Unsworth: Sunday's game is huge for everyone

The defence needs some leadership and on field organisation. I expect a lot more from Jags and Williams in this department.

All premier league games are massive now for the club , only 100% performances will do . The likes of Watford will se us a soft touch , it's up to the players to prove them very wrong.

Make no mistake this is the biggest crisis at our club for 20 years. I don't know where we go from here. Playing with no striker is like having no goalie making it impossible to win games.

So perfect in fact that I had to completely change our shape and gameplay by making 2 I'll judged substitutions and we conceded 3. Still I'm a true blue so I'm the best man for the job.

I expect to lose the Watford game and be further in the shit making the job even harder and less attractive. Again if this had been planned properly we would have had more chance of a manager we want/need not someone like Allardyce who can just dictate the terms that may have long standing consequences going forward.

Unsworth has for me been very disappointing - its been like Koeman Mark II, same shape, same dull tactics and bizarre selections.

Easiest team on fixed odds to predict. Clough couldn't save this shite if he had Ferguson as his number two.

Championship mid table team at very best.

I think Pickford was poor for their first two goals.

We're shit, have no confidence and no strikers.

I actually believe we are more organised under Unsworth.
In all three games - including Leicester City.
Baningime is a bonus in the last three games and I reckon Kenny has done fine.

I don't want Allardyce or Dyche (Moyes II).
As long as we have no-one else I would stick with Unsworth.

But, who the hell is going to be in charge of transfer in January?
Surely not a caretaker- or temporary manager? Any of the same people that were responsible during the last transfer window? Pfff.

Let's face it, we somehow have to make the best of it until January an see what happens then.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves for this lack of support for one of your clubs when it is struggling. Shame on You! Shame on YOU! Shame on YOU!

Effing Pricks. If you live on Merseyside please stop buying this shite newspaper!

OK, we might be short of the mark just now but, hey, we'll get our mojo back and GGF all of those who are laughing at us now.

Yours truly, Really pissed off!

Then Schneiderlin comes in and makes what seems to be a reasonable interception and helps knock it through via a richochet, making it a great throughball!

Could consider it unfortunate. Williams perhaps a bit too slow to react as he appears to hesitate before Traore finishes.

However, perhaps if Schneiderlin stays on his feet and doesn't slide or slides with his left as opposed to his right, tbe ball would have gone in a different direction

I could also be a little critical of Pickford for the second. In the old days goalies, although probably mad for doing so, would go into those challenges, spreading themselves, often head first. Brave but stupid :)

These days they stay on their feet and hope to use them to clear the danger. I think Pickford probably had time to take a different approach. May have got clattered .

He clearly favours Davis, DCL, Lennon, McCarthy, and Beni over Besic, Sandro, Vlasic, and Klaassen.

I know Sandro hasn't been at his best but at least he would be a better option upfront then playing someone there out of position?

Worst performance from an English side in the history of the competition.

Anything other than 'laughing stock" is putting a blue tinted stint on it.

For the second half we came out with a different persona and looked quite good, except that we have nobody with an eye for goal. We need to build on this but we need a proper recruitment program. Hopefully we can scrape a few points before the January window, 'cos we don't want to go down to the Championship L.

Bollocks. In 64 years of supporting the team this has to be the most disjointed group that's been put together but some of the youngsters seem to have a better attitude.

Schneiderin and Sigurdsson were way off the mark for this game but I was impressed with Benni and with Lookman when he came on. They seemed to be the only 2 with the confidence to take a player on. Shit, what did Koeman do to the team? I apologise for supporting him.

Unsworth is not to blame for this mess but last night and last Sunday at Liecster he went a long way to proving he isn't ready for this job yet. Not sure he ever will be. It's a shame because I like DU. I think we all do? It is now time to stop the shenanigans and put who ever it is in charge so the players have a permanent focal point.

It's gone on too long now and should of been addressed after the Atalanta debacle. It is pity full to watch now. Almost like standing over a hospital bed watching a loved one fade away.

We've gone past the blame game now it is we need need rescuing pronto. I don't really care if it Big Sam or Fireman Sam anyone who can end this shite will do for me.

You mention you were impressed with Lookman when he came on. Was he that anonymous in the first half.

:)

Schneiderlin should be ashamed, he let us down massively.

Not sure what anyone wants him to say. A loss Sunday and he'll likely be gone... I just don't see how anyone would have done better other than arguably last Sunday's game playing into Leicester's hands first half.

What we should have done in the last three months means nothing as the squad we have, kids and all, is what there is to work with until January and who do you think we'll attract then to a relegation threatened club? Those who came for our "Big Name" manager? And a second rater who has escaped relegation with other clubs will work these "wonders" again before moving on pockets bulging? No, pull a management, coaching team together from those within the club with managerial experience, I can't see anything or anyone better.

I don't think you set up to keep a game tight for 60 70 mins in a game you have to win, unless you think you are massively inferior to the opposition. Maybe he thought we were inferior, in which case that lack of belief would be transferred to the players.

Whichever way you cut it, Unsworth who I liked as a player, is not ready to manage us in my view.

These are trying times to be an Evertonian (not for the first time) but some people just make it worse. Thing is back in the days of M Walker we didn't have the I/net and ToffeeWeb to heap misery on our shoulders.

Anyway, I must admit might be slightly biased in favour of Unsworth as I prefer him over Dyche and Allardyce (why is Howe not being mentioned at all?).

I can't see any realistic solutions to our problem at the moment so I thought the game plan yesterday was acceptable. To have gone for them from the start would just as likely have resulted in us getting beat by the same scoreline , I reckon.

Stating the Watford game is huge is stating the obvious is it not, especially for David.
Its time for Moshiri and the rest of the board to step up to the plate, Moshiri in particularly if we lose against Watford.
There needs to be changes to the structure of the club internally, maybe not at this moment wait till results have improved.
Kenwright needs to step down from whatever his role is for starters whatever happens, he's had his time.

Bring Allardyce in on a 18 month contract and implement whatever changes he wants to make, he'll probably also want his own assistant brought in.
DU and Joe Royle can still be useful and give them the inside information of what they think of the players characters, abilities etc.
That's the best strategy I can come up with anyway, you may not agree but we cant afford to dither about.

We need to find players somehow in January for the positions where their badly needed, that's going to be easier said than done and will probably cost plenty if we can.
We have obviously performed badly on top of poor results, but in the League we have got some of our most difficult games out of the way.

Although I've said many times that we are not a top quality squad we have enough good players to get us out of this mess, largely caused by Koeman but add others inside the club who have screwed up also.

Looking again at the squad plus one to three additions, there's no way we will go down. I'd like us to add Barkley to our squad too if possible.

