Everton 2017-18 Post-mortem: Eight(h) is Enough

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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The 718
Everton 3-2 Watford.

You can get an idea of what a rollercoaster this was from the score tallies, but only just. It would have been a heart-stopper for even a neutral fan, and I was hyperventilating for the last half-hour.

WAT: Goal, Richarlison, 46' (0-1)

WAT: Goal, Kabasele, 64' (0-2)

EVE: Goal, Niasse, 67' (1-2)

EVE: Goal, Calvert-Lewin, 74' (2-2)

EVE: Goal, Baines, 90+1', PENALTY (3-2)

WAT: MISSED PENALTY, Cleverly, 90+11' (not a typo)

Holy shit. Heart still racing. Goodison was bedlam.

More later.
 

ninjacornelius

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Aug 18, 2005
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I don't know if it's possible to save your season in the first week of November, but today might have been as close as you can possibly get to doing so. There's still plenty to worry about, and maybe I'll pick some nits over the international break, but for tonight I'll sleep soundly.
 

OurF'ingCity

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This game was insane! It's funny how often in sports it seems that a crazy comeback-type game like this one turns around a season; I know none of Everton's problems have magically disappeared but I'm hopeful this may light a fire under this club. At this point really just need to be in the mindset of collecting points in any way possible.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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so this was off the hook insane.

I was watching on my phone while traveling during the first half so my impression is based on interrupted viewing, but it looked like more of the same. No score but Watford had more possession and looked more dangerous. Everton had one good chance, from Baines, but he didn't hit it with much conviction. That's pretty much the script for most of the season (other than the Chelsea and Spurs games where it was just a flat-out beating). Individual performances were okay except that Gylfi was put out wide (AGAIN) in favor of Rooney in the middle of the park, and it was again following the script for Rooney this season: he provided the one moment of real quality when he fed Baines for that chance, but he was otherwise sclerotic, phlegmatic, and a clog. This is Rooney: you get a couple of moments of brilliance but at the price of a player past his physical peak and prone to dropping too deep to get the ball because he can't stay on it otherwise. Niasse was game, but with Rooney, Gylfi, and Niasse up front, there was (AGAIN) no pace to unlock the defense.

Richarlison scored for Watford right at the start of the second half when Keane got caught ball-watching and the Everton defenders were too busy complaining about a foul to track the runner. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Playing from behind again.

Sigurdsson had a chance from inside the six-yard box but, again following the script this year, hit it without any mustard on it and straight at the keeper.

Baningime was pulled for Lookman, who immediately started to make a difference with pace and aggression. One foray into the box ended with Gomes, the Watford keeper, banging heads with some Watford dude. it was very bad- he was bleeding hard from his head and his eyes were rolling in different directions. After a 7' delay the backup keeper came on. Everton smelled their chance and were frisky but... Holebas outjumped his man on a corner and banged in a header to put Everton down 0-2 at 64'.

I thought - that's it - going down.

But give the Goodison crowd credit - the Toffees started showing some life and the crowd got into it. And then Niasse did what Niasse does best. His skill limitations have become evident - I can see why a manager might drop him based on performance in practice, let's say- but in a game the dude just does not quit - he's the Chris Berman rumblin, bumblin, stumblin type (I hate Chris Berman). So only a couple of minutes later, he charges at the Watford (backup) keeper, gets tangled with him but somehow gets around him, gets mauled on his way to goal, but as he's going down somehow nudges the ball enough so that it rolls into the corner of the goal at 2 mph while the Watford defender lays on top of him. Liverpool Echo: "Like a new-born kitten playing with a ping pong ball, his touch and his movement are erratic – but if he doesn't know what he's doing next, neither does the opposition. He makes things happen. His goal was a typical bundled effort which rolled in from somewhere off the back off his ankle."

The crowd went completely nuts.

A few minutes later Unsworth (at last) pulled Rooney in favor of Calvert-Lewin, who immediately repaid the favor by nodding in a clean header at the far post off a perfect Baines corner at 74'. By now the crowd was going completely batshit insane.

Some other Watford dude got hurt badly and stretchered off.

Everton smelled blood and Watford were pinned back. Lookman, in particular, was flying all over the place and pulling Watford defenders with him on his runs, opening everything else up (funny what pace can do). Seeing that speed kills, Unsworth brought in Lennon for his final sub, for Sigurdsson. Due to the injuries, 12' of stoppage time was added.

While cruising down the right edge of the box at 90+1, Lennon got fouled for a penalty. I read that some people thought it was a cheap penalty but the Watford defender went right across his legs and wasn't near the ball, so no doubt in my mind. Baines buried it for a 3-2 lead.

In the last couple of minutes Watford poured on the attack, and at the death Everton's defense fell apart in the box. The ball was bouncing around in front of Pickford, fell to some Watford guy, and Pickford pulled him down by the ankle. A clear foul.

In a bad decision, Watford gave the penalty to Tom Cleverly, until recently a Toffee who no doubt wanted extra badly to score to stick it to his old side. So he choked. He pulled it wide left and didn't even get it on frame. Pickford moved that way and would have saved it even if he had snuck it inside the post.

Last time Everton came back from two goals down to win a PL game was in 1994 against Wimbledon.

I've blown enough billable time now so I'll ruminate later on what this means for the club and the managerial search. Clearly it's a massive win that injected the club and the fans with a huge boost. Where we go from there, we'll see.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Papers reporting that Allardyce is favored to get the job.

That’s ..... bad.

I’d rather give Unsworth til January. There’s at least possibly some upside. Big Dam...oof
 

candylandriots

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Papers reporting that Allardyce is favored to get the job.

That’s ..... bad.

I’d rather give Unsworth til January. There’s at least possibly some upside. Big Dam...oof
That's going to piss me off. Sam had a nice home and gave it up to spend time with his family. I don't begrudge him that, but are you really that sick of your grandkids after not even six months?
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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The thread title is an homage to the legendary Newton, MA grindcore band Anal C*nt, whose magnum opus is an album of that title.

So.

Where to begin.

The joy of the Watford win, and the hope that it would spark a revival, are left behind us in a smoking ruin, in a trail of rear-view-mirror destruction similar to a Mad Max movie.

Since:

--a 2-2 draw at Palace, with the now-infamous Niasse dive. A game in which the Toffees were thoroughly outclassed by a compact and determined Palace side, with Everton able to nick a road point only by the penalty and by a gift courtesy of the Palace keeper, who put the ball in harm's way with a lazy pass 20 yards in front of goal at 45'+2, when a punt would have ended the half.

--in a meaningless Europa game at Goodison, 1-5 to Atalanta, the 10th place team in Serie A.

--at Southampton, 1:4, enabling the Saints to match their season's total for goals scored from open play.

