Everton vs West Ham United

Sammy Lee, the final humiliation...

Also the first match my Dad took me to back in 75/76 so I usually look forward to it.

The problem is we look so vulnerable it is difficult to see us keeping a blank sheet - and even more difficult seeing us scoring.

I'm hoping for a miracle 0-0 with DM resorting to kitano - and running out of luck.

Lennon . Jags. Holgate. Kenny

Beni. Rooney

Siggusson

Viasic. Sandro. Mírallas

The only problem is Williams is an absolute waste of space and Jags is playing like a moron.

Holgate (unfortunately another couldn't-care-less-smirker) is also no loss.

Could we win with Feeney and a.n.other?

What are Matty Foulds and Lewis Gibson doing tomorrow evening?

Southampton were firing crosses in at will , it just can't happen again against West Ham or it will be just a matter of time before they score.

Cut out the supply is the primary thing and jags or Williams need to stick to Carroll like glue keep him unbalanced.

To win the game we need to be on the front foot all the time , we need to play in the West Ham half. Passing accurately and holding the ball up well . Are we up to the task?

Where are our goals coming from ? Siggy no 10 Rooney Cf for an hour , to be replaced by DCL.

Rooney doesn't count; he cannot play up front and is hardly playing out of his skin when he is on the pitch.

May God help us as nothing else this side of January will.

Pickford
Kenny Jags Williams Martina
Davies Siggurdsson Gana
Sandro Rooney Lookman

I'm watching a car crash in slow motion, unable to do anything to stop the impending disaster.

The board's absolute deraliction of not appointing Unsworth permenantly, even if they knew it was long enough to get their house in order. Then to sort out a progressive manager without the whole fooking world looking on at us and pissing themselves. Instead we are floundering around the murky depths of sad old also rans whose methods have been stale for years.

Utter mismanagement of the most rank order. A betrayal of the club, its values and its fanbase.

Sad times.

On a weird closing note: Lyndon/Michael. At these tumultous times the 5 comment limit, is perhaps something to reconsider. I fully understand why but it just means the threads become diluted as the most popular news overtakes other threads as we search for space to vent .having exceeded our quota. Rethink?

Watch when our center backs get the ball, the midfield goes into hiding so we twat it up top only to lose the ball, then were trying to defend time after time. We need to KEEP THE BALL. Mc carthy is a huge miss his energy simple passing is a huge lose. We need a player who can take the ball on a half turn and play it forward! Until we sort the engine room out we will be doomed no doubt about it.

You're right though. I'd said consistently that sorting out the midfield is key. That said 3 or the 4 Southampton goals were as a direct result of schoolboy mistakes by the centre-backs.

Rest assured though. What will happen next is the defence will be fixed quickly. The biggest problem is the lack of pace. If the defence sits deep and as a four, then there is no issue over Williams' pace. The guy showed for Wales that he can be a warrior on the edge of the box and that he will be. Jags also specialises in blocks. Keane looked the part in a deep defence and he'll fit straight back into that.

Next Big Sam will set up with a five man midfield. He will have Schneiderlin sitting as almost another centre-half, barely in front of the back four. Next he will want two hard running players, presumably Gueye and Davies. They're job will be to run hard and get about the opposition.

This sorts out his first objective - clean sheets.

Allardyce's main aim will be to get the ball into the opposition half immediately. As he said on Sky Sports' "The Debate" recently, play the first pass forwards and don't lose the ball in your own half. His second and third objectives. This means by passing the midfield.

In order to get a pass forwards he will need targets. We've all been unfair just calling him a hoof merchant, he's a bit cleverer than that. But he will get the ball forwards quickly and so he will need pace and width on the wings and a big target up front. Lennon will figure highly, and as Allardyce always goes with experience, I expect Mirallas until January.

That then leaves the striker. I'm not sure if Allardyce will go for the height of Calvert-Lewin or the pace of Niasse. Probably Calvert-Lewin, as he has a bit of both. Expect Allardyce to want Calvert-Lewin to be more of a Heskey type, winning the ball, holding it up and laying it off. He showed against Man City, that he can do this, whether he can do it consistently is a different matter.

This figures in objective 4: win knock-downs and transitions. Although the second part of this objective figures back into the Gueye and Davies role.

Objective 5: Set Pieces. We have Baines who used to be pretty decent. Or Sigurdsson who is supposedly the master. If Sigurdsson he would need to find a role for him. Perhaps as a target with height on the left wing for the forward pass. He can hold the ball up well and bring others in.

