Just got back from Portsmouth game feeling pretty depressed. There is lots that could be said about money (or lack of it!), transfers (or lack of them!) etc. However, if we are to begin to salvage something from a fairly disasterous start to the season (both on and off the pitch), there is something I believe we need to do immediately regardless of anything else!

First Lescott must revert to left back and Jags to centre back alongside Yobo. JL will have to be persuaded that he is a better left back than he is centre back (whatever he himself believes) because not only is he superb defensively in this position, his attacking contribution is too good to lose. Jags is a great no-nonsense centre-back but a crap midfielder. Leighton Baines (who I like) should be tried as a left midfielder for a suitable period. If it doesn't happen he sits on the bench or moves on. This was the defence which served us superbly well last season.

We must as a matter of urgency replace Lee Carsley. His role in supporting the defence cannot be over emphasised. We know we don't have enough creativity in midfield but whatever we do there (through youngsters, loans or purchases) will be wasted unless we get back to a solid defence for the midfield to function in front of!

If this issue isn't addressed in our next game, I will be even more depressed and extremely disappointed in David Moyes. I'm sure he won't let us down.

You say throw Lescott from centre back, but then accomodate him in a position where we have a very good young english left back in Baines, who was one of, if not thee best player for Everton today! Lescott was good at left back at the beginning to mid season last year but then got found out in my opinion. The bench for a couple of games might do him good like it did with Yakubu and Jags.

James, I agree that Moyes should have kept the same back four from last season as wer had a solid unit with Jagielka a good leader and commanding presence at the back and I think Baines is good going forward, but I was impressed with him defensively at all today. The Yak was told to drop off to play in a Cahill-like role, because there was nothing to link up the midfield and strikers otherwise-not that this tactic worked because Yakubu is a centre forward not a midfielder as are Jagielka and Rodwell defenders, not midfielders so at the moment the middle of our midfield is the major problem. We’ve got two defenders playing there and they aren’t as effective as what Carsley was at protecting the back four and going forward they have no creativity or real flair to pick out a pass or cause the opposition any real problems and I don’t see how Phil Neville is going to make any real difference playing there. What we need are two quality centre mids, one defensive to replace Carsely and the other one someone who can pick a pass and add some flair and creativity to the midfield to replace Fernandes. Moyes has foolishly replaced neither and chose to go into the season with Jagielka and Rodwell as the two first choice centre mids? He hasn’t got loads of money, but he should have brought in a couple of decent centre mids like Sidwell for instance, who would not have broke the bank, instead of forcing us to watch rodwell and Jagielka play out of position! God save us when we play Liverpool if we’re getting beat 3-0 by Portsmouth! Moyes needs to get his act together and sign some decent players quick or has he left it too late?

Fernandes wouldn?t have cost all that much ? I think we should have stuck with him.

Couldn’t agree more. Put Lescott at Left Back and put Jags back at Centre Back. By the way Neville was the best player today as he did his own and Artetas job!!!

Moyes got it right in his interview today. We?ve got young players in ths side but they're not the ones letting us down, its the experienced ones, ie Arteta, Lescott, Yobo, Yakubu. All had bad games today.

Phil Nevill had a bizzarre good game, even nutmegged their Left back twice. I nearly did a little wee.

Just need Moutinho in! And the big players to atart earning their wages!

Moyes would actually be doing Lescott a favour by putting him to left back as because he has no chance of replacing Engerland?s two centre halfs of Terry and Ferdinand now that Terry is captain. So Moyes puts him at left back, Jags and Yobo in centre = defence sorted, it also keeps lescott happy because he gets to play every week and therefore is in control of his own international destiny. This would then keep everyone sweet (except Baines!).

Have to disagree about Neville being the best player on the pitch for us, his first half was shite, he did improve second half but by no means was he our best player.

Rodwell was clearly our shining light today, wanted the ball when the others did not and fully comitted in every challenge.

Yakubu coming back was because we had fuck all else in the middle, Arteta went missing like a coward and Jagielka looked like he was scared off the ball.

Yakubu dropped deep because he had too, he improved our play by doing so. He linked play, tried to make things happen and worked hard.

If we had a centre midfield you could have a go, sadly we didn’t. Rodwell and Jagielka offered nothing and Yak helped out by doing what good strikers do, make things happen.

A striker isn’t just supposed to stand there and wait for the ball to come, Yakubu got much more to his game than that. He played very well today, one of the few to be honest.

We need to get back to basics, Neville, Yobo, Jagielka and Lescott should be the back four. I like Baines, he’s a positive player but it’s all about balance and combination and he doesn’t fit into that.

