Everton vs Them - Match Report and MotM Poll...

[Eggs]

I am tempted to name Seamus but given the fact we fell to pieces after Jimmy Mac went off, my nomination hast to go to the latter.

...I was tempted too but went Coleman. We certainly missed McCarthys running power but the signs were there already in the last 15 minutes of the first half that it was rearguard action time.

McCarthy definitely got under the skin of a few of them but Henderson put his pipe and slippers on after he went off. Henderson v Barkley was like man v boy, it should've been Henderson kicking Barkley rather than the other way around.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Good report



I think the above is spot on.

It was a poor game, but surely everyone expected that and while I can understand the fume I've been reading on GOT, some of it is massively OTT.

Hopefully we can get a result at Leicester.

Leicester means absolutely frig all after that to be quite honest. Just feel sick with that second half.

 

[Eggs]

....it's not hindsight, I mentioned before the game that I couldn't understand the decision to put both Holgate and Kenny on the bench, much better have another offensive option such as Dowell.

I thought the Calvert-Lewin substitution was bizarre. He's not a wide player, you can tell from watching him. For what he was being asked to do, Holgate or Kenny would've provided better cover but what we really needed was a player with the running power and ability to push Milner the other way. We needed to give the back four a break, all our offensive players failed to do that.

 

[ToffeeTim]

No offence Andy, but if you thought that was good, is it any wonder we've won the square root of frig all in my lifetime and are 1 in 20 against then. They had a better success rate in pushing over walls than that ffs.

Second half was pathetic. Circumstances didn't help. But nonetheless unacceptable, pathetic, embarrassing and gut wrenching.

 

[EFCccc]

This is not a fun morning in work.

 

[dubfade]

....it's not hindsight, I mentioned before the game that I couldn't understand the decision to put both Holgate and Kenny on the bench, much better have another offensive option such as Dowell.

I thought the Calvert-Lewin substitution was bizarre. He's not a wide player, you can tell from watching him. For what he was being asked to do, Holgate or Kenny would've provided better cover but what we really needed was a player with the running power and ability to push Milner the other way. We needed to give the back four a break, all our offensive players failed to do that.

The decision to send on DCL on had me scratching my head as well. Especially given we had Mirallas twiddling his thumbs on the bench, when he's one of our players who usually turns up and gives it a real go against Liverpool.

 

[Jonte]

Totally agree with your summary. Excellent report Andy as ever.

Many thanks

Hear, hear!

We tried extremely hard, but it wasn't our night. I enjoyed it. Roll on the next one.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Hear, hear!

We tried extremely hard, but it wasn't our night. I enjoyed it. Roll on the next one.

How the frig does any blue "enjoy" last night.

Some garbage and apologetics in here. Grow a set blues. Demand better.

 

[Saint Domingo]

You won't win any games of football when 2/3 of your midfield are unable or unwilling to run. Barry coming on handed them the game.

 

[Ashtonian]

And that is why I am open to not caring about the derby these days. Just expect the worst every time.

Think the issues last night were there to see. Once Mccarthy went off the energy and ideas sapped out of the team. Barry again proving that he isn't cut out to play first team anymore because the tactics to accommodate him were negative.

We spent the whole game hoofing it to lukaku with no one in sight of him. Anyone on Lukaku's back, what did you expect of him? He had no support and was expected to beat the liverpool defence by himself after controlling a long ball? Get real.

We made the game snidey like some sort of playground game. No need for us to be taking their players out for the sake of it, made us look inferior to them resorting to cheap dirty tactics when we clearly proved last week that isn't the case.

The subsititutons were again warning signs to how bad the squad is. No options at all, the fact we had Barry as the next replacement and bringing the young lad on and asking him to defend is moyes esq bad. Why do that? Surely someone else there could have put a shift in?

Overall koeman seems to run out of ideas very fast at the minute. Hoofing it doesn't work in our team, so why we had it as plan b for 60 minutes us beyond me. Never looked like scoring and yet another derby goes by without us getting a result there. We need options badly, and too many like for like players and midfielders unable to do the job needed has pretty much crippled us at the minute. I hope to god this is changed soon.

The manager just frustrates me to be honest now. On one side I back him and can see him doing a good job, on the other I see basic instructions and an air of giving up from him because the players he has can't do the job he wants them to do. Things need to change, managers have been sacked for less than our season so far, so bloody back ours and change the mentality and the playing staff of the club.

 

[ToffeeTim]

And that is why I am open to not caring about the derby these days. Just expect the worst every time.

