I can easily see another 4-0 twatting or a 1-2 away miracle.

Not the team I was expecting and it looks way too open away against a counter attacking team. As usual really worried about the midfield, non of Iwobi, VdB, Richy or Grey are defensive minded at all so is Doucoure supposed to cover the middle of the park by himself? Also, Kenny at RB doesn't fill me with confidence but at least we're playing a LB at LB, even if the jury's still out on Myko.

Bowen was also supposed to be out but starts??

Just don't fancy our chances here with this line up as I can see we've already lost midfield. Far too open - this is not the line we need away to a side chasing top 6. Doesn't seem Lampard has learnt anything in the last couple of months. We'll likely be overrun in midfield - again.

Only chance for us is that BK has called Moyes and asked him for a favour to go easy on us - don't think West Ham have a chance of 4th anymore as it is.

It’s very important to start rebuilding that confidence as Leeds and Brentford keep pulling away from us.

Moyes has made it very public throughout his managerial career that fitness is one the two key things he wants in a team. We of course have Rondon and Ali as back up and Iwobi playing. I bet Moyes hopes the first two come on to boost West Hams European hopes.

Our only hope I think is a Gordon & Dobbins double substitution.

Pickford made a couple of good saves to keep us in it but again our midfield, even when we have more than two, tuck in and again sides have a player wide a following wing back and an outlet just inside
while we never seem to move the ball quick enough or get that kind of support up with it. Gray doesn't seem to put much in when he hasn't got the ball but Richarlison really should have had us level.

And for all his admirers, I think Iwobi is having a good game but we really must start moving the ball quicker as the defence are so slow at it and when we do move it forward we don't seem to have any plan to make use of it. Still I'm hoping for the best as the goal apart we were doing at least as well as them.

Holgate is what he is and is there because we have no-one else. Doucoure the continued big frustration for me - he looks like his brain is operated by a wind up mechanism and someone forgot to wind it. Every time he's on the ball he's too slow to make a decision and ends up coming backwards. He's a waste of time.

I couldn't believe the big shears on the socks – thought Holgate was a "Just Stop Oil" protester.

His miss against Leeds and penalty miss v Brighton has cost us 3 points. Even Southgate didn't use him much in the Euros.

I just want him out and let's shaft someone for the money, which always happens with English Players – such as The United Oil Tanker, and Micheal Keane. Let him concentrae on his photoshoots elsewhere!

Better performance than I expected to be honest. Iwobi was good apart from the goal and bringing down Doucoure on the edge of our own box before Keane's stupid lunge.

A few players not good enough. I've still no idea what Doucoure is. He's next to everything without having any positive influence. Kenny gives everything but he's very limited. Holgate is Holgate.

FFS, away to Burnley next. Massive game.

A few bright signs too... just keep playing Richarlison off the left

No threat and can lose a game without the opposition. The biggest danger is themselves.

I was trying to think of the last time Everton scored a 'clean' goal in the Premier League away from home - but it's so long ago I can't remember, perhaps Iwobi at Wolves some months ago. The startling graphic provided by Sky was that Everton have spent a whole minute in the lead in away fixtures for the last eleven or is it now twelve games.

Didn't agree with taking Dominic off today, he wasn't the least productive there were other contenders to my mind.

Better performance than recent aways but that's not hard really. No stand out performers today and little understanding between players. No real goal threat.

Burnley game huge.

A player who cost 30 million plus and can't control a triangle pass. Usmanov certainly made a shit load of money when he told Mosh to sign him from Arsenal. Money laundering at it's best.

Game of few chances and we never took ours.

Down we will go and you cant blame Frank for crap footballers, two of whom look they run in wellies. One sent off and the other who has the football brain of a fifteen year old

Results don't lie. 6 points all season away from home. Enough said.

Do we have kids who can trap and control a ball ? We have highly paid footballers who can't. Basic mistakes of school boy level.

Mykolenko and Kenny pretty solid defending but useless going forward.

With injuries, suspensions, piss poor players etc… we are in trouble.

Having said that, Calvert-Lewin had a chance to score but put high and wide, Harry Kane wouldn't have and perhaps Frank needs to ask why Ancelloti thought him more a "fox-in-the box" type. And then up pops Holgate and I thought how the hell did he manage to place that in the side netting which was still how it looked on the second replay but the third showed it was a big deflection and otherwise was going almost straight to the keeper.

I thought Keane was unlucky as their centre half had done just the same and barely had a free kick given against him and Cresswell should have seen straight red for kicking Richarlison when he was on the ground, where was VAR then?

And then in the dying moments we have a throw in and all Kenny has to throw it to is the heavily marked Richarlison and when the cross does go in Gordon bottles out of the header!

Bollocks or not, something has to be put right at training if you can train to eliminate basic errors and work on something around the penalty area when we attack as other than two simple errors and the result they weren't much better than us.

And Frank, we were told you had the bollocks to give the kids a chance.

Far too many poor players, Keane is done at Everton Holgate too, Kenny not good enough, Godfrey always playing the ball back, DCL will be sold, not interested, might be easier to find the handful worth keeping. Gray has petered out, 3.15am.. another night ruined..

Christine @

I think Lampard is suffering from that age old symdrome "Once great player – but can't understand how his current charges can't do the basics?"

Make me eat my words Everton - I dare you !!

Absolutely woeful and Frank kept him on???

The fightback begins at Turf Moor. Avoid defeat and we can avoid the drop.

I came to terms with the likelihood of relegation after the Brighton and Norwich matches. There's still time, but Frank looks out of his depth. Still, better than Rafa being at the wheel when we go down.

Gray needs to be sat down and Gordon should start. It's not rocket science but Burnley will bully our shower of millionaire fannies all over the pitch.

Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin have to stop missing.

We are still masters of our fate. We are not in the bottom 3, despite the desperation of the media to put us there.

The standard of players, manager and the club overall is second-rate and the fact supporters are clasping at straws saying we didn't play too bad is just basically in denial. West Ham weren't overly troubled, Christ, how many minutes did it take them to go ahead in the match for the second time?

The same tired shite players starting every game, making the same mistakes every game. When half the starting 11 (every game) is Stoke City standard (at best), then at the end of the season will we really be suprised by the outcome?

It's been a long time coming, and since 1997 this club has been rotting away at the core. We can thank the greatest Evertonian in the world for that (Moshiri was his choice). He's taking his endless tales of the '60s and '80s into the Championship (where we will not come back).

Have some of the players got a suicide wish? Having said that, I saw glimpses of better play, but sadly they were only glimpses. They give the ball away too easily and do little to get it back again. It always seems to be the same players too, who are dragging the others down, not to mention us the fans!

Another great away support again: Do they deserve it?

I thought West Ham where poor and very negative, against a less error prone team Moyes would have bottled it.
.

Him and his backroom staff will be gone in the summer. The club will have to sell players due to either relegation or FFP. Can't see him sticking around for a rebuild to which he'll have little to no money.

No idea why Frank is getting it when his only option is replacing shit with shite even tactics devised by the greatest football minds of history won't circumvent that. He needs a huge dollop of luck because this crew is unquestionably relegation fodder.

I agree with you; however, Burnley won't be quite as passive as the Hammers were today. I fear the officials will decide the game on Wednesday which won't help Everton's cause.

We still have hope - but we somehow need to double our away tally in the remaining games of the season, else there will be too much pressure on the matches at Goodison. Back-to-back wins this side of the Grand National would be of enormous help.

I think we will stay up and I also think that this manager will have us playing well next season. Sorry, but there we are.

Wednesday night has to be avoid defeat at all costs. A draw amazingly wouldn't be the worst result (although we need wins desperately) but we can't give Burnley the 3 points. They will be well up for it and into us. Will we have the bottle to get something?!?

As an aside, Frank was talking to his assistant near the end and covering his lips with his hand. I'm sure he was asking what he was doing here with us!

The team lacks confidence away from home, this is not surprising and is not the time to introduce youngsters. I don't expect to see any youngsters make their debut on Wenesday at Burnley but I hope to see Braithwaite in the back 4.

In my opinion we should retain Lampard, show some faith in the man. There will be many changes in the squad this summer, many contracts ending, player trading and new players arriving. Too much chopping and changing of manager/ coach has not helped these 5 years past.

On to Burnley and shout ourselves hoarse for the team, for Everton because Everton We Love You. COYB

And in the last few minutes was one of the few players getting forward trying to get something happening and getting help only from Richarlison.

If you don't like him, just say so rather than unsubstantiated criticisms.

Christian Eriksen recovered quicker from being dead than Calvert-Lewin has from his injury

Since being appointed, that's 8 league games in charge with 2 wins and 6 defeats I think, having lost every single away game, including of course a 5-0 thrashing at Spurs.

The squad may well be light but West Ham ground out a win today without ever getting out of 1st gear, never mind 2nd or 3rd. A new manager going into a failing team needs to make them hard to beat first and foremost and dig in to get points on the board, any which way, and simply just stop losing. Lampard has failed impressively on this front.

If we lose on Wednesday then Lampard should become Everton's shortest lived manager and shown the door - I'm not sure how anyone could defend what would then be 7 defeats in 9, should that be the case. The excuse of one off player mistakes starts getting thin when it's still being talked about after a dozen games or so in charge.

This team is now so used to losing, many of the players are probably not that bothered anymore as it's the norm, whilst others no doubt are already onto their agents about moving in the summer. Even if we manage to stay up somehow, I just hope Lampard is not our manager next season.

We need someone who has years of managerial experience, can set a team up properly and get the players to respond every game. (And doesn't sign players like Delle Alli.) I just don't rate the guy as a top manager at this point in time.

I was expecting to lose today and hoping for a point so end of the day nothing new. Wednesday takes on an added dimension now. Leeds seem to be getting their mojo back and the Barcodes are pretty much safe already.

If we lose to Burnley, despite still having a few games left, I will start to think this season really will be the one. If we can get a draw at least, then I'll still be hopeful.

Chuffed to see Gomes binned off. Just silly errors by the usual offenders. I actually thought we played okay and there were positives. They are error prone because they are trying so very hard, because essentially some of them are below the standard but we'll beat Burnley if we show that effort.

At 1-1, we were going on to win that game but then Iwobi fell asleep and Keane had a mare. Not all hope lost, far from it. UTFT!

However, I opened the April edition of GQ this morning to find a 10 page spread and an article on him. “The Sheffield-born footballer is as happy posing up a storm in a collarless Gucci coat-cum-dress - finished with a spray of the brand’s interlocking Gs - as he is in a Bottega Veneta bouclé two-piece in a trademark parakeet hue. With the Bottega he chooses to wear a turquoise quilted-leather Chanel handbag from his own collection”.

Each to their own. But it’s hardly Dave Hickson, and I suspect it’s unlikely to instil trepidation into an opposing defender, something I would quite like him to do.

Personally I thought unfashionable Dyche was the best man for the job (the job being to grind out points with a crap squad) in the circumstances we found ourselves in.

I still believe we will pick up the points but Lampard simply must learn how to deploy a poor squad low on confidence.

Individual errors are unsurprising when the first XI and formation change markedly every week.

Allardyce and Ancelloti both dug out points - both knew what they were doing. Lampard needs to follow suit.

I would bench Gray, as he has spent two games running round in circles reluctant to pass.

I would play Alli from the off as he does have the ability to put someone in.

We lose there and we might as well pack it in.

"But it's hardly Dave Hickson" - lovely.

Worst ground in the Premier League by the way. Utterly soulless and we were miles away from the pitch. Hope we are looking at the London Stadium and thinking “do the opposite of that” for our new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Strange football stadium. Strange and passive game. And despite my previous calling out of West Ham as a good set of fans, strange fans. I've never really got my head around people who pay good money to not watch football and support their own team as they would rather spend most of the 90 minutes looking at the away fans waving their arms and goading. Odd.

Let's do the positives. Big thanks to Brent for the ticket and great to meet up with Rob, Dave and Steve, my future European Tour gang.