Common themes:

--On defense: Listlessness, lifelessness, lethargy, apathy. Torpor in midfield, where the opposition is able to build up play freely without challenge. Back four is a disaster. Comparing Ashley Williams to a traffic cone is unfair to the cone, which at least does not make bad passes or stupid fouls. Keane seemed like the best young defender on the market, a 6'2" stud who would anchor Everton (and the Three Lions) for years to come, but stumbles about aimlessly; his Burnley success now seems like the product of playing in Sean Dyche's well-drilled unit, where Mee, Tarkowsky, Lowton et al continue to stymie opponents without Keane. Jagielka and Baines have been decent, but the latter is now hurt, predictably, after playing nearly every minute AS THE ONLY PLAYER ON THE ROSTER AT THE HARDEST POSITION TO FILL. Keane is now hurt too. The rest of the roster fodder is bad, bad, bad.

--Midfield absolutely sucks at challenging for the ball in the middle of the park, winning it, and moving it forward. Gueye and Schneiderlin have regressed badly from last year, where the former was, after Kante, the best DM in the PL IMO. Schneiderlin is the worst player on the team and probably the biggest single factor in teh suck. He has MichaelBradleyitis - "let me dribble forward tentatively for three seconds and then backpass! #winning" His pass map looks like the opposing #10's. Davies, an OCST binky, runs around furiously and fouls people, but not much else. In an effort to address a glaring flaw, Unsy has played Mirallas a few times to provide some pace, but he sucks. Lennon has also provided some pace but it has mostly been employed in the service of tracking back to cover the bad defense. Vlasic, the Croatian kid, shows plenty of aggression and skill on the ball but never plays. But the biggest problem here is that THE FUCKING MANAGER (whomever he might be) INSISTS ON PLAYING OUR BEST FUCKING PLAYER OUT OF HIS NATURAL FUCKING POSITION. In those rare moments where Sigurdsson is actually in the middle of the park, instead of chatting with the ballboys and stewards on the left touchline, he actually distributes and shoots - that is, when the back four are not aimlessly hoofing the ball over the midfield's head in a vain effort to connect to a striker on a longball, which is most of the time as per Unsworth's instructions. When he was out wide left at Southampton, it was so painfully predictable - with Sigurdsson in front of Baines not having much in the way of speed or defensive ability, they kept swinging the ball to his side, getting behind him and hammering at poor, overmatched Baines, to great effect.

--Despite all the anguish over the lack of Lukaku, the strikers are actually the best unit right now. Niasse has 5 goals to Lukaku's 8, in a third of the playing time. DCL has been decent when he gets the ball. The Rooney conundrum is always the same - he clogs things up when he's out there, but when the ball falls to him, he does fine. Sandro looks like he could be decent if he got a run. These guys would be doing better if someone would win the god-damned ball in midfield and get them a through ball more than twice a game.

--Unsworth. Optimism when appointed. Plain-spoken, blunt, silverware-winning Toffee legend. Looks like he should be knocking back a pint with his mates in the Gwladys Street end. What's not to like? Except that he's painfully out over his skis, never having managed elsewhere than the U23 level (where to be fair he won the PL2 title last year but still). He repeats the flawed roster construction of Koeman, and worse, seems to have capitulated with his tactics. He was quoted as saying that Keane needs to "knock the ball into Row Z," instead of, you know, drilling the back four to be organized and correctly positioned and able to make decent outlets to relieve pressure and get the attackers on the front foot. The last three games have been exercises in knocking long balls (again bypassing our best player) in a vain atttempt to get on the foot of a striker (who, while decent, are not Lukaku). What's awful, though, is at least you would think that this blue-collar Evertonian would get these guys to at least honor the Everton brand of physical, tough, never-quit football. You would think.

And finally, and most importantly-

--The leadership, such as it is. The search for a manager now goes into the sixth week. There is obvious tension between Moshiri, the new money man, and Kenwright, the lifelong Evertonian chairman. Moshiri wants to follow the Chelsea/City model, ie spend your way into the top rank with glamorous, cosmopolitan players and managers. Kenwright feels comfortable doing things the traditional Toffee way. This goes deeper than the manager search - the club has an identity crisis in terms of how to move forward. Given the undeniable success of the Everton academy, it's possible to put out competitive sides where half the players are homegrown, which the Toffees have done in recent years. And obviously the fans love it when the likes of Tom Davies walk after the game back home where they still live with mum and dad, or when the prodigal son comes home. But that only gets you so far. It makes you the - perennial seventh-place club- the best of the rest, the boy with his face pressed up against the pet-store glass. So the money guy wants to splash the cash, which is great. But the fancy European and South American players and Italian managers are only so interested in the gritty Merseyside club. Giroud decided to stay at Arsenal, despite his limited playing time, because his wife didn't want to leave London; and really, is Giroud going to put you over the top? But he's better than what you have now and... round and round we go.

It would be better if Moshiri had some sense of how to build a club, but as well-meaning as he might be, he is not leading. With Moshiri, Kenwright, "director of football" Walsh, and Koeman all pulling on different oars in the transfer window, this is how you end up with three No. 10s and no defenders.

Now after firing Koeman without a plan, and having cast about desperately, it's now closing time, all the pretty options have turned up their noses and it looks like they're reduced to going home with the harelip, ie Big Sam.

There has been much enthusiasm re: the plans for a shiny new stadium on the docks. The way things are going, it's less likely to host Juve and Barca in CL than Bristol Rovers and Oxford in League One.

At the beginning of the season I posted breathlessly from every crap friendly. There will be beatings no more rehashes of this mess unless and until morale improves.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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The 718
so after all that, it's Big Sam.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sam-allardyce-become-new-everton-13970403

I'm in the acceptance stage.

yes, this is the best we can do.

This is, unfortunately, the man for the job.

And the job is, let's not be delusional, not to break into the top four.

the job is to stay out of the bottom three.

And if that's your job, then Big Sam is your man.

After being horrified by the idea, I'm warming to it, if for nothing else than that I expect to see a back four (or three) stay in their places and defend, which is more than can be said for this island of misfit millionaire toys so far.

What this side needs is to have someone a) figure out its best XI, by b) putting the right players in the right spots, and c) drilling them in their jobs. Big Sam will do all this, and since it's been sorely lacking, then we had best have it. From there, maybe the side can gel. It should at least stay up, which is certainly not the case now.
 

candylandriots

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so after all that, it's Big Sam.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sam-allardyce-become-new-everton-13970403

I'm in the acceptance stage.

yes, this is the best we can do.

This is, unfortunately, the man for the job.

And the job is, let's not be delusional, not to break into the top four.

the job is to stay out of the bottom three.

And if that's your job, then Big Sam is your man.

After being horrified by the idea, I'm warming to it, if for nothing else than that I expect to see a back four (or three) stay in their places and defend, which is more than can be said for this island of misfit millionaire toys so far.

