Yes, we won't go down... but we will always be finishing mid-table to 8th, unless he changes his spots and our twat of a Cchairman gets lucky after 10 years of searching 24/7.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

No surprise whatsoever at today's result. We've seen it hundreds of times under Moyes. One up front again at home to Wolves next week? You bet...

To me, I thought our passing and movement today was ok, we did on the majority of occasions try to play our way through them as there was no way we were going to beat them in the air. There were one or three hoofs but a long way less than would have been the case 2 years ago.

Where did it go wrong? Well, my own personal theories are multi-fold:

First and foremost, I don't believe that our pre-season (and not for the first time) is anywhere near good enough to get us to that quality level required to break teams down. Whilst we retained the ball well, particularly in the 2nd half, our speed of passing, our ball control, our sharpness, our inventiveness was poor, and to me that only comes with playing at that level for two or three games... Games against Sydney, Melbourne, Preston, Everton Chile and Norwich are never good enough to raise the players' levels. We should be playing against the likes of Wolfsburg, Valencia, Weder Bremen, and Benfica, as most other Premier League teams seem to be doing; even allowing that they aren?t at full strength, they would still give us a better game than our current pre-season games. We shouldn?t mind loosing as long as the players are raising their performances.

Secondly, Moyes is still too cautious with his team selection. I?m not saying we throw in Coleman, Gueye, Beckford et al in one go but, if there?s two things Moyes must have learnt over the last 6 weeks, it is that Rodwell, Coleman and Beckford do pose major threats to teams. Whether they can do it at the Premier League level is another thing... but at least give one of them a start rather than throwing them on for 15 mins at the end. If Cahill was also injured this week, why not give Rodwell or Bily a chance there?

Thirdly, I thought Pienaar and Howard looked well off the pace physically and mentally respectively today... and when you consider they both were playing 500-600 miles away on Wednesday and probably didn?t return until yesterday, I?m not surprised with their performances... but again, Moyes could have played others. Howard clearly was at fault for the goal and that?s all Allardyce needs to go into his 9-1 formation. Pienaar was way off his normal level, his first touch was poor, as was his movement.

We will undoubtedly get to that top quality playing level required to push us into CL contention... but, to actually challenge for it, we need to turn it around quickly and I still feel we?ll have some issues over the next few August games. Wolves will come with a defensive formation to Goodison, and Villa are always tough at Villa Park (particularly after their good start today).

How can anyone leave out Johnny Heitinga for the likes of weak-kneed Osman??? It's an injustice and even when Blackburn lost their key man early on, we still looked awful... and we still have to play Blackpool twice!!!!!!.

Moyes has no guts. We needed speed to take the game to Blackburn from the first whistle but Moyes went for the usual containment and it backfired yet again. Were all these players fit? If so, we are in for a lousy season.

When the season starts we need to give the team a chance. It was not the line-up I would have picked but I have no doubt that this is a blip. All will be well. We will win a cup and/or qualify for the Europa League. That will do for me and those who expected more are deluded. Look what DM was given to spend.

Again, whoever told me that our midfielders have clearly defined roles are obviously talking nonsense. We lack any creativity in the side or someone that can take defenders on. Saha looked his usual useless self when Moyes untilizes him like that.

I still think we need to changes in the side. We need a striker and an attacking midfielder as Cahill is not a striker.

The problem we have with today's team is that it lacks pace and that is what you need to break down a defense like Blackburn's. Not sure if Coleman is injured but he was not even on the bench today. I would like to see both Rodwell and Coleman given an extended run to see how they perform.

More importantly, Beckford should start alongside Saha, with Gueye and Rodwell also given starts next time out. Enough with the lone-striker crap. Did it ever work? I thought what Moyes said about the Blackburn game was typically complacent. We looked exactly like a team that plays in pink.

But...

It isn't hating if you're constantly frustrated with team selection. He does continually go back to the same old players, and it IS frustrating. Can anyone honestly say Osman should be playing out wide in the opener? Repeat for emphasis: in the opener? He continually drifted in and as many ahead of me have pointed out we had no width. There's no way Osman should be given the nod in the starting 11 when everyone is healthy.