When we played against Wimbledon in THAT game in 1994 under the much-derided Mike Walker (our worst ever manager) the team which started was Southall, Snodin, Unsworth, Ablett, Watson, Stuart, Horne, Ebbrell, Cottee, Rideout, Limpar. Which players out of the current squad would you take in place of that line-up?

I also looked at the team which lost 3-0 against Middlesbrough in the 2002 FA cup quarter final under Walter Smith which was the nadir for me : Simonsen, Pistone, Stubbs, Weir, Unsworth, Clarke, Gascoigne, Gemmill, Linderoth, Radzinski, Moore. I actually think that team is also better the current one but it has the same deficiencies - players past it at the back, no craft in midfield and an ineffectual attack. I only think the goalkeeper position is stronger now. Sigurdsson is no better than John Oster or Niclas Alexandersson and we paid £45m for him. I didn't like Gemill but he was twice the player that Morgan Schneiderlin is. DCL just will not score goals at this level. Baines is past it. Williams is awful. The problems are everywhere. We've gone from not being happy about being thumped in derbies and not turning up in the big games to dreading a home fixture against Watford FFS.

When you factor in how much we paid for our current squad and what the expectations were over the summer then it makes it the most depressing time to be a Blue that I can remember.

The managers we are being linked with is grim reading. I really don't know were we go from here as a club.

I think Barkley will solve Tottenham's midfield problem when Delli Counter buggers off to Real Madrid...

Cannot fault Unsworth for not being able to field Niasse or Garbutt last night, I fully back his lineup and not selecting Baines, Jagielka and Rooney.

Sunday is a must win game and with his selection last night seems to back his saving certain players for Sunday.

We were as good as out before we kicked a ball so why not try something different.

Not many are expecting a win Sunday, but I think Unsworth will get it right this Sunday and get a win.

However, all he can do at the moment, is pour water on a raging fire. He will fail, but it's not his fault. I think he knew he would fail, from the start; but did he refuse the job? No, he took the poisoned chalice, because he is a man of courage and integrity, and loves this Club. When [and I think it is when, not if] he goes back to the ranks, he should get a pat on the back from all of us.

There are rumours today, that Conte is about to be sacked, and Luke Shaw is to leave Man U. Get them both!!

I don't know who is the worst, The people who want to persevere with a manager despite eighteen months of awful performances and steadily deteriorating results, or the panic merchants who want to get rid of a guy after a week and replace him with Big fucking Sam.

Big Sam ?????? Are you sure ?

Two things from my view.

1. The Echo should frame their point of view in a more supportive manner rather than ""gloating""
2. Inside the True Blue confines, we should be getting 'fired up' and saying to ourselves (inside the team environs mostly) . let's grow some balls and show those fwits that we're here and we will overcome the shit. FFS we are Everton and we are coming out of this shit phase that the Dutch guy drove us in to. All players - grow some effin' balls and earn your 'ckin' keep!

As you might tell from this, I am still 'kin angry! (BTW not with you but with our team)

Also, no top manager would want to come to us at the present time. Stop naming names like Angelotti, Simeone, etc. as the potential replacements. Its absurd!

I hope this is not the case though because there are positives in what DU is doing. My only criticism of him so far is that he needs a run of games with a settled side and he had the opportunity to do that. I do accept though that he has inherited a complete fuck up and needs to try different things. Whilst I appreciate it is difficult with the toothless tigers that we have, I want to worry less about the threat that our opponents pose and concentrate more on taking the game to them. Sunday is his first home game in charge, I am expecting to see a full blooded effort from kick off with a no prisoners taken approach. This will get the crowd fired up and have GP more like the bear pit that it should and has to be for every game. Anything less and I think DU can forget any aspirations of being manager in the long term.

I also get the feeling he prefers his own U23's over the youngsters that were brought in by Koeman. I understand his reluctance to start Sandro, but why has Vlasic been ostracised? The kid has shown that he is more than capable and deserves a place.

I am hoping Unsworth moves back to the U23's sooner rather than later. He is not the man to take us forward. I want someone to come in and play a team based on form and ability. Selection needs to be made without any favouritism, pressure or interference.
How much control does Kenwright have over Unsworth?
I would suggest way too much.

Joins the board in 89 as the club begins to decline, becomes second largest shareholder in 99, majority shareholder and Chairman in 2004, and has arguably been at the helm in the most unsuccessful period in the club's history.

Bill Kenwright is not involved for the interests of Everton football, he's involved because of his own self interest. In the limelight, front of stage, where the theatre impresario has always wanted to be. Probably dreaming of a statue next to Dixie, or a stand named after him one day. As a result Everton Football Club, and the fans, pay the ultimate price. And not just Bill's theatre ticket prices! We've fallen so far behind our rivals in the last 28 years it's shameful. A diminished club, a small team mentality to match, playing in what once was a glorious but now sadly run down stadium.

Bill has been chairman for almost 14 years now. Do we really think a CEO would last that long in an unsuccessful business!? There's only so long you can pass the buck to employees. Cultures feed down from the top and the culture in our club stinks to the high heavens. We might have been grateful to see the end of the Johnson era, but is this really the alternative? Is this the saviour? Some will say "well he's spent a lot of money on the club", well some rich men spend their money on antique cars, why? Because it makes them feel good! Bill spends his money on a antique football club. Guess why?? Also this false sense of sentimentality is enough to break a man's spirit. "The people's club", the tears on Moyes departure, Wayne Rooney is an Everton son, and whatever bullshit soundbites the fans are fed this week. Spare us one, please... We've become soft.

It's unbelievable that Moshiri has stumped up the money to become Everton's majority shareholder, and Bill is still hanging around. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall during those negotiations. Farhad was probably represented by Jim White! (No relation thankfully...) Maybe we're all waiting for the pending arrival of Usmanov who Moshiri is happy to play second fiddle to. Or maybe we've become delusional and live in false hope, dreaming of the days of Ball, Labone and Young.

We've been shocking this season. I don't think anyone will deny that. But somehow I don't get the feeling this has come as a shock to Everton fans. We've been here many times before over the past 2 decades. We can point the finger at Koeman, Walsh, Martinez, and now even Unsy. I'm not saying they're not partly responsible but what about the man calling all the shots?

I don't have any personal vendetta against Bill Kenwright. He seems like a pleasant man who has obviously had a bad spate of recent health. I wish him and his family well. But it's time for change, for him to move on from Everton Football Club, and let the rest of us move on too. The sooner the fans start making those feelings heard, the better. So let's raise a toast, "to the Everton board and this weekend's Cup Final!" Oh no wait, it's not a Cup Final...

if you were Ancelotti, what would you do?!?! it's not a hard choice is it.

