Ancelotti: We should be embarrassed

I fear the modern game is beyond him now.

King was injured but he's also crap. I assume there's not a direct Italian translation for the cuss word he planned to use so he said he's “a little bit” embarrassed. Sadly the players won't be as they were here last season for Wolves and Bournemouth, and they were here for the season ender under the same manager.

Finally some proper cutting words from the manager.

These overpaid fucks have stolen a living for too long, many of them have shafted four managers and downed tools under previous incumbents.

Tonight, they've been outshone by a team with limitations but bucket loads of pride in the shirt and the history of their club. We were shagged off tonight by true Sheffield steel, how many of our players have any steel in them?

I'm with you on that one.

We needed that early season Europa (losers/second chance) League like Dolly Parton needs a breast augmentation.

What Ancelotti does not realise, whilst he is embarrassed, most of them are not. They where out to embarrass him and put him under pressure.

There are deep problems at Everton and they have been there for years. Other Managers have got the same treatment.

Sheffield United have more pride and would never conduct themselves in this way. Congradulations on the well-deserved win. Good Luck in the Championship, at least you will not face a team of players like Everton.

They would rather be home counting their money and playing video games...

You're entitled to your opinion.

Has Davies done nothing? Is he crap? He can't get a game either?

Gomes is brilliant and does lots, he can have a game! Richarilson, same as Gomes, looks lethal, he can have a game!

It's one thing to be shit and identify what needs doing, but quite another to shrug your shoulders and keep doing the same thing.

“Buy better players” will be the call, but the fact is that our players, almost to a man, don't seem motivated, hungry or tactically drilled. Buying better players won't fix any of those issues.

Ancelotti's comments that our performances away from home have been good are just dead wrong. Our performances home and away haven't been great for most of the season. Yes, we've had some good results – especially against the teams that come out and attack – but we won with a real freak of a goal at Arsenal and we failed to beat Villa, who weren't even in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago.

Ancelotti needs to recognise, if he hasn't already, that there's something fundamentally wrong with the setup and it's not a simple case of our players not being good enough. They all need to be fitter, work harder and, for god's sake, they need to learn how to create chances.

Top 10 place and good cup runs. That's all this squad is good enough for. No hunger, no desire, no fight and a "can't be arsed" mentality on the pitch.

I say we have over-achieved this season. I have saved a few thousand pounds not having to watch this lot in the flesh. More naps when on the television. Only positives from me!!

Thanks again, Carlo and all the players. Successful season. Well... for Everton anyway!!!

Wwith our luck, Besic would have a clause in his contract granting him another 4-year extension if selected before the season ends.

I'm not one to indulge in the mystical art of body reading some engage in, based on the few seconds the live transmission fleetingly lingers on the manager in game. Carlo's deadpan expression in all situations remains the same any way, so he is never an easy read.

But one scene did give an insight to the embarrassment he expressed post-match. No histronics. No shouting. No arm-waving. I don't think he even took his hands out of his raincoat pockets.

When Ben Godfrey stepped forward in the 2nd half and blasted a wayward shot from distance high, wide and not at all handsome, you could see Carlo softly mouth the word 'Why?' 3-4 times, staring black-eyed at the player as he made his way back into position.

Conversations with the players before the Wolves game on Wednesday would make for an interesting listen.

If Farhad Fookin' Moshiri still can't see that I've no idea at all what he's about as he spunks £hundreds-and-hundreds-of-millions up the wall year after year.

It's about you, Farhad, and the people you've employed for five sickening years, you muppet.

If true, one might be left to wonder at the roles of an esteemed Director of Football, world class manager, and the club's scouting network, in bringing such a player into the club and squad, at even any small cost.

Something rotten is happening in the dressing room that's not good. Over the past 5 or 6 seasons, Everton players have at times decided, whether on mass or in a small clique, that they no longer want to play for the manager. It happened to Martinez, Koeman, Silva... and now Carlo.

Maybe they are scared of being removed from their comfort zone. Whatever it is, it must be got rid of before next season starts.

Instead of saying we need a right-back, centre-half, midfielder, winger and striker, we should be saying we want players with character, a will to win, passion, a never-say-die attitude... and, most of all, mental strength to tough it out when needed. Oh, and someone who will tell our half-hearted heroes to Fuck Off or grow a pair.

Everton is like a pair of old comfy slippers. Time they were thrown out too.

Liverpool will find any way to win a game that they need to win: even if it's the bloody keeper scoring the 95th min winner.

Meanwhile, we find any way to lose a game that we need to win: even if it's a teenager scoring the winner for a team ALREADY RELEGATED!!!

Honestly, supporting this club brings me no joy.

Carlo generally handles the press work well. I have to say though, that part about the building of different squads for Europe or Premier League alone was cringeworthy: like we're some finely-honed racecar, requiring just subtle changes in set-up for a different track.

