The 'gallant' in defeat attitude - why?

[Houghty19]

I've been thinking this for a while, a few years in fact, with it evident again post match last night. We are in a shocking run of form and lost again last night albeit with a slightly improved performance and all of a sudden, there's shouts of 'renewed hope', 'superb performance' (one notable fan account on Twitter), 'the lads put a good shift in'. Am I missing something? Granted, the performance was slightly improved from Tuesday but let's be realistic, it was still very poor in a lot of parts and United operated in 2nd gear in the second half especially. This has been a theme which has gone on for years - awful runs of form followed by one decent result (or even performance in a defeat? and that one result seems to make everything okay again. Knocked out the cup then get a half decent result the following week and again, everything rosy again.
It's deflating being a Blue!

Agree with most of what you say I wouldn't say it was a performance that slightly improved from Tuesday based on Tuesdays performance it was almost world cup winning because Tuesday was so bad. I also wouldn't say united didn't get out of second gear either. However your point stands that we seem to have accepted defeats like last night as if they are some massive turnaround when they are nothing more than another defeat. For me the only thing that came out of last night was the formation suits the players we've got and he should stick to it, if he doesn't and changes it for Southampton it will show to me that he should go. Simple management for me is play to the skills you have in your team not what you wish were in your team.

 

[Roachey11]

I'm sure there will probably be an over reaction by some if we do beat Southampton next week too - when most of us know we'll no doubt go and lose at West Ham the following week and be back to square one. If we actually become consistent in stringing results and performances together then fair enough, but we are a long, long way away from that.

 

[The binman chronicles]

Better than being hammered I suppose. Honestly wouldn't look too much into that result last night, we've been regularly losing those type games throughout the PL era.

 

[Clarky cat]

 

[MikeH72]

“Expected defeats” mentality. It comes from the top of the club.

MOSHIRI OUT

 

[gazzaa2]

We had a go but United gave us acres of space to play on the counter until they shored it up with the subs late on. Apart from a De Gea disaster we couldn't capitalise.

 

[ToffeeTim]

We have been utter losers for years and our fans are a big part of the problem because lots of them refused to accept criticism of the board and owner.

We are only protesting at this point. Most clubs would have done so 10 years ago - we are a joke club. If we go down, we fully deserve it.

 

[billyblue80]

For where we are and taking recent results into account, seeing some fight and desire is no bad thing.

But as I said in the match thread it is no good doing it in the 'big games', they need to show up and battle like it matters against every team. At the very least.

This last night's effort was meaningless if we can't turn up against Brighton, Bournemouth, and Wolves. Seems to me we perform better against these teams because it suits us when teams come on to us and when we have to break teams down who sit in thats when we fail thats when the bad tactics and lack of coaching of attacking patterns shows. I fear for the Saints game and why Lamps is getting it is beyond me.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Kenwright getting applauded when his mug appeared on the screen at Goodison says it all.

 

[Drico]

"We've had good times."

 

[sam domingo]

I accuse the club of living in the past regularly, but I am guilty of it too. Every time we lose to Man United, I burn inside. It's the only loss that comes close to the sting of losing the derby for me. That's because in my mind Everton are the peers of Man United and Liverpool. They are our rivals. They were always our rivals when I was a teenager and before. So, if younger people - I am 50 - are happy enough not to be humiliated, I can't blame them. They are far more realistic about the state of current-era Everton than I am.

I'm from the same generation as you and that's how I feel. It's exactly 40 years since we last played at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, when Stapleton scored that winner for them deep into stoppage time. We played quite well that day too and were competitive until the end, but the feeling at losing to them was one of utter devastation for us rather than the collective shrug of the shoulders that last night brought (I mean, what else did we expect from last night?)and delirium for them at having got one over a club that had been genuine rivals of theirs for many decades and historically were pretty much their equals or as you've said, their peers. We gave it a go last night, but it just felt so routine for them, no real excitement for their fans at beating us in a cup tie, just a small hurdle to step over, and that's probably the saddest thing for me about last night.

 

[Toffeelover]

“Expected defeats” mentality. It comes from the top of the club.

MOSHIRI OUT

That does not win games to avoid relegation.

 

[Toffeeslam]

“Expected defeats” mentality. It comes from the top of the club.

MOSHIRI OUT

Give it a rest will ya Morshiri is going no where as there’s no one willing to buy the club.

Unless you got a few billion hidden under your bed accept reality

 

[Moonlight dribbler]

Give it a rest will ya Morshiri is going no where as there’s no one willing to buy the club.

Unless you got a few billion hidden under your bed accept reality

What do you propose? They might not go anywhere but they need to know that this performance is unacceptable.

 

[Lawrence]

Brainwashed. Fans accepted over a period we are smalltime, noisy neighbours, glad to be here. Kendall Out in Howards first spell was a fan base bloody livid that we had stopped winning things etc, etc. That fan base did see good times again. Maybe we are the ones who came to accept the decline ?? The fight may have gone and The Red in charge couldn't believe his luck. I know who has had a bloody great time.