We are supposed to have all this new money, we are led to believe we will have a brand new ground on the waterfront, yet we shop at Spar when other top teams go to Harrods.

I have been watching Efc for over 50 years and I never thought I would see the day when fellow fans want a manager who will only promise us not to be relegated. The History of our great club shows that the indignity of relegation has only happened twice, the last time over 60 years ago.

Everton need to go for Top Mangers, we pay top wages to Managers and Players and all they offer is 40 points and no Cups.

If you fans keep asking for safety football and no relegation then you will get the Depressive and dour failures like Koeman & Moyes.

We call those across the Park as the deluded ones but they aim high they demand success, we on the other hand accept mediocrity.

Big Sam or Sean Dyche will only get us to be last again on Match Of The Day, listed next to the Wba, Whu, Stoke's of this world, who all have no League Winning History like ourselves.

I feel embarrassed to be an Evertonian when I read some of the comments by so called fans on this site.

If we have to go that route I would much prefer Dyche because I think he would at least be mid term and build a platform for the future. Who knows he may end being the best manager we have had.

I think whoever becomes manager including Unsworth represents a high risk. I accept that some are higher risk than others but not a lot in it in my opinion.

The terribly unbalanced squad we now have will make it almost impossible for any manager to produce a winning team. I already feel greater dread of relegation than on the last day of the season in '94 & '98!

He is a hard worker and a serious analysis and tactician from what I've read about him, but I'd never have wanted him as our manager 3 months ago. Times change hey.

As with John, I've been supporting the Blues longer than yourself, though that doesn't mean I've a more valid opinion. It's all about opninions but not about calling fellow Blues for theirs.

I THINK THAT IF eVERTON fOOTBALL cLub came calling to one of the top managers, they'd either laugh their heads off or leg it out the backdoor.

But ultimately its results that matter.

Last night was a dead rubber masquerading as an opportunity. Lyon are a good team in excellent form. We are a mediocre team in awful form.

The league is what matters. If the team play well and win on Sunday then I hope the board will give Unsworth some more time. I have little desire to see Dyche or Unsworth in charge and little belief that they would certainly do any better. If we lose on Sunday then sadly the audition is over and I hope we go for Tuchel or someone who can do more than 'make us solid and hard to beat'.

I suspect that they are in their usual state of paralysis hoping things will work out by themselves and if not then go for the easy options of Dyche or Big Sam.

I despair.

Prior to the start of the season no expert pundits were saying we'd be in the shit by October. And at the opening of the season I, like every other Evertonian, was really disappointed we didn't take all three points against Citeh. We really ought to have. And we remain the only team this season to not finish up losers in an encounter with them, a team that's been ripping up trees.

Ours was essentially the same team/squad as we have now. Yes there are deficiencies (#1 being the absence of a top striker) but we're the same side that drew with Citeh, but we've since had the stuffing knocked out of us (see also Chelsea, as one observer said yesterday "From champions to a rabble in 6 months").

As even the knobhead Robbie Savage noted last night, if Gana had taken his chance the evening would likely have turned out very differently. Likewise if the ref had awarded us a penalty against Leicester, as we deserved...

I don't have my head in the sand, I know we're in the mire, but I think a big of luck (which must come) could change a few things. I've seen enough from Unsworth's brief spell of having been put in charge of a defeated unit to think he's doing a much better job than RK would have if the roles had been reversed. I'd be happy to see him in charge until the turn of the year. Don't blame him for being dealt a shit hand. Give him some TIME.

Unsworth was thrown in at a moment's notice to a job where he is working with players he didn't choose who were low on confidence and then immediately faced three tough away games in a row. We are undoubtedly playing better under him (okay it couldn't have got any worse) and, for me, were unlucky not to get something out of last night's game and the Chelsea game. Even Leicester, apart from the nightmare first 25 mins we played reasonably well. We should have had a pen so could have been at 1-1. I think the match would have changed dramatically from that point. Then a sickening flukey own goal. Just like the flukey ricochet for the first goal last night.

The players, manager and everyone at the club must feel the world is against them and, however much they are paid, they are human beings and are subject to the same doubts, insecurities and emotions as the rest of us. I admire the fact that Unsworth had them all laughing and positive in training - good for him. He's trying to change the mood and he's taken on an extremely difficult task. He also has me properly shouting and supporting the team again. I think we are one result away from a real change in mood around the club and I pray for a win on Sunday. Unsworth deserves it. It will transform the international break. If we lose and Allerdyce shows up I will be totally gutted. Let's get behind the boys on Sunday and beat these Z-cars copying bastards.

So you think that any top manager would laugh his head off if we asked them to manage Everton. So can you tell me how a manager that has won the Champions league took over a Championship club at Newcastle.

That is the problem with this club as I have said many times on here we have never shown any ambition when getting managers. None has had any success in winning the top league. I know Martinez won the FA Cup before coming here but he also got his side relegated.
I have been going to Goodison for 65 years and have a season ticket for around 50 years, and in all that time only 3 managers have ever won anything 3 in 65 years appalling.

My sentiments exactly...

And Dave Lynch #55 (re post 14) - "if you don't like the content or rhetoric then don't read it...simple." Are you suggesting we predict whether the content of a post is going to offend us, before deciding to read it??

Moderators: there have been enough complaints about post 14 - please delete it. While I can sympathise with the passion, such language is, I hope, beneath our dignity.

Oh, and PLEASE, not Big Sam. Why would anyone want a crook in charge? How is he even allowed to get any job in football after bringing the game into such disrepute? Why, we could have Sepp Blatter as honorary chairman too!

So what do we need to do against Watford to turn this around? We are home. Take a more aggressive shape from the first kick? I think that if we can just get a ball in the net first we will do great from there. So let's be aggressive from the first and see what we can do. Sitting back and waiting for the worst isn't working. Get some scorers on the pitch, and tell them to go for it!

As for the manager, you guys are smarter than me on this one. Let's just be sure that it's someone who will take the job with a positive mindset, someone who will seek to return us to glory rather than just saving us from relegation. We're too good for that mindset.

So why not give Unsworth time? There's no guarantee that the likes of Dyche or Allardyce will sort us out. There's also little point in hiring an 'elite' manager on the salary of a Koeman or Klopp, not unless we have the resources to attract 'elite' players to go with the 'elite' manager.

For me, the bottom line is, we either retain Unsworth or bring in the likes of Dyche or Allardyce, rather than go for some 'elite' foreign guy.

Until we become a club that doesn't sell it's best players (Rooney years ago, Stones, Lukaku) at the drop of a hat, there seems little point in bringing in any top ('elite') managers. It just looks futile, raises false expectations, and is very expensive in relation to the risk of failure.

