Date set for postponed Man City game

I see the game against Man City is rearranged for Wednesday 17 February, 3 days before we play the red shite, four games in 10 days.

Regarding the 're-arranged Man City date, maybe we should cry off in the early afternoon, citing positive coronavirus cases within the squad. See how Man City and the Premier League react to that.

It looks like we'll have a midweek game against Man City ahead of the derby. Not ideal.

Three days before we play the Red Shite at Mordor. Now if I was a conspiracy theorist...

February was already busy, but now looks ridiculous. Don’t quite know how we’re going to cope with the current squad.

Good! Carlo, in expressing his ambition to get Everton into Europe, says he is used to playing 2 games a week

That has been the case through the heavily congested fixtures of December and January. Even with injuries, he kept milking results when others floundered.

The one break we got was when this original fixture was postponed. As a result, our next opponents - WHU at home - played 2 games whilst we had a full week off.

It should have been advantage Everton. But no. We were lethargic and pedestrian and lost.

If we truly have ambitions to be one of the big boys again, we should embrace back-to-back games against strong opposition, not bemoan it or shy away from it.

Saw this on the beeb
"Europe's biggest teams will be given a safety net to play in the Champions League even if they fail to finish in the top four of their domestic competitions, under Uefa plans revealed to Premier League clubs on Thursday." (The Times - subscription
Why do we bother ? The rs,Mancs,Chelsea et Al will get in Champions league even if they get relegated.

We seem to maintain our standards better when we have the intensity of two games a week. After long breaks, we come back really lethargic.

The premier league will point out that City have the same fixture congestion. 🤔 I wonder who wont be playing 4 games in 10 days? The RS look like they will get a walk over in the 1st leg v Leipzig. 🤬😡🤬

Good. Remember when we had Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leicester in 7 days. It was all doom and gloom. We had no chance and t'other teams had an extra day etc etc.

We won the lot of them.

Bring it on I say.

Originally thought it was bullshit but after reading that last post, fuck it! Bring it on.

Steve post 9, Really their crest should be a big horse shoe. Anyway their one trick only breakaway tactic is getting well sussed. It’s our time now Bollox to em,

Disgusting imho, it should be us that picks the date, they frigging never gave us the courtesy off even notifying us,!
I am a conspiracy theorists, it's as plain as the teeth in what's his faces head.
Also thought villa cried off first? Maybe wrong, often am, again, if so, shouldn't we play them first?, at least try to maintain some semblance of order?
Wouldn't be surprised to see collina back for derby.

I just wonder what the criteria is with teams announcing several positive tests and getting games postponed only to put a team out in a game 4 days later, is that how long it takes for symptoms to show after a negative test result?
I really don't think that closing your training ground is a good enough excuse. If you have to clean the changing rooms then hire some portacabins and send players home to shower, or hire more cleaners unless you think they will bring it with them.

I'm with the bring it on fans! Keep focused and players should be up for the bigger, tougher fixtures.

Not much travel involved and these are the games we can really get to judge how good we are and also help identify who has and hasn't got it them to be kept involved next season.

Dennis. I forgive your slight typo error in that you meant Everton ahead on your list before Leicester 😂

Carlo reiterating today in his presser exactly what Fran and I refer to in this thread.

He said early season when we were playing 3 games a week and in the congested months of December and January, we played well and won the majority of our games.

When we have a week off, the next game we don't play as well and don't always get a favourable result.

Carlo spoke about managing and rotating his squad - there are one of two reasons a player is not selected:

1) he didn't play well in the previous game
2) I am resting him

Carlo is well accustomed to handling a continuous weekend and mid-week game schedule.

The Colombian correspondent asked for clarification on why James didn't play v Leeds, offering his opinion that James didn't play well v Newcastle.

Carlo corrected him on that. 'That is your opinion. It is not my opinion. James played 3 consecutive games and I wanted to rest him and Michael Keane before the next games we play.'

From what he said in the presser, Olsen and Godfrey are definite starters. Expect Keane and James to return. The rest of the selection will be interesting, given he also honestly said 'We have played United twice and lost twice, so we need to try something different. Because if we play the same way again, we will lose.'

Jay (18), I think Olsen has been replaced, a couple of times, after playing well, Keane was rested the other week as well as the Leeds game, only bad performances should keep Godfrey out, has he had one yet? . Carlo rested him for the Newcastle game, he’s needed every game, preferably at centre back.

Away to Southampton, in only his second game, Godfrey was awful, Dave, and subsequently dropped.

Other than that by the season's end if he keeps this form up, he is going to be pushing for a clean sweep of the players' and fans' player and young player of the year awards.

What d'ya reckon, Dave? A touch of the Duncan Edwards/Tony Kay about him..? Such a powerhouse.

Jay/Dave

I looked at the line ups from our two losses to Utd and Carlo talking about trying something different. I’d forgotten James missed both of those games, Coleman started both and even Bernard played a game and a half. So I’d bet on keeping Coleman out and bringing James in, and Bernard well his stock has fallen so safe to say he won’t play

Jay (20), Yes put my hands up Ben had a poor game, mitigation for himdid he get much help, any help the wide man supporting him,? Most of the time it was James who was on that side of the right, says a lot for me, formation and tactics, a player new to the team needs some protection surely.

Jay (20), sorry never answered your question, well I’d love Godfrey to be anywhere near as good as Duncan Edwards or Tony Kay, early days for that, but definitely a powerhouse and a warrior like them, loved it when Everton signed him, only remember him from one game last season in a TV cup tie, that was enough for me, a terrific performance in defence and attacking as Norwich tried to save the game, you could see he didn’t like losing, we need a few more players like that and hopefully Brands and Carlo will bring them in.

Kieran identifies one problem from the United losses. Seamus.

Love him to bits and he continues to play well, but for me he was very culpable in the league loss for standing off Bruno Fernandes and letting him get two crosses into the box from which they scored.

As for that game at Southampton, Carlo got a few things wrong that day. He played James when not fully fit (following his injury in the previous game, the 2-2 draw in the Derby game) and compounded things (on top of Digne's sending off by not subbing the Colombian out. He was a total pedastrian for the last 10-20 minutes of that game with all the subs used up.

Early days indeed mentioning Godfrey in the same breathe as Edwards and Kay, but he has that warrior leading-from-the-front quality that they had.

Jay, I championed Seamus on here even before he went to Blackpool. Watched him at Sligo and bow to no one in my admiration and respect for him. It is with a heavy heart that I don't see him as a regular starter. He can still offer much to our club but he cannot bomb up and down the wing game after game. We need someone who can.

I know ex players rocking up to Finch Farm is a contentious issue but Seamus is the sort of man we need to keep. The best money our club ever spent.

Let’s see what happens by this date.

City took the proverbial, they will get their justice..