Could be the best ever, says Moyes

One other area that needs improvement is taking care of the ball. We've shipped 13 goals this season, and by my count at least seven of them — including both at Fulham — were the direct or indirect result of giveaways in midfield. Pienaar gave the ball away right before Neville's foul, and of course Coleman's turnover was fatal at the end.

If we clean up that problem, we can challenge for the top.

I think the rest of the league looks really poor this year and fourth is definitely up for grabs for anyone still, performance wise we look the strongest and even depth wise we are not too bad in certain key positions (Even Arsenal and Liverpool have been playing kids in key positions this year whilst some of us are annoyed if Naismith a full international comes off the bench).

We've carried the team along through the loss of Gibson and we did similar when Jelavic was injured earlier in the season. No matter what the team, if a number of your stars get injured then you will suffer. If Liverpool lost Suarez their season would ciome crashing down, if Arsenal lost Cazorla they'd be fairly inept, Chelsea have suddenly started leaking without JT and City rely on Yaya Toure far too much.

I'm sick of hearing that we don't have a big enough squad to get fourth. I think we've shown already that we can cope with the loss of key personell (dominated Liverpool with half a team out) and as long as we don't have a full blown injury crisis (which would derail any team regardless of squad size) then we could and should do well.

There is no comparison between the two....

I will go so far as to say we've probably lost 4-6 points due to not picking up a proper midfielder (N'Zonzi or Vadis) during the transfer window. (2 points to Fulham, QPR and Newcastle come immediately to mind.)

I know Davey has admitted Jellyfish is going through a bad spell but he needs to come good soon. Our next 4 games are now need to win as we have dropped too many points on draws of late.

I think a few have forgotten about Oviedo. He looked out of sorts at Leeds but he looked very good in the derby when he came on. He could be another Moyes ace up the sleeve.

Things are looking up, at long last.

I agree with other posts that Gibson's time spent on the treatment table is a concern due to the lack of cover, however, it seemed that the Vadis loan deal was done bar paperwork timings so come Jan I'm confident that he should be in the fold. Plus we already have Hitz (yes I know I know he's injury prone too it seems). Between the three of these I feel we should have the CM spots reasonably well covered.

Perhaps a greater concern to me is Jelavic, who's form seems to have dropped a little in comparison to his amazing start for us. Who do we have to compete for or cover his position?

Moyes single-handedly turned us around and we now have one or two players who are verging on world-class and a side with pace and threat from multiple areas.

Unfortunately, if we don't click in the next few games it will be bye-bye Felli as no doubt some CL team will try to pick him up in the next 12 months. Might be just the thing we need. If we can get £25-30 mil for him, we could perhaps get the funds together to strengthen other areas of the team... and we need strengthening in all areas imho. Some of our 1st teamers are getting long in the tooth.

As for things that need improving, how about we score the first goal for once instead of playing every game from 0-1 down?!

But the sting is in the tail. So far we are actaully only 1 point better off than last season on the same fixtures. In fact our season is heavily front loaded. By the time we get to 24 games, we would have 44 points if we do the same as last year. Then in our last 14 fixtures we would pick up just 13 points.

In fact we would have at that point only 4 defeats.

So if we are over 50 points before Villa at Home, so far so good. Over 60 by the end of the QPR at home fixture and then we have a chance. But it is a tough end to the season - so let us leave the talk of Champions League until then. Best could be the 6 pointer at Anfield on Star Wars day. Us to do Champions League, them to stay up.

I am very excited about the way we are playing. I am old enough to remember the 85-87 years and the mid/late 60s teams. But we have had easy fixtures.

Or should I say, that's the spirit. COYB

But you only have to look at our neighbours record this time last year 8 points ahead of us in the league and – if I remember correctly – bemoaning the fact that they had hit the woodwork so many times and that they felt they should have been up there challenging with the big boys.

It is for these reasons that as Evertonians we should be wary of not taking maximum points when our overall play warrants it.

Nobody knows what the next game will bring, never mind what the season holds for us, but I bet not one Kopite or Evertonian thought that Everton would finish the season ahead of LFC at this point last year.

Here's hoping the performances are maintained and that we collect many more wins in the coming months. COYB

I totally understand your point, myself being born in 1974 remember the great side if the 80s, that team had the attitude of no matter how many goals we concede we will always score more.

