Rub of the green? We were out-thought. There were very few ideas coming from midfield, McFadden was playing too wide and too deep for the majority of the game and Johnson was completely nullified for the second match in a row. I’m hoping Yakubu can put some bite into the front but at this rate, he’ll need a strike partner other than AJ. He barely got a sniff of the ball and when he did he snatched at it. Once things started to go wrong we just resorted to the long long ball which Blackburn can deal with all day. Can anyone tell me why Neville is still playing for us? The man’s a second rate hoofer whose timing is off. We were fortunate to come away from a performance like that with a point.

On the subject of the atmospere, yes it was a bit muted. I wonder if the 5.15 kick off had anything to do with it. Although I was at the match, it felt unreal. I hate 5.15 ko’s

Got to agree with the comments regards the crowd being muted, maybe due to the fact that we have had a difficult week as fans. Plus the fact that the team in the main played cr*p.

Wigan are gobshites, Wigan are gobshites. Get used to it. The yes voters were brainwashed and they never knew it. GUTTED. Colin... I'm a patient man, but pack it in, alrite. ? Ed

Wigan are gobshites????????.

What have they got to do with anything?

Despite the disppointing result against an, admittedly, effective team such as Blackburn, this game COULD be a turning point. IF Davey learns the lessons...
Defensively:
Lescott and Yobo in the 2nd half showed beyond doubt they are not only the future but also the present. Stubbs for all hi great service should now be a back up for this centre half pairing who can be the equal of any in the League. Hibbert was exposed badly today, and dropping Neville back to full back killed two birds with one groin. Once again, Hibbert has to be the back up Nev/jags (more of him to come) Baines gave a highly promising debut which rounds off what must SURELY be the first choice back four.
Midfield: -
Please. for the love of God let Manuel be available next week. A midfield four of Osman/Pinaar, Fernandes, Jagielka Arteta will hopefully encourage the back four to play through them not over them. Jagielka looked good in muidfield and has more than enough pace and power to take over Carsleys holding role NOW. And of course there is always Cahill to come back!
Attack: -
We are well served there and you can pick any two from 5 (depending on the opposition)

So, at the end of this game we had the team that hopefully will form the first eleven for the rest of the season.
Its a shame Moyes didn?t hit upon this at the beginning of the Blackburn game!

its lookingmore likely now when vaughan is fit and johnson isent scoring we could well see the partnership of vaughan and yukubu i honest think myself we will def see that partnership

Okay "steve". Three concerns here:

1. Let's have your full name.
2. Let's also have a valid e.mail address.
3. Do you really have to write like an illiterate moron?

Ed.

For what its worth my opinion is we touched lucky with a point today. First eleven was wrong, am a Moyes fan but he got it wrong today - hindsight is beautiful but physically and for pace Blackburn had it in every dept. Lescott dropped was a shocker - Stubbs has done well but he is not the future and is barely the present. Carsley was unlucky and was outpaced - for me Jags looked ok but needs to grow in confidence - too often he would lay the square ball rather than drive on. Johnson looks slow (?) maybe the England injury affecting him. We played too much long ball against a 6ft 5 defender who was quick across the turf. Signs are encouraging, Manuel and the Yak are good additions. I thought the tribute to young Rhys was amazing - was a subdued Goodison understandably - girls next to me were in bits after the applause for the tragic Rhys. I hope the family took some solace from their reception - God be with them. If anyone knows anything then please forget consequence and come forward - this individual deserves no more time as a free person and the family deserves so much more.

Exactly my sentiments, Alun Willis. Surely, DM has learnt some valuable team selection lessons from this game. We will be better after Yak & Manny sign up and Cahill & Vaughan return from injury. Awesome !

Also agree with the poster’s comments about the crowd. Even on TV, it was obvious that the crowd was subdued. Worse, some sections of the crowd seemed to be getting on the back of some players - Hibbert, McFadden, Neville. Come on guys, we don’t need that !