Might want to address why we get battered at home by crap teams first.

Another potential member of the something-in-the-fabric club, I see. Would you like one of our free welcome packs?

I'm sick of saying it but I'll say it again. Moshiri needs to get rid of that lingering smell that's been around Goodison for decades. We all know who that is!

He then needs to sit down with Ancelotti and Brands and explain to them that the supporters of this once great club expect to be both entertained and happy that we are challenging at the top and, if this cannot be displayed, then heads will roll.

Unfortunately in my opinion, Moshiri is pretty clueless as far as football and entertainment goes; he seems to like the cause of that lingering smell around Goodison and he is in so much awe of Ancelotti and his past record that I personally doubt he would confront him on football matters.

We may have won a few away games in this crazy season, but lots of teams have had equally surprising results. The big issue is the shockingly poor zombie-style football that Ancelotti's team have consistently produced.

It has been by far the worst in the league and that has to come down to the manager. A top class manager will get the very best out of the players at his disposal. They are all internationals after all.

But hey, who's gonna tell Ancelotti what he needs to do when he is such a well decorated coach???

A man in his pyjamas finds himself on the pitch in Wembley stadium, devoid of fans, but with canned crowd noise playing. He quickly loses the plot and dies of fear. So basically it's a rerun of the Sheffield Utd game.

King's record at Blackburn was 1 in every 11, he got 1 goal in 18 appearances at Hull, and averaged about 1 in every 4½ games at Bournemouth – including scoring once in the last year.

He's about to turn 30 and he's barely past the 50-goal mark for his club career. So I do think he's crap and I do wonder why the hell Brands signed him.

Maybe he's swung the lead a bit, maybe he can't hit the fitness, who knows. A strange one.

On the bright side, Tosun will be fit again soon.

The focus over the summer needs to be the midfield. We are out fought too many times. If you lose the midfield battle you will always struggle. There is a serious lack of control, pace and creativity.

There needs to be a better transfer strategy. We need younger, fitter, hungrier players. For too long we have paid top dollar for substandard players. Pickford was part of the relegated Sunderland team. Sigurdsson the best player of a soon to be relegated Swansea team. Doucoure went down with Watford. The list goes on.

"I don't want to change anything"

Instantly he'd been programmed what to say and do by Blue Bill and the Everton in-house cronies.

Well Carlo, we all wanted you to change absolutely everything when you took the job because that's what this club has been crying out for for many years, a complete radical overhaul.

But no, let's just keep all the old furniture in place as it's been untouched for decades now, keep Unsie in the youth set-up despite rarely every producing any kid that look good enough to get near the first team.

Keep Big Dunc as coach despite him actually being coach to four doomed managers.

So it seems the plan has worked, Carlo says he wanted to change nothing to rock the little Everton family.

Well he's right, nothing has changed since Big Sam was here, the football is even more dire and that's with supposedly better players!

All is rosy though because everything is happy in Funny Farm.

1. He was injured.
2. Did you see him come on against Villa? He jogged, didn't press, looked completely disinterested.
3. He was injured.
4. He was injured.

Glad Carlo was angry, I hope he had some strong words for the players because if they serve that shit up in front of fans against Wokves or next season they will know about it.

If Moshiri wasn't aware we need to sign 5 or 6 top quality players to get to where he wants to be.

I now doubt whether Ancelotti is the right man to take us forwards from mid-table mediocrity, and I'm worried that the rot has actually set in... he'll be sacked by Christmas, with us in a relegation dog-fight, and certain people begging for the return of BFS...

We have no identity, no style of play, and haven't for years. We have managed to spend £500m on Europe's misfits with a Top 20 wage bill to boot. If we top anything, it's being the worst value team in the world.

Congratulations boys.

Embarrassing is the correct word. Can’t wait for the season to end. It feels like I say this every year!

To go:
Coleman
Holgate
Keane
James
Sigurdsson
Bernard
Iwobi
DCL
Richarlison

To come in:

anyone one who has the passion, heart and is fit for more than twenty minutes and wants to play for Everton!!!!

I am afraid the manager has to take a look at himself - he entered sleepy hollow called Everton - kept virtually all in place that has gone before and bizarrely expected things to turn out differently. In most other areas of life, that is called madness.

Had these performances and results come under any other manager in the last 30 years, their own performance in terms of personnel choice, coaching, motivation and ability to do the job would have been questioned - Carlo now needs to show his mettle not say how lovely life is in Crosby and Finch Farm.

He doesnt escape criticism either, he has a poor, unbalanced squad but he should not be allowing what we watched last night.
The worse display of the season.
I wouldnt give some of them a chance to respond on Wednesday, it wont happen.Too many "nice people" in our squad.