Anyway, back to the point in hand, as much as we could of had a cricket score against Fulham, I am always of the opinion that a point away from home is a good result. As for the fixtures so far, we can only play who is put in front of us, but we have had a lot of games away from home, bar West Brom, remain unbeaten, but we have also took maximum off utd, something we had not done last year, and scrapped a point off the Shite, something else I hate to say we had not done last year also. So from that point of view we have actually got 4 points from teams we didn't have last year. I've said it on here once in the last week, but will say it again, the glass in my hand is very much half-full.

The second half at Fulham was exhilarating viewed from behind the goal in the neutral area with thousands of blues and a few perplexed Jap tourists. Long may it last but it was very different to WBA, QPR and Wigan....

But also,

the good teams find a way to win. Bad teams find a way to lose, and average teams find a way to draw...

So far we're playing above average but keeping some points off the table. The table is how teams are measured so we're better than Tottenham but not as good as Man City. It doesn't go by form.

My hope is that this is a new style, our players need to learn how to play it well and then FINISH. It's a young season and our starting 11 (barring Neville; and I'm sorry to continuously bash him at CM) is on par with everyone in the league. That's fucking exciting.

What isn't is our bench. One injury and the domino effect leaves an under-performer in arguably the most important position on the pitch.

All negativity aside, if we can pick up a stud midfielder like we were going to, then we should be really up for it the rest of the way. I'd also try Mirallas as a striker as well. He was magnificent 2 weeks ago and will definitely come good – He was playing in fucking Greece 4 months ago – give him a bit of time!!!

I know our schedule gets tougher but it's about US and how well we can play (as evidenced by our late season runs the past few years) If we can fill out the team well, then we shouldn't fear anyone. we already beat Man Utd.

The days of witnessing a full 90 min's without a shot on target seem a distant nighmare away.

We have only failed to score on one occasion this season - our only defeat against West Brom.

I fully expect us to give the Mackems a smacked arse on Saturday, I will be getting on us for a 4 or 5 nil win. They have had 12 shots on target - ALL SEASON !!!!!

I guess it depends on your definition of exciting. However, since "nearly 30 years" encompasses two Championship winning sides as well as the side of 85-86 which included the goal machine Gary Lineker, I would respectfully suggest you are a bit wide of the mark with your assertion, but I can't help but like your enthusiasm.

If you had said last 20 years then I would agree that this is the best and most exciting side in that period (Kanchelskis on his own doesn't count), but in the last 30 years we have had teams which swept ALL before them, home and away, domestic and international. This is as well as being unfairly denied the chance to prove how exciting they were against real Champions of other leagues and not just 4th placers.

Unless you think it just isn't exciting to go into every single game and just know you are going to win then I can't agree with you at all. That's pretty much what it was like for us in an all too brief period in the 80s. I suppose concealing an injury time equaliser is exciting, but only for the neutral or opposing team fans.

Our present team is very good but lacks consistency in performance as well as the ability to completely shut a game down when necessary, which, in my opinion, is one of the hallmarks of a great side. Really good sides win ugly when they have to as well as being able to play flowing tikki-takka type stuff.

If a team plays high up the pitch, Mirallas can exploit it. If they drop deep then Fellaini can cause havoc. Defenders need to double mark Fellaini which (should) give jelavic space, or if they don't, it's guaranteed win ball every time.

We can play a short game with baines, pienaar, Osman, or we can knock up to fellaini for territory starting moves in the final third. West brom is the only game that we didn't turn up for in the league so far out of 10.

The record:
United – win;
Villa – win;
Swansea – win;
Saints – win;
West Brom – loss;
Wigan – draw, after battering the door down and dubious official decisions;
QPR – draw, ref decisions made it uphill battle;
Liverpool – a point gained after terrible start;
Newcastle – 2 points dropped after failing to close out game and dubious officials;
Fulham – 2 points dropped points after failing to close out game.

I did see a good deal of the 86-87 championship side, but I remember them as a gritty and tenacious side exemplified by Radcliffe and Heath, with most of the flair coming from my favorite Blue, Kevin Sheedy. That team won it all and this one won't, but for my money this one is a lot more fun to watch.

