When you saw the fixture list....

[The_La]

...would you say we are above, below or exactly where you thought we'd be after these 4 league games?

I thought we'd beat Stoke and lose the next four, so we're slightly above where I feared.

It's been a funny start. I've been a big defender of the club and our transfers over the summer, and I am refusing to be too knee-jerk. I genuinely believe the squad is better than it was, generally, save for the glaringly obvious failure to recruit a focal point centre forward and a left footed CB.

I also think when you add Coleman, Bolasie and Funes back into the squad, we will be much better for it. But in the meantime, we need to find our identity.

But all that said, I am nit blind to our failings and was incredibly frustrated today. For me biggest issue is that we haven't settled upon a system that works and we are shifting players around too much. Koeman is to blame for this. Even today, tactically we were a mess. I know we need to rotate, but I couldn't tell you accurately what our plan was second half. We need to find something that works and stick with it for a while. Until then it will just feel like bit of an incoherent mess.

The gulf between us and the top 6 feels big tonight.

 

[Super Kevin sheedy]

We're where I thought we'd be same old Everton, maybe next year

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

When I saw the first 4 games I said to myself "Difficult start, but if we have a go, who knows"

 

[barneygumble]

Performances have been absolutely turgid this season.

I said 7 points from the opening 5 was an absolute minimum. We have 4, and a trip to leaders United next. The Joys.

Genuinely, as bizarre as it sounds, I'd happily have zero points at the moment, if it meant we were playing good football, and the results were going to come. We just don't look like a team at all.

Concerned.

 

[ToffeeTim]

2 home wins 2 away losses I expected.

 

[LocalNative]

About the same number of points as I expected tbf.

On a performance level, far from it.

 

[crockyblue79]

Awful performances in every game,even City with 10 men made us look poor.league position doesn't matter yet but can't see us winning many games on the evidence so far.

 

[Toffee in Jandals]

In the how-many-points-will-we-get-after-five-games thread before the start of the season the general consensus was five or below. Also, comparing our results v our opponents so far with the corresponding games last season, we're only one point worse off (we've mirrored the league results so far with the exception of home v Spurs, a game we drew last season).

So on the face of it, it's not all bad. BUT..... as has already been said, the performances so far have been turgid at best. Two goals in four league games, barely any shots on target, says it all. We struggled to put the mighty Ruzemberok away in Europe.

I'm not particulary looking forward to Atalanta away, never mind a league game at Old Trafford three days' after.

 

[Khalekan]

Regardless of the results, I would have expected more fight in the last two games.

That is what is annoying people even more than the two defeats.

As for what I expected?

When the fixtures came out I was filled with optimism and fancied at least four points from our two home games and at least one from the two aways (which we got)

So I am at least one point down on what I expected.....maybe three.

But then again the fixtures came out in June before the farcical way the transfer window closed and we were left toothless in attack

 

[Royalbm1]

Saw the fixtures, knew the season would start on a downer. Was hoping for a higher level of performance though.

It all feels worse I think because of the great start to the window, and the disappointing end.

Unfortunately for all the money spent and new faces in it feels like every other season for the last 20 odd years

 

[d4kyxx]

Koeman has been here 15 months

Spent 150 odd million this summer alone

Yet doesnt know his best formation
His best tactics
Or even who his best players are

That is quite simply astonishing

 

[DanB90]

I thought we would draw to spurs at home, but lose to City and Chelsea. So swings and roundabouts.

 

[mightymoyes]

Results probably not much different from what most people expected but the performances have been absolutely abysmal

 

[everton2004]

About where I thought we'd be.

 

[Kev The Rat]

Koeman has been here 15 months

Spent 150 odd million this summer alone

Yet doesnt know his best formation
His best tactics
Or even who his best players are

That is quite simply astonishing

Bang on - yet so many people are trying to insinuate that he's only been here for 4 games???