Eto'o brace eases Blues past Burnley

Stan Collymore makes the valid point on Talksport that "you can teach strikers to run with the ball but holding it up for a big string central striker it should be an absolute given" I agree 110 percent with him.

Lukaku needs to watch a few runs of Wilfried Bony in a lesson of how you be strong with your back to goal.

This is the kind of goal which Everton keep making the mistake of conceding this season.

We are 1-0 up against a side who’s confidence is shot to bits but we give them the confidence boost they need to get back in the game.

Got to gather our heads and go on to win this match otherwise it’s back to the drawing board.

But as Turf Moor is one of our less favourite venues we should be happy with a win there. I just feel that this Everton team has so much more to offer than it shows us on occasion and we must go for the jugular when we are on top. Nice to see defenders and goalkeeper getting rid when the situation calls for it.

If Roberto can assemble a team with the same quality of Eto’o we’d all be pretty happy - but this team if it starts to believe in its ability could still do quite well but we have to start putting teams like Burnley to bed much earlier in games and we shouldn’t be watching the clock with over half-an-hour of the game remaining.

Nowhere near our best but The result hardly flatters us. We created all the chances, and really should’ve scored more than 3.

Must do better next week though, Swansea are a far better side than what we were up against today.

Two prem wins and hard-fought away draw in Europe - and only one conceded - great week in my opinion and hopefully the start of a winning run.

What I will say though, and I’m not an Osman hater, is that although he does the odd tidy thing when not under pressure, he’s at times a liability for losing possession in dangerous areas... and his legs are shot. There was a run down the left when he was obviously running flat out, and the defender caught him without breaking sweat. An undoubtedly clever footballer but no longer up to the rigours of a full premier league game.

Eto’o oozes class, and a knowledge of how, where, when, which I hope he can teach young Ross Barkley, and Lukaku for that matter.
Have to say my mums first touch is better the Luk’s nine times out of ten. I think he edges it when it comes to the arial threat....just!

Looking at all of our results this season only the Palace game stands out as a shocker for me. We dropped four valuable points against Leicester and Arsenal but played well. The Chelsea game was a shocker defensively but we played with a a lot of spirit and attacking flair. I’m not overly fussed about dropping out of the Carling Cup as it gains a club very little.

November will be a very important month for our season. By the end of it we could well be in the top six and practically through in Europe. Keep it up lads!

Lukaku is worrying us all I think. Has his touch always been this bad? If he’s injured he needs to be rested, but he needs to lose 10lbs and maybe grow his hair back! He’s definitely carrying too much weight, he looks heavy legged and ponderous, and he’s one of those players that needs to be sharp to be effective.

Thought Roberto’s subs made a bit more sense today but we really need to kick on now and don’t screw up at home next week.

In a game like this I would have played Besic instead of Ossie.

The back 4 frequently had to boot the ball up the pitch because no one in MF is showing for the ball apart from Barry.

Kudos to ETO real MOTM performance and still major concerns over Alcatraz who seems to view balls in the air like bombs from the Luftwaffe.

Burnley made it hard for us. Arnfield should have had at least three yellow cards, a couple of others two each. Did they require the trainer on at all? All the same, we gave the ball away far too easily again.

But class showed and as is often the case we finished strongly. Naismith had a very good game and Samuel Eto’o quite simply won it. More please.

Eto’o was an incredible signing, even at his age.

It’s easy to forget how young Lukaku is - he’s a raw talent for sure but I think we’ll see better from him with Ross and Sam on the pitch.

I thought Baines delivery was back to it’s best today too and we are lucky to have it.

Overall we still haven’t hit form but 3-1 isn’t bad for a stuttering performance.

A little more aggression in an attacking sense wouldn’t go amiss and would help us all to enjoy the matches a little more - I’m not knocking the result but I do think the Blues can do even better if they put their minds to it.

Strange that you criticise team selection for too many attackers, and then state that you would remedy the problem by swapping a midfielder for a midfielder.

Also, the additional striker won us the game today, so there’s that as well.

I wouldn’t worry too much about our defensive record, the first three games aside including the freakish 6-3 Chelsea game.

Since then we have conceded 7 in 6 games which is a bit more like it. I think the key to this has been the return to form of Jags who in the last three games especially has been excellent.

If we can keep this run going especially given a slightly easier run of games, we will be in and around Top 4.

Ideally I would not have Eto Lukaku and Naismith in the same side either.

I thought we looked much better balanced with Barkley and Pienaar in place of Ossie and Lukaku.

I can certainly see why Martinez played a "fresh" Osman in that system today, but he just wasn’t up to it.

Im not on the bandwagon of Ossie-bashers, but the team is certainly less dynamic with him involved these days. We done well to get in at h/t with a lead, and that was the time to introduce Barkley in my opinion.

Why are none of the people slating Ossie complaining that Ross gave the ball away with both of his first 2 touches and gave it away at least 5 times in his short time on the pitch. Ossie guy was playing so well that Burnley resorted to taking him out rather than tackle him. He was involved in so much of what we did well with neat quick passing creating space for others to exploit. It’s the sort of play that is essential to the Martinez style of play

I agree about Osman and can’t believe that Martinez uses him as a starter..he’s useful off the bench for 20 minutes but that’s it.

However there are some really worrying signs (first of which is admitting we have problems :) for Lukaku to not be able to hold up a ball is embarrassing and is compounded by the fact that he thinks he’s a "complete striker."

Naismith was a ghost which was disappointing. The fact that Osman not only started but played 80 minutes makes me so mad that I just can’t think about it or ill throw my phone. It’s a sad state were in as a team to rely on an already shitty player to play 80 minutes at 33 years old or what have you.

Barkley was great and just so happy to have him back! What a difference maker he is. Martinez has to figure out how to get his troops playing with more energy and silk in the final third. Something we’ll need going forwards

There are certain players, Osman, Lukaku, Hibbert and Howard who are criticised no matter what they do.

There are other players, Coleman, Barkley for instance who can do no wrong.

Players make mistakes I assume that the very windy conditions affected the run of the ball today. Lukaku is still young ande learning just like Ross they will make errors.

Come on folks the team have picked themselves up after a very shaky start. I expect to see Disitn in the defence on Saturday to deal with the threat of Swansea.

Villa were a lot poorer than predicted by everyone on the thread after Man Utd and Turf Moor is a place we have a bad record. Today’s result was especially pleasing after the rather tricky fixture on Thursday. It is also really pleasing to see Lukaku scoring despite not being in the best of form.

3-1 away lads. The RS drew with Hull at home this weekend without a single goal.

Need to remember he is 21, Martinez has mentioned that he’s been carrying a few knocks, he’s coming off the back of a World Cup and we have paid a lot of money for him which must create a bit of pressure for him. He’s still managed to score 4 league goals in 6 games.

He is a striker and his job is to score, which he is doing. I’m more than happy with his contribution so far.

Also I’ve been a big Lukaku supporter but today he was really poor. Add Lukaku to the list of Everton players that have made a bonehead play directly leading to a goal. Thank God he scored to make up for the error. The goal was typical Lukaku. It was from inside the box, he made the play himself and his physical skills allowed him to make a play most players can’t make.