I do not think he is the right man for us but he is a fantastic Evertonian.

Chris Jones Burton #92, I'm no pundit, but I did post here a couple of times after the window closed that we'd be in the relegation zone in October. I did not expect that we wouldn't be able to straighten ourselves out or that we'd plummet out of Europe so quickly, but I can't be the only one who saw the early schedule and the failure to replace Lukaku as major issues.

James #96, agree. I've repeatedly expressed the opinion that Unsworth was unqualified for this job and his "interim" should be as brief as possible, but some of the commentary about him has been way over the top. Nothing about this situation is Rhino's fault... he was put in this position. Now he needs to be returned to his previous job as quickly as possible.

The reason he's not playing well is because of the retarded system we play where he is effectively asked to be a winger playing with DCL or Rooney as his one and only link up partner who's generally 50-years away from him, and no decent central midfielders to work off. He's on his bleeding own out on the wing running down dead ends.

You don't sign Slash for your band and put him on drums.

If the morons that selected our team week in week out, firstly played people in the correct positions, secondly played a system for more than one game, and thirdly played said players in their correct positions in that system for more than one game... then maybe we might start to see some cohesion. We've not played the same players in the same system more than bloody once!

I was all for Unsworth getting a chance, but as feared, he's turned out to be a 'jobs for the boys' manager. His mates Baines, Jags and Rooney are untouchable. No wonder they want him to get the gig.

I'm miserable.

By all means get snobby about Allardyce, as if football was ever a game for saints, but don't complain when we turn into a Sunderland or a Villa. We need an experienced, capable, tough manager, able to organise poor players into a useful team. Who else fits the bill? He has said he would like the job.

Its not top managers we need, its top players.

I would take those days over our current dross at the drop of a hat.

People saying we are 3 points of 10th etc. great, you can read a table. Do you have a plan where those 3 points are coming from though, as our current squad don't look like they can fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

Unsworth has been left in a terrible position. The man is doing his best, and coming under constant fire from some people on here. Support him to do his job and turn this around, which I firmly believe he can.

"It's been an enjoyable 11-years. But onto bigger and better things."

"It's like taking a knife to a gun fight."

"I wouldn't stand in the way of a player when a club like Manchester United comes calling."

"People say I've not won away at these bigger teams. But nobody mentions the draws. Nobody talks about the incredible, outstanding draws we've managed."

I am adlibbing somewhat because I can't be bothered to look his quotes up directly but the sentiment is the same.

How about some memorable results?

Everton 0 - 4 Bolton
Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal
Arsenal 7 - 0 Everton
Everton 0 - 4 West Brom
Shrewsbury Town 2 - 1 Everton
Everton 0 - 1 Reading
Man City 5 - 0 Everton (that's when they were shite)

My opinion on David Moyes is that if Everton bring him back then I'm done. Call me a part-time supporter or whatever but if that's the ambition of the club then I won't be a part of it.

I may be wrong but the Colina goal was an equaliser. We would not have been ahead on aggregate. Even If (and that's if) we went into the group stages, we would have been going in against the big guns of Europe with Marcus Bent, James McFadden, Tony Hibbert and Kevin Kilbane.

David Moyes has 11 years of winning nothing at Everton, and sacked 3 times since in 3 years.

If he hasn't he should have and ask the players to respond to the criticism by having a fuckin' good go on Sunday for ninety minutes, not thirty or forty like in every game this season, show us fans some pride and fuckin' passion for once, earn your money and be men not powder puff show ponies, fight and graft and we will roar you on for ninety minutes, you fuckin owe us that at the very least.

I also didn't say I wanted him back, purely that his solid top half football was far more preferable to the cack being played at the moment.
And didn't RK basically tell Lukaku he had to leave to get better? Surely that's worse. The reality is if Utd make a bid for one of our players, that player is going. No player is going to turn them down to stay with us. Moyes was just being realistic. Something some of our fans struggle with because they cant see very well through the rose tinted glasses.

Like I have also said on many occasions, we have a decent group of players; but totally unbalanced in terms of cover for all positions.

The new manager, whoever he is, will have to not only be a Football man, but also a psychologist and motivator.

Again for all the desire in the world, I think at this moment in time, is beyond Unsy.

Which poses another dilemma, can he return to the U23's?

I know he did before; but that was after only one game, with an established side and a win.

I can't see a high profile manager; possibly risking losing his touchline credibility; with, what is fast becoming a poisoned chalice.

I would rather have Dyche for the mess we are in; but doubt whether he would even be tempted.

Please not Big Spam.

To me, now is an opportunity for Moshiri to shine. Come on Mr Moshiri show us your worth. Show us your real ambition by putting your money into our great clubs future, we need you so pull your finger out and get it sorted!

Going out of the Europa league may be a good thing so we can concentrate on climbing the table.

It's a difficult situation that unsworth finds him in with having such an unbalanced squad. There are maybe four players who are all really only suited to play in Barkley's no. 10 position. Rooney, Sigurdson, Klassen and Sandro. None of these are as good as Barkley so hopefully he is back playing soon and now with koeman gone maybe signs a new contract.

If we lose on Sunday then I'm afraid we will probably have to get someone in with a bit more experience to manage us out of the relegation zone.

I like Unsworth and feel he has done some positive things but maybe working as a no 2 to Sean Dyche would be a better option. I don't understand why so many are against Sean Dyche. He comes across really well when interviewed and is doing a great job with a Burnley team that doesn't have players of the highest calibre. The style of football he has Burnley play is fairly good too. Not sure the top class manager people are calling for like Ancelotti or Tuchel would work well with our team and it's a definite no to Davey dour or Allardyce for me.

Nino Esposito Santo, and the choir in the background sing; Who's for a game of dominoooooes!

How come you haven't had a poll over who most on this site would like to be our next manager. Seeing as we had a poll on who wanted Koeman to stay, so why not 1 for who is to replace him. We certainly know 2 of the candidates.

I expect we will see that poll at some point from M & L.

Having said that - who on this site would make the best manager?

I guess there would be quite few people on this forum who would like their name included. I think it might be interesting to see who would come out on top. Mind maybe as well as Allardyces name and Dyche name we should also have a none of the above candidate.

With due deference to those who believe we should get a top class manager in, my hope is that we get Sean Dyche in. It seems to me that we have to basically rebuild this club up from the foundations yet again. I think Dyche would make a good manager for us and I hope that Mr Moshiri gets shut of the Kenwright crew and brings in a professional Chief Executive with his own people to make up the majority on the board.

I think we're in the basement and trying to get to the posh suites at the top, in one bound. I'd rather we went up floor by floor.

