Everton Banter Archive March 18 2018

 

Use our rumours form to send us everton transfer rumours.

Formula 1 2018 Season Preview

18 Mar 2018 22:36:38
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Formula 1 2018 Season Preview

Believable0 Unbelievable0

19 Mar 2018 19:37:47
Looking forward to the F1 season now.

Agree0 Disagree0

{Ed025's Note - it does nothing for me mate..

19 Mar 2018 20:39:49
Going to follow Sauba as I'm use to not setting my expectations to high 😜.

Agree0 Disagree0

{Ed025's Note - love it woburn..

19 Mar 2018 21:35:34
Lewis for me.

Agree0 Disagree0

20 Mar 2018 16:04:08
I work for the No 1 team brand so only one choice!

Agree1 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 20:14:16
Hey Grumpy mate have you read the article in the rags re Big Sams treatment of Cenk and how he has played a blinder by easing the Striker in, saying how he knew much better than Everton fans how to play him much to the fans annoyance and how he has proved them wrong, no doubt there will still be those on her who don't agree lol.

Believable1 Unbelievable14

18 Mar 2018 20:39:45
Lol not read it yet GB mate. Only a few weeks ago mate some on here saying we are definitely going down remember, He's proved them wrong about that as well lol.

Agree1 Disagree12

{Ed025's Note - a managers popularity will always depend on results grumpy, lose a few and your crap, win a few and your the best thing since sliced bread, ahh the fickle football fans will always be the same mate..

18 Mar 2018 22:11:26
Sam has no idea, we where lucky yesterday.

Agree14 Disagree2

18 Mar 2018 22:31:28
Not being funny ed but if Sam won all 38 games next season some fans would still want him out. I don't like him at all but I'll support the club as usual. I hope for a change of manager in the summer but if Sam still here then I will support him and the players he signs and plays.

Agree7 Disagree0

{Ed025's Note - i feel exactly the same geoff mate..

18 Mar 2018 23:38:42
Only problem i have with sam is his. We lost. players fault. we won. all down to me. I'll support any player or anyone in dugout but he is seriously not the man to take us forward.

Agree12 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 08:08:17
I think there is a lot with your view dentielad. I have said many times that he shoots himself in the foot with his comments. It's like he cannot understand the fans views. Premier League rules state that he has to give pre and post match interviews as manager (I believe) . and he is terrible at them. but I think the football we played when he arrived (the real terrible stuff) was down to the players he had available. Since Coleman, Baines arrived and the signing of Tosun and Wallcott, we have been a different team. Still not brilliant, but certainly better than the drivel served up under Koeman and in Allardyce's first 5 games.

Agree4 Disagree3

19 Mar 2018 09:03:41
I want him gone but will support him while at the Club.

Agree4 Disagree4

19 Mar 2018 10:20:28
Fair enough GB.

Agree2 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 12:58:05
I think you are right Ed025.

I also think, more in Sams case than any other manager, That the more he proves the fans wrong the more they will dislike him. Nobody likes to be proved wrong and if done by someone you dislike it hurts a lot more. Just look at the thumbs down given when only facts are stated.

Now before the "Get rid of Grumpy" banners are out again, it is only my opinion and no amount of thumbs down will change that.

Agree0 Disagree2

{Ed025's Note - he is marmite to be honest grumpy, the fact is that he was brought in to do a job and thats exactly what hes done, its not been pretty as we all know but the brief he was given will have said nothing about entertainment and will have put a premium on survival, i must admit that i would like someone else as im not a big fan of his football ethos but if he was to stay then i would certainly get behind him...well until i become as fickle as the rest and want CL attractive football as well as winning every game mate.. :)

19 Mar 2018 19:02:31
I will be delighted if he proves me wrong! I have been saying for 3 years . WE ARE CRAP! and becoming CRAPIER WITH EVERY SIGNING. when everyone else was talking about top 6 and Champions League and stuff. to be fair though. I think his reputation is a bit unfair. like I have said before. players like JayJay Ocotcha, Kevin Davies, Ivan Campo, Nikolas Anelka, Stuart Holden, Eidur Gudgohnson, Stellios and others were great players with bags of talent. He was restricted with finances at Bolton. He had a job to do there and did it well. Maybe with the right players and more money he will do ok? Anyone who signs Walcott is not a hoofer manager as some would say.