This is the season to take a shot. For bold moves and decisions to be made. Not to have Leon Osman out wide! He is not a bad player at all. He has his place in the squad and can contribute.

But for the love of God, not today.

Degrading this critical analysis to "Moyes bashing" is disingenuous. I absolutely love Moyes. But he has to stop this back-to-the-well approach and start to take some real bold steps and moves.

It was, unequivocally, the same shit all over again.

Please, please throw Coleman, Gueye, Anichebe, RODWELL (!), Bily... anyone out there and make some adjustments for next week, Mr Moyes!

We didn't play all that bad. But this is a common trend with team and player selection by the Manager that just has to stop.

Can you really disagree with that? If so, how? Christ man, it's plain as day!

"We've seen it hundreds of times under Moyes." ? I'd be astounded if the massed ranks of Moyes Apologists on here can deny that. (Of course, now they will...)

Well at 6:30 am this morning, the line-up was announced (I live in California so we are 8 hours behind) and I turned to my girlfriend and said we are going to draw at best or more than likely lose.

45 minutes later, we were 1-0 down and to be honest we never looked dangerous or like we wanted to win. My girlfriend is not a football fan and has always been curious about how I can see our line-up and predict what the result is going to be. I have watched pretty much every game home or away last season on TV and feel that I can see why we seem so lame at times by team selection.

We lost today so any stupid reason to defend the team that was selected has now gone out the window. Heitinga has to be paired with Jags, Coleman for sure especially watching those pathetic crosses from Neville.

Fellaini was poor today and needs match fitness; Pienaar was off the pace also. Saha is looking like one of the French National Team Players that just quit but is still on the pitch!! Howard's mistake can be forgiven as he has saved our ass a lot and cannot be condemned for the rest of the team not able to put 2 goals in against Blackburn.

One last point I would like to make:, before the Everton game, I was up at 4:30 am to watch Spurs against City and I am so glad we didn't play Spurs today as we might have been beaten 6-0. They were quick, skillful and should've beaten City at least 4-0 except for Joe Hart.

The team for next week's game drastically needs shaking up, and although I would stick with Neville at RB due to Coleman's inexperience, Osman simply doesn't warrant a place in the team. The fact that we have Rodwell running the show playing for the U21s and tied up on a 5-year deal, it beggers belief as to how he doesn't start for us. If Moyes is fearing a 'burnout' then why is he letting him play in England fixtures days before the opening game of the season?

Bring on next week and let's hope Moyes mixes things up....COYB!

Let's face it, we were always on for a kicking today and DM must be able to see this, but he plays a half-fit Fellaini and Osman wide right, Pienaar didn't look fit, were was he midweek? Cahill was none existent and Arteta, yes Arteta didn't once try and run into the box with the ball, he just took the easy option of passing it sideways or to Saha who had three men on him at times.

Moyes must be able to see this, but didn't change it again until it was too late.
The writing was on the wall yesterday when Osman said were going to play them off the park on the ground, thus telling Big Sam that Osman was playing or he wouldn't of said it, and Big Sam rubbing his hands at the thought of us sending a team that was void of the likes of Rodders, Johnny etc. a team that would be bossed about all too easily.

Arteta, Osman, Pienaar, Cahill (looked knackered) half-fit Fellaini... how were they ever gonna compete with Sam's Dogs of War, when Mr World Cup Finalist can't even get a game,
'Ave a pair of balls, Davey, for fucks sake!

I'm sure we will play a much more attacking side for our home games. Maybe give one or two of the new boys a chance!!

I'm definitely a Moyes backer ('acolyte', 'apologist' whatever term you want to use that makes it obvious you watch too much Fox News) but I see his mistakes and conservatism and how they can be a problem, and there are things I wish he'd do differently, I just don't stamp my feet like a toddler when things don't go my way. I said this around Christmas last year and it didn't happen, so there's no reason to suspect it'll happen now, but winnable home games are where Coleman should be introduced into the first team, starting with Wolves on Saturday and Huddersfield in the Cup. This is an area where we can improve by next week, as two attacking full backs are very, very difficult for opponents to stop.