Also, in the context of this season, as disappointing as the result was, that wasn't too bad a shift in my opinion. The frustration is that an average West Ham team didn't have to do a lot to win. A great free kick from a Halewood lad (shitbag celebration in front of us and unnecessary) and punished by our own mistakes. Familiar tale and usual suspects as the title suggests.

But at 1-1 it actually felt like we were on top and could sneak it. I thought were going to. And then

I've not given myself much time to think or analyse this, so excuse me as I'm on my way home. But that wasn't the worst I've seen and I have seen bad this season. I think that was reflected by the fans at the end. Certainly no Brentford or Norwich reaction.

On the players. I thought Mykolenko done well. I thought Richarlison & Calvert-Lewin wasted the opportunities that could have seen a different result.

Can someone else tell me whether we had a shout for an edge of box free kick or even penalty when DCL got through 2nd half? Iwobi, in fairness, was having one of his better games but once he was involved in that mistake for the 2nd, his head and confidence was shot.

We all see it different, my Everton player of the match was Gray. West Ham seemed to deliberately target him when he had the ball and many times as soon as he did, there were 3 or 4 crowding him out. I just wish he'd have had options in front of him. Either Dominic is not fully fit or his head is elsewhere. Didn't look right.

I don't have as far to travel home as the many who made the trip today. But west to east London and back is still about a 60 mile round trip. I'll make up for it at the next home game. Safe travels blues.

That's 6 players the team is carrying. 3 reds in the last 3.

Why was there this urgency to press forward so soon after they had deservedly equalised, stay back and let WHU do the attacking and let them make the mistakes which would have given us the chance to win the game while a point would have been a good result today.

This game went the same way as many this season with Everton basically losing the game by silly avoidable errors resulting in players losing us points that should have seen in a comfortable safe position in the league.

Managers have made mistakes undoubtably compounded by the players making many more, no use naming names they come under the same title “The Usual Suspects “ but will escape Scott free at the end of the season with not a care in the world and just move on and leave us still fretting and worrying about the future of this once great club.

And so on to Wednesday night and another stressful game to endure but hopefully with a different result.

He doesn't do enough at the right times to affect the game with tactical switches and/or subs. We just play the same way regardless of the situation/scoreline and hope for the best.

Mistakes are unavoidable, unfortunately so is playing Michael Keane and Mason Holgate.

Peter is the Fashion Editor of the magazine in question – he doesn't like to shout about it though.

Dobbin needs to start over Calvert-Lewin on Wednesday. At least the lad with run and press the Burnley defence.

There are no shortage of candidates (deadwood) to get shut of, but of the few that would generate revenue, I would cash in on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but try tooth and nail to keep Richarlison!

I thought our general play was quite good and, when it was 11 v 11, I thought we looked the better team.

Downsides: losing Van de Beek before the game, and Allan''s totally unfair absence, combined with the usual mistakes.

I thought Keane's second yellow was harsh and certainly would not have been given against Van Dijk. And Calvert-Lewin not firing on all cylinders for whatever reason.

All I will say is Branthwaite and Patterson must be awful in training if they are not selected before Keane and Kenny.

I receive the magazine through the post monthly. My daughter subscribed to it a few years ago as a birthday present to me, and has never cancelled it.

I suspect she is dropping me hints about my sartorial conservatism. At the age of 15 I opted for the Ben Sherman button-down collar, pleated-back shirt style, it has stood me in good stead for 50+ years, I can't see me changing now!

What manager would stick with almost the same players that have seen off the previous managers? Had he given some of the younger players a go, at worse, we would be in the same mess. but doing this would give them a start for next season whatever league we are in.

We have got to keep the senior players away from the youngsters. The errors from the senior players are like Covid with it being Iwobi's turn to lay on a vital goal for the opposition.

I'm gutted... but what about our away fans? I really feel for them

I've heard that Patterson has some sort of injury making him unavailable today.

As for Rebecca Lowe's comments, well she's not wrong is she? It was a fairly comfortable victory for the Hammers, who were below par and didn't have to break sweat to get the points. It was an improved performance from Everton, but only in comparison to what's gone before this season.

Everton star Nathan Patterson has endured another rotten stroke of luck after being injured hours before his planned Premier League debut.

And manager Frank Lampard believes his ankle problem "might not be a good one".

The Scotland star impressed again on international duty last week and that form had Lampard ready to finally throw him in for league action.

But in training on Saturday the former Rangers defender, sold for a club record fee in January, suffered an ankle injury which is set to keep him waiting even longer three months since leaving Ibrox.
Source: Daily Record.

If we can improve on our passing going to a player with the same coloured shirt, and being able to improve on shots at goal, I know that sounds obvious, but, they look to be lacking in confidence to have a go, on sight!

I couldn't give two hoots if it was our best away performance under Lampard, it is solely the result that matters. It's hard to say but Lampard is more a hindrance than a help in this battle to stay in the Premier League.

Let's face it, this league is poor and we can hardly keep up with the bottom three teams. Burnley, the team that has difficulty scoring, must see Premier League survival laid on a plate for them by a visit of the inept Blues and will totally cream us. The injuries and suspensions are being lined up as excuses, this catastrophe is all our own doing.

The fact that Dobbin or Patterson can't get on the pitch is beyond belief in this team, and then to leave out our most effective player in Gordon just goes to show.

I am starting to believe he keeps playing the same bunch of crap players to deflect how shit of a manager he is... After all, he can blame the same players week after week for the same mistakes rather than replacing them with more hungrier youth players.

Even if we survive this season, it will be the same again next season... yippee!

On the game, much more effort than the dire display against Palace but certainly lacking Premier League quality. As everyone says, Burnley is a crunch match. Maintain today's efforts and we should get something but I think more injuries from today won't help.

I suspect Holgate might be out unless he can find a pair of socks. What on earth was that all that about?

Dyche's outfit won't face an easier 90 minutes this season than what they will encounter on Wednesday night. I feared relegation last November and take absolutely no satisfaction in it now coming to fruition. You get what you deserve (apart from the RS) and frankly every other team at the bottom has more backbone and better organisation than our spineless wasters.

We deserve relegation as Blue Bill's reward for his years of mismanagement, especially in the selection of his chosen investor. The only people who can save us now are the fans, but even if we do avoid the drop by some miracle our reward will be Kenwright and Co remaining in situ until they finally achieve the complete destruction of a once-proud club.

Of course this also depends on the players being able to play simple passes, putting in the effort, giving a shit, growing a backbone, and putting it on the line for the club that has made them multi-millionaires.

Relegation for a club in our situation could see us being adrift from the Premier League for the next 10 years.

He should not be part of our starting eleven or not even on the bench. The number of important mistakes he has made, that has cost us points this season, cannot justify his selection. Drop him or we are definitely going down. Sell him or free transfer him in the summer.

Crucial game on Wednesday that we cannot afford to lose.

There's been far too much emphasis from Lampard on the way how he wants the team to play and the Dele Alli signing – when virtually everyone knew we needed a centre back – immediately rang alarm bells for me. It was the signing of a manager that just didn't get the trouble we were in, or hadn't seen us that much.

Not taking a dominant organiser of a centre-back in the window may be the reason we drop.

I tried playing in a kilt a few times, and that wasn't easy ! Mind you that was the bagpipes. 😂😜💙

Two goals against non-league Boreham Wood doesn't make him a good player. He offers absolutely nothing.

Is Allan back for Wednesday? We need leadership on the pitch and a lot more bite in midfield.

It's still there to play for. Play for it, Everton.

I suspect if you entered the field wearing your best blue Ben Sherman, you would strike much more fear into any centre-half than Calvert-Lewin is ever likely to do in an Everton shirt.

Allan is suspended for Burnley but will be available for Man Utd at the weekend.

Not sure I agree with your premise of ending up ahead of Leeds and Newcastle... We can only hope, in fact, it will be quite a feat to end up in 17th position.

Gordon wasn't going to pull the irons out of the fire with a goal but he should have started for his industry and effort alone. Losing 2-1 and you put a midfielder on?

Calvert-Lewin can do what he likes off the pitch provided it's not criminal or detrimental to Everton. I don't know when the photoshoot took place but I would have thought that his time would have been more productive getting himself fit for EFC who pay his not unsubstantial wages. Legends in their own lunchtimes...

The players aren't making errors because they are under pressure – it's because they aren't good enough. Simply passing to another teammate and not being able to do it. TerribIe. Like driving a car and not being able to change gear correctly. Pure basic stuff.

I don't like calling players out but Iwobi should have been off, he kept giving the ball away. Dele Alli should have come on – he's had two extra weeks to get fitter. Why persevere with Iwobi and not Alli who's a better footballer and who will, I hope, improve?

Patterson? Will we ever find out the reason?

Everton have been in dire straights for a while now so why does Frank Lampard not have his assistant alongside him on the touchline to help him manage the game? Eddie Howe does.

I hope I'm wrong but it looks as though Frank isn't up to the job. Leeds United, new manager steadied them up quickly, didn't know anything about the Premier League. Why's that?

There's nothing as supporters we can do about it but let me tell you, as an old dude, this is draining on my health.

I didn't think we would get relegated back in November; however, as soon as people started saying we need to win our home matches, I was resigned to it.

I've been saying for months Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are living off hype and not much else.

How many goals has Richarlison scored this season?

DCL is a player that looks like he's started believing his own publicity too.

You know that, I know that, and probably all the rest of the stalwarts, but do the players?

Sounds like an obvious question, but the way that some of them play in an important game (ie, casually) almost beggars belief, especially in the passing aspect, and in front of goal!

Newcastle recently lost to us (yes, Everton) and are currently being subject to a demoralising thumping. Both those teams aren't out of the woods yet in my opinion.

We will get change out of Leicester too.

And 3 points at Mordor.

The team performance was better. Kenny did okay, since West Ham were always going to target his wing. Calvert-Lewin moved better, but his finishing was very weak as usual. Keane was always going to be vulnerable, with the added responsibility of Captain making him open to rashness.

Holgate luckily cancelled out his error, but Frank did not adjust tactics to save the point, going gung-ho and paying against a poor West Ham's counter-attack.

Rebecca Lowe was not watching the match I watched.

We have quite a few high earners coming to the end of their contracts this season so any manager will have wage bill ammo to at least sign some 'frees' – there are quite a lot of players out of contract this season in general and some are quite decent and gettable – assuming we're still in the Premier League and hopefully have a new manager.

On another note, I was just thinking back to the start of the season. Before the October international break, we'd won 4, drawn 2 lost 1 of our first 7 league games and were sitting near the top of the Premier League. What an amazing turnaround since, for the worse! That Watford game was some capitulation and we never recovered – albeit the loss to West Ham before probably started the rot.

There were a couple of key injuries but still, that is/was some meltdown – I wonder what happened behind the scenes as I can't imagine it was just players suddenly turning shit within a couple of weeks. Anyone have any insights?

He said: "We don't know who will win the league yet but it seems like everyone knows Everton is going to get relegated. We are not in the relegation zone but we are not stupid, we are close and we have to win games."

Source: Eurosport.

Well, Mason and fellow squad members – go out there and prove them all wrong... and stop giving soft goals up too.

We made Shelvey look like a midfield maestro at St James' Park. Although he should have walked for the challenge on Gordon.

We don't play with any sense of urgency as a team.

Then you have Pickford and a few others laughing as they trudge off the pitch, chatting to the opponents and their manager.

It is going to take a piece of magic out of the Blue. I must be one of the few that is more than a little nervous for the Burnley away game, only positive being Keane not playing.

I know posters want us to be positive, not give up, COYB, Up The Toffees and all that.

What more can the fans do? Sold out away every match, roaring the players on at Goodison... the fans are doing their part; sadly, the players are not.

Calvert-Lewin blazed his one decent chance over the bar and Richarlison tried to flick it with the outside of his boot and ovehit what was a gilt-edged opportunity.

