Keane backs Silva and Bernard targets goals

Bernard. “We have a lot of players who can create opportunities to score” so why don't they?
“And players who score goals” Where?
“But we all need to contribute” so why don't you?

As for Keane's comments. Well they certainly don't come across watching.

I just wish these guys would just shut up rather than talk shite

Plus, you need the corners of your head smoothened out so you can head the ball properly. You've got more right angles than Herman Munster!

The 'owners's 'apparent expectation of a continuing reign for Silva - at least for the present- is around that mark as he talks of this very limited 30%er being given time to build. Those who expect more will have to wait.

Meanwhile, we all know that the pronouncements of players, particularly those of such limited ability as Keane, are pure claptrap, fashioned by the club's media team at management's request. Our response, as always, is 'for gawd's sake show you can play - don't just spout about it !'

We would be more dangerous then I feel and pose more threat. The problem is we still seem intent on playing Gylfi in that role who is just not up to the standard every game to make it work. I know Gylfi weighs in with goals and the odd moment of amazing skill each game but it's the way he stops the whole team playing for the other 85 minutes that is the problem. For me, he is too slow in thought and action to be a modern No 10.

Keane is a funny one – sometimes he looks great but then the next minute he looks like a Sunday league player. often in the same game! He is a good squad player if we pick up injuries but not good enough as a regular starter I think.

Silva has given him more leeway than most and his faith has not been repaid. Bernard is a senior player, no excuses after 6 months, and needs to step up to the plate fast. More importantly not just a one off successful performance, we need it consistently .

It's doubtful if Silva will escape the Gallows, but in the unlikelihood of him doing so, he will not escape the wrath of ToffeeWeb!

Despite some of the criticisms of Bernard, I actually like the little guy and as Alan J Thompson stated I think he is a few moves mentally ahead of most of his team-mates, I still believe with the proper coaching he could be our Silva (Man City that is, not the clown with the same name) but there lies another question.

What is it with football and big business and politics? You fuck up, get the sack and have loads of money given to you? These must be the only institutions in which this happens!

Here's a novel thought, let's show some interest and try and win a game, shall we, then you might get listened to!

Of course Bernard targets goals, he hasn't scored any for the offensive player he is, then again they should all be targeting goals, that's how we win games?

Keane backs Silva, what else is he going to say? He's mis-managing us, we're clueless how to win games and keep conceding easy goals, we don't want him?

John Mortimer, writer of Rumpole of the Bailey; later said, that James Burge was the 'model' for Rumpole.

Yet to see any evidence of this.

The winter, playing through the Christmas season is not something that the newer players are used to.

There is much to be desired with regards to how the link up play is.
Everyone from the midfield upwards seems to be playing as individuals rather than a team.

Hopefully they get that right, because we ever only saw glimpses of it at the start of the season. Now, it's even more scarce.

There is a natural striker in Tosun (see how he turned to hit that powerful shot with his weaker left foot), something that DCL hasn't been seen to do.

Twelve more games to still salvage some pride.

I was referring to a leader in terms of coaching, tactics, team play/passion and desire, which seems to be sadly lacking with our current arrangement.

In the words of the Lone Ranger " Aye, Go, Silva "

The lad has scored goals in that piss-poor competition known as the Champions League!!! He even bagged goal of the tournament a couple of years back, he scores for his country too... so maybe, just maybe, the real problem lies with our club's training methods!?

It wouldn't be the first time, after all, would it folks!

Jeez... if this lad bagged the winner in the home derby and then did the cutthroat gesture to Klippity and the other plastic flag-waving red bastards (he did it playing for his country), you'd all fucking fall in love with the guy.

Everton is the problem at the moment, not this lad, and definitely not our young lads either!

A gullible mug, I suppose. I even thought Stones, Lukaku and Barkley were good enough for Everton.

Mind you, I wouldn't have let Niasse go either – I know he is not the most skilful player we have ever seen but he had a knack of scoring at least.

Every set piece is a nightmare, they just look to see where Keane is and aim the ball there, end result goal!!!

As a professional footballer that is a half-back, the basics should be second nature to them, but in Keane's case, it's just hope for the best.

The sooner Silva gets the permission to get rid of this excuse of a footballer, the better. We need to build the spine of the team on a platform of two absolutely solid centre-halves.

I'm enjoying my 17 days off, it's like a cruise!!! Everton at the moment feels like a really bitter divorce!!

I do wonder if the players still have confidence in Silva, because continuity and stability in someone you don't have confidence in, is likely to lead to very poor results, or at best inconsistent results. so perhaps no coincidence there. All things considered, I think it's too early to dump Silva, he does need more time, to develop this consistency and to change things.

