than chalked it off.

The ref was OK in my eyes.

Refs never overrule assistants unless there is a passive offside decision to make.

 

[cadex]

Surely it has to be a factor, it can't be a coincidence. We need stronger personalities, in the prime of their careers, to drag the others along. Schneiderlin has been a big loss in this regard. We need more of his ilk to bridge the gap to the top 4.

 

[davek]

Firstly I know it's only been two games but in both of the last two games there's been something that's reminded me of us under Moyes when going into the big games. Knife to a gunfight resurected.

It's difficult to put into words but under Martinez in his 5th place season there was a no fear, can beat anyone attitude and set up of the team. We know what happened in his last two seasons but that season was refreshing in that we actually looked like becoming a true match to the sides above us and had fans believing in us winning stuff again.

But coming back to the point I am initially trying to make, no matter who the managerial staff has been since 95 there is a failing at everton both on and off the pitch to make the most of situations and take our chances. Champions league qualification, fa cup final, fa cup semi final, rolling over in countless big games whether that be through poor management or poor player performances. You could even add kings dock to that list as a failing of the club.

There just seems to be something wrong with us when it comes to performing when it really matters and getting the job done. We have a playing staff that has historically been made up of bargain buys, academy graduates and "big clubs" rejects, indeed if you look at our squad that is what we still have. I know we are moving in the right direction but does something fundamental need to change at the club?

There's no question we need to start handling pressure better. Take the last 3 months, unbeaten since the home derby, top of the league if it started in 2017. We go into two big games where pressure is on and we can achieve something and push on for top four. As soon as the pressure is on we completely crumble. Yes we had injuries but it's history repeating itself. There's always an excuse for us not to have achieved. As a club are we a bunch of bottlers? In the last 22 years I would have to answer that with a yes. What do you think? Do I have a point or am I going overboard because of two losses?

I wrote this 3 months ago mate:

https://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/threads/ronald-koeman-discussion.89131/page-1621#post-5206070

I think after the last two games it's been vindicated as a viewpoint.

 

[Durham Toffee]

We didn't bottle tonight. The players anyway. They set up and executed their game plan perfectly for 94 minutes.

We bottled the tactics. We scored, Koeman soiled his pants and tried to hold on for an hour instead of putting them to the sword and grabbing more while they were on the ropes.

It suggests to me that Koeman doesn't have much faith in the players currently at his disposal. He's probably right in that judgement, but on the night he shouldn't have reined them in that deep that soon IMO

Sadly spot on..