They would have won by a margin. The objective is to stay in the Premiership. Thats way the comfortable status quo can be maintained. The uncertainty of what position will result in qualification for the European Conference League, produces performances like that, since enough players and backroom staff don't want to be in any European Competition. Your might get a win and loss or visa versa in the next two game. But they may have it in for the Manager and lose both.

There is not way that Sheffield United are capable of playing Everton of the pitch otherwise.

Ralp#39

Two to three signing at most. Anceotti won't have the power for that. It will. be difficult to get good players to join Everton. They will smell a rat.

We have become a small, insignificant provincial team over the last 30 years. We are the butt of everyone’s jokes from the media to the man from Sheffield. We are sneered at, laughed at, and even worse, we are pitied by other fans.

To see Everton players totally outplayed, and outclassed, by the worst team in the league . can it get any worse?

I heard two players were arguing, and Gomes, stepped in and told the younger player, to show some respect to his older professional teammate. I hope it’s true because the younger player apparently told Gomes, to shut up and stay out of it considering he goes missing where it counts every other week,

Do I want a knee-jerk reaction and sack him, to replace him with christ-knows who? Hell no. He is a world class manager and I would like to give him time to mould the squad as he wants it.

This season started with so much optimism and we beat so many teams that we've struggled against for years... decades in some cases. We showed glimpses at the start of the season but ultimately were found lacking.

We have definitely improved the starting XI with Allan, James, Godfrey and Doucoure... but we haven't got the right set of players yet. The stats show that we're lacking in attack but looking through the squad there are no options. Those calling for King... he has really looked a level below the others and they've been poor for months.

I would certainly want Carlo to oversee another year or 2 despite shortcomings this year. Hopefully a good summer again will see us balance out the squad and we'll push on with the fans back next season.

We've been through manager after manager since Moyes and that has got us nowhere. Sacking Carlo now would be ridiculous despite the misery that we've been seeing on the pitch.

Then he might realise why threads like this appear far too often on TW.

I do wonder what is Moshiri’s motivation and how does this impact on the whole club? Is his ambition to sell The club for a profit once BMD is in place as a stable, progressive club or is it to win silverware? I look at Chelsea and although I dislike the club, they do have an owner who is motivated to win at all costs.

The problem is one of motivation. Is Carlo motivated enough given he has nothing to prove? Is Moshiri motivated to win silverware and therefore hold Brands and Carlo to account?

Although we’ve served up a pile of shit all season at home, I hope last night proves to be a turning point of sorts, but I won’t hold my breath.

We have an investor who IS NOT running the club nor making said demands.

I honestly don’t know what it takes for the masses to wake up and realise the only constant through all the drudgery is Kenwright and his cronies. We’re more like a charity now with a football club attached; what we are certainly not is a professional football club. If you want real change you would demand a new board and an owner that is more involved as an owner rather than a benefactor. The man at the helm even banned protests, and dropped AGM’s due to the dictatorial paranoia over his position of power. And what the hell does Baxendale know about running a business like a PL football club, especially one with (apparently) aspirations to compete with Europe’s elite. It’s absolutely laughable yet the joke is on us, the proles. Managers come, managers go but nothing has changed and the club is the absolute embodiment of its Chairman - soft, clueless, won’t upset anyone as happy to be here and make up the numbers. Won’t challenge the FA or the refs, similarly the media. We’re a joke.

we want to copy more successful clubs but our purchases don't reflect that:

Siggi - failed at Spuds.
James - finished at Real.
Richarlison - big fish in a small pond with Watford.
Digne - failed at Barca.
Iwobi- panic buy who wasn't playing at Arse.

The only way we are going to move forward is buying big mercenaries or introducing loads of kids to see who wants it!!!!

Lucky enough (some may say) to get a ticket for the last game against Wolves, I pity you.

The net effect of having a new/wealthy owner and spending lots of money on inadequate players is that we seem to have gone steadily backwards since Moyes was manager.

I don’t like to copy anyone on the football side as we should have enough to be innovative (we have zero currently and most of the innovation is channeled into off pitch/non-football activities) but the likes of Leicester, Atletico M, RB Leipzig are the sort of clubs that have broken the glass ceiling by doing it differently (and executing well).

It beggars belief with our history to say such a thing. Until the owner is shaken out of his lethargy in terms of letting a sub standard boardroom run the club into the ground and realises he has to be or appoint someone who is a move and shaker, he will just keep pouring vast amounts of money into a bottomless pit.

The club is in a truly shameful situation - the job is already looking beyond the current manager - it may be that he is shackled by those I mention in the previous paragraph and his DoF - what on earth is that man on saying or doing at board level when he presides over the dross we saw last night.

A tough summer of decision making lies ahead for all at this sick club

Ancelotti added: "Maybe, for next season, we need to try and have, for sure, a better squad."

Most of us would agree that many of our players are full of flaws when trying to break teams down at Goodison, and they are best suited to a backs-to-the-wall game plan which is more suited for the away fixtures, but surely following 18 months in charge some of these issues would have been addressed by Carlo?

