Swansea City Vs. Everton - CO Cup 3rd Round - Tuesday 23rd Sept - 19:45 KO

[Dell Boy]

It was a tin pot cup.

Trust in Bobby.

The only ones I feel sorry for at the Blues that travelled to the arse end of Wales to witness that first hand.

Whatever happens its better than Moyes.

 

[mrb85]

Could be all that, or it could be a bad run of form with some stupid errors losing us games and ruining our confidence going forward.

I don't agree with shouts that we pressed a lot last season. We are doing less so season, but I didn't see it as this big tactic of ours.

We were definitely (as Sharpie would say) closing the opposition down more last season. This season the opposition are being given the time to control the ball, look up, even turn 180 degrees, before playing their pass. That's not too bad if we've got everyone picking up or we've got everyone behind the ball. But we never have. Teams are finding it just so easy to create half or full chances against us. And so it's not just the fault of the back four or down solely to individual errors. It's a collective failing.

We shouldn't just be shrugging off our results to date. We've failed to beat a newly promoted side; we've thrown away a 2 goal lead in a home game, with both goals being conceded in the last 8 minutes; we've lost another home game to 6 goals, only the second time in the last decade or longer to have done so; we've lost at home to a side that was bottom of the league at the time; and now we've been knocked out of one of our competitions by an embarassing scoreline after an absolutely shapeless performance. Is anyone anything other than very concerned about all this? Would we all have been unconcerned about these results if we'd somehow have been told they were to happen before the start of the season? Even those who are confident things will improve, can you honestly be saying that you're not very disappointed with things so far? To have hopes and expectations so cruelly take a battering with only a month of the season gone for me is difficult to take. I can't believe I'm on my own.

 

[BlueToff]

We were definitely (as Sharpie would say) closing the opposition down more last season. This season the opposition are being given the time to control the ball, look up, even turn 180 degrees, before playing their pass. That's not too bad if we've got everyone picking up or we've got everyone behind the ball. But we never have. Teams are finding it just so easy to create half or full chances against us. And so it's not just the fault of the back four or down solely to individual errors. It's a collective failing.

We shouldn't just be shrugging off our results to date. We've failed to beat a newly promoted side; we've thrown away a 2 goal lead in a home game, with both goals being conceded in the last 8 minutes; we've lost another home game to 6 goals, only the second time in the last decade or longer to have done so; we've lost at home to a side that was bottom of the league at the time; and now we've been knocked out of one of our competitions by an embarassing scoreline after an absolutely shapeless performance. Is anyone anything other than very concerned about all this? Would we all have been unconcerned about these results if we'd somehow have been told they were to happen before the start of the season? Even those who are confident things will improve, can you honestly be saying that you're not very disappointed with things so far? To have hopes and expectations so cruelly take a battering with only a month of the season gone for me is difficult to take. I can't believe I'm on my own.

Good post, but Leicester away i think was our hardest fixture apart from Chelsea. We threw the Arsenal game away, Chelsea was a freak game. Played ok against WBA, well in patches against Wolfsburg (but more importantly played as a team) but then Martinez inexplicably changed things. A stupid decision as Palace know how to play us and I think Martinez underestimated them. Last thursday we were confident as. A stupid result because of poor management has shot our confidence again, and an abject performance tonight means we go into the derby feeling like shote! Add to that the media faked Barkley rumours to try and shake the squad - well lets just hope next week is better than this!

 

[Billefc]

good thing is man utd's defending is as bad as ours

Bad thing is, their attack is awesome and ours is [Poor language removed] !

 

[ste d' indica]

It was a tin pot cup.

Trust in Bobby.

The only ones I feel sorry for at the Blues that travelled to the arse end of Wales to witness that first hand.

Whatever happens its better than Moyes.

Just got back to Bristol mate, it was a long way to go to not really see your football team.

 

[mrb85]

Martinez' mistake was changing the side against Palace. The team was settled and the only changed that was needed was Stones to RB to cover Coleman, Distin in at CB. Instead, through naivety or whatever, he played players out of position and started Osman. Atsu would have been a lot better to bring on later after Naisy had tired the Palace defence out. We only got behind them once and we scored, but apart from that everything was in front of them. Then he made the weird subs, and since neither Kev or Nessi played tonight, why were they rested the other day?

