16comments | Jump to last

This article may have been recategorised and is therefore no longer available at this URL.

You can try to find the updated link in the article archive.

Reader Comments (16)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

Andy McNabb
1 Posted 22/12/2013 at 23:51:54

It certainly is!
Merry Christmas everyone.

James Stewart
2 Posted 23/12/2013 at 00:03:28

Coleman's strike was stunning and one of the best I have seen this season. Such a hard place to score from and get that kind of swerve into the near corner. Sublime

Bill Gall
3 Posted 23/12/2013 at 01:07:55

I am dreaming of a Blue Christmas instead of a white...

Chris Parkin
4 Posted 23/12/2013 at 03:31:26

A really tough game, but a vital game to win after Saturday's results, but they did it! With this team and this manager, the old feeling of "Oh shit, now we have to hang on for a point" is fading and you just get that little bit of belief that a Spanish rabbit will be pulled out of the hat!

Always a bit unfair to comment from the diaspora as you can never appreciate the full width and dynamic of the game, but it looked like McCarthy had a quiet one which reduced our dominance... And please, Roberto, get Kevin to look for a pass to a better-placed teammate just sometimes when he is in front of goal!

Tim Jones
5 Posted 23/12/2013 at 03:08:20

Well if that was the 'difficult' fixture as Roberto described it then we should have no problems with the next two home games. Keep it up, Blues — don't rest on your laurels and get sloppy.

John Gilfoyle
6 Posted 23/12/2013 at 06:35:07

Loving watching the blues at the moment, although I must say Lukaku was shocking today. His hold up play/ touch was horrific, seems to me he believes his game is about touch/movement skill and pace whereas in reality hes a 6,3ish unit who should be bullying every fucker. I know he has potential to be a world class striker but he's nowhere near that standard and needs to throw his weight around more. I've seen glimses off his power/ speed which is impressive but the guy really needs to utilise what hes got instead of trying to play like a bergkamp type of player. I think this guy could be world class if he starts to understand his game instead of being something he's not.

Derek Thomas
7 Posted 23/12/2013 at 08:32:45

John # 213. All fair points, so does that make him (tongue in cheek) a rich man's Anichebe??

Sam Hoare
8 Posted 23/12/2013 at 08:57:37

Lukakus all round game is not nearly that of a £20m+ striker as far as I can see. When he's not scoring goals (which admittedly has not been often) we could use an alternative striking option. Perhaps the Jelavic of old will return as another Everton Xmas present.

Rahman Talib
9 Posted 23/12/2013 at 11:32:17

If we keep bypassing Lukaku, then we should just return him to Chelski.

I mean we could've gone two up before half time if Mirallas had simply passed the ball to Lukaku.

Craig Walker
11 Posted 23/12/2013 at 12:13:34

Another stunning performance by the Blues. I thought Lukaku and Pienaar were not at the races yesterday but it was a great team performance. There was some lovely joined-up football from the Blues yesterday despite them taking a while to get going. Swansea away is not an easy place to go: only United and Arsenal have won there this season.

Please Bill, give our wonderful manager some resources in January and let him have a proper crack at keeping this run going. We're starting to get a few injuries and that is going to be a massive test of how we cope in the second half of the season. Last year we thought we were genuine contenders and thought that Moyes had demanded some funds. We'll never know if that was the case. With Martinez' ability to reshape the team, I don't think he would require massive funds.

The only concerns I see are strength-in-depth in the striker and midfield areas. Lukaku has been great but if he got injured then I would worry about our threat up front. Deulofeu is going to be a big loss as an impact player from the bench.

Brilliant times to be an Evertonian though and all credit should go to Roberto Martinez. I haven't felt this happy with Everton performances since 1987. This team is arguably playing more attractive football than that team did.

Norman Merrill
12 Posted 23/12/2013 at 14:08:27

It was a pleasure to get two early Xmas presents from 2 of our most promising youngsters.
The reaction of both showed the travelling Blue fans what it meant to them, & above all Everton fans that we have something to treasure.
So long may it continue, & merry BLUE XMAS.

Richard De Sousa
13 Posted 23/12/2013 at 15:44:20

Almost like a child at Christmas with the way Everton is playing. Two sick strikes to take the game. Some teams wait a whole season to see two like that. Martinez is a grand master with the talent to back his methods.

USA Everton FAN
Richard

Brent Stephens
14 Posted 23/12/2013 at 15:52:58

Richard #306, they used to play some of your dad's tunes at Goodison many years ago!

Harold Matthews
15 Posted 23/12/2013 at 18:43:33

Any neutral reading all the posts on all the threads will wonder how we sit in such a lofty position when we have not yet got things right in the final third. As Lyndon so rightly states, "match winning individual quality" is pulling us through.

This must augur well for the future. Few sides have more room for improvemrnt in and around the box and you can bet Martinez will be well on top of it. He misses nothing. From day one he has had a plan and he is gradually getting to where he wants to be. For all kinds of different reasons, we are way ahead of schedule but the added pressure will not cause him to alter course.

Looking forward to exciting times ahead and luck with injuries and suspensions.

Si Cooper
16 Posted 23/12/2013 at 20:08:41

Whilst he isn't at the top of his game I am a long way from describing Lukaku's performance as horrific.

Even when things are not falling for him he is having an impact on the opposition because of his physical presence and willingness to work.

I trust the manager to know if he needs benching and / or Jelavic is the better option. So far he hasn't been inclined to do so which means he must be doing something right.

Dennis Ng
17 Posted 24/12/2013 at 10:18:04

Harold, I definitely agree on finishing as the area with room for improvement. RM has been good with attacking football, just ask Wigan... It's mouth-watering to just think of where we would be if we finished chances better. My main fear when RM came was the defence and so far it is holding up well.

Si, agree also. I think too many are too willing to just dump on players, particularly strikers, that don't score. It is a game where Lukaku gets so much attention, other players need and were able to pick up the slack.

I like the all-rounded approach the team is having at the moment. If Lukaku gets chances, he finishes; if not, other players try to attack open avenues. And this is a young team still! What more do people expect with the amount of money we were able to put in?

Add Your Comments

In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.

» Log in now

Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.

About these ads