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Post by rosscrombie on Apr 15, 2018 12:57:09 GMT
Depressingly predictable performance, and the only surprise is that we squeaked a point out of a lacklustre display that had CBA written all over it. The crossbar may still be swaying at the Liberty as Coleman’s shot from about 3 yards out was too well hit on the stretch when a scuff was the order of the day. It was about the only decent move of the game from our perspective unless you’re generous with the build-up to the pin-ball own goal that had raised momentary hope of back to back away wins for the Blues. As if we’d have done that? I mean, after a season like this? You can choose your own D word. Depressing. Demotivating. Disastrous. Disheartening. Dispiriting. Dismal. Dire. Diabolical. A season that started with such hope, maybe even a large dollop of expectation, has come crashing down around our ears. It’s hard to remember any kind of ‘purple patch’ that we can look back on, not as a team anyway, just a handful of individual performances that at least prove that this squad is capable, even though by and large they’ve shown themselves to be incapable. And at the helm have been two managers that have also shown they’re incapable of harnessing the power and strength of the support base that has often contrived to raise performances, both home and away. Whether Unsworth would have achieved that, rather than be shuffled back in to the back-room pack, we’ll never know. What the match against Swansea showed us is that we don’t appear to have any kind of plan, and precious little DNA of a style that we want to play, other than ‘don’t lose’; wasn’t yesterday (and the final few games we have to endure), the chance to throw off the shackles, and give the fans some wondrous one touch creative approach and attacking play? Instead, we turn up at a team just above the relegation zone and play two DMs, one of whom has been shocking all season, and Rooney just in front of them, a man, sadly, surely in the twilight of his playing days and probably not the creative spark in midfield that we desperately need. Oh for a Juan Mata, a Cesc Fabregas or even dare I say it a Jonjo Voldemort (who despite being an absolute knob, is actually a player who plays it forward quickly). Ok, maybe not him, and maybe someone like the aforementioned Spaniards who haven’t got as many miles on the clock (they’re 30/31 by the time next season starts), but do they exist in the squad and we just need them back to full fitness? Well, at least we have Sigurdsson, who was definitely getting in to the groove before his injury, but that’s about it. Pretty sure there’s not a creative talent in the U23s that’s being suppressed and just desperate to get his chance. So for all the calls for a CB or two, a LB or LB back up, a 20+ goals a season striker, the priority for me is to get a player who can release a pretty dynamic front three at the moment of Tosun, Walcott, and hopefully Bolasie if we can get off his back for a minute and let him get back to full fitness and play like we know he can. And if that front 3 is augmented by another pacy winger ….well, we can but dream. Instead we have to listen to the dirge put out by one of the worst managers at Everton since records began (in other words, ever) whose definition of success includes winning the second half of a game when we were 3-0 down after the first, and didn’t even mange 20% possession in the whole game; holding our neighbours to a drab goalless draw when they had half the team out that played City; and saying a draw away in the PL is a good result (technically true, but we didn’t NEED a point, what we NEEDED was a display of verve and excitement as a thank you to the loyalty of the fans, home and in particular away). I’ve said all along, so I’m not bandwagoning it, I think Allardyce is an awful Manager, how on earth he managed to become England Manager is a mystery, and why on earth we chose him as our apparent saviour is even more of a riddle. I remember when he was appointed to the England job, and the main selling point fed to us was that “he’d never been relegated”. If there was ever a prime example of glass-half-full thinking, you’ve got it right there. OK, it may have been a ‘needs must’ appointment at Everton as we slid down a rather too slippery slope, but I honestly believe Unsworth would have achieved the same, and – HA! – you’ll never prove me wrong. I’m struggling to write words to describe my beautiful team. And for that, Big Sham, you can take the blame. It’s a hell of an achievement mate, you’ve even managed to extinguish hope amongst swathes of Evertonians, and no one ever thought that was remotely achievable. Depressing indeed. Ross Crombie
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Post by Avinalaff on Apr 15, 2018 15:28:41 GMT
Let's look deeper at our problem, as I get bored at all the hostility towards Allardyce on social media, as although he isn't the manager I want in charge next season, this season, we probably needed him - not for his beautiful football, tactics, or interviews, but just because we needed to climb the table away from danger, and that's what Sam gives you.
