Not for the first time Ian, and I’m sure not the last.

Sorting by "oldest comments" is a great feature. It used to be really cumbersome to have to scroll all the way to the oldest comments and then read from the bottom up.

I think I remember it now Ian.

Did Vaughn play wide right forward in a 4-2-3-1?

Mate, Moyes loves a small squad. The smaller the better. Yes he’s really good at what he does, but what he does is limiting and belittling.

Everton through and through my arse, he’s a narcissist. Moyes through and through, blinkered by his own lack of success but still happy to pretend he has the ability to manage this great club. He doesn’t btw, but will keep us in the EPL. Yay, go us for being the most boring team in the world.

Remember when football was about winning trophies? I do, just.

Rodwell was 16 john, so yeah I remember it pretty well mate. He shares the same name as my lad, who had his kit a couple of years later. Someone I followed for a long time, and someone that was backed at a young age.

Portsmouth 2008 had vaughan, anchibe and rodwell in it. All under 21 in the Premier league.

But feel free to blame Evertonia…

I suspect there is a reason Everton don’t do to much in the first half of games. It would be very difficult for many of the players to perform from the first minute to the 90th minute week in and week out without showing a level of fatigue that would be apparent as a game wore on. Without enough senior players to rotate or even substitute the players would become prone to injury. Moyes has to try and set the players up to survive and then hopefully conquer. It’s a balancing act that will be the norm till the end of the season if TFG don’t bring in more players to increase squad depth. Moyes has a difficult job ahead if his toolbox is left so threadbare.

I really hope those fans that complain about Moyes and his tactics realise that the job he is doing is remarkable. He is Everton through and through. I doubt there is another that could achieve more than Moyes.

TFG need to realise that Moyes needs support and backing, also his loyalty should also be rewarded with a new contract. COYB

In a Premier League game?

If i remember rightly 😁

Yeeeh, course

You cant kid a kidder, Brendan.

Think rodwell, anichibe and Vaughan played in Alkmar as well if I remember rightly.

We cant complain with the ref last night, he gave us every decision.

Its Coventry fans who should feel hard done by, as they should have at least had one pen, or maybe 2.

I’ll take it all day though because we have been on the recieving end of some diabolical decisions by Var.

Your far from being on your own on Barry, Laurie.

There’s more to come imo

He’s better than a one in twoer this season Derek.

Laurie; don’t get too carried away mate, Barry is doing well – well – well for him.

But he still has the ones like in the first 10mins were he ran the length of the penalty box trying to sort his feet out – and didn’t.

But he’s still a ‘footballer’ waaay better than 95% of the rest of us, It was hardly the hardest ball to ‘see’ or deliver.

The real skill was from KDH, who stayed on side and finished brilliantly.

I saw the much maligned (but again still a decent 95%er footballer ) Big Vic Anichebe deliver the exact same ball.

He’s having a good little run. Though even up to now at his best, on a good day, he’s a one in Sixer, he keeps getting in positions, and keeps scoring and I’ll take them all day long, but Harry Kane he ain’t – not yet anyway

Barry has served me a great big chunk of humble pie which I will publicly eat now. His hold up play has improved out of site but the one thing that impressed me the most yesterday was that pass to KDH for the third goal. A pass that any top class midfielder would have been proud of. Perfect weight, timing and placement.

The other thing that I was pleasantly surprised about was Moyes starting Dibling. He had to start George on the left but he had choices on the right in Rhol and Johnson. If he keeps starting these young players together I think they will pay him back in spades.

And another thing – how come Mykalenko keeps turning up on the edge of the oppositions box?🤔

Idea for a TV series based on Maresca’s team:

This City Is Shite

I read it on Evertonia.

The poster probably meant in league games, I should have read it properly .

Do your research.

See you around midnight.

Hackney will outstrip Armstrong

Pita is a great player. Mostly a right winger. Fast and runs all day. Can beat a man and finish.

Ian

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Although that level of trivia is a bit concerning mate.

You telling porkies John?

Bate 2009.

John I appreciate that, just another word to me, others may not feel the same to such a reply.

Thought we were just debating the blues john, having differering opinions is what it’s all about.

That’s 4 in 12 months i think I heard the commentary say Michael

Two brilliant goals from Liam Delap.

He’s been hiding for a long long time…

Having spent billions on a squad, maybe we should play a better style.

Ndiaye going down like he’d been hit with a cricket bat, just too much of it these days.

John I’ve always backed the lad, it does my head in the way some pile in on him, he never gets injured he’s scoring goals and his all round play is improving, he is proving a few people wrong, 10 goals in 13 , im delighted for him

Forest 2-0 ahead at home – first league goals they have scored at home all season.

100% correct David, it will take patience from the fans but we have had decades of just getting by.

Given the financial restrictions it’s the only way we can compete. Build a young team that will grow together, not all kids that won’t work, we need a nucleus of good kids with the experienced pros to guide them.

Imo the side that played last night would finish higher than last seasons 13th.

I owe you an apology David.

I used the C word in a reply to you last week.