What this side needs is to have someone a) figure out its best XI, by b) putting the right players in the right spots, and c) drilling them in their jobs. Big Sam will do all this, and since it's been sorely lacking, then we had best have it. From there, maybe the side can gel. It should at least stay up, which is certainly not the case now.
I came to like Big Sam quite a bit last season. I was extremely disappointed when he said he was leaving to spend time with his family, but it seemed like he meant it, so I thought "good for him."

If his heart really is in this, I think you'll end up liking him too. But that's what I'd be a bit worried about. He seemed to enjoy Palace quite a lot and I think that he would have considered the talent there sufficient for him to have more mid-table aspirations under his leadership. Or maybe he knew something we didn't about the team...
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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The only her reason I’m warming to it is that this is a manager who won’t be swayed by whose guy a player is/was.

Everton have a sizable group of academy products dear to the hearts of old Evertonians,a handful of highly (over) paid marquee stars (Rooney is all of the above), defenders who are either too old or too young, and a collection of random pieces from Europe. There were obviously several different camps in leadership each buying their own groceries. Since neither Koeman and Unsworth was neutral in that regard their roster choices were always questionable and questioned. Sam, I think, is too old to give a shit about whose ox gets gored or who brought in whom, and that's good.
 

Cellar-Door

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One thing about Sam, he's terrific at developing and using fullbacks. West Ham he made Creswell a star who has fallen off each season since Sam left. He made Carl Fucking Jenkinson an above average RB, he started the big jump in Yedlin's game from fast dude who is lost to fast defender.
 

InstaFace

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Sep 27, 2016
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I came to like Big Sam quite a bit last season. I was extremely disappointed when he said he was leaving to spend time with his family, but it seemed like he meant it, so I thought "good for him."
Dude wants a job for half the year, and not more than that. He's not Pep Guardiola. I feel like that's pretty reasonable for him, given his track record.

Not that dissimilar from Pedro Martinez in his final years, frankly. Pedro's final start was Game 6 of the World Series, after having 9 GS in the regular season. I'm sure the only thing he'd wish to change about the end of his career is the outcome of that game 6.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Just kicked off at Goodison against West Ham

SIGURDSSON IS ON THE LEFT AGAIN WHY WHY WHY GOD WHY
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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For only the third time in all competitions this year if I'm correct, Everton draw first blood.

1-0 at 17'. Joe Hart penalized for tripping Calvert-Lewin in a one-on-one in the box. Hart saves the Rooney penalty but punches it right to Rooney for the easy putback.
 

Cellar-Door

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For only the third time in all competitions this year if I'm correct, Everton draw first blood.

1-0 at 17'. Joe Hart penalized for tripping Calvert-Lewin in a one-on-one in the box. Hart saves the Rooney penalty but punches it right to Rooney for the easy putback.
It's a 2017 west ham classic. Seems like every goal comes either from a giveaway in midfield followed by our defenders lacking pace to get back or a penalty. This one combined both
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Rooney at 27' from open play, very nice. Straining to remember another two-goal lead this year, can't.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Rooney gets the hat-trick with a goal from IN HIS OWN HALF after Hart stupidly comes out to 40 yards to deal with a loose ball.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Wow Big Sam already turning the team around already and he hasn't even officially been hired! ;)

Edit: The crazy thing is that the bottom of the table is so clumped together in terms of points that if they take care of business against Huddersfield they could easily be smack dab in the middle of the table somewhere around 9-12 by Saturday.
 

Cellar-Door

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Truly an amazing display by West Ham, highlighting all the flaws: No pace, can't pass, bad goalkeeping, lack of effort tracking back, mental errors and nobody who can finish with Chicharito out. Just need to get a red card to fill the entire bingo sheet.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Truly an amazing display by West Ham, highlighting all the flaws: No pace, can't pass, bad goalkeeping, lack of effort tracking back, mental errors and nobody who can finish with Chicharito out. Just need to get a red card to fill the entire bingo sheet.
When 2017 Ashley Williams scores 2017 Everton's fourth goal of the night against you, it's time to put your head in the oven.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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You just know tonight is a two gran night for Rooney.
fantastic.

As was Rooney's third goal. It brought Ross Barkley out of his exile (hasn't been heard from in months) to tweet "Not many in world football who could do that." True. It's beyond impressive how hard he strikes this ball - around the referee - and it seemingly never rises above the plane of the crossbar. I saw one columnist refer to it as a Tiger Woods 1-iron and that's about right:


Two funnies: the West Ham defender reaching for it like a WR; and The Joe Hart Face, sparking wild rumors that he is the fourth, long lost Manning brother.

Seriously: the big differences in this game:

-the back four kept their shape
-instead of whacking the ball forward aimlessly, the defenders and midfielders did some, you know, nice dribbling and good passing
-the formation. I was first stroking out when I saw Gylfi out left, but it took me a while to figure out what was going on. It looked like this in practice:

-----------------Pickford----------------
Kenny--Holgate--Williams--Martina
-----------Gueye--------------------------
----------------Rooney--------------------
---Lennon------Gylfi---------Davies--
----------------DCL------------------------

Gylfi lined up out left on paper, but he and Davies kept overlapping (Davies is kind of a wind-up toy who runs about in all directions simultaneously; he had a good night at both ends but he picked up a stupid yellow, he's second in the league in yellows with 5). Rooney was sort of a trailing number-10, playing much deeper. Unlike past games, where he was supposed to be up front but kept dropping back for the ball - thus clogging the midfield and leaving a lack of a body up front - by being deployed deeper he was able to use his ball skills and vision, and his loss of foot speed didn't matter as much. The hat trick is facially deceiving because it included the penalty and the 65-yarder, both of which are immune to formation considerations, but his second goal was a perfect example - Kenny to Lennon up the right (this was very effective all night), worked across the top of the box nicely to Davies to Kenny again, and Rooney was there, trailing the play but arriving at just the right time, at the top of the box to score easily.

To put it succinctly, Rooney took Schneiderlin's spot, and his job.

I've talked about the need to find the best XI and the best shape and this is close to it with the personnel at hand, except for the back four due to the injuries. Jagielka would start over Holgate, who is talented but raw and mistake-prone. Keane needs to be in there instead of Williams. Martina should be turfed out and only started due to the injury to Baines. Kenny is playing very well. When Coleman comes back this unit could be decent if drilled properly.

In midfield, I'd like to see more of the kid Vlasic, who is aggressive and fearless, and Bolasie will be back to give some real width. Lennon is exceeding (admittedly low) expectations for now. Mirallas should be axed. Schneiderlin has to be worried that the team's best performance was without him.

Up front Niasse will demand some time. DCL is showing signs of improvement as a hold-up striker in the games where the rest of the team has found him with the ball, but no one creates something out of nothing like Niasse - the diving ban was ironic since most of this guy's goals have been of the stumble-blindly-forward-through-traffic, get-hacked-mercilessly, ?????, GOAL variety. Sandro has shown flickers but only just.

I'm actually optimistic, foolish me.
 

Rusty Gate

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Same old Everton.

