Everton v Birmingham City. Wednesday 9th March @ 20.00.

[ColinFeehily]

coleman in again hopefully. hibbert out

 

[Cookachoo]

I'm going to sit on the fence and say a draw here. 1-1. Zigic will cause us problems and they do have a goal in them, but their defending leaves a lot to be desired.

Ultimately it depends which Everton turn up.

 

[THFC6061]

MARK LAWRENSON'S PREDICTION

Mark Lawrenson went for a 2-0 home win for Everton against Birmingham City when this match was first due to be played on Boxing Day 2010.

This would put Everton in 6th place on 52 points, according to Lawro's predictions for this season.

In fact, Everton go into Wednesday night's re-arranged fixture in 10th place in the table on 36 points.

Here are all of Lawro's 2010-11 Premier League predictions, together with how the League Table would look like if he was correct...

http://www.myfootballfacts.com/Mark_Lawrensons_Predictions_2010-11.html

 

[BlueSea]

We won today so that means we get beat in our next game, thats the rules isent it

We've all got to sometime break the rules (theres a Status Quo song there somewhere). I'm going for an Everton win, law of avereages also says we gotta win a few on the bounce this season, we're due.

 

[Rugby Toffee]

2-0 Beckford (2) ...Colmans pace and Artetas mastery to weave webs of intricate crisp passing moves all over the pitch...Distin n Jags to be a solid rock at the back....

Ah I can see it now.....*drifts off into a dreamstate of utopia*

 

[daz4matty]

So looks like Neville is out then. Heitinger has to step up and fill the gap in CM. This is his chance to really make a name for himself. Do you guys think he is capable of doing it?

If hetinga plays in centre midfield we will lose 2 or 3 nil he is awful there, i would rather ossie and rodders there not perfect but all we got

 

[ganistuk]

The OS has the squad as:

Howard, Mucha, Hibbert, Baines, Distin, Jagielka, Heitinga, Duffy, Coleman, Arteta, Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov, Saha, Beckford, Anichebe, Baxter, Osman

I make that 17 players, and with Victor a doubt as well, that's 1 or 2 players short of a full bench.

Struggling to think of who else we might put on it from the Ressies who would get anywhere near it in normal circumstances - the squad is looking worryingly thin!

 

[Bluekahunaburgers]

I think we will nick it 1-0 or 2-1, I don't think Arteta will get the acres of space he got at Newcastle, Mcleish will double up on him (if he is kept wide left), hopefully coleman will be fit, but do you drop Osman who played really well against the Toon, problem is with Osman one good game one bad game absolutely no consistency, Ferguson is out for Brum which is a plus, for me same as weekend (barring injuries i.e Neville) i would give Osman the hour and if things aren't going to plan, Coleman can come on and change the game, unfortunately Coleman looked shattered this last few weeks and looks like he needs a bit of a rest to recharge the battery.

 

[billycopper]

Hmm Mustafi, Vellios, Akpan, Bidwell, Nsiala or Forshaw? I don't think it particularly benefits the likes of Duffy and Baxter to be on the bench every week with no prospect of a game. It does make sense to me though to include a young lad to expose him to the atmosphere and the matchday routine rather than to go with a short bench. I suppose that, because of balance and seniority, Akpan would make the most sense.

 

[RFUS]

Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines
Bilyaletdinov Rodwell Osman Arteta
Saha Beckford​

I'd personally go for that ^

I expect Moyes to go for this:

Howard
Hibbert Jags Distin Baines
Osman Rodwell Heitinga Arteta
Beckford Saha​

 

[The Executioner's Bong]

Quick preview of the Birmingham game - hope I'm wrong but can't see this being a classic!

http://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/everton-v-birmingham-preview/

 

[davek]

Quick preview of the Birmingham game - hope I'm wrong but can't see this being a classic!

http://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/everton-v-birmingham-preview/

I'll read this in the Echo tomorrow mate.!!!

You really should complain you know.

 

[zed]

Birmingham will play a horrible time-wasting defensive game and hope to frustrate us, we need to bomb at them and keep the tempo up all the match- so none of that tippy-toe tapping it around moyles, straight for the juggler and kill them off early

 

[billycopper]

Quick preview of the Birmingham game - hope I'm wrong but can't see this being a classic!

http://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/everton-v-birmingham-preview/

It's interesting that you noted we had less passes than normal at St James's. It's quite likely that we were more direct, with Arteta running with the ball himself, rather than having him in the centre, where he frequently switches the ball from one flank to the other and back again without actually penetrating the opposition's rearguard.

 

[kenada_blue]

It's interesting that you noted we had less passes than normal at St James's. It's quite likely that we were more direct, with Arteta running with the ball himself, rather than having him in the centre, where he frequently switches the ball from one flank to the other and back again without actually penetrating the opposition's rearguard.

I noticed that too. I mentioned it in the Barcode match thread. While we were shocking at the back...we were far more direct getting forward. Minus the Wigan home game (I think) we seem to have created more chances against Newcastle than we have against any other team this season...we just never killed the game off.