Yes he’s name is Jonathan although Michael is usually spot on naming all of Everton’s Academy players, by the way the opposition might think there are two Nsangous on the pitch the way this lad plays!

Bring a sub on early, what are you suggesting ?? I need a lie down

A deeply emotional day for everyone in the ground and plenty of fans hanging from the trees in Stanley Park and those bastards Liverpudlians dancing at Villa Park(?) when Everton were 2-0 down— they had to burn the wooden coffin with Everton’s demise on it and cancel the planned celebration march if we had been relegated. As for those still in Goodison Park what a relief for all of dancing on the pitch and hugging strangers you didn’t know even if we were all brothers and sisters that lovely sunny afternoon.

With Grealish the problem looks to be still the same as last season: who to put around him to create a bit of space. We had some lovely interplay last season with KDH, but KDH isn’t super quick either running nor from a standing start. Myko is a bit explosive from a standing start, but isn’t a dangerous overlap. I know what you mean about the Right wing. Johnson’s clearly yet to regain his Tottenham levels, and the whole set-up is new and different from last season. It’s still odd that Moyes hasn’t sorted things yet – quickly finding something that works is one of his strengths.

Brian my reply was just one line saying what a good post yours was and agreeing with everything you said.

I still have nightmares about that game!!

Dave that’s exactly what most Evertonians think about Colin a great footballer— same as as Howard I could talk about him all day as a footballer, I rated him better than Colin but it was great to have them in the team as Alan Ball not forgetting the rest of an excellent but very small squad.

Surely this was Jonathan Nsangou, or do we have 2 Nsangous playing for the U18s?

I Think the balance is completely wrong, we have Grealish attacking from the left, but Johnson is a passenger on the right, as we saw on Sunday, Maitland-Niles was more of a threat going forward, less said about his defensive duties though.

I think Dale, has adapted a position of just posting rather than replying, which would make a lot of sense if everyone else did the same Paul. Another problem (a long list of them, unfortunately) is though the posts don’t seem to run consecutively anymore.

He agreed with Margaret Hardacre, Paul, along with Dale, so I think I’ll put a 👍 myself!

The first of the two goals is maybe a bit of a “Tarkowski and Keane not being able to get back” situation that people sometimes criticise the pairing for, where Branthwaite’s recovery pace might possibly have helped. (That’s not to criticise either player individually – they’re just both slower as a pair.) The Hull player chipped the ball because it was the safer way to score, if you have the skills, and it does bobble in, leaving a bit of time to intercept. Keane doesn’t even try to run because he can see he couldn’t get there. Maybe Branthwaite could have got there? That said – it was a long distance to cover, even if the defender had recognized the danger very quickly.

Midfield… As DM, Norgaard is the natural because he’s a better tackler, but Garner can “do a job” because he’s so aware and has a great engine. As an 8, for me it would normally be Garner for his all round game, then either Hackney (his passing/control) or Armstrong (more energy) whether the team’s solid or pushing on. I’m delighted that Armstrong is getting as much time because he’s from the city and has come through the Academy. If his passing developed, he could be a very complete player. 10: KDH for his all round ability, and goals, with Alcaraz as back up. Johnson/George on the Right gives pace the team needs with Grealish Left. George is the more “Moyes” player, but Johnson (in better form) is one of the few players who you’d expect to score and I expect that’s why Moyes is playing him so much. Hopefully they all play enough that they aren’t exhausted at the end of the season, like last year but with a smaller squad!

We’ve got a great player in Grealish, and when attacking needs a quick player near him, that’ll do good. As for Johnson… I don’t know what’s going on – are the players still trying to gel in to the system around that area on the right side? It was obvious that Branthwaite, as good as he is, was out of position. Good on him willing to try it out, but don’t put him back on the left-back position, please. Atleast now we know that (and Moyes must’ve learned???). He THRIVES at the centre-back position. As for Alcaraz as a forward, looks like the players are still learning each other at the front – the learning MUST BE CAPITALIZED until we get a new forward. Or else, it’s just wasted long distance shot at goal efforts until the new year, or God forbid if we don’t get a new forward until next summer.

We learned we are in for very solid season!