Agree0 Disagree2

19 Mar 2018 20:13:27
How it should be Geoffjohno.

Agree0 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 20:18:32
Not so much proving the fans wrong but his comments always appear aimed at bigging himself up. As Ed25 said, Sam was brought in to do a job and I for one wanted him, I honestly thought he would adapt once we were safe and play a more attacking style. We did that at Stoke and as Cenk says more so in the second half. let's see how it goes the next 3 games - I would take 3 points now from all 9.

Agree1 Disagree1

19 Mar 2018 21:18:49
Good reply Ed025, Thank you.

Agree1 Disagree0

{Ed025's Note - no problem mate..

19 Mar 2018 21:37:45
Good as always mate.

Agree0 Disagree0

20 Mar 2018 11:46:40
We have the best group of players at the club for 20 years. However, we have the worst TEAM for 20 years.

Cenk though could be the catalyst of bringing these together. He praised his teammates and the backroom which then prompted Walcott to do the same thing. That is a huge difference.

We've had the selfish players of Lukaku and Kev moved on and these to replace them. They may start fighting for each other now instead of for themselves.

Agree0 Disagree1

20 Mar 2018 12:48:27
OOOH BJU. I can't agree that this is the best bunch of players by any means. And certainly not for 20 years. Of the back 4, 3 were playing 10 years ago for us and are really on their last legs. or a freebee from Southampton, a pie eater from Swansea or a 20 year old kid who is not ready (his mistakes show that) . In midfield we have loads of potentialnumber 10's and holding midfielders, but none that are naturally for the left side. Not one! And yes Walcott gives us a right side and Tosun a forward. but I was posting pre their signings. I do agree that Tosun and Walcott have improved us no end. I also am sure that Jags, Baines and Coleman are still our best defenders by a mile. Yes Jags still is at 35! Add all that up and I know its all about personal views. but that is definitely not the best squad in 20 years for me. We should have 5 left footers in the team too. We only have one in the whole squad! But guess that's not about ability. more just the balance of the quad.

Agree0 Disagree0

20 Mar 2018 22:46:56
The players we have now Degsy are the best in a single squad for a generation. However, they are not a team and yes it is unbalanced.

We have never seen so much talent at our club possibly ever. At most under Moyes we had 6 or 7 truly quality players towards the last 4 or so years with him.

However, more importantly, they played for each other and most had the right mentality and attitude.

There's nothing wrong with Jags, Baines and Coleman being our best defenders. They have played together for years and trust each other. They need replacing soon and should be priority areas but as it stands today they are doing a fine job.

From youth to the first team we have a huge amount of options. We just need someone to bring them all together. It may be Sam or someone else but whoever it is has a vast amount of talent to choose from.

We just need to look at the bigger picture.

Agree0 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 09:21:21
Hit send before I finished the last post. My point was that most other teams, including us, are roughly where we should expect to be. Maybe there is something to look at in terms of which managers are doing a good job or which club structures are working well? Are there any common features among those clubs who are seeing relative success and those who are not? I see a similarity in the types of managers that West Brom, Stoke, West Ham and Palace have gone for - older, more traditional types (though not Southampton) . Where do you guys think we fit into this picture?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