I am for Allerdyce or even Moyes to step in

It's OK having high hopes, but high expectations can be realised only if we have massive amounts of money, which apparently we don't, and won't unless a mega-billionaire (as opposed to your normal everyday average billionaire) gets on board.

In the meantime, we could if we really wanted, attract another high-profile manager with an exotic foreign name, so long as we offered enough cash, such as £6M/year. It's surely a no-brainer for a lot of them. If they're successful, lots of money and loads of plaudits for doing the impossible (making us good), and if not, parting ways with a load of money anyway followed by another lucrative job.

If we do that, we need also to stump up the money for top players, and to stop selling our best players to our supposed competitors. But again, we can do that only if big money arrives.

Some on here have commented that Liverpool don't tolerate shite like we seem to do. Well, in fact they're not so different from us. They win sod-all these days. Their supporters can take the piss as much as they like, because all it does is divert attention from how shite they are compared to how they would like to be. and like us, they don't have the financial muscle of Chelsea and City.

I believe that is the root of our issues, money, nothing more, nothing less. With enough money, we can attract and retain the best players.

Anyway, whoever it was, I don't think just money will do the trick. It certainly helps but if we're not careful we might just spend our money like Randy Lerner did and end up relegated, or that feller from Sunderland.

Strange that Sunderland one. I remember me dad telling me as a kid that money doesn't always work. He said that Sunderland were a big club and spent lot's of money but got relegated.

I think we are in a bad position now, not just because expectations have been raised but also because we have to work with what we have until January and even then, there is no guarantee that good players are available or would want to come here.

At the Summer window, we were in a better postition to attract players but we went with the ones we brought in and, so far, we haven't gelled as a team (bit of an understatement!) and a number of our players look absolutely shell shocked.

I think we just have to think about now, rather than say that were not too badly off compared to other seasons; and for me the signs are worrying that we are in danger of losing too many games to pull back the deficit we'll have in January.

There's a few reasons I think this but the main one is that the players need to have some certainty and stability as from now. we also need to see our players given a massive moral boost. Whether that's giving Unsy the job, or anyone else, bringing in a degree of stability is a must.

It was hard enough for Man City to attract top players, even with all their money; and they also went through managers at roughly one a season. That's with being one of the richest clubs on earth.

So, I think we need a man in now and for me, that man would be Sean Dyche.

The team has lost all confidence...so expect nerves and respond by making it clear we are 100% behind them.
Turn Goodison into a bear pit .
Let defiance be the message from all us.

Yes I know I don't get Everton but having supported the club since a lad and lived through the highs and the lows from Catterick to Koeman I think I am qualified enough to know what a good football manager looks like and also what a shit one looks like.

He is the man who could save our bacon and take us beyond what the ginger one gave us. Yes, I know he made a comment about the size of the club but I didn't give a toss when he said he it and I am not the sort of man who is bothered about people calling me names nor my club. It's this sort of sentimentality that has left us where we are today.

Mr Kenwright, ring the fat Spaniard and get him to Finch Farm. I'm ready for the abuse again but if you're happy with the shit currently being served up by our boys in blue and you can't forget a bit of name calling then for me you're just as lily-livered and pathetic as Blue Bill is sentimental.

Football is a business and we've seen plenty of people switch Everton for the RS and vice versa. It's about time we saw another. If he turns us down then fuck him but if he says yes, well I for one don't think we'll look back. Get Rafa!

A few things seem evident to me.

Calvert-Lewin - He has a lot of promise but doesn't offer enough at this level yet. In an ideal world we would have him out on loan at a 'lesser' premier league team or upper championship team (Probably his level at the moment) or be giving him time off the bench. He isn't offering enough as an outlet and his goal return is poor. Not all his fault given the struggles of the team but still, I think it's time he took a break from the team. His performances are going backwards. We have 3 'proper' strikers in and around the first team, Dominic, Sandro and Niasse. Only one of them has proven themselves at a top level in the past and that's Sandro. I would start him at Watford and for the foreseeable future, rotating him with Niasse as and when needed.

Kenny - I was calling for him to start as much as the next man, but at this point in time he is just not up to it, his passing is erratic, he is making errors in defence and is caught out of position too often. He again, in an ideal world, would be out on loan somewhere. Holgate at RB, despite all his failings is better suited to the premier league and has more premier league experience in that position at this point in time (In an ideal world Holgate would also be out on loan learning his trade as a CB). Martina should be his backup and Baines' backup on the left.

Lennon - Way, way, way past it. Unsworth has played him every game. That is a big negative against Unsworth in my book. Lennon looks out of shape and only gets in the team to help cover for Kenny behind him. It is no coincidence that Lennon and Kenny both switched to the other wing last night. It's because Unsworth doesn't trust Kenny. Not to be Kenny bashing but Kenny seems to have been instructed to play very narrow defensively almost as a right sided CB, with Lennon as RB. That is why he finds himself in positions like where he scored the OG against Leicester. In Lookman and Vlasic, we have 2 young quick wingers who are willing to put the effort in going forward and backwards. Wingers are notoriously inconsistent anyway so if there is one position in the team we can afford to blood youngsters it is here. I would have them as first choice wingers rotating with Mirallas who is the next best option.

Gana/Schneiderlin - Gana is our new James McCarthy, Schneiderlin is meant to be our new Gareth Barry. I don't think it is any coincidence that Gana's form has dropped off since Schneiderlin came into the team. Basically Barry was the real DM and Gana was meant to close down and harass. Schneiderlin is a sort of half way house between Barry and Gana, he likes to get about has pace but doesn't have the nous or passing range that Barry has. Another blot on Unsworth's copy book for me was expecting Gana to be the 'proper' DM when we played Leicester. He doesn't have the discipline. I find it ironic that despite us all saying look how many defensive mids we have, we only really have 2 'proper' ones and one of those is Beningame who Unsworth has just promoted to the team. The other Schneiderlin, is desperately out of form and should be dropped. We have McCarthy, Besic, Gana who are more of the 'terrier' type midfielder offering little going forward. Letting Barry go was a massive, massive mistake. As expecting a kid to fill that role is a big ask, as unlike the winger the main thing you need there is solidity and consistency.

I could carry on with my 2 pence worth but, in summary, Unsworth like Koeman is getting the balance of the team wrong and that is out main issue. The team is too one dimensional with not enough movement between the lines and as a result both the defence and attack get isolated all the time. Unsy has spoken a good game but hasn't backed it up. The best thing he has done is bring Beningame to the table.

