Match Thread Stade Rennais vs Everton (A) 5.30pm, Saturday 28th July

[Jacob]

Its easy to say that its pre season and players aren't up to speed fitness wise yet. However, what disturbs me is that a lot of them don't seem to have the ability to weight a pass, find a team mate accurately, or at worst, even control the ball - clearly, the pre-requisites/basics. Its disgraceful the amount of wasted passes/crosses/corners we make... all half arsed efforts reflecting a lot of the players themselves. We are three men short at the moment with this defence. Jagielka and Baines are past it now pace wise through age and Keane just isn't very good, a journeyman at best.. The midfield scarcely has a forward pass in it so God knows what the answer is there if, indeed, weve even got one. Perhaps the changed line up for Valencia may be a significant improvement pace wise.... though it would be nice to have seen a settled line up sooner instead of a week before the season starts. As always with us, its the hope that kills you....oh yeah, apart from the soul destroying thought that even Williams is still getting game time.

 

[deipnosophist]

Just fixed that for you a tad there mate.

that zombie clip you posted the other day is starting to look more-and-more like a clip from one of our games.
If we don't get at least 2 CBs and a LB in, we are in a world of pain this season

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

West Ham are pushin on too, though they are sportingly not singing defensive players!

 

[thebluenosebolt]

View attachment 48241

Laugh all you like but he would of been kickin arses after Blackburn...I dont think we ever lost a game without the other side feeling it at least....this shambles we are witnessing is gutless..yet they cost millions. I remember when we bought Billy and everyone knew he had wonderful striking skills...he didnt have the grit or fight...so he was gone. This side have NO grit. NSNO has never meant so little

 

[Ring master]

Thank God we dont play for another week,at least we wont lose

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

I

Its easy to say that its pre season and players aren't up to speed fitness wise yet. However, what disturbs me is that a lot of them don't seem to have the ability to weight a pass, find a team mate accurately, or at worse, even control the ball - clearly, all pre-requisites/basics. Its disgraceful the amount of wasted passes/crosses/corners all half arsed efforts reflecting a lot of the players themselves. We are three men short at the moment with this defence. Jagielka and Baines are past it now pace wise through age and Keane just isn't very good. The midfield scarcely has a forward pass in it so God knows what the answer is there if weve got one. Perhaps the changed line up for Valencia may be a significant improvement.... though it would be nice to have seen a settled line up sooner instead of a week before the season starts. As always with us, its the hope that kills you.

i think all the faffing about trying to appoint DOFs and head coaches is going to come back to haunt the useless senior management

 

[streeky]

Players had that look of Oh my god it's back to Martinez football again. Bedwetter or not we kick off in 2 weeks and we will be cut adrift if we play this suicide formation/possession football against well set up professional premiereship teams.1st half we had sandro, tosun ,iceland and richie all up front and seamus running on in front of sandro against a well set up banked up 10.loose the ball and you get sluiced.2 weeks to get this team some shape and keep the fullbacks at home.

 

[Sarnia Kevin]

rennes are championship standard. this is a bit worrying

Finished 5th in Ligue 1 last season and are in the Europa League this season. Guess what? We aren't!

 

[Groucho]

We’ll be sound.

Somehow.

 

[Tak]

I didn’t watch. I assume we were poor in defence and in central midfield?

How did we look going forward?

the attack isn't so bad, but they look very bad when the CMs and CBs are so terrible. If the foundations are improved the house will stand.

 

[N.S.N.O.]

I never wanted Sam Allardyce as Everton manager and still don't. But this pre-season in demonstrating why we had to play like we did under him. We are simply not good enough or balanced enough to play free-flowing attacking football. Anyone half decent will rip us to shreds with a little bit of pressing and a good counter-attack ignore set up.

None of this is Silva's fault btw. We have to get behind him because I'm more and more convinced that he's inherited a group of players which is rotting from the core outwards.

Had Silva been appointed last November, he'd be sacked by now... Agreed not his fault, this group of players would get any manager the bullet.... Would have thought Silva and Brands had watched enough of Everton last season to realise the importance of new signings... Worrying that this close to the new season, we're still playing the likes of Keane, Jags, Sneiderlin & Sandro...

 

[kiss the crest]

West Ham are pushin on too, though they are sportingly not singing defensive players!

They are talking to Alfie Mawson from Swansea

 

[Groucho]

Players had that look of Oh my god it's back to Martinez football again. Bedwetter or not we kick off in 2 weeks and we will be cut adrift if we play this suicide formation/possession football against well set up professional premiereship teams.1st half we had sandro, tosun ,iceland and richie all up front and seamus running on in front of sandro against a well set up banked up 10.loose the ball and you get sluiced.2 weeks to get this team some shape and keep the fullbacks at home.

So after Martinez, Koeman and Allardyce were you expecting Silva to have world beaters within 7 weeks?

 

[buskwhi2]

They are talking to Alfie Mawson from Swansea

They’ve bought a right back and a centre back.

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

They are talking to Alfie Mawson from Swansea

Just the sort of guy we should be signing!