Neville wasn’t our best player today, not by any strech. He was decent but there where better players. Yakubu played well bar the pen, Rodwell sprayed it round nicely, Osman did okay in patches and Yobo did well.

We lost the match today because Pompey are the type of team we should be striving to be like ? not the other way around... Harry Redknapp has slowly built, with the help of good money but no more than what Everton have had really, a very strong, physically fit and athletic team that simply over powered us in every department today and they never looked like they broke out of first gear to do it.

It's all well and good saying Everton is the blue print for other clubs but Redknapp has won Portsmouth a trophy and right now at this moment in time we will not be in touching distance of them come the end of the season. I am feeling very disheartened with everything that has gone on at Everton this summer, Moyes looks pissed off and so do the players to be frank. And then Moyes coming out saying we are not equipped to win matches at this level won't do the confidence any good.

We are having to play kids that are nowhere near ready physically and mentally and that's a sorry state of a club supposedly going in the right direction.

put who, were ever you like, it aint going to make any difference. Until we get a holding player in the middle, our defence is constantly going to be under pressure.

This is going beyond the point of Everton’s problems at the moment, but on today’s game did anyone else think the referee was a bottler when it came to booking players. I remember Portsmouth tried to do the same thing last season, they just constantly foul and break up play and if they can’t tackle you they make sure they foul you and today was no different. Glen Johnson, Diarra and Diop gave away foul after foul and one of them led to Osman getting injured, yet the referee was happy to let them off and in a way ruin the game by not booking them allowing them to continually stop us trying to play football yet when Lescott fouled Diop back, he rolled around on the floor and got Lescott booked. People were saying Vaughan didn’t have a good game, but I think he deserves alot of credit for putting himself about and being one of the few to get back at them and get stuck in on them. We get bullied off the park too much for my liking.

When the seasons fixtures where announced this year I thought that the Gods where smiling on us. We were given five very winable games to start us off and I honestly thought we could win them all. Now as it stands, if we don't win the next two (against promoted opposition ) the only thing we will be able to look forward to this season will be achieving the 40-point mark.

Where is all the cash gone, Bill? We have never spent the money from McFadden moving away, let alone AJ. Our wage bill has been slashed with the players we have let go, and we don't have proper cover if Howard gets injured. I like many blue supporters have watched in disbelief as we have done nothing in the transfer market and now that we still haven't spent any cash, if the players we have "acquired" were up to Prem League standards, how come no-one else was after them?

Bill, I love the club as much as anyone else but I wouldn't profess to be able to run it or manage it. I still believe we have the best manager for the job but his body language looks to me that he is getting to the end of his tether with it all. The club needs to back him or I think he will walk. He may think he has taken us as far as the club will allow him. Come on, Bill... where is the CASH?

Yakubu dropped back for two reasons: One, to play in the invisible/non-existent midfield; and Two, to actually get the fucking ball. Utter shite and the better team by a country mile won.

Kenwright out before he kills the club.

Whoever said Baines was good today was at a different game than I was. Constantly beaten in the air, piss poor going forward, and lest anyone forget, it was his man that scored the second goal today.

On a more positive note, I thought we were better today than against Blackburn ? not saying a lot but at least we had chances.

Our main problem today was that we have nobody to break down defences. Arteta is either marked out of games or has lost interest. By the way, his dead ball delivery is awful.

Two major signings or I agree that Moyes will go.

The invisible/non existent midfield along with the attack still managed 19 attempts on goal to Portsmouths 8 and had 57% possesion Gavin! We had no luck today and the defense lost concentration, but to call Portsmouth better by a country mile is way off! Sometimes you play well and get nothing, that's football.

Lescott is a centre back - end of. Just because we have three quality centre backs doesn’t mean we need to start playing one of them out of position.

This is the one area of the pitch where we have a bit of competition for places and can therefore afford to play any two out of the three depending on the the form they’re in. Lescott has had a crap start to the season and, assuming Jags is freed from midfield by Castillo’s arrival, should expect to be on the bench for the next game. Then it’s up to Joleon to win his place back or take his chance when it comes.

We’ve got a promising young English left back who just needs games to develop - and an experienced Portuguese international as cover - we don’t need Lescott playing there out of position.

