This will be Daveys chance to throw a few in (like last season against Wolves when he changed half the side with players who’d had little game time) and then watch as we get beat and say I told you so.

Good for you Merlin.Its important you remember the instruction you are only allowed to get into crossing positions in the final third very rarely.

Don’t tell the dinosaur ffs. He will be having wet dreams about another square peg.

Agreed with Merlin’s position, though through the interview it’s clear that he knows he has a role at the back? If it could be changed, I suppose it would be between Maitland-Niles and Garner on the right-back, not to mention O’brien.After all these transfer windows, it makes you reserved about what might happen in January…

Minik, for me Garner is miles away from it right now. If anything I’d be tempted to put Garner at right back where I think he may offer more. But in midfield this season he’s stunk it out

Nah not for me.I think Merlin should be playing in midfield, he has no positional sense whatsoever at right and goes on all kinds of gung-ho gallivants too often.He will make a very sound midfield player one day where he can perhaps display his all action traits but at the moment the old Achilles heel of fullbacks continues to dog us in the same way we have a lack of striking options

In all sport at the highest level the only thing apart from a few exceptions that separates the winners from the losers is mentality.This is where the great managers come in- they instil the winning mentality in their teams.Moyes doesn’t have this ability.We approach too many games with the ‘we might be able get a draw out of this mentality’.Some clubs have this positive vibe throughout the club and they perform at a high level every year. Clubs that we consider lesser than us have it Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton are prime examples.

Gollom

Thinks Lord of the rings is more suitable . Wish he’d go back . We need fresh young ambitious manager with new ideas . Bring some life back to club

Should send him back to Lord of the rings

“Consistency through their squad” I have only watched Bournemouth against us Si, (Scott another player out of the championship, gave as good a performance as I’ve seen from any player this season) but that phrase resonates so much when I think about David Moyes. He only wants players that are better than what he has, makes loads of sense, until you watch Everton playing and you think to yourself, that some of the players who can’t get a look in, are better than some of the players who get a start every single week.

Yes John, I agree with your very obvious observations mate, whilst also agreeing with both aged and Rocco. I love watching clever defensive football, just as much as I love watching attacking football, but unfortunately I’m not really seeing either from Everton

It is a bad patch of form. He was excellent last season. He has been injured and missed pre season. He needs to be left out for a couple of games to concentrate on his fitness.

Bournemouth,Brentford and Brighton have a similar standard of squad to us and they go out to win games no matter who they are playing. I wonder why. Is it the manager? Is it the coaching set up?I think we know the answer.

Not Arsenal’s first team by any stretch but nevertheless. If you sit back against top sides and let them have all the ball then their best quality players will eventually open you up. It’s inevitable. If you unsettle them, get amongst them, let your attacking players unsettle them, make them think, make them defend, then you simply get a different game. You may lose still, you may win, but at least there’s a chance of a different outcome.

#MoyesOut

I suppose Garner is slowly getting back to his best, him and Röhl could rotate, but what to do with Maitland-Niles? Is he any good in his natural position as a central defensive midfielder? I would like to see that, in a 3-4 game run at the very least.

Si i have no idea what your saying where talking about Bournemouth here who are they .Lets say they win or lose who cares .They are not a huge club like EVERTON FC.No history and when i was there last month it was nothing like the HILL DICKENSON more like MARINE Everton have been to hell and back kicked all over the place by the premier league just because we build a FANTASTIC STADIUM so we can move forward in the future and get back amongst the so called Bg 6 .Si this is called Ambition what us Everton fans have in abundance and i believe we can get there .But i will tell you BOURNEMOUTH should never be quoted alongside us what do you think Si.Stop sulking and support your football club you never where it takes you.

What’s wrong with the Right Back Moyes signed, Maitland Miles ? has Moyes found out he’s 21 and is now refusing to pick him ?

Nothing worse than a happy clapper criticizing fans who don’t agree with him. Not everyone wants to live in your fantasy land

I was in company the other day and the figure £12.5 million a year was being quoted Dale. Hopefully he’s paying his son out of his own salary because we don’t need a European scout, at the minute do we!

Good question Ian. For me it was towards the end of Marco Silva’s first season, when we finished with 8 victories and 8 clean sheets, from our last eleven matches. Before that it was the first season under Martinez, and also the last season under David Moyes. We had a great run up until Christmas during Moyes’s last season before he departed for United, and if my memory is correct then we were in the top three at Christmas. I remember losing at Norwich in February, and my assessment was that once again we were flogging dead horses, (something that used to make me feel that the manager was hard done by – but now I know a lot better!) and then we went out the cup to Wigan, and that was the end of another season. I also thought Benitez, was unlucky with injuries, although he might have contributed to DCL, nightmare injury spell, by initially playing him with a broken toe. I remember winning at Brighton and looking very good, but soon he lost the spine of the team and we hit freefall.

I was talking to a mate yesterday who said he thought we were on the right lines earlier in the season Matt, and I said to him that I could always see through it because we simply aren’t good enough. Reading your post has made me realise that the real reason why I couldn’t get excited was because I simply just know what David Moyes, always does. I feel sorry for him over the centre forward position, but we have got some very good midfield players, imo, and with a little bit of innovation on the training ground, and a braver manager, then we could definitely get a lot more out of this squad. Leaving us with just Barry though is one of the most dereliction of duties ever performed by any recruitment team, ever.

Joe, Tomorrow night is and should be a massive night, at home for a place in the Quarter Finals for a Cup we have never won and to try, somehow to end our ridiculous 31 year wait for a trophy. But what worries me is can the Dinosaur Leopard change the way he has them playing to address the fundamentally different requirements that must be met to win such a game? Here’s hoping he can bamboozle us and the Skunk Maggots tomorrow!!

