2018/19 Gylfi Sigurdsson

[Kinky Koeman]

Not one person has actually booed him so don't really know who you're referring to there.

I’m not having a pop at anyone, I refer to people not liking each of the three I mentioned largely on here - again not a pop, just made up that the lads look better so far. I just want all the lads we have to be awesome all the time.

If they don’t impress, we replace when the opportunity arises.

 

[MikeH72]

I’m not having a pop at anyone, I refer to people not liking each of the three I mentioned largely on here - again not a pop, just made up that the lads look better so far. I just want all the lads we have to be awesome all the time.

If they don’t impress, we replace when the opportunity arises.

People who legitimately criticise an underperforming player cannot be classed as “boo boys” though.

 

[USABlue]

Much better when he has quality attackers around him. Also think koeman/fat sam made everyone look crap, marco has a plan. Even when we got 7th with koeman he didnt seem like he had a plan

 

[Kinky Koeman]

People who legitimately criticise an underperforming player cannot be classed as “boo boys” though.

I simply refer to the fact they are doing well now. I have a pop at players from time to time - Everyone is entitled to show their displeasure with the players in the way they want. I just feel they were perhaps more under the microscope after last season.

Personally I just want all them to be warlocks for us and I’m glad they look to have all knuckles down - that was never the case for Gylfi or even Keane but I’m just happy they are looking better.

For the record, I enjoy your posts you are very sensible and I hope you get your wish and we have a new Scotch hero soon. x

 

[BlueToff]

People who legitimately criticise an underperforming player cannot be classed as “boo boys” though.

There's legitimate criticism, which is fine.

And then there's at least half of the criticism of him that just isn't really based on anything other than we paid a lot of money for him, and that should suddenly mean he becomes a player he isn't (i.e. a deep-lying playmaker and goalscoring number 10 all mixed into one).

He created our most chances last season, and he got injured in March. Overall he was consistently decent from November to March, with some standout performances. Worth noting that for the majority of the time he played on the left (where I do think he can do a job), and had Martina behind him. It meant that when he got the ball in that role he had no choice but to look for the Hollywood pass or go back, because he didn't have any support from his full-back. The few times Martina did get forward, and we got the ball to Gylfi, he scored or created a chance.

He's great from set pieces and then on Saturday showed how good he can be from open play as well. His pressing was key to us, and that's why he'll be a key player for us in home games this season especially.

It'll be different away from home, because the pressing has to be a bit less full throttle at times, but at home Sigurdsson will play pretty much as a second striker dropping deep when we have the ball, imo.

Him and Tosun both press, we have the pace of Walcott/Richarlison (Lookman as well, hopefully, and Bernard) to sweep up after that and then suddenly we're breaking at teams.

A poor first half of his season last year in a team with no style or substance, and a manager with no idea of how they wanted the team to play.

He was good after that, but it seems to get overlooked. So that's what I think @Kinky Koeman was referring to.

 

[BlueToff]

I simply refer to the fact they are doing well now. I have a pop at players from time to time - Everyone is entitled to show their displeasure with the players in the way they want. I just feel they were perhaps more under the microscope after last season.

Personally I just want all them to be warlocks for us and I’m glad they look to have all knuckles down - that was never the case for Gylfi or even Keane but I’m just happy they are looking better.

For the record, I enjoy your posts you are very sensible and I hope you get your wish and we have a new Scotch hero soon. x

Aye, I think with Gylfi and Keane it wasn't that the effort wasn't there. Keane always put the effort in, he just looked lost.

He actually now looks to have taken some responsibility. Hopefully he carries on improving.

It wasn't the same with someone like Schneiderlin, because we all knew how good he can be. He showed that in his first few months. It was the fact he seemingly couldn't be bothered and went hiding.

In the first two games it looks like Silva might have got a tune out of him, and his injury actually comes at a bad time because Gomes isn't ready yet.

 

[Bluebonic]

If you’re wondering why people are harsh on him, have a look at Richarlison. On his debut, head and shoulders above any other player on the pitch and without him we undoubtedly lose the game. THAT’S the sort of influence we expect from a £40m+ player. Now try and think of a time you’ve ever seen Sigurdsson grab a game by the scruff of the neck like that.

Imagine though, if Richarlison had come into the team set up and management regiem Siggy did? Does anybody seriously think he would have torn it up with us? Nobody knows, but i seriously doubt it. i will judge all our players on this season, not on previous ones. i have supported Everton since the 60’s and the last three seasons almost finished me as a fan. We now have a management team who seem to understand what footbll means, and have at long last reinforced those positions we have been desperate to reinforce.
If he cant do it in this set up then he needs punting, but i have a feelng he will do it for us under Silva!

 

[Kinky Koeman]

Aye, I think with Gylfi and Keane it wasn't that the effort wasn't there. Keane always put the effort in, he just looked lost.

He actually now looks to have taken some responsibility. Hopefully he carries on improving.

It wasn't the same with someone like Schneiderlin, because we all knew how good he can be. He showed that in his first few months. It was the fact he seemingly couldn't be bothered and went hiding.

In the first two games it looks like Silva might have got a tune out of him, and his injury actually comes at a bad time because Gomes isn't ready yet.

The price we pay for a player, whilst I understand some people will expect more I feel Gylfi tried last season.

Effort alone isn’t simply the reason we love players, but it is a quality that helps.

The creative input from Gylfi was poor last season, but as @Bluebonic says any creative player coming in would have struggled - Even more so under Allardyce.

I’m just happy he’s got pace around him in Richarlison and Walcott and not forgetting an actual focul point in Tosun it’s no surprise the way things are now we will see a much improved player. I just hope he reaches levels he hasn’t achieved yet with us.

