Stern test from The Imps but we're in the hat

I'd Echo the sentiments though, it's just good to be in the hat for the next round!

Although Calvert-Lewin did register another assist and Davies was instrumental in starting that move.

Now to Zouma, I know football is all about opinions, and in mine, Zouma stunk the place out yesterday. His timing was out, his tackling was poor, and his passing on the whole was average. If it wasn't for Sigurdsson, he would have been Everton's worst player.

Thanks, Paul, for your always interesting and different take on the game. I hope your little boy continues to bring us luck. Well, we did win and, as you say, we are in the next round of the FA Cup.

I actually think, if we play half a crap team and mix them with good players, the crap outweighs the good. A sprinkling of a coach that goes down in my estimation each week. His subs bemuse me. The timing of them. Two at half-time seemed erratic. I really need to see more from Silva. It may be only 20 games but many training sessions.

Hopefully Elliot can go to 7 more FA Cup games this season.

Gana once again was all energy, interceptions and tackling but his passing is awful, especially with that last breakaway when he should have put Tosun through. He and Gomes seem to be forging an understanding, though, and we do miss Gana when he's not on the pitch.

Kenny was fine – I prefer him at the moment to one of my favourite players, Seamus Coleman.

Lookman looks class and should be starting every match.

Bernard always looks like he can produce something and is getting better.

I thought Zouma was good actually – he's pretty cool on the ball and brings it out of defence with confidence.

Baines was awesome – it's almost a shame we have Digne now as Baines is still a threat going forward. My 2nd half MotM.

Negatives:

Tosun offered very little when he came on and Richarlison looked very miserable. I also thought Gomes was guilty of loose balls and bad decision-making at times. Sigurdsson may have been off the boil but he's still class and one of the few players we have who constantly hits the target from range.

All-in-all, I don't understand the negativity though. We have rarely – in all the 45 years I've watched the blues – played majestically in the early rounds and we bossed this game without hitting our straps. We are very much a work in progress and, once the players gel, we will be a very good team.

I'm happier than I was last week. Coyb

Lovely story, hearing you took your little 2-year-old the game, Paul, I know how hard this can be, unless they fall asleep, because it's impossible to watch the game properly otherwise.

I say that because I hate watching Tosun. You say he tries... I think he tries harder at not trying to get involved?

He's an international footballer, he scores goals for his country, so he must have ability, but alls I see him do in the blue shirt of Everton is contribute absolutely nowt.

In particular, I thought Zouma had a very poor game as did Sigurdsson.

I agree Kenny acquitted himself well but wasn't surprised when Davies and Calvert-Lewin were hooked at half-time — although I'm fully aware they shouldn't be criticised because they're 'young'.

Now I am full of praise for how Digne has come in and made the spot his own but Baines yesterday gave a masterclass of full-back play in how you combine with wingers and midfield to create space. I've always been amazed at how, since the Baines - Pienaar axis ended, that subsequent fullback - winger combinations don't learn from that. It's not rocket science what Baines does: just pass and move into space.

I know It was only Lincoln but time and again Baines made the overlap into acres of space to put in decent crosses. What a shame that, for most part, no-one was in the box to capitalise. If I were the manager I would have the full-backs and wingers study old footage of Baines and Pienaar doing their thing and put it into practice.

It's so frustrating to see the full-backs not having support to go forward. Many times we see Coleman or Kenny or Digne receive the ball on the half-way line and have the wingers or midfield just drift away from them. Simple triangle passes and move; as I say, it's not rocket science.

Another aspect we are sorely missing is the heartbeat of the team. A Cahill or Arteta or Neville, someone who let's the team know when they're underperforming or made hideous mistakes or just get them to step it up. Time and again, we see daft goals given away and the whole team just mope around. No one barking orders or geeing the team up.

We saw it again yesterday. Lincoln scored the sloppy goal and we just buckled for the rest of the half. From complete control to being under siege. Now, from where I was sat, we were never really in danger of not winning but invite it on and you leave yourselves open to another mistake or give away a sloppy goal. You need someone on the pitch to focus everyone again and we just don't have anyone. That kind of character in the team is as important as a striker.

We are going through a bad patch at the moment but we just don't help ourselves. Clean through on goal and we panic. Poor touches generally are our undoing. Calvert-Lewinand Richarlison both should have scored. Very poor touches lost that chance. I agree also that Richarlison needs to cut out the theatrical diving, it's embarrassing.

Bottom line is we are into the next round. Fair play to the Lincoln fans, they made it a good atmosphere throughout but we thoroughly deserved it in the end, if a little laboured but we really need to step it up. A proper captain or a voice from somewhere desperately needed as well as a striker and then we can start to progress.

We also need to be quicker in execution of everything. Time and again, we slow play down unnecessarily. We have a break on and we go backwards. Pickford goes for a quick throw and he pulls it back. It's so frustrating. This keep ball at all costs hasn't left the club since Martinez. Sometimes you need to take a chance and break at speed. Take a risk, it's how the better teams score on the break.

