Match Thread Everton 1-1 Sunderland 12:15 Saturday 10th January 2026 (FA Cup Third Round)

[Somerset Blue]

Just become an awful watch???? It's been a decade now at least.

There were some green shoots, earlier in the season...but the last 4 games have been turgid.

 

[Mr Happy]

Lose this game and the season is effectively over

Jesus

 

[The Binman]

Ahhhh we are blessed with a cup game... we'll same ol same old... Mr moyes and his boys will be divvies and cock it right up!!

 

[Mr Happy]

There were some green shoots, earlier in the season...but the last 4 games have been turgid.

Yeah. Like catching your Grandparents at it

 

[ste d' indica]

Got quite excited this morning when I couldn’t see the Sunderland game on my season ticket as the next fixture, then I remembered I need to download it seperately so I'll have to go after all.

 

[Drico]

McNeil, fifth penalty, crossbar, elimination.

Now it's truly our home.

 

[davek]

Lose this game and the season is effectively over

It's unforgivable if it happens.

The whole push behind us generating momentum off the back of the new stadium opening and new ownership will come to a juddering halt.

We cant have a situation where the club is bang average and dumbed down for the next few seasons.

The new owners would have to act in the summer or prove themselves to be inert and part of the malaise.

We need a good top ten finish and a cup run to the SFs at least to be able to come away from this season with anything tangible to build on.

It frightens me to see people talking this cup tie down saying stuff like 'play the kids': we simply have to win this match or the season is gone and we've cemented ourselves into also rans again despite the relaunch of the club.

 

[davek]

Getting the back 4 is the key and also getting a balance in MF. Obviously the options ahead of them aren't ideal, but we have to go with Dibling as a no brainer starter right now; McNeill WILL be in the team no matter what people think so he's in; but I'd try Rohl in that advanced midfield position and see if he can make something happen (unless you wanted to drop Beto back into it and go with two strikers and play Barry ahead of him).

Pickford
Garner Tarkowski O'Brien Mykolenko
Armstrong Iroegbunam
Dibling Rohl McNeil
Beto

As said: a solid back line with attacking possibility and a balanced two in MF is the best we can do for now - we have to hope that the lads up top can conjure a goal or two.

 

[windymiller]

Season over on Saturday afternoon, I fear.

 

[BigBeto1]

Getting the back 4 is the key and also getting a balance in MF. Obviously the options ahead of them aren't ideal, but we have to go with Dibling as a no brainer starter right now; McNeill WILL be in the team no matter what people think so he's in; but I'd try Rohl in that advanced midfield position and see if he can make something happen (unless you wanted to drop Beto back into it and go with two strikers and play Barry also).

Pickford
Garner Tarkowski O'Brien Mykolenko
Armstrong Iroegbunam
Dibling Rohl McNeil
Beto

As said: a solid back with attacking possibility with a balanced two in MF is the best we can do for now - we have to hope that the lads up top can conjure a goal or two.

That midfield will get demolished. Has to be Patterson RB

 

[davek]

That midfield will get demolished. Has to be Patterson RB

Patterson offers nothing.

He'd have to be nurse maided all afternoon as he was at Forest. That effectively leaves us short elsewhere.

That's not an option and I dont see Moyes taking it either given the importance of this game to HIS season never mind OUR season.

Also: Garner has not been good in midfield lately.

 

[judge]

The previous 4 seasons for all the wrong reasons.

Touché

 

[BigBeto1]

Patterson offers nothing.

He'd have to be nurse maided all afternoon as he was at Forest. That effectively leaves us short elsewhere.

That's not an option and I dont see Moyes taking it either given the importance of this game to HIS season never mind OUR season.

Also: Garner has not been good in midfield lately.

Patterson is rubbish agreed. But football is about trade offs. You can get away with a bad RB but you can never get away with having a dysfunctional CM

 

[davek]

Patterson is rubbish agreed. But football is about trade offs. You can get away with a bad RB but you can never get away with having a dysfunctional CM

I say again: Garner has been part of our ropey CM for the past few games. So that's not a solution. Deployed at RB he is a solution to O'Brien being there...who is then deployed more successfully at CB. Win win.

The CM is capable enough. Iroegbunam and Armstrong.

The issue comes if we have an injury there, but then Sunderland are also stretched too now.

 

[James Patrick]

Not sure why people getting stressed over the Cup - we're not equipped to win it right now - likelihood even with our full strength team best we'd do is QF/SF before bowing out to better opposition and even then you'd get the same fume levels from people thinking we're still sporting Le Coq Sportif.