Everton are drawn away to Preston North End in the Carabao Cup

Moyes will love that draw.

Pickford on the left wing, Beto in goal, Mykolenko centre-back, Tarkowski right-wing, James Garner on the bench, Merlin Rohl substitute goalie... and out we go 3-1 to Preston.

Moyes can then say we didn't need a cup run cos we need stability in the Premier League.

That's us out then.

I say this every season. But can we please take this cup seriously?

I want to see another trophy before I toddle off this earth.

At least the supporters will not have to travel very far to be let down by a non-ambitious manager.

Is this at Goodison then?

Ian,

I guess we need to look for an update on that when the fixture is scheduled.

My understanding is that Preston North End hosted Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park on Saturday due to extensive pitch installation work taking place at Deepdale.

Over the summer, Preston invested £1.5M in a state-of-the-art hybrid GrassMaster pitch — complete with modern undersoil heating, new drainage, and irrigation systems. The ongoing seeding and bedding-in process meant the playing surface was not yet ready to host competitive fixtures for the opening week of the 2026-27 season.

Huddersfield offered to reverse the tie and host at the Accu Stadium, but Preston opted instead to hire Goodison Park, where only 6,120 fans turned out. It would certainly make things interesting if the new pitch is still not ready in a couple of weeks.

I reckon he'll give the youngsters a chance - so in Moyes' eyes that's anyone between 25 and 31

I know a PNE season ticket holder who told me a few days ago that their pitch will be ready for their opening match at Deepdale on Saturday 22 August.

Another early exit on the cards then. Followed by Moyes saying the squad players let him down and proved they aren’t first team ready yet.

Giving himself, in his eyes, good reason to stick with all his favourites.

A nice easy one to start off with -- Really??

Usually the benchwarmers will start this game as most Prem. teams always do. They don't get serious about the Mickey Mouse cup unless they get to the quarter final.

Moyes old club will want to do a number on him.

We lose. Moyes get the sack. Win Win !

Annika @10 but he will play his favourites and he'll fit them in the starting 11 even if they're out of position? That's why we're fucked before the game has even kicked off!

Jack @12 that would be amazing but I reckon I've got more chance of winning that new Powerball lottery game

Nothing can possibly go wrong.

So, that’s us:

(1) Knocked out of the League Cup by Preston with the only (own) goal: Everton right-back Michael Keane’s attempted chipped back-pass took his hapless and helpless keeper completely by surprise.

(2) Already slumbering in the Premier League drop-zone: drowning not waving.

(3) But, in the last hours of the window, in what is known in the recruitment world as ‘a Cox fudge’, our crack recruitment team pounce to bring in three new fellas with a combined age of 105, instantly known affectionately as the ‘three B’s’ because each one of them has a last name starting with ‘B’.

(4) Manager Moyes declares himself to be ‘bouncing’ and ‘thrilled’ with the ‘three B’s’. ‘They have a massive amount of PL experience between them’, he enthused, ‘and they will hit the grass running once they shake off their various injuries’.

(5) In a smart piece of business, our ace recruitment team cover the costs of the ‘three B’s’ by selling Harrison Armstrong to Liverpool (undisclosed) and Ndiaye to Nottingham Forest (31.5 million).

(6) In his second statement this year, CEO Saint-Angus-the-Silent in what is now termed ‘Targeted Controlled Publicity’ (TCP) at the club, reflected on the window: ‘If I may use a pun’, he said grinningly, ‘it was a summer well spent. There is only one direction that this club is going in’. (Did anyone else see SATS in his cameo in the TCP Norgaard video?).

(7) Everton are spanked 3-0 by Manchester United at home on September-5 in front of 36,267 fans. All tickets were sold, so the official attendance was 52,769.

(8) The wild celebrations of the Manchester fans after the third goal – a lovely cut inside and twenty-three-yard finish by the left winger, who left Everton right-back Beto sprawled and slumped on the grass like a deflated blow-up lady – were drowned out by the South Stand chorus chanting ‘We can’t even be arsed to sing Moyes out anymore’.

