Match Thread Everton v Fulham - Preview, Match Report and MotM Poll

[Chrismac]

The thing is here that James is 'allowed' to be rubbish with 7 assists and 5 goals so far, but more importantly it's the other players who only turn up for some matches that worry me. Especially Siggy, Iwobi now. Holgate, Godfrey in the middle looked powerful and strong, but the team looked ok on paper, I just can't understand ever Siggy and James both playing together because I don't think Siggy is good at playing in a disciplined way, and we can't afford him to try to take up space and slow the pace ..it has to go through James if he's in the team.

We have to try and accommodate James every minute he's fit for as long as we have him. But we dont do that by wrapping him in a mid with Gomes and Sig.
I also think Digne's weakest point is his defending so we need a hardworking winger/mid in front of him ie Richy or King

 

[koston120]

Dunno what's happened with Holgate but he's been absolutely brutal of late. He looks so complacent, lethargic and like he doesn't give a flying one. Has given away possession, lazily, so often over the last while it's unreal, not to mention his lazy pushes and fouls when up against someone running at him. Needs a long spell out to send a rocket up his arse.

Agree, he seems a bit 'too coo for school' lately. Didn't appreciate him joking around with Fulham players when 0-2 down. Friends or not off the pitch, for 90 minutes you are enemies.

 

[APN_EFC]

First time I think he had a proper mare. I dont tend to criticise him. In fact I think 95% of the criticism of the manager this season has been a nonsense.

Tonight I was just baffled by almost everything

Why did he drop both first choice centre backs

Why did Sigurdsson start through the middle

Why were both Iwobi and King left out

Why did Gomes Sigurdsson and James all start

Why did Coleman start behind James

Why did we wait to go behind before changing it

Why was Holgate not subbed

Why was Davies, our only competitive midfielder hooked

If Allan was fit to be a sub, why was he not brought on

Why did we at no point start playing long to get up the pitch

Why did we start both halves so lethargic and half arsed?

Why were we taking short flipping corners!!!! lol

I didn't watch this game...

Why Holgate ?
I agree with this that Gomes, James, Siggy can never all start together, because Gomes is JUSt showing fitness and strength from his first year and SIggy is slow and one-paced. James can do what he likes tbh and i dont' think he's slow and weak, just that we can't afford lower quality versions of his type of play int he same team

 

[Blue since 1950]

If the Everton players were fined £50 off their wages for every time that they passed sideways and backwards then they would hardly earn anything for this game
Just as well that there are no fans as they would have booed them off
Never have we had a better incentive either with games in hand and that other team from across the park faltering
I am Seventy years old and have watched Everton since 1954 Including the greats of the sixties and the eightees
Oh to remember the days when five forwards drove up on the attack
I will die supporting the club but not this lot

 

[ForeverEverton]

I said in the transfer window it was a massive mistake not to add more quality, will it cost us Europe as a lot of others have predicted? Looking very likely.....

Can we add that sort of quality without Europe? Seems the cycle has started all over again......

 

[ToffeeTim]

I didn't watch this game...

Why Holgate ?
I agree with this that Gomes, James, Siggy can never all start together, because Gomes is JUSt showing fitness and strength from his first year and SIggy is slow and one-paced. James can do what he likes tbh and i dont' think he's slow and weak, just that we can't afford lower quality versions of his type of play int he same team

Holgate was utterly abysmal

Constantly gave the ball away and that was playing sideways too. He wasnt even trying to play forward. The opening goal was a mess from him too. He totally lost his man for a tap in.

Abject performance. Truly dreadful and no surprise because he is always a calamity waiting to happen.

 

[Sharpies volley]

For what purpose tonight though? Genuine question, where was the link play from midfield? Simply wasn't there, exasperated!

Everytime James got the ball, who was also rubbish by the way he was looking up to see where the runs were being made and the answer is no where.

 

[APN_EFC]

We have to try and accommodate James every minute he's fit for as long as we have him. But we dont do that by wrapping him in a mid with Gomes and Sig.
I also think Digne's weakest point is his defending so we need a hardworking winger/mid in front of him ie Richy or King

That's the point. Gomes-Siggy don't work well in the same midfield, without Allan-Doucoure and now Davies. And you're right, if we are going with width, then we need to make some kind of partnerships and triangles like Baines - Pienaar, we've never had anything like that since on either side.

 

[Jamesblue90]

Richy isn’t fast......
This season Richy hasn’t really been anything.
If Barcelona are really going to pay silly money for him we should be grabbing it. He doesn’t have a single stand out attribute and when the chips are down - I think - he lacks a bit of bottle. He looked a better player when we first signed him from Watford. At the moment he looks like he lost 2 yards of pace and like I said he wasn’t fast in the first place.

Compared to the rest of tonight's front 6, Richy is a greyhound. And that's saying something.

 

[BlueToff]

He’s made the same mistake at home against at least 3 different teams but he’s also made changes and approached games in a way that has won us points and he has unquestionable pedigree - got done by Scot Parker tonight - get up em apples and pears

Exactly. But he hasn't made the same mistake twice. Today he did - and it started with that starting XI.

I think there is also an issue there with backroom staff. IMO, your assistants should not be 100% backing you up in that scenario. Obviously, support, but you have to challenge.

If it was a joint decision between him and Davide - who does a lot tactically - then really both look at themselves.

The worst thing is we scraped through to half-time and he didn't change it.

 

[hallamblue]

Godfrey Mina Keane Digne has to be the way to go for the rest of the season.

 

[teppic]

A tough game. Fulham played the best game of their season. Absolutely no mistake about that. Some fantastic reactions here though.

 

[TheNinja]

Without looking at the numbers I would almost guarantee that Olsen had twice as many touches as our forward 3 combined. All due to cowardly play, unwilling to pass forward or run with the ball. All our back four and midfield do is pass between themselves about six times and then kick it back to Olsen to boot up to a Fulham player. Atrocious performance tonight from every blue including Carlo.

It's been like that most of the season, until we go behind and the other team sit back a bit.

 

[TheNinja]

A tough game. Fulham played the best game of their season. Absolutely no mistake about that. Some fantastic reactions here though.

Amazing how many do against us

 

[Toffeeslam]

Struggling to pick a motm to be honest they were all absolutely shocking