Objective 6: Exploit the Opponents weaknesses - obviously this varies game to game. Huddersfield though press hard. Long balls over the press is the key to beating the press. They stop pressing as hard if you keep getting it over them too.

Objective 7: Quality in the final third - well we lack a striker. But I will focus on something else that is common in Big Sam's team's - the wildcard. He, like Moyes before him, loves one flair player in the side. Moyes always had one, be it Gravesen or Arteta, Allardyce had Jay-Jay Okocha and others. This might mean Sigurdsson as mentioned above, or maybe Rooney. Like Moyes he liked to either have them off the striker in a 442, or on the wing in a 451. I doubt Sam would be so stupid as to try an old fashioned rigid 442, so it'd be something approaching a 4231.

Seamus Coleman is an interesting one. He will not be allowed to get forwards like he did under Martinez. Not unless Allardyce goes for five at the back.

I hope that's balanced enough. As I hate the guy and will be crossing off each day of that 2.5 year contract, and hoping the damage he's done to the club is not irreparable. I hope he also breaks with the habit of a life time and plays youth. Those on twitter may have noted Stubbs talking up Allardyce and saying he's "ready" if Everton need him. Perhaps Unsworth will leave for management and Stubbs will return to the u23s.

Now I expect Schneidelin to read the game and cut out attacks. And I expect Williams to head but Carroll. I expect Davies and Lennon to get up and down the wings as and when needed. I expect Gueye to hassle and win back the ball. I expect Rooney to put his foot on the ball and control the game. I expect a bit of class from Vlash. And I expect Lookman be the only one capable of getting to the bye line. And finally I expect DCL to get himself in the game and make some runs for Rooney to put him through on goal.

But then again, l expect a lot of things

Everton are on the verge of naming Paulo Fonseca as their new manager in a sensational move, according to Sky Sports Italy corrrespondent Gianluca Di Marzio who claimed on his personal website on Tuesday afternoon that the Merseysiders are closing in on a deal for the Shakhtar Donetsk boss.

It is said that the Premier League club are keen to hire the Portugese immediately, but Shakhtar want to hold on to him until the end of the Champions League group stages next week.

They are currently hiding the knives in my house, and I'm not joking!

Anyone would think we are playing Real Madrid.

Andy Carroll is just a big lump. Cut out the service and the crosses and he will be useless. When the ball does come in put him under enough pressure so that he is eased off the ball or cant get a decent head on the ball.

I know we are shit at the moment but these are worse than us and with Goodison rocking and the players determined???? to make up for recent performances we should get that belief back.

What do you mean nurse "this is Everton we're talking about".

Sigurdsson does very little in open play but is a dead ball specialist right up Sam's alley. Stick Rooney, Calvert-Lewin and Niasse up top.

Remind Jagielka and Williams to tackle and rely on Pickford punts for creativity. You can stick any old jokers in midfield... Maybe even Klaassen since they will never have the ball anyway.

Buy Deeney or some other lamppost in January and Sam will be all set.

Off into NYC to watch tomorrow, I'll be attending a wake, remembering the good times and drinking to forget.

One of the big issues for me is how deep we have been defending which brings its own pressure. I'm hoping Moyes will revert to type tomorrow and tell them to concentrate on defence which will give us a chance to get some possession and confidence going and not give up the first goal.

Shit! Surely not Allardyce. OMG there is death after death. He's in his bleeding' mid-60s FFS. I'm 69 and so I know what happens as you get in to this age zone.

Please Moshiri, don't do it!

The second type, I'm afraid to say, is Sam Allardyce. He knows the league, he's a safe pair of hands. He will put his arm around those who need it, and fire a rocket up the likes of Schneiderlin. He'll utilise the full pitch and play two up front. I had my head in my hands when his name was raised, purely because I find him a particularly grotesque human. He's good at what he does. And he will definitely get the best out of Bolasie when he gets back. He's a Big Sam player if ever I saw one.

‘Big Sam'...look at me getting overfamiliar. Let's stick to C*** Sam.

Robles, Martina, Besic, Schneiderlin, Lennon, Vlasic, Rooney

Tell Rooney you will cut his balls off if he goes in our half while we've got possession, and play Sandro as a proper No 9. At least the lad has energy. Double up on Carroll at set pieces and corners. Play Vlasic.