My team for Watford. (4-1-2-3)

Pickford
Holgate Keane Jagielka Baines
Beningame/Schneiderlin
Davies Sigurdsson
Vlasic Lookman
Sandro

Under Koeman, Martinez and Moyes (stretching back 15 years!) I can only think of one season where we had at least 2 decent strikers in the first team squad and that was 2007/8 with Yak and Johnson. Otherwise we've had one at most or often none! It's just incredible when you consider virtually every other team has at least 2-3 in their senior squad every bloody season (RS apart now but their AMs are good). Most of that was down to Moyes and his never changing 451 or 460 formations.

Over the years we've had to make do with the likes of DCL, Niasse, Kone, Valencia, Anichebe, Bent, Straq, pensioner Ferguson, pensioner Campbell, Chadwick, Vaughan, Radzinski, etc leading the line. Even quite a few games starting with no recognised striker and a crap midfield!

Why can't we just buy 2 half decent strikers for a change? They don't even need to be earth shattering, just a great work ethic and some pace - there are loads in the championship that are miles better than what we currently have in the squad, never mind on the continent.

Looking at the PL over the last 15 years, Man Utd have won the title 6 times, Chelsea 5, and Man City 2. Chelsea's and Man City's performances show a marked improvement after Abramovic and the oil sheik, respectively, got on board.

Our average league position is about the same as Spurs, apart from the last few seasons, and only 3 places below Liverpool. Our average points are about 58, compared to Liverpool's 68. Of course, Utd's, City's and Chelsea's averages have been significantly higher.

So the sustained top performers are the richest. Like we and Liverpool were in the 60s when John Moores and Tom Williams injected the necessary cash.

It seems to me that the talk from Moshiri and Ryanazentzev 18 months ago about the 'project' was not commensurate with our actual financial capabilities.

Pickford

Kenny Jagielka Keane Baines

Vlasic Besic Davies Lookman

Rooney Niasse

This was also the case during the Martinez era. Players lose games and are unconcerned because they know they will be considered blameless,particularly when manager is under huge pressure.

We are depending on these players,irrespective of who is managing them. Do you have confidence in them to get us out of this situation? I don't.

The masterstroke was bringing in Pottechino form Southampton (we were one manager too late there!) As you said though (or I've said...forgot now!) it is money that attracts managers and players but it isn't just money.
Liverpool are one of the biggest spenders since the PL began but they haven't yet become top 4 certs, so it isn't Just money, as I see it.

If we make a change now then I think, the first obvious priority is, for me, ensuring our survival. How we do it with the best chance, is a matter of opinion on here but a matter for decision upstairs.

If (big if in my view but well worth a try) Benitez is approached and agrees, I'd have no problem at all with him taking over. I just don't think he'll leave NUFC with the likelyhood of a takeover and a lot more funds in the offing.

I don't think it's wise to leave unsy in charge on a week by week basis but I don't have to make the decision, it's just my opinion. Of those who might be tempted, I look at Sean Dyche as a decent choice. In my books, the best choice unless I'm wrong about the top managers.

This is our first year at having and spending big money, and we haven't been the wisest in doing so. But we're not the first to do so, as all those now in the top six have shown.

So I think, if we stay up, the we will spend more and we will learn from our mistakes.

But the scary thing, is I am not confident in us staying up.

So, for some all we need is a new manager? For me you reap what you sow, so lets see how it pans out with the horror show that Koeman has left us with, but I think you will see it's far more than a new manager we need. Far more.

Likewise when Rooney signed reportedly on a ridiculous wage, did that one signing prevent other strikers from arriving at Goodison because they wanted parity with the top earner at the club?

Some of the younger talent may be on relative peanuts in comparison to the new arrivals does that help to motivate them to give everything to the cause - to be fair they don't appear to have been adversely affected.

Then there is the dream which the club sold about trying to break the top four, each new signing was probably told they were the final piece in the jigsaw yet each of them individually and collectively have failed to deliver out on the pitch, why should that happen?

As someone said elsewhere the begining of the campaign was solid if unspectacular but as soon as the Transfer Window closed we fell to bits and haven't yet recovered.

I wonder how many of our new arrivals have relegation get-out clauses in their contracts?

Alan Stubbs argues that Everton FC lost its morals during the summer and forgot that it was the people's club perhaps he's got a point but it still doesn't answer the many questions raised against every single board member and the owners actions as to how we got in such a ridiculous position so quickly.

I'm hoping that Stubbs' comments are not a broadside against the current owner as returning to the spendthrift days of the Moyes era is not a solution either, particularly if the man at the helm happens to be a certain theatre impresario.

Roll on Sunday.

We need a new manager because of all what you have said! We need a manager who come the 1st of Jan has identified and will get players who will give us a chance. In my view that's a left full back, a centre half who is moble and frightens the opposition...not us!, probably a right back as well, as Seamus could be out for months yet.

We need at least one other goalscorer

Don't you think that the rest of us fans don't know what a crock of s=hit we've got.

We're speculating about managers because we all know we need one...but have different opinions as to who.

The thing is, we haven't got a manager, certainly not one who is permanent.
And every one of us are well aware of our shortcomings,
Hence the discussion on the best way of repairing the damage...if it's possible.

He's got a natural football brain and a cool temperament. I have to say, if Unsworth does nothing else then his development and blooding of this young man will still, I think, be a serious legacy (he's been with us since he was a child, of course, so he's a testament to our whole youth system).

That's what we have to hang on to: there is a core of mostly young players just waiting for the right manager.

It's rightly said that the trophies tend to follow the monied clubs and that's why I'm now not expecting much better from Moshiri than mid-table, because his reported fortune is more or less mid-table in comparison to other clubs, and eight clubs have better and bigger grounds, making us mid-table again, but with one of the least fit-for-purpose, crumbling gaffs in the league.

That said, what worries me most is that Moshiri cuts and runs. If he does that our club's in serious, potentially terminal decline as far as I can see.

The bookies have us as 6/5 favourites and as they are rarely far wrong and as a sign of good faith, I've risked my usual score.

I know Unsy won't let me down - although I do worry a smidgeon about his players !

"Leo Bonatini has been involved in at least one goal every league game for Wolves at Molinuex, scoring six and assisting three in seven matches!" - that from the BBC site - and he just scored a wicked header for their second, so that's scoring 7 and assisting 3 in 8 matches now

Wolves look pretty competent, Organised, decent movement, crisp passing and disciplined. Tell you what though - it's not so bad down here in the Championship. Quite entertaining this match. Might be just what we need for a season.

When I used to be at Everton – and no disrespect to Everton, the team that nurtured me – we were always playing not to lose against the big teams. As a striker, I would play sometimes with two defensive midfielders as wingers. There would be no service, everybody would be thinking about closing back and not conceding first. I would stay on the holding midfielder and we would defend with nine. Here it is different, you play to win and you get more service. The pressure is bigger but it is something I wanted. Now we go to Chelsea and we go for a win. That's a good feeling. Sometimes we would go to Chelsea and be happy with a draw and I would be fuming because I wanted to win.