The club should realise that buying a ready-made team is impossible even if it could be afforded, somebody has to grasp the nettle and start to impose their will, else we'll go through the whole charade many more times, which will eventually result in a drop to the lower division.

There was a huge hole between our defence and our midfield last night as Allan and Doucoure went wondering, being told to press. Was that BKs fault? Never playing a left midfielder in front of Digne. Even when Bernard came on it was to be... well l'm not sure. Not being a possesion side but still trying to play though the middle instead of using the channels. Letting 2 forwards and a right back go at the start of the season. 3 if you count Gordon, which is hard to do.

Thinking back, when BK had more involvement the signings were better. You can list them all, l'm sure.

THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE MANAGER. ALL SEASON TO FIND A WAY TO WIN AT HOME. FAILED

There was a huge hole between our defence and our midfield last night as Allan and Doucoure went wondering, being told to press. Was that BKs fault? Never playing a left midfielder in front of Digne. Even when Bernard came on it was to be... well l'm not sure. Not being a possesion side but still trying to play though the middle instead of using the channels. Letting 2 forwards and a right back go at the start of the season. 3 if you count Gordon, which is hard to do.

Thinking back, when BK had more involvement the signings were better. You can list them all, l'm sure.

THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE MANAGER. ALL SEASON TO FIND A WAY TO WIN AT HOME. FAILED

Unsy and Big Dunc will continue with Kenwright's promise of a job for life with Bainesy, Shay and Jags to augment their coaching skills.

Forget last night, Everton's future is secure, believe me.

Ken@66 that first line is open to debate, but I’d be on your side of the argument, because the more you think about it, the more you realise that it was during this era that Everton stopped existing to really go and try to win.

Best of the rest? How embarrassing for a club like Everton, and although Ancellotti should be doing better entertainment wise, it’s funny that the only winner the club have had in 25 years, is the man getting most of the stick.

If we had options, Richarlison (a very good player) would be on the bench right now. DCL too would be rotated. The trouble is we have absolutely nothing. We need about 3 players of varying styles to shake things up. I've said all season that if we had Sarr and Bailey on the flanks and a player like Firminho working pockets of space it might even make our midfield look better. As people on this thread rightly say, it's the run that makes the pass. As it is we have such little movement it must be murder playing in midfield.

A mishmash of mismanagement, has lead to a lot of instability, a lack of quality, and a real lack of belief, so let’s sack the manager after 18 months? Because this club is about winning Carlo, and maybe someone like Moyes, might be better for the time being!

Who else could be blamed when it doesn't go right? Has to be Bill 'Chairman in name only' Kenwright. Doesn't it?

It’s amazing how this “infects” every player we bring in recently. Schneiderlin fell apart. Gomes has gone. We’re paying over 20m for these players, something happens and they become so bad we can’t even get rid of them and have to wait for their contracts to run down. Doucoure is half the player he was at Watford.

It’s dire. What happens to them? It can’t be the managers as we’ve had 5 now in a few years and it keeps happening! It’s like they get here and realise the only ambition is to stay in the league and they just drop off. People used to blame the fans getting on their backs but you can see now that is not the case. It’s the club, the way it’s run - it’s easy street. No consequences.

I’ve read your post 3 times.
First time I thought you had a hangover from yesterday!
Second time you have summed us up succinctly.
Third time I have to totally agree with you 100%

When I clicked on, my immediate reaction was "It's a mistake!" How wrong I was...

I agree there is something wrong at Everton. Have the players downed tools, unhappy with the style of play? Or have they decided they want a coach or trainer with a coherent plan of play?

Certainly we do not have, in my opinion, the coaches who would be sought after by other clubs. Was Ferguson a clever skilful player? Not what I saw – when he wasn't injured. Had anyone heard of the manager's son?Then we have the ex-Everton players all given coaching roles or hospitality greeters roles...

Then we have our charity CEO running a business; we need to split the charity arm from the football. The owner allowing Bill Kenwright to stay on as Chairman is crazy – his past track record is one of broken promises and mediocrity.

Pass the bottle!

Another states that Everton has only scored 2 goals in the second half at Goodison since the October derby.

If both those stats are true, which they probably are then that's not a lack of ability or lack of fight, that's appalling and would not be accepted by any other club.

Another states that Everton has only scored 2 goals in the second half at Goodison since the October derby.

If both those stats are true, which they probably are then that's not a lack of ability or lack of fight, that's appalling and would not be accepted by any other club.

We have an owner who is investing. An owner who is going to provide us with a stadium to be proud of and a platform on which to perform at the highest level.

He has made mistakes in his early years, but hopefully he has learned from them.

He has brought in a manager who knows how to win but one who has inherited a disjointed squad largely due to previous transfer non-strategy and decades of being a club who's players accept mediocracy.

