Everton v Stoke City

[faddy the blue]

Piss poor. The standard of refereeing is an absolute disgrace in the PL. There's not a single game in which they don't mess up these days by a huge margin.

That said, I totally agree with Heitinga that 8th is the place that most should be proud of this season. The team has clearly gone backwards in the last 3 years and will continue to do so as long as Kenwrong's incharge.

But, it's not his fault when dear David Moyes is tactically inept and the only way he sets his team to attack is via the left flank and crosses coming in. CM pairing of Osman and Fellaini didn't work and Rodwell made it look better when he came in.

Heitinga looked good, even when he hoofs it it's accurate unlike Jags' hoof. Coleman is too one dimensional and needs to sort out his came. Maybe it's time for him to move to RB and allow the likes of Drenthe/Gueye on the wing so that Coleman can make those runs in behind.

If Cahill isn't gona score then he needs to sit out, it's simple! Give Billy that role and tell him to shoot!

How many times did we hit the target yesterday?

 

[Kay20]

A little of everything I think. I'm not going to pile on the anti-Moyes bandwagon, but I do think he could have at least tried a respectable 4-4-2 - one that didn't include Cahill. Agree with folks there. Instead we got to watch Tim be largely ineffective. He and Vellios together = a bad partnership. They don't run off one another, they don't pass to one another - they essentially both try to be target men, meaning we have zero movement. Plus, they are both SLOW. When Coleman led the break in the second half and 5 Stoke players caught up before an Evertonian even appeared on screen I winced.

Osman and Seamus could not find the final ball/pass, which was just a bummer. Encouraged to see Seamus at RB, didn't do too bad in the last 10 minutes (though Stoke wasn't exactly pressing at that point). Osman continues to be dire.

The less said about Bily the better. Please god someone buy him in January.

Fellaini was manhandled and fouled repeatedly today, but Mason apparently got coached by some MLS refs in his free time. Horrid. I have never seen someone wait something like 5 seconds to make a call with the play already moved on. Terrible. Loved Fellaini's spin move (he's getting really adept at that!).

Heitinga was decent today - credit where credit is due. Baines also put in some nice crosses that were wasted on the 1 dude that managed to be in the box. Jags had some nice defending, and Hibbo was...well....Hibbo.

Can't wait for Drenthe to come back.

I understand some of you calling for Barkley, but I don't necessarily think he's the answer. He's still awfully young, and I think he should get game time, but not necessarily start. The problem is, who else is there? Sigh.

We are so uninteresting to watch right now.

EDIT: Did anyone else here the announcer say that when Osman had good form towards the end of last year it was "like a new signing?" I nearly died. That's what we've come to - even the announcers are saying our lines!

 

[Dushku]

Well, Kay20 basically said everything I had festering in my head after yesterdays game. The game was played in front of an almost packed house. We were all there to immortalise the memory of Gary Speed and to show his father and his ex-fellow team mates what Everton meant to this city and to Gary. The crowd, held up their part of the bargain. It was such a damned shame the players on the field, couldn't show a single ounce of the commitment, guile and dedication that anyone of those players standing in silence for their fallen brother, would of shown if they could be given just one more game !

There's an old saying bandied about, that players these days aren't fit to lace the boots of bygone players, who wore the Royal Blue jersey with pride... Osman, Cahill and Billy, I'm not singling you out as scapegoats, the entire team all played woefully.,But now is the time to really take a long hard look in the mirror before every game and ask yourselves.."Am I worthy of playing for this once mighty club?". The answer, as of this time right now ..is a simple, No.

 

[EFC Si]

From the clips I saw his movement and hold up play were much better than Saha offers us. Maybe Louis needs Vellios to do the hard work for him so that he can concentrate on goalscoring?

Other way round I think. From what we've seen of vellios he gets on the end of things, Saha is good in posession and has technical passing ability....was he injured yesterday btw?

 

[kenada_blue]

Fellaini doing that turn he loves doing was boss though

 

[billycopper]

Other way round I think. From what we've seen of vellios he gets on the end of things, Saha is good in posession and has technical passing ability....was he injured yesterday btw?

Both Saha and Vellios are capable of getting on the end of things. The difference is that Vellios gives our midfielders an option to pass to, whereas Saha hardly moves. He had a thigh strain yesterday.