These are every bit as poor as us, must win.

Those who were around the local amateur scene in the eighties will tell you Sammy Lee is a very approachable guy with a proper sense of humour. Hugely popular... and a proven winner.

Don't let his connections with the RS cloud your judgement Joe (think Sheedy and Watson).

I'm concerned about Allardyce. I don't accept he guarantees safety. Nobody can, not given the fragile mind-set our players are in, but if that's who its to be, then let's at least give him a chance and not round on him after a couple of games as some did with Unsworth.

Steve @14

Dark times, but duty calls. Get your ass up to the old lady; you'll regret it if you don't

He has been our worst player for every game, another thing that has shocked me, maybe that's a bit strong, nothing shocks me any more, is with Unsy, we have needed a team with fighting spirit in the last few games, he picks Schneiderlin and Mirallas, Calvert-Lewin and Martina on occasion.

Nothing against Calvert-Lewin, but the lad is not ready for a regular spot, let alone lead the line. Mirallas, quite often I have to really examine the match in detail to spot him.

In some ways I feel sorry for Unsy, but when he picks non-contributors regularly for a backs to the wall contest, I don't.

Just ask fat Ronald.

He won't be coming as a manager, that'll be the bigger fatter one.

I am and always will be an Evertonian, no individual, Chairman, player or manager is bigger than the club. Whilst it seems to be a mess from top to bottom at the moment, no one will force me away from the club I love.

Managers and players come and go and we will all have our favourites past, present and future -love and support the the club and the badge nothing else matters.

If Allardyce does NOT work, with the mood among Evertonians, the sound of sharpening knives and scaffolds being built will ring loud over the roofs of the City.

It hardly bears thinking about. Koeman and Unsy will have had a joyride by comparison.

You have to use a rope!

Might as well have a laugh, we could be in tears come the end of the week.

Yes you are correct I will not attend any game if that crook is our manager.

If Sam is the man, then we need to get behind him and accept that it will take a while for his methods to work. We will have to suffer further tough times, but, with Allardyce as manager, I fully expect us to get a win or two against the top 6. Maybe even away from home!

I am supporting Everton and this means that I take as emotional baggage to the game all things good and bad.

I take Alan Ball, Kendall, Latchford, I take the team of the 80s in all their glory.

I take Stuart McCall and Barry Horne.

I take Brett Angel and Earl Barratt.

I take the last gasp 3-2 v Wimbledon and I take the Dogs of War.

I take Carl Tiler, the Dome, Joe-Max Moore and Bob the Pole.

I take Moyes and all his good, bad, and cowardly.

I take Mad Bobby brown shoes and 'but okay' Koeman.

I take fans who have shared their food, Bovril drinks in the Bullens Road Stand with dad and steak and kidney pies.

I take food poisoning from the sausage rolls.

I take the idiot who bollocked everyone in the queue at Club Wembley v Chelsea for queuing up like civilised humans and proceeded to piss in the sink with kids looking on (scumbag just in case you were unsure and a blue).

I take perennial relegation battles and agent Johnson, knife to a gunfight and glory of glories in Rotterdam. I'll take my son (even though he prefers rugby) and I'll take all my mates.

And if I can take all that and so much in between, I can take Sam (god I can take two Sams) for they are not Everton, they will be part of it, part of a rich and diverse history.

Who knows what marks they will make. For we are Everton, I am Everton and love or loathe, I am here, for as long as I can be, for as long as they'll have me.

I'm so done with this shite.

As for tonight, I hope Unsy sticks to his word and those players who have let him down are not in the squad, ie, Williams, Schneiderlin.

Go 5-3-1-1, play Niasse and Rooney up front. Midfield of Davies, Baningime, Gana. Back three of Holgate, Jagileka and Keane. Wingback Kenny on the right. His crossing is one of his biggest attributes don't shunt him left nullifying that. Left side, try Lennon for pace or one of the kids.

Calvert-Lewin and Mirallas or Lookman in 2nd half up top to freshen up. Vlasic into midfield if we need to create more chances or when energy flags.

Do not try and fit young forwards onto the wings, asking them to track back. Do ensure two midfielders stay back and mark players tightly, go with runners.

Good luck – let's hope for a lot of effort, communication and stay disciplined for a decent win. Hope you enjoyed it, Unsy

I'll be bringing all my lucky charms with me to the game, but I still don't fancy us. I desperately hope I'm wrong, of course, because we need some points badly.