Having endured periods without our two most valuable assets, thinking all would be alright once they were back, now we all know that neither of them is good enough. Richarlison isn't very skillful, never dribbles past his man. h, he is quickish, but never gets away and although his heading is great, his shooting is wayward.

As for DomInic, his injury has clearly left him without that spring that caused defenders so many problems. He isn't as fit as he was and he will have a tough time on Wednesday. I would play him up there with Dobbin, with Dele Alli behind them.

Drop Richarlison (he will get clobbered if he plays); drop Gray (who is far too greedy); and get Gordon on from the off.

We need to go there and win.

Glad he's out for the most critical game for us in more than 25 years next up. I really hope that either Branthwaite or Welch are ready to step up because, if Frank puts Holgate next to Godfrey again, Burnley's big lads will have them on toast.

I'd actually keep Holgate in midfield and the rest of the team unchanged for that one too. Chopping and changing is doing nothing, let those 11 take us down or keep us up so we can remember them appropriately: Heroes or Dream-killers, boys.

I'm a bit more optimistic after today, like Danny. Our luck has to change soon and something has to go our way, starting with Burnley this week.

Most weeks this season have been 'eeek' weeks. :)

People may point out that West Ham were poor. However, they are 5th in the table because they get results with that squad and those kind of performances. It is what Moyes did at Everton for many years.

The first goal was against the run of play, and also an unstoppable set-piece free-kick. Nothing to be done to stop the free-kick. Nobody is saving it, despite the efforts of the Sky Sports punditry team to shift blame onto Pickford.

The problem was giving the free-kick away in the first place. It was a moment of switching off and it is those moments which are costing us. Sloppy play leads to a poor tackle, free-kick and, at this level, somebody is likely to step up and put it in the top corner.

The second was the same. Against the run of play. And then Iwobi – who I thought had been excellent to that point – switches off. Practically on the half-way line. In the Premier League, you just don't get away with that, and we were punished. Job done for the Hammers.

Michael Keane then hits the self-destruct button once again and all but ends our hopes of getting a result.

Good defenders are not generally seen sliding into tackles, stretching to block things, etc. Jonjoe Kenny and Michael Keane are regularly doing this.

People knocking Holgate. I thought he performed well in an unfamiliar role.

Not MotM, his goal was a deflection. I think his contract is due up at the end of next season, so time to sell him.

Iwobi played better – his best ever game for us that I have ever seen until he lost concentration resulting in their second goal.

Gray has the skill to be a key player but he only seemingly tries to pass the ball when he has three players on him and then, 9 times of 10, he tries to turn back towards our goal resulting in the loss of the ball. I thought he was going to be replaced instead of Calvert-Lewin.

Mr Lampard, the only other centre-forward for todays game was on the bench: Dobbin. Gordon and Richarlison play more dynamic football when a centre-forward creates space and a focal point for them. Will it take you 10 more games before you realise that?

Dobbin will take two or three sessions on the field, 20+ minutes, just like Gordon did to really start firing but, as soon as he starts firing, Calvert-Lewin will raise his game or get less on-field time. It's called competition for places.

Bad reffing played another part against us today: Why was the challenge when Richarlison was brought down in the first half, when we broke away with players over, not worthy of yellow? Keane got his first yellow for stopping a breakaway at the same distance from the halfway line.

The sign of things to come at Bramley-Moore Dock, or will we just leave people to disperse at will?

I've been to Tottenham and Arsenal that do similar but today was overly controlled, in my view.

We've tried God knows how many managers. We've tried various formations and tactics...

Sorry but these bunch of clowns don't “hurt”. Regardless of what anyone says, they may have showed a bit more commitment today but it's still well short of 100%.

Basics all over the pitch are abysmal. God help us if Burnley give us an aerial bombardment and a 'get stuck in' game... Our bunch of pansies will fold. Gutless overpaid tossers.

I still don't understand why a fully fit Gbamin was allowed leave? He should have been playing for U23s to get match fit, he's the only other defensive midfielder we have.

Burnley are going to be physical, so Iwobi and Gray definitely shouldn't start; play Rondon or Calvert-Lewin upfront with Dobbin alongside.

This momentary lapse of concentration cost us the point. West Ham we're no better than us today, we gave it to them on a silver platter. It's demoralising and we have to move on and be mentally strong against Burnley. Focus, no schoolboy errors.

I'd like to see a bit more threat and determination in the final third, we need to attack the box more and make something happen, commit defenders and back ourselves. Go for it.

The error by Iwobi was calamitous but does Keane ever ask himself the ‘what if?' question? What if the midfielder loses possession? Can I get into position to cover the mistake?

His pass to Gomes at Southampton led directly to a loss of possession and the concession of a goal. Awareness of possible danger is vital for any defence, especially central defenders... and especially in a struggling team.

Wrong players, wrong manager, wrong chairman and wrong owner!

If Rondon played like Calvert-Lewin today, he'd be slated. The guy just looked so disinterested.

I've never seen a team so sloppy in possession under no pressure. They can ping it around on a quarter-sized pitch during the warm-up but, given more time in a real game, they just perform like rabbits in headlights.

We were better today but we could hardly be worse. Problems all over the pitch. Games running out. Squeaky bum time.

I understand that there are still 8 games to go for most of them but all the clubs in the bottom 4 are averaging less than 1 point per game and for me a 4 point cushion at this stage of the season allows me to sleep at night.

A win would be glorious but a point would represent a good night's work, especially with our record away from home this season. COYB.

Why – seeing we are a Blue team, do we enjoy collecting red cards? Every time I see the teamsheet with all the 'usual suspects', I despair. Will Frank never give the young lads their chance?

Ah well, only 10 games left to suffer...

Spot on. We mustn't lose the game and if we do I think we'll go.

They will play with no fear unlike some of the others. It's a gamble but so is sticking with the regulars.

I'm almost home. I don't know how many times I've said it this season, but we all get a pass to vent frustration.

Time, money effort. But worth it.

Poor dogs in the morning. It's probably why they go looking for foxes. The boy comes and listens though. I think he understands.

Big week starting Wednesday. I'm overseas until Friday but know where my head and mind will be as always.

It's all about character and application now, two qualities which will be severely tested on Wednesday. If we go a goal down, who is going to drag us out of the mire? Coleman? Richarlison? This is what worries me the most. They are like sheep without a shepherd, these boys.

I checked the team that played Coventry the last time our Premier League status was on the line in 1998: Myhre; O'Kane, Short, Tiler, Watson, Ball; Hutchinson, Farrelly, Barmby; Madar Ferguson. There is a leader or two in that team. Who will lead us now?

Burnley are up next, who are waiting for their expectations. Then after, there is Man Utd. It won't get any better.

As for today. It was better and if our strikers took their chances, a different result. Also, work harder, lads – it's down to you!

Sorry, but no points against Burnley on Wednesday and we must admit relegation is more probable than not.

Keane, another = does he ever learn? Fucking useless liability – like many others in this team.

Godfrey has gone backwards but this could be down to playing with the current back four. Jonjoe Kenny, give me a break!

Somebody on here reckons Gray was Man of the Match! – am I missing something? What the fuck did he do actually? He's certainly a luxury player.

Calvert-Lewin playing like a guy who doesn't want to mix it, if you get me... We are simply shot of confidence; we may stay up, but holy fuck – this bunch of players are well short of what Evertonians demand.

Anybody reckon Burnley will be confident if they launch balls into the box every opportunity they get on Wednesday!?

Right now, the only hope I have is the teams below us keep losing – like us!

Lampard will be fired at the end of season, no matter what, I think.

It didn't!

For what it's worth, I think the team to join Burnley will be us. We are an awful team (let's be honest). Watford will survive (the team that scored 5 at Woodison).

Two ugly victories in the next two matches will be the most beautiful wins we've seen for some time. There's no excuse because there is a gap of over a week between Saturday and the next fixture with Leicester City.

Come on, Blues, do a major part of the work, whilst it's still in our own hands. Nobody supporting Everton cares if you don't play stylish football, it's all about points now.

Downside is they've ended up in an athletics stadium. Just another example of "price of everything, value of nothing" types who run the clubs and the game.

If we win Wednesday, we stay up; if we draw, we may stay up; if we lose, I think we have had it.

Burnley know they have to beat us, which means they have to open up and go for it... which in theory may suit us more.

I sure hope so.

If you know me, you know I look a bit distinctive – I am 73 years old with very long hair, a goatee beard, ribbons around my neck, pretty laid back.

I have been physically and personally abused; I am not over fussy or a whinger – but I have had 2 hours of dreadful abuse, in my face, punched, screamed at, threatened... I am quite cool and kept my cool – but extremely unpleasant and aggressive – 2 hours of being called “Scouse cunt” by grown men, screaming at me, pushing me, punching me. I was with a friend who asked me to “keep cool”.

On top of this football that was an insult to me and the effort I put in to go to the match – dreadful, woeful, cowardly football.

Leave Everton, please, as soon as possible: Holgate, Keane, Kenny, Iwobi, Calvert-Lewin.

What a horrible ground, what a dreadful advert for football, what an embarrassing cowardly disgraceful nothingness show, Everton, what a sad day.

I was saved by a man and 2 kids coming up to me and shaking hands and saying sorry for the West Ham fans.

Where is my apology from Everton FC? Gutless nothings... how sad.

Watching amongst Hammers fans and most want us to get a grip and stay up.

Get our first away point under Lampard on Wednesday and beat Man Utd on Saturday will mean the nappy orders can be put on hold for a while.

Even if we lose on Wednesday, beating Man Utd, Leicester and Brentford at home will put us on 34 points, which should be enough got to keep hoping...

Supporters are saying West Ham never got out of first gear, but I don't think Everton allowed them. Apart from really poor play giving them the second goal, there was a number of periods that Everton looked the better team, and as has been noted, there were a number of occasions that Everton should have scored. When you are at the bottom, things just don't seem to go your way, and today the officiating didn't go our way.

The yellow cards given to Everton players were correct, but I feel the same offenses against Everton players were not given.

As bad as some supporters are making it out, I thought there were improvements today. That must have been made difficult by – having planned for this game – you had to change your tactics 10 minutes before the game and bring in a defensive midfielder for an attacking one.

I'm glad you kept your cool and didn't let the idiots get to you, but there appears to be a growing number of loons following the game again, who have little respect for themselves and even less for others. The 'cockney' idea that working class people from the North are somehow lesser than the working class people from the Capital City is nauseating.

Unfortunately people from Liverpool for no apparent reason, seem to bring out the very worst of these mindless dolts. At least there are some Londoners who aren't of the same mind and Danny showed that to be the case in the game at home to West Ham.

Safe journey back, George, those players you mention will have to produce a lot more if we are to avoid the dreaded drop. It can be done; whether they manage to do it or not, we can have a serious inquest at the end of May.

As for the loons, I wish they'd find another sport to sully or, better still, they should take up a home-based hobby that doesn't involve sharp instruments.

It's people like you and countless others who travel the length of the country and are such good ambassadors for this club that are the only reason these days to make me proud to be a Blue.

If the players were half as good as you, then we wouldn't be witnessing the dross we have to put up with. Hope you get back okay. Thanks for your support of our once-great club. Hope better times can come soon.

Thoughts. We played much better and Lampard has a plan but, as soon as they were in transition, we couldn't keep up. We were also narrow, maybe to keep compact.

I thought Gray, Iwobi and Doucouré played well (he looked fit today). The usual suspects made the usual mistakes they've been making for years. Just not good enough.

I'm not blaming Lampard for this one. We were the better team overall.

On to Burnley and no youngsters please, that's just suicide in our biggest game for years.

Hope you are okay?

Yes, it was a quality free-kick, but I'm always mystified as to why the post further away from the keeper isn't protected by an outfield player on the line, it's almost an open invitation for the taker to put it in that spot, if they are good enough to do it.

Summary justice actually works, because the roly poly, big salary grabbers, who masquerade as policemen, scare no-one.

Terrorise the terrorists.

If it happened inside the stadium, there will be CCTV of any incidents that you were involved in – send a letter to West Ham and Everton and get those coke-addled fans banned from all football stadiums.

