Lyon vs Everton... Match Report and MotM Poll...

[Eggs]

..it’s not a matter of who is least worst. Beningime is a positive.

It’s a major concern when you compare us to Lyon. I don’t think they got out of 2nd gear in two games.

 

[Bluebonic]

I think there ought to be an option to vote formthe absolute legends who actually traveled to the game! Proper blues them, proper! I wouldnt have travelled to the living room to watch us the form we are in at the moment!

If the Watford game is to be Unsworths last, i hope he bins off all those expensive cowards and gives the cream of hsi U23 team a run out. Lets face it they might get beat, but at least they would go down fighting! What an absolutely wonderful time to be a Liverpool fan by the way! They must be jizzing themselves in anticipation of the first Derby

 

[Groucho]

What an absolutely wonderful time to be a Liverpool fan by the way! They must be jizzing themselves in anticipation of the first Derby

That’s normal procedure for them anyway mate.

Is our bi-annual humiliation due soon?

 

[blueboy1945]

Very brave selection by Unsworth, and I believe will be proven the right one when the players left behind return on Sunday. I think he has been told to prioritise the league and will be all out to not concede against Watford. But what a shambles of a squad we have, players who are patently not good enough, ones who just go through the motions (shame on them) and those who are so far past their use by date it's unbelievable. Going to be a torrid time until something positive can be done.

 

[granter79]

Think if he started DCL we may have been more of a threat and they would have had less of the ball. Highsight a great thing but just showed hed no faith in getting a result which I understand

 

[Cels]

Voted for Beni, although Lookman was close runner-up, I thought he slotted in seamlessly.

 

[Billy Kenny's boots]

Just arrived home in Bordeaux after flying back from Lyon.
Watched the match sat just below the blues fans in with the home fans.

A few thoughts:

- The Lyon stadium is phenomenal. Great atmosphere with the two ends bouncing songs off each other for the entire match. As at Newcastle, the away fans are placed up in the gods (behing netting).
- The Lyon fans hate Williams. Really hate him.
- Highlight of the first half was when Pickford clattered into Williams. A bit of hilarity in a piss poor 45 mins.
- The rest of the first half we were sterile, one dimensional and clueless.
- The choice of Siggi up front is bewildering. DCL and Mirallas on the bench would surely have been a better option. I felt for Siggi - he failed to win one aerial duel the whole time he was on the pitch. DCL won his first two. Go figure.
- Second half we actually looked the team most likely to score for 15 or 20 mins. Beni was getting increasingly involved and Lookman on the front foot. The fans around me were getting pretty antsy. If only we could have converted one on those chances/half-chances....
- As soon as the goal went in, that was it game over. Heads went down, it was damage limitation.

- On to the players, Beni MOM by a country mile, Lookman had a very good match and without Pickford it could have been all over by half time. I understand Pickford's frustration and ranting and raving. Playing behind such a [Poor language removed] defence week after week must be demoralising.
- Siggi looked better when back in his usual number 10 role.
- Defensively again a shambles. Kenny did alright at RB but looked like a fish out of water at LB.
- Schneiderlin. If I never see him in an Everton shirt again, it'll be too soon. Didn't put one foot right. Would love to see his pass completion rate.
- Basically a load of youngsters are being given zero help/advice/support by the more senior players in the squad who continually go missing.
- Confidence. They all look scared stiff half the time (except for Beni and Loolman). No idea how to solve this. We need anything. A scrappy two yard 90th min winner going in off someone's arse, a Kevin Brock backpass, a Phil Neville tackle, god knows what, but soon.

- Post match
- Whilst the pre-match atmosphere was quite intimidating, with firecrackers and flares being let off outside the stadium, post match it all went a bit flat. The home supporters were efficiently funelled onto the tram and then back into town within 30 mins or so
- I've heard some complaints from Blue about how they were shepharded out of the stadium. What was the deal here? What time did they get out?

What now? Not sure Unsy is the answer. But I don't know who is. Huge game v Watford.

Overall, a nice little jolly, if you take away our performance on pitch. But we are in serious trouble.

 

[AndyC]

Still a few hours left to cast your vote for the MotM.
It might have been a crap result and not a great performance, but in every game at least one or two players shine if only for effort and enthusiasm ?

 

[Khalekan]

I'd be more shocked if anyone votes....

lol

 

[Khalekan]

@Billy Kenny's boots




- Post match
- Whilst the pre-match atmosphere was quite intimidating, with firecrackers and flares being let off outside the stadium, post match it all went a bit flat. The home supporters were efficiently funelled onto the tram and then back into town within 30 mins or so
- I've heard some complaints from Blue about how they were shepharded out of the stadium. What was the deal here? What time did they get out?

What now? Not sure Unsy is the answer. But I don't know who is. Huge game v Watford.

Overall, a nice little jolly, if you take away our performance on pitch. But we are in serious trouble


Billy, it was horrendous.