I don't usually swear a lot on here, but that is going to take a while to un-fuck. I am still hurting over last night as we missed an opportunity through bottling it when it mattered. We can argue that previous games won would have seen us more comfortable; I don't dispute that. But in football, it's what you do over the course of the season. Given the position at kick off, we had an opportunity last night and we choked.

Again.

The culture and mentality has to change. I believe this manager has started that but my word he has a job on his hands.

I guess he figured defence was OK at that point and brought in Godfrey, Nkounkou and Olsen to shore the back-line up... Godfrey who turned out to, unexpectedly, be our best buy of the window.

Now, I would assume that the problem area that he has identified and is working to fix is up-front. Richarlison has had a shocker this season, DCL started so well but has faded with the rest of the team. Then we have Bernard, King, Iwobi as our errrrm "options".

I disagree with the 'lack of a style of play' claims. It looks to me like Carlo has had to be pragmatic over the style and impose a limited style because we just don't have the front-line to play the way he wants. Time and again, we try to play out from the back but the 2 or 3 attackers just aren't good enough... you can see that there are no options, no movement, so we rely on Digne and Seamus to bomb forward.

We desperately need some pace and quality going forwards to take some pressure off the defence and midfield...

Ken # 66] We were going backwards, or at least treading water. However as we had little money in the club at least there was a commercial excuse for it - and the squad did have balance.
In Moyes final home game in May 2013 we beat West Ham 2-0. That side included a midfield of Ozzie, Pienar, Fellaini & Mirallas (who scored both goals). I'd suggest that these 4 were better than the equivalents who represented us yesterday.- and offered more of a threat than our collection on non-scoring midfielders.
Our bench that day was a mix of defenders, midfielders and forwards - such as Hibbo, Barklay, Naismith & Jelavic. Hardly world-beaters but at least it provided a range of options.
Yesterday we didn't have another forward on the bench (I don't consider Iwobi to be a forward and haven't a clue what Bernard is supposed to be).

Very good post. I always try to take something positive out of every game, something that we can strive to improve.

I can't take anything from last night's game. The lowest point of the season, without doubt.

Ancellotti’s tactics have left a lot to be desired at Goodison Pk, and have definitely contributed to our poor form, because sounding like a cracked record, but whenever Everton play an open game, they are seen to be badly lacking.

We don’t have enough pace, desire, heart & soul or quality, and playing two forwards without natural width, is something I find very hard to fathom.

I think that there must be an acceptance somewhere in Finch/Farm that these players are not wanted by the manager, otherwise even if we got rid of Ancellotti, does anyone genuinely believe this squad are in a false position in the table, with a manager that’s holding us back?

I think he tried to play with width last night, but we didn't have control of the midfield to enable us to get the ball to the wide players.

One thing I was critical of last night, and I'm never one to knee jerk in a game, especially at 1 - 0, but you could see it wasn't working very early on.

The manager, in my opinion, was at fault for not changing the system and the tactics quick enough.

I'm not defending him, he's at fault as much as the players, but maybe it's because of the players we have?

I can always eventually stomach being defeated. Both as an Evertonian and as a player.

But only in the knowledge my team or I gave everything. You can accept being outplayed or beaten by a team that is simply better. But being outfought is not something I associate with being on a football pitch.

Despite my criticism, what you call out is a key point. Our strongest team, but playing at the end of the season. We have a good team. But a weak squad. The result; the best team (on paper) is hanging out by the end of the season.

The successful teams don't just have a good first 11. They have a squad that carries them through the business end of the season. That's our next challenge. Depth of squad.

When Coleman slipped over near the end you could see it on his face imo. He looked hurt and embarrassed, and looked to be biting his teeth, resigned to the fact, that not enough players are good enough or really care?

We have taken six points at Goodison since New Years day. A mind boggling PL 11 W1 D3 L7 F8 A17 home form line, including just one clean sheet.

This really must be addressed as a matter of some urgency.

I'm so disappointed today. Everton missing yet another opportunity in a season of missed opportunity. And my only European tour looking like I'll be going to watch the already relegated Schalke (Konigsblauen - Royal Blues) play in Bundesliga 2 next season.

And I started with so much optimism!!! The game that keeps giving!!

Shambolic may be too light a word to describe this and many games at Goodison this year. Even some of the wins they scraped out away were not worth any glowing report.

What could have been a break out season has been a huge disappointment to every loyal Evertonian.

Others feared because they looked at the squad we have.

My point was that we don't start next season with this squad. A lot of those who do remain become back up rather than regular staters.

Everton's players lack belief, bravery and ability; otherwise, they wouldn't be constantly looking to just pass the ball to Rodriguez, unless it was the right thing to do.

With two forwards on the pitch, then surely they should be the focal point? But the most painful thing about last night was that it looked like we were playing without strikers by the time the game ended.