When Moyes left, he'd been running the show at Everton for over a decade.
Our board suddenly found themselves having to be independent, and hiring Martinez was a risk, as his style of football was different to that of Moyes, and the players he had were set in their ways under Moyes' style.
Adding Lukaku was a great move by Martinez, and to be fair, he signed some decent players, and found good prices for fringe players, but he also signed a lot of garbage too. Season 1 was a good start, bolstered also from the loss in form of Man Utd & Spurs, and we should really have gotten top 4, but our mentality on the pitch was still weak. The mentality of the board was weak too, as in the January window, and Lukaku injured, we didn't attempt to strengthen, and at the time we were 4th. I think we actually sold strikers, but don't quote me.
The next 2 seasons showed players switching off and Martinez under pressure, but really Martinez should have gotten rid of the bad apples, notably the seniors from Moyes' era, but we also had Europe that season, which in fairness, we were looking decent in until the big exit, and cup comps were going ok too.
Should we have stuck with Martinez? Not with the same players, but all old news now, and besides, his conferences were hard to watch, with his big positive words and smoke screens.
Koeman replaced Martinez, and once again, was a completely different style, which meant yet another change of tactics for players. We started the season very well, but then had a long period where we struggled, before picking up again near Christmas. Roll forward to the summer window, and it became an absolute shambles of a window, with the board knowing full well that Lukaku and Barkley would not be involved, and knowing full well we had need of cover in many areas.
The PR team did a great job convincing fans that they were building this magical team, and spending huge sums of money, yet the truth was that they were trying to balance the books, not the squad.
On the last day of the window, with no recognised strikers, we still tried to sell Niasse and Barkley, which had that happened, would have left our net spend fairly minimal. We paid huge prices for ordinary players, yet the season still saw us field about 10 players of the age 23 or under, which showed how ridiculous our squad strength was.
We knew the fixture list was awful, as not only were we faced with an early preseason, with Europe, but we also had City, Chelsea, Spurs and United to deal with in the opening league fixtures, so it was no surprise that we would struggle early on in the season, and struggle we did.
Instead of anticipating the struggle, we ended the window with a thrown together squad, many having not played together, plus the bad injuries to the likes of Coleman, Barkley, Bolasie, Funes Mori etc etc.
The players' heads went, the fan's heads went, and I suspect there was friction between Koeman and the directors, and he was sacked.
An absolute shambles of a transition from Moyes to Allardyce, yet Sam came in, knowing how awful we were, and was hired to keep us in the Premier League, nothing else. Some fans seem to think he was expected to produce great football with the shitshow of a squad that we had, or show ambitious tactics, which he isn't known for, but when you look at our starting 11, that 11 should be good enough to play good football, and we can only question Sam so much, and need to again question our players.
I don't want Allardyce next season, but he doesn't deserve the amount of abuse he gets, nor is it his fault we're a joke of a football team recently, but what I 'have' discovered is just how pathetic our fanbase has become, in that once we were known for being astute in football matters, but now we're just a bunch of expectant little crying arses who take to social media to partake in mass hysteria.
If I was Moshiri, I would 'insist' that the bad apples are gotten rid of in the summer, and I would attempt to find a manager who can work with the players that are left. We can't pass a ball 10 yards without losing possession, so heaven knows why we would want an 'ole' football manager, as if he didn't buy 'ole' players, it would just fail again, so either buy a whole new squad to suit the next manager, or hire a manager that can work with what he has, and that is a pigs ear - forget silk purses.
