Are you that bothered?

[Seathestars]

I think Mourinho hit the nail on the head at Chelsea when he was accused of playing boring football.

'going years without winning a trophy is boring'

Give me a trophy anyday

 

[MikeH72]

Everton winning matches entertains me. Draws and defeats are not entertaining in the slightest, all the centre circle triangles in the world won't change that.

 

[bluestevon]

Yes, I'm bothered by what style we play in.

Carragher muttered some muck today basically saying that our 80s team were hoofball a lot of the time but could play a bit on occasion; the exact opposite was the case. And our best team of all time was apparently the Catterick team in terms of pure footballing ability. That squeaky voiced Kopite was having a dig, understandably. No need for us to aid him though.

Let's not dumb down our standards just because we've got a dinosaur for 6-12 months again.

the 80's side was a blood and thunder side Dave, had steel and quality all the way through it, my uncle who remembered both though always insisted the catterick side was the best he'd ever seen - from any side

 

[macdog]

The defence-splitting long ball that sows the seeds of panic is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

 

[Jimishorts]

IMO you have to play to your strengths, it’s about efficient but effective football, if we had a frontline of Salah, Firmino and Sane, I’d say ‘give Coutinho the ball and hit them on the break at pace’. If we had Xavi, Inesta and Messi then, ‘let’s play tiki taka’ however, we have the prince and dcl so let’s play whatever style suits them the best, if that’s long ‘cultured’ passes and knockdowns then so be it. If we pick up a different striker in January that’s great, adapt the system to suit. The most important thing is the result.

 

[msb]

For me the whole Sam issue is not about his style of play. Frankly I'd rather not be Wimbledon, but I wouldn't mind winning a cup. I've seen enough shockingly bad football under various managers not to worry about style - although I'd prefer School of Science of course.

Long ball is a legitimate tactic, so no worries there.

He's just a sleazebag though and our club is (was) better than that.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

I think there’s an important distinction between ‘direct’ football and ‘long ball’ football. I loved watching a lot of our stuff under moyes, where home games would often see us win just by making the opposition crack under the pressure of constant bombardment. Whatever some revisionists like to say, 95% of the crowd loved it too, because the atmosphere was often crackling in those days.

I don’t like the football we’ve played at times this year though, even on Wednesday, with aimless long hoofs in the direction of a lad who wins about 10% of headers.

If allardyce plays direct, winning football, i’ll Be happy enough.

That's it in one mate, if we're just lobbing balls up with no end product, or even leading to an attack on the opposition's goal, then it's just boring, defensive hoofball that 9 times out of 10 just comes right back at you.

 

[chrismpw]

It’s an opinion rammed down football fans throats by the media: ‘the football is dour’ ‘dinosaur football’ ‘% football’. As though anything played in the air is awful whilst only tiki takes in slippers on a carpet is entertainment.

We played quite a few long balls against West Ham. At no point did I find it boring though, is it wrong to say I actually enjoyed it? Mainly because Calvert Lewin was battling for all of them. We also played some great stuff on the deck for the second goal. The Goodison crowd loves effort, a big tackle, a whipped cross onto a towering header, god forbid a striker clattering a centreback and winning a flick on to a midfielder making the run.

Under Martinez even when we played well in that first season we always seemed to lack a little bit of that fighting spirit that seems to get the Goodison crowd off their seat. Sure there were some great moves and entertaining games but were there really loads of those ‘come on Everton’ moments when the whole ground is surging behind the team battling in Royal Blue?

If you watch back clips of the 80s teams they would mix up the long ball with short intricate stuff and crosses. The complete team who could play any way they wanted.

So my question is. If we are winning, if the atmosphere is crackling again, if the players are responding to it, are you that bothered if Sam introduces a little more of the ‘long ball’? Personally i’ll take all the patronising kopite media put downs in the world if going the match starts feeling more like Wednesday night than the last 4 and a half seasons.