Unfortunately it is part of my vocabulary, use it now and again.

Honestly no offence intended.

Get a glimpse of that goal Micheal misty conditions but it’s a whopper of a shot a yard or so inside the penalty area and we must have been chasing victory because the young lad is that far up the field.

"But he and Armstrong could be th ebest 2 young central midfield players in the country."

Hackney is a 24-year old career minor-leaguer, finally getting a shot in the top league. Armstrong, a teenager getting First-11 playing time in a top league. Completely different career projections at this point.

I’m all for your prediction coming true. I’d think Harrison’s upside is already quite a bit further on than Hackney’s; including projection for making the England team.

How long have you been a premier league manager?

Shithouse tackle Christy.

Definite red for me

Yay, keep it going, I’m sure it isn’t an easy negotiation.

The replies being hidden seems to undermine what I would think is desired, seeing some interesting posts that could get more responses. Again, the structure probably makes sense for other author-audience relations. Here though, both the crowd and the topic operate better with it all on top.

Arena looks like it is built for, I am guessing, authors who wish to keep comments directly on topic without distractions and to reward resident regulars who help with informal moderation. TW is in a different quadrant of the blogosphere, or whatever it is called now (Enshittificationville?).

Some of these requests could maybe get resolved by posters just adopting conventions. Not using the reply or the arrow post rating functions are two which I suggest.

I dont think many would have argued if alcaraz had come on for george at 1 nil, or in at the 10, and drop Dewesbury Hall back. The little bit of patience paid off for Moyes.

The lad might feel a bit hard done by, but will be needed in a busy December.

You don’t need the greatest touch or technical abilities to score alot of goals .

The ability to be in the right place at the right time can be just as good, and workrate is an ability that will get you as far as technical abilities.

The cheer Barry Kane got for chasing down and challenging for a ball when 3-1 up with a couple of minutes to go was nearly as loud as his goals.

Think it’s finally clicking what fans want from him.

He might still get if he’s stays fit and there are injuries to 1 or 2 in his position.

Better than Foden and Palmer? I swop him for either of them without a moments thought, mind you he’s having a good go to get an England cap and they play so many meaningless internationals these days he might just make it, Leslie Compton, brother of Dennis, was picked for his only cap at the age of 37! And if Burn of Newcastle was selected by Tuchel there is a chance of a recall to the squad for Michael Keane— don’t bet on it though!

Yes I’d rather Watch rohl, Dibbling & George make mistakes and learn, improve & develop than have Johnson, AMN or grealish going through the motions .

If we can be patient with them, which I think the crowd are, encouraging them and not getting too angry with mistakes, they should grow together in the team.

When you have a few youngsters coming through together it can build a strong connection long term.

592 games managing Everton ,David.

Last night was the first time in 592 games he has selected 3 players under the age of 21 to start the game.

Watched the Leeds game earlier, couldn’t understand how Bogle didn’t get a red for catching Tel on his achilles, VAR looked at it for four minutes, and unbelievably Brooks didn’t even give a yellow, Tel went off injured.

no comment ?

Replying to Steve Brown 28 minutes ago .

Yes it surprised me that the winger who played in every game of the league cup that year never played in the final or the replay, if my memory is correct it was Alan Irvine.

Better than Palmer and Foden, but behind Bellingham and Rogers. Lots of completion for his position.

Will get a game when others can’t be arsed and drop out.

Barry may miss a few but he’s currently lying second to Haarland in the goal scoring department. Hardly a "galoot"!

Trevor Steven is a good comparison, Tony.

After moving from Burnley as a 19-year-old, he initially looked overawed by the pressure of playing for Everton. His form dipped early in the 1983–84 season, and he was dropped for a few months over winter that season.

You have to keep faith with players like that game style.

Did he even watch the game?

““I wasn’t quite so sure about a good performance,” he said. “We got a performance, and we got a result, but I have to say Coventry made it really difficult for us.”

Who said that Pete? I’ll give you a clue, he has grey hair and you have a crush on him.

No Pete, it shows that many of us are not interested in the back and forth when all we get is this rah-rah stuff. Give us something analytical or some takes on match moments.

And that weak ‘club’s in trouble but it isn’t because of Moyes’ you offered after the Arse capitulation is not forgotten. That was hardly enough to justify what you are serving up here.

I also thought Rhol had a very good game, surprised when he was taken off I thought it would have been better if he stayed on in front of O’Brien with Dibling tiring at that point. As for Alcaraz — another four minutes — unless he brought him on to gain the winning bonus money I didn’t see the point of that substitution – far better to give those meagre minutes to young Braiden Graham if only to boost his confidence.

Agreed. I seem to remember that a young Man Utd side made several errors whilst growing into the team. Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Ferdinand, Solskjaer, the Nevilles and Nicky Butt…

Agree what you are saying about Johnson, but time you remembered that the ‘resident dinosaur’ has put us in 5th place in the Premier table and the quarter finals of the Caribou cup. Give the guy credit where credit is due….

Oh just read your last post again— I spelt Nsangou wrong!