Alcaraz set for another long layoff

Nothing at all against Alcaraz but along with both Gibson and Kone, they are surely never going to contribute much to Everton Football Club during the remainder of their contracts?

They will almost certainly leave the club next summer.

Why was Tyias Browning not in the squad to replace Alcaraz yesterday?
Martinez talks up these youngsters but they aren't really getting the opportunity they could do with.

All in all quite a crap start to the season , you can't see it massively improving before Christmas, a tough looking West Ham at home after a tricky trip up Sunderland after a European match.

Long hard season which in my opinion will need to lead up to a summer of change at least regarding the playing staff.

McCarthy, Barry, Eto'o, Besic, McGeady, Lukaku have all been decent enough additions to the squad.

However, his early buys like Kone, Alcaraz and Robles have almost been like Everton paying them a bonus for doing well at Wigan – because they've added very little.

I can't say it's much of a surprise. I'd be happy if we could get shot of Alcaraz and Distin in January and bring someone in who's in their mid 20s ready made for the first 11. In the meantime I hope Browning's picked and takes his chance..

We need two new centre-backs in January, plus one central midfielder and a forward if Kone is still crocked. Out with the old and in with the new.

I think with Kone and Alcaraz, and probably Gibson, we need to make a firm decision by December. I bet there's well over 𧴜k paid to them a week. That's over ٢M a year we are losing. We could buy a decent youngster for that kind of money.

He got away with a ridiculous handball just prior ot the injury but his luck ran out...Bony isn't a small lad, that probably would have happened to anyone.

Barry looks a good bet for centre back in a back four.. but I wonder if Martinez will try 3 at the back, till Stones is fit again, in December??

The two European games are tough but also chances for Browning to play there, Sunderland & West Ham too. He looked physically strong against Liverpool.

Out of adversity, comes opportunity.

It's a good point regarding Duffy and one which I made in August, of why let him go when there is clearly a lack of reliable depth to see us throughout a long arduous season?

People say he wasn't good enough and that Martinez didn't fancy him and perhaps he's found his level, that may be so but at present, unless Roberto is brave enough to give Browning some serious game time then it's back to Distin, who at 37 is going to struggle to survive week in week out, or play Barry there, and that for me should not be a serious consideration full time, he may have done ok against a Swansea team that didn't have to attack but it's not going to be like that every week.

Letting Duffy go was a calculated risk given the age of Distin and the woeful injury record of Alcaraz, yes it was appalling luck with Stones but that can always happen.

A special mention is deserved for Jagielka however, he has improved a hell of a lot since the wonder goal at the Kop, seems to have regained his composure and his confidence, that is likely to be tested now though with Distin returning, memories of a ragged first month of the season with Sylvain next to Jags are all too fresh.

I tell you what, you don't realise just how big that Bony is until you see him in the flesh, the fella is a beast of a man.

I thought Lukaku was quite a big strong striker but Bony is built like a brick shithouse, total bear of a man.

"Could we try to employ Moyes to scout the signings if nothing else? Nothing at all against Alcaraz but along with both Gibson and Kone, they are surely never going to contribute much to Everton Football Club."

Players never got injured under Moyes then? Cahill and Arteta spent long spells on the sidelines most seasons, Andy Johnson was always injured, Yakubu suffered a serious injury and was never the same again. Gibson, whose name you list along with Alcaraz and Kone, was bought by Moyes. Rodwell became like an adopted son to all the kings horses and all the kings men. Pistone was given a new contract only to be instantly crocked. Saha was a well renowned sick note when Moyes signed him.

Recurring injuries at Everton aren't a Roberto Martinez invention.

Kev, for God's sake, the war is over, let it lie, concentrate on your football!

We need Distin back on Thursday, for subsequent two months and probably beyond. He has been excellent over the years. A new centre-back should then be a priority in January when the transfer window opens, but this was clear in the Summer. A number of able stop-gap deputies are in place – assuming you accept Hibbert and Barry as possible short term cover. We need something till January. Has anyone seen Besic, Galloway or Browning play at centre-half?

This is potentially like a new signing or two. One or both of these youngsters needs to be developed and properly progressed in the coming months This is not only what we are good at but a necessity.

Craziest decision I have seen from one of our players all season, how we got away without giving away a penalty, I will never know.

I feel sorry for the lad though, get well soon..

We are 4th equal with 6 injuries. Liverpool have 5. Bottom of the table Leicester has 2 and top of the table Newcastle have 8 (Arsenal recently had 9). For most of the season so far we have been in the bottom half of the table. With Kone and Ovideo out for so long we have had a slightly worse run than some others but this is just how it randomly pans out. No further enquiry needed.

Craziest decision I have seen from one of our players all season, how we got away without giving away a penalty, I will never know.

I feel sorry for the lad though, get well soon..

As for the knackers yard... well, we might as well add Gibson to that list too.

Danny Williamson and Slaven Bilic also come to mind.

We have had a fair few crocks over the years to be fair. Alcaraz and Kone could join the list, although I am not writing them off just yet. Let's see what happens in the New Year.