The added smile is the team with the worst performance compared to last year, dropping 9 points so far... and headed for 45 points and 14th place.... in fact one place lower than they are now...... bit like having your cake and eating it.

Potentially a Jelavic and Gibson 2 years earlier right there, he's had no money off Kenwright the loot is from Cahill, Arteta, Rodwell and Bily.

Moneywise the die was cast with Rooney and hasn't changed one iota, it's just that he'd buy a centre half every 3 weeks and twice at the end of the financial quarter.

He's realised that's not a goer.

That's a big step up from a mid table team who've had the problems of simply not having enough quality and having had to scrap for every point.

Just think of who we had this time last year in our 'front six'. Gibson, Pienaar, Mirallas and Jelavic have replaced Cahill, Saha, Bilyaletdinov and possibly Rodwell in the XI. Add to that the difference in the effect Fellaini is having on Premier League matches. That's more than a third of the team, basically half, taking a huge step up in quality/effectiveness. We may only compare similarly in terms of results to last season on a fixture by fixture basis, but this November's team would hammer last November's team.

We definitely lack beyond the XI though, only Anichebe could come off the bench and make a difference (maybe Naismith in time, but I'm not totally convinced). We can't afford not to strengthen in January, it doesn't have to massive, and it could be the right two loans, but it has to be something that will add to the matchday 18.

Just a pity we don't have the usual Everton resolve though and stop conceding. We do need a few clean sheets.

Barry, hindsight is a wonderful thing, Bily looked a good buy when we first heard we'd bought him (thanks to YouTube, but even I could look good on that but there you go) and I doubt if we'd have had the money for a Jelavic. Moyes has said that if he'd have cost what we were first quoted then we'd not have been able to afford him. It was only due to Rangers' situation that we got him at all.

And if you think back to when we got Gibson half the posts on here seemed to be slagging Moyes off for stealing a Man Utd cast off. Now he is, apparently, indispensable. I agree that the money for Mirallas etc has come from the sale of the players you mention, particularly Rodwell, I'm just glad BK didn't have to give it all to the bank.

Whatever, the end result is that we're playing the best football we've played for years.

How much time does Moyes have before the greedy bankers return for their pound of flesh?

But you would like to think we will have the momentum of an outstanding 2012 to take into 2013 where our run in will be very tough.

Everton have always sold to buy though. At least since the seventies anyway. Even when broke the transfer record for Latchford it involved half the value being made up by Styles and Kendall going the other way. In the glory years we sold McMahon to find Steven, we even sold Lineker to fund a new Street End roof, we sold Stevens to buy Nevin and when we started throwing the cash around under Chairman Johnson we then had to sell first Kanchelskis and later Ferguson to placate the Bank.

That said, Kenwright has mismanaged all the TV money and Moyes has worked nothing far short of a miracle in last ten months.

The biggest criticism I recall on these boards (and that was even during our CL run) was the quality of football being served up on the pitch - defensive, hoofball, terrible to watch, etc. Whilst I think it's fair to say this has been addressed steadily in previous seasons, the performances being served up right now are nothing short of scintillating and everyone (even MotD) is noticing.

Sat at Fulham this weekend, watching the interplay of Baines and PIenaar down the left, the skills of Mirallas and Osman, Coleman driving on and Fellaini just forcing his way through... well, to be honest, it was breathtaking and did remind me of the excitement of watching the waves of attacks from Barca or Brazil pouring forward.

Yes it's frustrating that this play hasn't been turned into 4 or 6 more points, but one thing that hasn't been mentioned enough here is that it's not just down to poor finishing — we're achieving what we are against the rub of the green.

For starters, there's an easy case to make that terrible refereeing decisions have cost us points vs Newcastle, QPR and Wigan. Then there's the fact we have had some injury issues and been without key players in some important games (Gibson, Fellaini and Pienaar) for several games. We even lost out in the transfer market thanks to Fifa rejecting our legitimate last-minute bid for midfield cover.

If we can continue to play the way we are AND our luck evens itself out, then top 4 is well and truly on!

He's a grounded manager that keeps his feet on the floor and rarely makes comment's that come back to haunt him (other than Phil Neville). He tell's it exactly like it is, which can be pretty uncomfortable for journalists who usually listen to the rubbish thrown out by most managers.