The latest example of a team not being anywhere as bad as they look when they're losing, but nowhere near a Top 6 team after one home victory over a prime relegation candidate. Everton is not going to be in a relegation battle, but they're not going to compete for a European spot (absent an improbable Cup run).

I was in the anyone but Sam camp, but I've been sold by reports that he was Moshiri's first choice. Sam is a leader who has a short-term opportunity to enhance his stature by decisively guiding a team that lacks shape and confidence. He'll quickly settle on his first-choice 11 without fear of backlash for icing out some big rep underperformers. As OCST said, he'll give the defenders and midfielders confidence to take occasional well-considered risks playing out from the back as long as the other players give adequate cover.

I am optimistic enough to be looking forward to watching Everton play.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Same old Everton.

The latest example of a team not being anywhere as bad as they look when they're losing, but nowhere near a Top 6 team after one home victory over a prime relegation candidate. Everton is not going to be in a relegation battle, but they're not going to compete for a European spot (absent an improbable Cup run).

I was in the anyone but Sam camp, but I've been sold by reports that he was Moshiri's first choice. Sam is a leader who has a short-term opportunity to enhance his stature by decisively guiding a team that lacks shape and confidence. He'll quickly settle on his first-choice 11 without fear of backlash for icing out some big rep underperformers. As OCST said, he'll give the defenders and midfielders confidence to take occasional well-considered risks playing out from the back as long as the other players give adequate cover.

I am optimistic enough to be looking forward to watching Everton play.
Given the overall youth of the squad, and the quality of the acquisitions of Sigurdsson and Pickford, who are building blocks, the optimistic scenario is that with proper transfer additions this side can compete for Europe next season.

Sam's brief, to solidify the best XI and stiffen the defense, is consistent with this, as once he's done that, you can start adding quality in attack, depth, and the other needful pieces.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs here.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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2-0 over Huddersfield.

Goals by Gylfi after a gorgeous back-heel flick on by DCM, and DCM with a nice little chip over the keeper at a full run.

Yes, it was weak opposition. Yes there are still issues. The eye test shows improvement. Most importantly the bottom line is they won twice this week by a combined score of 6-0.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Apollon Limassol 0-3 Everton, to finish out the trainwreck of their Europa campaign.

A team of raw youth and misfit toys (Schneiderlin, Mirallas, Robles, Klassen) went down to Cyprus, no first team regulars. Sam didn't even make the trip; he wanted to drill with the first team ahead of the Merseyside derby. A sound decision as Everton had long lost the chance to advance out of its Europa group.

Goals by two players who need some time in the first-team lineup: Lookman with a brace, including a beautiful cannon-blast from 25 yards, and Vlasic, who is just insanely aggressive, skilled on the ball, and makes beautiful runs.

I have to post this shot of the Apollon keeper after Lookman's second goal:

Screen Shot 2017-12-08 at 4.20.18 AM.gif
 
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OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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so: the Derby draw (throughly dissected in that week's game thread); 0-1 away to Newcastle; and yesterday's 3-1 win over Swansea at Goodison.

That's 7 points over the last 3 games, and 13 over the last 5 (w/w/d/w/w).

There has been more than a little luck in there to go along with much-improved play. There was the penalty in the derby (which I won't relitigate here, other than to point out that the consensus in the national press I read, and of the journalists with whom Klopp jousted after the game, was that it was a penalty, and the panel which rang Niasse up for diving did not look at it - but it could easily not have been awarded); Newcastle hit the woodwork twice; and Everton earned two penalties against Swansea, both of which were fouls, but one should have been called just outside the box; both of which Rooney took, but one was saved, and Calvert-Lewin buried it after it got away from Fabianski.

The link-up play is still a work in progress. It's better, but not where it needs to be yet.

Sigurdsson is looking more comfortable - he has two goals and two assists in the last four - including a beautiful strike from just outside the box last night.

Rooney was coughing up the ball with some regularity against Swansea, but he keeps scoring goals - granted he's getting the penalties, but 10 goals (same as Lukaku and Aguero) is beyond expectations.

Calvert-Lewin is doing well as a hold-up striker, despite having less supply than he should.

But by far the biggest reason for the improvement is a suddenly-tough back four, featuring the very young (Holgate, Kenny), the very old (Williams), and the out-of-position (Martina, playing left back, and unexpectedly.... competent?) Sam has whipped this unit into shape, it can't be denied. They're playing so well together (3 goals against in the last 5 games) that as Keane and Jagielka recover from injuries, they haven't cracked the unit, and there's even crazy-talk that Seamus Coleman may have trouble getting his job back from Kenny when he's able to return from his broken leg.

Schneiderlin has also improved from his early-season doldrums, although he was taken off at the half against Swansea, for Tom Davies, whose chicken-with-no-head act (that's a compliment) invigorated the attack.

I was a Sam skeptic, but I am thrilled with what he's done. With the defense stable, he's been able to put some more moxie in the attack. After flirting with relegation, Everton are now in ninth, only one point off last year's pace, and six points shy of Spurs in seventh. Hard to believe.

Chelsea next.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
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I glanced at the league table today, certain that Everton would be hovering in or near the relegation zone, despite Big Sam's fervent attempts to rescue them. I was shocked to discover that they're alone in 9th, 3 back of Leicester, and only 7 back of Burnley for a possible Europa spot. Since his appointment prior to the West Ham match, the team under Big Sam has gone 4-3-2.

Allardyce really is a miracle worker. He keeps this up, he'll get some consideration for the England job. ^_^

I wonder if he'll play his first team on Friday, betting that Liverpool won't take the FA Cup seriously and it's his best chance at a Europe spot. Too bad they got such a rough draw (one of only 3 EPL-on-EPL matches, along with Brighton-Palace and City-Burnley).
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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The 718
Everton fans would crucify Sam for fielding a B team against Liverpool, if they were playing for the proverbial packet of cheese and onion crisps, let alone the FA Cup.

When I have time tomorrow, I'll post my thoughts on the losses to Bournemouth and ManU. Digest: while Sam has solidified the defense, transition to attack is still a problem, and it's not just the lack of a striker; if they had a first-class striker they're still not playing well enough in midfield to keep the ball, win the ball, and get the ball forward.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
21,766
Pittsburgh, PA
Everton fans would crucify Sam for fielding a B team against Liverpool, if they were playing for the proverbial packet of cheese and onion crisps, let alone the FA Cup.
I am both pleased and somewhat surprised to hear that. I mean, I get rivalries and all. But the overwhelming priority was to avoid any risk of relegation, and going 100% on anything other than Premier League matches is a deviation from that priority.

I bet if Sam called up Klopp they could agree to both field U23 squads. Not that they'd do that, but it'd be fun, and you do see that sometimes in the DFB-Pokal.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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I am both pleased and somewhat surprised to hear that. I mean, I get rivalries and all. But the overwhelming priority was to avoid any risk of relegation, and going 100% on anything other than Premier League matches is a deviation from that priority.