Wrong team,hoofball and a huge wedge of luck!...Thats the summary of last night’s game against Blackburn.
Here is my evaluation of the game(not that anyone asked for it!)
1.Howard:Awesome in goal as always...kept us in the game
2.Baines...looks impressive with his tackling,overlap play and passing...great signing
3.Yobo:Looked like he was carrying a bit of an injury but did ok overall.
4.Lescott:Start on the bench??? not in a normal world...should start in the centre partnering Yobo...great goal-line clearence too
5.Stubbs:Good free kick early on...maybe better on the bench but i still have a lot of respect for what he does for us.
6.Hibbert:Another bench warmer for me...very poor passing ability which lets us down...
7.Neville:Poor in midfield but effective as a right back...
8.Carsley:Better than people make him out to be...can retain the holding midfielder role i still feel...sad that he is injured..
9.Osman:Almost thought that little Ossie was hiding from Samba coz i hardly saw him during the game
10.Jagielka:Another great signing..passionate,good passer and hard tackler....should start...never mind where we put him..
11.Arteta:Feeling the pinch of being the only creative outlet in the team right now...set piece quality needs to be more consistent...maybe with Manny to help....
12.McFadden:Was poor except for the goal...tries taking on too many players instead of passing..and shoots when he should pass...great goal though...good sub to have...
13.Johnson:was slower than usual...and needs to score soon or he may forget how...will he score for Christmas? or is it only on his birthday???...
14.Anichebe:Looked injured but still helped with that caveman,Samba....
We need Yak and Manny to sign this week and start against Bolton next weekend...
Moyes:Love the guy but poor tactics and team this week(dunno if it was his idea to play hoofball with a speedy caveman in the opposition defence)
Lets get our act together before the next game..we can still do well this season...COYB

Come on guys, give Faddy a chance. He is a very rare talent but will always be one of those players who will frustrate fans for large portions of the game then win it.

I read about how George Best took on two players and lost the ball, commentator started criticising him, "why have him in the team when he tries to take on too many players etc". Next minute he goes past four players and slots the ball in the back of the net.

Now I’m not saying Faddy is as good as George Best, but he can change games for us. What he needs more than anything else is time on the pitch, then he will develop. And I don’t mean 13 minutes at the end of a game when we are already 2 or 3 goals down.

Just back from the game and got to say the first half was terrible and the second so much better you wondered if it was the same side. Moyes really frustrated me today, why can't he start games with his strongest eleven? With the ability to see the players in training he must know Jagielka on today's showing to the fans was a powerhouse replacement for Carsley; he chased everything and was a breath of fresh air in the midfield. Poor Alan Stubbs was battered by the Blackburn players and we sat deeper and deeper to cover their attacks, Lescott should have started the game to give us pace and height.

Tony Hibbert was having a mare again and once replaced at right back by Neville we looked much better, surely Neville should hold this position. The predictable hoofball to Andy Johnson against the powerful and steady Samba was painful to watch; how Johnson was expected to win headers against that giant is beyond me. When Moyes finally rang the changes and introduced Anichebe even though still looking out of sorts at last gave Samba his match to contest long balls and good god we actually appeared to have three strikers on at once.

Very grateful for the point but from my seat after Blackburn scored and Jagielka was introduced they eased off, oh for longer for all the subs to have made an impact. DM must start games with his strongest eleven, onwards and upwards we all hope.

Today there began a new era at Everton. For the first time anyone could remember our manager had the luxury of being able to embark on squad rotation. With all bases covered, he was able to name a starting line-up which, if not functioning properly, could be changed before too much damage was done.

That`s the way the managers of The Big Four operate and it demonstrated that we are about to challenge them in every department. OK, we didn`t get the `expected` victory but Davey was able to demonstate his tactical acumen by adjusting both the personnel and the methodology of play. That`s a giant step forward and with Manny and Yak to come in, shows we are well on the way to having the resources to challenge the big boys for glory. Yesterday was a great day for another reason but today the Everton TEAM came of age.

Moyes took three substitutions and a goal down to put out the team that should have started!

