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

[Caolam]

With all that happened, or more importantly what didn’t happen over the transfer window, I didn’t expect much from this season. I didn’t expect to get top half of the table, I didn’t expect a cup win. Neither did I expect a tanking from Watford, conceding 5 goals against a Championship side at home and being schooled in goal scoring by someone who was deemed not good enough to be a squad player while his replacement lumbers about the field with no purpose. Being a Everton supporter over the last number of years has taught me that we do not look forward to success we hope that there are not too many dark days, yesterday was a very dark day.
We are ten years away from being a competitive team and that is if we start making the right moves now and completely gut the boardroom, the staff and the squad. The only thing worth keeping is Everton in the Community. Hopefully the new stadium will act as a catalyst for a rebirth of the club in its entirety.

 

[sdk]

Well that was a bit of fun. Onward and upward and then downward and then upward again.

 

[bluelegend]

I thought you could sum up yesterday in one incident. Keane was giving out to Pickford when Pickford had signalled a long kick out. After a quick debate Pickford passed the ball to Keane only for him to pass it back to Pickford to clear it downfield. You couldn’t write the script of some of what happened yesterday but it happened. Very worrying.

 

[Littlesue]

I was at the West Brom game yesterday so not yet watched it. Have a bottle of Lambrini in fridge so will sit down and watch the highlights later with my bottle of wine for support.

 

[arbok]

Didn't know where to put this but the person who writes the Zonal Marking website - Michael Cox - it was his first time at Goodison Park yesterday.

I blame him. lol



Also I don't know if anyone can - but I would love to read the Athletic article he wrote but its behind a paywall. Hope someone can at least summarise Thanks!

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

You are a funny bunch
You think you are a big club, you have big club expectations
You consider that "smaller clubs" are not entitled to play ok against you
Your best 2 players are ex Watford!
You lose and the world at an end

You know you won't go down - but you worry about it anyway
You are a mid table club in the worlds best league - so enjoy it

It's more to do with the Watford players shitehouse performance last week.

 

[Bluerover]

It's more to do with the Watford players shitehouse performance last week.

Yes - they rolled over at home against the RS. We shot ourselves yesterday with an abject collapse, but Watford's performance - 20 shots, 8 on target - is some difference compared with last week.

 

[Blue Roo]

I loved the reaction by patrons to the first substitution, and the manager's reaction following. (why hating the circumstances)
That one will stay long in the memory.

 

[deipnosophist]

Agreed but it’s just 20 years of nothingness.

...25...and counting

 

[Colonel Getafe]

Yous looked great early on in the season until Rafael put his stamp on your style and townsends new team streak ended.

Welcome to Rafas footy. Most toon fans hated his style.

I thought every toon fan worshipped the ground he walked on? He's practically fat Jesus in a suit according to every phone in caller or air-time fan, isn't he? If only that devil Ashley wouldn't have been out to deliberately shackle and sabotage him at every turn he'd have probably had all kinds of trophies in the bag by now; instead the proclaimed most deserving fans everrrr have had to suffer that cabbage Brucie failing to win 5-0 every week, with his lowly 12th place finishes n what not.

 

[Colonel Getafe]

this for me is why the appointment of benitez is never going to work, Everton is best when the fans are united and turn Goodison into a bear pit for opposition players and fans. The fans are heavily split at the minute, some will never give him a chance, some will give him time and some have gone so far in support of him they cant be seen to criticise at all. Everton need unity as you said, is benitez the right manager to bring unity?

I get the point and sort of agree - there's no doubt the appointment of kopite RB is the most divisive in the club's history, and will be until the day he leaves, however long into the future that may be, however...... for the sake of argument... it's not really Moshiri's job to appease the 40,000 customers -sorry fans- who have proven they'll have a grumble but still turn up and pay their money every week. His job is to ensure the best person to manage the team is in the dug out, and if he thinks it's Rafael, then that's ultimately Moshiri's call, regardless of whether the fans like it or can unite behind it. Hell, what percentage of the fan base didn't want a relegated manager from Wigan at the time? Or were dead against Big Sam/Sammy Lee? Wanted Moyes back or didn't want dithering Dave back at all? etc. Rafael is definitely more divisive than anyone else, but just how "united" has the fan base really been in recent years, but the fans still turn up, still pay their money, still support the players, applaud them greatly when they win, and point the finger when they lose. It'll probably be the same with whoever follows Rafael.

 

[DanEFC92]

The most unprofessional performance.

 

[mahermi1]

100% not on the players! Manager made some epic mistakes. Taking off Gordon our best attacking player on the night? Taking off gray and replacing with iwobi who doesn't bring anything to attack or defence? This loss is down to our manager messing with a tram that was winning

Gray was injured, Gordon was knackered. Iwobi I agree is awful.

 

[bullybeef]

Rondon
Davies
Iwobi

Shouldn’t be anywhere near our 1st team.

Need to get shut ASAP.

 

[Colonel Getafe]

I genuinely don't care anymore. Maybe getting relegated is what Everton needs. We're like a turd that won't flush and have been for over 30 years.

I can never understand fans who want their team to be relegated - surely it would be an absolute disaster for us. The club has been mismanaged in the Prem for a long time, imagine how bad it would be when £80/90/100m per year no longer comes from the Prem TV deal. Then couple that with selling off players for cheap or being saddled with average players on big money who are happy to see out their deals. No way jose. The amount of money Moshiri has invested in the club and the club has tied up in a £500m new stadium development, suddenly going into the second tier is unthinkable for a club that is already on the brink of FFP breach in the Prem never mind the more stringent Championship (who knows how many points deductions we'd get there), and is already losing a reported £2.5m per week with all the riches of being in the Prem and having a billionaire owner. If Everton were to get relegated (and I don't believe for a second they'll be anywhere close to that come 38 games) it'd be Leeds 2.0 minus the firesale of quality, and it took them 15+ years to even begin to get back towards where they were. Relegation is an absolute NO-NO for Everton, and Moshiri has proven with Koeman/Allardyce that if there is a slight possibility of that he will act to ensure it cannot happen to his asset/investment.