Relegation

[willo30]

So all this new found optimism lasted a whole 72 hours. Couldn't make this up.

We lost an away game in the PL. Big deal. You do realize we have only won about 40 in the last 10 years so that's almost 150 games we haven't won.

Home form is our bread and butter, always has been. I'll reserve judgement for a few weeks yet.

 

[nsno-chris]

So all this new found optimism lasted a whole 72 hours. Couldn't make this up.

We lost an away game in the PL. Big deal. You do realize we have only won about 40 in the last 10 years so that's almost 150 games we haven't won.

Home form is our bread and butter, always has been. I'll reserve judgement for a few weeks yet.

I think it’s more to do with:
A) the current situation we are on
B) the culture and attitude of the players
C) the damage done by that fat kopite

We are in a relegation dog fight and just lost to a rival, for not the first time in recent weeks.

 

[daza_1973]

4/1 with most bookies now - scary times

 

[GoSoccerToffees]

So two matches in to Lampards regime and we know two things for sure:

1) We now play in a possession based manner, that garnered a big result against another Premier League team at our ground with fans on side.

2) We still have a squad of bottlers that will drop loads points away from home.

The outcome of this season will be dependent now on our fans getting inside at Goodison to get us over the line against Leicester, Newcastle, Brentford again, and Wolves.

If we can get the W in those four and pick up one away win, I'd say our survival odds are good.

The Brentford performance buoyed me in thinking the outlook change in training will get us the home results required to maintain our PL status.

 

[Street end man]

So all this new found optimism lasted a whole 72 hours. Couldn't make this up.

We lost an away game in the PL. Big deal. You do realize we have only won about 40 in the last 10 years so that's almost 150 games we haven't won.

Home form is our bread and butter, always has been. I'll reserve judgement for a few weeks yet.

To be fair to all posters it's not the loss, it's the manner of the loss which shocked. We can all take losing if it's against a better team, if luck is against us or we have genuinely poor players.
Last night we had very expensive and highly paid pros who threw the towel in after half an hour.

I for one don't expect everton to win more than they lose in a season and would not moan about it, if the effort was visible. Only Gordon for me looks like he's angry and wants to put 130% in during these times.

 

[Yarrgh]

So two matches in to Lampards regime and we know two things for sure:

1) We now play in a possession based manner, that garnered a big result against another Premier League team at our ground with fans on side.

2) We still have a squad of bottlers that will drop loads points away from home.

The outcome of this season will be dependent now on our fans getting inside at Goodison to get us over the line against Leicester, Newcastle, Brentford again, and Wolves.

If we can get the W in those four and pick up one away win, I'd say our survival odds are good.

The Brentford performance buoyed me in thinking the outlook change in training will get us the home results required to maintain our PL status.

Absolutely this. We have to 12th man this season into safety.

 

[willo30]

To be fair to all posters it's not the loss, it's the manner of the loss which shocked. We can all take losing if it's against a better team, if luck is against us or we have genuinely poor players.
Last night we had very expensive and highly paid pros who threw the towel in after half an hour.

I for one don't expect everton to win more than they lose in a season and would not moan about it, if the effort was visible. Only Gordon for me looks like he's angry and wants to put 130% in during these times.

To be fair last night was on Frank. He needs to learn fast and I think he will.

If DCL is fit he plays simple as.
Just because Gomes has one good game don't automatically think he's on a run. Drop him if better players are available.
Never play Townsend as a wingback ever again.

First sub last night he got badly wrong. I'm exited about Dele but he shouldn't have been used in that situation. It was going wrong before the injury and it was a chance to change the formation but tried to stick to a plan that wasn't working.

 

[bicycleheader]

Im surprised people are putting so much stock into the Newcastle result to be honest. They’ve just had a two week break, coming on a high after signing a number of players and with a boisterous crowd behind them was never going to be an easy game.

The match against Leeds will be more of a barometer of where we’re at because it’s the home games that are crucial when you’re in poor form. The result against Brentford gives me hope that at Goodison we will pick up wins and draws.

Based on the form of Watford and Norwich I’ll be very surprised if four wins and a few draws isn’t enough to be clear of 18th. They’ve both won four games from 22, they would then have to win at least five from 16 games which is extremely unlikely.

4 wins and 4 draws will do it I reckon

On reflection, we werent terrible until the injuries. It made it much more difficult. We can play better and im confident now despite that defeat that we can get those 16pts

Of course the long term matter is the lack of quality in that squad....bang average, out of form or past it players racking up appearances when they should be out the door. Limp to safety and lets see.

 

[Street end man]

To be fair last night was on Frank. He needs to learn fast and I think he will.

If DCL is fit he plays simple as.
Just because Gomes has one good game don't automatically think he's on a run. Drop him if better players are available.
Never play Townsend as a wingback ever again.

First sub last night he got badly wrong. I'm exited about Dele but he shouldn't have been used in that situation. It was going wrong before the injury and it was a chance to change the formation but tried to stick to a plan that wasn't working.

Can't argue with any of that you said, and appreciate you not coming back arguing my post too.

I think Frank will learn fast too, or I'm certainly hoping he does. I also reckon we'd not have rolled Brentford over if it were a 6 pointer match which I'm hoping I'm wrong with in my assumption.

Just that bit of passion we all want to see from the players, heads go down far too easily and they go absent, panic or hide when the chips are down, no winner mentality when needed. As I say, the loss last night happens, it's just the way the loss unfolded.

 

[LEONARD]

If it goes' down, we can't blame Tom Davies.

 

[N.S.N.O.]

I think it’s more to do with:
A) the current situation we are on
B) the culture and attitude of the players
C) the damage done by that fat kopite

We are in a relegation dog fight and just lost to a rival, for not the first time in recent weeks.

I don't blame Rafael... I blame Moshiri for making not just that appointment, but a series of inconsistent appointments....

We never appoint a new manager who shares the same football style as the previous one.....result is we have a new manager trying to play a brand of football not suited to the current squad....as a football club we have no vision or long term plan

Lampard will get maybe a year, he'll try change things, but our players will let him down, and Moshiri (after signing 4 or 5 players next summer suited to Lampard) will sack him and replace him with a manager who will be the more like Rafael or Allardyce again....and we'll be right back to square one...its shambolic what happening....

 

[coollino]

Anyone worked out if we're getting relegated yet?

 

[Cool_Blue]

There are a number of options. Unfortunately none of them are ideal but with three in midfield and possibly Allan acting as a dm then we could be alright.

I am guessing Mykolenko will be absent so that leaves Coleman, Kenny, Keane, Branthwaite, Holgate, Patterson.
It could mean moving Coleman to left back again or possibly playing Holgate left back .

I wish you hadn’t written those last 2 sentences, I’m even more depressed now lol

 

[TGW89]

That is true. It would be a very different squad as we have so many players on wages who we could not afford in the Championship but most fans would not be concerned about them leaving.

Our top earners (in order) are Mina, Van De Beek, Gomes, Pickford, Sigurdsson, Alli, Richarlison, Delph, Godfrey, Doucoure, Coleman, Allan, Gbamin, Keane, Tosun and Iwobi.

For different reasons, I could see only Godfrey and maybe Keane staying in the Championship.

If I see any of the rest again in a blue shirt it will be too soon. Bring on the 'R'... maybe it's the wake up call this old creaky funhouse needs.

 

[Cool_Blue]

4/1 with most bookies now - scary times

Wish I’d taken 40/1 in December