Let’s not forget Martinez signed Lukaku and Eto’o to deals this summer. 4 goals and an assist for Lukaku and 3 goals from Eto’o is almost a goal a game and Eto’o hasn’t played that much.

We really missed John Stones today. Stones would have broken the Burnley pressure as he’s the only Everton center back who dribbles the ball forward. With neither center back ever pushing the ball forward Everton were way to predictable in bring the ball out of their own end. If they can’t vary the way they play out of the back they might as well let Howard boot it long.

Baines was really good today. His assist one the 1st goal was as big a play as there was in the game.

Barkley was awful when he first came on, underhitting his passes and losing possession. He improved when he got more room but his first touch was pretty poor at first. He needs more game time and I thought that overall we played lethargically.

The defence carried us for a lot of the game and only Etoo played really well in attack.His goals were top drawer and I hope that some of his class and work ethic rubs off on Lukaku. Rom should come on in leaps and bounds with Etoo showing him the ropes.

Sammy finds room and needed constant attention. I just wish we had got him five years ago :0))

Didn’t Barkley lose it 3 times in about 2 mins after coming on? Does he need to improve his touch? What about eto’o? Motm today and everyone raves about how great he is and how we need more like him. Is that the same eto’o who was really really poor just 3 days ago?

And Chelsea just scored, so things might further improve if they can get one more.

Coleman and Baines are exceptions, and Barkley - although not today. Once the opposition have figured out we’re not going to take them on all they have to do is stay tight and sit behind the ball.

Otherwise it was pretty turgid at times, but an away win is always a positive, even against probably the worst side in the division. Much of what I saw, I already know; our full backs are our most potent attacking threat, Howard is prone to headless chicken moments and can’t command his 6 yard box, Ossie can’t last 90 minutes, Nais runs around a lot (this time to less effect) and Eto’o is still a class act. Shame we can’t fuse him and Lukaku together- we’d have one awesome player.

Difficult to comment on the defence since Burnley were pretty toothless, though personally I still have kittens when Jags and Alcaraz are dicking around at the back.

James Carlisle "an under par display" 3-1 away from home

John Voight (loving your work in Ray Donovan!) "Lukaku .... really poor" 4 goals in 6 games

Christopher Kelly "So mad that I just can’t think about it or ill throw my phone." Great idea.

To paraphrase the great late Ian Dury, " there ain’t half been some miserable bastards"

He was one of our better players today after a shaky start.

Hint for Kieran (#16) and anyone else of that ilk: do what I’m doing now - watching the game again - but this time with an open mind and tell me that Alcaraz either played poorly or is a heart-in-mouth sort of fella.

Compare him today with say Jags - who is getting better and better recently - and see how often Alcaraz got him out of trouble and how much better Alcaraz is on the ball.

But then again, why compare, they were good today against to be fair a team of nailed on relegation certainties. There are not many prem teams about whom you could say: I would not take a single one of their players.

Anyone who thinks that we did not deserve that or we are flattered by the result is nutty. Apart from a lively first quarter-of-an-hour Burnley were piss poor. Mind you that did not stop me from having a serious case of the Leicester/Arsenal heebeegeebees.

Something is good if you don’t play that well and win 3-1 away in the Premiership at any gaff.

Shite game really but Burnley didn’t break their duck, and that is apositive

We need to get him in positions where he is running at defenders and/or onto through balls, so he’s facing goal, not with his back to it.

Ross actually gave the ball away with his first 3 touches. There again, he does look good going forward!

Thought for the day - Lukaku’s £28 million was actually only half as much as we bought one and got one free.

Eto’o has utter class and movement, and I buzz of the telly commentators saying he’s " not as quick anymore " as I Deffo don’t see it, he’s got pace over a yard and that’s all what a striker needs isn’t it ?

Come on ToffeeWeb to read a decent summary of the game then the comments are ridiculous. 75% of comments are just slagging off individual players rather than the win. It’s put a real downer on ya!

Why can’t we just say well done Everton for a good away win, instead of "this guy is crap, but at least we won"

There’s Jim Bennings on ripping the arse out of Lukaku saying he wished he was like Bony and if I remember correctly you wanted Bony and Wellbeck instead of Lukaku and Eto’o. The much heralded Bony has scored 4 league goals yet Lukaku who is going through the worst time in his career has still fired in the same. I guarantee come May neither Bony or Wellbeck will see Lukaku’s arse in terms of goals should he stays fit.

Also today some are once again questioning Alcaraz and Jags which I find bizarre. On Thursday I could have played centre half as we had to deal with 1 centre forward with two sitting full backs and three centre midfielders who worked tirelessly to protect them. But today Burnley played with two up front yet our full backs played very offensively and our 2 sitting midfielders didn’t give great protection and Ossie hardly lifted a leg. I thought our centre halves were excellent today with tough conditions and little help from the rest of the team. Only for Eto’o’s performance either of them would have done for me for MotM.

Great weekend for all blues with our serious challengers for a top four place all failing to pick up three points except for Arsenal. COYB

1st off spell my name correctly if you’re going to be critical of my posts!

I’ve been a big backer of Lukaku on ToffeeWeb partly because of all of the negative posts.

I wrote: "Also I’ve been a big Lukaku supporter but today he was really poor. " (That’s true).

I went to say he’s scored 4 times in 9 games with an assist (also true). He’s been an asset to Everton this season, but today we didn’t see him at his best.

I have no idea why you posted what you did (except to write negative dribble about other posters). It servers no purpose other than maybe making you feel better about yourself than maybe you should.

I thought we set up perfectly, knowing they would tire in the last fifteen. That first goal was delicious, could watch it all day. We shouldn’t underestimate the effort Burnley put in, they were playing for their P.L. lives.

Loved the pre-match words from Martinez concerning squad rotation - ’We are a big club, and we need to have a big club mentality.’ Correct sir.

With all the money that’s been spent across the League this season (even Hull blew over £30m) there will be many ’upsets’ in games including the usual suspects. The C.L. places have never been so wide open.

We are slowly getting back to our passing best, so the impatient children amongst us can hopefully climb out of their prams, and pick up all their toys!

I Wasn’t pro Eto or against him but I’m now glad he is on our team. I Also hope that Barry can give us more than the 2 plus years left on his contract. He is the glue the calming influence. Baines on fire playing probably the best ball I have seen him play.

They go to every game expecting us to play brilliantly and win every match.Opposition players are not taken into account and if anyone makes a mistake then God help him.To my mind I reckon most of these critics are wearing blinkers and just see negatives.

We beat Burnley away from home without playing well and that is without Mirallas, Kone, Oviedo and Stones.Not bad in my book !!

Eto’o oozes class and must have been some player to watch in his prime but he seems to have taken us to heart. His body language is very positive in all games so far.

Lukaku plays a bit like Anichebe but his scoring record is excellent! A striker who scores I will take that!

Barry and Jags have returned to some sort of decent form and have used their experience effectively over last few games.

Baines is a world class full back!

Alcarez is no world beater but not half as bad as some on TW like to make out!

