Expectations

[toffee-L]

I feel that a lot of posters are being extremely harsh when we are sitting on 6pts and unbeaten after 4 games. If we beat West Ham we will have 9pts from 5 games which would be a very good beginning of the season + we are through to the next round of a cup.

All of this despite Jagielka, Digne, Mina, Keane, Holgate, Zouma, Gana, Schneiderlin, Gomes, Baningime, Richarlison, Bernard, Walcott, Lookman, McCarthy (and no doubt more) either returning from injuries, injured or simply unavailable in some (or all) of the first four games, For a new manager with several new signings it is very difficult to build any momentum.

What I personally expect for this season;

1 -- Fast attacking football playing to win games.

2 -- Players cementing their positions in the team. This would give us a core of 5 or 6 mainstays which we can build on and gives us consistency.

3 -- I am hopeful that Digne, Mina, Richarlison and Bernard perform to a high standard. Having four permanent signings show a high consistent level over a season would breed optimism for any new incoming players.

4 -- Players need to be weeded out. This includes fan favourites underperforming (Coleman as an example) and shouldn't be limited to seniors but also u21 players. This season must be an evaluation of the retained squad members with a target that there are more outgoings in January and next summer. We've seen the first wave of mercilessness from Brands and Silva with a large amount of players culled...there should be a couple more rounds to go.

Good football on the front foot and an assessment of players over the season is what is needed, along with a top 7 finish.

Pickford
??? -- ??? -- Mina -- Digne
???
??? -- Bernard
??? -- ??? -- Richarlison
​

Pickford, Digne and Richarlison look a different class. Mina and Bernard are new signings and come with high expectations.

Based upon my own expectations there seems to be a lack of 'understanding' or an 'unwillingness' to focus on a rebuilding job as opposed to an 'I want it now' attitude from 'some'..

We've seen the quality of permanent signings Digne and Richarlison, imagine if Mina and Bernard are of equal ability?

Personally, I continue to find this season extremely refreshing and am not only excited but optimistic for the future.

Good thread that conveys an important point.

With all the injuries and suspensions that we have, we basically had a Koeman/Allardyce team out today with a threadbare bench.

Yes, it's very disappointing that a team like that can come to Goodison and walk away relatively unscathed, but the reason we brought in 3 creative threats in the summer is we know that we didn't have enough quality in that area last season.

We need to be patient and stay with this manager, he knows what he is doing but he needs to be given time to mould a team in his image.

 

[Zatara]

1) Dowell aint making it here
2) Bernard is a Left Winger
3) To play 4-3-3 you would need 2 number 8s
4) Oh look, youve removed Walcott again

1 -- No matter if you rate him or not now;
A -- Who knows if he will become Zidane by the end of the season
B -- As I stated, its simply an example (along with Holgate) of two players who would need to oust Zouma and Gomes otherwise 2 permanents would be signed anyway.-- so we can assume those positions will be strengthened.

2 -- There is no way we've signed Bernard to solely rotate with Richarlison. Not a chance, he's starting somewhere so the point about 'numbers of starters' is the same.

3 -- It depends on the skillset of the players and tactics + the fluidity of the system...in any case its simply about numbers.

4 -- Ive also removed every single other outfield player aside from Holgate and Dowell (to use as examples) who aren't new signings

Im slightly peeved to be honest Zat, we have played utter garbo teams who we should be putting to bed with ease.

That doesnt mean I dont see the mitigation, but im not happy, I mean sure I will be over it pretty soon, but still.

Watching the Wolves game, down to 10 men.....it was decent to get a point when we were still superior with 10.
Southampton we won.
Bournemouth were well drilled and filth + another red card + they are 'comeback kings'
Huddersfield is as close to an 'expected win' as you can get in the league but huge mitigating circumstances

As I posted above, if we are unbeaten after Arsenal (even with 2 draws) i'll be happy...integrate the players and Silva can keep drumming home what he wants.

 

[GwladysBlue]

Who or what are you annoyed with?

The injuries?
Suspensions?
Other numerous mitigating factors?

I cant see how anyone could be 'annoyed'. Clearly without certain incidents occurring and with players able to start all the games we would have likely won all the matches.

That's akin to the Liverpool alternative league table. Them things happened. Him picking the likes of Baines, Jagielka and Davies has cost us points.

 

[Zatara]

That's akin to the Liverpool alternative league table. Them things happened. Him picking the likes of Baines, Jagielka and Davies has cost us points.

Who would you have picked instead?

Digne/Baines -- A lot of posters felt Baines played well until the Bournemouth game (and Digne has been injured)
Jagielka/Zouma/Holgate -- Neither Zouma or Holgate had a preseason
Davies -- Who would you have played instead of Davies?

We don't know the ins/outs but as soon as Baines underperformed he was dropped. Jagielka also wont be in the team now...Davies will be swapped for Gana when hes ready.