I was due to go to the game but Iived in the south at the time. An urgent legal document was required so I ended up listening to the game on the radio whilst working. At 2-0, I turned the radio off but was so gutted I couldn’t concentrate. I left home to pick up my son from his friend’s house at 6pm and found out they were staying up by my son and his friend’s rendition of “we’re staying up, we’re staying up” shouting and jumping up and down as they greeted my car arriving at his friend’s house. I sat in the car and as realisation hit me, I let the tears flow.

I was in Portugal on the day so didn’t get to see the game live. I remember when it went to 2-0 I just thought “fuck this, I’m going in the pool!” I jumped into the freezing cold water and sank to the bottom, staying there for as long as I could without air. My Dad came outside a little later and said, “I don’t want to get your hopes up but it’s 2-1.” Obviously, the rest is history. As Horne says, amazing that a year later (and I was once again in Portugal with my folks), we won the FA Cup. This time my old man and I were in a bar full of United fans (you know, all southerners) and about 4 fellow blues. At full-time there were only the 6 of us left in the bar, at least 2 of the group sobbing! One of the lads had a copy of our ‘Altogether Now’ FA Cup song with him on CD and we got the barman to play it continuously on loop until he’d had enough of us! Happy memories!

“Oi, wot you lookin’ at, Harvey?!”

I seem to remember Harvey’s notes in the first program of his time as Everton manager. If my recollection is correct, he said that he was on a caravan holiday in north Wales when he got word that he was going to get the job. Even at the time, the way he wrote suggested that he wasn’t just surprised to get the job but also didn’t think he deserved it. Some people are just better at being ‘number 2’. Harvey was hugely important to the club and it’s a shame that he was thrust into a position he clearly wasn’t comfortable with.

Is the book any good, Michael? You’ve summarised the background to the Harvey appointment and subsequent years in charge but not given an opinion on O’Hagan’s written account. Thanks.

I cried at the final whistle Paul,sobbed like a baby. I was a lot more emotionally involved then mate

I was at this game. When Ablett put through his own net to make it 0-2, I felt physically sick. A guy must have been in his 60’s got out of his seat in tears saying he can’t watch anymore and walked out. I’d loved to have seen him after the match. Best and worst game I’ve ever been to.

Colin’s recruitment was shocking. McDonald to replace Stevens, Nevin to replace Trevor, Newell to replace Sharp, Cottee for £2.3m!!!- Wilson and then Beagrie to replace Sheedy for heavens sake!! He was unfortunate that the team fell apart with injuries to Ratters, Reid and Pat and the younger players wanting to move on but trying to copy the Liverpool boot room by making the coaching team an Everton old boys club was a huge mistake. A shame because he should be remembered as one of the best footballers ever to grace Goodison Park!

Dave just seen you replied to my comments about Colin unfortunately I cant see all your post as when I click on I only get 6 or7 posts and on the other thread regarding our midfield despite it saying there are 24 posts despite hitting the see more posts button I only get to see 12 posts obviously I am doing something wrong.

Michael, I know you and Harry have been as frustrated as us posters with the new set up especially th erecent comments post which are all over the place. I click on articles yet for some reason cant see the posts on the recent comments page. Have you any idea when the changes to getting the comments on each post back to chronological order will happen.

Good post Brian that sums it up for me — not sure if Howard would have lasted much longer at Everton if Colin hadn’t have joined him when he did.

Good post Margaret— by the way are you any relation to Billy who was a very good amateur and professional boxer?

Go along with that Steve— there are several players to use in rotation during the game but Moyes’s mind works in a straight line and he can’t see round it.

Howard was on th eway to being sacked and it was only when he replaced Mick Heaton as the coach and appointed Harvey did his and Everton’s fortunes change. The first thing he did was to push the players 10 yards further forward which had an immediate reaction. The football became slicker and faster and you could see the difference in the players within weeks of Harvey being made head coach. Howard quite rightly get most of the praise for our success during that period but without Harvey none of it would have happened. When Howard left the board asked Colin to take over knowing he wouldnt turn it down, but for me coaching was his strength not managing although if memory serves me right we were 6th when Colin was sacked. I just wish after a year or 2 away the club should have got Colin back looking after the coaching of all the younger sides. Colin was a great footballer and a great coach and we should all be thankful fo rthat.