18 Mar 2018 19:08:31
You make some great points coyb and the way I see it, we are sort of an exception to the rule. Allardyce was brought in on his rep as a relegation dodger, but more than likely with the full intention of replacing him and rebuilding at the end of the season. With the manager merry go round at the other clubs at the bottom, the pattern I see is simply old school management. Hodgeson, Moyes, Hughes and even Pardew are old school disciplinarians, who insist on hard work and a tough love approach, which conforms nicely with the need to 'steady the ship' approach required to stave off relegation. However, I think this only suits a survival mentality and is not the answer to club progression in the modern game. At the other end of the spectrum, in the top 6, you have your Morinho's, Conte's, Klopp's and Wengers (sounds like a terribly whiny law firm) who are all successful but very emotional. Each has had thier flip outs in the media, or fallen out with players, most of whom are very young millionaires. The level of ego they must deal with is a gulf away from the plucky underdog mentalities of the next 14 and so a different set of rules for success. Old school just can't keep up with the pace of a top 6 club, as Moyes discovered. That's also why I think a top manager like Conte would struggle with a club like Crystal Palace, as its almost a different world. I think this ties into your thoughts on how the wage bills affect the game in general. Until this gulf is lessoned by fairer financial rules in the PL, the top 6 (and staying there) may as well be a different universe.

Agree1 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 09:17:44
I realise this point is an over-simplification on its own, but I think it's something worth considering. Statistically, the best predictor of a team's league position is its wage bill. Our wage bill this season is 8th highest and we are in 9th place. As a comparison, our wage bill is just over half of that of City and Utd and just over double that of Burnley and Brighton. By that measure alone - and I realise it's not the whole story - Burnley are very significantly over-performing; Brighton, Bournemouth and Watford are doing very well. City are getting better value than Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal are slightly under-performing and Spurs and Liverpool are slightly over-performing. West Ham fans are justifiably frustrated: their wage bill is higher than ours; Palace, Stoke, and especially Southampton and West Brom are not seeing anything like a proper return on their investments.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

18 Mar 2018 08:43:03
You know its bad when people defend your manager because he's won 2 away games :)

Believable7 Unbelievable3

18 Mar 2018 11:39:22
It's worse when people constantly blame him for things that were present before he joined Blue-tit.

Agree10 Disagree8

18 Mar 2018 18:30:27
Rose Coloured Specs come to mind mate lol.

Agree2 Disagree3

18 Mar 2018 19:37:55
It was tongue and cheek mate.

Agree2 Disagree1

18 Mar 2018 20:39:36
Your outnumbered mate.

Agree0 Disagree1

18 Mar 2018 22:36:28
Grumpy and gb. I admire your loyalty and even blind admiration for Sam but be fair. We are a poor team and although it is true it is not all Sam's fault. He is to blame for the style of football we play. We have won 2 games now in a row but we were not outstanding in either.
Just a question but if us blue fans weren't so fickle and got Martinez sacked, how high could we be now? He was great at attacking but needed to learn about defending. Just wonder if he was given more time would we be closer to top 4 or 6.

Agree1 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 10:00:29
Was Koeman sacked to early as well GJ seem to recall last season wasnt that bad.

Agree0 Disagree1

19 Mar 2018 10:37:33
I really believe the rot started under Martinez. He never replaced the quality of players retiring or being sold at profit. We brought in a lot of drivel. He had been fortunate that Barkley broke through into the team and even more fortunate that Lukaku signed for us. Those 2 players equated to 30 goals a season almost guaranteed. When the 2 left, it created a void of goals that Koeman had one transfer window to sort. Hence his signing of 4/ 5 number 10's. Unfortunately he never replaced the center forward of Lukaku and his goals. I remember him saying that we needed to get goals from around the team now. But he also should have signed 2 fullbacks as cover/ the future. To rely on Martina and Kenny was a step too far. Martina (as everyone knows) was released by Southampton. That should say it all. Kenny is still only 20 I believe. That is too young unless you are very very gifted and also physically developed. which he is not. Add into that the form of Leane and Williams and you can see that the team was struggling on many fronts. But it was all created over numerous transfer windows and I was saying this would happen a couple of years ago and got slagged off for being negative. Big Sam in my eyes has just made 2 significant signings in Wallcott and Tosun. They will be with us and contribute to both goals and assists for at least 3 seasons (injuries allowing) . We now need to focus on signing a Baines replacement. We also need to coach the keeper in coming out to claim the ball and make the penalty are his. because we concede far too many goals by his reluctance to come and claim the ball. especially at set pieces. Talk of a new manager or Sam Allardyce staying or going is irrelevant in my view. The squad is undoubtedly poor. I think we only have one natural left footer in Baines. that is another weakness on the squad basics. We need to sign at least 3 more left footers. It is basic stuff. We also need more players not in the 19/ 20 age group nor 30's+ age group. ie players at the prime of their physical ability. not kids and not geriatrics. which is what our squad has too many of. But againthis is the result of Martinez/ Koeman. I do feel sorry for Koeman because he inherited the problem. Allardyce knew what he had. and I believe him capable of sorting the problem. But I also believe he won't be given the chance by some supporters and probably sacked. Then we will get yet another manager who will have to start from scratch and this will be yet another disruption to Everton Football Club.