With a bigger squad, he is going to a) have to pick a side to suit the opposition - putting a midget starting XI out against a powerful Blackburn side was never going to work! b) use substitutes in a timely fashion (some progress there but see opening comment c) have no room for sentiment. Stubbs, Carsley and especially Hibbert would not necessarily be in my preferred starting eleven.

Bigger squads bring different problems. It's to be hoped that he learns quickly.

Is Tony Hibbert the new Boo-boy? I really do feel sorry for the lad even though I was ripping him during the match.

You could see how low on confidence he was. If Moyes drops him next week, which I hope he does, his confidence will be shattered. He is a backup player and nothing more. Neville should be first choice and I hope Moyes figures this out quickly. Really do feel sorry for Tony.

Was today the anniversary of Duncan's last game, his birthday or some other feat he accomplished? That is the only reason I can imagine why we kept kicking high balls up to AJ. It becomes clearer everytime we are under pressure that Moyes is tactically poor. How on earth can you justify today's game plan. Plus if Hibbert starts another game then we know they are either related or he knows something that we should not.

A lousy attendance (and we're going to fill a bigger stadium? Get real!); lousy atmosphere and a display straight from the school of Hoof.

Bye bye early promise; hi there, reality.

DM is tonight quoted on Ceefax as believing we need to bring more creativity to the midfield. Oh wondrous dawn of understanding!

I was slated on this site for slagging Hibbert off some time ago, he would not hold down a place in an average championship team, he is awful, now can you all see, he should not play for everton, he cant pass, cant tackle and has no skill at all. i have watched the blues since 1977 and have never seen a worse right back, replace him with jags or neville.

Thoroughly miffed at the result. Blackburn is always a tough game. So many people seem to have posted on here that Moyes learnt from the debacle of the Tottenham game last season. Rubbish! Moyes was back to his far too cautious best playing his dependable guys in midfield.

To me and everyone around me, the tactics should have been obvious. If you play a midfield of Carsley amd Neville, you lack any creativity in midfield so the defence have to lump it forward. So Moyes plays two short guys up front and drops Anichebe. Blacburn's two 6ft 5 centre halves looked comfortable until Moyes finally brings Vic on. Hibbert was the main man at fault for Reading's goal so what does Moyes do? Drops Lescott.

I thought Jagielka was brilliant and if Moyes had the balls to play his best 11 players from the start rather than all this loyalty crap, we'd have beaten Blackburn.

Steve, The thing that "Faddy" really needs is a transfer, and the sooner the better. He is absolutely useless ! Every time the ball came to him the move broke down. Unfortunately I think he is probably David Moyes love child and that is the only reason he has not been shipped out before now.
As for AJ the bloke needs the ball to his FEET to be effective. Hoofing it up to him when he is normally up against 6 foot plus defenders is a pointless exercise.
Only David Moyes would play two defensive midfielders in a home game and expect to win. That left only Arteta as a creative force. I suspect that teams are now sussing us out and realise that if you nullify Arteta then you nullify the team !

There?s also the factor of Stubbs and Carsley being injured in the game simultaneously?

I think that effected the game too

I have said several times in my postings that i really hope we sign Vogel, he will win the ball and make the right passes. Its going to be a hard first full season for Manny, although he is going to be a super player dont forget he is only 21 and still getting used to the premiership, Vogel will steady everything and add that bit of maturity through his international experience. As for Jags well hes just nailed on to be a crowd favourite, strong, committed and plays the whole game.

point taken ed. Still gutted. sorry.Tony, wait about three or four years.

Connor Why rip into Hibbet ok I missed the match, but have seen enough of Tony to know that he is never going to be a top player as his distribution is woeful but how dose getting on his back help the situation ,Phil Neville is of similar nature you cant fault for effort but lack quality personally Id play Jags at right back but I believe he was impressive in mid field,a position we are now after the latest debacle with Manny in dire need of sorting as Cars and Phil limit our attacking options as neither seem comfortable on the ball