And a lot of people on Toffeeweb should stop slaughtering our players and being so negative.

As for Silva I just don't care if he goes now. I really do hope he proves me wrong though, as I'm tired of us starting over and over again.

Also, did anyone hear what Gueye has supposedly said about his failed PSG move? If you haven't read it, then it's in the Echo:

Idrissa Gueye hints at Everton exit as he eyes future Paris St Germain transfer.

It's the line about working harder to get his dream move that really bothers me. If he can work harder, then it means he isn't working hard enough and that's just not good enough.

I believe that the players are not really happy under Silva, hence players wanting moves, and others coming to the fore and defending him publicly, smacks of discontent to me. No doubt I will be labelled a Conspiracy Theorist, but believe me I have been called a lot worse, the words "water" and "duck's back" spring to mind.

The BBC do a Euro Leagues podcast and this week, Guillem Balague met Julen Lopetegui for a long chat. Very interesting as he talks about Spain, losing the job before the World Cup, it all going wrong in Spain and he hints furiously that he wants a job in the Premier League.

My first thought was he speaks very good English, that's interesting. Then as it develops and turns into an advert for him it sounds very much like a come and get me plea.

So who could he go to, certainly none of the top six, except Man Utd and they'd want better. Wolves if Nuno leaves. A guy managing Real Madrid doesn't end up in a small team 6 months later, he has kudos to get a decent job.

The written article but the podcast is better and Balague entertains the suggestions that Lopetegui is in the country for Everton. Also note that his “team” is assembled and ready and waiting.

Is he any good? His coaching is renowned. He did very well at youth levels and he had rebooted Spain in the run up to the World Cup. But his club career is terrible. No doubt about it. Sacked by a second tier Spanish side as they dropped another league. Then got a great chance at Porto who always win the league, spent a fortune and won fuck all. But did well in the champions league. Then came Spain. Then Real where he must be the only full time manager for decades not to win more than he lost. So three club jobs, all disastrous. Hardly inspiring.

But you can't disregard his coaching ability so easily. I hope Moshiri swerves him to be honest, but he's an interesting guy to watch what happens to next.

Does the player's contract contain any limitations or constraints on players blabbing their mouths off like this? Sure, from Gueye's perspective, he's just expressing ambition about his own career, and we should all be understanding that's how players look at things in these days of disloyalty, and applaud his desire to reach a peak with some other club.

But if it were me, I'd have a Mission Statement (you could laughingly call it a Loyalty Clause!) written in to every contract that expresses the ethos of the club that is paying them their massive wages, and that requires them to do nothing that is disrespectful of or derogatory to that club, its management, and fanbase.

But I guess the only sanction is the 2 weeks wages fine.

Of course, if this goes any further, we'll hear the good old excuse about "comments taken out of context" or "lost in translation"... Sorry, but No. That is bullshit.

The minimum I expect is for everyone to give it their all when playing for or managing our great club, but that's just not happening. I have never been so unattached to any Everton team as I am to this bunch. I wouldn't care if we sold all but three of them.

Oh and the three:

Jagielka
Baines
Coleman

He was very interested in managing an English Premier League Club, not in the top six but a 'Club like Everton' smacks of jobhunting and putting the feelers out, but there again, I don't think he would be a bad shout at all.

I felt Real Madrid were too quick to pull the plug on him in November, after all said and done you don't get picked for National Team & Real Madrid manager without warranty.

Oh, but wait a minute Sam Allardyce did have a brief spell as England Coach/Manager, I suppose there are exceptions to every rule.

Seriously though Steve, if we are to part ways with Silva (which I believe is only another couple of poor results away) we could do a lot worse. His playing days were as a Goalkeeper, so he must know how to organise a defence, he likes to play from the back with possession football and slick passing (a little bit of work needed in that department. (methinks)

He is renowned in World Football and respected, so should have his finger on the pulse with respect to players. He should also be able to attract a decent calibre of player should he be 'enthroned'; just good food for thought!

He's interesting, but not defensive at all. And remember Silva was a left back.

I think that comes from the Daily Mail who also started the story about Richarlison leaving. Probably some rednose with nothing better to do.

The story also suggests that Gueye spoke with Tuchel and, if that was true, I would fully expect the club to report PSG for illegal approaches.

There's a Lukaku inside every one of them just waiting to bust out as soon as an offer comes in.

What marvellous entertainment that trial provided, with poor Dr Ward the scapegoat, it gave much more fun than we Evertonians have received in the last few years.