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Post by rosscrombie on Apr 15, 2018 16:40:09 GMT
Let's look deeper at our problem, as I get bored at all the hostility towards Allardyce on social media, as although he isn't the manager I want in charge next season, this season, we probably needed him - not for his beautiful football, tactics, or interviews, but just because we needed to climb the table away from danger, and that's what Sam gives you. When Moyes left, he'd been running the show at Everton for over a decade. Our board suddenly found themselves having to be independent, and hiring Martinez was a risk, as his style of football was different to that of Moyes, and the players he had were set in their ways under Moyes' style. Adding Lukaku was a great move by Martinez, and to be fair, he signed some decent players, and found good prices for fringe players, but he also signed a lot of garbage too. Season 1 was a good start, bolstered also from the loss in form of Man Utd & Spurs, and we should really have gotten top 4, but our mentality on the pitch was still weak. The mentality of the board was weak too, as in the January window, and Lukaku injured, we didn't attempt to strengthen, and at the time we were 4th. I think we actually sold strikers, but don't quote me. The next 2 seasons showed players switching off and Martinez under pressure, but really Martinez should have gotten rid of the bad apples, notably the seniors from Moyes' era, but we also had Europe that season, which in fairness, we were looking decent in until the big exit, and cup comps were going ok too. Should we have stuck with Martinez? Not with the same players, but all old news now, and besides, his conferences were hard to watch, with his big positive words and smoke screens. Koeman replaced Martinez, and once again, was a completely different style, which meant yet another change of tactics for players. We started the season very well, but then had a long period where we struggled, before picking up again near Christmas. Roll forward to the summer window, and it became an absolute shambles of a window, with the board knowing full well that Lukaku and Barkley would not be involved, and knowing full well we had need of cover in many areas. The PR team did a great job convincing fans that they were building this magical team, and spending huge sums of money, yet the truth was that they were trying to balance the books, not the squad. On the last day of the window, with no recognised strikers, we still tried to sell Niasse and Barkley, which had that happened, would have left our net spend fairly minimal. We paid huge prices for ordinary players, yet the season still saw us field about 10 players of the age 23 or under, which showed how ridiculous our squad strength was. We knew the fixture list was awful, as not only were we faced with an early preseason, with Europe, but we also had City, Chelsea, Spurs and United to deal with in the opening league fixtures, so it was no surprise that we would struggle early on in the season, and struggle we did. Instead of anticipating the struggle, we ended the window with a thrown together squad, many having not played together, plus the bad injuries to the likes of Coleman, Barkley, Bolasie, Funes Mori etc etc. The players' heads went, the fan's heads went, and I suspect there was friction between Koeman and the directors, and he was sacked. An absolute shambles of a transition from Moyes to Allardyce, yet Sam came in, knowing how awful we were, and was hired to keep us in the Premier League, nothing else. Some fans seem to think he was expected to produce great football with the shitshow of a squad that we had, or show ambitious tactics, which he isn't known for, but when you look at our starting 11, that 11 should be good enough to play good football, and we can only question Sam so much, and need to again question our players. I don't want Allardyce next season, but he doesn't deserve the amount of abuse he gets, nor is it his fault we're a joke of a football team recently, but what I 'have' discovered is just how pathetic our fanbase has become, in that once we were known for being astute in football matters, but now we're just a bunch of expectant little crying arses who take to social media to partake in mass hysteria. If I was Moshiri, I would 'insist' that the bad apples are gotten rid of in the summer, and I would attempt to find a manager who can work with the players that are left. We can't pass a ball 10 yards without losing possession, so heaven knows why we would want an 'ole' football manager, as if he didn't buy 'ole' players, it would just fail again, so either buy a whole new squad to suit the next manager, or hire a manager that can work with what he has, and that is a pigs ear - forget silk purses. Excellent reply Av. I am a bit worried about the clamour for, as you say, the kind of football played by Fonseca's Shakhtar, because again as you say, we haven't got the players who can play like that. And frankly, who'd heard of him as little as 6 months ago? Could he hack it in the PL with the higher standard of opposition week in, week out - there 22 points difference between SD who are top and third placed (the famous) Vorskla Poltava. I reckon no one would be able to name any more than 2 of the teams in their Premiership. So for me it has to be someone like Dyche, who may be a bit Moyes-like in getting average players to over-perform, and who, himself, may not even want the job given Burnley are likely to be in Europe; Howe who is not dissimilar, but who has yet to prove himself in terms of defending but is obviously some fans' choice because he supports Everton. But it has to be best coach we can get first and foremost, and Everton connection a bonus. What is obvious is that Moshiri needs to change the Board. We have to lose Elstone, we should probably lose Woods and Kenwright too. On the coaching and recruitment staff, along with SA we should lose Lee and Walsh, and if I'm honest I have no idea what Shakespear has done or even is doing for the Club. Unlike some, I'd like to see Ferguson retained, and Unsworth, if for no other reason than they can help a new team at the top, of management, and hopefully players, to understand what it means to pull on the Blue of Everton. I can produce a long list of players who can go because they clearly don't get it, or are probably either not good enough, or going to be good enough. One final thought though: can the Club cope with changing absolutely everything all at once? It's a big question. I wish I knew the answer!
