It is a terrible start to the season and in some ways the performance at Burnley was more humiliating than against Arsenal. Burnley could have had three and we did not look like scoring other than Saha's gift from the spot.

However, it is an aberration. There are some games coming up which should restore confidence and repair the rip in the fabric of the Universe. The 2nd leg against Sigma; Wigan, Fulham, Blackburn, Stoke, Wolves...

Personally I would like to see a curtain drawn across Hibbert and Osman's careers at Everton but let's leave the, Moyes Out! We're Going Down! and other nonsense until at least November.

Good post Joey, I had exactly the same feeling as you during those opening minutes of the Sigma game: Nailed-On Penalty!! I also felt an uncomfortable, irrational paranoia that someone had slotted the ref a few quid!! (And the "Big" boys go through..,)

Harp back to the Collina "goal," though, and snide draws against Villarreal & Liege — we were due a touch, I think..

Although Moyes did seem unusually bullish before that match, practically dismissing Sigma’s credentials, before a ball had even been kicked. Uncharacteristic, I thought. Hmmmmm............

I couldn’t agree more,

4-5-1 has been done to death now and I don’t enjoy the football on offer — win, lose or draw!

I'm hoping that' by next month, when the transfer window slams shut and Moyes whips his squad back into shape, that we’ll get back to winning ways. If it gets to the New Year and we’re still losing most of the games we should be winning, then thats when I’ll become concerned..

Watched tonight's highlights on Match of the Day. We looked flat and maybe the first half hour of the Sigma should have been a warning sign... I know we have the backbone to come back with Arteta, Jags and the Yak but my early confidence for the season is quickly fading.

Well as the end of August fast approaches, £24 million to spend following reports of JL's sale... Let's see if we can get anyone. My concen looking at the table and results is that it must make it more difficult to attract quality; time will tell...

Now finally some of you fans are getting the message regarding this team of worker bees. When they don’t scrape results like they have been doing the last few seasons, they lose to other poor teams in the same way or get pasted against the top teams.

Finally your are realizing what I have been saying all along that Osman is dead weight and apart from Pienaar we have no zip in midfield. On top of all this, the passing is awful from all areas. This isn’t going to change with the next few games because any — dare I say it? — new signings will have to ease themselves in. Look to October when Arteta and Yaks may return but good Prem results may be hard to come by.

I watched the Sigma game and to be fair they were hard done by with decisions by the ref, HOWEVER, they were not the better team and by the end of the game we deservedly won and 4-0 was just fine ... there is nothing wrong FFS with a bit of luck going our way for a change ... how many times have we legimately complained when a decision has gone against us? Well, against Sigma it was going our way for a change ... I have no problem with that.
As to Burney ... I was actually impressed with them and based on their start so far I wish them all the luck in the prem!

More importantly ... we are playing like crap ... especially in defense ... right now I couldn’t wish a quicker "fuck off" to Lescott if I drove him to City myself ... I have stated I didn’t want him to leave but clearly (imho) he and City have unbalanced us at the start of the season. No excuse. Just a fact.

If we beat Wigan next Sunday then we are no worse off than the corresponding point last season PLUS it looks on we’re for the group stage so life could be worse.

People’s emotions are running very high at the moment which is why we get posts like this. It’s utter crap to suggest we weren’t worthy winners against Sigma.

We all saw Saha miss a pen yesterday so why wouldn’t Sigma miss theirs? We’ve won game before where we’ve not been awarded a blatant penalty. It’s unfotunately part of the game. Second half, we battered sigma and it should have been 6 or 7.

Well right now I'm sitting here on ToffeeWeb and i'm just thinking about my beloved Everton. Oh what a summer we've had, lads... what a summer. I love this club and it hurts me to say this but our once mighty club is now the joker in the deck, the deck being the Premier League of course.

All the rumours and speculation regarding the Joleon Lescott saga have left a sour taste in my mouth. We all knew from the start that ole Joleon would be leaving us from the instant Manchester City registered their interest in our once proud blue.

For me, if Joleon signs tomorrow for Man City, this prooves that Football is no longer a game about passion and glory, it's a game about cheques and credit cards. Heck I knew this already when Robinho left Real Madrid for the riches of the Sky Blues.

The summer has been basically a whole lot of lows, I can't think of a worse summer for Everton in recent times than this one. We will probably sign Joey Barton on the last day of the transfer window and some Everton fans in their blind loyalty to the club will call this a brilliant signing by the "messiah" that is David Moyes.

The times are changing for Everton, people; if this club does not find significant investment from somebody, we will slip down the leagues into oblivion. Sometimes I wish for this to happen in the hope that we might actually WIN a trophy even if it means winning the Johnston Paint trophy!

Anyways enough of this rambling on from me. Let's hope we can get some points this coming weekend with a few new signings to boot as well! Even if it is Joey Barton... god help us all [holds face in hands at the thought].

Maybe if people could see the problems before having them served up on a silver plate... then it wouldn’t be so hard to take.

Many of the people having a ’Road to Damascus’ moment now... have spent the last few months complaining about the ’moaners’ — and defending the shambles that was on show at the end of last season.

Eternal optimism eh! It’ll break your heart.

Terrible game but after about 30 minutes we dominated the game but Louis up front was having a quiet one, can’t play two games in 72 hours.

Cahill was invisible due to his nornal role being taken by Fellaini.

What surprises me the most about the criticism being handed out is that Hibbert is still being blamed... unbelievable. After watching the game and also speaking to a fella who had just been the game, it was unanimous amongst mine and his mates that Hibbert was probably our best player, yet he is getting stick still.

His forward runs were good, he crossed well, won a penalty for us and was actually in trying to head a goal but apparently he is somehow responsible for this defeat.

Osman had one of his worst games in a while and offered Hibbert no cover but Hibbert still had a good game.

Good post, Joey.

Part of the reason we can’t play fast attacking football is we can’t trust the defence. When we have a defence that consists of Hibbert, Yobo, and Neville, you know that the opposition are licking their lips. God help us if we get Richard Dunne too.

A lot of it is to do with attitude and this stems from Moyes. It seems most of the time that when the opposition score, that's when we change from a defensive set up to a more attacking formation. Why oh why can we not go at teams like Burnley instead of hoping for a set-piece goal or an opposition clanger?

I'm afraid this attitude is going to put players off joining us. Let's face it, if you had a choice of joining dreary Everton or an exciting team, I know which team I prefer. C'mon Moyes, get your finger out. You're paid enough!

Sorry to depress you all further but I think we really are in the brown stuff!! 4-0 against Sigma paper over the cracks. I agree with you, Joe, Sigma should've had 2 pens that I could see. BK leave now or you’ll take us down!!!
COYB!!! SACK THE BOARD!!!!!!!!

Technically sound post Joey, agree entirely. I'd prefer to winge about penalties not given to us, than excuse those not granted against us. Sigma have a right to feel agrieved. As we did against Villarreal... I mean against Collina... we were playing against him after all.