This time it's Bernard and Keane, they back Silva because he's a very easy guy to please, while earning your undeserved millions. Bernard doesn't look like scoring more than 4 goals this season, hardly top class. What a farce.

Now that you have wised up the rest of us mugs on what's going on, what's your positive take on the club you support, and how they take things from here?

Because I thought Keane and Bernard talked a bit of sense.

He is consistent already sending out teams who lose more than they win... gift goals at set pieces... and getting team formation wrong. What a manager!

The only slender one I can think of is David Silva, but I bet he is 10 pounds heavier than Bernard. Is the answer regular scouse with dumplings?

I am not convinced with Silva, but it's not uncommon for good managers to have ropey starts and phases early on. Here's hoping I don't have to eat my words.

When the Russian billionaire joins us, or we unearth the new Brian Clough, I might start feeling optimistic about our future; otherwise, we've missed the boat, I'm afraid.

Yeah, buggered if I'd know either.

Or what about you learning to compete for the ball in the air more, man mark the opposition in the box and actually throw yourself into the fight a bit? That would be a start, eh!

I just don't want to hear a word any of them have to say right now. It's bullshit at the best of times, but at the worst of times it's just fucking annoying.

The whole bit about the virtues of stability; "unity takes root, you grow more as a team."

That is belied by everything we are seeing on the pitch. The team is regressing to the point they can't really play football.

I think you can only class him as stubborn if you think his idea does not work and so he is refusing to change it. I believe that he thinks his idea does work, but it is not being properly implemented.

For me, the next three games will indicate a lot. He will have had over 2 weeks preparation. He may have had that time before, but he actually has not. Either internationals or friendlies or other things got in the way. This time, for the first time, he has all this time to get the players on the training ground and work with them properly.

If I'm right, his coaching will shine through and we could be a team transformed. He could also have tried a tactical shift or two as he has had both the time, the opportunity and the necessity.

If I am wrong, and he is not the coach I think he is, and the time between the games makes no difference, then the performance will remain the same and in addition we would lose those next three games.

The reason I am still confident I am right, is the performances before the derby error, the lack of "leaks" from the players about his methods, the complete absence of any previous player criticising him, and the past I detailed so thoroughly before he came in.

My biggest frustration though, and something I cannot fathom one bit, is why does he not go back to Estoril "underdog" tactics, and play on the counter attack, focusing on defence and using our pace to his sides on the break. Sure, we should be better than Watford, we should have better players, but they were at home, above us in the league, and so we should have let them have the ball, defended mostly, and picked them off on the break. That's the side of Marco Silva that has yet to emerge and one I hope we see in the Derby. I wish he would watch Estoril beat Porto 1-0 (for Porto's first domestic home defeat in 5 years) as an example of how he can set up a team to defend comfortably and can control the game without the ball.

As for Gana Gueye, I think we should have let him go to PSG. Not because I think he is a bad player but because we have lost the window to grab some decent cash for his sale. He is 29 and will start to lose value to the club sooner rather than later.

Bernard is a class act, he is lightweight and it's his first season in the Premier League, also he's spent his last few seasons in Russia were the level is a mile behind the Premier League, people need to remember this.

Silva is at fault at times for Bernard's lack of goals: every time he looks good, he's dragged off and left out the next game. How can he gain momentum like that?

If he is given as much time as the likes of Walcot he will score more, assist more, defend more and overall contribute much more.

For comparison, the much-maligned Theo Walcott has managed 15 shots on target, 14 off target and 3 goals in 26 appearances. Assists, for the record, Bernard 3, Walcott 2.

Walcott: 1,774 minutes = 19 full games and 118 minutes per shot on target.
Bernard: 1,274 minutes = 14 full games and n/a minutes per shot on target.

"Bernard is new to the Premier League."

So he hasn't managed a shot on target because he is new to the Premier League? Sorry, not buying that. As I said in my original post, I like him but he's been poor in front of goal so far this season (bar his goal vs Lincoln) and he knows it. His comments suggest he is determined to put that right. Feeble excuses actually do him a disservice.

I agree, he needs to shoot, I agree he needs to score, but imo he offers more than Walcot, he's more hard working than Walcot, and if given a run of 10 games he would look good for us. I also think a run in the side would do Lookman some good.

Bernard has only twice completed 90 minutes in the Premier League (away to Huddersfield in a 0-1 win, and away to Leicester in another win and he got an assist) and he has 4 assist ( 2 v Burnley, 1 v Leicester and 1 v Fulham).

Anyways while I don't overly want to argue any Everton players argument atm, I'm in total agreeance that anyone in the forward positions need to score, I just feel we are a better side with Bernard in it; I fully believe he helps us play better football.