Month of contrasts - that’s Everton for you Dick. About as predictable as the weather.

In terms of the rest of the season, I think the next game is vital. If we can get a decent win then hopefully the boys will be motivated to finish off strongly. We have a good squad and we need to set the tone for next season.

I don’t think we were ever gonna win the Europa Cup anyway...

After that game I felt so deflated and angry, but looking at our position before christmas, then they didn’t do too badly for a team who looked like they could be in the relegation dogfight..

Beating Chelsea and Man U were good, but we still have plenty to play for..

4th was never really in reach was it..

I’m already looking at next season with a bit of luck, no injuries and a couple of decent signings then we may have the season we are all waiting for !

P 6, W 3, L3, or put another way, 6 points out of 12 and out of Europe. Deflated.

These days so many Blues seem to live in a world of ’jam tomorrow’.

I.E.................................

Moyes is a young manager he’s still learning.

Just wait til next week/month/season we’ll be ok then.

It’s already started on the various Everton forums. Next season we’ll be great etc. etc. etc. zzzzzzzzzzz

After the United game Micheal made a sensible and reasoned posting for which he was slaughtered. Sadly it turns out he was most prescient.

The current Everton set up is highly overrated, especially by the fans. Under the ’Moyesiah’ and Kenwright two steps forward three steps back will remain the Everton ’way’.

"Moyes is a young manager he’s still learning."

He was a young manager 5 years ago. Shame he doesn’t seem to be a good learner either. I knew we would be defeated in Lisbon once the teamsheet was written.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but in January, people were talking about 0 points in February and out of Europe.

Well ok we are out of Europe, but we got 6 points out of 12 so are in a better position than expected — so why is everybody on such a downer. With the exception of trips to Man City & Villa, we haven’t got to play anybody above us. I am still optimistic that we can certainly finish in the top 8 if not higher

Correct me if I’m wrong, but in January, people were talking about 0 points in February and out of Europe.

Well ok we are out of Europe, but we got 6 points out of 12 so are in a better position than expected — so why is everybody on such a downer. With the exception of trips to Man City & Villa, we haven’t got to play anybody above us. I am still optimistic that we can certainly finish in the top 8 if not higher.

I can understand people being deflated with the events of the last week but we still have a European place to play for and its vital that we get it. To finish the season with nothing will be huge step backwards given the recent seasons.

Moyes must keep the players focused on the remaining Europa places and remind them that the team’s place in European competition is vital for us in attracting better players and possible investors. This season is not over by a long shot unless the players decide it is and I cannot see Moyes letting them rest on their laurels just yet.

I find it quite interesting that no one on Toffeeweb has mentioned Sporting Lisbon beating Porto 3-0 over the weekend.

You know, Porto the team that recently beat Arsenal 2-1 in the first leg in the champions league.

It seems that Sporting have found some form, and arn’t that bad a side.... after all.

Winning two games doesn’t make us world beaters and losing two doesn’t make us abject shite. Some people need to get some perspective, there is a level we are aiming for and currently it's slightly above where we are.

Occasionally we hit it and sometimes we don’t, we undoubtedly have potential and I believe we are heading in the right direction. The last 5/6 years have been on the whole brighter than any other (95-96 aside) of the Sky era, which is as much as I hate it the one we are living in.

I for one am pleased that were now frustrated to not have made the top 4 and for being knocked out of europe rather than waiting till April and even May till I can open my eyes and breath a sigh of relief that we haven’t got relegated.

Were not there yet but were getting there (maybe slower than we’d like) but we are. Whether Moyes is the man to get us there is a different question but without him we may also be without Mikky, Jags, Cahill, Saha, Peanuts because all these players see something in the future of our football club and whilst I can’t always believe in Moyes and Kenright I do believe and in them and trust their judgement.

I still think we can finish top 8 maybe a push for top 6, but we’ll need to beat Villa and City.

But Moyes should definitely give some games to the young guns in Coleman and Duffy and play Rodwell and Gosling from the start. Nowt to loose now and they are the future.

It's a shame we have to talk about the new season in March!

Tom Collie I’d like to pick you up on your point:

Under the ’Moyesiah’ and Kenwright two steps forward three steps back will remain the Everton ’way’.

That being the case, we’d be somewhere near the bottom of the Championship/ Div1 by now given what we were when Moyes took over i.e. a bottom 6 club with an ageing squad.

