Koeman: We will fight to turn situation around

Does Ron know something we don’t?

He is Moshiri's man and for that reason he will be given time; how the board react to fan frustration may be key in determining Koeman's future, but I think we can forget about seeing him removed from his position in the near future.

What league position the club will occupy by the time the window opens is anybody's guess, but if we revert to hoofing the ball up the pitch and hoping that something good happens, it will be around 15th or lower.

Shocking managerial decisions and some horrific performances are to blame for where our season is at – not because we didn't replace one player, especially one player whose hold-up play wan't even that good.

Jesus wept. When is the fucking time to talk about it? In the summer, after we have been relegated??? Get lost Koeman. You do not 'get' Everton.

Without such a player, we are forced to play far deeper than ideal. We therefore invite the opposition onto us and they love it. "Gelling" is hard enough without lacking the gelatine provided by a centre-forward. It's like trying to march in perfect synchronicity whilst having a left boot of each foot, the opposition being already well-drilled in good boots allowing them to advance with ease.

At Southampton Koeman had the gelatine in the shape of Lambert, Rodrigues, Pelle and Long, not to mention talented midfielders like Tadic who therefore had confidence when going forward that they'd either hold and pass the ball back to them as they neared the penalty area or, God forbid, make a meaningful attempt on goal themselves. With these basics in place, Koeman did well, in successive seasons needing time to gel. Without them he's ordinary, at best, but I don't know of another manager with a proven track record of success without the inclusion of an accomplished centre-forward.

Someone sabotaged our season before it began. That's the scandal.

That makes me feel worried, as they will wait for January to buy him his player then sack him. Moreover, as our form dwindles away who in their right mind would come to Everton for a scrap?

Sacking him now, gives a fresh start a window for a new manager to bed in and a chance to get a striker or two booked in before the FA Cup 3rd round. Koeman talks about the excuses, and then cleverly dismisses them. That's still making excuses, Ron laa. Do the board realise he's taking them for a ride?

The utterly deathly silence from the board is shithouse behaviour of the highest order.

Okay, he may have done the only useful thing I've ever seen him do at club level afterwards, but anyone else should have been binned for that kind of silliness.

Get ready, Oumar, the balls are going to be coming your way fast and furious!

The illusions about a top 6 finish evaporated some time ago. Realistically, at present, the board must be thinking about survival. It's too late to be worried about the embarrassment – we're past that stage already, and there's a huge job ahead, whoever the manager is.

Two things anger me more than anything. Romelu Lukaku out – no replacement in. And the apparent inability of Koeman to make changes and alter thinking when his game plan clearly isn't working. Martinez did that. Stuck to his guns, come what may.

It's not helped because it doesn't look as if there is much in the way of inspirational talks and leadership going on, rather a blame culture. I've noticed Big Dunc is not his usual self either?

Doesn't look like it's going to be a happy footballing Christmas for us Evertonians this year.

I wonder, too. Or buy the player then not sack him, having sold Barkley and/or others to fund the transfer.

This lack of a centre-forward is a serious issue but it must not be used to override and cover up the litany of failings of and by Koeman.

I don't think Koeman would have been sacked if he'd joined in the fracas on the pitch last night.

I won't pretend that the lack of a recognised centre-forward was a huge error. Unacceptable.

Surely you would accept a coach deemed to be worth £6m a year should have alternate strategy to get himself to the next window in the face of this error?

So what can we make of changing the line-up every game and doing so with many changes? In particular the back four which has been a revolving door around Keane. That has nothing to do with no centre-forward.

I'd argue strongly picking the same back 4 in the same formation would give you the stability you need to get through to January. Chopping & changing so erratically has given none of the new signings a decent chance to gel.

Even his epiphany of direct football will flounder if he cannot pick a settled side and let them connect.

So many questions remain unanswered beyond the failure to land a centre-forward. My view of his style and pragmatism were formed with Lukaku in the side; failing to replace him is the crutch he clings too.

But why just occasionally? Like by accident more than design. Can't understand why, if that's what the manager wants, we're not doing it?? Why? Anyone?

Koeman is paid more than Pochettino, Allegri, Emery, Simone. Just let that sink in

Based on this I don't believe now that Everton will sack him unless relegation becomes a real threat. What we would lose in compensation payments for Koeman and the new man and the disruption caused is probably higher than the loss of income for finishing low in the Premier League so there is no penalty for wait and see for the rest of the season. Why would they not adopt this strategy?

The question then is, can they resist pressure from the fans and the answer to that is that they will possibly try to neck it out in the knowledge that if results improve bit by bit then the protests will stop. A drop in gates would make them sit up and think but that isn't going to happen in a big way. Add to the mix that Kenwright is loyal and that Koeman is Moshiri's man then I believe we are going to be complaining for a lot longer yet.