Would Dyche be afforded a sizable budget? What players is he going to attract, especially if we're still faltering.

I don't see how now, unless we really could get Hiddink, is time for more change. Otherwise change just before the hefty Christmas fixtures.

At least with a veteran manager there's room to mentor Unsworth (but there seem to be a lot of ex-blues doing that at the moment).

Both of our previous managers would re-assure us before games against the top clubs away from home that we were going there to win. Well they were clearly deceiving us and now we know why our recent record against those teams is so poor.

It would not surprise if those teams got wind of our master plan and raised their game accordingly. The RS must have loved going into a derby knowing they would not lose.

Jesus, as I type this the more pissed off I am getting. I will count to ten and calm down - the board must have known about our approach to those games. The club really needs to re-align it's focus and not accept going into games hoping for a draw or narrow defeat, simply not acceptable.

I hope Moshiri reads Rom's comments and thinks fuck me I didn't invest all that money for this. I won't be holding my breath,

At least with DU I think we know he will do his utmost to get the players fired up and go for a result.

The remit for whoever our next manager should be that second best is not good enough. Regardless of whether or not we have the players to do it, the mentality has to be right. Anyone who does not adopt the right approach should be told to fuck off - from the board right down.

As pointed out before by others if Barkley had signed for Spurs and the Niasse transfer had gone through we would have spent nothing.

Not a big club mentality for me.

The choices that seem available aren't all that enticing either. I'm turning to drink. Goodnight.

Most have already written him off, but I don't feel like I have any sense of what he can actually do. His playing time and tactical role have been wildly inconsistent. The times he has started have often been matches like Chelsea, where the setup gave him literally zero chance to succeed.

Given that nothing else seems to be working, we need to be looking at ways to maximize the existing talent we *do* have in the squad. If there's even a chance of getting Sandro on track, it could be a game-changer.

Goodison can save this shower of shite, regardless of the manager, by resurrecting the noise and the will to win. It all needs to start straight away.

When he was sacked I was in the camp somewhere in the middle. I wasn't celebrating it, but I knew ("knew") it was necessary.

However, I (stupidly) assumed the club would have a replacement lined up before making such a big move. They either didn't, or they did and such a candidate has not agreed to the move.

All that aside, the main reason I am doing a 180 on my Koeman stance is that the players have not improved since his leaving. If you look at other clubs' results after a change in manger, they usually show some sort of improvement over the following month and eek out a result or two. We've lost all three, without looking like having the ability to compete or win them.

The players are garbage, and the club has sacked a manager to spare a group of senior players who are the wrong side of 30, can't trap, hold or pass a ball to save themselves, and have been visibly declining in quality for the better part of five years.

In no way am I trying to take all the blame away from Koeman. His time at the club was always going to be brief anyway. But, in a season or two when the likes of Jagielka, Baines, Williams and Rooney are either playing in the Championship or their backyard, I think the club is going to regret putting so much stock into an aging playing staff that has (Rooney aside at his peak) always come up a yard short when it really mattered.

Good blend of home and mostly Portuguese players.

The guy was inflexible to the extreme. He dropped players who were in form and stuck stubbornly to his narrow "systems" regardless of who we were playing.

Coupled with his terrible PR, he had to go.

Unsworth is a novice coach who has made broad and sweeping changes. Sadly for him it hasn't worked.

I believe we will see a power struggle break out in January between Moshiri and Kenwright. Only if the Victor spills the beans will we understand the rapid decline fully.

Koeman was definitely responsibly for leaving Niasse in the wilderness, but let's not forget how most people felt about the big man when he first signed. And even now, he seems to have one good performance and a lot of bad ones.

Like I said, I was originally content with the sacking, but I withdraw my support now seeing how the club has dealt with it.

Anthony Jones, We've had 7 shots on target in the three matches since DU took over. If that is your idea of threatening then I assume you were on the edge of your seat during the Moyes days. Yes, Koeman had to go, but the timing of it hasn't turned out to be very good, has it?

My post was littered with acknowledgements that Koeman wasn't right for the job, and I certainly don't think I'm an expert. I'm just saying that sacking a manager is a massive decision, and if things are still the same afterwards, then perhaps the problem is bigger than that.

In my opinion, the existing playing staff (those in the squad before this season) is as much to blame for a lot of Everton's problems as any manager.

We have been too harsh on some of the youngsters at times as all young players thrive on confident team performances.

The new outfield signings however !!! Well whoever bought them needs to put there hand up and then fuck off.

I can't work out what's wrong with Shniederlin and Gana as last season they both looked capable. Maybe Gareth Barry made them look good.

Mirallas, Lennon, Barkley and Niasse have had too little game time for me with Ross still injured.

I think most on TW are suffering from the effects of Moshiritis (like Kenwright"s bullshit but more believeable.)

THE period between the plethora of signings and Sigurdsson coming worried me as it looked very similar to when Walter Smith came and Peter Johnson snatched his cheque book back after an initial spending spree.

I only saw the highlights of the Lyon game off the official site. If that was the best bits all I can say is - Blimey we are in dire straits.

I think Unsworth will play mostly senior pros against Watford and hope that professional pride will kick in.

Steve Walsh - tap this bloke up with a view to signing him in January.

Target Man

Without the three signings he always said we needed he must have realized he had a mountain to climb. When the fixture list came out he must have seen that mountain as Everest, and too much for any side, nevermind one with so many new signings and still such serious shortfalls in recruitment.

Looking at it some might some day think he did pretty well last season with squad he had. I did, but I expected at least one proper centre-forward to be signed as a minimum regardless of the other positions that also needed reinforcement.

What most disappoints me is the way the team plays despite the early, full, preseason Koeman didn't get last year. In fact the whole team seem to me to be physically unfit in comparison to other teams. That's unacceptable and sad to say Unsworth's youngsters seem similar. If that's Koeman's fault it's unforgiveable. It certainly isn't the famed Barcelona way.

Maybe Kenwright employing such top professionals as Ferguson and Jeffers as unqualified coaches has something to with it too, but what do I, a mere fan, know?

I believe Sigurdsson was 100% a Koeman buy and he has stunk the place out. Shniederlin too.

I don't think the board could continue to work with him. Unsworth has been given an opportunity and this maybe another failing by the board.

I guess my main disappointment is just that: the club seems to be accepting a situation like not having a qualified managerial staff. Maybe the club motto should be "If we go down, we go down together".

I agree that Sigurdsson was probably a Koeman buy, but let's face it, that seemed like a pretty good signing at the time. People point to the price, but that's the price of football in 2017. He's not hit the ground running as you'd want from a record signing, but I do think he is a tremendous footballer.

