For the game Sunday, I would love to see the same approach, and commitment that we gave for the opening match versus United.
But we are not playing United, it happens to be a team who are struggling to score goals, and have just managed two wins in the present campaign.
But it's the old enemy, and Moyes record against them is not really very good, OK we are at home, and it's at Analfield that Moyes has never won.
But it is the way we approach the game, and his team selection, and above all the right attitude of he players.
Our last two games against them, have lacked confidence, one of which was Moyes putting out a very weak team before the semifinal, and we all now what happened at Wembley?
Lets hope the players who are chosen, show some real PRiDE in the shirt?

I just can't see us getting anything next Sunday - and forsee a depressing afternoon in prospect. A midfield of God knows who, and a side which seems to be draining confidence.

I don't see that Vic can play up front with jelavic. One of them would have to sit deeper, Vic does not have the control and touch to play the deep lying forward role and to play Jelavic there would be take him out of the penalty box where he is his most dangerous. I would maybe play Naismith or Mirallas behind him.

If we are missing Pienaar, gibson and fellaini then i'd say our chance this weekend look slim against a RS team that has been creating alot of chances, if not always finishing them. Neville and Osman are surely the only possible options in the middle with the likes of Mirallas, Coleman, Gueye and Oviedo on the wings...Don't think we will see much of the ball!

The good news is that whenever expectations are high in the derby we seem to falter so lets hope the reverse is true.

If we were playing at home to any other club in the league with their record this season we wouldn't be so pessimistic or would we?

No wonder the players are not showing up in some games, what with our pessimism and Moyes' tinkering , say all you like about the other lot but they always seem to send the message out (even when blatantly untrue) that they are world beaters especially when it comes to playing us.

When it comes to mind games we must be the only club in world football who constantly talk ourselves down to the delight of our opponents.

I bet red-noses are already paying top dollar to find a vacated Evertonians seat for Sunday.

Last season's team in the same fixture lined up as follows:
Howard Hibbert ,Jagielka ,Distin ,Baines ,Fellaini
Rodwell ,Coleman ,Osman ,Cahill Saha

unused (Mucha ,Barkley,Bilyaletdinov and Stracqualursi)

Given that Jelavic is better than Saha and Moralis has greater mobility than Cahill surely we can achieve a draw against them which would maintain our six point advantage over them.
Mind you we will have to keep 11 men on the pitch to combat their 12-14.

I agree things have gone a little pear-shaped over the last couple of weeks — especially with the injuries to Felli and Gibbo. I would have liked them to be tip top for the Redshite game.

It kind of evens things up a little now where before we looked good enough to have really pasted them for once.

The big problem is the Moyes strategy and his team selections. He doesn't seem to know what to do except blame referees. Hibbert replacing Coleman to take care of Sterling may be a change but not necessarily an improvement. Elsewhere, Naismith should play if Fella and Gibbo are still out but Anichebe is only good enough for sub.in my book.

Anyone else will be very lucky to get a start.

Jesus, fourth in the league, only lost twice in the league since new year and everyone is predicting us to lose to the worst Shite side in decades, only Everton eh!

Get Hibbert back at right back and hopefully Fellaini and get some fucking attitude back, it's not just the players whose attitude matters, you know.

What you have to remember is that the manager is a bigger choker than any of the players — especially when it comes to playing against that lot. That said, our luck with player availability has deserted us at exactly the wrong time.

I think it a bit rum criticising Moyes for playing Pienaar in a different role yesterday.

With Fellaini out, we needed someone creative in the middle of the park and I had no qualms about switching the South African.

The problem is we will never know how good or bad a decision that was because the script went out the window when they scored a forunate goal after two minutes, two minutes in which we had started like a rocket, already forcing two corners until Neville's mistake and a deflected shot gifted them the lead and instilled them with previously absent confidence.

I would love to have seen EFC settle into that game with Pienaar in the centre of midfield and Baines and Mirallas linking up on the left.

As for QPR, they are a much better team than their league position reflects and they have also drawn with Chelsea already this season.......so let's regard this as a hard won point in a game where the ref did us no favours in turning down a stone cold penno and sending one of our men off for nothing.

There is no reason to be anything less than pleased with the way things are going this season thus far, Felliani's injury and Pienaar's looming suspension notwithstanding.

And I for one am very optimistic we will beat these on Sunday.

There is nowt to fear but fear itself.

Domino, I know others have suggested using Pienaar more centrally, but I have never understood why and on yesterday's performance I feel fully justified in that opinion. Did you not see Mirallas and Pienaar getting in each others way for the first 30 minutes, with Baines having to hang back as all the space he likes to use was compressed, whilst on the other side of the pitch Big Vic spectacularly failed to show any sustained attacking threat?

With Neville and Osman hanging back as they were obviously terrified of QPRs power and mobility throughout midfield, we could only move things slowly in attack and normally only when our striker dropped back to try to link play up.

Pienaar wasn't unsettled by their early goal as much as he was having to operate in a different position.

I'm expecting the central midfield to consist of Neville, Heitinga & Osman.

Si, all's I am saying is that the game plan as envisaged by the manager was blown off course when they scored so early on.

I am not saying the move would have worked out but given we had lost our play maker for the game I can see the logic of playing Pienaar further in.

It was worth a try.

At the heels of the hunt we played badly but recovered from a horrendous start and several dodgy reffing decisions to emerge with a point.

We're still sitting fourth and given the way we normally come on strong after Christmas I see no reason why we won't stay there come May.

I agree with the poster above whom stated that the fans need to be positive as well as the players at this point.

There seems to be an awful lot of unjustified negativity on these pages about both yesterday and the upcoming derby game.