Overall we are a decent side that’ll win a lot more games than we lose and with a bit of luck and boldness could challenge for fourth or win a cup !! ( even though every game I watch is a bit of an ordeal on the nerves!!)

So Conor, all bookmakers and even Jamie fucking Carragher think we will be challenging. It’s a shame that you do don’t really - but I guess that sums up your whole attitude towards Everton these days. Or maybe you just love the attention of spouting bollocks on here every day.

Samuel Eto’o is head and shoulders the best striker at the club and I’ve no doubt when Kone is back to full fitness he will be more dangerous than Lukaku.

Eto’o to start next game up top Lukaku to play super sub.

Example - Lukaku’s getting slated for not holding the ball up well enough. The guys 21 and still learning ffs. Last time I looked the main job of a striker is to score and he’s bagged 4 in the last 6 games - pretty shite right? I couldn’t care less if he sat on the touch line for 80 mins every game scratching his arse so long as he puts the ball in the oppos net.

Very rarely is a performance going to be perfect and I think a fair few people on here just can’t seem to enjoy a win and accept there will always be things that need proving. Always need to find something to moan about. Always seems to be ’happy with the result but xyz was shite’.

I could moan about Ossie starting the game but I’m not going to as the only important thing was to get 3 points and no new injuries. We managed that and actually looked good for quite long periods of the game - away from home. Would say there is a lot more to be pleased about than not at the minute and its been a very good 7 days for the club.

We bought someone who clearly isn’t at that level yet, but has the potential to be one of the best strikers in the world in 4 or 5 years.

They also need to look at his scoring record. For all the very valid criticisms that people make about his overall play, he still has a very good strike rate this year of 1 in 2, while carrying an injury. Ultimately strikers are measured on their goals.

He has also scored more league goals at his age than any other top striker I believe. More than Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero, Neymar, Rooney, Ibrahimovic, Suarez, Costa, Van Persie, Falcao, Costa and Eto’o.

I think if you go back and look at some of their performances at 21, they’d be a bit rough around the edges. In short, if we’re buying 21 year old players that aren’t the finished goods, people need to be accepting of mistakes and that things they do aren’t going to be perfect.

Aside from the fact he’s banging in 1 in 2 while injured and with the pressure of a massive fee hanging over his head, a few things give me hope about Lukaku’s long term future.

First is that he clearly has ambition to learn, second is that he puts playing first team football and developing ahead of being at a rich club but being stuck on the bench. Finally, in Eto’o he probably has one of the best teachers we could wish for. A world-class star who has been there and done it and still exudes quality in spades.

Most people look at the table after a quarter of the season to get a sense of where they are - by this stage each side should have a played a reasonable range of teams and it is easy to see where teams are headed. After the Man Utd game there was a consensus that Villa was a tricky game and Burnley was hard to predict. Some foresaw a loss to Villa and a draw at Burnley. My own post simply said we needed at least four points which meant a win and a draw. We have done better than I - and others - anticipated.

There will obviously be movement in the table between now and the end of the season but evidence suggests the mid table is tight and that there are two superior teams in Chelsea and City and two poor ones in QPR and Burnley. Some like Southampton or West Ham will probably fall away at Xmas or Easter when the fixtures pile up.

I’m very happy to have won the past two games. No misery here at all. However, Ian Dury was vastly overrated and Reasons to be Cheerful was always dreadful cockney sentimentality.

That must be why I’m always skint !

I know people will point out our goals for record which is good, but we scored 3 against Villa but the performance wasn’t a 3-0 performance. Today I felt if we had carried on in the same way as the first 5 minutes this game could all have been over by half time.

Against the bottom half he is a must. He might not be as quick as he used to be, but he has more than enough for average defenders to plunder some goals. A big positive.

Lukaku looked poor, but a goal is a goal, so let’s hope h picks up at the old lady next Saturday,

He is a young man who will surely improve ?! He’s not playing particularly well at the moment but continues to score at a good rate! I will take that

I think top 4 is achievable, quite simply because there are only 2 outstanding teams in the league. Look at how dodgy our start has been. People were calling for Roberto’s head a few weeks ago, someone - the name escapes me - said his tactics were old-hat, ineffective, that he’d been found out and needed to change his philosophy.

Now look at the league table. 1 point behind Man Utd. 2 points behind RS. 1 point ahead of Spurs. 2 points behind Arsenal who are in 5th. We’re a massive 4 points off a Champions League spot. All those teams will be talked up by the pundits as being CL material, why not us?

Even with a tricky start that has seen us face Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and the RS in the first 9 games, we’re actually doing ok and we’re still in contention. The RS, Arsenal, Utd and Spurs are all looking incredibly poor this season and there is no reason we can’t finish ahead of them.

I would also agree with Gavin regarding the need to give a team a tonking. It’s disappointing we don’t go for it when we score one, but I’m hoping that will come as confidence improves.

Not enough quality players?! What planet do you live on?

We look as good/better than Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and United. We have more quality players than West Ham and Southampton.

As ever, it will be tough to break into top 4. However, we’ve shown in nearly every recent season that we’re capable of going on long, unbeaten runs with plenty of wins. I reckon 4th place will finish on a lot less than our 72 points last year, so we’ve got to be in with a chance.

Firstly what makes you think his work-rate will not improve while learning from someone like Eto’o who clearly has a superb attitude? Was his work-rate poor last season?

Secondly, are you aware he is carrying a toe injury and has been all season as far as I can fathom?

100% effort with no end product gets you no where. We’re not in the conference ffs.

It’s also very unfair to say that Lukaku doesn’t try or doesn’t put in a shift. Which I presume is what you’re suggesting. The guy’s playing AND scoring whilst injured, but I guess that’s not enough and people would rather fondly look back to stracq running around like a headless chicken, clearly out of his depth, waiting for someone to put him out of his misery.

Our past strikers could barely get out of single figures, yet that boy almost guarantees a goal every two games.

My point was to talk about relegation is quite obviously nonsense. The fact you can go from being perched above the relegation zone ( only the media would use such a lazy phrase) to 9th in two weeks would suggest it is still early days.

John,

Sorry for spelling your name wrong. You were fantastic in Midnight Cowboy by the way.

At no time in the previous two games did I ever think we had any kind of control over the game; it would have been quite easy for us to throw both away and that’s not really on against two very average sides because there are far bigger challenges ahead of us if we are finally to put a trophy on the table.

Everton career- 20 appearances, 1 goal. Better get his agent on the line so we can get that work rate back!

Howard- 6. Not alot to do but questionable angles at times. Might have positioned himself better for their goal.

Baines- 8. Top notch. Great cross for the first and generally one of our best players with the ball.

Jagielka- 8. Back to his best almost. Mopped up alot of dangerous situations and few distribution mistakes.

Alcaraz- 7. One or two hairy moments but mostly solid. Able to often find midfielders with to-feet passes which is invaluable to our retention. Ahead of Distin for me at the moment.

Coleman- 6. Came alive at the end but was mostly very subdued/well shackled. Still getting back sharpness.

Barry- 6. Did some good things and did some bad things. Mostly solid with the ball without really ever catching the eye.