We are an utter shambles from top to bottom.

Attitude

Anyone with a simple solution to this problem should write to Mr Moshiri c/o Everton Football Club.

The strikers were so isolated last night as we placidly and compliantly stroked it around as if we were in a training match on Finch Farm.

Shows that this squad is systematically flawed.

Four players was a start but it's going to take further reiterations of 4 players plus to turn this squad around.

The point is that Richarlison has been shit for weeks and adding that to his "I'm a victim" attitude he should have been benched several matches ago. King, for all his faults, would be the natural replacement, since we don't have another striker outside of the U23s. I for one wouldn't be surprised if King did alright, given a few full matches instead of 5 minutes at the end.

Gomes, Allan, James. Is there a slower midfield in any team in the league system? It's freaky when Allan is the fastest of a trio in midfield because he is not fast. At all.

If the guy getting £10M a year or whatever it is, admits we were not ready from the beginning you have to question whether he has learned anything from all the previous embarrassments at home.

Maybe his chief assistant, oh yes his son, has to take some blame too but I didn't see him getting any criticism. As for Carlo's buddies, James and Allan, they're not fit for the Premier League.

Carlo has an illustrious past... and is still living there.

Sadly, Moshiri ain't going to risk it getting a new manager, Ancelotti is his guarantee of staying in the Premier League until the new stadium is built. He will then sell up and probably try to buy Arsenal with Usmanov.

I live Everton FC but I am starting to dispise the money-grabbing, bone-idle lazy, lacking professionalism of the players

This is now almost empty, and all the Holy Water in church can't steer this club onto a consistent path and road to success. This season, bar a miracle, will see another road into oblivion for EFC and it's long suffering supporters.

I've said before, I get more peace of mind and less aggro fishing than watching and supporting Everton.

In life, typically at work, you can be too loyal...

With Everton, it's in our blood and we will all bleed and die a Blue, but what a price it has become these days.

There's another season with not much hope on the horizon.

My experience and talking to friend's in some high places is that many good executives and managers recognise when they are in post it is time to move on and do so to allow orderly transition and seamless business transfer. A smaller proportion hang on too long and when retired, acknowledge they should have gone sooner as time waits for no man and everyone has a sell-by date. Finally, some hang on for grim death, afraid of losing power, influence and their perceived status. Generally their business is in poor health compared to the former categories.

I will let TW readers decide which category Messrs Kenwright, Brands, Barrett-Baxendale, Unsworth, Ferguson et al sit.

As for the manager, he by his own acknowledgement seems very comfortable at Everton despite having brought little so far to the table in terms of levels of football, competitive league placement or extended cup runs. Again, talking to many successful executives, they refer to the motto – "The way to feel safe is never to feel secure" – I think over the analysis of this season, Mr Moshiri may do well to recycle that phrase to him as a reminder that a glorious past is not a predictor of a glorious future.

I've said this or similar every year since Moyes sidled off but only Martinez understood it. Pity Moshiri knows fuck all about footy he could have salvaged Bobby's revolution but he doesn't, so he didn't.

He's thrown so much money down the drain, he's looking at caravans in Talacre rather than holidays in Monaco these days. Lots of rain in North Wales, y' know!

I believe that he came to this club to improve things and not to top up his pension.

I know it's not easy but we need to keep our nerve and hope that the summer brings better recruitmen. It must be clear to all decision makers at the club what the issues are with the current squad.

Should he stay or should he go? Ultimately Moshiri will protect his substantial investment. Carlo is here for a while...

Of course, what he will do is to give the old boy up to Xmas to turn things round and then do 'a mutual consent' axing if no improvement occurs.

ps: 'Top half' will be regarded as acceptable given the commitment to the Bramley-Moore Dock project.

The other week, loads were saying that Carlo, doesn't listen to Duncan, but I saw them deep in conversation near the end of the first half, and then they came out for the second half having switched to a 4-4-2, with the two slowest players in our squad occupying the wide positions!

He obviously doesn't fancy many of the current squad, so “again” let's see what the summer brings?

Are some of the lads who are advocating sacking him buying into a change of manager after one full season?

Im not talking solely about Ancelotti, it is a general point. So, 10 different managers in the next 10 seasons if it doesn't work out in the first season?

It reminds me of when I used to work for Trasport for London years ago, dinosaur mentality with no innovation. I wanted to progress and not pick up a decent wage. That's what Everton are.

You have Ferguson, Ebbrell, Unsworth, Stuart at the club – get rid of these hangers, been there decades, offering zero tangible input, including the chairman. The whole place needs a clean sweep.

Too many players remain from previous managers who are not up to it either physically or mentally, and who cannot be whipped into shape due to attitude and / or physical limitations, whatever the training regimen or whoever the manager.