Need to win the game at Burnley and then saw the stats – we have the worst away record of any team in this division.

We're fucked!

Why cannot Dele Alli play? Once again Frank did little in the way of substitutions to change matters. Surely we are due some luck because, without it, we may be doomed.

You could see these idiots on the TV hanging over the barriers and looking for trouble. Thought we had hi-tech surveillance to pick people out and remove them? Obviously wishful thinking. Who cares about your average football fan. We only help pay the bills.

Let's hope the Blues can do something to cheer you and all other Evertonians up soon.

Hope you are okay – take care.

Our performance ‘deserved' (I know it doesn't work that way) at least a point and I saw no reason to say West Ham were passive. Not gung-ho perhaps but I didn't see them coasting. Gray, for one, got no real space to work in (but he kept going and showed some glimpses of improving form).

We have presumably prepared for this game with Donny van de Beek in a pivotal role so that must have been a massive blow before kick-off and yet we still ended up getting very much on top before their opener.

Pickford had no chance, his starting point has to be such that the free-kick taker is more likely to attempt the more difficult option of up-down over the wall. He won't have seen it until it was already over the wall and some shots are just unreachable.

I don't know if it was the one he'd been prepped for but Iwobi looked to have finally found a role that suited him. Without his clanger (not Keane's fault!), I think that would have been his best performance for us to date.

Keane's second yellow was just dumb but again a fairly isolated blot on a fairly decent performance.

Is there any evidence that the club didn't look at strengthening the centre of defence in January?

It is just possible that Lampard is finally getting some better results from his training drills. We just need to hope that it can all click and we can avoid the injuries, red cards, and bloody stupid mistakes in enough of the remaining games.

When we got the equaliser, that was the time to get compact. Get everyone to tuck in and only stretch the game with our pace up front. Basically, invite pressure and hit them on the counter. Instead, we pushed up and a mistake was picked off. Lampard should have dealt with this.

Our tempo drops off massively in every game once the initial adrenaline rush fades out. 15-20 minutes. We start playing simple passes between centre-backs, then the opposition score with their first meaningful attack. Lampard should have recognised this and dealt with it weeks ago.

We go down to ten men and we take off Calvert-Lewin (who was shite), a target man we can hit with an out ball. That resulted in us losing 2 of our 3 aerial threats. And it wasn't like Gray was pulling up trees. Strange decision.

Lose to Burnley, Lampard has to go. He's out of his depth and the fans who called for him need to take a look at themselves. He's got nothing that even hinted he was the right man for the job.

I find it really sad that people just want to get all angry and criticise. I put it down to not being cuddled as a child. I understand it is in some people's nature to be unhappy in their lives but, believe me, a bit of perspective is really good for mental well-being.

I go to every game and have done so for years (seems like forever) and have seen some shocking performances when we've been hammered and deserved nothing (eg, at Spurs). But – and this is a big 'but' – today wasn't one of them.

Today, with 11 v 11, we were the better side and, whilst it went against us, nothing should detract from that. The result was nothing to do with West Ham being in 2nd gear, not wanting to score 4 or 5, or any other bullshit nonsense.

It was solely that the big moments didn't go our way. It happens – even West Ham fans we spoke to on the way back to the tube admitted as much. Even at 2-1 and 10 men, we still created some opportunities – including a great one right at the death.

Now I get that we still didn't pick up much-needed points and, at this stage, that's crucial... but if we continue in this vein, we'll be good enough.

I also get that being just about good enough isn't, well, good enough for EFC but we just need to stick together, do enough, then rebuild to a better place in the summer. Believe me, slagging off everything won't get us there; only being as one will.

Onto Burnley on Wednesday, where I fully expect a positive result – unlike some of the sad, angry people on here.

God bless all.

Stephen, good comments. I was actually impressed with Iwobi's passing out of the #10 position today... he tried aggressive through balls over and over again, and pulled off several of them into runs by Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Mykolenko. No feeble backpasses. Unfortunately, however, his momentary lapse of concentration was one of the mistakes of the season and cost us a point..

For Keane, there is simply no excuse. His time at the club must now end.

As for Holgate at defensive mid, it's an argument I had with several TW posters this week. I thought it was a terrible idea, that sooner or later he would commit a game-changing error in that position. And that's exactly what happened.

George: like many others here, I hope you're okay, mate, and I'm really angry and saddened about your ordeal today. Hope they get them for that – as others have said, surely CCTV should be a big help?

I said Lampard was the best choice of the three that were apparently interviewed.

After only 2 months, I do not believe he is the man to take us forward and, no matter what happens, I reckon he will be sacked.

Out of interest, who was your choice for manager of the three?

Attacking anyone, let alone a 73-year-old bloke, is an act of cowards. Hope you're not too shaken. They probably do it every game as the coppers are more concerned with the away fans than home ones.

Back to the game, I thought we looked more like a unit today, formation was decent and tactics pretty good.

A moment of quality on the free-kick gave them the lead. We showed good character to get back into the game only for Iwobi to make 2 mistakes that led to the goal and sending off.

Basic individual mistakes get punished in this league and we are making plenty of them.

Branthwait,e Gordon and Coleman start for me on Wednesday replacing Keane, Kenny and Iwobi.

They were a shocking set of fans. I don't usually rise but, before half-time, I got fed up and walked over to the countless stewards who had made a massive issue about making Everton fans remove banners despite doing nothing about the constant abuse coming from the home fans on adjacent sides of our section.

I subsequently got involved in a shouting match with a lad who I told wasn't mature enough to shave, let alone comment on football, or who pays who's benefits or even have a fight. Gobshite. Why do people go to football matches for that?

Peter @179

He got ejected. Not that it pleases me as we all go to watch football.

I then had to head into Central London with them. Nasty bunch in comparison to their away following that I experienced at Goodison earlier in the season. Many of them didn't seem to watch the match. And lots of empty seats, like the Etihad.

I've had the family based here since 2004 so being a London taxpayer paying for that depresses me more, Peter @179.

They inevitably sang "We pay your benefits" (yawn). Unless they all live in Kensington or Surrey, their fan base is hardly different from ours. And their ground was a benefit gifted to them.

Really disappointed with their fans. Ours were great as always. Supported Everton rather than slagged off the opposition's supporters.

I would have taken Pereira over Lampard, but Fonseca was also available. There were also many Championship managers we could have tempted away. Anyone who has a track record of organisation would have been preferable.

I'm probably coming across as a bit of bellend, but the way it turned toxic in the anti-Pereira/pro-Lampard race turned my stomach. Lampard's a good communicator and has a good profile in the game, but he took Derby from 6th to 6th despite spending a fortune and getting some friendly loan signings, and he had Chelsea playing football that had them exposed every time the other team beat their press. The last thing we needed was a manager on a learning curve.

I agree with you, I doubt he'll be here for too much longer.

I agree with your comments about Iwobi. He ran his socks off and played well. Until, like you say, around the hour mark. When he was finished. He made the mistake through fatigue and we were made to pay.

However, I disagree about Calvert-Lewin. As a presence and target to hit, he did his job there today. No central defender is having an easy day in the air with Calvert-Lewin about.

However, any Evertonian who has watched him over the years, including during his purple patch of 2020, knows that he has his limitations. He needs service, he requires crosses into the box. He thrives on this and that's when he produces.

If fans want him to produce things that he's not capable of then they'll forever be left disappointed.

There was an instance in the first half when Jonjoe Kenny had the opportunity to cross the ball, with 3 Everton players in the box, including Calvert-Lewin, and he instead tried to beat a man and ended up conceding a throw-in. That ineptitude is a microcosm of the problem. Yet fans will blame Calvert-Lewin because they find his tastes in fashion and aspects of his personal life unpalatable.

For Mykolenko and Kenny to repeatedly hit the first man with any cross they managed to pull off and then blame Calvert-Lewin… I cannot quite reconcile it.

I'm very worried by our predicament; however, I'm marginally less worried after that performance today. We played well. Fine margins cost us. They may well cost us ultimately but I'm prepared for that as I think Lampard can steer us from the Championship with a medium- to long-term plan.

One question that remains for me, however, is that of Dele Alli. I just don't get that situation at all. Lampard is incredibly honest. But of all the things I'd like to know, one of them is why Alli is not getting games? I think Evertonians deserve an explanation.

As for the game, we were much better but it was a missed opportunity today. Burnley is a must-not-lose rather than must-win game. Somehow, Frank has to set us up to not concede away from home. It will be a tough one for sure but, if we can outplay West Ham, then we can do the same to Burnley.

Maybe Keane's red card will turn out to be a blessing with Branthwaite coming in (assuming Mina isn't fit). I think Coleman will get the nod ahead of Kenny and based on today Mykolenko will keep his place.

Calvert-Lewin looked sharper to me today, as did Gray. Some green shoots to work with and surely our luck will change soon?

UTFT

To be honest I've accepted relegation after the Spurs defeat. I pray and hope I'm wrong, but I really fear the worst.

For me, Calvert-Lewin is jogging about too much. He's not defending from the front, he's putting himself about a lot less than he used to, he's not running channels. I'd still have him in the team every week, but he needs to work harder.

I find his modelling ridiculous, and totally at odds with his day job. I'm a progressive and I don't judge people for their choices, lifestyle or identity, but he's plying his trade in an industry where perception really counts. The only people who have ever bullied others while holding a handbag have been Thatcher and Andy Capp's missus. He's not ever going to intimidate a centre-back while he dresses like a schoolgirl (What the fuck was he thinking about?!)

I'm with you on Alli and Kenny. The former can't get into this team? Really? And the latter can't cross the ball unless he stops, plants himself, and has a good think about how he's going to kick the ball. Crossing while on the run should be a basic skill for any full-back or winger.

We obviously didn't get the result, and the sending off killed us. But that is the benchmark for what we need between now and the end of the season away from home – starting on Wednesday. Go away from home, defend well and play. Fingers crossed…

I wasn't convinced of Pereira nor Ferguson so my thinking was Lampard. Fonseca wasn't even considered apparently.

When I read that Cahill was in on all the interviews as Moshri's advisor and recommended Lampard, I thought now Tim knows the club and supporters so maybe he will get a rise out of these players if only for his winner's medals. But you know, honestly, I don't think any manager could get this current squad going.

We can only hope we somehow stay up and then rebuild properly. It's going to be interesting!!

You're right about the squad, it looks like what it is. A team cobbled together with the second choices of 6 different managers.

We have the worst away record of any team in ANY DIVISION my friend.

This squad is unmanageable... totally unmanageable. It's the worst I've ever seen in 42 years. They should be totally ashamed of themselves. They will have the stain of relegating one of the greatest clubs. And they won't give a shit.

Glad to hear you are okay, after your ordeal. West Ham fans can be like that in my experience. Safe home.

Frank is a young manager, hopefully Everton survive and he is given a chance to develop. He can get Everton to play good football, but needs better players and a better backroom setup.

We bought in 5 players during the transfer window; as yet, to me, they have not improved us. We are getting regularly beat by more and just as easily than we did under Rafa.

I wonder, if Pereira had a different agent, would we have been so toxic towards him.

Many years ago, when I lived in London, I was returning home on the tube with a Chelsea gobshite standing near me telling everyone how he was going to knife a scouser. I don't think I was the only Evertonian sitting in that carriage and I was primed to jump up and get stuck in. I did keep cool and the prick eventually got off – probably all bluster but you never know.

West Ham was often a problem place to go to and I used to live nearby in the mid '80s and knew a lot of locals who followed them. Played footy with some of them in Leyton. However, you had to watch yourself on matchday.

Never been to that Olympic park and have no intention of ever going. It looks vacuous, just like their fans.

Let's hope for a better time on Wednesday. Best wishes, mate.

"Whilst he was positive in possession, providing four key passes, he had a disaster-class in the out of possession phase and committed zero tackles whilst also losing 100% of his defensive duels. On that evidence, it’s hardly a surprise that the Echo’s David Prentice once labelled him “embarrassing.”