 

[hktoffee]

Disagree. Top 7 is the target, the top 6 teams are still way ahead (though with some luck we may catch 1 of them) and so we need to be 'the best of the rest' to finish 7th with a new manager, system, players and a focus on rebuilding the squad.

I'm focusing more on who cements places in the team. If by season end there are 6 high performing players who are as close to 'un-droppable' as possible and we finish 8th it would be a good season as it shows what and where players are needed to improve.



New manager
New players
New style and system
Lots of injuries
4 games into the season.

We don't know what would happen if we had last years fixtures. Richarlison may never have been sent off and may have been lethal on the counter against more attack minded teams...who knows?

I would take draws against West Ham and Arsenal rather than a win and a defeat even for a point less. Simply because this is a work in progress.



Why should we be beating teams? What's the reason we should be beating Huddersfield, Southampton, Wolves and Bournemouth?

Wolves -- had a season where they smashed the championship, have a settled team and manager. We had 10 men.
Huddersfield -- Settled team and manager for a season + we cant counter attack them, timewasting grocks
Bournemouth -- Well drilled mid table side and a manager whose been there long term. We had 10 men.
Southampton -- We beat them.

Games at this level can go either way. It wont happen overnight...lets enjoy the season and see what changes occur.

Providing the money we have spent and the players we have, getting 7th and an Europa League place is not too much to ask, for me anyway.

 

[dave n]

Providing the money we have spent and the players we have, getting 7th and an Europa League place is not too much to ask, for me anyway.

We should be beating Huddersfield at home. Teams with ambition to finish in the top 6 don't consistently fail against the more defensive teams. Players like Walcott should step up but they haven't.

 

[ToffeeTim]

We should be beating Huddersfield at home. Teams with ambition to finish in the top 6 don't consistently fail against the more defensive teams. Players like Walcott should step up but they haven't.

We had won 17 of our last 20 home games against teams who finished below us last year, prior to today. We usually do win these sort of home games. Away form and performing against better teams is our normal problem.

 

[Big_Duncs_Fod]

A trophy and Europa league spot would be great. I think we have it in us to do that. We might not have won anything in a long time but that is irrelevant. If Wigan and Portsmouth could do it so can we.

 

[davek]

A trophy and Europa league spot would be great. I think we have it in us to do that. We might not have won anything in a long time but that is irrelevant. If Wigan and Portsmouth could do it so can we.

It's all down to the draw. We've had a very decent first couple in the LC. Another one after that and we're within touching distance of the QFs. We have the players with individual quality to win games on their own. If we start to gel as a team we are going to be hard to shift from a cup competition.

 

[Big_Duncs_Fod]

It's all down to the draw. We've had a very decent first couple in the LC. Another one after that and we're within touching distance of the QFs. We have the players with individual quality to win games on their own. If we start to gel as a team we are going to be hard to shift from a cup competition.

I think we need to become a "cup team" as if we do and go into later rounds of competitions and win one the who atmosphere around the club will change.

 

[davek]

I think we need to become a "cup team" as if we do and go into later rounds of competitions and win one the who atmosphere around the club will change.

Defo. It can have a lot of positive effect on PL form.

 

[billyblue80]

We should have won at least two more games, but we've had some bad luck with injuries as well as made a few mistakes but it's early days.

 

[Eggs]

..if only we’d have won yesterday.

 

[Bluebonic]

The main positives are that Digne and Zouma looked like they can become regulars, Richarlison looks like he could be a star, so if only one out of Mina, Bernard or Gomes step up to the plate, we will have a good spine to the team. Add Walcott into the mix and the fact that DCL has started scoring, then it looks a little better still. If the rest put a shift in, then we have a team capable of winning a cup for us.

I was disappointed in the team yesterday, it looked too much like a Koeman / Allardyce performance, but it has to be remembered that it was largely their team out on the pitch. I expect a very, very different line up once they have added to the squad in January. I do get the impatience, we have waited far too long for even a glimmer of sustained hope, but turning gangster on them this early will be so counter productive, we do have to bite the bullet and give them this season to gel and progress, like it or not. We absolutely must not become a club like Watford who plough through managers!

 

[Yarrgh]

I think we need to become a "cup team" as if we do and go into later rounds of competitions and win one the who atmosphere around the club will change.

Everyone on this forum knows about the FA Cup win in 1995, but do they know what league position we had that season?

I know this point isn't what you were making, but I agree with you that Silva and the team will buy a lot of good will in the league if we do well in the cups.

I always said that I would judge Silva and this team after 10 or so games. After 5 a picture is developing I admit that I like what he is trying to do, but there are several negative points he has to address such as: defending set pieces, reducing the number and impact of individual mistakes and shutting out games once we're in the lead.

Again I like the way we're playing, but we are dropping too many points. Bit of a light grey Saturday for me.