McCarthy- 6. Similar to Barry. Solid but not spectacular. A better team may have carved out more chances against us given some of the space afforded them but then he does cover alot of ground. I hope to be able to say more about him than that in the near future.

Naismith- 5. Bit harsh perhaps but thought it was his worst game for us in a while. Lost posession quite alot although his work ethic was brilliant as ever.

Osman-5. Similar to Nais he lost the ball quite alot and apart from his ball to baines for the first did not do enough for me in a team of our ambition.

Lukaku- 6. Could easily be a 5 or worse were it not for the goal. He lost the ball a number of times most noticeably of course for their goal. With his size he really should be able to hold the ball up better. So long as he is scoring all is forgiven but the other aspects of his game continue to be a concern.

Eto’o- 9. Probably deserves a 10 but I believe you should never score perfection. Was a class apart and linked play beautifully while also scoring two peaches. Thought he would be tired after midweek but kept running.

Barkley- 6. Lost the ball with all 4 of his first touches! Improved a bit after that and had some good moments as he adjusted to the game.

Pienaar- 6. Tidy. Linked play well and should have been brought on earlier for Osman to my eyes.

I was at both the last two games and I beg to differ. We were the better side by some distance in both games. We scored SIX the opposition scored ONE.

Could we be better, yes we could. But is that not usually the case. By the way we achieved the same result exactly as Chelsea.

My view is we have momentum and by Christmas we will be top 4 and in the final 32 of the Europa league. Have some faith the School of Science is back.

So far I feel we have a realistic chance of top four as what could go wrong has gone wrong in terms of injuries, bad luck, sudden decline of Distin, Martinez decision to have a slow pre-season and of course the worst fixture list of any team in the league.

As you have heard me defend our team and our performances in numerous occasions it is because I can only think of Palace where we were second best and even in that game had Howard not give them two goals we may have won that game too. Usually when a team is seventeeth they are consistently being outplayed but not us despite mitigating circumstances. Yes we will have bad periods again but not when we have all those circumstances together.

If I needed any more proof I live in Belfast so have to deal with a lot of glory hunters who follow the top teams and three different guys whose opinion I would value have all told me that we were the best team their respective teams Chelsea, United and Arsenal have faced this season. So its strange for me reading ToffeeWeb as I see so many Evertonians bashing our team when we go toe-to-toe with all the big boys and their vast riches and referee/media fanclub and ludicrous, idiotic talk of relegation.

I honestly thought Barry was MotM, never stopped working and trying to break up play, very rarely gave the ball away cheaply either.

One thing Everton need to do and that is keep playing at tempo, after we scored the first goal it was as if we forgot their was a football match on.

That passing for passing sake still winds me up to fuck though, there appears to be no rhyme or reason to it.

Bit harsh on Naisy - nice assist, hit the bar, close to a wonderful goal at end, and usual high work-rate - defo deserved more than 5.

Thought Barry had a very good game also, a 7 or 8 maybe. The rest seem about right.

Stracq was signed in the summer on deadline day I think, not January. We didn’t see him till around January but that was because he was utter gash!

Hard worker, yes, terrible at football, definitely! Are you seriusly comparing Stracq’s goals to Lukaku’s?

We have had tireless runners in th past and guess what it doesn’t give you much to show for it at the end of the day. Goal scorers are hard to come by – just be thankful we have one, for fuck’s sake!

He joined On loan In August not January (with Drenthe)
He scored 3 goals - 1 Prem, 2 FA Cup.
If Lukaku can develop 50% of Straq’s work rate then he will become a Top 10 striker.
I like Martinez but he has put all his chips on #10. When he signed I thought it was a good investment but that has been downgraded now to a slightly risky gamble.

The football may not have been amazing, but a decent result against decent opposition followed by a relatively comfortable three points early on Sunday ?

Job done Robbie lad

But it’s a much better place than fucking Wigan!

Says it all really.

There ya go Ben @66.

I’d rather he leaves that to the other 9 players and concentrates on playing the width of the 18 yard box, few more turns and shots, and getting on the end of a few more crosses.

He still needs to sharpen up though, that’s for sure.

Even when Lukaku wasn’t scoring, the team were scoring for fun. A coincidence or directly related? Not sure, but a few of those goals were as a result of Rom occupying more than one defender and taking them out of the equation.

Anyway, 20 goals please big man to ram down the throats of your critics (or ex-critics at that point).

No. The kid is 21 and the only players who have scored more than him in the Premier League over the last 2 years have been Suarez, Van Persie and Aguero. Two of the best players in the world (Biter and Aguero) and one world class finisher.

His first touch and hold up play is poor. Those are both things which can be improved with practice, and you can bet your bottom dollar Martinez is working on them with him at every opportunity.

Will people please get off Lukaku’s back and remember he’s still got at LEAST a decade of his career to go. He’s scored the most league goals of ANY player by the age of 21. That’s more than Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Henry... I could go on. He’s still a youngster, as hard as that is to believe, and he needs our support, not our over-criticism and over-expectation.

Who would you rather have... Balotelli?!

The negativity on this site never ceases to amaze me.

3 great goals today. How come some people (commentary, BBC report and someone here) thought Lukaku’s shot was ’scuffed’? If you watch the view from that side of the goal when the ball goes into the net, it looks like a deliberate low chipped shot and in no way scuffed.

Not the most exhilarating of plans, but it proved effective. Can you imagine what this thread would be like if we went for the jugular and got caught out for another late 2-2 draw??

38. Not like you to moan mate. Now coming home from krasnodar with Steve is definitely something to moan about!!!

I don’t mean go crazy like we did in the first few games of the season but we will have to step up a couple of gears if we are to truly compete at the top end of the table. Momentum in football is everything and Everton shouldn’t give it up so easily against any opponents - hopefully we will build on the last couple of games and start playing with more confidence, there is a quiet confidence there at the moment but I want swagger and style as well, being the greedy get that I am.

Baines was brilliant today and was my man of the match even though Eto’o pinched it with his two brilliant goals. I still can’t believe he plays for us. T

2000

he lad is pure class.

Fixtures coming up are winnable and if we do win say the next three games, our outlook will be much brighter.

A little disjointed today and too many sloppy errors.

I’m not Alcaraz’s biggest fan but at 2-1 today he made a few vital tackles and really shone through I thought. We are still lacking something though but can’t put my finger on it.

Top 4 by Christmas and stay there... C’mon!

We scored 3 fantastic goals and hit the woodwork twice. They had one clear chance, which we gifted them.

We’ve seen quality displays in the past spoiled by failure to score. A comfortable, albeit sub-par, win is cause for celebration. Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Man City all failed to beat so-called inferior opponents following their Euro exploits this week. Arsenal and Everton were only Euro teams to record wins this weekend.

Barry really showed them what they were missing in the Middle of the park. I wouldn’t argue against him being motm, though Sammy prob just popped him and Baines to it.

All a bit scrappy but a strong wind can do that to a game. Swerving high balls are a constant nightmare.

Great to have Coleman, McCarthy, Pienaar, Alcaraz and Barkley on the pitch. All still a bit rusty but games will bring back sharpness.

Osman did well by his standards today. By any other standards though, he was dire.