Johnny played for a team that made it to the World Cup Final, but he's obviously not good enough to play against the mighty Blackburn! Young Rodders is the future of England, but not as good as Osman? Bily cost £11 million but again not good enough to start against the wonders that are Blackburn...

It's called making tough decisions, leaving out your old faithfulls for the greater good of the team. DM doesn't seem capable of this, and this team will come together by default, ie Coleman etc, but it may take 8 or 9 games before that happens cos Davey hasn't got the bollicks to start with our best eleven.

And that's my worry, Andy, not the team... it's there, it's just playing them. We're eight years down the line and he's still afraid to do the right thing out of some misguided loyalty.

Nice guys come second, so they say. By the time we start to play our best team, imo it will be too late. We'll be 8 or 9 games in and it's catch-up time again. It can't happen this season or the team we have now will break up next year, we must play our best 11 all the time!

We have played 100% in the past without quality. Today we played like a good side going to a bad team. We are not used to being the footballing side but when we add quality to endeavour we might just achieve something. Let's forget today and move on. It was a good result.

Watched the Spurs/Man City game after watching that piece of muck. It was like they were playing in an entirely different league. I guess even great teams can get dragged into the mire by ones who insist on playing shit football, but I wish it didn't happen to us so often.

I've read comment on here claiming we have the best midfield in the league, well I watched Chelsea and our midfield comes nowhere near, similar with Villa, pace, movement, creativity... We need to face up to it that fact.

As for Leon Osman, let's not get on his back, he plays to his best ability but he's not a fucking wide player and Moyes must wake up to the fact.

We are a team with no pace and the only player with any pace (Rodwell) is on the bench to have Osman played out of position; we have a promising fullback who would have put Blackburn's left side on the back foot yet Coleman is not on the bench to make way for Hibbert. Moyes has been to loyal to all these and needs to be more ruthless and start bombing some of these out the door or we are in for the same old...

For Saturday, I hope Moyes makes the changes that we can all see from the stands and also sorts the Pienaar situation out once and for all ? sell the cunt or give him a reality check in the reserves.

Every single free-kick they get in their half is taken by Robinson and launched into the opposition's penalty area. Every throw-in further up the field is launched into the oppositions penalty area, after Pedersen has taken about a week and a half drying the ball so the talentless giants can lumber forward and try to wrestle the ball into the net.

They should be ashamed and embarrassed. They are not a football team, in fact they are everything that's wrong with modern day football.

There is shame in losing to Blackburn, but there is more shame in being Blackburn.

DM is a dour Scot with loyalty to the elder statesmen as he showed with Weir, Stubbs, Naysmith, Ferguson and now Cahill, Hibbert and Neville... he is still loath to play the kids and only injuries or a run of defeats will make him alter his selection plans.

He talks about our current crop of promising kids but he will keep them on the bench for cameo performances if we are losing or have injuries... you will continue to see Neville, Osman, Cahill and Hibbert ad nauseum!!

I truly hope I am totally wrong !!!!!!!

Yesterday, we had 16 attempts on goal and came up empty. The strategy has to change or the team selection. Failing that, Moyes has to come under serious scrutiny by the board. It's not acceptable to make excuses about players not being fully fit or they may need a few more games etc.etc. That's what pre-season games are about. If a player is not fully charged by the first kick-off then he should not be in the squad.

On a another note, is it not a bit ironic that both Merseyside keepers made catastrophic blunders in the opening games?

Granted, it is early days, but our typical style of play of the last few seasons is not capable of facilitating European qualification this season, let alone a top 4 place. Moyes FC is a solid mid-table club. He has done very well to achieve this on a limited budget. However, as Trevor Lynes has already implied, Moyes is too focused on negating the opposition and not winning the game outright. This does his players a disservice, and must often frustrate them immensely. I actually feel a bit sorry for Mikel. His loyalty might hold him back.