The summer has shafted us big time, and I believe the board and Walsh have let us all down, including Koeman. But Koeman is not blameless either. The only way he can emerge with some credit is by finding a way to win football games. We need to stop conceding and start creating.

If Koeman can't adapt to the players at his disposal, he will probably not be here in a month's time.

Now consider the situation at Everton. There is absolutely no evidence to date that Koeman is going to turn this around. He is a dead man walking, fans are in revolt and the Players have clearly given up on him and his attempts at man-management.

So what is the difference between Spurs and Everton? Levy is ruthless, that's what, whilst we have chairman Bill and Moshiri fiddling whilst Rome burns.

There are no thinkers in this team, no cohesion, no basic skills. We have multi-million-pound players who are unable to control the ball and pass it 6 yards to a teammate.

£27 million for Keane – that's got to be a joke: we should have signed Ben Mee for a fraction of that.

But, after all is said and done, it's up to the manager to get something out of these duds and that is not going to happen. Time for a change.

Whilst he is ultimately responsible for the current mess, and you could argue his way of playing does not instil confidence in the players, he can't be held totally responsible for the basic errors by the players.

Ronald didn't adapt last season, the players had to adapt to his methods and tactics and some of those involved have either been sold or cold-shouldered.

I remember a few TW posters, about this time last year, asking should the manager make a team from the players available using tactics that suit those players or should it be the players who adopt the managers tactics. A difficult question to answer and in most cases it's the manager who sets the style of play and the players follow his instructions.

The amount of upheaval since Ronald joined the club has been phenomenal and has been pretty expensive too. Are we any better off now than we were this time last year? – the answer would have to be no. Are we seeing the emergence of a recognised style or identity for his team? – The answer again has to be no. Will Koeman still be here in three months time? – I would have to say, regrettably yes.

My personal nightmare scenario, apart from relegation, is that by the summer, Koeman will be joined by Moshiri in a new project somewhere else in Europe, and Bill if he can find somebody to buy Moshiri's shares on his behalf will once again become the master of Everton's destiny and we can live out the rest of our days watching the Blues at Goodison Park.

Same play, same script, but with different actors, so much for my dream of Usmanov following his mate to Everton FC and pushing us towards that elite group of European clubs.

I'm forecasting a 3-1 defeat, our goal an OG.

Well, all of us would be unfazed getting a multi-million-pound pay-off for failure. Time for a few rounds of golf in the sun, then get my CV circulated... and bingo! Another job falls into my lap. Funny ole game.

Re Big Dunc, I was quite close to the team warming up at the Amex last Sunday and he looked totally flat. He was continually looking at his watch with his head down. He didn't appear to make any contribution either.

I remember him a couple of weeks ago jumping up and punching the air when Niasse scored against Bournemouth with Koeman straight-faced with his hands in his pockets. After the warm-up, he trudged off, having taken no part whatsoever that I could see!

The total opposite to the Big Dunc we all know and love. He looked like he had had the stuffing knocked out of him.

Something is going on big time to see him like he was; I have said the same on a previous thread.

The only fight I have seen is the physical stuff which was kicked off by Williams yesterday. There is no fight otherwise in this team where football is concerned. Worse than the Martinez School of Bullshit.

The amount of times I have read on here or listened in person to someone saying Koeman didn't get a replacement for Lukaku?? WTF. They should be saying things like "Why did we sell Why was he allowed to leave?"

Why didn't we do what Liverpool did with Coutinhio or Arsenal with Sanchez?? Big clubs say No! We just sell. Why can't the fans see this? Fuck the replacement – don't sell in the first place until we have cover. I've given up trying to get through.

Moshiri, Kenwright, Koeman all gave the nod for Romelu to leave, let him go cheap, and spunked the money they got for him. We didn't need a replacement when Lukaku was still contracted to EFC.

Set aside questions of financial governance, what makes our owners contemptible – what has always distinguished Kenwright in his time at the club – is that they only care to address us when they are spouting self-indulgent shite. Otherwise, we can fuck off and damn our insolence for asking.

I agree with those who say that the only way we shall see change is if the ground is emptying and if the fans demonstrate noisily and persistently. The RS, I am afraid, showed us the way last year over ticket prices when 10,000 of them walked out. We need to show the same balls.

I am going to the Arsenal game because I am committed to others, but after that I shall not go to Goodison again while Koeman is the manager.

The worst thing about this whole mess is that it seems like such a wasted opportunity. All that money spent on shite basically. We cruised to 7th last season. Instead of wholesale changes, 2-3 top class signings would have strengthened the team.

How do you spend that much and actually get worse?

It will take Koeman to turn it round a bit and recover some of his authority at Finch Farm but, if he pulls it off, just wait for the blood-letting to begin!