I wonder how much is scripted and how much is actually what the individual pundit believes - If you say something often enough it becomes the truth and obviously we as viewers are supposed to swallow the whole thing without question - I don’t listen to most of the drivel - I literally don’t listen and put music on in the background with the sound turned down it spoils the fun a bit as you don’t get the crowd noise but it saves me going purple with frustration at some of the rubbish that most of them spout.

I’m not complaining though - the lad is trying and converting enough chances to keep me happy. Bad mistake for their goal but looks like he is committed to helping the team win in my opinion.

Do pros give each other shouts? A lot of balls into a man with time and space to turn and make something of it seem to get pinged back whence they came automatically. I suppose it is the percentage ball if you are not sure of whether you have been tracked or not, and these players should be able to do it without risk, but if it happens too often you would expect the attackers to start squeezing the space around the defender who has just played the ball forward.

Scrappy on occasions but generally a comfortable win today is my summary. Happy with the 3 points and think we can and will improve as key players return to match fitness.

They can make a run at it again this year.

Today’s performance shows how quality moments win games. I assume Eto’o is pleased with his switch to Everton. He’s a world class player and showed his class today.

Everton have the best pair of attacking defenders in the league with Baines and Coleman. This is pretty amazing based on Everton’s resources.

Add in a tandem of #9’s with Lukaku and Eto’s that are better than anything Liverpool, Arsenal or Spurs have there’s a chance that Everton can finish higher than all the teams I’ve mentioned (and Naismith is also scoring).

I really think the 3rd and 4th places in the league are wide open this year. Teams like Everton have players who are equal or better than the traditional top 4 sides and side like Liverpool, Man. United and Arsenal aren’t better than Everton on many days.

Everton are starting to show the quality be all knew was in this side and it will be interesting with the upcoming games against sides not traditionally in the top 4 to see if Everton can make a push like they did last season and really compete for a top 4 spot.

The Stracqs work rate is a bit irrelevant given he was crap at that level. If you’d rather have him than Lukaku then we’ll agree to disagree.

The only gripe I have is the team selection. I think we won only because we had too much class for Burnley. But I thought it was strange how we played Osman and Naismith wide, where they are least effective. Osman doesnt have the pace. Naismith is a striker. Thought we established that. If we’re going to play the two of them, surely we need to have some kind of winger less formation right? It would suit their skill sets better.

Atsu and McGeady really need to step up while Mirallas is out because that added width and pace eases some of the pressure and we don’t have to be as intricate just to advance the ball further upfield. But all in all, good result if not the best performance.

Baines has been lights out this year. To me, he’s got to be the player of the season so far. He’s contributed so much from an attacking perspective and is probably the only defensive player we have that hasn’t committed an egregious error to gift away a goal to date.

Seeing Eto’o today makes me enjoy watching Balls o telly even more. I just hope RM plays him a lot more now.
Top scorers

Perhaps Alcaraz is not the long term answer and you might be right with his lack of pace against the elite teams but he was magnificent again today and I pray he stays fit as we have a great option to fight to partner Stones.

I really think Roberto may have to address the keeper situation as his main priority in January as Howard isn’t up to being our number 1. He would be an excellent understudy though. At the time I thought he gifted the goal by coming off his line when he had no chance of getting it but maybe he wouldn’t have saved it anyhow if he had stayed on his line. But watching it tonight again I was amazed. He had a great starting position so had he decided to come he would have easily cut it out. But then he decided to retreat four steps onto his goal line which was no problem were he to stay but then he daftly charged out which basically said here is a goal for you.

I, myself, am absolutely ecstatic. We’ve ground out a win, but it still hasn’t made up for the times we outplayed Arsenal, Leicester and a few others, yet had nothing or only a point to show for it. Quite a fair few were going on about how they’d be happy with a win, no matter how shit we played, as long as we bagged those 3 points. Well this was one of days where it swung our way.

Lukaku played up top, didn’t dilly dally on the wings and got his goal. Even though he assisted Burnley’s first and only goal, he made up with a scruffy goal. Needless to say, against top teams with a sharper defence, Lukaku may have not been able to make up for that shitter of a pass. Especially not the way he played to day.

Alcaraz had a dreadful day out today. Ossie was non existent.

I got really pumped up when I saw Barkley coming on, only to be let down. Barkley was no better than Ossie to be fair. Naismith seemed a bit confused on the wing. Each time he was out there one-on-one he was more than happy to settle for a throw in. Don’t think we got more than 2 crosses from his side throughout the game. That even, I believe was Coleman’s crosses/ layoffs. Coleman was average but you could still sense his presence on that right side. He broke on the counter a few times, and kept Burnley from pressing till very late. Jags was good, solid, better than the rest I’ve mentioned so far. McCarthy was a bit more adventurous today, didn’t work out too well, but I still liked that.

Baines and Barry caused complete havoc for Burnley from beginning to end. Barry and Baines were both orchestrating play magnificently and Burnley just couldn’t deal with them.

Eto’o was insanely quick today. It seemed like Barkley and Lukaku was sedated and Eto’o was high on caffeine. He was the quickest player on the pitch, to every ball. Held play up, linked up play, and was immaculate with his shooting today. He was easily the difference between the two teams. That doesn’t mean he’s going to bring that vigour and class every week at his age. Next week our whole squad has got to raise their form, our some-one else has got to put in an exceptional performance like Eto’o did today.

All in all, 3 more points in the bag, Spurs lost at home, Man Utd and Redshites drew, as well as Man City. Good weekend, great weekend in fact. More to be happy about than moan and groan about.

Patrick, I actually know about the transfer and how the RS were playing off Eto’o to get other targets, and that’s what makes his form all the more enjoyable for me.

It seems it’s been drilled into them to play incredibly safe in the middle. Ironically, a loose back pass instead of an easy turn for Lukaku leads to the goal we concede. Funny game.

Personally I thought it was a good performance without really getting out of second gear, which shows what a good side we really are now we’re getting players back. Coleman wasn’t terribly sharp but he still gives the team much better balance. Alcaraz was steady today and made quite a few good tackles when Burnley were pressing - him and Jags held them at arms length for the most part which is all you can ask.

Macca and Barry both steady defensively as well, and Osman did the job he was there to do. Eto’o is a class act in midfield as well as further up the pitch with his finishing - two great goals and almost a hat trick. His work playing deeper, linking up play and helping in midfield was fantastic last night (it was evening here in PP) and his ability & class is amazing. As Jamie said above, I still can’t believe he plays for us.

Lukaku still getting stick as well - really? He’s a kid at 21 and his record is still pretty handy, 4 in 6 isn’t it? He made an error, but that happens and ultimately it didn’t matter. Plus he scored, and looked delighted doing it.

Nice to see Ross back, and after playing 90 in Lille it was the right decision to play him from the bench. He looked tired to me, which was understandable but all part of his rehab. Naismith had a quiet-ish game but his role in the first 11 is also invaluable in giving the team balance. When we get Mirallas back we’ll be even more effective, and we have the look of a strong outfit finally coming into some form.

I can only see us climbing the league now, especially as we have some decent fixtures coming up. All very positive if you ask me.