Can you imagine the better clubs breaking out of defence and just stopping like we do? No me either. Too much caution in our play and not enough play what you see on the field. Same at throw-ins. We get a throw-in with space and everybody just trots around and waits for the fullback to take it. Again, chance gone.

Football by numbers is just getting dull. We beat ourselves a lot of the time. Be spontaneous occasionally and we will reap rewards. Bit like the lack of bodies in the penalty area when a cross comes in. How are we ever going to score if no-one is there to put the ball in??? Nobody arriving late, no-one on the back post at corners... you shouldn't need to teach this to professional players, they should already know the basics of scoring goals, be in position and you score, simple.

There's a lot of good going on this season in spite of our poor run at present but there's also so much more the players need to work on to become consistent and climbing the table.

The big question is: What does Eliot think of this Zonal Marking lark?

I agree with much of what you say. Richarlison's histrionics are annoying although he did keep out a goal-bound effort towards the end (unless I am mistaken) which is always encouraging to see from attacking players. Mina got into his obligatory locking of horns with an opponent off the ball which nearly escalated.

I thought Tom Davies was having a good game in a very British encounter (which Kenny relished as well). Strange to replace him with Gomes who didn't seem to realise he had extra seconds on the ball given the opposition and was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Calvert-Lewin looked like he had a goal in him during the first half of his half before we dropped off as an attacking prospect and got sucked into Lincoln's territorial skirmishes to win them set pieces.

If the changes weren't injury related, I would go so far as to say it was an unnecessarily risky move. 4-1 up, okay give Tosun a run. But 2-1 up? Surely give the existing 11 another 15 minutes to try sealing the deal? What if injuries had happened (likely against slower lower league opponents and given our fatigue levels will be up after the festive season) and he's blown two subs to achieve what? We might have been down to 10-men. Shades of the League Cup exit from Marco there.

Bernard was lovely to watch at points and Leighton Baines rolled back the years. I know this was Lincoln but he just always has seemed to have more time than others and hits the early ball so not to allow the opponents to close him down. We all got frustrated by him hitting the first man a few seasons ago, well much of that was because Martinez (like Silva now) seems to coach the full backs to go to the line and walk the ball into the goal with team mates.

I do think that Leighton has to be involved in some capacity. Not to the exclusion of Digne but perhaps in an Andy Hinchcliffe role if people remember the 1995 FA Cup winning season.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/whether-youre-red-blue-little-15636315

Based on today’s market (£19m Solanke, £15m Origi etc)
How much would you expect from selling our youngsters?

Kenny (£10m)
Davies. (£25m)
Lookman. (£45m)
Calvert Lewin. (£20m)

Throw in the following if you like as well
Holgate. (£12m)
Dowell. (£5m)

My estimates are in brackets...

Cue laughter and debate

You trouble maker. Those on this site who I suspect log on and then press CTRL-F "Calvert-Lewin" to seek and destroy will be here very soon...

Against Bournemouth I would play both Baines and Digne down the left as they both have quality.

I thought the Davies sub was harsh and didn't see too much difference in shape, passing or bossing the midfield when Gomes came on.

We are in the hat which is the main thing; let's draw Newport at home.

Never mind... we might regain our greatness by 2050, or maybe not.

Lookman gives us something different with the opposition standing off him, something you can see more clearly when at the game rather than watching on TV. Hope he now gets a run.

I really don't think Marco acted before disaster struck. From my seat, he merely prolonged the malaise by tinkering and confusing the players.

I agree. The introduction of Gomes brought some order to the chaotic, unstructured midfield of the first half.

I think The Sheffield Telegraph more, or less, concurs with that although to be fair to Dowell he hasn't had many minutes, this season.

Kieran Dowell: 6. Also showed a few glimpses of his ability, a superb turn in midfield leaving his marker for dead, but couldn't quite impose himself on the game as he would have liked and also seemed to tire late on after not playing much football this season.

Read more at: https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blades/player-ratings-how-sheffield-united-s-players-fared-in-their-1-0-fa-cup-defeat-to-barnet-1-9522616

If we beat Southampton in the Premier League fixture, we gain 3 points; likewise, the same reward is ours if we beat Liverpool, but the reaction following the win over Liverpool is hard to put into words... I know you'll understand what I mean.

Regarding Cup ties, particularly FA Cup victories, a win at Wembley and 3rd round struggles are completely forgotten. The point I'm attempting to get across is that performances can fluctuate but results are permanent.

You may remember that I told you that Josh was nominated to attend trials at Finch Farm; as a follow-on, Everton have invited him back for a further session, on Wednesday evening, 9 January 2019.

Best wishes for the New Year, John, and I hope you are back at The Park End soon. Enjoy your time at Finch Farm, Josh, good luck.

Maybe we could get Elliot together with our new grandchild, Heidi on another trip back? She's only 4 weeks old and her dad decided on 'McBaby' for the back of her Everton jumpsuit. Well - you can't rely on the players staying these days, can you?!