Think the issues last night were there to see. Once Mccarthy went off the energy and ideas sapped out of the team. Barry again proving that he isn't cut out to play first team anymore because the tactics to accommodate him were negative.

We spent the whole game hoofing it to lukaku with no one in sight of him. Anyone on Lukaku's back, what did you expect of him? He had no support and was expected to beat the liverpool defence by himself after controlling a long ball? Get real.

We made the game snidey like some sort of playground game. No need for us to be taking their players out for the sake of it, made us look inferior to them resorting to cheap dirty tactics when we clearly proved last week that isn't the case.

The subsititutons were again warning signs to how bad the squad is. No options at all, the fact we had Barry as the next replacement and bringing the young lad on and asking him to defend is moyes esq bad. Why do that? Surely someone else there could have put a shift in?

Overall koeman seems to run out of ideas very fast at the minute. Hoofing it doesn't work in our team, so why we had it as plan b for 60 minutes us beyond me. Never looked like scoring and yet another derby goes by without us getting a result there. We need options badly, and too many like for like players and midfielders unable to do the job needed has pretty much crippled us at the minute. I hope to god this is changed soon.

The manager just frustrates me to be honest now. On one side I back him and can see him doing a good job, on the other I see basic instructions and an air of giving up from him because the players he has can't do the job he wants them to do. Things need to change, managers have been sacked for less than our season so far, so bloody back ours and change the mentality and the playing staff of the club.

Well said Ash.

 

[Jonte]

My son has just played me a phone video sent to him by a kopite colleague shot at the end of last night's game, in which 'elements' of their supporters were celebrating our lack of trophies in 21 years, replete with balloons and banner.

May I just say that whilst I detected the odd Devonshire, Chorley and northern European accents amongst the afflicted, in fairness, no Merseysiders seemed to be involved. Clowns.

 

[Eggs]

...my take is despite the constant pressure we coped ok defensively. The back four, 2 keepers and DMs managed reasonably well. I appreciate the job McCarthy was doing and Barry didn't have the same energy but don't let that mask that the real problems were on the offensive side.

Lennon - busy players often flatter. Lennon is busy but offered little or nothing going forward. When we were under the cosh we needed our wide players to help relieve the pressure by pushing the full backs the other way. Lennon failed to do that, I don't remember him going past Kline and can only recall him getting behind the defence once in the first half delivering a cross that Lukaku nearly got on the end of. If that's what we want from our wide midfielder we might as well play 2 full backs on that side.

Valencia - perhaps one or two got carried away with his performance against Arsenal. He lacks quality but to be fair he linked ok with Coleman in the first half and if something was going to happen it was from that side. I thought he was slightly more effective than Lennon but he was up against a part-time right footed LB. in the 2nd half he did little to relieve the pressure on our back four by turning Milner the other way.

Barkley - I thought his performance verged on abject and was epitomised by his free kick late on when he didn't put pace on the pass to Coleman and then blasted the cross into Upper Gwladys. Henderson was wearing his pipe and slippers against him, Barkleys frustration culminating in a dreadful tackle when we needed him to be hurting the opposition with his ability. There can be no excuses.

Lukaku - started ok but offered little after 30mins. In the 2nd half when his team most needed it he failed to relieve the pressure by tirelessly running the line, getting free kicks his team mates would have applauded him for, running the channels giving us a break.

Calvert-Lewin - it was a bizarre substitution for me. Little things like that make me wonder about RK but I accept he knows best. RC-L is a back to goal striker. If he wanted to relieve the pressure on Coleman, Kenny or Holgate provided a better option but we were up against Milner on that side and needed to get beyond him. I said before the game that Dowell should have been an option, Holgate/Kenny cover the same positions so having them both on the bench was odd. Dowell was a natural replacement to at least get at Milner. I presume Deulofeu is either injured or the subject of transfer interest.

Long post for me but I wanted to summarise where I think we lost the game.

 

[toffeejohn29]

Totally agree with your summary. Excellent report Andy as ever.

Many thanks

Great report, agree with all you've said.

 

[Home and Dry]

After the Watford game I didn't think we'd get a point from theses two home games and was fearing two absolute drubbings, especially last night.
RK, it seems, is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I'd have bitten your hand off if offered 3 points from the two home games (obviously preferred to have won last night instead of last week mind). I think he's steadied the ship for now and has to stick with J Mc or someone like him in that position and we'll be fine now. I was beginning to think we didn't have any fight in us after the Watford game.
Oh and goodbye Ross.