"Fulham is a tough place to come, you must be pleased with a point". Jesus, I thought he was going to lamp him, and as a football fan fed up with managers not seeing what their players do and being asked questions by journos that would embarrass a 5-year-old, who could blame him.

It's a bit like comparing two boxers from different eras.

The Young, Vernon, Gabriel team was great because, up to then, it was the best that we'd had in my lifetime. I think the mid/late 80s team was better; but would accept as valid the arguments of those who disagree.

One main difficulty in comparing the present team with those two is that today's team has not played a dozen matches yet, so hoping for the best as we all do, we can't be sure just how they will settle down; but, more important, I think, is the quality of the opposition that today's team faces. The quality of the Premier League is superb, even the "mediocre" teams of today would have been thought of as world beaters in the old First Division.

So, on balance, if they settle down (and wherever they finish in the league) I think this lot are the best we've had.

This team is far superior to the side that finished 4th as we were very negative during that season and actually qualified with a negative goal difference?!? This team plays football reminiscent of the 60s side which was the best footballing team I have seen at Goodison.

BUT... we have not got a good record in goals return for chances created. In the past we relied on set pieces to score goals but now we create chances galore and it's fantastic entertainment — just what our fans deserve.

These are tough games. After we play Arsenal and Spurs at the end of the month, every home game (bar Chelsea and Man City) should be money in the bank.

Also, people continue with the leaky defense stuff but, as Jol pointed out, we've been playing 4-2-4 recently. I actually think it's more like 2-4-4 with Baines and Coleman pushing so far forward. It's reminding me a little bit of Blackpool's days in the Prem but with more quality. Good to watch, create loads of chances, too gung-ho and still get beat.

Still, I wouldn't mind too much if we finished at boring old 7th again if it means being entertained on the way as we are at the moment.

Bring on the spanking of the Mackems!

None of them will be cup-tied in Eurpoe and the only surprise would be if there was no interest.

Improvements? Look at the weaknesses and sort them:

• Poor defending has let us down
• Poor midfield mistakes have given away dangerous free kicks which have led to leaking goals
• Poor goalkeeping for long range shots has let us down

On a lesser level, missed shots... but, if you fire as many shots as we are at the moment, on the law of probability, you've got a hell of a lot more chances of some of them going in, so more of the same please.

I would love to see some uber hard bastard in midfield that puts the fear of Christ into the opposition before a ball has been kicked, knowing they are in for a torrid time and no walkover.

A midfield general to do Gibson's job a little better than Neville can if Gibson is injured would be a good addition in January and a little more squad depth in general though I'm quite excited to see what Oviedo can do when he is given a chance.

The thing that frustrates me is Neville. He's OK at right back but c'mon at centre mid? He is too slow, and too weak for EPL now. I hope Moyes stop playing him and that he retires after this season.

Paul, that was my attempt at sarcasm....

We are still team improving. One who has a bunch of exciting young players mixed with a few of the old guard (the slow, junkyard dog types). in time we will have a complete team.

To do this we'll probably have to sell Felli in the summer (unless we come 4th). I'm ok with that and if we get the right price, we can really add some talent and depth. Then we'll really have our best team.

One quick point... The game has changed. We have as well (finally). The game is about players who can play. play out of the back, be quick with the touch and keep the ball moving side to side and then quickly forwards. You see it in every champions league team. There is no more room for the likes of the Hibberts and Nevilles of this world. That's why Osman is playing better. Finally we have caught up with him and his best position/playing style. -- I am not an Ossie lover - far from it - but I do think that he is adequate enough for this season but should be moved to the bench if we sell Felli.

He's the type of player we should be definitely looking for. Played a blinder, yesterday.

Moyes needs to test Barkley again and soon. He also needs to groom some more youthful tacticians for his midfield.

I trust he's keeping tabs on Southampton's Lallana, who apart from being a merging star in a team seemingly headed back to the Championship, is also a Toffee fan born into an Evertonian family, and like Holtby would need only a nod from Moyes to reach agreement. Just a thought.

Just because most TWebbers would die to pull on the shirt, doesn't mean a professional would do the same.