Couldn't agree more. The sheer pace of a long hall game is excitement personified, but not when it's relied on all the time. If so it's just dull and predictable. Equally, tikka takka is dull and predictable. Like you said, 80s teams did both, and football was energetic and exciting.
Then what happened? We allowed ourselves to be convinced that delicate, prancing overseas football was superior (despite the success of the British style in international competitions) and so we blindly accepted the style and imported their players in legion.

If I had a time machine, I'd watch football from any era pre mid 90s, but nothing after. It just isn't dependably exciting or interesting enough any more.*

*Apart from last night's game v Limassol ... Unpredictable, anything could happen. Very enjoyable match.

 

[goodisonopheliac]

I went to a Man United v Spurs match where all they seemed to do half the time was pass the ball to each other in the centre of the field, though Lloris had his work cut out. United are a pretty horrible team to watch. Still, they win matches so who's laughing now?

 

[davek]

the 80's side was a blood and thunder side Dave, had steel and quality all the way through it, my uncle who remembered both though always insisted the catterick side was the best he'd ever seen - from any side

It certainly wasn't like a Wenger Arsenal team. But you have to appreciate what previously came before. The Everton teams immediately leading up to that were pretty raw (talented individuals and capable of fine play in spells, but more reliant on the usual weaponry of the big lad upfront and service from the wings and set piece play without much of a methodical approach). The Everton side of the 80s as it developed I couldn't take to at first. It was a departure from that. It felt a bit too much like HK was trying to replicate what Forest had done: a lot of movement and pace and ball carriers. You had to recalibrate what you were prepared to allow for from an Everton team. But to your point: that Everton team had a lot more finesse and a lot less blood and thunder about it. The balance had turned away from blood and thunder.

Context.

 

[Ebrell22]

The RS won a champions league under benetiz employing the same tactics.

Greece 2004. Moyes copied that model and got us into the champions league.
Defensive organisation, teamwork, determination and a side that can battle is admirable and can bring success

 

[Fletch]

I love it when we battle and the crowd gets angry, turns me to shivers imagining how intimidating it must be for the opposition. I long for the days when I was screaming at John Terry or Gerrard hoping they would have a terrible game, those night matches were awesome.

I'm happy if we mix it up a bit, there needs to be momentum, not sideways passing, once the crowd get up for it that will see us through to wins for the majority of homes games this season.

 

[CJR]

This whole boring football is a modern media nonsense, usually rolled out after one of the old Sky 4-5 got beat, their precious managers started to moan Wenger etc. that they were kicked or bullied and then the whole park the bus rubbish came out!

In reality only really City, Arsenal play "total football" or try too. And very few in history have been successful at it Brazil 70, Ajax, Barcelona Spain everyone else finds a system that suits the players they have, are hard to beat and have quality players in midfield/Forward positions who can win them games.
Total balls the whole discussion in my view.

 

[davek]

Greece 2004. Moyes copied that model and got us into the champions league.
Defensive organisation, teamwork, determination and a side that can battle is admirable and can bring success

I love it when we battle and the crowd gets angry, turns me to shivers imagining how intimidating it must be for the opposition. I long for the days when I was screaming at John Terry or Gerrard hoping they would have a terrible game, those night matches were awesome.

I'm happy if we mix it up a bit, there needs to be momentum, not sideways passing, once the crowd get up for it that will see us through to wins for the majority of homes games this season.

Yes, admirable in a way. But if that's all you have you are limited as a football team.

We got after teams like Chelsea and Arsenal and City on occasion, but we were barbarians hammering at the gates of Rome. Not a particularly distinguished comparison for a club of this stature. We surely aspire to better than that?

 

[Fletch]

Yes, admirable in a way. But if that's all you have you are limited as a football team.

We got after teams like Chelsea and Arsenal and City on occasion, but we were barbarians hammering at the gates of Rome. Not a particularly distinguished comparison for a club of this stature. We surely aspire to better than that?

We do, but at the time we were under Moyes and had absolutely money, and took the game to Chelsea with players like Cahill and Osman etc, yes we were punching, and no we shouldnt have been, but hats where we were.