I bet if Sam called up Klopp they could agree to both field U23 squads. Not that they'd do that, but it'd be fun, and you do see that sometimes in the DFB-Pokal.
That's not where Sam's at, not at all. I'm cutting and pasting from press tweets of his press conference today:

Allardyce on importance of FA Cup: "We go for it. There are no points available, it's win or burst, less pressure, it's a glory game."

Allardyce on FA Cup - We’ll go for it. It’s win or bust, simple as that. It’s a glory game and you try and win it. A draw’s not good enough

Allardyce on Liverpool - The stats on the wins don’t matter. I think the players are professional enough to know the importance of the game
As far as the league goes, relegation no longer seems a threat, but improvement is needed to avoid stagnation mid-table.

After Sam's excellent start, a run of poor form - 1/9 points - a dull draw at West Brom, followed by losses at Bournemouth (2-1) and home to ManU (0-2).

The West Brom and Bournemouth games showed that the lack of attack is a huge problem. The back four were mostly effective, as they have been since Sam came in. They just could not get any consistent threat. None of the strikers were effective but the real problem was in midfield - no buildup, no service, poor form in winning and keeping the ball. A frequent criticism on fans' social media is that Sam's defense-first approach is effective for stealing points from the like of Liverpool and Chelsea, but that the team didn't/couldn't press forward and put the ball in the net against weaker opposition.

Bolasie is back from injury and showed some flashes of brilliance, but isn't match-fit yet and his passing isn't sharp, as is to be expected after such a long layoff. Vlasic, my binky, got some time and continues to look dangerous. The rest of the midfield is struggling. Rooney hasn't been effective, least so against United.

Although Sigurdsson has had some good moments, I continue to be frustrated that a player of his quality isn't imposing his will on games. This is a player that bossed the ball and was one of the best at his position for a Swansea team that wasn't very good, and is the heart of an Iceland side that punches far, far above its weight class. That he didn't train in the offseason while his transfer was being hashed out and that the team has been unsettled for the whole season have surely hindered his progress, but the season is now more than half over. All three managers this year have used him in a left-of-center position to give Rooney room in the middle of the park, which has been effective at times (as Koeman pointed out, Sigurdsson sometimes played on the left for Swansea), but the managers and the formations have still not gotten the best out of him.

A bigger concern is that two of last year's solid performers, Davies and Schneiderlin, have regressed.

Davies is having a second-year slump. His game is as an energetic box-to-box midfielder, high work-rate, pacy, good passing, a pest in harassing and winning the ball back. For whatever reason, he seems less focused, he's not consistently in the right place, he's a step behind the play and committing dumb fouls as a result (he's tied for third in the league with 7 yellows). It's hard to tell what he's trying to do. Without a solid contribution from Davies, the midfield is sclerotic and less prone to controlling the ball.

Schneiderlin is probably the biggest problem with the team right now IMO. Solid last year but mostly absent this year. Timid trying to win the ball, timid going forward, timid with his passing. His year was summed up in a moment by Sam after the ManU game. In the first half, Everton traded punches with United and there was terrific end-to-end action, although neither team had a dangerous chance. At the start of the second half, though, Pogba, Lingard, and Mata took control of the game, and it looked like men against boys in the middle of the pitch. Sam brought on McCarthy- another recent return from injury - who immediately changed the tone by sending Pogba flying and sparked a brief run of good Everton form. After the game Sam said sarcastically and pointedly that it was nice to see someone in an Everton shirt actually tackling someone. An indictment of the whole team but obviously aimed mostly at Schneiderlin.

Everton are closing a deal for Turkish striker Cenk Tosun. Obviously striker is a pressing need but I think that the fortunes of the team will depend on sorting out the midfield. On paper a midfield corps of Sigurdsson, Rooney, Bolasie, Gueye, Schneiderlin, McCarthy, Vlasic and Davies has plenty of talent and should be an effective unit but they do not work well right now, individually or collectively. This is Sam's challenge right now.
 
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OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Um.

At the end of the meeting a shareholder asked the club’s board why Lukaku had been sold without a replacement secured.
The British-Iranian billionaire [Farhad Moshiri, majority Everton stockholder] replied: “With Romelu I wasted two summers trying to keep him. The first summer I spent three months with his agent, him, his mother and his family and we managed to keep him for another year.

“Then, last summer, we offered him a better deal than Chelsea. Whatever they offered we matched but he just didn’t want to stay. He wanted to play for Chelsea at that time.

“I can assure you we tried everything to keep Rom. If I tell you what we offered him you wouldn’t believe it. We offered him a better deal than Chelsea and his agent came to Finch Farm to sign the contract. Robert [Elstone, Everton’s chief executive] was there, everything was in place, there were a few reporters outside, then in the meeting Rom called his mother. He said he was on a pilgrimage in Africa or somewhere and he had a voodoo and he got the message that he needs to go to Chelsea.

“I got close to Rom, I like the boy, he’s a good boy, and I used all my charm to keep him and I flatly failed. This is unfortunately the world. Ultimately we lost money. To buy Rom now would be £120m. The issue was his brain had gone. He was in LA and he wouldn’t come back. It happens. Alex Ferguson got another year out of [Cristiano] Ronaldo but then he was off. [Luis] Suárez had to bite a few players to get off.”
 

PedroSpecialK

Comes at you like a tornado of hair and the NHL sa
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Dec 12, 2004
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Oh Farhad... not the smartest comment. Lukaku considering legal action for libel:
In other news, it appears the city of Liverpool will pay for 2/3 of Everton's new stadium:
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Romelu Lukaku is considering taking legal action against Farhad Moshiri over the Everton owner’s claim that the striker decided to leave the club because of a voodoo message.

Moshiri told Everton’s AGM on Tuesday that Lukaku rejected a new contract last summer because “he had a voodoo and he got the message that he needs to go to Chelsea”. Lukaku was wanted by Chelsea but ended up joining Manchester United.

A representative for Lukaku told BBC Sport: “Romelu’s decision had nothing to do with voodoo. He distances himself from these beliefs and this statement and will now see what judicial steps can be taken in relation to them.

“Romelu is very Catholic and voodoo is not part of his life or his beliefs. He simply had no faith in Everton and no confidence in Mr Moshiri’s project. That is why he did not want to sign on any condition. He wanted to make the next step in his career and wanted the security to be able to leave.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jan/10/romelu-lukaku-legal-action-farhad-moshiri-voodoo-manchester-united-everton
 

OurF'ingCity

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Not sure about the English legal system but in the US I think this would be a pretty hard case because Lukaku would have to prove he was somehow damaged (or will likely suffer damages in the future) by Moshiri’s comments.

That’s not to say Moshiri’s comments weren’t colossally stupid, of course - mostly because of the racism but also because other premiere talents might think twice about going to a team whose owner shits on departed players who didn’t want to stay with the team.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Spurs 4-0 Everton.