What was Koeman's responsibility was to take a very good look at his available squad after that, and then find a formation that suited that squad (and not force anyone into his non-existing dream-squad of perfectly fitting players!). And if that could only be done partially, then he should have found a first-choice first-team with all the bases covered, before making maybe 1-2 replacements as needed due to fatigue!

Our teams thus far could have been assembled just as successfully by anyone with no footballing experience at all, it seems! It's all a shambles, no-one having time to learn to work with any others.

I'm not a fan of Niasse, but he played a lot with the U23s; and Davies provided 2 of his goals so far, citing how they knew each others' way of playing at the U23 level as being very helpful...

How often have they played together for more than a few minutes after that?

Ever since Moyes started dampening down expectations so he wouldn't have too much pressure, it's been the same for me and my joy and enthusiasm gets sapped that bit more year on year.

Martinez for a short while looked like he was going in the right direction then showed us he's a loon. Koeman came in saying the right things then this summer it's gone off the rails. £140m spent and we're actually worse. Takes some skill that!

Koeman needs to go but many of us know it probably won't really change anything. Kenwright needs to leave as well. The club hasn't been run professionally for decades.

My first live game this season will be the comedy / Coraoyawhatta? Cup next week; if Chelsea take that seriously, that'll be a fun night wasted!

Fun times...

Some of the comments that have come from Keoman (Lukaku needs to leave to further his career) and Moshiri (we expected to get beat} beggar belief. Everton have been sold down the river by this pair of tossers.

Do you not see who has put us in this mess Lewis? It's the man you are planning on getting behind.

Lewis, you're no doubt a top man because let's face it you support Everton but it's your kind of attitude that is shared by Kenwright and the rest of the board.

"Lets get behind him otherwise we will be in trouble." I'll fucking get behind him alright when he's stood on the dock waiting for the next ferry to Holland and I'll make sure he fucking gets on along with his brother, Stekelenburg, Klaassen, Williams and Martina.

Stop fucking supporting him and he might just feck off.

I'm not trying to labour the point, but would you have ever imagined the big man being subservient to anybody? Ask the 2 idiots who broke into his house.

Tell me I'm wrong after the match.

Yes, that is football! But if you can't win an away-game anywhere more often than 5 times (?) for a year-and-a-half, then it's not bloody footballing luck that is to blame!

(As Gordon Strachan said when defender Lundekvam finally scored for Southampton after umpteen seasons without any goals at all: "As long as he's in front of the goal on every corner, one day it was bound to bounce off his head and into the goal!")

So "bad luck" and poor refs lately, do not make any valid excuses when divided over this season and last season!

We need a good coach right now, first and foremost. Forget the old-fashioned English manager. We need someone who makes a difference on the training ground and can get these players playing together. Last thing we need is to get rid of another 8 and sign another 10.

Marco Silva is showing he could be that man.

I've read some comments about how Duncan should have to leave if Koeman goes, but that is so much hogwash it hurts even my toes having to read it!

I don't think Koeman had too much choice there, so he's learned to live with Big Dunc, whether he wanted him or not!

With either Martinezor Koeman utilizing his zest, I still think of Duncan as fitting best with the Unsworth ethos! I can't see either of them (Unsworth or Big Dunc) saying 'no' if the club asks them to do anything that's hoped to be good for EFC!

So don't piss on Duncan for Koeman's dourness and overall defensiveness, when he is in no position to say anything aloud (except through his instinctive reactions)!

Well, that is how I see it...

Not necessarily saying he would be the one for us but Chris Hughton may deserve a crack at a bigger club sooner rather than later. He has done a brilliant job with Brighton over the last few seasons.

Take Schneiderlin and his crab-like tendencies, for instance. That could and should have been punched out of him long ago on the training ground; it wasn't until the crowd made it clear to him last night that it wasn't on that he stopped doing it for the first time this season. Coached by the crowd. That's Everton in extremis, for you.

Martina is another one, running to a stop. Passing the ball to him in a forward position has been a dead-end of late, at least when he's playing on the wrong side of the pitch.

Another example, perhaps, Mirallas cutting inside far too far up the pitch, although he was a brighter spark overall last night than previously.

Again and again, it looks like the players have been left to do their own thing, as if being a specialist in their respective positions is enough. But we all know – and we're merely fans – that coaching is a never-ending process, a form of husbandry that never stops.

Ancelotti is a good manager. I won't say he isn't. But he's good at managing top players and getting them motivated and keeping them happy.

He's not a good coach. He isn't good at sorting out a mess like we have on a training pitch. You won't find anything on Google praising his training, his drills, his tactical insight or his coaching.

Where are you coming from, man?

I'm not pissing on the big man, and unless I've misunderstood you, feel somewhat aggrieved at your suggestion.

Perhaps I didn't put my original comments across properly, but never suggest I (your words not mine) would piss in the big man!!!