Agree1 Disagree1

19 Mar 2018 13:06:42
Geoff,

Where do you get the thought that either myself or GB admire Sam? I for one have never said nor indicated any kind of admiration for him. What I have always said, week in and week out I repeat this, I support Everton and that includes everything that is part of Everton. Because I do not cherry pick the bits to support, that does not mean I admire him.

Agree0 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 17:19:54
I am the same grumpy. Just seems you jump to Sam's defence a lot. Maybe I read it wrong. I will support the club regardless of manager or players but we just get frustrated because all of us could see schneiderlin is poor and we need a left back at left back.
Anyway looks like we are safe so let's all just be behind the team for the rest of the season and let the powers that be make the big decisions come the summer.

Agree0 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 18:10:01
Ditto for all of that. from both of you. As it happens the Goodison crowd can be very cruel. but if you see a player putting in effort with tackles and hard work. eg Tony Hibbert. a player with very little natural ability. but how we could have done with him when Coleman was injured! The team could have done with his or even Phil Neville's effort level. Both would get the other players going.

Agree0 Disagree0

20 Mar 2018 09:11:45
Whos outnumbered?

Agree0 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 06:16:18
Before yesterday's game, I put on a post suggesting Pickford costs us quite a few goals and although he is a fantastic shot stopper, his ability to claim high balls pumped into the box was poor. Especially on free kicks and corners. Most posters disagreed with me (except for one of the Eds who wholeheartedly agreed and said that Pickford seems to get rooted to his goal line) . Yet again yesterday, he made some outstanding agile saves. and then undid his good work by conceding at a free kick by not coming off his line and claiming a curled free kick by Joe Allen. When the Stoke City player finally made contact with the ball to score, Pickford was probably 2 yards off hisline and the Stoke player 3 yards out. I had suggested that Robles would be a better bet and even expected Crouch to score a couple of goals because of Pickfords reluctance to claim high balls or be rooted to his line. I have seen this numerous times this season. Van Dijk scored when he was slow out. Last week he was slow out against Burnley for one of the goals and I know he has done it more times. Yes he is a great shot stopper, but as Shay Given pointed out last night. there is more to goalkeeping than stopping shots. We have the worst defensive record in the Premier League and yet are 9th. That says something in our goalscoring ability and something about how safe we are at the back.

Believable3 Unbelievable1

18 Mar 2018 06:26:04
Oh I meant to add, I don't know why we defend on free kicks the way we do. We should step out and leave the opposition's forwards offside if they go too soon and thus leave Pickford with more space to come and claim the ball.

Agree1 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 07:06:53
I agree about what you said about pickford but he is head and shoulders above Joel, and i don't think swapping a goal keeper due to a threat from set pieces is a good idea at all. Its something that can be coached into a player, especially a young one like pickford. Ye, the tactics from defensive corners baffles me and we have been awful at them since Moyes left.

