How do you rate the first quarter of the season?

[Blue Roo]

That’s an interesting viewpoint , but I’m afraid it doesn’t hold a lot of water
Compare JJK to Wan Bissaka and tell me he has the makings of a top quality full back
He may make it as a premier league full back but so far has shown nothing to say he is or will be good enough for a team looking for top 4 /titles
I’m all for local /Academy lads making the first 11 but only if they are good enough
As to Silvas attention to detail
WITHOUT EXCEPTION every player that has ever worked under Silva has said his attention to detail is the most exceptional they have ever seen
I too had my doubts on Silvas defensive capabilities, but 2 clean sheets out of 3 , a supposedly top class CB still to debut along with 2 French internationals in the back 4 suggests otherwise
As to your point about Silva not doing enough during the game to get a result , the Crystal Palace game makes a mockery of that statement

Kenny is pretty much where Coleman was at back in the day. Coleman ended up being top class. The advantage JJ has is he's got Seamus to learn from and compete with. Will be another one of the many thimgs Coleman has contributed to the club.
The Wan Bissaka comparison - he's the in form RB in the PL this season, outstanding performance against us. Hopefully we'll be saying the same about Kenny, as we have done about Seamus.

'Without Exception - would find this very surprising within the context. When he was getting relegated were the players saying this. He is a manager focused on getting players to play a particular way. That's not wrong in itself but it can mean he doesn't focus enough on each seperate match day. It'll come more, after he's got them playing the way he wants.
Attention to detail on players and system doesn't necessarily translate into match detail.
The results hold water. He could of managed the games differently and better.

It's probably the most difficult thing to accomplish, first getting the players understanding and playing to a system together, then tailoring it to, and managing it in each individual match - certainly the more complexed the system.
There's many pitfalls to, like coaches sussing your weakness in system and exploiting it, game after game. Do you make changes? How do the players respond?

 

[buskwhi2]

7/10
If only we’d have had Bernard, Gomes and all fit from the start of the season.

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

Promising, progressive and entertaining.

 

[Baines' left foot]

4/10 all style over substance for me. What's the point in all the tippy tappy nonsense when we lose to West Ham 3-1??????

Also has anyone noticed the club has gone in to overdrive trying to distract us from the crap on the pitch? Yeah it's great what we do but we're a football club first and foremost, not a charity ffs.

 

[Baines' left foot]

I’m downgrading my score to 3/10 after today.

 

[degsy]

I’m downgrading my score to 3/10 after today.

This.
Only as I had a poor weekend I've gone with 2/10 Boooooooooooooo

 

[Paul Rideout]

This should be re-names the plastic short term memory fans assessment. Anyone who can vote this lower than a 7 has clearly forgotten last season.

 

[Lanolin]

This should be re-names the plastic short term memory fans assessment. Anyone who can vote this lower than a 7 has clearly forgotten last season.

I can't agree with that.

I'm positive about this season, I've seen plenty to make me think we're heading in the right direction and I like both the manager and the new players. At the end of the day though, it's a results business. We finished 8th last year and are currently 9th, we were knocked out of the cup at home to a side we should really be beating, have had a couple of poor home results (West Ham and Huddersfield) and despite looking more positive we have still lost both of the games away at the infamous old 'top 4'.

Because I think we're heading the right way and have enjoyed some of the football, i'd be inclined to stretch to a 7, but i'd say anyone giving us more than that has not only forgotten last season, but the history of Everton as a club, and the supposed aims which our owner and board have stated.

 

[Paul Rideout]

I can't agree with that.

I'm positive about this season, I've seen plenty to make me think we're heading in the right direction and I like both the manager and the new players. At the end of the day though, it's a results business. We finished 8th last year and are currently 9th, we were knocked out of the cup at home to a side we should really be beating, have had a couple of poor home results (West Ham and Huddersfield) and despite looking more positive we have still lost both of the games away at the infamous old 'top 4'.

Because I think we're heading the right way and have enjoyed some of the football, i'd be inclined to stretch to a 7, but i'd say anyone giving us more than that has not only forgotten last season, but the history of Everton as a club, and the supposed aims which our owner and board have stated.

So given the style of play, squad etc year on year, you think we’re not a 7 or over from this time last year? Obviously compared to the teams of the 80s this isn’t a 7 - but that’s 30 years since, and we’ve not had many good years in between. All I can do is look at where we were at the end of last season, and be so much happier with the squad, team, style of play, management.

 

[Lanolin]

So given the style of play, squad etc year on year, you think we’re not a 7 or over from this time last year? Obviously compared to the teams of the 80s this isn’t a 7 - but that’s 30 years since, and we’ve not had many good years in between. All I can do is look at where we were at the end of last season, and be so much happier with the squad, team, style of play, management.

I just said i'd give them a 7, but I'd be less inclined to argue with somebody who gave us a 6 than somebody who gave us an 8.

There are lots of things to be positive about from what we've seen, but just judging it on whats actually happened rather than us being happier with Silva than Allardyce, I don't see how anyone could rate it higher than a 7. It's been a pretty favourable fixture list and we're 9th, probably around 3-5 points worse off than I would have realistically expected. That's fine, and i'm not complaining, but if we start saying that winning 4 out of 10 games warrants an 8 or 9 out of 10 then I think we're lowering our expectations a tad too far.

 

[Paul Rideout]

I just said i'd give them a 7, but I'd be less inclined to argue with somebody who gave us a 6 than somebody who gave us an 8.

There are lots of things to be positive about from what we've seen, but just judging it on whats actually happened rather than us being happier with Silva than Allardyce, I don't see how anyone could rate it higher than a 7. It's been a pretty favourable fixture list and we're 9th, probably around 3-5 points worse off than I would have realistically expected. That's fine, and i'm not complaining, but if we start saying that winning 4 out of 10 games warrants an 8 or 9 out of 10 then I think we're lowering our expectations a tad too far.

I agree and maybe my initial statement was over egged. I just can’t see how people can mark below a 4. I think a 7 is about right, but I wouldn’t complain at a 6 or an 8. If I did a happiness index on me vs last year though - chalk and cheese.

 

[hktoffee]

I say 6. Fair. Could be better and I want to see progress from last year 8th position.

 

[brieverton]

The cup exit was a black mark, but we have progressed in terms of better players integrated into the squad, better set-up and more pleasing football on the eye.

I have been prepared all along to give Silva a large element of a free pass this season within reasonable limits considering the absolute mess he inherited as long as I can see at least an outline of what the aim is, and I think I can.

Saying that though I think its important to finish 7th and hopefully that would get us European football next season. We need a decent FA Cup run as well, another early exit would really look poor.

Overall though if the squad has to have a few learning experiences like yesterday and hugely disappointing days like the West Ham game to become a better and stronger outfit, then so be it. Silva has to learn from each game, and learn quickly, as do the players.

It would still be nice to get a stand-out result against the so-called 'elite', particularly away from home, I'm not sure if we are close to that or not, home or away.

 

[RomanReigns]

we've got to beat brighton now

 

[PsychoPat]

6 for me. Definite improvement in the style and some promising signs but the fact remains we are mid table, after a decent run of fixtures for us, and we still remain far to easy to beat when away at the top sides.