I have always defended Leon, but he looked off the pace and was ineffective.

3 points is what matters. Some Toffees on here wI’ll never be happy.

On a day when other players were not at their best, he kept running for the team, and apart from the width of the post was denied, what have been his hat-trick.

I am still somewhat baffled, by Bobby’s team selections, use, and timing of his substitutions. I can’t help feeling that against a better side than Burnley yesterday, we would have struggled to get anything. Anyway, we did, and I am truly thankful for that, but feel there is still a lot of work required to improve.

At least another bonus, was us bucking the trend, that European Thursday Night football generally results in losing.

On the Lukaku debate, my stance remains the same as it has all season. He’s much better leading the line than dropping deep. When he drops deep he affects how we set up; he takes a man and then watches him idle away from him. And his touch and passing aren’t good enough in that position.

Maybe it’s Bobby giving him the opportunity to learn and develop into that complete player that he said he wants to be. If that’s not the reason them I’m baffled because he’s a liability every time he drops into midfield.

You can see defenders don’t fancy him when he’s in and around the box. They must be thrilled when he wanders off.

RM insists on having every Everton player in the 18 yard box when the oposition have a corner.

This obviously means when the ball is cleared it comes straight back at us time and time again and each corner we conceed is followed by the oposition having possesion for a long period.

I just don’t see the sense in it, if we leave one or more players around the half-way line then the oposition will put one less player forward for the corner plus it gives us some chance of getting back possesion quicker.

I think Lawrenson’s comments, even qualified, were deeply disrespectful and betray insecurity.

I agree re Baines - he’s back to amazing form. I really hope Stevie P can get an injury-free run in the side and link up with him. The left looked much more solid and lively when he came on yesterday.

Poor Ossie doesn’t have the legs or even the stomach for the fight anymore, I sense. He spent a lot of time yesterday walking rather disconsolately while play was going on around him.

We must learn, by the way, to capitalise on taking a lead - go in for the kill instead of sitting back and strutting.

I love Sam and Rom - so very pleased we have them.

He clearly cannot go with the pace from start of a game which leaves gaps in the middle of the park that better teams than Burnley would have exploited.

I was really surprised he started yesterday ahead of Barkley and Pienaar after he played in Lille.

Hopefully common sense will prevail before the Swansea game.

second point we scored three away from home. We were not playing to our potential and still won.

Alcaraz did a lot better than most are giving him credit for and although lacking pace, he brought the ball out of defence by stepping out with it or finding a pass much better than Jags. The guy was caught out by a couple of balls that were made hard to read due to very strong winds. It was as travelling blues will attest to, bloody windy at turf moor.

Eto’o is class, he will help Rom , but also will score goals, especially if he feels appreciated by the fans and his team mates and manager. I couldn’t give a monkey’s spunk for Lawro or his slightly rascist comments: there have been and still are many players who performed well consistantly past the age of 30. Most of them without half the pedigree of Eto’o. He game through Madrids acadamy, I think they may have noticed if one of the under 12s was sporting Five O’clock shadow.

Osman and Naismith are not wide players. I agree they didnt have great games, but Osman played a hand in our attacking play for the goal, and he helps with the transitional play in a way that others don’t.

Given that according to some idiots on here we were/are in a relegation fight, a 3-1 victory away to Burnley after a Europa League game less than 72 hours earlier should be widely celebrated. Of course, we will be closer to first than the relegation zone, and should be aiming for Champions League football even if we can’t/don’t get it. This weekend, of those aiming for 3rd/4th: Spurs failed miserably at home, demonstrating in the process the problems caused by Europa League football (and a horrible transfer policy over the past 2 seasons). Arsenal were piss-poor at Sunderland, winning only because of two defensive errors. A Sturridge-less Liverpool stuttered to an underwhelming draw at home whilst United drew at home to an overly-pragmatic Chelski, but the return of Rooney and Falcao will necessitate a more attacking approach against City and other teams, and leave them consistently weak at the back. I do not think we can get CL football, but let’s talk about that rather than the absurd suggestions of a relegation battle. We have some of the best young players in the division, and a world class pair of attacking full backs. We should be looking at a half full glass, not a half empty one.

3 points from all of that.

1 - Straq is a hero in my book, as he tried to head a ball that was on the floor. That sealed it for me

2 - Anyone talking of a relegation fight after 7 games into a 38 game season is a tit.

3 - Eto’o tried his best Ronaldinho impression whne trying to hide behind a defender, which led to his chance for his hatrick. Loved it.

Good 3 points from a potential blip, as I thought the Charity Everton side may have given Burnley their first win.

I thought Lukaku had two decent touches in the build-up to our first goal and it was more about a lack of concentration when he gifted them their goal.

My only concern, which has already been posted on this thread by others, is why we never try to blow teams away after scoring a goal.

Barry said we took our foot off the gas when we went one up and that has surely got to be questioned, as to why? Is it because the game gets to easy? Is it because our manager is a believer in conserving energy? It’s as if the game looks that comfortable that the players feel they have already won.

This, by the way, isn’t me complaining – it’s about asking questions about we’re we are at?

For the first time in a long time, I really enjoy watching my team play football, but I am at a loss for why we don’t go for the jugular more often?

Also a little weird how certain people can’t post without slagging their own off. Almost as if they have an agenda.

There were lots of good points from yesterday’s game. Unfortunately, not much good banter on here though; mainly how shite Osman, Alcaraz or Lukaku were.

We are beginning to sound like that lot across the park. I’ve got a brother in law who supports the RS, he’s a right twat and boy can he moan. I laugh myself silly when he goes off about Brenda, Balotelli or not winning every game 10 nil. I told him yesterday that the half scarfs they were selling at the Madrid game were a good idea for all the Norwegian tourists they get at Anfield. Fucked him off again!!!!

Problem is RM picks the team, every freaking week he picks that team and we all know he will never ever listen to us!!!! He studies the opposition and picks the best 11 available to him, so like it or love it Osman gets in, Alcaraz is probably in because of issues with Stones or Distin, and Lukaku – he’s our main freeking man.

The tippy-tappy shite passing that we do... it gets on my nerves as well!!! But you know what, it seems to be working because Everton are rated as a top team. A top five team. Well, listen to the what the Burnley manager had to say post yesterday’s match.

So, at the end of the day, we scored 3, we hit the wood work twice, we passed the ball for fun and when required we stepped up a gear or two. Better still – no new injuries.

Lastly, not sure who I had the punt with regarding Atsu playing for blues again. Need the bank details for the relevant charity and I’ll pay up.

Next two home league games are against teams above us in the table. Swansea are decent and West Ham are massively improved from last season so if we win those I will feel a lot more comfortable. Two wins against moderate opposition in Villa and Burnley should not make us complacent.

Good result on Sunday, despite our predilection to sit back after scoring! I was so pleased to see Eto’o show his class. His movement off the ball is superb, and his ability to find space in the box is uncanny. And he plays with a smile on his face.

Only one criticism, and that is Besic should have started instead of Osman. It seems that our boss loves the guy, but he is a passenger after 45 mins, and weak as a kitten to start with.