Sadly, he also failed to provide a single accurate cross from the three that he attempted during his time on the field."

I’ve said many times and on the main pre match thread, playing Michael Keane, is a major risk., most games there’s a major BFU, that he could have avoided, but the manager, who knows his players, picks the team.

But on the park, it’s about knowing your team, supporting each other and playing for the shirt. Today I saw good signs but Everton lost the game for themselves, and West Ham, basically, there for the taking today, got lucky.

In the core games, Michael Keane, every game, and as Captain, today, his sending off, reckless and unnecessary, gave the iniative to West Ham.

No Team, gives more soft goals, by unforced errors than Everton.
That was a killer to not take at least a point as West Ham, but the form stats don’t lie.

Burnley is not quite last chance saloon, but Everton need a point at least, to stay in with a chance of staying up, points, bred confidence.

Today was sadly a self inflicted mess. But time and games are running out.

This game v Burnley is massive. I hope that the team take stock, and look at the positives and avoid the freebies v Burnley.

Dyches, will have his own Dogs of War, feeding on raw steak the next few days, and the Dutch lad, Wegghorst, will be primed, to, get used to batter the Everton defence.

That Creek, Evertonians, all know so well, in football, is getting, tougher to get away, from, but it can be done.

Unlucky, but cut out the freebies, and there’s a chance to win a game.

The media rhetoric on Everton’s fate, grows, by the day.

Fekk Mr Ed, and the media, and Everton, will stay up this season.

Under Ancelotti, we had one of the best away forms in the country – now we're a joke.

Can't bear to watch MotD2. Off to bed. Good Night all – especially George!

His flaws have been horribly exposed as his doubters (mae culpa), feared. There's no vision, no fight, and no real sign of hope. Moyes must be laughing up his sleeve tonight. Wonder how the wag who dressed up as the grim reaper at Goodison that day is feeling?

George, it's almost 30 years since I was at Upton Park. It sounds like nothing has changed….

Our strike force is non-existent, teams know we have no goal threat... none, zero, nil, nada. All they have to do is organise the defence and the rest will come naturally.

Calvert-Lewin is fucking hopeless and uninterested. I can see him doing a Barkley, going to a big team and spending the rest of his career on the bench.mRondon at least gets physical and stuck in.

I'm pissed... both off and liquefied, so may be talking bollocks.

Sorry to hear about your dreadful day. West Ham ' fans' are the most vile I have ever encountered in over 50 years. A bunch of wild animals at times. Scum of the earth.

I couldn't believe how well Iwobi played and how up for it he looked. Doucoure much better too.

Unfortunately Iwobi's error was at the same time that Keane decided to step out of defence. And Pickford's save lands straight at Bowen's feet.

The second yellow by Keane was so stupid and they game was all but gone.

I thought Holgate improved after a very poor start. I think Calvert-Lewin may well have his eye on the door but I think he did okay. I'd say Lampard has told him to conserve energy and hence the lack of closing down but his limitations as a striker were shown in his token effort of a shot on his left foot.

Good to see Mykolenko playing quite well too.

On to Wednesday where a moral victory like today is simply no good.

For fuck's sake, back the team, and games, left to win.

A bad day darn Stratford way, but the season is not over.

Burnley and Man Utd can be beaten at Goodison, and the season is still alive, but feckin All Together Now for Everton, like never before, for many years.

UTFTs!

It's not rocket science. We're weak through the middle, flood the middle with middle players and tell the attackers to track back. If they don't, sub them or drop them.

Not revelling in any decline – just not burying my head in the sand shouting "la la lalala" and pretending everything is okay.

It's just hard to be hopeful sometimes. However, as anyone knows who survived 0-2 at half-time in 94 and Dion Dublin's equaliser in 98, there's always a chink of light…

As far as the match went it was exactly as expected under the current owner/s-boardroom for the past thirty years - flaccid, mundane and threatless in terms of achieving a win.

Bog-standard, repeat, "bog-standard", Hammers outpaced, outran, out-defended and out-attacked our visibly inadequate team who mainly strolled whilst West Ham actually ran. They "contained" us in every facet, and we let them, again.

It's been going on for decades - good players turning to dust at Finch Farm once they're "coached" by ex-Everton no mark players who've embedded themselves in Kenwright's anus on their way to millionaire status.

Since the advent of the Monaco Muppet we've had even deeper ineptitude revealed to us on the pitch and behind the scenes, at the cost of half a £billion dodgy money.

Assuming the MM's pronouncement on buying our club/support/adoration is still valid, namely that 90% control is still Kenwright's alone, just why are we all so mute in enduring our death-rattle as (a founder) Premier League club under Kenwright's wholly inadequate tenure?

Moshiri still seems hell-bent, today, on creating the BMD stadium but given his choice of chairman just how credible is any vestige of the Everton so-called enterprise to achieve Moshiri's initial three-year project of consistent Champions League qualification?

Anyway George, glad that you’re okay, and like you, we had to change at Crewe and wait for around forty five minutes in the cold to catch a connecting train back to Liverpool. The joys of being an away fan for any club, eh!!

They feel that they and not Everton are being punished.

Iwobi was having one of his better games before the error which led to their second. But far too many of his passes go astray, often as today proved, with disastrous consequences. Doucoure opened well but faded. Gray is still failing to capture early season promise.

The biggest culprit for me was Calvert-Lewin. If he still isn't fully fit and sharp then fair enough, he may need more time. But if his head is wound up with modelling handbags for GQ magazine and a move to the glamour of a London club in the summer, then we may be better off if he's pulled on a blue shirt for the last time.

A couple of seasons back, I defended the lad both on here and in the Gwladys Street when everyone was calling for his blood, because his efforts were tireless and selfless. I'm afraid I don't see those qualities in his game now.

Only he knows where he wants his future to be but, if it isn't with us, then the sooner we part ways, the better. Because frankly at present, his contribution to the cause in this dire predicament we find ourselves in, is precisely zero.

Phil - 249 about Calvert-Lewin – I am glad you said it because I am fed up saying it but I will again on the forthcoming Burnley thread.

We have to keep at it somehow or other.

In relation to their fans, I'll climb down a bit from the after-match emotion. As Rob said, no issues before or after the match as we sat and travelled amongst them. It was just the group in the section behind and to the right of me that irritated. I genuinely don't think many of them watched much of the match. A bit of a skirmish on the way to Stratford Station, but that was just a group on both sides doing that "hold me back dance", shouting and beating of chests with no real intent. Not a lot for the police to sort out there. Had a decent chat with some West Ham fans and other Evertonians on the way to St Pancras. Believe it or not and I'll take the caveat they were basking in victory, but very complimentary to our performance.

I don't normally do the player rating thing but let's have a look at a few performances as I saw it.

Pickford didn't have a great deal to do. I think it's harsh to criticise too much on the free kick. I doubt anyone is stopping that, such was the quality delivered by a player who grew up on the doorstep of Finch Farm. Jordan done well when called upon, especially the moment in the first half when he came off his line to block with his body. I also noted him taking control on occasion and even coming out of his box to clear. I don't know if that is him learning or he has little confidence in his central defenders.

Jonjoe Kenny unfortunately had one of those games where, no matter how much I want him to succeed at Everton, you realise he's not the answer.

Mykolenko. Said it already, had a steady and decent game. Hopefully he's settling in and can build on that.

Holgate. I wouldn't crucify him or scapegoat him, but he's just way too casual.

Keane. I've said enough on these pages. Why was he captain? Then again, did we have any leaders on the pitch? He actually had a decent start, but always has those Michael Keane moments in him. I just have to accept he is Michael Keane and leave it.

Godfrey. I thought he had a quiet game. Get's beat in the air too easily for a centre back, but apart from that didn't do a lot wrong. Is he a centre back? Is he a more traditional full back? Is he a sweeper? Is he just suffering from 2nd season syndrome that young players encounter? Especially in the context of a poorly performing team.

Doucoure. Improved peformance. Hopefully he's getting back to his best.

Iwobi. Already said it. He was having one of his better games but his part in the mistake for their goal destroyed his confidence.

Gray. Again, I'll repeat. My man of the match. One of the few wiiling to drive and run forward but got crowded out. Partly good tactics by West Ham, partly because when he looked up, he had few (if any) options, so had to hold onto the ball too long.

Richarlison. Wasteful but he was a threat, but hould have scored. Had a hissy fit at the end kicking a bottle and after the altercation that led to us gaining a free kick almost leaned his head into the West Ham player. Silly and could have earned him a red but fortunately he refrained, but he was close.

Calvert-Lewin. Wasteful. Should have scored. Something wasn't right with him, be that fitness or his head wasn't on the game.

Anthony Gordon looked lively when he came on but it was a bit too late to effect the game.

That's how I saw it. Final, and for some, controversial point; I wonder if we'd had Rondon on for that free kick right at the end, he could have nabbed a point?

Once the season finishes and regardless of our league status the priority in the summer has to be to re-ignite the 27 year campaign and demand the removal of Kenwright and his cohorts once and for all. He simply needs to be gone.

This site produces some of the greatest paranoia known to the web but I can’t believe that he didn’t get a red for that.

His reckless challenge which cost him a red card was thought unnecessary by the pundits. Everton has the highest number of errors(8) causing goals in the Premiership and as we have witnessed Keane has helped alot in getting that alcolade.

Lampard should never have put him Captain. It went to his head against West Ham.

As far as Burnley and Watford are concerned Everton have to get results in their remaining matches.

Actually I am disappointed that Keane did not get a straight red, instead of a two yellow red and be out of the selection process for the next three matches, instead of one. He alone could be the cause of Everton's relegation with his errors.

Missed Everton chances was also highlighted on MOTD. Calvett Lewin is definitely not Twinkle toes and never will be. Richarlison was also deemed to have fluffed chances.

I actually thought Kenny played ok, confirmed when I watched MOTD.

I had no problem with Keane’s first yellow, I couldn’t, it was to similar to the one I moaned about Coady getting away with, if a little less cynical, but just before his second yellow, Dawson kicked Richarlison up in the air, no yellow, and then Keane got his second yellow, for his second foul.

This might not have changed the result, but it’s becoming a little too obvious for me now, and I’m just waiting for a brave investigative journalist to dig deep and start exposing what is an obvious corruption, imo.

I’d like to get on this train but I need any small bit of convincing.

Eddie, Richarlison was an embarrassment as he often is but even kicking the ball aggressively that close to a player’s head is worthy of a red. Some lad in Spain got a red for throwing the ball at that other great stage actor Jordi Alba recently.

Moving on to Burnley, we'll need our strikers to be clinical. I can count on one hand the number of clear cut chances we've had away this season so we can't waste any.

Avoid defeat and we can avoid the drop.

I could see how disillusioned you were with Everton's performance and that was very telling. Your positivity normally shines through always.

Onwards and upwards George.

We have a big game on Wednesday and give injuries and suspensions I think the manager has limited options. I would go with

Pickford
Coleman
Brantwaite (If not now then when?)
Godfrey
Holgate
The Duke
Iwobi
Gordon
DCL and
Charlie

It's so obvious that we have a lack of quality in the side and it's costing us week in week out but we have enough to get something out the game on Wednesday.

You could argue that our players aren't in Ref's ear and are too nice, but it's happening too often.

Shane, I did allude to it. At the time, once I realised that inevitably the Ref wasn't giving a red and we had the free kick, I was more concerned Richie was going to give him an ever so slight Glasgow kiss and see red himself. Plus it was our final chance to grab something.

Eddie @255, I'll maintain Gray literally ran out of options. Other than aimlessly punt it forward, he was giving the ball back to West Ham regardless. I think a lot of the time he was desperately trying to keep possession.

Well, I'm still on the waiting list for a season ticket. I do okay for home games through my membership and rely on the good will of people I've met through this forum for away matches.

If anyone is giving their up, please refer me as a replacement whatever happens. I believe that is an option.