Agree3 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 07:37:38
I have to agree with Blue tit. The goal keeping coach should be working on that and improving his game. That is why it is important we get a manager and coaching team who can improve our youngsters.
Joel is not the answer, it is just another shuffle of the back 5 again when we have just got it settled.
Just look across the park at what happens when you rotate goal keepers to suit opposing teams.

He may have cost us 2 or 3 goals this season but boy, has he saved us a lot of lost points aswell.

Agree3 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 07:50:49
I take your point about rotating and disruption. and I agree. but it is more than 2 or 3 goals. I can only think of recent ones (probably due to may age) . but I remember thinking about this earlier in the season. It also happens at every set piece and that includes corners and free kicks. We look like we willconceded a goal every time. It definately needs sorting one way or the other. Our conceded goals tally is the highest in theleague and whilst a lot is down to Williams/ Keane and their poor form. and Kenny's inexperience and Martina's inability. the keeper is also at fault. I have put it partly down to his physique. He is I think the shortest Premier keeper and I am sure other teams are targeting us in that area. Our ability to score has increased with the 2 recent signings. we just need to tighten up at the back.

Agree2 Disagree1

18 Mar 2018 08:54:57
We look dodgey under pressure this season, and almost defensless against high balls, so pickford taking the pressure of the defenders by coming out would be massive. May instill a bit of confidence in the back 5 as well. I think confidence may be an issue as well. As a gk you need to feel like that ball is your god given right to pluck it out of the air and keep tight hold like its made of gold. As well as goals conceded whether its 2 or 3 or more, it would have a more broad advantage to come out and collect as i believe it would improve the cohesiveness and confidence of the back 5 as a unit. I feel like the defense hasn't always stuck together and at times we have a group of defensive individuals and not a solid unit. Mentally I think it helps.

Agree1 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 09:15:54
the only defence I will give for Pickford is he is still very young and already one of the best GK in the premiership if he is still making these mistakes next season then have a dig at him but you have to remember a gk is only as good as his def and he has been let down massively this season.

Agree1 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 11:14:38
To be fair, I wasnt having a dig at him. It was just an observation that I made and other people seemed to be raving about him. Ed001 agreed with me but Others tended to disagree so I left it. then blow me the very next game and the same thing happens.

Agree2 Disagree0

{Ed001's Note - I still agree with you. Nothing wrong with picking out weaknesses in a player's game. The idea isn't to drag them down but to point out what they need to work on. You even pointed out what he did well, so how could it be seen as a dig?}

18 Mar 2018 12:41:28
Agreed.

Agree0 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 16:24:14
I think we will see an improvement in pickford decisions once the back four are settled and capable.

Agree1 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 16:45:08
Totally agree with the Pickford stuff Degsy but we haven't got the worst defensive record in the league. 4 teams have conceded more. Its still awful though.

Agree0 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 18:43:32
Pickford has bags of skill and potential. He's still quite raw though, and needs time to develop. He's still very young for a keeper and can only get better. Shame he didn't come off his line for the goal, but he'll learn from that and let's face it, he was confused by attacking Choupo-Moating's low flying balls. If you can't stop a goal, at least a smack in the opposition nads takes the edge off!

Agree0 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 19:39:55
I agree with that smit.

Agree0 Disagree0

18 Mar 2018 20:50:18
somebody was telling me a few days ago that Pickford is apparently high on Man Utds list to replace De Gea. I fear we may never get his best years here at Everton.

Agree1 Disagree0

19 Mar 2018 12:49:06
Not sure you can rotate a goalkeeper based on one area of his game. Just because a team has an aerial threat doesn't mean they won't shoot and the other way around. However he's much better than anything we have in the rest of the squad.

Pickford has a weakness but then everyone has a weakness. He'll learn and get better over time.

Agree0 Disagree0

Review Of The Day 18th March 2018

18 Mar 2018 05:48:39
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 18th March 2018

Believable0 Unbelievable0

 
Change Consent