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Post by Avinalaff on Apr 15, 2018 23:18:00 GMT
Excellent reply Av. I am a bit worried about the clamour for, as you say, the kind of football played by Fonseca's Shakhtar, because again as you say, we haven't got the players who can play like that. And frankly, who'd heard of him as little as 6 months ago? Could he hack it in the PL with the higher standard of opposition week in, week out - there 22 points difference between SD who are top and third placed (the famous) Vorskla Poltava. I reckon no one would be able to name any more than 2 of the teams in their Premiership. So for me it has to be someone like Dyche, who may be a bit Moyes-like in getting average players to over-perform, and who, himself, may not even want the job given Burnley are likely to be in Europe; Howe who is not dissimilar, but who has yet to prove himself in terms of defending but is obviously some fans' choice because he supports Everton. But it has to be best coach we can get first and foremost, and Everton connection a bonus. What is obvious is that Moshiri needs to change the Board. We have to lose Elstone, we should probably lose Woods and Kenwright too. On the coaching and recruitment staff, along with SA we should lose Lee and Walsh, and if I'm honest I have no idea what Shakespear has done or even is doing for the Club. Unlike some, I'd like to see Ferguson retained, and Unsworth, if for no other reason than they can help a new team at the top, of management, and hopefully players, to understand what it means to pull on the Blue of Everton. I can produce a long list of players who can go because they clearly don't get it, or are probably either not good enough, or going to be good enough. One final thought though: can the Club cope with changing absolutely everything all at once? It's a big question. I wish I knew the answer! I'm unsure about Fonseca. I'm not convinced his credibility hasn't risen off the back of a few good Champions League games, and mass hysteria on Twitter because we were linked with him. Why if he's so good is his contract about to expire? Only 2 teams capable of winning that league and he manages the current one in form who've dominated mostly over the last decade. He 'could' prove to be a good Everton manager, but I'm no expert on him. Dyche has shown he has what it takes to have a good season with Burnley, in a similar fashion to Moyes, but it's his first accomplishment in that respect, and is he simply taking advantage of Everton being poor, or the rest of the league being poor, as it really has been a baffling standard outside of the top 5. Bournemouth appear in good hands with Howe, but can he handle the expectancy at Everton, which in truth, is a mid table fan-base (Top / middle / bottom) expecting top 4 standard football. Can he attract players, and can he work with what we have, to the standards we desire. What are fans expecting next season? Bear in mind that the weakest team in the top 6 are Arsenal, which highlights the gap we have to close. Change wise, I think the older players have to be forced out. I know Baines and Jagielka are popular, but they've also been ever-presents in our decline since Moyes, and after seeing Rooney's refusal to shake Sam's hand, I'd suggest he goes too. Add Williams, Mirallas, Schneiderlin, and I've only talked about the bad attitudes. We then have the players who are not up to the standard we require to push the top 6. Top 6 push? - sad isn't it? I used to think about challenging for the title every season when I was a kid. Nev Southall made the quote about 'they've brainwashed you into thinking finishing 6th is good. is it *****'. Now we can't even get near that top 6, and it's not 'just' because the other teams have improved, but because we've adopted the attitude that 'taking part' is profitable, as a club. The tv money has been the downfall of our last few seasons. It made us lazy and content. Moshiri has Ryazntsev on the board, who has a slight football background, but I don't think anybody else is football savvy, which may be why we want to go down the DOF roll, and possibly extend that to Brands, who I know little about. We heard Moshiri's ambition when he spoke about 'expected losses', but we should be striving to a point where every game is winnable. I'm not expecting titles, but Everton under David Moyes would have pushed top 4 this season, but we're nowhere near as good as the team he left, and given that team was only a 'best of the rest' team, it's a sign that money alone won't improve us.
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Post by evertonfan1968 on Apr 17, 2018 14:19:28 GMT
rosscrombie Why is Allardyce one of the worst managers at Everton since records began? I don't want him after this campaign but aren't you exaggerating a bit given stats show different?
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