And it wasn't even that close. Could easily have been seven or eight Spurs goals, and Everton never even got a sniff - Lloris handled a couple of back passes but otherwise Spurs didn't need a keeper. 0 shots taken for the Toffees.

The low point of the season, and that's saying a lot.

The national press:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-looked-suspiciously-like-rabble-14153465

“Everton looked suspiciously like the rabble who did for first Ronald Koeman, then David Unsworth, and Sam Allardyce voiced worry about the inconsistency of a group that could play so well at Liverpool last week and so pathetically here,” he scribes.

“The £45million Sigurdsson was evident on the teamsheet but not the pitch. Idrissa Gueye and James McCarthy were uncompetitive in midfield. The entire back four, especially poor young Jonjoe Kenny, were tortured.”

“The Sam Allardyce revival has faltered, this being a fourth successive defeat. More alarmingly, having only conceded twice in Allardyce’s first seven games, Everton have now conceded ten in four games.

“Against Spurs, they looked nothing like an Allardyce team: over-run in midfield, chaotic in defence and pretty much inviting their opponents to run amok.”
Sam did a great job of drilling and organizing the back four when he got here, but yesterday was a shambles. The worst offender, as always, was Cuco Martina, who is only modestly skilled to begin with, and just cannot play left back - he is not left footed to begin with.

But - The 'overrun in midfield' part is the big point here. Granted, Eriksen, Alli, and Son are better than most, but as with Pogba and Lingard on New Years Day this was men against boys. New striker Tosun looked good on the three or four occasions where he got within two yards of the ball, but on current form it wouldn't matter if they had Kane or Suarez up there - there is zero service. There is also zero ability to build the ball up from the back or close the opposition down in midfield.

Last year, although service to Lukaku was somewhat lacking, the midfield was a competent unit, especially at DM, with Schneiderlin and Gueye. Davies was very good as a box-to-box also. Bolasie was a hellion before he got hurt.

This year, the midfield lost Barkley (who was hurt toward the end of last year, erratic, and known to be going anyway), Bolasie to injury, and the wise, useful, but 35-year-old Gareth Barry. On paper, that loss should have been offset by the signings of Ajax captain Klassen; Sigurdsson, one of the best 10's in the Premier League; and the past-his-prime-but-still-dangerous hometown lad Rooney, as well as up-and-comers Vlasic and Lookman.

Pffft.

Of course Klassen has been a total bust. Sigurdsson is not the player he has been for Iceland and Swansea. More worryingly, Davies, Schneiderlin, and Gueye have all taken a big step backward in form.

Why is that? What's the problem?

The problem is playing Wayne Rooney at No. 10.

By doing so, they are shunting Siggy out wide, where his lack of pace and defensive responsibilities to track back in front of the (terrible) left back make him a spectator. Everton held their own in the first half and showed flashes of putting it together but on the first Spurs goal, Aurier was left alone without a defender within ten yards of him on the right side of the box, since Martina was off somewhere else, and Siggy was huffing to get back there to no effect, and it was child's play for a tap to Son in front of the goal.

And then the wheels fell off in the second half.

Rooney at 10 clogs up the whole middle of the park. He does some nice bits of business on the ball and has a good instinct for putting himself in the right place but he's just not good enough to run the whole buildup and attack through him. It's no coincidence that Everton have looked at their most dangerous in this poor run of form when Rooney's been out of the lineup. Maybe the rest of the midfield is too tentative with Rooney in out of a perceived need to defer to him, or maybe they're just not able to stick to their individual responsibilities, I don't know.

I'm afraid Rooney makes this team less than the sum of its parts. Bench him and give Siggy the job.

Feh.
 
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OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Digest:

McCarthy’s leg was snapped in half in the most gruesome such incident I’ve ever seen.

Walcott looked decent.

Everton sucks.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Watford is blaming Everton for Silva's nose-dive, which lolz.

I'm not sure why Everton would want Silva now.

But who knows. Everton took 11/15 points in Sam's first five games, but were thought to be dull and boring bus-parkers. I'd settle for that now. Sam said yesterday that the defending was so bad on West Brom's first goal, an U11 side could have scored, and he's absolutely right. He did a great job of organizing the back four when he first got here but that has taken a step backwards. Cuco Martina is a disaster as a left back; he can't even use his left foot. I'm delighted they signed two attacking players but GET A FUCKING LEFT BACK. And the midfield is a mess. I've been screaming for Sigurdsson to have the middle to himself and Rooney to sit, and that's what they had in the first half, and it was awful. Vlasic started, which I've also wanted to see, but he did nothing. Bolasie came on at the half, and Rooney came on for McCarthy when he got maimed, and they looked better. Yet another case of the team being lethargic in the first half and needing subs to get it going, begging the question of why the best team wasn't out there to start, which has been the case all season. And then Tosun gets taken off - not his fault for being quiet, since he never gets the ball - and Niasse comes on to boos, as the crowd is like why the hell did we pay 27M for Tosun to pull him for a journeyman down 0-1 at 70'. And of course Niasse scores in less than a minute, which is what he's done all year - sit on the bench, be thrown in to games when Everton are down, and salvage points with improbable goals. Obviously not a very skilled player, and rumored to be out this transfer window (latest is Burnely), which is probably good for both him and the club, but dammit he's like the Energizer bunny, all he does is work and score - neither of which anyone else in an Everton shirt can do right now. The midfield gets routinely overrun. Schniderlin is completely useless- timid in challenge and constitutionally incapable of passing the ball forward.

Don't get me strated.
 

ninjacornelius

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Aug 18, 2005
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Now that the transfer window has closed, let's take a look at how the rest of the season is shaping up.

Out is Aaron Lennon (sold to Burnley for an undisclosed fee), Sandro (loaned to Sevilla), Kevin Mirallas (loaned to Olympiakos), Mo Besic (loaned to 'Boro), Ross Barkley (sold to Chelsea for peanuts), and Ademola Lookman (loaned to RB Leipzig). Of all of these players, Lookman is the most surprising. He hasn't been able to get any traction with either manager he's had in an Everton shirt, but was deemed talented enough to move to a top-5 Bundesliga team currently in the knockout stages of the Europa League? It just screams player mismanagement to me.

In is Cenk Tosun (bought from Besiktas for £27m), Theo Walcott (bought from Arsenal for £20m), and Eliaquim Mangala (loaned from Man City).

On the whole, I think the business was pretty good. I still don't understand how there's not a healthy left-footed LB on the squad, but the price may have been too steep. Theo impressed over the weekend, scoring a brace in a 2-1 win over Leicester, so we should enjoy these moments before his legs snap off. The jury's still out on Tosun, but Mangala is a solid PL player and if there's any option to buy over the summer then Everton should jump at the chance.

In other news, Seamus Coleman played the full 90 in his return from last year's double leg break. Not only was it a joy to see him on the pitch again, but he actually played very well. The prospect of him linking up with Walcott on the right side has me excited.

