Manchester United vs Everton

Add to that, the majority of United's players were heavily involved in the midweek international friendlies, and it's likely that they will rest one or two players for our game. Plus, the majority of our squad did little else than warm the bench for the international games – I think Howard was the only first teamer to play 90 minutes, while Mirallas's and Jelly's 45 minutes they played would have done their confidence the world of good as they come back from injuries and lack of form. Fatigue shouldn't be an excuse for us.

We're in with a sniff here – as Lyndon said, we need to have a go at them, this is one game where really we should be able to play with no fear – anything more than a point will be an unexpected bonus. Get in there, lads.

I very much hope I'm wrong but I suspect the lack of transfer window bolstering is what will see us finish the season in 6th or 7th, unless perhaps everyone stays fit but that seems unlikely.

COYB

I suspect SAF will have a plan to neutralise Felly after seeing Carrick having been taken apart at Goodison. Moyes is going to have to work on a Plan B.

There's a few big players who are due a big performance and we'll certainly need that tomorrow. I'm looking at Gibson, Pienaar and Mirallas primarily. Also I'm not sure Big Vic will have the same success against Man Utd as he's had against other sides recently. Shock return for Jelly?

Pip in at full back and Johnny out is a no-brainer, I would imagine. Distin and Jags have the potential to make life very hard for RvP and Rooney.

It made me smile to see Rooney sat with Baines and Ozzie on the train to Wembley, that boy is still blue on the inside!

The up-side, if the tactics fail, wide open defence and a wound-up Felli, so it could be our day, I'd say 20% chance of a victory which is more hope than I've had for 21 years!

I can see Sunday evening being a very sad one if England lose in Dublin.

The difference in the Premier League is the imbalance due to money and the influx of foreign ready-made stars who Man Utd and the other rich clubs can afford. They have also bought our best player — and even poor old Wigans!! They can afford to sit em on the bench so that they cannot play for any other club against them.

George Best wrote in his book the we were the bogey side. Okay, nowadays they have everything going for them including officials and media but when there are equal playing fields, they are no better nor worse than any other team.

The problem is that most young Evertonians have never seen a really top Everton team so they have been suckered in by the media and TV pundits hype. Pound for pound, we are still up there with any other team and I would say that our first eleven, when all are fresh and fit, would give any team a game.

Unfortunately they are suffering injuries and fatigue because we are not in the position of being able to rest key players without losing a lot of ability. Our reinforcements are not of the required ability to be able to make a real difference.

Get rid of the subs system and only be able to use it for injury or sendings off — then we will see how much better these superstars are.

I watched SAF on Football Focus saying, in response to the 4 - 4 draw and us coming back from a two-goal deficit, that it "Won't happen again, believe me, it won't happen again!"

He did, however, when the interviewer mentioned Liverpool as being the team to beat when SAF had taken over at Mn Utd, that Everton were a powerful side who were Champions at that time. I sense that he has more time for Everton than he has for the RS.

What I don't want to see is Everton beaten before they started by the intimidation factor of Old Trafford and handing over the points yet again to some sub-par Man Utd side after conceding one and then making no attempt to try and get back in the game.

The only thing that's changed in the Premier League is the media perpetuating the mystique surrounding these so-called cathedrals of football like Anfield and Old Trafford so that mentally weak teams like ours start to believe it and choke every time they go there.

In the pre-Premier League era, we had no respect for Man Utd and, regardless of how good their team was, we could always go there fear-free thinking we had a chance to win. I wonder how many of the squad at the moment consider a draw to be the best they can hope for tomorrow?

In my eyes, this is the difference between us and Arsenal and Tottenham: our first 11s have similar quality but they believe they belong with the top teams, our 11 just believe what the papers tell them that they don't. Even the RS still hold deluded belief that they're going to win the league and expect away wins at all the big grounds regardless of if they're good enough or not.

Regardless of how good we are we never expect these wins which is probably why we struggle so much. Saying that there's been a lot of chances this season so here's to smashing this hoodoo and then doing it at Anfield too to finally break our last two awayday fears.

I don't care which side they field, old puce face is playing mind games, he wants to win and doesn't want to let Citteh into the title race again. We need to be at our absolute best and get in their faces. Tired players or not, these are the games that matter to the fans and the manager and the players need to be well up for this match.

Let's hope Southampton get a good result and Fergie rests quite a few for Sunday.