 

[Paul Rideout]

You can already see an improvement in his game. I think he may move more into a number 8 role over the season, but I believe we will see why we spent too much money on him last year.

 

[Nyhus]

Everyone is entitled to show their displeasure with the players in the way they want.

This is too 2018 for my taste.

 

[Lanolin]

For me, we can make as many excuses as we like about last season, but the truth is he just didn't really do enough. He was bought to be a key player for us, and he wasn't. There was very little difference in our performances or results whether he was in the team or not, and that's disappointing.

He doesn't get a free pass from me because we had a poor manager last year, or because he didn't always play in his favourite position (particularly bearing in mind we only actually won 1 of the 9 games he did play centrally). He needs to do much better this year and the signs have been promising so far, hopefully he can keep it up and become the key man we hoped he would be.

 

[BlueToff]

For me, we can make as many excuses as we like about last season, but the truth is he just didn't really do enough. He was bought to be a key player for us, and he wasn't. There was very little difference in our performances or results whether he was in the team or not, and that's disappointing.

He doesn't get a free pass from me because we had a poor manager last year, or because he didn't always play in his favourite position (particularly bearing in mind we only actually won 1 of the 9 games he did play centrally). He needs to do much better this year and the signs have been promising so far, hopefully he can keep it up and become the key man we hoped he would be.

I don't think there's excuses. There are factors for all of the players and some are down to the players and some the management - good and bad points.

Gylfi, for reasons that are both within his control and not, was poor for about two months following his move.

After that, he was consistently one of our better performers in every game until his injury. Perhaps it's not saying much, as the bar wasn't high, but it's a myth he didn't play well.

Did he deliver what a £45m signing should? No. We overpaid.

But does paying £45m for a player mean he should be a type of player he isn't? In equal measure, no.

 

[catcherintherye]

For me, we can make as many excuses as we like about last season, but the truth is he just didn't really do enough. He was bought to be a key player for us, and he wasn't. There was very little difference in our performances or results whether he was in the team or not, and that's disappointing.

He doesn't get a free pass from me because we had a poor manager last year, or because he didn't always play in his favourite position (particularly bearing in mind we only actually won 1 of the 9 games he did play centrally). He needs to do much better this year and the signs have been promising so far, hopefully he can keep it up and become the key man we hoped he would be.

It's not about free passes though mate. Nobody performed well last season aside from Pickford (and possibly Coleman). Nobody else enhanced their reputation. You can't bin an entire squad.

You then have to look and say is this 25 players all being poor at the same time, or was the structure we had and the ensuing chaos that resulted wrong?

He underwhelmed last season, I believe we overpaid and I think he's is in many ways representative of everything we did wrong with recruitment under Walsh/Koeman. I also don't think he will ever be the type of player that we felt he would be or were led to believe.

All of this can be true, but we can also merge that with a view that he can be a very effective player for us. The front 4 we have seem to dovetail wonderfully together. It's as well balanced as I can remember a front 4 being. I think a lot of that is down to Sigurdsson's unorthodox as a 10 and his versatility as a footballer. I am not sure it's helpful to him to hold poor performances last season, when he wasn't fit when trying to evaluate this season.

What I will say about the lad, having been pretty critical from the moment he arrived was that I was quite surprised and impressed with aspects of his game last season. I saw him at Brighton last year, getting dogs abuse from fans and nothing coming off for him on the pitch, but he never stopped running. That stayed with me. He didn't stop trying and he didn't stop asking for the ball. I took the view then that he was a good team player who was not just mentally strong but not a coward who would shrink.

Whether that was right or wrong as an analysis is open to interpretation. Conduct makes a big difference though and he won me round with that.

The other thing that surprised me, was he is a more clever player in the final third than I thought. We saw a bit of that last week. I think he will make goals and assists for us. I don't think he will ever be the 50 (in reality 40) million pound superstar we wanted, however I can see him being quite functional and useful for us.

 

[Toffeelover]

Seems Silva likes him otherwise he would be out of the loan door like the others.

 

[Lanolin]

I don't think there's excuses. There are factors for all of the players and some are down to the players and some the management - good and bad points.

Gylfi, for reasons that are both within his control and not, was poor for about two months following his move.

After that, he was consistently one of our better performers in every game until his injury. Perhaps it's not saying much, as the bar wasn't high, but it's a myth he didn't play well.

Did he deliver what a £45m signing should? No. We overpaid.

But does paying £45m for a player mean he should be a type of player he isn't? In equal measure, no.

Depends what you class as playing well I suppose. I'm not saying he was utterly dreadful, tripping over his own feet and giving the ball away every time he got it, but I wouldn't say he played well personally. He got 7 goals or assists in 27 league games, which compares unfavourably to Rooney (9 in 31 excluding pens), Walcott (6 in 13), and Calvert Lewin (11 in 32). It's well established that his contributions to the overall game aren't huge, his average touches etc are low so he was bought to be a high impact player, and he wasn't. He put a shift in, and he had some good moments, but played well overall? Not for me.

That brings me on to the point, which is actually where I have a real problem. Does paying £45m for a player mean he should be a type of player he isn't? Well, yeah, it sort of does. This is what I mean by excuses, it's like it's OK that he didn't really contribute in a lot of games because we didn't make it really easy for him to. It doesn't work like that though. Lukaku wasn't the type of player to want to hold the ball up but we still expected him to. Barkley wasn't the type of player to play it safe on the half way line but we expected him to. Baines isn't the type of player to go out and stop crosses but we expect him to. But for some reason Sigurdsson is allowed to just stroll around not touching the ball for 5 minutes when we're desperately trying to score because 'that's the type of player he is'. It's ridiculous. In that type of situation he needs to move out of his comfort zone and try to influence games anyway, not just carry on playing the way he'd prefer in an ideal world.