4 points from seventh, with an interesting string of matches coming up: away to a discombobulated Arsenal, home to Palace, then away to Watford and 7th place Burnley. If there's still a chance to make something of this season, the next month is it.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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This was a tremendous thing to see.

Leicester hit the woodwork a couple of times and Mahrez didn't play because of a possible transfer to City that never materialized, but still, this was glimpses of Everton's upside.

Niasse, inexplicably, started up front, not Tosun. Niasse is an enigma. He has come on late in games all year to score miracle goals to salvage Everton's season in crucial games. The typical Niasse goal has him fumbling and twisting impossibly through four defenders, like a cat chasing a ball of string. Yet feed him a simple pass in front of an open goal, and he botches it. I don't know how he missed the sitter he had in the first half, he put such an awkward spin on the ball and it corkscrewed to the outside of the post seemingly in defiance of physics, a simple toe poke would have scored. But it didn't matter. Although Niasse struggled where a better striker would have scored a couple of times, the team behind him approximated a good football team.

Keane played very well, as did, shockingly, Martina at left back. Davies started for the first time in a few weeks and was pleasantly aggressive. Rooney and Sigurdsson both played, and despite Sam's musings that they couldn't share the middle of the pitch (and a season's worth of evidence to that effect), both were effective, Rooney threading nice passes all game long (despite a dumb foul for a penalty) and Sigurdsson setting up the first goal very nicely.

But the stars were Walcott and Coleman. As the fans have been screaming all year, Everton need pace, and boy did Walcott and Coleman bring it. Walcott's forays opened up all kinds of space for Sigurdsson and Rooney to operate, and they did.

The best moment was in stoppage time, when Coleman collected the ball in front of goal and trucked the whole length of the pitch. He ran out of gas in the Leicester box and lost the ball, but the crowd was going nuts. I honestly think a riot would have broken out if he had scored. It was awesome.

4 points from seventh, with an interesting string of matches coming up: away to a discombobulated Arsenal, home to Palace, then away to Watford and 7th place Burnley. If there's still a chance to make something of this season, the next month is it.
Yup. Maybe the Toffees can claim their comfortable old spot of 7th in the table and nick a Europa spot. For the way this season started I'd be delighted.
 
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OurF'ingCity

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Apr 22, 2016
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Man, this thread really died, huh? Not that I can blame OCST or anyone else as everything that has happened from February till now has been the usual Everton "meh."

I really, really hope Big Sam isn't brought back next year (me and every other Everton fan, apparently). Comments like these are so depressing and such typical "this is the best Everton can do" BS:

I think where we are — seventh last year, eighth at the moment — we'd like to maintain that position of eighth in the league but I think it all depends on the recruitment in the summer and what the quality of the player might be.
So Sam is already conceding that we can't do better than 7/8 next year, and even that will require signing new, better players? It's all just so defeatist and I don't blame the "real" Everton fans in Liverpool for apparently planning a mass walk-out or some sort of other protest, though it remains to be seen if they'll actually be able to pull something like that off.

I'm hoping that Sam's recent comments about discussing next season with Moshiri are just self-propaganda - I do think it's somewhat encouraging that Moshiri apparently hasn't yet committed to Allardyce.

Of course, the question becomes, if Allardyce does leave, who takes his place? OCST or anyone else, any ideas? Depends who gets shitcanned elsewhere, I suppose.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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Funny you posted. I've started a "meh" post a dozen times and not finished it, because meh. Everton have been in a narrow band for some time: grinding out results, accumulating a decent number of points, solidified defensively, sorely lacking any kind of attacking verve, playing not to lose, infuriating the fans.

More later.
 

coremiller

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Jul 14, 2005
5,846
I mean, Everton probably can't do better than 7th/8th next year. They are 11 points behind Arsenal in 6th, and that understates the gulf in class -- Arsenal have a +24 GD while Everton are -12.

They can, however, finish 7th while building a long-term project that gives them a chance to do better than 7th in the future and playing more attractive football. And Allardyce is not the manager for that project. But it's not clear management is interested in that either -- or they wouldn't have spent all the Lukaku money on Sigurddson, Rooney, and Walcott.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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I mean, Everton probably can't do better than 7th/8th next year. They are 11 points behind Arsenal in 6th, and that understates the gulf in class -- Arsenal have a +24 GD while Everton are -12.

They can, however, finish 7th while building a long-term project that gives them a chance to do better than 7th in the future and playing more attractive football. And Allardyce is not the manager for that project. But it's not clear management is interested in that either -- or they wouldn't have spent all the Lukaku money on Sigurddson, Rooney, and Walcott.
I disagree with the bolded. I can't bill this to someone right now, but I'll have more tonight.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
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So this is how it ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper. After a ridiculous outlay of cash in the offseason - never was so much spent on so many to accomplish so little - Everton climb from seventh all the way to eighth. Leicester could catch them for ninth on the last day, if it matters to you.

Things started out well, with the Toffees beating Stoke 1-0 (as one does) in the opener with prodigal son Rooney keeping to the script by scoring in his first game in a blue shirt in twelve years. Everton next went toe-to-toe with the Citizens at Etihad and felt hard done by to get only a point (!). Summary dispatch was made of Ruzomberok of Slovenia and Hadjuk Split of Croatia in the opening ties of Europa.

But then - the losing began, and it wasn't just losing, it was ugly, purposeless, random football. The flaws in roster construction became plain. Ronald Koeman crashed out of Europa and plummeted down the table and interim David Unsworth failed to stem the bleeding. Only the Premiership's ultimate break-glass-in-case-of, Sam Allardyce, could or would take on the job of saving Everton from the drop. Which he did, with a run of good results to take the club out of danger. However, the fans soured on him quickly, as he played a dull, passive style, failing to even try to attack, even at home or even against weaker teams - clearly content to play for draws in visits to teams like Swansea and Newcastle. His hunker-in-the-bunker 5-2-3-1 got shredded for five by Arsenal.

Still, despite being 19th in shots and chances created, Everton have been something like 6th in the league in points since Sam came on. The patient has recovered and is up and about, but the diet has been bland and tasteless. The fans want Sam out.

What have we learned this year? What is the prognosis for next?

GK - Pickford is consensus club player of the year and probable #1 for England. Love him. Tough as hell, great competitor. Only worry is that a bigger club snaps him up. .

Defense - this was a disaster of bad planning, with no one on the roster to spell Leighton Baines at LB. Predictably, Baines, 31, broke down with so much work early in the season. Curacao international Cuco Martina, of no left foot, was pressed into service and it was not his fault that he was out of position and over his head. Coleman, of course, was out for 2/3 of the season still with his horrific leg break, and Jonjoe Kenny filled in admirably; he looks like a solid RB. Inconsistency deviled the center-backs, made much worse by the tendency of all three managers to screw around with formations and personnel (the nadir being Sam's disastrous back-five at Arsenal). Ashley Williams was the worst regular starter on the club by far and should never play another game ever again. Holgate showed flashes but also sucked in stretches and got hurt. Keane looked lost throughout the year, but when Coleman and Baines both came back, a back four of Baines-Keane-Jagielka-Coleman was very good. Jagielka's experience seems a good match with Keane's size and vigor. With more stability and veteran players around him he looks like he can realize his upside. But Jags is getting old, Baines is past his peak, and Coleman might be too.