I'd much rather see Heitinga in centre mid than Neville. At least he can pass a ball and isn't a lightweight. Only Moyes knows what he's gonna do though... hope he doesn't mess it up.

To be fair to Moyes, I think moaning about the ref is a common tactic used by all managers ahead of a big game, I don't think it's a sign he's sulking. Rightly or wrongly, he's basically saying it to the authorities, suggesting that we're not getting fair treatment in the hope that subconsciously the ref gives us something on Sunday. They all do it, it's exactly like players getting in the ref's ear on the pitch, it's because they want the next 50-50 decision.

Moreover, Moyes has a point in moaning about the referee on Sunday, he didn't help us, and in Moyes's defence he did hold his hand up and say that QPR should've had a penalty.

Tactically, I can see why he tried what he did given the personnel available to him, we'll never know if it would've worked. It wouldn't have been my personal selection mind. Much as the jury are still out on him, I'd have been tempted to stick Naismith in behind Jelavic with Mirallas right and Pienaar left. At the very least Naismith would put a decent shift in and it would've left Victor as an attacking option but I'm sure Moyes considered the options. I was surprised to not see Vellios on the bench given the lack of attackers amongst the subs.

I'm dreading it already... 10 v 12.

Can somebody please explain to me what is this story with Moyes and Anichebe?

I'd agree with Peter (800). Neville should revert to right-back as Coleman for me is a liability in that position. Our next acquisition needs to be Hibbert's long-term replacement. I like Coleman as RM – and Anichebe doesn't do it for me on the wing either.

When you look at the 2 'triangles' we tend to play (Left = Baines/Osman/Pienaar & Right = Coleman/Neville/Mirallas), one of those is blatantly weaker. But minus Pienaar it almost levels out.

I would like to see Oviedo as straight swap for Pienaar, Naismith on right and Neville RB with Heitinga in CM – but I suspect Moyes will put Neville on Gerrard in midfield.

If you can't change your team around when playing the bottom of the league, when can you?

As Domino said, we needed someone in the middle to dictate the game. Who knows how this would have worked out if Neville hadn't been rolled so easily for their deflected goal? Howard would have easily saved the initial shot, if not for the defection.

Need to get Neville at right back with Coleman in front of him, Mirralas in front of Baines and get Naismith in the middle in Nevile's place (although I suspect it will be a ultra defensive set up with Heitinga there (if Pip goes to right back).

One final point, one game in eight is not reverting to type.

I think Adam has hit the nail on the head here and I share the exact same concerns.

I headed into Sunday's game at QPR without thinking of the implications of Fellaini's absence to the side. Sure, it would be a blow but we still posed a threat with Pienaar/Baines, Jelavic, and Mirallas - or so I thought.

Then I seen the lineup... no Baines/Pienarr left side link up. No Mirallas on the right and instead the completely frustrating Anichebe being played out of position. And Neville still in midfield. All confidence drained away.

Why shuffle to that extent? These are poor choices Moyes always makes when he has options to choose from.

And yes now it seems the manager has got his sour face on. No doubt he is preparing to contain Liverpool at Goodison and would happily take a draw.

It certainly doesn't bode well.

p.s.

What have we got for the Rodwell money? Mirallas... £8m. Could have raised that by selling Heitenga if he's not going to be used.

If we all agree with Mr Darkley, is that the Domino effect?

I'll get me coat.

(Cool name btw)

I've said it before, Moyes worries too much about how the opposition play, he seems to over-analyse them and attempts to adapt our play to counter them. Result being he messes around with effective formations too much.

Why he doesn't play to our strengths and let the opposition worry about us baffles me. When we go at teams like we did against Swansea, Soton and Man Utd we are at our most effective and at times look unplayable.

Please, please, please Moyes send them out with no fear.

Dave, maybe he saw how we were pegged back so much by Wigan and thought we needed to change it.

When we go at teams, we usually have a full squad, not missing our two influential midfielders, three now against the spawn of Satan.

If only it was as easy as simply saying, "have at them!", I could be a millionnaire manager by now.

I see where you are coming from Tony but looking at Saturdays match the tactics where a shambles.
He broke up the left side, put Vic on the right and this in turn disrupted the whole squad.
Why doesn't he replace like for like ? Miralles looked lost and Jelavic was so isolated it was unreal.
I can take a beating if we at least have a go, what I can't stand is the surrender tactics he displays far to often, that derby at anfield last year still sticks in my throat.
Far to often we give the initiative away to the opposition and end up having to scrap our way back into the game.
I'm going into hibernation on Sunday, in fact i'm going fishing mile from anywhere, my guts are churning already.

Dave, I do agree with you but I thought we were the better side last season at Goodison until the ref shit on us from a great height and sent of Rodders.

I keep on thinking that I may let my mate have my season ticket and do something else but don't want to miss it in case we manage to beat the bastards.

We have a very weak midfield now, so I fear the worst on Sunday, I really do.

So do I mate, fucking depressing isn't it.

Well I am looking forward to Sunday.

We'll batter the buggers.

3-0 to the Blues.

I think the team for Sunday should be:

Howard,
Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines
Naismith, Osman, Heitinga, Mirallas
Fellaini
Jelavic.

If Felli is unfitm Oviedo on left and Mirallas in place of Felli. Though I am a big fan of David Moyes, I would agree that sometimes his team selection/formation baffles me and definitely agree that the teams/tactics he uses for derby games are totally negative.

Though at the moment I am awaiting Sunday with dread, maybe that's a good thing and we'll completely stuff the RS because before the last few derbies I was quite optimistic and look what happened... COYB.