Next up: Liverpool at the Hill Dickinson Stadium

I can understand why supporters don't like them because they are totally nerve-racking but this should never be the case for the manager and the players, mate.

Nerves are natural but it baffles me to understand how any player or manager wouldn't relish this type of game, simply because it should be what football has always been about.

Big games... yes, you can't play enough big games

Who knows where we'd have gone if we'd have kept Lineker and Kendall, and went on to win the European Cup?

Let's not forget, they denied us two tries at the European cup. And we'd have been in the Uefa Cup as well, all gone.

I have a vision of steam coming from the author's ears as he hammered the keys and the keyboard spontaneously igniting in flames.

I was quite restrained, I thought. And the laptop is still working fine -- although that might explain why I had to swap out the keyboard a few years back. (Our was that my own strain of the Don Alexander Syndrome?)

Yesterday, Conor posted this...

Our neighbours are supposed to be imploding while we are supposed to be on fire... yet we have both picked up 10 points from our last 6 games.

Which I must admit I found a little bit soibering. Tempted to hide behind the couch for the rest of the week.

Perhaps prayer and sacrifice to various deities is what's called for... although as I understand it, you have to choose a specific one -- and demonstrate undying fealty through a lifetime of devotion and good works before you even stand a chance of being heard. So I'm way beyond hope there.

The same Liverpool Chairman who blocked Bilbao's approach for Daglish and suggested they approach Kendall directly instead.

Edit; Doesn't matter who it is, it's just our next opponents and a game to be won. They're supposed to not so good right now, but there's no easy Premier League games.

We can do no more than play mentally and physically as well as we can - if we do that, then we win.

They pretend it never happened.

To me Joe was an average manager but, as a born and bred Evertonian, he certainly knew how to play them on and off the field with a little quip here and there and always a smile on his face.

When the game started, he had Everton ready to fight them every minute of the game, respected them as a good team but made sure Everton players respected themselves by giving them no peace when they had the ball, and used it well when we had it.

That's what we need on Sunday: give them respect but expect it back.

But some of those comments are harsh.

I don't think he is the reason why we have a poor record at the big grounds,

I don't think he was targeted anymore than anyone else (certainly not when the big boys would have been interested).

Nor do I think he lacked the class to win silverware.

There is a long list of right backs that have won trophies at other clubs, and indeed our own, that are way below Seamus's level. Matt Jackson being one.

Coleman unfortunately has played in a generally poor Everton era.

That beautiful left footed strike in the mud at Ashton Gate, or the near post corner flick on at Elland Rd, and his hand in the goal in the final at Wembley.

He was actually a very accomplished footballer, who had loads of natural talent but never really kicked on, is how I remember Matt Jackson, and writing this got me thinking about the young player that Martinez, used at fullback, (forget his name, but I’m sure he came from MK Dons?) who looked like he was destined for a very good career, before he just suddenly drifted away.

I take the point Tony. But Coleman was no worse a right back than plenty of others that have won cups and titles. The issue was the player in front of him or elsewhere in the team.

A goal scoring right back, with a good engine. Could he have won stuff with better players around him. Yes, I think he could of.

He left in 2019 for Luton Town, moving on in 2021 to Plymouth Argyle, where I think he is still playing (age 30).

Such a common Academy story for the best who actually get to play first team football at Everton. But they turn out to be not quite good enough and play out the rest of their careers in the lower leagues.

That was such a brilliant header from Matt Jackson, converting a superb delivery from Andy Hinchcliffe. The pure energy and excitement of that semi-final victory over Spurs lived long in the memory.

It was infinitely enhanced by The Farm using audio clips from that game on a reworking of their anthemic All Together Now:

1:20 -- Matt Jackson's goal, just fantastic to watch after all these years!

ps: Back on topic, there's a fair few decent goals against the Red Bastards in there too... Enjoy!!!

Tony said your post was so good he read it twice.

You literally posted it twice.

(But it’s been deleted since so…)