As for Ferguson, it's impossible for us to know what he actually does, whether he does it well, and whether he can go beyond coaching the strikers to coaching a side. For me, Ferguson should take over the U23s if Unsworth is given a chance, even on a temporary basis.

There were rumours that the German players wanted a German coach after Guardiola and weren't too happy with another foreign coach. They are all chuffed now with Heynkes.

It’s so very early, but I really like what silva has done. His players have responded well at two clubs now. He’s getting a tune out of players that the previous boss couldn’t.

This is what we need. Maybe he’s a flash in a pan. Maybe he’s committed to Watford. Maybe £6m a year would tempt him. We should definitely be sounding him out now (not after we pull the trigger).

Come on lads, we're Evertonians, we always feel disenchanted because we're all cursed with the lifelong affliction of being a football supporter!

My long departed Nan always said, "football is a silly game, 22 men all running around after a football...they should have one each and be done with it!"

Maybe she had a point.

Not rocket science, when did we last string a regular combination together for 2-3 games let alone a whole season!!!

Trying to play like Sam Allyardyce's Bolton team is doomed before it begins. Some of them are too scared to shout at each other, never mind go hell for leather on a 50-50.

I also agree on Marco Silva, but I'm sure it would be hard to prise him away from Watford at this stage.

Sigurdsson is a central playmaker so play him in the middle. Nowhere else.

Play with some runners/width who will get beyond Sigurdsson and support Calvert-Lewin up top.

Only use one of Gana or Schneiderlin as the shield.

Give Davies a freer role to roam and get forward.

Stop using Holgate at right back – he's a shit fullback.

Don't play Martina – he's shit.

Baines is old, but still our best left back. Play him.

Use Keane and Jagielka. For every game. Jags is still better than Williams and Holgate. It's all we have.

Use Rooney sparingly. Tell him not to go into his own half.

Give me a game.

Some of the players have been piss poor and in Holgate's case, contemptible, laughing his ass off at the final whistle on Thursday night, the little cunt – he has been tripe all season and deserves a punch in the mouth for showing such disregard for this Club – and it's not about being played out of position – just plain shite.

Keane likewise – a lad at his prime, he looked like 40-year-old Steve Bruce on Thursday night, he's not been played out of position?

However, the next choice of manager will be just as risky and subject to the whims of fortune. Consider Koeman's main "rivals" at the time: De Boer (sacked twice), Bilic (surely a gonner after tonight) and Eddie Howe (currently next to bottom). There'll be no magic bullet.

The problem we have is the idiocy of only signing one centre half when we were in the Europa. I thought we needed two new first-choice ones before Funes Mori got injured. That would have Jagielka, Williams or Funes Mori as cover, with one of those being dealt out.

However, as we only signed one centre half we are left with Keane and the 34-year-old Jags and 33-year-old Williams. Jags can't play twice a week. Williams has been exposed for what he is away from playing in the middle of a three and defending deep for Wales. Playing in a back 4 he is exposed and scared. Going forward, in the summer we badly need a new strong, pacey centre half. We lack pace at the back and its a problem.

For me, Koeman's first choice, and clearly our best pairing, is Keane and Jags. But he cant play that twice a week, so he has to mix his rather inadequate options. The scary thing is that if he had gotten another centre back in he would probably have let Jags leave.

Sorry, he's no better or worse than what we've got... end of!

The road to successful top level management is strewn with great players that failed to adapt to the latest developments. Big Ronnie is one of them.

We're talking among ourselves while we slide into ever deeper crisis and, in my view, into a Birmingham City, Nottm Forest, Sheffield Wednesday twilight zone. But, hey, let's not embarrass ourselves by actually doing anything about it. That would be to join those ugly winners.

I really don't know what to make of the situation with Koeman anymore. I was convinced that Moshiri would be planning behind the scenes and although that may still be true it seems very unlikely at the moment.

I am not one for swapping and changing managers but, when things on the pitch are as hopeless as they have been this season and the end of last, it is difficult to support Koeman. His man management and overall personality do nothing for him either.

However, if he is going to be here for at least another few months I think we have no choice but to get behind him. We don't have to like him but we can still support him so perhaps we are at the point of grin and bear it and pray that the team will put a few performances in.

And yes, I know he was a shit manager at the RS, and I hated him as a player, but he shows everything that we are missing now and have been missing for years.

Why we signed Rooney is the mystery to me. Gylfi and Davy yes, "1" and "2" for the "10" shirt, but Rooney too? Madness. He'd only be good in an already good team that's able to carry him. That's why Man Utd got rid. Even they're not good enough to do that. But our saboteur obviously thought otherwise.

Regarding Koeman's inability to conjure winning football from the ingredients at his disposal, well, I'm not surprised. I'd be more critical of him had any manager I've ever known achieved success with the same squad limitations forced on him but I can't think of anyone having been so badly let down by his board. But that's not an endorsement of Koeman the manager. Maybe that'll come when he has a full deck to play with. Maybe it won't.