But, it's the individual errors that cost us the most. Stupid, lazy mistakes. There's no confidence or cohesion to our play. The players need to take the blame for that. Distin, for all the good he's done us, has been sickening to watch these last few weeks. He really has been the worst of the lot.

Good point about him leaving out Nais and Mirallas for Sundays game when he wasn't going to play them tonight either. Puzzling at best, fatal at worst.

 

[bicycleheader]

We were definitely (as Sharpie would say) closing the opposition down more last season. This season the opposition are being given the time to control the ball, look up, even turn 180 degrees, before playing their pass. That's not too bad if we've got everyone picking up or we've got everyone behind the ball. But we never have. Teams are finding it just so easy to create half or full chances against us. And so it's not just the fault of the back four or down solely to individual errors. It's a collective failing.

We shouldn't just be shrugging off our results to date. We've failed to beat a newly promoted side; we've thrown away a 2 goal lead in a home game, with both goals being conceded in the last 8 minutes; we've lost another home game to 6 goals, only the second time in the last decade or longer to have done so; we've lost at home to a side that was bottom of the league at the time; and now we've been knocked out of one of our competitions by an embarassing scoreline after an absolutely shapeless performance. Is anyone anything other than very concerned about all this? Would we all have been unconcerned about these results if we'd somehow have been told they were to happen before the start of the season? Even those who are confident things will improve, can you honestly be saying that you're not very disappointed with things so far? To have hopes and expectations so cruelly take a battering with only a month of the season gone for me is difficult to take. I can't believe I'm on my own.

Totally disappointed. OF course. I was dreaming of top 4 and a Europa League win. I still hope for the latter, but the points dropped makes the former a bit harder...even though our rivals are not exactly miles out in front. That Palace loss...we all know what that is like....just when we've a chance to jump out in front we somehow mess it up. Gutting to watch it happen all over again.

And yeah....it's harsh to put all the blame on the back 4, but...if you take each of those games individually you can point to stupid errors causing a huge part of the problem. Then when they cause a loss they hit morale and confidence, and it snowballs in each game until we have that one big performance to kill it. I am just saying I would prefer to give the manager and players, who did so well last season, the benefit of the doubt and look at it as just poor form (which can include the poor pressing and positional play leaving us more open), unless of course this is to be the story of the season, which we don't know just yet.

 

[EFC Si]

didn't watch the game haven't read the thread....what happened with goals? Apparently we were giving the ball away again? Derby is going to be an 8 - 8 thriller at this rate

 

[flibbyflob]

A bit worrying, not seen it, don't want to. Expected we would put weak side out and we did and lost. Big chance gone.

 

[AdaBrummieblue]

I am seriously disappointed! Not so much with the scoreline or performance (although neither is great), but with the attitude of some people in here. Christ, some people are just downright rude. It's a frickin' forum folks. Entirely based on peoples opinions. They will, by nature, differ. Show a little decorum and agree to disagree. Quit slagging off fellow Blues though. Just not on ffs.

 

[bizzaro]

Mash potato to a gun fight

 

[Tree13]

Can't have Mcgeady and Mirallas in the same team. Neither do enough defensive work.

Who have you been watching this year? Mirallas has been working his ass off defensively. He's come on leaps and bounds in that respect.

 

[toffeejack]

first time i've left at the end and not applauded the team off - that was utterly diabolical.

we have a good squad and they didn't show that tonight, no fight, no hunger and pretty much no positives. don't think i'd seen us lose in about 15 years before today (not that that run has been any more than about 8/9 games) - but nah, that was utter crap from us again.

garbutt was really good in the first half and whiped in some delicious crosses and besic was controlling the game, with his finishing letting us down.

but i beg the question, what is happening to our back 5? 4 shots on target i remember today and 3 were goals, is it bad luck that every team we've played so far this season bar wolfsberg has scored with almost 100% accuracy? apart from that game, howard has made about 5? saves all season.

subs were wrong and why we gave hibbert a new contract i will never for the life of me know - i really hope he never plays another game for us - can't remember the last time he actually kept a winger quiet.

 

[toffeejack]

what was the point in bringing kone? why not chuck him on instead of bloody osman? who out of the everton fanbase is actually happy to see osman come on?

no offence to the lad

 

[JAYTALITY]

What do I have to do to get a lengthy ban on this forum? I'm sick of the punishment of reading these match threads. I have to be unable to log on.