To be fair to Harvey. He did say some years after leaving the club, he should never have took the managers job. But he just couldn’t turn it down.

Totally Steve mate. Moran’s lad went to St Marys. Nice lad. They lived in a semi-d in Thornton. Moran senior was a boss fella. Key to their success. Down to earth and loved the blue/red banter. I’d forgotten, but TD as coach … anyone else remember the throw-in TD took in front of the Enclosure by the Park End and it landed at his feet.

Blimey Dereks that explanation has my head spinning.

Moyes mindset in a nutshell Ian. Lets not make subs to win a winnable game in case someone gets injured. Ever the pessimist

Harvey was the Moran figure and shouldn’t have took it !!

Paul, reading the book reminded me that he hired a coaching team of Terry Darracott, Mike Lyons and a PE teacher. Plus as ever, the recruitment was terrible. They were trying to follow the Liverpool boot-toom model but there was no Ronnie Moran to support Colin.

Brennan Johnston should be rotated out of the side. He has contributed 1 goal and 1 assist this season, and we have quality replacements in Dibling, George and Rohl. My assumption was Brennan was getting selected to track back to support Maitland-Niles, but there is no comparison with the work Ndiaye did to cover the full-back. He looks short of confidence.

There are a lot of options in midfield, but my preference would Garner as defensive midfielder, Dewsbury-Hall box to box and Hackney as the advanced midfielder. Rohl should be getting more minutes off the bench as he gives us energy and pace. There is no point discussing Norgaard until he is fit.

Josh, do you understand the 3 window substitution rule? If he brought on dibling and alacaraz 10 minutes earlier, then he risked playing with 10 men for the last 20 minutes of play, away from home if a player was injured. There is being gung ho and there is being reckless. The issue wasnt the substitutions. The issue was the quality of performance of the players, questionable selection (keane, Johnson), and the ludicrous situation of relying on the quality and dependency of Mykolenko and maitland niles. Who are both absolutely shite.

Agree Hewey 100 per cent. The greatest living Evertonian was always a coach in the old sense of that word. But the real reason behind 1988-1990 was that we could not stop that team from splintering

Excellent, Michael. Thanks for the position statement and thanks for the all the efforts. What’s that you’re pushing uphill?!

Something beautiful Dave

It seems Eric that MK et al are at the mercy of their technical team and now this Arena lot. Meanwhile, Toffeeweb could – could – seem to be drifting apart from some – some – of us as a consequence. The third musketeer is this gambling landscape.

armstrong need hacney it balances out better kdh on the left of them 2 gardner behind no jhonston he may improve but not now and defensavley moyes has to stop playing his mates and make the right call at centre half he has done well explaining the situation but lets make some football desisions chelsea will give them 2 if he plays keean and tycovsky a torid time there front line up is to fast for them

To better monetise the website I guess, or to reduce the owners own IT input. Or both. Follow the money.

You can understand why the club went for Harvey. But they really should have gone and got a better manager. We were the best team in England at the time. Bobby Robson would have been ideal.

Is Arena a newly formed company? I’m thinking that if they were an established platform running for several years all these teething problems would have been sorted long ago and it would pretty much be plug and play. Is it this lot (www.arena.im)? They seem to have launched this in 2024 if so and should have the bugs ironed out by now. They also say it’s customisable, which doesn’t seem to be the case if changes have to be reviewed and approved by them.

I don’t beleive that Paul and it’s not what I said. Other websites will be using Arena, it’s not exclusive to Toffeeweb, so it’s my bet that another customer asked for Best first and that’s why they changed it.

It’s not as good as Reddit

Eric, do you really believe that ‘some’ on here wanted things to be sorted by ‘best’. My hunch is that nobody wanted this and that none of us were asked for our input. ‘Best’ is the dictates of these Arena people for whom this is convention mate.

“They assess feasibility and impact on everyone.” This is the problem. We want Oldest first, some other customers want Best first. They change for one they change for all. Not everyone is going to get what they want. I don’t mind viewing Newest first but it would be nice to have it as default as it was when the system first went live. I guess some customers asked for the change to Best as default. Arena are not going to change it back and forth every week so we’re likely to be stuck with some unpopular options.