Sam, I know what you mean about Bale but still, Spurs look a good team to me.

If, and it's a big if, we do clinch fourth place, I think it will be at Chelsea's expense.

Fuck me, you must be a right scream to go out for a drink with.

Miserable get.

I went to or saw all those games and was bored most of the time and generally the play was very poor indeed.

If I say those games were wonderful, beautiful or even just great does that make me a "non miserable sod" or even happy or maybe easily pleased and a bit silly?

Either of which Max and me are entitled to be, as you are to be whatever you want to be.

Are you available tomorrow to give the team talk?

It's his miserable predictions that we'll be lucky to keep the score down to a three-goal margin and that we'll be seventh in a couple of weeks.

I am just sorting out my Oldham plans. I love the whole ritual of going to the match, love being a Blue. And I quite like, in a bizzare way, that we are who we are. I mean: no money, old-fashioned ground, old-fashioned Chairman... Logic and being an Evertonian – or indeed a football fan – do not go together.

After my comment a few weeks ago about 5 Live and the "lovely Red Boys" – on Danny Baker's show this morning a guy with a real Bolton accent and said he supported Liverpool.
Take care of yourself Jamie and you to Max.

Their defense is as weak as it's been in the EPL. If Moyes goes for this, I think we will win. Start with Jelavic and Victor together, and see what happens. Really, it's the game against Spurs and others around us (spit) that will be more telling in the run-in to fourth, so just go there and have a crack!

But you;re right about the rest. Arsenal and Chelsea winning, and Spurs won. Could be the worst possible weekend results wise for Everton!

And with how the results have gone today, the pressure is definitely on us to get something out of the game more than it is for them, because they have a 9-pt cushion over Man City.

There's nothing too major for us to fear from these teams... but this has been a bad weekend for us so far.

That's fair comment, Brian, but maybe SFA can see like the rest of us what an obnoxious, odious, reprehensible shower of utter shite they really are, from the orchestrated, dirge-singing , badge-wearing, Surrey living arseholes that phone Talkshite, to the half-witted sing-songy accented Santa helpers from fucking Oslo who monopolise John Lennon airport everytime the shite are at home.

Do I make myself clear? Maybe I should get off the fence....

COYB, get into them and get Felli to add a few more £££ to his value before what seems to be his inevitable move to Chelsea in the summer...

Come on, Blues.

We've got to play our own game and go all out, particularly with Spurs and Arsenal winning.

One aspect to the game not to be overlooked is how one is to influence the match officials. Some feigned indignation on the part of the players from the very outset would be a good thing. Shelve all the ideals of fair play and get your fangs out.

Nothing would please me more than an ugly win, leaving Whisky Face blaming everyone from the fourth official to the tea lady.

If SAF came out and said he'd be playing different teams on Sunday and Wednesday, which one will he play the stronger side for?

We always beat Utd in a certain sense - always. And we will win in that regard tomorrow. I want the three points as much as anyone - but not Man Utd style.

No, thank you.

Dominic, I don't care about how we win tomorrow either, but it would just be nice to play a good game and deserve it, rather than the usual, hard-working industrial football we usually employ in these high-profile games.

Maybe a bit of good fortune and a couple of goals from Jelavic will be the order of the day.

Simply put our big players have to have have a big game. If Fellaini, Baines, Mirallas and Gibson have stormers then we have a really good cahnce.

If we go with that attitude and try to keep it tight – we may well get picked apart. We need to get out of the blocks quickly, get them on the back foot and set the tone for the game, like we were doing in first few months of the season – particularly Swansea (a).

United will score today but they are certainly vulnerable at the back. If we can get at least one in the first half, a draw is well within our grasp – a win is not totally out of the question!

I personally think the title race is already over as it is, utd can afford to loose at least 4 games out of their last 13 and still win. They've only lost 3 times so far this season as it is......its over and only the media are hyping things up, so as to not have to admit that this season a fairly poor utd side won the 'best league in the world' at a canter. At this rate citeh will probably finish 3rd, let alone challenge for the title.

SAF said he wanted to win the CL one last time before retiring, think he'll focus on that 100% from now on. It will be interesting to see who he plays in midfield as thats where we need to compete if we're to have a chance of getting anything from todays game. Gibbo and Fella need to put in a big shift today.

First away win for Moyes at OT in 12-13 attempts? We'll find out soon enough.

All we can hope for is that we give them a game and get the rub of the green something we are overdue for this season.