I was blind but now I can see, I wonder if my eyes will now deceive me once I start being so pos-it-ive!

The have a go mantra can get results then?

And the mighty Fleetwood prove what a bit of “have a go” can do

Matt while I agree with a lot of what you say, the football under Dyche, Lampard and Benitez was no better than what is being served up now. We were unlucky in as much as the Ukraine war probably scuppered Evertons best chance of again competing for honours. Usmanov persuaded probably th emost successful manage ron the planet to join us and we started playing the football we wanted to see. Ancelotti was only here for a very short period but we started winning a places we hadnt won at in years, sadly this was done during covid so w edidnt get to see James live. Then as I say the Ukraine war happened Usmanov wa sanctioned and Ancelotti went to Real Madrid. I believe had the Ukraine war not happened Usmanov would have made us competitive again.

Moyes is here for the season let’s be honest.There’s no way TFG are sacking him and looking for another, they don’t give two shits and want out probably ASAP now.Moyes himself will know he’s more than safe here even if we win one game between now and Christmas, there is always the excuse of what’s going on behind the scenes, that’s the thing with Everton, there’s always some excuse for being shit and nobody there to ever elevate ambition.Tomorrow night is and should be a massive night, at home for a place in the Quarter Finals for a Cup we have never won and to try, somehow to end our ridiculous 31 year wait for a trophy.

Matt keep posting mate, a great pile of common sense there.

Morning Patric.Most managers when preparing for the next game will work first on “how can we hurt the opposition”.Moyes first work will be “how can we stop the opposition hurting us”I was disgusted by his comments on playing Rohl as protection for the right back v Chelsea.”Chelsea have a pacey attacking full back,i wanted to stop that” (paraphrase)We were at home ffsHe has an inferiority complex

We were shite in the past,no problem to stay shite.Come on,stop moaning you must be used to it by now

Michael,It must be soul destroying for players,especially the younger ones.A club has signed you on the back of what you have shown playing elswhere,the manager then restricts you in expressing what got you the move in the first place.The joy of playing free,open football removed.

And on Omari Benjamin:“He was very lively. A good threat with movement off the back line, he got between the lines and injected some pace and energy into it. Very, very good impact on off the bench.“You know, I think you look at the way the game is now, people make five changes most weeks and as the tempo of the game maybe changes, you want them to inject some inject some freshness and some fresh impetus into the game. Omari definitely did that.”When asked about the prospect of some of his youngsters having to be called upon by David Moyes’s first team – especially for bench duty – with just 18 outfield players in the senior squad and injuries starting to bite, the 48-year-old said: “Well, all we can do is ensure we’re preparing the players, we’re continually pushing them. We’re continually challenging them, supporting their development and that’s all we’ll do.”

Academy Boss / U21s Head Coach David Hughes said afterwards: “I think we’re all pleased with many elements of some of the first-half play. We had numerous opportunities in the first half to have found ourselves in front and we didn’t take them.“When you don’t do that, you get punished – and we did. It was miles better than Stockport in the first game of the season for sure.“It was a different team, a different feel to the game, but ultimately, we came here for a pre-season friendly and re-emphasised to the players, we need to see progress from the level of performance we played in pre-season.“I think we did, we look better. We’ve certainly got a competitive edge to the group of players. Ultimately, conceding that late on with the set-play is massively disappointing.“We try to be real in the feedback and the way we try and prepare for the game. We spend time preparing for set plays and making sure we’re organised, so that’s why we’re very disappointed with it.”

When was the last time you enjoyed watching an Everton side?

Matt Woods, spot on.”David Moyes — the footballing misery who kills the joy of the beautiful game.”Sadly, that’s says everything about watching his Everton teams.

Don’t forget Leeds JC

The only thing that will change our situation would be a change in formation and tactics – but that would require a change of manager so we are as some else has posted we are “in limbo” because our current owners won’t do that.

Pathetic Harry.

Vuksovic was £50m Stu, Rutter £40m.Brentford for £41m sangare, ouattara £43m. Evanlison was £40m.They aren’t just buying from the bargain bin. There will come a point where theyre spending £50-60m a player, as they’ve a sound sell to buy policy.We are struggling to sign right backs for £4m.

No Brighton player cost more than £30m I believe, what’s your point?

Agree PG. But it was hardly the first team.

So, Pete your latest claim is that Branthwaite, Garner, Armstrong, Grealish and Tarkowski will all leave if Moyes departs as they “play for Moyes and then Everton.” Even by your usual standards Pete that is laughable. As is your claim in another post that Branthwaite and Garner signed to play for Moyes? Moyes joined in January 2025, Brantwaite joined in January 2020 (FIVE YEARS BEFORE) and Garner joined in September 2022 (EIGHTEEN MONTHS BEFORE).

Brilliant to see a club sat in 18th place in League Two actually take the game to Arsenal.

They’ll be reely good Dale.’orrid run down place Fleetwood mate.The fat fella BM in this is an Evertonian.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx5ljggxICc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx5ljggxICc)

Paul, they are known as the Cod Army. Can you imagine the fish puns on their club site tonight?!?

And fourth division Fleetwood beat Arsenal! No worries, though, no issues with us and the football that we play and the attitudes of certain players and a manager who unlike gutsy Matt Lawlor shamefully cowers whenever he faces one of the so-called ‘big 4, 5, or 6’, whatever it is now.BBC: ‘Biggest night in the club’s history’ for fearless Fleetwood’. ‘Fearless’.

And what happened to Martinez John?

Hmmmm, our author ‘arry also has the distinction of having posted the best post that stretched to five words: ‘Who would you target, Greg?’.Who or what or which things or C-3PO decides on the ‘best’ post?