It's only the fans who suffer though, whilst the Finch Farm Pussies trouser their next million.

We look on the bench and realise we lost Funes Mori too and not even Garbutt, who is out till January from the first team.

We have also never found a fast left-wing replacement for Pienaar to create a partnership with Baines down the flank. Mirallas and Baines have never clicked.

The injuries we have had are a leading cause of our problems but Koeman has been exacerbating it with the most stupid selections possible: playing three or four No 10s in the same team, Holgate at right back, the list is endless.

What I saw vs Lyon was, for the first time, he seems to realise we need pace, width and direct football. I hope for his sake he follows what he's learned. Lose again and it's over, I reckon.

After Sunday we will all be happier when we beat Arsenal and collect 3 points Will all be forgotten, Ron, if we beat Arsenal? Are you serious? Will we forget the shit you've put us in?

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't he quote this same shite weeks ago? Please, the powers that be, get shut of this pretender before he takes this great club of ours on the same path as Leeds Utd, Sheffield Wednesday etc. His arrogance and stubbornness are making us all sick to our stomachs. Act now... Today!

I go back to my point this man doesn't want the job, but he wants to be sacked for full compensation. If it's not cynicism, it's idiocy and I don't think he's an idiot. But he does think we are.

Firstly, Koeman early last season suggested that Lukaku would probably move on to a bigger club.

Secondly, I remember at one stage Lukaku was thought to be signing a new deal but eventually decided to move because the club was not ambitious enough. Proves your point.

We have the mentality of a small club as can be seen when we play the traditional top six clubs or play away from home. Look at how Brighton did at West Ham or Burnley did at Chelsea, Liverpool. This mentality is the responsibility of a manager who thinks small.

Moyes did it well with limited resource. Koeman is not able to do it with limitless resources because he is a bad man-manager who installs no self belief into players. Instead, he has cold-shouldered at least six players that we know of. How would you expect a team to perform together in that sort of atmosphere. Therein lies the problem.

We should never have sold him, which I said at the time, because even then the age profile of our two centre-halves was too old. He is old-style, like Jags, but we still need a footballing centre-half and the jury's out whether Keane can fill that role.

Moyes was the founder member of our 'small club' mentality while he was here. Moyes dragged down expectations to a new low. Not once in 11 years did Deadly Dave get an away win at the then Big 4.

This club is still suffering from the general apathy and losers' mentality that Moyes engrained right throughout EFC. Koeman has picked up the baton while Kenwright looks on and smirks.

I know you detested the man as much as I did his successor but, all-in-all, he did pretty well with the money afforded to him.

All this 'big club' stuff became history when the Russian and the Arabs got involved whilst the Yanks have done much to keep Arsenal and Them punching top six.

By comparison, we still have a pauper in charge with both managers since Moyes left – decidedly worse than average!

We have to consider that we have practically signed a new team and it takes time for them to gel. Koeman is still trying to work out who his best eleven are, this also takes time. I do think that if Koeman and the players turn the corner we will be a much stronger outfit as a result.

If we sack Koeman we will be set back for another season or two. I want us to win every game we play but maybe this time we shouldn't worry about the cups and just concentrate on building a very strong team for the long term.

I don't think a Kendall moment will happen like the Oxford game turning point but I do remember us being absolutely dreadful the season prior to our great period in the mid eighties.

People moaning about Ratcliffe and others being useless – then look what happened. Sometimes you have to take the hits to make yourself stronger.

How do you know – have you spoken to all of them?

I'm not gullible, and the 7 or 8 sat near me at Goodison every week aren't – nor the mates and many fans I've chatted to at the away games.

Oh – and none of us can remember talking to you.

I tend to agree with most of your comments and, sadly concluding that your contribution here is correct also.

It perplexes me though how so many professional players of note urge us all to stand by Koeman. Granted, they should know and see more than us here on TW, but, to a man, they tell us to give him time. Why?

But I don't think we have the time available to build as you suggest (even supposing that the manager is a better tactician than he has shown himself to be so far) and he doesn't have enough support within the club I suspect. The Premier League doesn't let you take years to make a transition, and I believe instead that we are in a relegation fight already.

Losing is now becoming habitual and once that happens you are deeply in the shit of course. He isn't the type of manager who can get us out of trouble and, as Peter Reid has noted, we don't have many players who are up for a fight either. Add to that our lack of goal threat and you have a deeply concerning combination of factors.

I don't think it's all Koeman's fault by any means but he has to go as a first step because I think the threat of relegation is serious. We have to avoid that above all else.

Moshiri and Kenwright have shown no imagination in their appointments. Walsh, Koeman and Martinez all arrived from the Premier League.

Biggest signings by transfer fee paid – Sigurdsson, Keane, Pickford, Schneiderlin, Bolasie. Biggest earner – Rooney.