I agree with those saying it was an improved performance by the team, especially Iwobi in centre midfield, although he was less involved after Keane went off.

We need to carry on the same way at Burnley with the need for reckless attacking, we can win this game by protecting the defence first and let Burnley make the mistakes not us, Burnley will rely on dead ball situations but kill the game all over the park. Rondon should start and have areal go for an hour then bring on Dominic or Dobbin to attack the tiring, hopefully, Burnley defenders.

The worry is that West Ham didn't have to do a lot to win the game, and all they had to do was wait for us to make our usual mistakes and capitalise on one of them and that's precisely what they did. There were very few pluses to take from yesterdays game, and yet more questions over the lack of quality in this squad. I have said for a long time we lack goals and if you look at the stats for any of our forwards then its there for all to see. Defensively we cant keep a clean sheet away from home, and our midfield is virtually non existent. I thought Iwobi had his best game in a Blue shirt and it was unlucky his poor control cost us the game. The sending off basically killed off any chance of a comeback a stupid challenge by Keane as was the one that got him the first booking. But again the biggest disappointment for me is Doucoure he just lacks the basic ability of a Premier league midfielder. When he has possession he never seems in full control of the ball and never ever looks like scoring a goal and defensively he is a complete disaster. He had the ball on the edge of our box lost control to their player who rolled the ball into the path of Antonio and Keane made his stupid challenge.

I know Lampard wants to play a more open game than Benitez or the style that Ancelotti played, but Ancelotti quickly realised this squad is incapable of playing in an open and attacking style. Also what's happened to Demarai Gray the lad was terrific under Benitez he was the one player who got the crowd excited every time he got the ball, but under Lampard looks a completely different player. I am well aware that confidence has a huge part to play in any sport be it amateur or professional, but that confidence is only going to return when we start winning games, and we just don't look capable of beating anyone at the moment.

I thought the look on Franks face after Keane was sent off said everything, he looked as if to say I don't believe what I am watching here, I really think now he is realizing just how bad this group of players are. He has played in teams were every player was super confident in their ability but here he doesnt see anyone with that swagger and confidence. Just a group of very average footballers whose confidence is easily knocked and I really don't know how you change that mindset. So far we have been lucky that the 3 teams below us are at present just as bad, but we cant keep relying on that to continue.

I think individually there are talented players in the squad (so disagree). It's just collectively, they don't form a cohesive functioning team (so agree). I think Lampard is discovering that with alarm bells ringing in his ears.

Reflective of our recent exploits and "strategy" in the transfer market I guess?? We've assembled a collection of decent all sorts rather than build a team based on a system and strategy. And of course, the managerial roulette wheel has clearly contributed to that.

I did feel for Iwobi yesterday. He did play well then just lost his confidence and yes, going down to 10 didn't help his cause.

It's a reflection of the followers on this website that most recognise the improvement yesterday. Let's take that onto Wednesday and then United at the Goodison Bear Pit. If we have to drink through the early hours because of the early kick off to crank up the atmosphere, then so be it.

Talking of which, I hope the Evertonian who was staggering to Stratford and randomly shouting at the Police about Covid got home safely. I enjoy a drink on matchdays but this fellah was struggling with his direction of travel, let alone sentences!!!

Again Richarlson flatters to deceive, that's two games running he has had a chance on his left and flung his right boot at is. Not good enough.

On the plus side I thought we played well and were the better side considering that midfield, can't fathom how we managed to lose that after controlling pretty much the whole game.

I'm all for Lampard and can see him doing well once he gets his own players in (if he gets the chance) but his substitutions, or lack of are starting to bother me.

Crucial mistakes at board level, appointing the wrong managers, appointing the wrong director of football, (do we need one?), recruitment, coaching staff, players etc.

Iwobi had a decent game but basic mistakes and poor decision making by other team mates (ie Kean) is why we are in a relegation scrapp.

Average players who are not good enough to play out from the back. A team that lacks awareness to danger around them. The lack of cover, desire and defensive solidity to keep a clean sheet and make it hard for the opposition to create and score goals.

Inability to pass the ball accurately to a team mate when under no pressure. The lack of ability to win back the ball and keep the ball.

A confusing game plan that involves crossing the ball into the box only when our best header of the ball (Dom) isn't on the pitch.

We need to shoot more, pass forward more often and quicker, deliver more crosses into the box first time instead of the backwards infield play we try. It doesn't work. We need to mix it up.

And please tell Dom to make more near post runs as our crossing fails to beat the first defender!

How can we beat Burnley?
Stay solid and strong, cut out the mistakes, cover the central defensive areas, shoot more often with better accuracy and belief.

Work hard as a team, play hard as a team, win as a team.

It's that lack of awareness and giving a #£@! (pooh) that runs throughout the team.

Absolute text book we've been doing it all season and it's beyond basic and so see through.

For me, it's now about consistency - keep that system and stop fcking around with it Frank. As long as they're fit to do so, then keep the team as close to the same as possible, maybe with just one/two tweaks here or there. Maybe Gordon for Gray, Branthwaite for Keane, and Coleman/Patterson for Kenny if fit ONLY but that's it.

I think Holgate should stay in the CDM role. He's arrogant enough to play it, and I think with a run of games he could become actually become a very solid player to sit in front of the defence. He's also mobile, and alongside 2 x CD's would add more at set peices both ends. All that aside, we have NO OTHER option for it.

Leave Myko now at LB to make it his own, and until Mina returns give Godfrey and Branthwaite a run together to see if they can form a partnership. If we end up chasing the game, try putting an EXTRA striker on Frank, instead of relying on the unproductive Gray/Gordon all the time. A front 3 of DCL, Rondon, and Richie enough to give any back 4 a major headache, and there's no shame in punting it if it comes to it.

Going to be a very scary run in, although I think we can get a win at Burnley, and then the Goodison bear pit can get us 6 points from United and Leicester. Come on Blues, keep fighting!!!

Mykolenko to play at left-back to bring us up to 11.

He was unmarked with nobody around him and he couldn't control a side foot pass which lead to their 2nd goal. He is a footballer after all, surely if you have a pair of boots on you expect a football to be passed to you at any given moment especially playing in the centre of the park.

Keane made 2 fouls and got 2 cards. The 2nd of which was after Iwobi had tripped up Doucouré!!!. Did anyone see McTominays challenge on Madison? Straight red all day long much worse than Allan's but no red. Moutinho on Dallas no red. The only thing consistent is that the big club's get the decisions whilst the teams at the bottom get nothing. It's so obvious I don't understand why managers don't make more of it.

I may be splitting hairs here but an improved performance by Iwobi still meant giving away 1 goal and assisting in getting your team mate sent off!

I fully expect us to get something from the game on Wednesday.

Lampard is adopting tactics that expose the lack of confidence of the players.

It was a better performance yesterday but we are taking far too many risks away from home.

Allardyce / Ancelotti tactics will pick up points away.

However, the end result proves one thing people have been saying for a while now. If we keep picking the same old players who have not been up to it all season, we will keep getting the same outcome. You might get an improved performance sometimes - but there will always be one of Keane, Holgate, Iwobi, Gomes, Kenny, Godfrey etc to make a costy error and cost us points.

Lampard must not only accept this but also do something about it. There is simply no way Keane should play for us ever again - his red card will actually be a blessing I think. Provided Lampard is brave enough to put Branthwaite in there instead, along with new blood in the form of someone like Welch. Do not be fooled into thinking Godfrey is the answer - he switches off in games and gets caught out of position too often. Least said about Holgate the better.

Until we start picking different players (whether younger ones or senior fringe ones like Ali or Al-Ghazi), nothing will change. Why is the manager so scared of trying something new?

However, the end result proves one thing people have been saying for a while now. If we keep picking the same old players who have not been up to it all season, we will keep getting the same outcome. You might get an improved performance sometimes - but there will always be one of Keane, Holgate, Iwobi, Gomes, Kenny, Godfrey etc to make a costy error and cost us points.

Lampard must not only accept this but also do something about it. There is simply no way Keane should play for us ever again - his red card will actually be a blessing I think. Provided Lampard is brave enough to put Branthwaite in there instead, along with new blood in the form of someone like Welch. Do not be fooled into thinking Godfrey is the answer - he switches off in games and gets caught out of position too often. Least said about Holgate the better.

Until we start picking different players (whether younger ones or senior fringe ones like Ali or Al-Ghazi), nothing will change. Why is the manager so scared of trying something new?

Replacing them with teenagers is not the answer.

We will crumble.

Sorry for the lack of optimism.

But Everton players make mistakes when there is no pressure on them to play the ball or when there is no cover should they lose the ball.

Too often our own players lose the ball in dangerous areas. That is a players poor ability but also because the manager is asking them to 'play' and 'take risks'.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Will Duncan be back in charge before the end of the season?

I hope not, because I want us to start winning and become a successful football playing team.

But realism is needed. Frank will learn to play a more safer brand of football (especially away from home) or he'll be sacked.

Results continue to be poor and I can’t say I'm surprised.

I’m not even sure that either the sending off of Kenny against Wolves, or yesterday’s decision change the outcome of the game, but Michael Oliver has been very inconsistent with the way he’s dished out the cards in both games (3 weeks apart) and I just think it’s becoming very apparent that we are being unfairly treated.

It’s definitely got worse since Mike Riley gave Everton a public apology, and I personally think that if the club employed someone specifically, to dig into these matters, it wouldn’t take them long to find something a bit more sinister.

Maybe Everton can’t afford to do this, especially because of the current sanctions facing the Oligarchs, but something doesn’t feel right, maybe a job for Nicola Tallant?

https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/eight-times-liverpool-player-red-card-sent-off-under-jurgen-klopp/

And I’ve never seen a team run into people from behind as much as them. And then there’s the gobshite of a manager who must have a special contract with the FA/PL given the level of cry arsing he does on the sidelines. They also have the most penalties ever in the PL - never mentioned - and the most injury time goals ever in the PL - for some reason the media refer to this as “Fergie Time”. None of this is ever mentioned in the media. Why? Fear of reprisals? They are like a cult when someone says anything about them. Contrast this with us and the ridiculous red cards we’ve had over the last few years. The treatment of Andy Johnson after Mourinho said he dived. The treatment of Richarlison now, after the media pundits said he goes down too easily. He does a bit but he gets kicked all over the place cos other teams know they can get away with it, and do. The Keane red card vs Brighton. The City handball. Multiple red shite incidents. Niasse. It’s every game. They’ve been after us for ages and we never stood up to them and called their bluff (because we’re all fluffy like in Bill’s image and don’t like cause a fuss). But they’ve especially been after us after the big dope got injured last season at GP.

I agree, though, that our players could have made a lot more fuss and at least have got a VAR check because it looked pretty genuine to me at first viewing.

I think the mistakes are throughout the team and, when confidence is low, then you have to work even harder to make sure that concentration does not drop and that worst-case scenarios are avoided. The pass from Keane is fine – even if other passes were on – and the miscontrol from Iwobi is poor. But for West Ham to be able to make one pass that puts Antonio in on goal with no covering defender within 25 of him – that's the problem.

That's a lack of awareness and concentration from Kenny, Godfrey and Holgate. Iwobi clearly miscontrols the ball in the West Ham half, and that is poor – but conceding possession is part and parcel of football. The best teams always have a contingency in place to make it hard for the opposition in the event that they win the ball – whether it be a high press, or getting back behind the ball, or playing a high line, etc – but the positioning of our back line at the moment that Iwobi miscontrols the ball left us wide open. That is the big problem and the one that needs working on.

Individual players will make poor passes, or miscontrol the ball – that cannot be eradicated from our play – but leaving Antonio in 20 yards of space to run in unchallenged on goal... that can be – and should be – and must be.

But I don't agree with your belief in an insurance policy against such mishaps, or your acceptance of them as being inevitable. Yes, they will occur, but it is the miscontrol that must be eradicated, not the consequence, which could be any number of scenarios that are completely unpredictable.

If the players spend the entire match anticipating and trying (in vain) to insure against the consequences of such abysmal play, there would be no forward movement on the field at all.