And Phil... there is no question of ’may well be right’ re. the absurdity of talking about a relegation fight after 7 games. Those who were talking about it deserve to hang their heads in shame because 1) of their sheer sensationalism of it all 2) Because of the idiocy of it.

What’s more realistic? That an Everton side who have finished 7th, 6th and 5th respectively in the last 3 seasons will be in a relegation fight? or that they will fight for a Champions League place.

I argued against an article which labelled us as in with a legitimate shot for third at the start of the season, because I thought it was unrealistic. But it is nothing compared with the mindlessness of posters who consider us as a relegation material after seven matches, especially in a post-World Cup season (the effects of which were seen across Europe, just as they are every post-World Cup season). The same goes for this insistent writing off of Lukaku after a quarter of a season. I wonder sometimes if some on here even watch football that closely..if some of here are aware of how form works, and how other teams are stuttering too. As poor as we’ve been this season, we are only 1 point off a United team who have benefited from a far easier start, 2 points behind Arsenal and Liverpool, and 1 above Spurs (I would argue that our fixtures have been the hardest of the lot). Given our opening fixtures, I wonder how many Everton fans would have taken that at the start of the season? Especially after injuries to key players, and the extra pressures of Europa League football.

I said it a couple of weeks ago, and I will say it again: wait till the half way point, before making pessimistic assumptions about this team. I believe that, come Christmas, we will be in touch with the top four. I do not think we will come in the top four, but I think we will come a hell of alot closer to fourth than 18th come the end of the season. If anyone wants to bet me otherwise, I’d gladly take their money. (Last season, incidentally, we finished 39 points above 18th placed Norwich and 7 away from fourth placed Arsenal).

When playing out from the back I’m 100% comfortable when he’s on the ball. I think for a CB his technical skill is superb.

Yes, he’s a carthorse. Yes, I think I can beat him in a footrace. But as long as his positioning is accurate, I think he can compensate most of the time.

I really don’t understand the crap he’s taking now that he’s healthy. I’d start him ahead of Distin in the near future until he has a poor run.

That’s not fair mate. Credit where it is due, I thought Alcaraz looked pretty solid defensively apart from misjudging one ball due to the high wind.

Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal... who are the other two out of the big five?

Man U? Liverpool?

I recall two mistakes Alcaraz made in the game. Other than that, he was solid. Since he came in the team, we’ve won 2 games and conceded one. He’s a far better distributer than Jagielka as well.

You’ve got your anti Wigan, anti Martinez glasses on again and it’s clouding your judgement.

He’s doing the job as a cover centre back reasonably well until Stones gets back. Yes, he’s not a first teamer for a team such as ourselves, but he’s performing well when he’s needed.

Apart from that, he was pretty much faultless albeit against poor opposition. In particular as the match wore on he made a couple of excellent near post interceptions, and an excellent edge of the box tackle. He’s still only played a handful of games for us, two of which were fairly traumatic (RS and Southampton). Some more game time, and some more confidence will improve him.

I made similar points to the one you raise regarding the unfair timing of our game at Old Trafford following the Krasnodar game, it’s all down to the TV companies and their greed...I wonder if they’d expected one of their darlings, Man Utd or the RS, to play so soon after a long trek, after all, they could have allowed us to play Monday night.

However, I also maintained that footballers love an excuse to explain away a poor performance and by telling them that they are tired, well, they WILL be tired.

In yesterday’s Times, Sean Dyche was saying that Alex Ferguson told him that he should "Keep telling them (the players) how much energy they’ve got and they will eventually believe it themselves. Energy can be a psychological factor as well as a physical one" .Keep banging on about how tiring a Thursday game is and when you’re playing Sunday you will be tired.

Just another point about Lukaku. The man is obviously carrying a toe problem, and for all we know, it may be a huge effort for him to play at full tilt. Perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt, and his heavy touches could be partly down to his problem. The good thing is the way he responded to his error. He upped his game, scored a goal through sheer persistance and celebrated with real passion.

So let’s give him a chance, because we look a lot more dangerous when he is concerning the opposing defenders, than when he isn’t there.

Chelsea in my opinion will piss the league, Southampton and West Ham are looking good at the moment but come the end of the season neither of them will be near top 4, also, we’ll finish above both of them.

We’re under no pressure or expectation to finish in the top 4, unlike 6 teams who are going to be in the shit because they spend like they’re top 4 and their sponsors expect it too.

This season, the RS seem likely to finish mid-table without their one world-class player and especially with Balotelli causing his usual problems. The Man Utd defence is a joke and haven’t we finished ahead of Spurs on enough occasions to indicate that they’re nothing special?

Criticism of Martinez not strengthening our defence is valid, but I’m fairly happy that we have better defenders than quite a few of those teams. Where we’re actually relatively weak is on the flanks. I think we’ve actually taken a step back in quality when we lost Deulofeu. Atsu and McGeady seem to be much less effective at the current time. At least Deulofeu occasionally got by his man and did something useful.

As an aside, how people can criticise Alcaraz for yesterdays performance is a bit bonkers. Jags was guilty of probably one of the worst lapses if I remember rightly, Coleman got skinned too and Alcaraz saved us a few times with important blocks. I actually would’ve said he was one of our better performers.

I think that season was down to Moyes being ahead of the game with playing 1 upfront more than anything else. Nearly every other team was still playing 4-4-2. I think Bolton may have played the same formation as us but that’s about it.

I spent the summer saying we need another keeper and centre back. I remember you listing our current centre backs and having a dig at my idea – what’s changed?

I’m game for going for Marshall from Cardiff or a cheeky go for Cech. A few teams are looking hard for a strong, footballing centre back, do you have any ideas for one we can afford and attract?

Let’s not forget about Nigel Martyn as well; he was definitely good enough to get into a top 4 side. I wish we currently had a keeper of his quality.

Or, perhaps Everton could be allowed to play Europa on Wednesday nights?

I totally forgot about Nigel Martyn, Mark. I think it’s probably because he was only with us for about a season and a half before he picked up his injury. But yes, he was magic while he was with us. A complete step-up in class from Richard Wright.

Don’t get me wrong, we need another keeper.. whether that is by way of a direct replacement for Howard or another young keeper (like Jack Butland) to replace Robles. It does need addressing. However in January I think we need to prioritise getting a new centre-half like Simon Kjaer from Lille and Delboy to give us that quality down the flanks which is evidently missing since Miralles got crocked. Playing Ossie and Naisey on the Flanks takes me back to some of the worst days under Moyesy.

Would love to see Deulofeu back here. He was frustrating at times but always had you on the edge of your seat and he scared the hell out of opposition defenses. Delboy isn’t going to break into the Barca side anytime soon and I think this season would’ve been perfect for him to get valuable playing time with all the extra games in Europa League.

I always think the problem with evaluating keepers is that they can make 10 exceptional saves in a game and then get slaughtered for 1 mistake, and then the other saves get forgotten. Which is a pretty fair assessment of Howard actually. He is up there with the best at making saves but yes, I’m not going to disagree with you in that he’s not up there with the elite keepers in other areas of his game. I personally just think its a situation that can be addressed in the summer with a winger and centre-half being a greater priority.