While we are talking about Yakubu, can somebody tell me WTF was Yakubu doing taking penalties and not Arteta? Cast your minds back to the Fiorentina shoot out and the shot against the post and today?s powderpuff shot. What is it with these weak stuttering runups followed by piss weak kicks to a keeper with the experience of James??? Was it because the Yak had scored in each game so far and he wanted a hat trick in three games or because it was against his old club? Either way, the result is more important and I think Arteta would be better suited to the situation. In future, if we get a penalty, don?t fuck about ? just blast the ball like James Beattie used to do.

Baines is a good little player, technically good and very positive going forward. He’s an average defender though and he’s easily exposed. Portsmouth knew this and Johnson and Diop exposed him physically and defensively.

They either played the crossfield ball which Diop would always win obviously or they kept it on the deck and got Johnson one on one with him, there’s only one winner really.

You don’t need to be big to be a fulback but you need bit, presence and defensive qualities, I’ve yet to see these from Baines. In Spain or Italy he’d be fine but this is a League where the long ball is used alot and physically you have to be up to it.

If he works on his defieciencies he’ll make it here, as a defender his job is too defend at the end of the day. If he gets that right his attacking qualities are an added bonus.

Maybe if we can somehow sort out the centre of midfield he and the rest of the defence will improve. Jagielka and Rodwell didn’t offer any protection yesterday, Jags is lost and Rodwell is more cultured than hard tackling. He also needs to work on his positioning but that will come with time.

At the moment we need to get back to basics, Lescott at left back and Jags at centre back is the answer. People say Lescott is a better centre half, when has he actually proved that? He’s revelled at left back and looks a top quality left back both defensively and attacking wise.

Jags isn’t everyone cup of tea but he’s a different type of centre back, a gritty no nonsense centre back. He blocks things, wings tackles that other players can’t win and is very tenacious. He also talks and organises where as Yobo and Lescott despite there obvious qualities do not.

It’s Lescott at left back for me for the time being, once we have a settled side and get back to winning ways maybe we can switch it a bit and introduce Baines. At the moment it’s about getting the right balance and combination.

Our problem today, as it has been for ages, is the midfield is shite, and I mean all of them including Arteta. I?ll excuse Rodwell as he is young and will become a very good player. Today was a prime example that, while Arteta is a decent player, he will never be a top class international. When we needed him most to take the game by the scruff of the neck, he went missing again.

John Martin, I?d have to agree with that. Arteta disappointed me today, he was glued to the line and didn?t come looking for the ball. His movement was poor as well.

He?s a class player but he?ll never be world class because he doesn?t have the hunger to get on the ball and make things happen. Even players like Osman and Jagielka were looking for the ball far more.

Saying that, though, Moyes?s insistence on playing him on the wing all game doesn?t help; I?d like to see him move centrally and even to the left occasionally.

I have said before my preference is for Lescott at centre-back and I’m sticking to it on the basis that he offers more than Yobo or Jagielka bringing the ball out from that central position. The other two by and large are not composed enough to do this.All of this is academic until we find someone to replace Carsley. In short until that happens whatever combination you play in defence they’re going to be overly exposed and vulnerable.

Dan
you must have been at a different match than the rest of us.

Our defense and particularly defensive MF was totally overrun when they came forward.

It was men against boys.

If it was any of the top 4, we would have seen a cricket score and I?m not talking about us.

Jags in MF is a joke and Lescott will never make a decent centre back while he loses concentration so much.

WE NEED TO IMMEDIATELY REVERT TO OUR BEST BACK 4 - Neville Yobo Jags Lescott.

We outplayed them but they took their chances well. A bit like what we did to West Brom last week. In my opinion, all the goals scored should have been prevented.

First goal, Rodwell?s positioning is awful. He should be the one preventing Defoe from having the space to turn. Everytime the opposition gets the ball, he backs off and "mark space" rather than "mark man".

Second goal, Baines fault. Period. He did not track back.

Third Goal, Rodwell and Yobo. Rodwell came back to cover but did nothing except stand around and play Crouch onside. Yobo wasn?t tight enough on Defoe and gave him the space to "pick his spot".

Rodwell is not ready to do the job in midfield. Last season, Carsley would not have allowed Defoe to turn for the first goal without getting a challenge in and Davis would not have the opportunity to back-heel into lots of space with a sliding block or tackle. Rodwell being a defender is simply used to back off and will only tackle when a shot or cross is imminent.

Last point, our luck was really down and we have certainly played a lot worse and scored. The passing improved, we?re using the flanks, Yak?s link up was good and the players do look "up for it".

Sid Logan; you’ve got it the wrong way round, we need a solid midfield to allow the existing defense, who haven’t turned into crap players overnight BTW.

