If you’ve got the information, I have got the crime…

(More, more, more – than what we’re getting lately at St.s grounds, please…)

Oh dear.
Reality-check time again.
Excuses needing making once more.

If finishing 10th was seen not only as a realistic target, but a purpose to measure in the medium-term (‘til BMD is built and FFP is slightly less a handcuff upon progress), then surely Southampton were the most obvious target to overhaul.  I was very much looking forward to statistically-speculating upon how we were going to do this in the coming weeks and months.  Not looking realistic now.


So WHY DIDN’T what needed to happen yesterday – happen?

How much did yesterday owe to players not being able to raise their games away from more favourable atmospheres?
(Mental strength and resolve, when the chips are down.)


How much do players not understand what their individual and collective duties are?
(Trying to carry out instructions many personnel just do not have the experience/knowledge to get right.)

And/or how much are certain personnel simply either not willing, or shy away, from certain forms of hard graft?


It’s credit to you fellow LoveEvertonForum participants who didn’t underestimate Southampton before yesterday. They (Southampton) clearly haven’t forgotten the feeling of watching their foe (Portsmouth) winning the 20008 F.A. Cup – and enjoying a good run in the 2008-09 (then)-UEFA Cup, during their own dark days in the third tier of English football. Last season’s 9-0 embarrassment at Old Trafford vastly improved this season – for example. Pride clearly not an issue with their approach to the game.

And an approach clearly not limited to the 90 minutes on the pitch. Every time a blue shirt tried to buy possession through rolling their upper body between Southampton man and ball – they were having none of it. A calculated gamble of Benitez’s in spending less time in the gym over a short Summer reset, in favour of focusing more on intelligence on the pitch via the training ground sadly wasn’t bearing fruit.

Nor was the all-too-familiar pattern of us being 2nd out of the blocks on the blow of the first whistle.

Whilst the latter couldn’t have been blamed upon Lampard’s team yesterday; two sets of eleven with intent to ‘PLAY’ right from the start, it was our opponents who managed to achieve something we didn’t – and that was playing the game the way THEY WANTED it to be played, NOT how we did.


Southampton players, individually and as a team, revealed a lot about themselves in yesterday’s game.

They knew what they could and couldn’t do.
They all had a ‘Philosophy A’ to follow, and respected the duty.
They were not going to defeated easily, nothing to be given to us; we had to ‘earn the right’ etc. etc.

And to be fair, that’s exactly what we were doing. As early as 90 seconds into the game, a clear difference Lampard has made was evident: when a scrappy passage of play near Southampton’s corner flag ended with play being forced back to Pickford, one of our defenders was sufficiently focused on the game to make through a pass that sliced through the Southampton midfield.

No goal resulted, but the game would, for ten odd minutes, be played in their half of the pitch because we were ready and talented enough to make it that way. The hand-ball appeal the nearest we came to a goal, or a tangible return from our endeavour – a vast improvement on how games have started for much of this season.


Then, in the heat of the moment: one of our key players makes a bad decision to go to ground, and has to see out 75 minutes of play on a yellow. I’m not for one minute going to blame yesterday’s defeat on Allan at all, but it was less than the very high standards of play we take for granted from him, particularly that he was very lucky not to see red just five minutes later.

The debate as to whether we need MORE than just two central midfielders in the central areas of combative play rages on. Be your own judge.

There’s plenty to discuss – and discuss with conviction – about a very much absent element of play, as well as missed aspects of play absent personnel left us missing, particularly in that terrible 2nd-half. And whilst I’m neither going to make excuses for players (or should I say ‘one trick ponies’) who fall way-too-short of requirements in contribution, nor use this article to once again as a soap box for the captain’s armband to be handed to our most mentally-strong, but youngest first team squad regular, there was one very bit of good news from that 1st-half.

Southampton players, coaching staff, who/whatever – managed to impose a game upon us that suited them better. Call that ‘spoiling’. Call that ‘mental strength’. Breaking up our passing gameplan perfectly legally, they played a low percentage game; the only respectful criticism that could’ve been laid towards their players was a shying away from 50%-ish shooting opportunities being turned down in favour of playing and passing for better. Kyle Walker-Peters-aside: better opposition would not have needed ‘second invitations’, otherwise this game could’ve ended with a far more ugly scoreline – or a very different 2nd-half approach by Everton players and manager.


Yet despite not having things our way for 30-odd 1st-half minutes, we were level at the break. We’d hung in, only allowing Southampton half-chances. Half the battle WON, beit only the easy bit.


It’s what DIDN’T happen in the 2nd-half which makes me upset.

The word “DIDN’T” in capital letters.
The word “what” even more significant.

Since Foxtrot Foxtrot Papa came into effect in 2011, though not to everyones’ apparent notice until it really started biting very hard in late 2017, there have been many players recruited on limited attributes of high level. Either high technical ability (with little substance in character to respond positively in individual contribution to the team’s needs), or wonderful application of energy and enthusiasm (not matched with talent required at this level).

The £20m-£30m price bracket. Allan clearly an exception to this rule.

My personal conclusion from this article, is that despite acknowledging that the ever-growing global market for personnel in sport is ever-more competitive, and that there has to be losers for every winner, something in the name of progress needs to change. Something that starts with an organisation seemingly infatuated with a thirst for obscenely-high levels of money being poured into the sport, yet for some apparent reason – Moshiri’s money is less welcome.

When personnel are not willing to contribute to team ethics and requirements, sometimes there's no other solution- they simply have to go.

UEFA: wake up and see sense.