Jelavic fit to play Leeds

No need to rush Jelavic back for this game.

Not sure he would have played Jelavic in this game anyway, so best not to risk him following his injury.

Glad to hear he will go with a strong team though. With the crowd behind them on a wet windy yorkshire night (I'm assuming it will be!!) they certainly wont make it easy for us.
On a separate note I'd like to see Oviedo play, just cause I'm curious.

I'd like to see Coleman carry on at right back and prove he is strong enough defensively.

I'd also like to see Oveido play and Junior, Duffy and Vellios given opportunities if we are running away with it.

We've never won the League Cup and it's a way into Europe. I hope we take the tournament seriously.

I would like to see Oviedo, Vellios, Duffy and especially Cisco given a chance. However, my sensible head says to keep the team strong and more or less as we were against Swansea.

Definitely a concern in that match is the amount of goal scoring opportunities we allowed the Swans. We need to tighten up at the back if we are to really excel this season.

Excited for the game anyway. Come on Everton!

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"they'll be putting the tackles in". Kev, this is Leeds we're talking about, or to give them their official title, Dirty Leeds, there was no need to advise that they'll be "putting the tackles in". ;-)

I'd stick with Anichebe and challenge him to keep Jeli on the bench for Southampton on the weekend too - isn't that proper competition for places?

Big Vic keeping Jelly on the bench!!!

Its mental but surely he'd have to play?

Jelavic must start - he needs to get some scoring form, and this is as good an opportunity as any. Go 4-4-2 if there is such a demand for Vic to start again.

Personally, I'd be tempted to give Naismith 45 minutes too. Give Big Vic the first 45 in a 4-4-2 with Jelavic, then bring Naismith on for the second half.

Jeremy, Jelevic's goal scoring form is fine. He bagged in the international break, also. Nothing to worry about on that front.

Best case scenario for me is that Anichebe keeps his confidence up, directs his inner anger and insecurities positively against the opposition and becomes what most of us think he can become - a bullying, marauding powerhouse who can stick the ball in the net occasionally but more importantly can do the donkey work of winning knock downs, pulling defenders all over the place and tiring them out, winning ball from clearances and set plays and leave Jelly to find the clever spaces and score the tap ins and penalties.

I really think that Vic has got it all, at least physically. If he just can sort out his psychology he can be 9 tenths of a Drogba or Les Ferdinand, and easily as good as Heskey on his best days.

If Vic could step up like that it would be worth two new signings as it would allow Fella to drop back into midfield, where he belongs. To be fair, for all his recent terrorising of defences hes still a relatively poor finisher, and it wont be long before other teams will figure out how to largely nullify him (cut out the big diagonal at source, mark him in front and behind from set pieces etc - simple stuff).

So who drops out of midfield in that scenario?
(what a great problem to have for once.)

Assuming Pienaar and Mirallas are a given, and we're talking about the middle not the flanks, it gives us rotation options: we can pick from four (Gibbo, Fellaini, Neville and Ossie) hence DM has the luxury of selecting horses for courses.

If fit, Gibbo would play all the time, he's that good a passer.

Fella too would be a given, but I would change his role here and there - sometimes forward, sometimes deeper.

Neville has masses of experience which is very valuable, but is on his last legs and hasn't got the runnning power anymore. We can carry him in a five, but not a four. So I would keep him fresh for the times we go five in the middle against the very best teams or to come on when we need to defend a lead, and as cover at RB. In that scenario it would be Jelly up top alone, with Fella supporting from deeper a la Cahill.

Ossie, for me, is brilliant when we're on top, or playing carpet football, but just hasnt got the power or legs to play your aerial or box to box game against stokes, west broms etc - put him in against footballing teams and he can run the show. He is not much value if we're defending long balls all day and twatting it clear upfield as we are sometimes forced to do.

Overall I am very positive of our chances for the first in many years - we finally have a squad of around 15 who can make up a strong eleven and play any formation.

So COYB, smash dirty Leeds and crush Southampton and lets build some real momentum rolling into the Derby.

Wow - what a difference a couple of goals makes. I can remember the comments on this forum last season...and the one before that.

Vic's problem, it would seems to most fair-minded observers, is mental - meaning lask of confidence, self belief, arrogance, attitude, and having a bit of devil in him etc. How many of us dream what we could have done if we had those gifts....

He will never ever have the class or elegance or skill of a Berbatov or Jelavic, or even a Dublin or Ferguson, or be a finisher in the class of Lineker or Ian Wright, but he does have the potential to be the match of the big powerful centre forwards I mentioned.

I suspect most blues who give him stick, like me, do so out of disappointment and frustration about his so-far wasted talent more than thinking he's downright hopeless and a lost cause.

Feel free to come back to me at the end of the season if he hasnt scored 8 or 10 goals.

Formation 4-1-5

Fellaini, Jelavic, Mirallas, Naismith, Anichebe, Pienaar, Coleman, Baines, Heitinga, Jagielka, Howard.

I would definitely start with Anichebe, he's in decent form and I'd fancy him to score at least a brace at that level.

Managers are always saying that central midfield isn't important so maybe you're onto something.

Victor deserves to keep his place because, in all fairness he, Fellaini and Mirrallas formed a great spearhead against Swansea. Between them they offer very different but wonderfully complementary threats. Any defence would find it hard to cope, never mind a team who have scraped around in divisions two and three for the last nine years.

Jelavic is the man who can make it hapen for us this season, but I'd give him another few days off and let the winning team from Saturday continue - at least up front.

Coleman at right back too is a move I'd like to see continued, to give him a chance to prove he CAN play at right back, with an eye to the future.

Johnny too needs to keep his place. Simply scandalous that he has been ostracised yet again until now.

Indeed, the only change I'd make is to see if we have a viable alternative to puss-in-boots Osman, especially as Leeds, under Warnock and with the players at his disposal, will surely try to intimidate us and he is not up to the task in that, or so many other ways.

Europe beckons here fellow Evertonians. Minimal if any changes for me please. Keep this confidence and winning run going. Time we won this second-rate trophy.

Blitzkrieg those arrogant seventies retards tomorrow and give a few of the lads a run out when we're 3-0 up with 15 minutes to go.

Was it just me who thought heitinga was pretty horrendous against Swansea. I know we got a clean sheet but that was more due to Howard heroics and Swansea profligacy.

Not sure Jagielka are much better but don't agree with those who think are much worse.

No idea which team should play tomorrow. I'd probably start the same team as played Swansea with maybe Naismith and Gueye coming in.

Wasn't it introduced before 3 points for a win, as a way of making the game less defensive, since the old formula amplified the value of a goal against? And did it work?

Or did you mean something completely different... Like goals per game?

Q: What was unique about the 1964-65 season in the English and Scottish Leagues?

A: They were both won on goal average.