Yes these signings are Walsh/Koeman picks but the board hired people who perpetuated the formulaic Premier League mentality.

When they ventured off shore to pick up players, we ended up with Klaassen and Ramirez. The entire set up is showing zero signs of finding an imaginative way of breaking into the top 4.

I think we will spend heavily again in January and June, but unless we get a board which does some research and puts the effort in, I can see Koeman being replaced by Sean Dyche and continuing to buy average Premier League players, bequeathing us a plodding, dull mid table destiny.

Moshiri and his team have put money into the club and managed our finances a lot better. But, when it comes to the football side of things, I am rapidly losing faith that they will deliver anything different to what we have endured for the past two decades.

The reason? They play with pace, both in the movement of players and the speed with which they play the ball. They also press high up the pitch, as do Man City.

So put all together 'playing deep' just doesn't come into it. No, the reason we play deep is because Koeman hasn't got a clue.

What is the plan here, then? Koeman has stated he has a three-year project, he made it clear he was here for three years and three years only. So, let's imagine that we start winning and we start winning quickly and consistently and somehow we limp home to 7th or 8th, maybe without the distractions of any cup competition.

What next? he's into the last year of his project. What basis, if any, would he then have to achieve the stated goal of Champions League football. This season was to be about closing in on that top 4, targeting 6th or 7th, but ultimately closing in.

Of course, you don't have to go up in steps, you can go down and then shoot up, see Leicester for an extreme example.

I don't see a top 4 side from our current squad. I see how we struggled to attract top 4 players in the summer, and the idea was surely to sign the best players from all of the other clubs to push us into the top 6 so that we could then go out and get that top 4 quality on the back of it. I cannot see that happening.

So, what next for the project? Is Koeman going to aim to keep us in 7th and then extend his project to 5 years?

As I've said many times before, there is never a guarantee that season on season will see an improvement, although 'doing better next term' is always predicted on here!

Reminds me of West Ham, a team full of good players but that didn't work. We will go done under this fool.

I don't think Koeman & Moshiri 'expect' to lose certain games. They're both indulging in excuse-making & expectation-dampening to justify their choice/existence.

We need a manager who can communicate clearly, whose team plays the way he says he likes.

That's not Koeman.

He turned things around with Hull very quickly. You know this because they were playing very differently. He even had Niasse playing well and scoring. Now he's at Watford and got them playing exceptionally. Some yard dogs actually look like footballers.

This is done on the training pitch. Drill the defence. Drill the midfield. Drill the attack. Make them do things "instinctively" because you've got it rammed into them.

What we mean here is you run drills such as when Pickford has the ball, how we will get it up the pitch so that he has certain options. You limit those options to say three things. Once he hits the specified player, everyone knows that they now need to move into certain areas, and this could be as easy as the left winger running an arc into the 10 position to collect the ball and then feed the right winger who is now running into the box.

There's a million and one drills you can run. I just don't see any evidence of Koeman running drills on the training pitch. The only thing I have seen is Calvert-Lewin continuously pulling onto a flank to receive the ball off Pickford on his head. But after nothing came of that for two matches in a row (Burnley and Brighton) it seemed that the drill was flawed.

It's not hard to get footballers to run across a training pitch in a certain way, and to get them to recognise that when the ball goes to a certain player then that's their cue to run a play. Why aren't we doing it?

Let's get rid of this fool, and get a proper coach in who can teach the art of defending, moving, passing, and shooting. Someone who will also get the players playing for him.

“We know that we don't have that striker in what we expected and that makes it more difficult,” said Koeman, who will have regrets when he sees Olivier Giroud, a striker he wanted, in the Arsenal ranks on Sunday.

“It is not straight and honest to expect Dominic to be that already. He will grow and is improving and nobody else of that age is playing as often in the Premier League and in a difficult position.

We had someone who scored 25 goals last season and that is a big miss. It is not easy to find something that is better than it was. And that's normal.

“On the football side Steve Walsh [the director of football] and I were working on getting a good one in. We didn't get anyone in who was better than the players we had and then there was the cost of several players who were not the first options. Finally we decided not to sign.

It seems that Walsh and Koeman made the decision to go into the season with what we had and chose not to bolster the squad with a forward or two. Of course, it could be that the bean counters prohibited their choices, due to the failed moves of Niasse and Barkley. Whoever is responsible has consigned this season to the dustbin of history unless of course it results in our Premier League status being removed.

Close Shave

For those that keep waiting for an 'Oxford' moment, guess what we were hoping for that moment to arrive in 2001-02 and possibly every season since 1995. Goodison Park – the home of the Déjà Vu Blues, but for all the wrong reasons.

Bilic was thought of as an excellent manager not long ago, look where he is now. Very often its the players who get the manager dismissed, but of course clubs can't sack all the players!