That said, I do not want a suplus of more experienced players who are in decline and playing out their careers which, effectively only applies a sticking plaster. That's where Brands has to step up.

The abuse/"banter" we get from mates for shit like this is insufferable at times. I spent most of the night apologising to my 3 lads who are all blues because of me – genuinely considering ringing the NSPCC to turn myself in as them being Everton fans is one of the cruellest things I've done as a parent! (I jest, but you get my point).

A lot of the points have already been covered above, but the biggest frustration is that we have quality players, but we don't have a quality team. The blend and balance is all wrong.

We don't have players that compliment each other – gone are the days of the left-back & left-winger or right-back & right-winger partnerships where they interlinked brilliantly and seemed unplayable. I dream of the Baines & Pienaar era! At times Digne & Richarlison looked like it but not seen anything for months. Coleman & James at the start of the season were a joy to watch but now its awful.

Our front 2 – Calvert-Lewin & Richarlison – they don't work as a pair. Full stop. I'd love to know whether they actually get on or not as they never seem to combine well or work together as successful partnerships do.

Midfield – Allan & Doucoure do okay as a pair but its the component parts around them (nothing left, nothing on the right) that means it doesn't work as a cohesive unit. And as much as I love James as a footballer with the ball at his feet, I don't want him touching the ball anywhere near the halfway line and boy can he not tackle – never seen anyone flick a leg as a tackle so much as him!

There is a lot of work to do on this "team" for the future - but as well as getting better players in and shifting some of the other deadwood out, I also want to see players bought in that give us an identity as a team and are round pegs in round holes that make the team a cohesive unit.

We need wide players with pace who can beat a man, breakdown teams and get crosses in for the likes of Calvert-Lewin to thrive on. Give us a right-back who can attack and defend to balance the team out. We need more in CM as a box to box carrier of the ball - again to break through the lines of teams and help breakdown teams set up to defend.

But honestly, I will just settle for 11 players who bleed for the club in every game. I'm done with some of our "star" players as they don't run themselves into the ground every game. Look at Leeds, look at West Ham, Leicester. Forget the Super League "Big 6", we are being shown up by teams all around us as they know what it means to turn up as a team.

As for last night, I reached the Popeye stage "I've had about as much as I can stand an I can't stands no more" and turned the laptop off.

Gutless, Spineless, Hopeless, Amateurish, Uninterested, Not an ounce of Pride towards the club and it's supporters, feel free to add the many more criticisms I can't think of at present.

The only saving grace last night was the empty terraces because, had there been a full house, it would have been murder and could have finished the weak willed players off completely. I could probably name three players who I would keep the rest as far as I am concerned can take their fortunes and clear off to lottery wins elsewhere.

No team is too big to fall, as has been shown in the past, but if this club went down I wouldn't back them to come back up with the current attitude being allowed to fester by the very people who should be putting a stop to it. I wish Usmanov would show his hand and get involved and be ruthless with the losers about the place from the Board down.

The ex-player network is obviously not working and that is down to one man who should have gone years ago but no he wants more.

What a club. What a Leader. Not one word of apology from Tiny Tears or Moshiri.

The dust is settling. As much as I try, I can't hate them. Your first love, no matter what they do to you or how they treat you, you go back for more.

We are going to finish 7th or 8th. Disappointing, yes but we finished 7th in 1984. The first step in Ancelotti's reign. Let's see where he takes us next season.

I said I would judge this season at the end. I still will. I think I know what that judgement will be, but I'll hold out until we beat Wolves and Man City.

Absolute shite, the lot of them. And there are no easy solutions – change the manager, get back the fans, change the team, even the board... those things are not the problem and not the solution.

It's a virus of 'I don't give a damm' which is crippling this club. NSNO, my arse. We are afraid to attack Sheffield Utd at home, with a 5-man defence and no-one wants the ball.

Away from home, we play on the counter mostly and get away with it... but when we are expected to take the game to others, we are clueless, and crap and void of any confidence, brazenness and pride.

I'm changing over to bloody gymnastics or lawn bowls or something. Absolutley disgusted.

A former Echo reporter said in his report of yesterday's match that Goodison may be the only venue to fail to sell out its reduced capacity of circa 6,500 on Wednesday. Of course, he is a Kopite and was probably joking.

Digne and Holgate look to pass back more than they look to play the ball forward, but that might in part be to the lack of movement in front of them. Our only plan of attack is play the ball wide and get Digne or Coleman to play it into the 6 yard box and hope that Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison can get on the end of it.

Our goal difference is the worst of the top 10 and its not because we are leaking loads of goals its because we don't score enough. I don't think our front 2 are good enough, Richarlison has completely lost his way, or maybe just wants away, and Calvert-Lewin while very willing and is good in the 6-yard box he is far to limited to lead the line.

All of our midfield are too pedestrian and if you play Iwobi or Bernard out wide then they create next to nothing and score every Preston Guild.

