Match Thread Everton v Watford. 8th Aug at 15.00.

[Keith Putnam]

one isolated striker

Yeah, I am always against Lukaku playing as a lone striker. Really, he's a target man (when he's not being a clumsy Muppet). We've got to get a quick, aggressive striker in before September and play two up top with Lukaku mostly holding and serving and only taking shots of opportunity.

 

[MartSlinger]

Take either McCarthy or Barry off, not arsed who tbh. Lash Cleverley in the middle or move Barkley further back.
Bring on Kone or Naismith, attacking players who can get close to Lukaku, personally id go for Kone. He's not done bad when he's partnered Rom up top.

 

[TheFinnFan]

if we manage to screw this up our new signings will feel like warm beer

 

[Sy-]

No width to beat this defence need to get around the back Coleman when in with a chance has ignored this

From what I have seen that is all we are trying to do on the right, only to get forced off the pitch or rail-roaded to the corner flag over and over and over again, literally flogging a dead horse.

Kev needs to stay on the left where he can cut in early and Coleman needs to go back into defence and forget it because they have our one and only attacking tactic covered.

 

[Big Fat Sam]

Cometh the hour, cometh the man:

 

[Billy Dean]

Shades of Palace in 97

 

[rochdaleblue]

Those of us (like me) who criticised the transfer policy of the summer, were told not to panic as other clubs were spending money for fun. As it is, same squad (and manager) have produced the same boring predictable football of last season.

 

[rochdaleblue]

Those of us (like me) who criticised the transfer policy of the summer, were told not to panic as other clubs were spending money for fun. As it is, same squad (and manager) have produced the same boring predictable football of last season.

 

[atrottel]

It is quite incredible how we slow the game down. Every single player in midfield and defence apparently thinks he is Lionel Messi. That means that Jagielka, who I like, gets the ball, has no-one near him, dawdles on it until someone comes to close him down, does a neat trick to wrong-foot him and passes it into midfield. In the 30 seconds that has taken the opposition have set themselves up in their own half.

 

[TrixyStevens]

Won't matter who we bring in
Plain to see the tactics are a major issue

 

[TyphooToffee]

Need Osman on.

Agreed

 

[meagher94]

Lukaku badly needs support. I'd actually throw Kone on and take either McCarthy or Barry off, and drop Barkley deeper.

Martinez would never be this bold though. Obviously there'll be no changes at HT.

 

[USABlue]

We never get red cards for the oppostion, for challenges like Deeneys one.
Had it happened against Chelsea etc, he'd have been off, Jagielka is too weak to be Captain.

So it's jags fault the ref gave a yellow? Sake

 

[Wizard]

How can you be happy with three defensive mids at home? If Barry is so good why do we barely win a game when he's playing and have once again created absolutely nothing.

Tom Cleverley isn't a defensive midfielder. He's not a left winger either but we aren't playing 3 defensive midfielders.

 

[bizzaro]

On the plus side *insert comment here*

... time for Naismith to come on

 

[DualityNSNO]

You will find that when RB is are only attacking midfielder who does he link up with?

Again, Lukaku in front, Galloway on the left.

I don't want him to do badly, he just does this way too often - he's NOT a team player at all, by any stretch. I get the lad, Blue an all, wants to be the highlight, wants to be to us what Gerrard is to the RS, but this is not the way at all. Try and create goals, do the simple things easily. Example of that is, as much as I don't like him now, Osman - does the simple things amazingly well, is calm and collected on the ball, has decent technique and uses it when he has to.

Barkley tries to overuse his technique too often, which often fails him as he has to slow down pretty much every time, which to us is a hindrance quite often, as we already play stupidly slow.