I will be watching the Watford game today with interest. I rate Silva..hes ambitious, a motivator and likes to play attractive football.

It will be a tough test today and it will be interesting to see how they play against Chelsea. I suspect he will not fear them (he will respect them) but he will give them belief that that Chelsea are not a better 'team'.

We can't afford to wait around though, plenty will be knocking on his door, Leicester and West Ham firstly.

Edit: agreed, Raymond – hence the above.

No matter that we pay 'big money' to sign them and pay them, only players on the way up or the way down will be interested.

I don't blame managers, directors and chairmen because it's natural for those who become 'stars' here to want to chase glory with teams with the wherewithal to get it. Only when (and it's never going to happen in my lifetime) we can be on equal terms with the 'big boys', can we hope to improve on our acquisitions and retentions. So let's just accept it and come to see top third as the measure of our success.

Otherwise we are in for more decades of heartbreak!

Surely, this is the blueprint for Everton.

Okay Ron, that's football, at least the 2017 version of it, can somebody remind me why is it we pay this guy £6m pa, because I'm really struggling to work out what it is that he is actually responsible for.

Either way with Moshiri on board, I agree there have been no signs on or off the pitch to indicate the club is moving forward. Lazy appointments with no real thought process or strategy in place to consider and accommodate the longer terms plans of the club. Everything has been a mishmash.

Get those banners out and start those plane engines Kenwright and Co. It's time to go!

The commentary was quite pleasant on this occasion, because I couldn't understand what they were saying. I did manage to understand a comment on the screen, 'Pour Koeman, victoire obligatoire'.

What we need is drills so that the player knows where his teammates will be without looking. No one knows where each other is on the pitch and they spend too long looking, or just his a hopeful pass or cross, like Martina. Instead drills will make players know where they have to run to and where their teammates have run to and so they can look to where their teammate should be and then pass their quickly, or better still have a quick look before getting the ball.

A player should not receive the ball and then decide what to do. They should already know. Drills make them know. That is a decent coach. Our players get the ball and don't have a clue.

What the hell is Koeman doing on the training pitch? What is he doing off the training pitch? Are they watching videos? Does Koeman make tapes or disks for his players?

Does Koeman just turn up and expect to say a few things and everything will work out? This is the post Jose Mourinho era. The Harry Redknapp style manager has been left behind.

I think I'm right in saying I was the first yesterday to dare to recommend Sam Allardyce to take over as our manager. Ok he might not be every ones cup of tea but he knows the Premier League inside out and will play the way his players are best suited to and get the maximum out of a squad. He's not a one trick pony he's adaptable to any style of play.

When he managed Bolton he played mostly the long ball game against the 'big boys' because he knew they couldn't win trying to play them at passing football and out skill them, Wenger hated playing Bolton.

Where we are at the moment I think he's a perfect fit.

Watching Watford today it was easy to see what Silva’s system was. Certainly not slowly passing it around in defense. It was get it forward quickly by either making a quick and straightforward pass to a man ahead or driving forward with the ball. But every single Watford player knew to come toward the player with the ball to offer easy passes.

Same with Chelsea, easy to pick up their system. Play quick short passes in the middle and get it out wide as the opposition inevitably gets sucked in toward the ball. Get the ball to the wings with pace and don’t just send a long cross into the box. Instead, drive in from th wings and send a shorter cross into box.

The only issue with Watford was they missed multiple open goal opportunities. When I watch Everton I struggle to understand a single thing they are trying to do. I have no idea what they must work on in training because whatever it is it does not seem to make its way to the match.

Who said he would play long ball football at Everton, he might play more direct against certain teams when it suited us to, what's wrong with that.

I've had enough of being bored to death watching this fannying around backwards and sideways in the middle of the field possession and getting nowhere football that we are playing.

Pretty football might be the ideal but we need to win first and foremost. If we had players on par with Man City or some from Man Utd etc we then could be picky, but we haven't.

Also, Allardyce is all about the percentages. So we'd encourage diving to win free-kicks then send big grocks like Ashley Williams up to try to score.

That's my absolute worst nightmare. No thanks.

He's make us committed and solid, people on here will welcome the return of the 'real' Everton. It would then become clear that he'd do no more and some of us will hanker for what we call the 'real' Everton.

Not for me.

He has , with the right players, the ability to be excellent. We have the right players.

I am not sure anyone will be hastening into the Everton job at the moment – in the unlikely event that our board acts – given where we are, even if the money will be an incentive.

I keep saying it: we need to stay up and that's all that matters this season now.

In truth, there is no new ground as yet. He has sold off the family jewels in my opinion for sanctioning the sale of Lukaku. In doing this he showed us all that he needed to sell before he could allow Koeman to enter the market. His pockets aren't quite as deep as we all thought.