(9) Rugby League executive administration announce on September-6 that the 2027 Super League Magic Weekend will be moved from Hill Dickinson to Anfield, on the same day that Shakin’ Stevens cancelled his Hill Dickinson Christmas concerts.

UTT

Can't imagine what the ToffeeWebbers reaction will be like when we win. This is Preston. As good a team as they might be, we'll have enough to beat them I appreciate some are doing their best to be funny with their comments, but I believe some are generally worried about thos fixture. Be positive

Sounds about right that Paul, one of the 3 B's is already here as a coach. Has a proper eye for goal with his free kicks and penalties and still better than his predecessor.
Shaking Stevens? Could we really attract such talent?? That's the only far fetched bit 😂

'This is Preston. As good a team as they might be, we'll have enough to beat them'.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement Ian (15).

Ian @15 It's always good to see a blue tinted glass half full attitude but this fucking manager robbed my blue tinted glasses last season, he's more like a cheating ex wife, leading you on thinking everything's going well until Boom!

Unrelated bit of history here: Turns out Moyes was NOT Ferguson's first choice to replace him at United in 2013. The club first agreed a deal with Mourinho, but he changed his mind and went back to Chelsea.

Only then did Alex ring up Davey.

It's in the new Mou documentary on Netflix. I haven't seen it but I hear it's a Special One.

Mark 2.

Belter that, and er probably about right.

For once can we change the narrative at Everton FC and seriously go all out to try and win one of the Cups?

Our attitude is that of a club that is playing Champions League football and we just pass off our entry into the League and FA Cup like it's something that has merely got in the way of our charge to facing PSG in some exotic location in late May.

FFS try and give the fans some damn success rather than trumpeting finishing 12th.

Moyes will play a strong side; he did last season against Mansfield.

Then, for whatever reason, when he played Wolves away, he made numerous changes and we got done over.

Hopefully lesson learned.

Brian, I think he must have read TW and the calls to play the youngsters before the Wolves game.

So yeah, hopefully lesson learned.

One thing about the ToffeeWebbers, you can always rely on their humour.

Another absolute gem from Paul Griff.

On a more serious note he'll play a weakened side and we'll perish hihf.

Paul @ 14, really funny!

And we are such comedy as a club I can almost believe it will happen.

Eric, good point.

Lesson for Moyes from last season's exit to Wolves in the Carabao Cup -- don't play youngsters... ever.

It doesn't matter how much we paid for them or how talented they are, they don't hold a patch on your bang average, post-peak 32-year-old Premier League journeyman.

The less minutes they get, the better.

The Moyes haters will hate this, but this morning another new signing is saying nice things about him. Hayden Hackney has given his first interview to The Athletic:

Everton manager David Moyes’ record with players signed from the Championship was a big draw. Under the Scot, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott and Jarrod Bowen (during Moyes’ time at West Ham United) were all taken from the second tier and became England internationals.

Hackney also sought advice from his former England Under-21s team-mate and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite before joining, while he sees similarities with the club he left behind.

“It was speaking to the manager, Jarrad and stuff like that,” he says. “He (Moyes) has been really good with me. I know what he wants from me in the games and training. And he’s got a past record with Championship players, so it’s drawn me in even more. Jarrad only had good things to say.

“Obviously it’s a massive club and I also think it’s what I’m used to. It’s got similar things to Middlesbrough. The people — everyone’s friendly, everyone speaks. It was the next step for me.”

A couple of weeks into a new job are you actually going to say, publicly, that your boss is a bit of a gobshite?

One bite already Mike #27

The Moyes haters won't hate it at all, because we will see it for exactly what it is, bullshit.

What new player is ever going to say, "Well, I fancied going to Everton despite them having a twat of a manager"?

What existing player is going to say, "Yes mate, sign up, just ignore the dinosaur we have for a manager"?

What's the old saying: Don't believe everything you read?

This is up to soft-arse Moyes; he needs to understand we are not in anything to merely survive!

We are in it to win it and it needs taking on with this in mind. No doubt he won't... Ref Wolves etc.

Come on MG mate, full disclosure, you were with MK the most vociferous opponent of Moyes coming back to us. The Moyesturbation gang would have called you a 'hater'.