Forwards - I'm skipping the middle of the park for a reason and heading up front. The best accomplishments on Sam's watch have been the additions of Tosun and Walcott. Walcott has added badly needed speed and competitive fire, though Theo gonna Theo - boneheaded decisions at times, and he doesn't show much interest in tracking back. Tosun is the real deal. Service has been sorely lacking, but when he gets the ball he can score with both feet and his head. He's strong and he's quick. He's never going to be a Harry Kane, but he could be a top-10 or top-5 PL striker. I like the guy. Calvert-Lewin shows promise. Wind-up toy Oumar Niasse is a sentimental favorite for working his way out of Koeman's doghouse (once being so far in disfavor he didn't even have a locker or a number) and had a knack for scoring improbable goals in big spots, but is not skilled or reliable enough and will probably leave for Palace or West Ham. So there are some goals in this group - why don't they score more???

Which leads us to the big problem with this team in 2017-18..... the midfield.

And the big problem there, and the biggest problem facing Everton, even more than the manager situation, and the single biggest factor in dooming this season to mediocrity, is.....



Sorry Wayne.

My PL fandom doesn't go back farther than my daughter's birth in 2010 (I started watching the games at weird hours of the morning with the baby as my wife slept, and started caring about who won), but from what I understand, one of the knocks on Rooney is that he lacks a true position. So it has been this year.

He has great ball skills, as shown by his perfectly-struck 70-yard golazo against West Ham. He has smarts. He's spirited. What he does not have anymore are legs underneath him or the ability to boss opponents physically. And there's nowhere really to put him. He's not comfortable as a true striker; he doesn't have the size to hold up, nor the quickness to run in behind the defense and create out of nothing. So his raw skill set is better suited for midfield, and he could be a great No. 10 - but his body has so many miles on it, from so much football and likely so much hard living, that it can't do the things he needs to do in that position. His stats for keeping possession and winning the ball from opponents are abysmal. He does well against lesser opposition, but of course that's where he's least needed. Against teams with strong midfields like Spurs, Liverpool, Man City - he's basically a traffic cone and Everton get shredded. He's been subbed off more than any other player in the PL this year. He hasn't scored for months, and his goal total is inflated by penalties, which he's not good at - he missed two, and one of his goals comes off a penalty rebound. He can do some pretty things when the ball falls to him in space, but that can be said of most PL players.

The upside could be effective senior leadership, right? Seemed to be the case at the beginning of the season. His football smarts could be seen on the pitch and the younger players raved about his positive influence. Everton's season turned south right around the time of his arrest for DUI. May not have been the cause but his leadership became less evident after that, maybe he used up some of his standing. In any event, I think his status as prodigal son and all-time hero is a net negative, since he can't live up to it on the pitch. The team seems leaderless and flat on the pitch, and I think it's because he sucks the oxygen out of the room. No one is going to out-alpha-dog him in the locker room, but the team desperately needs someone to step up and be the guy and as long as he's around I don't think that's possible.

That had a negative ripple effect on the whole midfield. Siggurdson should be the guy that this team is built around. He's not a dynamo physically either, but he's the No. 10 for the best national team pound-for-pound (quality vs population) in our lifetimes - Iceland have no business being as good as they are and he's the guy. He was also one of the best 10's in the PL over the past few years for a Swansea team that was desperate enough to hire Bob Bradley and that is going down without him. But the need to accomodate Rooney sent him out wide where he was wasted. Everton started to improve when he was moved to the middle of the park and Rooney was dropped to sort of a No. 7 role, trailing the play. Rooney was OK there, but not good enough.

Davies had a breakout season last season but backslid. He seemed to have no clear role except to run around too much to compensate for the Rooney clog. Bolasie has been a disappointment since coming back. Last season, he was tied with Coleman and ahead of Lukaku for highest average 1-10 game grade by fans in online polling, but this year he seems lost; his situational awareness is awful. Promising youth movement with pacy young wingers Nikola Vlasic and Amendola Lookman - the latter was foolishly loaned out to RB Leipzig and wants to stay there after having a great run of games, but Vlasic got no action. Klassen looked overmatched physically and never got a chance. McCarthy, whose physicality could have helped cover for Rooney, came back from injury and promptly got hurt. Human yellow card Mo Besic got loaned to Middlesboro, had a great year, might not come back, and could have been useful.

Gueye continued to do well in the DM role, winning balls in front of the back line, but his offensive skills will always be lacking. The other DM, Schneiderlin, had a terrible, terrible season for most of it- he must have been either hurt or dealing with some kind of personal issue because he was awful. In the past few weeks, he's shown as the player who was one of Everton's best last year. His regression was also a big factor in this year sucking.

But it was bound to be a struggle no matter what. The schedule at the beginning of the season was insanely difficult - after Stoke, Man City/Chelsea/Spurs/Man U/Bournemouth/Burnley/Arsenal. Their Europa group had a tough draw with Lyon and Atalanta. Even the cups were hard - early matches against Chelsea away in the Carabao, and of course at Liverpool in the FA. With so many new players, and Sigurdsson missing the preseason after a stupidly long contract haggle, it was foolish in retrospect to expect more.

Sam is gone. He deserves thanks on the way out for doing what he was asked to do. The next manager has a tough job. Evertonians expect bone crunching tackles and gutsy, smash mouth defense - but the vogue now is for pretty-passing European-type football, like what we're seeing across Stanley Park, and they want that too. It's good to want things.

Rooney looks headed to DC United. That's best for all involved. Reinforces the image of MLS as a rocking chair league but I don't care.

There is the spine of a good team here:

-------------------Pickford---------------------
-----Coleman-Keane-Jags-Baines------ depth needed
-------------Schneiderlin/Gueye------------
---Walcott/Sigurdsson/Davies/Lookman/Vlasic depending on formation
--------Tosun/Calvert-Lewin--------------

With some good depth and maybe a premium addition or two, and a steady hand at manager, and without Wayne clogging things up, this is a team that could compete to catch a straggler out of the top six. It's a better XI than Burnley, whom Dyche has melded into an effective unit where the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. With a couple years of stability and building on success by adding good pieces judiciously, then yes I can see a good future. But top brass needs to get its act together. The fish rots from the head. Farhad Moshiri seems well intentioned and has money, but the management has been a muddled mess.

TL;DR: Goodbye Wazza. It's Gylfi's team. Need good decision-making, a good plan, and a steady hand at manager. Decent pieces in place for the future. Could compete but likely a season or two away.