We don't need all this moaning about it could be Allardyce – good enough for England but beneath us. Get a grip – you sound like a bunch of Sunday School teachers. Get behind him and judge him on what he does here.

Sorry for your chips; didn't mean to piss on them.

Not for this game but we need to try and get Galloway back, I think he's a top defender, left-footed and deceptively quick.

I heard both Keane and Holgate are due late fitness tests but if we can't make a back 5 then it will have to be 4-5-1. Left to right:

Martina, Jagielka, Holgate, Kenny.
Mirallas, Baningime, Davies, Gana, Lennon.
Rooney.

Preference for Kenny to get forward and deliver quality crosses. Martina to stay back, defenders shuffle over if needed.

Baningime and Gana not to cross the half-way line and fill in the gaps behind wingers.

I'm a massive fan of Davies, a real box-to-box midfielder. He needs to time his runs well and not pick up an early booking but definitely needs to get in and around the opposition box.

Nothing in the goalkeeper for me. Both can play well but also guilty of mistakes and passing to defenders putting them in trouble. Just clear the ball if under pressure and stop racing out of goals. Let the defenders do their job. It's far easier to score in an empty net!

Tbh, I'd be happy with a 0-0 but yes I think Carroll and or Antonio will score for them.

NSNO it isn't but I think 3 quality signings LB, CB, CF will make a massive difference. Even Sam can get a couple of good defenders who will improve us. Kone at Sunderland?

As for a Sam centre-forward, under the next manager they could always be Plan B.

Sack the board and Sam has pre-January to prove he can improve the the current team. If he can't do better than Unsworth, get shot asap.

Players and Managers swop clubs, hell... we have had several Liverpool players on the books and vice versa.

Results and the end of season position is what we need to be concerned about.

Big Sam's methods work and he will get the best out of what we have and identify what we need. He is at the biggest club of his career with the best financial clout he has ever had, he may yet prove worth every penny of whatever he is being paid.

Chill, things can only get better!

We have got to set up to stop the crosses.

Southampton overloaded us down the right side in the first half them did the same down the left side in the second half. Unsy didn't react to that on Sunday. He will have to tonight or it's another defeat.

There is an even bigger Villain in town tonight and the thought of him getting out of jail at our expense is unthinkable.

Allardyce would be at the bottom of my list as replacement manager. I wouldn't swap him for the Ginger Minge though.

I saw him getting interviewed and asked about us, everything he said made sense. He'll get them fitter, he'll organise them, make us harder to beat. Will he go beyond that, who knows? Handsome is as handsome does.

Personally, I'm happy with Lee coming. As Darren Hind mentioned, good coach and known for being a decent bloke back in the day. If Koeman had brought him up from Southampton, things may have turned out differently. I've enjoyed watching Morrissey, Sheedy, Harper, Watson, Ablett, Beardsley without losing the plot, this is no different.

I'd love to be there tonight. Unsy deserves a rousing send off and a stellar performance from the players, some of whom will soon regret their actions and realise that sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.

After my enthusiasm over the last two appointments, I'm finding my relative indifference to this one quite reassuring. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised?

As ever, it's going to be interesting. Enjoy the ride!

I believe Fat Sam is there in an observation role; I hope they got his ticket money off him. Enough freeloaders on the books already.

It would be a nice send-off for Unsy to sign off with a win, although in a way, he will be gutted if we play well and win convincingly.

He has contributed to his downfall, in my opinion, like I have said before, by his team selections, and taking the reins till the end of the season, but the experience may hold him in good stead for the future.

I hope we can win but have been let down so many times by these players that I hold out only minimal expectations. I do think that the club have made the right decision at this moment, and hope to be pleasantly surprised at how Allardyce gets us playing.

I do hope all of the suicidal, hysterical and underwhelmed members of ToffeeWeb can return to the fold and get behind the team and the new staff. In the meantime, good luck to Unsworth who might have made some weird choices but he has tried hard, of that I am sure.

It will take months to turn this lot around. As long as we do before the last day of the season.

Well, lads, unlike quite a number of our fellow supporters, I am just about to leave for the match and will be interested to see how many seats are empty.

I support Everton Football Club and, although I will call every player who doesn't give 100% for the shirt, they are still part of the Club. Oh, and my support also goes to our new manager.