There really is no point, I think, in quoting 'I've just joined the club' stuff.

Two now, Brendan.

Personally, I think Moyes's PR agent just gives them a script to learn... :-)

Paul@32.

If he slagged Moyes off, he'd have to admit his beloved TFG were wrong about something.

Don't be surprised if Moyes leaves by the way, Scotland haven't appointed a new manager yet and Moyes has been very quiet of late.

Sean @30 agreed, hes not likely to say:

"Yes, Everton are big club, I spoke to Jarrad and he said Moyes is a dour boring bastard and you'll have plenty of defending to do."

Paul Hewitt, agreed, it pisses me off that we have never won this trophy, 5 games and you're in the final. Come on, Blues, for fuck's sake, shock us and let's have a crack at winning something before I pop off this planet

Can anyone explain to me why Moyes is still here? He has a year left on his contract and it surely won't be renewed. He has achieved what he was brought here to do, ie, keep us in the Premier League.

The ideal thing to do would have been to get rid of him at the end of last season and bring in a new manager with time to build his own squad for this season.

I suspect a major reason is that the club don't want to be lumbered with a big payoff at this juncture. I can see no advantage from keeping him on, but we did lose the opportunity to bring in perhaps a more progressive manager with the silly idea of playing more positive and attractive football.

Also, if his contract is allowed to run down, we'll be in exactly the same position as we are now. Come on, Scotland, make him an offer he can't refuse!!

I don't really see that there should necessarily be an equivalence between what the players are happy to say publicly and what committed Evertonians believe.

I don't see David Moyes as inherently toxic for the players and there are indeed those who could well flourish under his rule. They are doing a job we would all love to have and getting very well compensated for having to deal with the agitation of the crowd when things don't go well. If things really don't pan out, most will simply move on to something similar elsewhere.

Most of us assume players are all desperate for trophies and accolades but I can't be the only one who has heard of professional footballers who apparently don't particularly enjoy playing but who aren't liable to give up their very lucrative careers because of that.

Some Everton fans are viewing Moyes as an unnecessary postponement of our rise back to greatness and so, very naturally, are frustrated whilst he is the incumbent. The current crop of players don't necessarily think that way and so their opinion isn't the be-all and end-all.

Mark Ryan. You couldn't be more right. The assistant red Cross medic gets us a consolation goal

Lots on here wanted Moyes to play the youngsters,so he did and were knocked out of ths cup by wolves, then they came on saying why did he play the youngsters,he can't win on here, I think some can't wait for us to get beat just to have a go at Moyes,they will go into meltdown if we actually win something

"Some can't wait for us to get beat just to have a go at Moyes; they will go into meltdown if we actually win something."

😂 😂
Win something under Moyes, Mike?

That is some cheap talk about us, Mike P. We go to great lengths to properly insult Moyes. We don't just go for the bulgy eyes insult, we go for substance, and we find it.

Please attack our attacks and stop selling us short. That hurts my feelings so bad, I may have to call my Mom.

"Lots on here wanted Moyes to play the youngsters, so he did, and we were knocked out of this cup by Wolves."

He played them so we got knocked out and he can concentrate on a 13th position finish then.

Right Dale, you call your Mom, my Dad has a bigger Axe than your Dad. So there ! :-)

Dale (#41) & Derek (#43);

Why do you need to call your Man of the Match?

Mike @39, I think Moyes himself would go into meltdown if he ever won a domestic trophy.

The only problem with that is, you actually have to try to win one. An unknown area for Moyes.

Mike 39, don't let the facts get in the way of your Moyes defending, he didn't play youngsters that night at Wolves, the starting 11 was:

Travers
Coleman Keane Tarkowski O'Brien
Garner Irogbunem Alcaraz McNeil Dibling(1)
Barry (2)

Just 2 under-21s, and Barry, one of our main strikers all season, was one of them “youngsters”.

Moyes is a disaster in cup competitions:
Leaving out Pickford
3 Geriatric defenders
1 in form midfielder out of 5 across the middle.

Wolves were looking for a break after a terrible start to the season, and they got one in David Moyes!