First up, with about five or ten minutes to go I needed to visit the bathroom.

I was way up at the back so I walked all the way down to exit into the concourse only to be met....literally....by a line of armoured cops in full riot squad regalia, whom had formed a shield wall and no bugger was getting out past them

I was getting quite desperate if I am honest with you, I thought my bladder was about to burst

Luckily a steward, realising my predicament, told me that if I went back into the auditoriam and walked along to the next opening, one could access the bathroom down there.

Boy, was I ever relieved

Phew.

Safely back in my seat, I think we had to wait happen half an hour before being given the go ahead to exit the stadium....and that is when the fun started.

Honestly, Bill....it was like Hillsborough never happened.

3000 people jammed onto a stairway, making snail like progress down God knows how many landings, constantly turning back on ourselves to negotiate each succeeding flight of stairs.

All it needed was a surge from the back and their could have been carnage.

I heaved a sigh of relief when I got out the gate into the open air....only to be confronted with the next problem.

There was a fleet of free buses to ferry them as were heading back into Lyon to their destination.

But to board these buses we were corralled info an open space, not a very big one mind you, and literally funnelled through lines of Robocop lookalikes.

It was bedlam.

Eventually I boarded a bus and it moved off, only to stop and sit for about fifteen minutes as some other buses were filled up and we headed off in convoy, toward Bellacour Square as we thought.

We had a motor cycle escort to the front and rear of our convoy.

I felt like C W McCall.

Or more likely Laurie Lingo and the dipsticks

(there’s one for the teenagers )

But darned if the buses didn’t stop at a train station in the middle of nowhere and dump us out

So we all piled on to the platform and got on the next train, which luckily enough was heading for Bellacour and civilisation

You as about the time....I honestly don’t know, I would guess around 11 p.m.

I just had a few glasses of wine in a bar near the square and en route to my hotel and it was very pleasant.

Now......that was the only gripe I have about the trip.

Everything else was perfect, the result aside.

Lyon is a beautiful city and we had a wonderful afternoon, supping in the sun in Bellacour.

I think we bought all the beer in the big supermarket there, the Monto or sommat

I just loved that day....and the whole trip really....I went out for two days.

 

[Billy Kenny's boots]

@Khalekan

Sounds horrific mate. But knowing French police unfortunately not that surprising. They haven't seemed to have grasped the concept of observing and reading the atmosphere and acting accordingly. Any chance to wade in heavy handed with batons... Could have been a lot worse.

By the way, they were serving non-alcoholic beer only (at just 4.20 euros a pop!!) in the bars in the stadium, despite having Heineken on tap. The reason? "You can never be too careful with the English around.." was the fella's reply. After pressing him for more details he admitted that all European matches and some league matches they don't serve Heineken. That anti-English sentiment does grate a bit though, especially given the trouble around certain French stadiums.

A couple of people have commented on the atmosphere being orchestrated/staged and not reacting to what's happening on the pitch.
Totally agree. That seems to be par for the course across most of Europe where some bell-end with a megaphone and his back to the pitch starts all the songs off and the rest follow.
There was constant singing, but it certainly lacks spontaneity and humour is non-existent. Give me a blood and thunder bear pit of a British ground any day of the week.

 

[Khalekan]

@Khalekan

Sounds horrific mate. But knowing French police unfortunately not that surprising. They haven't seemed to have grasped the concept of observing and reading the atmosphere and acting accordingly. Any chance to wade in heavy handed with batons... Could have been a lot worse.

By the way, they were serving non-alcoholic beer only (at just 4.20 euros a pop!!) in the bars in the stadium, despite having Heineken on tap. The reason? "You can never be too careful with the English around.." was the fella's reply. After pressing him for more details he admitted that all European matches and some league matches they don't serve Heineken. That anti-English sentiment does grate a bit though, especially given the trouble around certain French stadiums.

A couple of people have commented on the atmosphere being orchestrated/staged and not reacting to what's happening on the pitch.
Totally agree. That seems to be par for the course across most of Europe where some bell-end with a megaphone and his back to the pitch starts all the songs off and the rest follow.
There was constant singing, but it certainly lacks spontaneity and humour is non-existent. Give me a blood and thunder bear pit of a British ground any day of the week.

I think the prohibition on alcohol is a UEFA directive and is applied across the board in all CL and EL games, not just games involving English clubs.


You cannot get a beer at Goodison on EL nights.

And yes, the atmosphere generated by the Ultras was a bit stage managed now you come to mention it.

Another thing baffles me.

Sitting so far away from the action.

Why would anyone willingly do that?

We had to as it was where we were given tickets.

Same at Newcatle.

But there were thousands of high altitude seats there bought in the home sections by home supporters.

I never liked the Top Balcony for this reason and it is nowt like as bad as Newcastle and Lyon


Like watching Subbuteo.