I’m a Moyes fan but our performances in Europe always make me wince. Beating Manyoo and Chelsea in the "blood & thunder" football of the Premier League is one thing... beating a seasoned Champions League outfit like Sporting Lisbon is a different matter altogether.

Playing in Europe is almost a different sport to the Premier League. Moyes has got the players well schooled in the ways of winning Premier League games but coming up against a completely different style and pace of play, and with vastly different interpretation of the rules, requires another mindset and we haven’t learnt it.

Watching us against Lisbon and Benfica made me feel embarassed at our lack of footballing nous. It also made me realise just how much Moyes controls the players — when they needed to show tactical intelligence and adapt their game to Lisbons "pass & move", they froze — and so did Moyes. We’ve had 3 Uefa?Europa Cup campaigns to sort that out and failed.

Anyway, we’ve got an easy run-in and I rate our chances of getting at least 2 points a game out of what’s left. Once again we have to look forward to what might be next season.

Paul, I think you answered your own point.

Both times we were playing ’seasoned CL teams’, yet we have only 3 Europa cup campaigns under our belts. I think we still have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves as a genuine European force. But I do agree, both times in Portugal we were embarrassed by the opposition. We were chasing shadows for most of both games. I don’t know what the solution to this is to be honest, apart from gaining more experience by playing continental teams, and learning their weaknesses. If Liverpool can consistently do it, there is no reason why we cannot at least compete. Its all very well our goal being CL qualification, but it will mean nothing if we are thrashed in every game.

Let's be sensible here please.

Had we beat Spurs and Liverpool, we would have been on 44 points still 5 points behind Man City and behind Liverpool, Spurs and Aston Villa...

What people fail to remember is that not only do we have to keep winning but they have to keep losing... Simple maths

After the start we had 4th place was never possible, despite the soundbites coming out of Goodison (usually before home games to get people through the turnstiles).

I am going to say we will finish 8th or 9th... 7th place seems a little bit too far and our goal difference will cost us a point.

7th will probably get a Europa place too with Man U winning the Carling Cup and the quality of teams left in the FA Cup. Saying that though all we seem to do is moan about Europe anyway, so what's the point?

We are average - played 6 won 3 lost 3 and 10th in the league - you cant get more average than that. We have 6 good players and 6 poor - we are mr average - isnt that so depressing.

Lets be sensible here please

Had we beat Spurs and Liverpool we would have been on 44 points still 5 points behind Man City and behind Liverpool, Spurs and Aston Villa...

What people fail to remember is that not only do we have to keep winning but they have to keep losing...Simple maths

After the start we had 4th place was never possible, despite the soundbites coming out of Goodison ( usually before home games to get people through the turnstiles)

I am going to say we will finish 8th or 9th..7th place seems a little bit too far and our goal difference will cost us a point..7th will probably get a Europa place too with Man U winning the Carling Cup and the quality of teams left in the FA Cup..Saying that though all we do is moan about is being in Europe so it might not be a bad thing

Out of the cups and the chances of equaling last year’s position in the league are slim to none.

Why am I still positive?

As a 25 year old Evertonian this team:

Howard
Neville (RB)
Jagielka (CB)
Heitinga (CB)
Baines (LB)
Fellaini (DM)
Arteta (CM)
Pienaar (LM)
Donovan (RM)
Cahill ( the Cahill role)
Saha (CF)

is the best in living memory.

I also believe that Billy will be a terrific signing; not to mention the Yak and, the second best product of the youth system, Rodwell.

This month proved that we can, at least in theory, beat the best. Isn’t that a start? Now for some consistency please.

"After the United game Micheal made a sensible and reasoned posting for which he was slaughtered"

No he didn’t. It was ridiculous. He wasn’t prescient at all. Simply slagging someone off whatever happens and then thinking that them going wrong proves you right is not prescience.

The month was fine in terms of league points. 6 out of 12 from those fixtures is probably better than most seasons.

No, what’s got everyone so down is just how pathetic and inept the performance in Lisbon was. We gave them the away goal handed on a plate, and then seemed to make no attempt whatsoever to score one ourselves. The one thing that really mattered in that game was that we attack and score a goal, that’s how European football works, its why they brought in the away goals rule and we didn’t do it.

Having said that, our usual reaction to a pathetic performance and soul crushing defeat is a long run of good results, this seems to have been delayed by a glaring miss bu Donovan, but if anyone asks me what we’ve got to play for, my answer is "33 pts". And I don’t mean in a technical sense, I mean that every single game is winnable.