To blame Keane for giving a simple short pass is just not on. Iwobi's mistake took Kenny out of the game and it was a simple straight pass that then put Antonio through on goal.

Pickford made the save and, if our luck was in, the ball falls to Mykolenko who clears.

You acknowledge that Iwobi had a good game, marred by one lapse. And yet Holgate's one lapse (I thought he also had a good game otherwise) is offered as support for a view that he's not up to it in midfield.

Mike, I think that's a bit selective. Good games, both. A costly lapse, both.

It is perfectly reasonable to expect one of our defenders (at the very least) to have spotted that Antonio was completely alone - and that a sudden turnover and one well-executed pass would see him in on goal unchallenged. Kenny, Holgate and Godfrey - and even Mykolenko - could all have been in better positions, but at the moment Keane passed to Iwobi I don't think any of them knew where Antonio was or what was about to happen, while Antonio was very aware of what a bit of movement and clever positioning was about to offer him. That's not good enough, and worries me much more than a player miscontrolling a simple pass.

I am not suggesting anything that more successful teams are doing out of habit and good instruction. Too often our players switch off in the hope that a team-mate will pick up the slack, and my experience tells me that significant errors occur when doubt kicks in - "is that my man or can I leave him to someone else" is the thought process than ends in problems. Indecision and half-heartedness can be very catching. At times like these the players need to work even harder to make sure that we do not allow other teams to have clear chances on goal - and Iwobi's miscontrol (awful as it was) did not do that - but our defenders' collective positioning did.

When Zouma clears, Godfrey wins the ball, but a heavy touch takes him into a challenge with Soucek. The ball then arrives with Keane, who has Holgate standing on his toes. Godfrey is making his way back into position and Jonjoe Kenny is standing next to Michail Antonio. When Keane passes to Iwobi - with neither Godfrey or Keane back in position, Kenny leaves Antonio and gets ready to overlap, and he shouldn't have done that. I understand why he did - Iwobi should never miscontrol that pass - but without Keane and Godfrey in position to mark Antonio then Kenny has to stick with that responsibility. That's my take.

If I am wrong then I would like to know what the yellow was awarded for. Perhaps time-wasting by kicking the ball away? What a referee 🤔.

Gutted for George, I always find proper Londoners okay, have a soft spot for West Ham, but he’s obviously met the dickheads, although I’m sure this wouldn’t have bothered him so much if Everton’s players had a bit more savvy and heart?

I was actually gutted for proper Londoners yesterday, when I overheard a few kids round about my oldest son’s age, talking about different places. I realized they were talking about places to live, and when I then spoke to them, I then realized that most working class cockneys will never be able to own their own house in London, and one kid was talking about relocating to Wigan (poor kid) just so he could try and get on in life a bit better.

Norman Tebbit told us scousers to get on our bike, because there was no work in Liverpool, now the kids from the capital, have got to get on their bikes, if they want to own their own house. Proof that sanctions have been getting put on the working classes forever!

I was thinking about that. I think it must be since the start of this year, not the start of the season. The next teams on the list had 5 errors.

Any sign of Hind, Wood, Cash and others?

BTW Tony (#310), it's a global problem mate. There's kids here and my nephews and nieces in Australia in the exact same boat. The issue of course is when a cashed up kid can't afford London but moves to Wigan they displace a Wigan kid who then moves somewhere else and displaces somebody less well off.

Your grandkids and my grandkids I doubt will be as sanguine about the situation as young people today. Without enormous change this is only heading to social dysfunction and worse.

I just don't think you can have people in the side who you know regularly make poor errors each game which cost you points. The young lads might not be the answer but we will never know until we give it a go. For me, the usual suspects have had all season to show what they can do and failed - if we keep playing them, history will just repeat itself until we go down.

We know what we get from the 'experienced pros' - but the young lads might just surprise us. If they don't, we're no worse off anyway as are losing most weeks at the moment.

Keane turning back on himself twice and not putting the passes on as he should have meant when he did pass, most of the Everton players were out of position. Iowbi was having to come back, Kenny was going forward. I guess the other Everton players were the same out of position, because of Keane meanderings.

Sad to hear what happened to you especially at your age. I'd say that is a minority that every club and City have, unfortunately. I worked down in London many years ago and drank with supporters from lots of clubs after work. We all have our differences but I did spend most of the drinking time in pubs around Mile End Road, Stratford and Ilford, mainly with West Ham lads, and always found them great.

Went to a few West Ham league games and strangely bumped into a scouse fella who was a steward there and he let us in for a fiver. That was against Southampton and my memory of that game was a few West Ham fans fighting each other. Trouble is never too far away in this mad world.

Thoughts on the game are that we played okay but we are fragile. No players at this level should be mis-controlling a simple pass but somehow we have a team of players who do it regularly. Doucouré did it twice right on the halfway line in the one move! Calvert-Lewin never had that ball under full control on his run into the box and that's why he didn't get the pen.

Richarlison has got to start putting his single chances into the net. He's not going to get many tap-ins like he does for Brazil. Well, I hope he does, actually.

I don't know if many picked up on it yesterday but Pickford made two or three saves with his feet when I think he should have been braver and gone with his hands.

Strangely, they were similar challenges to the one that brought the whole football elitist group down on him for doing Van Dijk and yet he got a bit of praise from one ex-redneck.

So battle on we must with a 6-pointer at Burnley. We have no choice but to trust in what Frank Lampard is doing. He has inherited an absolute mess at the wrong end of his career so is unfortunately going to make mistakes. It's not his fault so we have to back him for the future of the club.

I echo Don's sentiments that the biggest problem is sitting smug whilst all around him cop the blame. Out with Kenwright and his circus he put in place at Finch Farm. There's a reason our players can't control the ball!

This time I think we could do very much better by following his blueprint:

- keep clean sheets

- don't lose possession in your own half

- play the first pass forward

- win the knock downs

- prioritise set pieces (offense and defence)

- exploit opposition weakness

- have quality in the final 3rd

All very well stating the bleeding obvious but there is a method in place in each case (plenty of articles / videos explaining more if of interest). He also deliberately simplifies the roles and responsibilities of players and keeps a consistent formation / personnel. It is boring, frustrating and effective. You feel like you should be doing much better and don't appreciate you could be doing much, much worse.

Lampard has done a very poor job so far. We have now used more players than any other Prem Club this season. It shows. They look like strangers with nothing resembling a partnership across the pitch. The formation changes regularly too.

Having been given a very good chance to sort it out, Lampard is now running out of games with a squad running out of confidence.

In this situation it is fair enough to make comparisons with Allardyce (and Ancelotti) who both got what now appears to be a hopeless group of players into mid-table.

Lampard needs to grow up fast as a manager now and use some simple tactics with a track record to grind out the points we need.

He called him a waste of space and said he has been a waste of space for 2½ years. Despite failing under 3 managers at Spurs, you would have thought that he would come here under a manager that wanted him and would show that Mourhino and Santo and Conte were all wrong about him.

But it seems they were all right; Mourhino said he doesn't do enough on the training ground to be selected, and that's what Lampard is now echoing. I am sure Lampard must be massively disappointed in Dele and must be regretting he ever went near him.

I'm not sure where Dele goes after this because not many will be prepared to pay him the money Everton are but maybe he has enough money to last him and he will just sail off into the sunset in the summer.

I, like Lampard, hoped we might have nicked a real player who had just lost his way but, unless things change dramatically very soon, this story doesn't appear to have a happy ending.

So, yet another player who is a waste of money; this club seems to make an art form of buying poor players and paying them a fortune. You would think after 6 years they would have learnt their lesson.

Contrast that to Brentford who have spent very little yet are ahead of us in the league, then they sign Eriksen and, lo and behold, he plays and scores and runs the show for them in the games he has played. It's how recruitment should work.

What are they doing at Finch Farm???

We have needed “real change” for years, and this is why we have also become dysfunctional. It creeps up suddenly, but it's usually something that has been years in the making, unfortunately.

The desperate lunges at players just outside the box when you have a world class stopper is daft. Take your chances and get to their side or force them to take an extra step for control and take your chances with the keeper.

The second was obviously Iwobi gone blank but attempting that pass was not worth the risk given the lack of cover and who was lurking close by. These are both examples of an absence of discipline on the road and is somewhat Frank's responsibility.

We had a point well into the second half and that was a completely unnecessary risk with no upside to completing the pass; better to just hoof it to the front line if fearing loss of possession.

Anyway, late to the bummer party so I'll leave it there. Still not going down, damnit!

Good players make good teams, Everton don't have enough good players in every department and hence our struggles. A coach can employ whatever tactics he thinks best but he can't make poor players any better than the limits of their ability.

The fat lady isn't singing yet, but she's warming up her vocal chords.

Personally I just don't think Keane is particularly culpable. He won possession of the ball, stepped up into midfield and made a pass to a team-mate.

I also don't think Godfrey was particularly culpable. His challenge to compete for the ball took him into the West Ham half and he was making a sensible attempt to get back into position.

Kenny was in a position to cover for the two centre-halves by staying with Antonio. And Holgate, could easily have retreated into central defence - what with Godfrey and Keane both over the halfway line. But neither sniffed the danger. That's why when Iwobi miscontrolled the ball we were so easily carved open.

As I understand the deal over the transfer of Dele to Everton is a two and a half year deal, and Everton will pay him in excess of £100,000 per week. The rest of the deal is based on a related perfomance payments, if he plays 20 games then Everton have to pay Spurs £10 million. The deal if it ran the full course could cost Everton £40 million.

I assume maybe wrongly that if come the summer when he definitely wont have played 20 games for us we could then sell him on for a nominal fee as I guess the way things are going not to many clubs would give him £100,000 per week.

Calvert-Lewin has always been able to run but he's making it easy for people to criticize and say his head looks elsewhere because he's lost that will to really run.

It could be the type of injury he's had is something that needs time before a player starts firing again but Everton haven't got much time and this is why I thought Dominic was our most disappointing player yesterday.

Last one on Sunday, I'll agree it was a catalogue of misunderstanding and mistakes. The more I think about that, I wonder how much communication (or lack of) played a part?

Or he could come good in our last few games, score a bagful and secure us a win across the park. D'you reckon?

Totally agree about your opinion that Calvert-Lewin was our most disappointing player yesterday. Whether he has had his head turned with all this transfer talk I don't know, but he doesn't look as if he wants to put himself about and possibly get injured and jeopardise a lucrative move or to miss out on getting into England's World Cup squad.

I have always thought Dominic a very limited footballer, and I think that was Ancelotti's opinion, hence why he told him to stay in and around the 6-yard box and to hit it first time. As I think he worked out he was good in the air and so would convert crosses into goals and told him to hit it first time as he knew his ball control was to poor for him to take a touch.

I know some of our players say he is one of the fastest players at Everton, but I guess that must be over 100 yards, as I don't see the fast explosive running from him as I do with Vardy or Lineker and Rush before him, they are what I call fast players.

I know not many might agree with me but I would start Rondon against Burnley, he will hold the ball up better than Calvert-Lewin and looks to play in other people. I think Calvert-Lewin has 1 assist in 2 seasons for us.

Allardyce came in November 17, and this gave him time to asses the players before the January transfer window and transfer players in or out that he wanted. He was fired at the end of the season with not many complaints

Ancelotti came in Dec, had the full January and summer window for transfers but was restricted financially. He left the club, as he put it. When a club with the standing of Real Madrid come calling it is hard to say no.

Lampard came in on 31 January. This gave him no time to assess the squad he had, or go into the transfer window, and the players who were brought in had most probably already been approached, apart from Dele Alli, and Lampard was going on his past reputation and must be astonished how poor his ability has sunk.

Everton were already a basket case when he came, with injuries to a number of players plus a lack of confidence from previous losses.

Lampard has come to the club at its lowest level, from trying to overcome previous failed managers signings, getting thrown in the deep end with injuries and poor officials. The signs are there that the team can improve with the squad they have, but he doesn't have time to experiment with some untried players, and that is why some of the players who get the worst criticism keep getting picked.