Yes, it looked promising because we were out there buying player,s early doors... wow, this looked good. The reality is that he knew that Lukaku was being sold and so that sale wold offset the monies forked out for Keane, Pickford and Klaassen.

Rooney was a sweetener by Bill. He knew Evertonians would lap it and lap it up you did. I say "you" because I am talking about the majority of you. I was screaming at the TV when we brought him back. I couldn't bear the thought of it and it was then that I knew. That confirmed it for me. It's a contrick.

Moshiri is a confidence trickster. He knew that most Evertonians would lap up the Rooney cup trick. Bring back the prodigal son and they'll forget we ever sold Rooney. What a con. In front of our eyes and under our noses. He pulled of a trick.

Well the game is up Farhad. The smoke and mirrors has lifted and your trick is exposed. Your a con man along with your man Koeman. A perfect match. Both of you know nothing about Everton. Both of you have been exposed.

We are in freefall and Bill's the only one with a parachute. He's sitting back and watching it all unfold because he's no longer to blame. It's all on you, Farhad. The game is up and it's time to put Koeman to the sword and salvage your car crash of a club. Lose to Arsenal and you need to take positive action.

Telling the world on Sky Sports that Barkley was to be sold also exposed your naivety about all things blue. I'd take Ross over Koeman all day long.

By the way, chaps, make no mistake, if we keep Koeman and we can't sell Ross – then there will be no money for a striker come January. Sell to buy

I think he is an intelligent manager who knows how to grind out results, but when he has the players and the circumstances are right, he can get his men playing good stuff.

He may not be the romantic's choice but we are talking about staying in the Premier League.

Today's results have pushed us closer to that bottom three. We have been shite for 30 plus years a mediocre club since the inception of the Premier League. Nothing since Moshiri has joined has convinced me otherwise.

Let's speculate that Ross would re-sign if Koeman leaves – but Koeman stays. Perhaps then Ross and/or his management decide there will be no transfer to a club unless to his satisfaction (Chelsea?). Or even if an interested club appeals, but the salary is considered insufficient or terms unsuitable.

Ross has nothing to lose by seeing out his contract and much to gain monetarily when finally moving somewhere for a sizable signing-on fee.

I tend to agree that the centre forward issue may largely depend on the sale of Barkley, or perhaps others. Either way, the Barkley saga has further chapters to unfold, I feel. A fine example of what "Playing hardball" can lead to.

Whatever Koeman's failings (and there seem to be many!) it was a travesty that we were all aware of Lukaku's pledge to stay for one more season, so the whole world and his dog knew we needed at least two new strikers, and we failed to get our target,(Giroud) and then decided that the secondary targets were not worth the money.

This suggests that not a lot of money was available, especially as we had shelled out so much for Sigurdsson. Barkley's collapsed transfer indicates that financially we are much more stretched than the fanbase and the rest of the footy public are aware.

I now hear every day that we spent £140 million on players, on TalkShite, on the BBC and on BT Sport. The Lukaku money has been merrily forgotten as the headline sounds better than the net spend.

Take a look at our unbalanced squad, with journeymen like Martina, aging guys like Williams, Baines, Rooney and Jags and then lots of kids. It is crystal clear that the money hasn't gone very far, and worrying if we really don't have the dosh for a striker (if one is available and wants to come), without selling first.

Koeman could jog-on, and we could still be up shit creek.

Somehow we have to trawl the lower leagues and find the next Rush, Sharp or Vardy. Someone who can score and is up for a fight. If things don't improve it will become harder for our young guns to resist a move – then we really will be in the shit.

We need to get back to a system players understand and with a plan of how we are going to approach games.

Rooney up top with Sigurdsen behind him, the only reason for this is at the moment they are the best we have and can hope for. Calvert Lewin and Niasse for all there hard work imo are a pair of Championship standard strikers.

We have to begin games in midfield with natural wide players, Mirralles, Lennon, Lookman or Vlasic. Gueye and Schniederlin playing central sitting helping to break up play the other offering to push on, work that out for themselves who does which, christ there paid huge wages should be a fucking doddle.

Baines and Holgate playing fullback concentrating on stopping balls coming into are 18 yard box, getting forward is a bonus. Centreback is any 2 from 3 and injury permitting give them a run of games together. For home games maybe Davies could play alongside either of the 2 defensive midfielders with him taking the ball from the centrebacks as his passing is streets ahead of most of are players.

What they do is, in simple terms, to put the manager on “gardening leave” and hire someone else. The guy is still under contract to the club and must wait for the length of his contract. If he wants a new job he must negotiate a release. If he new guy doesn’t work out, then he’s back in!

So why not send Koeman off to play golf in Portugal, give Unsworth until Christmas and see how it develops. Maybe bring back a refreshed and reengergised Koeman if it’s not going well.

It’s not actually what I’d do. But it’s an interesting concept.