Everton v Stoke City... Match report and MotM Poll..

[ricer10]

Special mention to Keane / Pickford..... but Rooney was MOTM !!!!

 

[Milk]

with the fairy tale homecoming gal for Wayne Rooney.

WHAT????????? Was the Ould Slapper at the game??


@AndyC .... many thanks for the round ups. Much appreciated by those of us who cannot get to or see the game

Bit worried that we seem to be the same old, same old though.

 

[Noble Savage]

Rooney . I never thought thought I would be saying that a few months ago .
BTW someone voted for Cuco . Takes all sorts I guess.
Chelsea lost , RS had a bit of a mare and Wayne scored in a game that I knew would be tight . Good day, I'll save my negativity for the "other " thread .

 

[johnnydawg68]

Gana for me.we would have been behind multiple goals in the first half without him

 

[Bilko]

on a very poor stream I went with Keane. 3 points will do , not spectacular but very solid, no complaints and it was actually a very good team goal.

 

[Eggs]

...I just thought the starting formation was tactically naive. No focal point up front simply means that there's no out ball, it forces players to go backwards and sidewards. When the ball is thrown forward it inevitably comes back. Finding Sandro was like putting a ball through the eye of the needle.

A back 3 was bizarre. Given Stokes aerial prowess, you certainly don't play your most dominant CB on the right of the 3. It was soon apparent that Stoke were exploiting the space behind DCL and Keane. We had no width on either side, Baines nor DCL were unlikely to get around the back. We were impotent and fortunate to go in 1-0.

At least there was encouragement that RK made the obvious changes at HT. DCL as a focal point, Keane as a conventional CB and a RB, even if it was Martina. We needed more energy and Davies came on. RK does concern me with some of his selections, getting basics wrong. At least he put it right.

Rooney, though. The header took some scoring, then he ran the 2nd half. Head and shoulders the best. His after match interview is a treasure, especially considering what he's won in the game.

 

[ilikecheese]

Those three players Idrissa, Gana, and Gueye were everywhere.

 

[Seathestars]

Rooney, Keane, Pickford

 

[Blue83]

Poor performance, good result

Hard to call between Pickford or Rooney but I went Pickford for that save at the end from Shakira and his commanding presence and excellent distribution.

 

[Barnfred 55]

I have to give it Pickford for that save at the end which kept the three points intact.

He had no business saving that.

It was a very good save, more so being his first real save of the match. But I'd have been critical had he not saved it mate. He also commanded his area extremely well after crouch came on. That and concentration were the two area's of concern many fans have about him, so it was good to see him answer those questions so comprehensively.

Keane also looked very comfortable on his debut and Gana was all over the pitch as usual. But I think for his goal, and second half performance, which hopefully showed glimpses of what we might expect this season, Rooney just about edges it for me.

 

[Paul Rideout]

Terrible transfer window, picking between our two new signings for MoTM.

Looking at other results, beating the 'lower' teams at home is more important than performing well in the next 4 games

 

[ad4amt]

everton are magic, liverpool are tragic

 

[Zezti]

Impressed with Wayne. Smart balls forward, applied pressure off the ball, put in a good defensive shift. Showed his experience.

Pickford's save against Shaqiri was massive. As important as a goal. Was confident throughout. Showed he was worth every penny.

DCL was in a weird position but that cross for Rooney was sublime. Did well when he moved further forward later in the match and caused the defence problems.

Gueye is MOTM for me. It was like we were playing with 15 men with several Gueye clones all across the pitch hounding Stoke whenever they got the ball.

 

[Barnfred 55]

...I just thought the starting formation was tactically naive. No focal point up front simply means that there's no out ball, it forces players to go backwards and sidewards. When the ball is thrown forward it inevitably comes back. Finding Sandro was like putting a ball through the eye of the needle.

A back 3 was bizarre. Given Stokes aerial prowess, you certainly don't play your most dominant CB on the right of the 3. It was soon apparent that Stoke were exploiting the space behind DCL and Keane. We had no width on either side, Baines nor DCL were unlikely to get around the back. We were impotent and fortunate to go in 1-0.

At least there was encouragement that RK made the obvious changes at HT. DCL as a focal point, Keane as a conventional CB and a RB, even if it was Martina. We needed more energy and Davies came on. RK does concern me with some of his selections, getting basics wrong. At least he put it right.

Rooney, though. The header took some scoring, then he ran the 2nd half. Head and shoulders the best. His after match interview is a treasure, especially considering what he's won in the game.

Not seen it yet mate, but you could tell he enjoyed scoring that goal. It was like a weight had been taken off his shoulders too the way he played in the second half. I wasn't a big fan of bringing him back to the club, but if that second half performance is an indication of what we can expect this season then I'm happy to eat humble pie.

Fully agree on RK team selections at the moment, both in personnel and formation. Can't believe he's still playing DCL as a wide man. The difference in him (and the team) second half when he went up top was plain to see, but the worrying thing is that it's by no means the first time we've said that in just the last few weeks alone. Hopefully he will put and end to this madness.

 

[Walter Ego]

Not my MOM but a tip of the hat to Michael Keane. You just know his one will be quality.