"Unsy didn't react to that on Sunday"

You have to laugh don't you, Koeman didn't replace the left back who's nearly as old as me and brought in a journeyman right back when he heard his regular right back would be out for a year. The oldie gets crocked, We end up having to play a right footed kid on the left and a winger as right back... yet it was Unsy who "didn't react on Sunday"... Genius!

I`d love these footballing Einstiens to get the team up they would select rather than wait and criticize whichever team is picked.

We have wide men who can't track back and central defenders who cant get out wide to meet danger. We must be the most ill-equipped team in competition to stop crosses coming in.

Jagielka needs to grow a pair. He needs to push his unit up by 15-20 yards. They won't be scoring from crosses if their forwards are outside the box.

However, at the risk of sounding like Jeremy Corbyn, I wanted to reply to Eddy Bernard on that thread who wrote:

This is what Big Sam said 2 weeks ago:

“I decided it was probably better it wasn't me. It would have been a fabulous job but it just didn't feel right. I think when you're in my position, you want people to be decisive & feel like they want you. I didn't get that feeling overall.”

I'm guessing a £6mill deal made it feel just about right.

Eddy - my take on that comment was that Allardyce was using a tactic known as brinkmanship; it worked.

The fact that he employed a winning tactic is encouraging. Then again, in the opposite corner was the full cognitive power of the EFC board so I won't get too excited yet.

And the ٤million? Why not? Others who have underperformed have taken at least that. Wouldn't any of us?

I wish Sam Allardyce well based on his present standing as the manager of EFC.

He seems a good judge of our board with his comment on decisiveness.

"Southampton are toying with Everton down this left flank. They did it down the right flank in the first half.... Everton look seriously under prepared"

Now I don't need a title-winning centre-forward to tell me what my eyes can see, but I do agree with him.

Jagielka needs to push his unit up 20 yards? What to the halfway line?

Lanzini and the other speed merchants would really enjoy that.

Genius or what. 😁

I will if you will. Go ed – name your team and mine will follow.

I don't expect him to realise that Unsworth was without Funes Mori, Holgate, Coleman and that he lost Baines very early on and then Keane. but I do expect an Evertonian to realise the situation... Except of course the ones who are determined to clear Koeman of the criminal way he left this squad.

I don't need to name a team, I recognise the manager is selecting within the confines of a straight jacket, but those who criticise like you have should have the courage of your convictions and show us how you would "prevent crosses coming"? in with this group.

Good luck with that one. I'm off to support the boys... whoever plays.

Guys, I know you own about 90% I this organisation but would you please leave and hand over to other people to manage your investment.

Right!

Talk sense people.

Could do with improving this team tactically.
You de man with your tactical genius

Least they aren't playing Andy Carroll, he would destroy our defense.

This team has no pace at all. Anywhere.

Also, had he been given a contract and failed, he would have had the integrity to walk away without bleeding the club dry. These are desperate days for our club, brought about by, and yes I backed him, the appalling Koeman.

The last six months stink. There is something rotten at our club and the admirable Unsworth deserved much better. However, this is where we are and now I support our new coach one hundred percent.

Let the players find some pride, dignity, decency, balls and integrity. Do it tonight for David Unsworth. An Evertonian. They are hired hands so let them earn their money just this once.

Criminal not having a natural left back in reserve. Desperate times playing Williams – surely even Besic would be a better option. Calvert-Lewin is out of his depth atm in the Premier League. What does Sandro need to do to get a game.

I can see West Ham scoring 3 tonight. I can't see how we will score. Unless with Allardyce named as our manager, it might spur these overrated prima donnas put a shift into impress.

Beni has been much better than Tom this season.

And is Jags injured, banned or “rested”??? (Dropped)

Williams should never play for us again, why has he not been dropped from the squad along with Schneiderlin?

Rooney on the left? It may be 4-5-1 but the lack of discipline and pace in the team will make it 4-3-3.

To much space and time for West Ham. I'll go 1-3 being generous that we score a goal.

I know we all wanted Unsy to succeed but being realistic it was never going to be easy.

Sack the board, start the search for a manager again because the useless eejits have got it wrong again for the 3rd time in 5 years. Unsworth excluded on his temporary appointment.

I can see similarities to us and Blackburn. Finally got investment but he's apparently clueless. Big Sam can leave a mess behind and Mosh man can say he's tried, spent millions but time to pull the plug.

Money wasted is not invested but at least he's cleared our debts!? Maybe in another 5 years we can dream of having ambition again.