Much the same as Schneiderlin; most Everton fans were calling for that signing and were happy enough when it was made. He hasn't hit the ground running either. I think it's a mix of being a January signing, which can be difficult for some players, and also playing central midfield in a team that is so unbalanced. Remember he has had a handful of matches that he has absolutely shone in.

I try to spare the younger players from too much criticism, but a couple of them I just don't think have what it takes - mainly DCL and Holgate - and 12 months ago I was saying DCL would be a super star.

Sigurdsson would be bonkers to have signed knowing that he'd have nobody of any worth as a forward to pass to. He's had a very good career, acknowledged across the board, with potentially years left as one of Europe's best no.10's but he needs a target man like a knife needs a fork.

Without one he looks as anyone should expect, pointless.

The team play like the munchkins and we are all hoping it is just like the film and we've all had a collective bad dream after the tornado.

The other things that I noticed, were there were very few passes that didn't find their target. It appeared at times that Wolves had more men on the pitch than Fulham; but that was like I said before; they move as a unit.

Hope we don't draw them in the FA Cup until we have regrouped, reinforced and are remanaged.

So why is that even with the buying power and reportedly competitive salaries on offer no one seems to want to join Moshiri's revolution?

Are all the top names waiting for Bill to fuck off or is it more likely they have developed the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude like we have over the stadium debacle?

Lukaku's recent comments won't help in this regard either. Fucking gentleman's agreement!!! Niasse might be shite in comparison but he's got way more class.

Jason, I dare say the issues with attracting big name managers is partly what you state about Bill. It may even go further to Elstone as well. I imagine if the likes of Ancelotti met either of those two they'd be pretty unimpressed.

Another issue could be related to what Berbatov came out and said the other day about Spurs. When they put in the bid for him he'd never heard of them. It is one thing for pundits (mainly British, sorry to assume if wrong) to hold Everton in a high regard, but I'd hazard a guess that the club doesn't touch the peripheries of a lot of continental football people. Not saying that nobody knows who Everton is in Europe, but they probably don't hold us as high a regard as Utd, Chelsea, or the RS.

I was thinking exactly the same about the FA Cup during the game. If we were drawn against them, as it stands, it would be a nailed on loss for us.

They did play a very continental type of game with lots of possession and patient play from the back but when they broke forward it was quite incisive. It could of ended up about 3 or 4 - 1 (Fulham did make chances) but I read that Wolves now have, I think, 8 clean sheets in 16 games. As far as the other end of the pitch goes - a quote from one of the Wolves fellas after the game...

"Nuno is very in depth tactically and we're reaping the rewards.
It's good to have a variety of different ways of scoring goals. It's nice to have been involved, but the important thing to the team to keep winning...".

Nuno could be a viable candidate for us based on what I saw last night. I am unsure what the latest gossip is on that but it is impossible to say, of course, how good a fit anyone may be, and as has been pointed out over and over again - it's a car wreck that any new manager will be walking into.

I will be extremely surprised not to see them in the prem next season. My fear is though, that we might pass them going the other way!

Therefore we HAVE to go 2 up top & a diamond in midfield:

Pickford
Kenny Jagielka Williams Baines
Idrissa Beningime Rooney
Sigurdsson
Calvert-Lewin Niasse

Robles, Holgate, Schneiderlin, Davies, Lookman, Mirallas, Sandro

It is regrettable however, that he, or anybody else who takes on the responsibility of managing this currently alarming position we are in, is still working in a club that needs cleansing from within.

Many of us here who have followed Everton for decades (almost 6 in my case), have seen highs and lows - but for me, it's never been worse than it is at the moment.
As long as Kenwright and his cronies are at the helm, then our motto will never come to fruition. They're as useful as Anne Franks drum kit and, if FM is the real deal, he needs to buy him out and pack him off together with all the other wastes of space.

A total re-build from within is needed while doing whatever it takes temporarily to consolidate our Premier League status. If that means it has to be Allardyce for now then I could live with it - but nothing will change ultimately until a clinical clear out and overhaul is carried out on the entire infrastructure.
And Dave Unsworth is one of the very few I'd keep.

Sensible management will keep us up. A balanced unchanged team will work wonders for us so staying clear of injuries is massively important.

We need some width in the team, we need a solid midfield and some pace. And above all good team spirit and fight with some luck.

Unsworth should be given the chance over the next 4-6 games which are winnable.

But Sunday is a very hard and important game so the tension is bound to creep into the performance which doesn't help.

If we can get McCarthy and Coleman back fully fit I will be even more confident. I think people are now realising how important McCarthy was to the team. Martinez played him when not fully fit and he has never recovered from that.

Sorry but a nice guy Unsworth may be but in Thursday he has exposed himself and the club to ridicule . Unsworth is completely out of his depth and should be stood down asap.

At least lay the blame at the proper door not at the bloke doing his best and at least trying something with what he has at hand.

The first thing I would ask is - "how do you know?"

Unless you have done both (and I am pretty certain that none of the contributors to this , or other sites has done both - how they cannot possibly know?

They can assume.

But, then again, any of us can always assume anything.

As I have said before, Unsworth has proven he can man manage a squad of players and organise them and train them to win matches.

In order to have done this, he will have studied the opposition on each occasion, assessed their strengths and weaknesses and planned his strategy accordingly.

Has he been successful at that?

Clearly he has, in fact, as successful as it is possible to be!

So now the question is asked, "why isn't he translating this into the first team?"

And that is when I begin to question the rationale of many posters on this and other sites.

Everyone has already identified that we have a shortfall of adequate personnel in the striker and left defending positions.

Unsworth has, so far, had three games in which to cure the malaise within the squad and rectify all other shortcomings, thereby producing a settled team with a winning formula.

In two of those games his squad has been reduced to ten men - through no fault of his, yet he was still expected to produce winning results against much stronger and more experienced teams.

I think the only man who could have managed to produce the results in those games that many on here and elsewhere appear to have been expecting, regrettably was crucified a little over 2,000 years ago, because barring a few miracles, I don't think anyone would have got better results with the players currently available.

I think Unsworth can turn this around - he has a track record for winning in the right way.

However, in order to do it, he is going to have to be given more than four games - but then again - so is anybody else.

If we go a goal down he might be surprised that the crowd will be angry and silent, and not right behind him as he seems to think, understandable given the dross we've been served up since he took over as caretaker.

Someone once advocated posting carefully on the internet to me, as you may attach a label you can never unstick. Best description of it I ever heard.

The club needs stability and I have seen genuine improvement over the last 3 games. The squad lacks balance and is devoid of confidence, but the danger is getting sucked into a short-term fix solution.

RhinoIn.