This same solid MF will then feed the Yak and he won’t HAVE to come back looking for the ball

Conceeding 6 goals in 2 home games , that is the problem. firstly doesn’t matter who the central defenders are individualy it’s how they play together and it’s obvious Lescott and Yobo are not a partnership ,they looked lost yesterday, joey and the jag play together well so stick with it. Lescott back to where he did so well last season.
Secondly , if Carsley was still here we would not have conceeded so many goals, we have just got a defensive centre -mid in so hopefully thats sorted.
finally, If we make ourselves hard to beat again get some confidence back and get the new and injured players in and settled we should be okay
Everyone makes mistakes Moyes can learn from this and be a better manager for it,

It’s starting already. The Yak at left-wing. Remember Beattie at right-wing, AJ at right-wing? The problem is midfield. The Yak is playing as the 5th midfield because Jags and Rodwell can’t dominate the center mid. And don’t get me started on Osman against Portsmouth’s men. If this wasn’t a football match you could charge them for assault on children. Fucking sort out the midfield and leave the strikers out of it!!!

Dan I stand strong by my country mile, did you go to the game? Portsmouth passing and moving took the piss, they also most definitely looked the more interested team and I’d say 9/10 won the first and second ball in challenges. Too many Everton players didn’t look interested enough and when you get children and players out of their natural position playing against big burly blokes in their preferred roles there will only ever be one winner. Yes, better than the Blackburn game but still shite and a deserved loss.

at last someone praising Phil Neville on these pages .i would say at the moment he is about as good as weve got,the reason people say he gives the ball away too much is because every time a player dosnt know what to do with the ball they give it to Neville and the law of averages says that sometimes he will mess up,two weeks off now to try and sort this mess out and get nine points from our next three games.PLEASE

Hopefully the lineup next week?

Neville Jags Yobo Lescott
Arteta Castillo Osman Baines
Saha Yakubu

Martin Barron

"lest anyone forget, it was his (Baines) man that scored the second goal today"

Please tell me since when is it the left back’s job to mark the oppositions right back ? Baines was left horribly exposed by the lack of anyone in front of him which gave Johnson license to attack the whole of the game.

We have NO midfield and that is the problem. We can all see that and have seen it for over a year but the club have chosen not to strengthen it as yet. Arteta, as much as I love the guy, went missing yesterday and the guy who said he was a coward probably got it right.

I feel we still need at least 3 more midfielders, two of which have to be over 6 foot !

Very disheartened yesterday and very tempted to leave with 20 mins still to play. However, we’re still only 3 points behind where we were last season. Best I can do I’m afraid.

Andrew, you must have a screw lose mate. Phil Neville is shite and has been for a long time. Backs off far too much when players run at him, whereas Hibbert would put them on their asses and has poor distribution. How can you say Phil Neville is our best player? You must be having a laugh! Ok he tries his best, but technically he’s nowhere near our best player.

Anthony Millington - I don’t know who Andrew is, but I think what the other Anthony above was trying to say was that Neville has been probably our best performer in the first three games.

I certainly don’t think anyone is suggesting that he is our best player, technically or otherwise - you would have to be a bit mental to think that. But I think you’re the one with a ’screw lose’ by saying he’s shite. Phil Neville is a solid full back who would get into the majority of starting 11s in the Premier League. Fair enough, I was hoping we would replace him this summer in the hope of pushing on to the top four, but I think we can all agree the summer hasn’t gone quite as planned!

What is clear is that despite his obvious lack of technical ability, he always gives everything on the pitch, inspires the rest of the team and, unlike a couple of our supposed ’top’ players, he didn’t go missing yesterday when the going got tough.

Our best performer in the first three games? Not a chance. He was terrible against Blackburn, completely woeful to be honest. Couldn’t retain possession, backed off far to much defensively and offered nothing going forward.

Against West Brom he was solid, yesterday he was hit and miss. He hasn’t been our worst player but he’s been nowhere near our best either to be honest.

I don’t think he’s a captain, if he insprires his teammates why do we never win when we go a goal behind? He doesn’t to be honest, he doesn’t have the ability or leadership qulities to get this team to where it wants to be.

Baines played great today, he tried to do everything: defend, attack, the kid was knackered. Who do you think he is? The six million dollar man? If he got any help from some of the others (Osman etc..), he?d have more energy and would not get caught out getting back into position after setting up (and making great deliveries when crossing) our attacks. Look at Glen Johnson, their right back, when he went forward he was always covered by one of their centre backs (it's called tactics). I would not blame Baines.