The problem is that 2 or 3 players of the type we can buy wont change this team. Carlo has to get on that training ground and make this team have a set up that allows us to attack in numbers, whereas if its not a corner or free kick you are unlikely to see more than 2 of our players in the box. Again this is bound to happen when the midfield is so slow it can't get up the field quick enough to join the forwards.

Maybe Carlo needs to go and hire Paul Clement who he had when successful at Real, because either Duncan or his son Davide are not experienced enough to make the changes that are necessary.

Ferguson changed his assistant every couple of years at Man Utd as he knew players get used to the same coaches, so by changing his assistants it was a different voice and a slightly different approach. As the only other alternative is that Carlo gets sacked; but can we hope to progress as a club if you change managers every couple of years?

Thanks for asking on the Live Forum last week – someone had a small road accident, things turned out okay.

They need to understand how pissed off all of us are.

The best opportunity in a decade... plus, due to a Covid disrupted season, to try and get back into the Champions League or Europa League and our jokers go and blow it.

If the players can't be arsed, neither can I! Fucked if I'm wasting about 4 hours of my life and a few quid to boot.

And the fact that I feel like that and have done what I've done has upset me almost as much as yesterday's horror show.

White hankie!!! Shame on you, Dave. Surely you mean throw the cushions (the accepted way of showing displeasure back in the 70s).

In other news, I see our former left back, Michael Ball, describing yesterday's players as “bottlers” on the Red Echo website.

I recall Kevin Ratcliffe saying that after he left Everton he still enjoyed winning, but losing wasn't quite as hard to take. Pity that sort of attitude wasn't in evidence yesterday.

Are you nuts? You've got to pay for the cushion!! Come on Mike, pay to insult them?

So, on Wednesday, I will show them, as I always have done, what a victory means to supporters. Then, assuming the players respond, I will pray for some divine intervention during the later kick off games.

UTFT!

Apologies for the oversight. From my '70s vantage point in The Paddock, I could see them raining down, but wasn't aware you had to pay for them.

Rob Halligan will be there on Wednesday and I suspect he's got a pallet load of them in his garage. If you are going, too perhaps you could drop him a line. (I'll be watching – more in hope than expectation.)

Told this before – one of the sellers in Upper Bullens one game had a handwritten sign stuck up behind him, "Missiles 50p".

Cushion and a Golden Goal, you couldn't go wrong.

Yes, those cushions had to paid for. Not sure how much they cost, I never bought any, but I helped a lot of old fellas by throwing their cushions for them!! "Always respect and help the elderly" was my motto, reaping the benefit of that motto in my later years.

Not going to the game myself. Goodison hasn't been open because of the virus, you can no longer go and pay for your season ticket with cash at the ground, so I give my money to my grandson and he pays for mine and his own with his bank card. But, for some reason, the club wouldn't allow him to put both our names forward for the allocation to go to the game. I think the same rules will apply for next season so I'll try and sort something out for then.

I would have gone to the game because it's only 5 minutes by bus to the ground. I even had my hankie washed and ironed!!

None of us know for sure what goes on but I think you are very close to the bone with the reasoned speculation you make. I don't know if Clement is the right man or not to act as Carlo's tsar on the training ground. But him or someone of great reputation could be a very sound investment to bring better structure and practices to training. Duncan and Davide would be spitting feathers, but who cares if it brings improvement?

We may be off the scent with this but I don't think so. I think that that experienced professionalism on the training ground could help us perform more like a homogenous team working as a unit on matchdays.

One last push, lads... business end of the season and we are in the promised land.

But no: 2 wins in 10 (one thanks to a keeper throwing one in), mostly against opposition in the lower half of the table with even less to play for. These players are a disgrace: spineless, gutless, most not fit to wear the shirt. It's got beyond boring now, same old shite every season, all we do is simply exist in the Premier League.

Straight down the middle of the pitch, we can't compete.

Sick of Moyes references these years later? Me too. Yet, at a minimum, the midfield was a battleground when he was here.

Now, fucking Sean Dyche sends his team out to attack us for 90 minutes. Straight down the middle of the pitch. And it was the correct approach to take.

“I hope so. Maybe they can wake us up so that we can show them a different performance."

So, as most are aware, I can't be there when Freedom rings and your populace is actually allowed to attend the games. But, when you're able, please do me a favor: Yell, scream, demand better. If I were a season ticket holder, I'd be livid right now (hell, I am anyhow) and I'd be very, very vocal about that anger and displeasure.

Jump all the fuck over them. This nonsense about "getting behind the team" doesn't apply presently. It's like having a child: Sometimes, they need a damn good spanking.

In this case, Everton need the Mum Crowley treatment with the wooden spoon!

Unacceptable. If they look lethargic, let 'em know about it!

Still pissed off.