Chelsea v Everton. 16th Jan at 1500.

[Stutheblue]

He leaves his box, if he stays in it and holds back a bit he can dive at Costa's feet and stop the threat.

Jags lost the flight of the ball, that can happen, but he was doing enough to make it difficult for Costa, all Howard had to do is hang back a bit and make sure he could use the massive advantage he has as a keeper, which is to use his hands, by staying in his box.

Exactly mate. Make it as hard as possible for him to score. He walked it in for godsake.

 

[The Mighty Quint]

Then in that case the defence playing Terry offside should have been enough.

I'd rather mori appreciate the fans when he should have scored the winner rather than show little emotion like he isn't arsed about it.

And the Sh!thouse Ref never added on time after Terry went into the fans, he blew the whistle 3 secs after the restart, no time added for Terry's celebration.

Atleast be fair and consistent and play another 90 secs.

 

[Stutheblue]

We were good today.we deserved 3pts.i think Swansea are going to get a proper spanking.

This is key mate. Last time we played well and drew 3 in a row (Bournemouth, Palace & Norwich) we lost at home to Leicester. A win v Swansea is a must.

 

[Stutheblue]

A decent manager either starts playing Robles or is making moves in the transfer market right now

Exactly. He made a couple of good saves yesterday (Willian & Fabregas). But, that first goal starts them off and was avoidable. Its a common theme this season. Gove Robles a few games (4 or 5 minimum), and if he doesn't cut it, make a move.

 

[Caolam]

Howard's decision making for Costa's goal cannot be defended. He made a mistake, another mistake.
For Terry 's goal the ball was in the air within the box for quite a while, a good keeper would have come and took the ball.
He simply isn't up to the job. It is a shame but it happens to us all.

 

[Chang Elephant]

He simply isn't up to the job. It is a shame but it happens to us all.

It's a bad feeling to be in a job that's not suited to you. I feel sorry for Tim in a way, it's not his fault that he tried to relegate us last season (with Distin) and has cost us potential top four this.

 

[Caso01]

Having reflected on yesterday I think the comments about game management are still valid but also I think we need to factor in tiredness. Chelsea changed their tactics on going two down playing long on a few occasions but also zipping the ball around much quicker than in the first half.

Several of our players Barry, Lennon and Barkley (both subbed), and Jags looked out on their feet at times.

In addition the relative strengths of each bench should be considered.

Shows we have come along way now when we can be genuinely disappointed in drawing at Chelsea (and not just because of the terrible refereeing), we bossed the game for long periods, the first 10-15 minutes of the second half when we scored twice and Barkley hit the post showed how good a team we can become if we have the time to fully develop.

An analogy might be to compare the team development with that of Lukaku. A year ago we knew of his potential and he performed periodically and inconsistently with obvious weaknesses but we knew there was a great player ready to fully develop. I think the team collectively are in a similar position, probably a year behind Lukaku but the characteristics are identical, full of potential, periodic brilliance and weaknesses.

We are edging there, I really think winning the LC or the FA Cup would do for this team what it did for Kendall's 84 team. We can only hope it happens and enjoy the times its going well....

Why do you have to talk so much sense and make me realise things aren't that bad after all.
Was enjoying feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in self pity, not sure my missus was like.

 

[Caso01]

One day later.... I genuinely can't ever remember being this deflated watching Everton. I'm still so so gutted! When does it get better? Sake Everton.

It doesn't.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride fella.
The only thing that keeps me going is knowing people like yourself feel the same way.

 

[The Esk]

Why do you have to talk so much sense and make me realise things aren't that bad after all.
Was enjoying feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in self pity, not sure my missus was like.

Hahahaha sorry mate, have a good Sunday !

 

[Fansince1988]

It's now the day after the nightmare before, I couldn't face watching MOTD as I knew the end of our game would depress me. But now we have to forget, all I hope now is the manager and players take this experience on board and kill off the game before things like this can happen again. We have done well against good teams in the last few matches and I hope this result will galvanise the players for the second leg in the cup. COYB.

 

[By god I'm blue]

Having reflected on yesterday I think the comments about game management are still valid but also I think we need to factor in tiredness. Chelsea changed their tactics on going two down playing long on a few occasions but also zipping the ball around much quicker than in the first half.

Several of our players Barry, Lennon and Barkley (both subbed), and Jags looked out on their feet at times.

In addition the relative strengths of each bench should be considered.

Shows we have come along way now when we can be genuinely disappointed in drawing at Chelsea (and not just because of the terrible refereeing), we bossed the game for long periods, the first 10-15 minutes of the second half when we scored twice and Barkley hit the post showed how good a team we can become if we have the time to fully develop.

An analogy might be to compare the team development with that of Lukaku. A year ago we knew of his potential and he performed periodically and inconsistently with obvious weaknesses but we knew there was a great player ready to fully develop. I think the team collectively are in a similar position, probably a year behind Lukaku but the characteristics are identical, full of potential, periodic brilliance and weaknesses.

We are edging there, I really think winning the LC or the FA Cup would do for this team what it did for Kendall's 84 team. We can only hope it happens and enjoy the times its going well....

I can't disagree with any of this, but in the cold light of day, the fact remains that we don't win enough games in the league to qualify for Europe.

First season is looking like a fluke for Martinez now, one season wonder if you will.

I agree that this side needs to stay together to see their true potential over a couple of seasons, but in reality that rarely happens in football and the best players will be cherry picked for the CL teams.

 

[Ollie d]

He needs shooting

Wouldn't do no good mate,he'd bottle it and star jump out the way...

 

[GwladysBlue]

Still angry about this.

We often get terrible decisions at Stamford Bridge late on in the game.

Anyone remember James Vaughan scoring in the dying minutes in the final game of the 2007 season to win us the game, only for it to be wrongly called offside? Them two points were the difference in Spurs finishing 5th and us 6th.

Then we had another Terry goal against us in the dying minutes in 2014, that was due to a free kick that never should have been given.

The game is rigged. I'm totally convinced.

 

[Norwegian Cow]

angry about the result, and also angry about the big amount of absolute shithouse supporters we have. At least in the forums.

 

[froggyted]

You make some good points. How would the 'premier league brand' look if the reigning champions and one of the media darlings get embroiled in a relegation battle which could see them go down. Unlikely I know but not inconceivable based on Chelsea's position before today. Scudamore (the premier leagues chief executive) spoke about how the 'brand' was affected when United didn't make the top 4. I will support Leicester (after Everton) this season and really hope they win the premier league and stick 2 fingers up to the league and its establishment. No matter how much it might hurt their 'brand'.

I totally agree. I would really love to see Leicester win, they are a real breath of fresh air, although i doubt they will. However, even a top four finish would be upsetting the applecart. Corruption is rife in just about every corporate structure, and football's ruling bodies are certainly not exceptions. Money dictates everything, even ethics. It's absolutely inexcusable not to have cameras in the modern game, especially when lost points actually do amount to large sums of money (in years gone by, when money didn't matter so much, and you didn't get awarded vast sums for each league position higher you finished, it would be more a case of hurt pride). Why has football been so resistant to bringing cameras into the game when most other major sports accepted them long ago? I don't believe the hype about it spoiling the flow of the game. I would venture the opinion that once cameras are installed it becomes much harder to fix games.