Did anyone sign that Costa Rican Keeper who played a blinder in the World Cup this summer? He’d be a good replacement. I remember big Nev raving about him and he doesn’t heap praise without there being a good reason for it.

I just hate all the fannying around at the back which often ends up with poor old Tim having to put his boot through it after all! Usually with a striker bearing down on him, when a minute earlier he could have picked a target up field to aim at, with plenty of time.

We love centre forwards at Everton, don’t we? If you did a study of which club has had the most top-class centre-forwards in the history of the First Division and Premier League, I would be very surprised if Everton didn’t ’t come up tops.

Jamie @158 said he couldn’t believe Samuel Eto’o is playing for us. So am I in a way – but I am really glad he is.

This lad is a footballing genius. Lawrenson reckon’s he’s lost a yard of pace – so what if he has. His positional sense, the timing of his runs, anticipation and awareness of what is going on all over the pitch means he is going to continue to score goals for us as long as he avoids injuries.

There is no doubt about his fitness and physical condition – have a look at the legs on him. Two full games in 4 days and still running at the end of the game on Sunday – I do wish he had have gotten his hat-trick.

He also looks to me like a man who believes he still has something to prove. I think it was Arfield who did a nasty piece of work on him in the first half but he saw the game out without a fuss.

Watching him come off the field and saluting the away fans with a raised fist brought a big smile to my face. As Peter said @168 – "We have a winner on our hands".

This is great for the club and great for Lukaku also. Forget about the mentor business – competition is the thing. Rom will want to be top dog and to be that he will have to get back to where he was last season. I believe he will – then watch us go.

Footnote on Pienaar – he still has plenty to offer. He picked the ball up and played Eto’o in for the third goal – another old head with a footballing brain who knows how to draw out the best of Baines.

An isolated set of stats but suggests Roberto did his homework on these two even better than Van Gaal. Of course, Mourinho still had a way around that in the end, but...

It was a great spectacle and we scored three fabulous goals from open play. Maybe Howard was at fault for a couple but in the last few games he has been okay. Punching is good if you’re down on confidence.

He is among the top ten keepers in the Premier League and top 25 in the world... so who would we replace him with? How much would we pay?

Last season Everton finished on 72 points, but only scored 61 goals. That’s a ton of points for the number of goals scored.

I think what Martinez did over the summer was in Everton’s best interest. He signed Lukaku who’s a proven 15+ goalscorer and then went out and got Eto’o. Giving improved long term contacts to Barkley and other young Everton players who might draw interest from the big money clubs was a wise decision too.

I’m in the minority when it comes to signing a new central defender. John Stones is pure class. I think Jags is a top defender. Alcaraz and Distin are OK as 3rd and 4th choice players. I’d like to think that at least one of Everton’s youngster will break through this season or next season.

If Everton are going to go out and buy a player I’d like it to be a winger. I also think Everton need to think about getting some players in the squad that have more of a physical presence.

So Everton are not alone in suffering a lower-than-expected points total at this juncture, but what it does mean is we will, as usual, have to play to our full potential to make a run for that elusive CL place.

Southampton have sold well (snigger) but they have bought even better. In the process, they have still spent upwards of £50m. Hull City have spent over £30m, along with ourselves, West Ham Utd and Newcastle Utd to name a few.

Liverpool, Man Utd, Spurs and Arsenal are no longer the teams they were, and as far as I’m concerned, we are a match for any of these sides.

Someone mentioned the fact Bill doesn’t seem to get any stick these days, but both him and the rest of the board have BT Sport to thank for injecting so much money into the Premier League coffers.

This season, we are a pretty ordinary side and although allowance can be made for injuries and low form, there appears to have been many more ’if onlys’ in these columns than in the recent past.

Installing realism in an era when the manager describes everything in superlatives is never going to be easy but let’s be realistic enough to expect a few losses and crap performances amongst all those ’incredibly fantastic, phenomenal displays’, I beg of you!

What’s wrong, Carra? Are your beloved team’s strikers struggling to hit a cow’s arse with a banjo? Them lot will do anything to try and take the gloss off what was a masterclass in centre-forward play...

Phill #255. You’re so right. Glad I’m not the only one without the wool over my eyes.

Anyone else think that we are really really boring to watch?

The Leicester and Arsenal games gave us a hint of Everton’s weaknesses which are still there, namely the consistently strong midfield play required to dominate even teams like Palace and Burnley.

Make no mistake – Burnley had a good spell when Everton were all over the place even at 2-1 ahead. Okay, so Everton may still have won in the end but the problems are still there.

If we can make Goodison a fortress again and be hard to beat away from home then we’ll be there or thereabouts. I personally don’t think we have the squad for 4th though. I see us finishing around 7th this season.

The Premier League games have been really competitive this season through 9 games. Of the teams that finished top 7 last season only 2 of them have won over half their games. Arsenal, Man Utd, and Spurs like Everton have only won 3 times in 9 games. Liverpool have 4 wins but don’t look anywhere near the team they were last season.

One thing that strikes me when I look at the current table is the number of games that have ended up as draws. Arsenal have already drawn 5 games this season and last season in 38 games they played a total of 7 draws.

This makes me think that the number of points to reach a Champions League place will take less points this year than last year (which could be a factor that works to Everton’s advantage).

I also think Everton right now have more players that could play regularly at the big money clubs than in the past. Starting at the the back, I think Baines could play for one of the big teams. Coleman too. I think Jags could play at a top club and same for John Stones. I rate Tim Howard better than Joe Hart so I’ll add Howard to my list.

Eto’o and Lukaku would be very welcome additions to teams like Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal right now so they make the grade. Mirallas is a top notch winger.

I haven’t mentioned Barkley, but he’s a top shelf player. Barry and McCarthy would see playing time at big clubs but most likely would be squad players.

I’ve mentioned 11 players and haven’t rated Naismith. To me he has more value at a club like Everton than the top sides where he wouldn’t see the field as much.

What Everton need more than anything is to get healthy and stay healthy. A healthy Everton team is a handful for every team in the league.

Mirallas is a luxury player who, like Eto’o and Lukaku, would probably get a ’squad’ place and Naismith and McCarthy would put in a shift wherever they played.

Clearly, like Moyes before him, Roberto is tasked with ’making silk purses’. He will probably make a prettier one but it will still resemble ’cow’s ears’ around the stitching!

I do agree with you that some people are going to the other extreme now. Personally I think we’re more likely to be around 6th or 7th come the end of the season. I also think we’ve got a better chance of Champions League football via winning the Europa League than 4th place.

I’ve often been totally shocked reading people’s OTT negative reaction on here and now I read OTT positive reactions. I for one am glad to see us doing well in Europe as we have a very poor record there of late if at all. For lads to be talking about playing CL or nothing us just crazy to me.

We have to learn to walk before we can run and we’ve just had the hardest run of matches I can remember to start a season.

We conceded a lot in those games yet we scored a hell of a lot too with most of our best attacking players injured or off form.

We’ve three strikers all on 4 goals and Baines and Coleman back looking sharp and scoring or setting loads up. I for one am optimistic and hope we draw Celtic and RS in the next round of the Europa League. ;-)