I think he did his cruciate with us and went back to Brazil. Don't think he ever did much career-wise after that. A shame though, as in that 1 sub appearance I saw... he reminded me of Peter Beagrie.

I would really hope that Browning gets more game time. Can he play at CB?

Hardly saw him after that.

Trouble is I doubt Barry will handle centre-back well against sides that go at us and have pace and movement. Swansea never really showed a lot of ambition on Saturday in terms of committing many men, Bony was rather isolated and we just about dealt with his threat.

Hibbert has played in one match at centre-half as far as I can remember, away to AEK Athens, and they were hardly a very good side to my memory.

I have no doubt you'd get 100 percent effort out of both lads, honest and experienced as the day is long, but, just like with Distin, age catches up in the older legs sometimes.

There is also the lack of height if you play Hibbert there. The obvious choice is use Distin sparingly (never going to play week-in & week-out these days) and then give Browning some game time.

It's a difficult predicament to be in, kind of sums up this season so far but we can't do anything until January anyway so it's a case of get the Polyfilla out and start filling the cracks.

At the start of the season Distin was a shoe in with Jags, but because he has had a falling out with the "Gaffer" we are discussing alternatives.

Swallow your pride and do what's best for the team, play the man who actually fits the space vacated by the glass man.

Also the club will have insurance so it's not like we're paying them for nothing. A large chunk of the wages will be covered by insurance.

How about supporting the players a bit, luck plays a massive part. It's not as if they players deliberately get themselves injured. Also Alcaraz was signed on a free...

Just shit luck but hopefully Browning can grab his chance to step up.

As for Alcaraz, he is just too injury prone and was the same at Wigan. If the manager has lost faith in Distin then play Browning against Lille. Up the toffees!

Yes, Browning captained our U21s from the CB position and we do have Galloway who also looks to be above average. The trouble is, like Smalling of United, these young lads make mistakes, are bullied by powerful strikers and are often caught out of position. Okay, Stones has been a revelation this season but he still makes schoolboy errors. Fortunately he recovers well and rarely flaps.

This latest injury is a big blow for the club and for Martinez. He'll present a brave, optimistic face but knows that jumping kids into the Premier League is a dodgy business. Up front you can get away with it but not at the back where one small piece of bad judgement can lose you the game.

Hopefully, Distin will be up and ready. We'll need him. In the meantime, we will definitely be sniffing around European defenders and reports suggest Lille have been unsuccessfully approached within the last few days.

Thursday's result against Lille may go a long way to showing how much game time the younger players get. A win would leave us in a strong enough position to be able to rest players. Also, on paper, the Sunderland game on Sunday may be the opportunity to at least put younger players on the bench.

Watched Browning and Galloway in the U21s last. Both very impressive.

We are Everton and are used to getting shit luck. That's what we are getting now with the injuries but we just need to get behind whichever players are sent out to play in each game.

"I wouldn't look to put Sylvain on the subs bench at 36, if he is not starting the match, it would be unfair to get him changed and bring him on as a sub."

That just sounds downright bizarre to me. So we'd rather play a midfielder there... square peg in a round hole?

The fact that Distin isn't making the bench with Stones out speaks volumes about his Everton future, or should I say lack of it.

Which could explain the contretemps with Roberto. No bench-sitting this season so far.... Last season, he was on the bench just twice.

Word is that he felt he was being made the scapegoat for the early season defensive frailties and felt disrespected as a senior pro. RM seems to be melting down that camaraderie fast.

Harold, I totally agree with you that experience is key at the back and we have to be careful with youth. I remember Stones saying that Jags and Distin talked him through every game.

I also remember Davie Weir playing back there when he was 39. His legs had gone but his experience and class enabled him to get through games.

"Excuse him, he’s from Barcelona"

He has been a very reliable servant over the last 5 year's, perhaps joined us a few years too late but at the end of the day he was 31 when he signed in 2009 and if someone said then we'd get 6 season's out of him we'd have said that's a good return.

He almost certainly won't be here next year and yes it does seem like there has been some sort of disagreement with Martinez. We are guessing on this but it's probably along the lines of Martinez not being happy with the first few games of the season and Distin bearing the brunt, obviously the Frenchman will not have taken criticism lying down.

Is it going to be the same with Eto'o as well I wonder? By no means our worst player on Saturday, but surely he should have been brought off or put in behind the striker when we made our double substitution.

From about the 30-minute mark, Eto'o continuously drifted out wide leaving no-one in the centre-forward position. It looked to me that our manager was pandering to Samuel by leaving him on the pitch in a wide position?

I cannot say more without compromising my source; however, I can state that Distin has shot his bolt at Everton, and will only be selected to play as a last resort type of scenario.

If Distin really has "shot his bolt at Everton", why would The manager say that he is happy with his defence and wont be looking for a center half in January? — especially given Stones's injury and Alcaraz's history.

BTW – How did Alcaraz get so badly injured? it was Bony who went flying over the top and crashed to the ground.