He is still young for a manager but he can improve, just needs the team to improve with him.

Most recent season first: 13; 12; 18; 15; 14.

If we can replicate even the lowest return of the last five years, we should be okay, but my it's going to be tough, given our overall form in recent months.

It did appear there was more determination in trying the forward pass and getting more than one player lined up in the path so that a dummy/run thru or other move was possible. It was something to build on against another team in the big chase at their ground.

Room for tentative optimism even from a miserable bunch like us.

I have also been trying to put myself in a positive frame of mind. I have been unsuccessful.

It didn't work for me either!

If they had made a real effort and sprinted back, we could have avoided that goal.

On the subject of Lampard, we have seen a noticeable improvement in the style of play but, to be fair, he has been particularly unlucky with injuries and unjust suspensions.

Who would have thought we let Digne go and brought in Patterson, Mykolenko, Dele Alli and Van de Beek, with Van de Beek and Patterson getting injured before yesterday's game to compound the loss of Allan, and Dele has his head in Harrod's rather than on the pitch..

Just reiterated what was the analysis on MotD. But looked at it again and can see where you are coming from. Iowbi did mis-control the ball, setting up West Ham who had players involved that got into gear quicker than some Everton players, as you say. I also think Iowbi knew he had cocked up.

We're getting no decision: how Cresswell wasn't sent off is unbelievable. The free is already given, the ball is lying against Richarlison on the ground, and he kicks the ball into him, how is that not violent conduct?

No Calvert-Lewin, no Mina, red cards and had to follow Benitez. He will turn this around and, if we go down, it's not his fault and I'd want him to stay. The players are giving their all. He is a breath if fresh air and I back him 100%.

I agree with you, just read the report given on Skye by D.Gallagher who thought Cresswell was a lucky boy, the feeling was VAR thought he was being aggressive but not violent.

I thought arguing with someone is being aggressive but punching him was being violent.

As I said earlier, anyone who has played the game new what Cresswell was trying to do and that was to injure the player. Would not have helped with the result, but the player should have got a 3-game ban.

I don't disagree with you regarding Lampard but there is a clause in his contract stating it can be terminated if we are relegated. That can only mean one thing. He will be dismissed if we drop to the championship to save on his large Premier League salary. I suspect the coaches he brought with him will have similar clauses.

Yes, you've got the Dele Alli situation correct except for the fact that Dele has to agree to the move. If not, we are liable to pay his wages for the next two seasons. Maybe he will not be in any hurry to leave and give up around £10M in wages!!

Lampard will prove to be our man, long term. Allardyce is a useless manager who is not worth mentioning on here. If indeed he was any good, he would be employed by a football club. He's not, because he's shite.

I would be surprised if Spurs didn't include a caveat about Dele being sold on before 20 games. Assuming he had played well -- which he hasn't -- we could have sold him for £40 million after six months and screwed them. So I imagine there is some kind of twist that prevents us just cashing in.

Completely agree with you regarding Lampard, how he was supposed to assess the squad and try and bring in players having only signed on the last day of the window was near impossible. The incompetence of the board not to sack Benitez sooner, and to be allowed to buy and sell players before he was sacked was crazy.

The injuries are really crippling us, Mina and Delph are constantly injured, but sadly it could have been a great opportunity for Davies to nail down a place in midfield with his aggression and pace.

When a player takes a short corner then receives it 5 seconds later in an offside position. When players make reckless challenges on the edge of our area. When players, under no pressure, just pass straight to the opposition. Poor players and the table shows that.

Some of these players have failed under numerous managers and styles. There's one common denominator. The players.

‘... but there is a clause in his contract stating it can be terminated if we are relegated'

How do you know that, Clive?

Tom Davies has pace?

Maybe when he is on his skateboard, but I have seen little evidence of it when in play !

EDIT - again, the link feature will not work. The article is a Lampard vs Collymore thing on TEAMtalk.

Your post contained some overtly positive statements, "breath of fresh air" etc. though called the players and squad shit, then said they're giving their all. Just the way I read it.

Personally I think the poison pervading the whole outfit is making for a near impossible task such that it is hard to judge the potential impact of any manager right now.

All I can say regarding Lampard's input is that we are in a phase where a stable, solid defensive and midfield structure is vital, and I don't think he's building or attempting to build that, even allowing for the resources he has or doesn't have.

No easy answer. Yesterday was an improvement of sorts. All we can hope for is the same or more on Wednesday.

Davies would get stuck in, we all know that, but he has no pace whatsoever – I laughed at this, so fair play!

Somebody else on here reckons, if Keane had have "sprinted back", he might have stopped West Ham's second goal. Keane, sprinting!

One thing for sure is, when Keane decided he wanted to go forward, there should have been cover for him. The more you watch it, the more it pisses you off – fucking schoolboy football.

When you are down the bottom, you just don't get the luck. If that had been us, the keeper saves and the ball ends up with a West Ham defender and cleared.

I hope to fuck I'm wrong but I just can not see us being able to cope with Burnley on Wednesday.

I thought Keane did hold onto the ball too long in a dangerous area. West Ham did achieve their defending objective of recovering the ball and launching a counter-attack, which they scored from. It wasn't only Keane that failed as you highlighted, but the Everton move was started by Keane recovering the ball.

Lampard does have a tactic of players fanning out to provide options for the player once they have received possession. One of the problems with this it leaves space for the opposition to attack should they retrieve the ball. Keane could have been retaining possession, not feeling comfortable so far forward with gaps opening up around him. He eventually released the ball having no other option, unfortunately to a player who was not concentrating.

This is not the first time Everton have had the failings of this tactic exposed.

I do believe they are poor, née shit, but they are trying for him so credit where credit is due, to them that is.

I concur with what you say but I think Lampard is trying to build something here. There are small shoots appearing, I really believe that. I think he's stopped the Finch Farm rot and he's the man to keep us up.

We'll win on Wednesday night

I have a feeling we won't lose on Wednesday, or should I say, hope!

You have strikers not playing the percentages and getting shots on target and making the goalie work. We have midfielders that can't control a pass of about 20 feet and who waltz back when a sprint is required, and a defence that can't defend.

Players that do not think, do not do the simple things. If they lose on Wednesday, I will be surprised if they recover. I wouldn't be surprised if they fail to get any more points until we have been relegated and the fight (if you can call it that) is done. They are really that bad.

Lampard failing to change tactics after the equaliser, given that Everton are in a relegation dogfight, was the main problem. He was continuing with open attack football.

The selection and set-up of the team has been abysmal, the tactics poor, the constant inability to learn from mistakes ongoing. The appalling run of results proves this. He has all the qualities you mention.

However, he has inherited a sinking ship and has done not a fucking thing to stop it sinking. He is on the wrong ship.

The Leeds manager, at least, is wise enough to realise that he requires the players to be with him, not against him in this time of need. No to Rooney or any has-been Everton player, the players need to be made of sterner stuff, surviving the championship.

Bring in Big Sam and get these players schooled in the basics. Until they master that, they are worthless.

I must have missed it then. 👍🏻

He's comparable to a competent head chef taking over a formerly grand hotel kitchen only to find that the sous-chefs who've been there for years are incapable of even peeling a spud or boiling an egg, the hotel owners have sold off all the best cuts of meat and replaced them with fatty, tasteless mince and about-to-go-off veg, yet they still expect the head chef to be producing a top quality menu to regular customers who pay top dollar prices.

Yet, with all the fully justified complaints of diners repeatedly having to eat shite, so many of those same customers aim all their criticism at the new head chef!

Our owner(s), board, and chairman signed up a series of head chefs and then chose to provide them with shite ingredients, largely of their own choice, and retain the useless staff forever in their kitchen.

In a moment of even more preposterous stupidity, they most recently allowed their last failed head chef to get rid of staff who, had they ever been given a genuine chance, might just have improved the quality of fare going into the kitchen. But they were fired, as was that most recently useless head chef just weeks later.

Without anyone in charge knowing how a kitchen even works, the owner and his minions then decided in the near month-long absence of any sort of head chef to sell one of the few remaining prime cuts (repeat, C-U-T-S) and replace him with another mound of bog-standard mince and manky veg.

And guess what? The latest one in charge of the kitchen finds himself unable to prepare even a cottage pie to regular customers who've paid fillet steak prices for years of inedible stodge.

But why are we only blaming the head chef, folks?

It's bizarre.

We all know this. He's the one who has allowed this shit show to happen and unfortunately, as long as we allow him to remain, then we will be run like an amateur club.

As for Frank Lampard, I believe the way he has been raised as a footballer and the way he went about it as a professional gives us hope that he will never settle for anything but a winning mentality.

Unfortunately, he has inherited this group of shit players and also the dinosaurs stuck in place at Finch Farm... If he sticks around with us, it's going to take the removal of Kenwright for Lampard to get his winning ways ingrained into the core of this club. He is still learning but we cannot afford more changes at manager level – especially with this board.

There's so much going against us right now, it's hard to believe.

It's been desperately disappointing this season, but more so because of the obvious power-plays going on at board level, the damaging and idiotic appointment of Benitez, the transfer of Digne, the purchase of players not chosen by either manager. (Not sure about Dele Alli though, maybe Frank okayed that one?)

Then there is the team. If memory serves me right, when Lampard was being touted, he commented that he would rather wait till season's end so he could have a pre-season and opportunity to bring players in. He was obviously talked out of it... more to his cost as well as ours. He was hamstrung before he got in the door.

I actually think he has to be having second thoughts as to continuing anyway. It's going to take that root-and-branch change that Benitez was touted as doing, but done in a professional manner. Something Benitez failed at... badly.

Which brings me to another little point... Duncan Ferguson. His current tenure should be at an end. He needs to move on or be moved out. Not just because he was overlooked but it's demeaning for us and him to be in his current position.

Then there is the board. It has to go. Again, there may be many things they have done well, but far more done badly. They have either contributed to allow Moshiri to spend his wealth on players without adequate review of due diligence, or they have rubber-stamped his and previous managers' selections. But the fact is, it is the club which is failing so badly, financially and operationally, that justifies a complete and total replacement of the board.

There is lip-service to change, but there is no vision, no strategy, no objectives. There have been precious few high points, even the arrival of Ancelotti, Brazilian and Colombian players – it's been too little, too late.

Ancelotti was not a stupid man, he knew (when the penny dropped) Everton would damage his reputation – now repaired once more. James never stood a chance the moment Benitez was appointed. As a legacy, we have a squad made up of several managers' selections, and others not of any manager at all.

The result on the pitch is clear to all: no cohesion, little structure, no confidence, no inventiveness, no heart. There is a mix of players who are no longer Premier League level. Age or ability have caught up with them. There is no leader on the pitch who can drag the players into the fight or tell them where to go. We are so short of guile, we hardly ever see joined-up football and precious little individual quality.

This is now all about survival. I could not give a stuff who plays where. We need 14 players out of our total squad who want it badly enough, they will put the shift in till the end of the season. It's not just the bollocks to do it, it's the personal pride.

If this is just a job to any of them, then my message to Lampard would be: "Drop them!" If no replacement, bring in the kids before you consider ever playing them again. I want to see some bottle. I never want to see any player jogging... ever again this season.

We can do this. 40,000 fans know they can do it. We cannot afford to let anyone off the hook. Lampard has to stop, look, and think about what and how to change it. The Premier League is a hard place but you can only expect different results when you stop doing the same things in team selection... time to change it.

We may go down, we may survive (my bet currently would be that we scrape survival) but, either way, the decision-makers at this club need to either vastly improve their judgement (unlikely) or hand over to better minds. Perhaps that is happening now with the new DoF?

January was indicative of so much muddled thinking over the last 5 years. We sold Digne (a reasonable choice from a financial standpoint) and replaced him with two young overpriced full-backs who were unlikely to hit the ground running. We loaned El Ghazi (why?!!) despite being overstocked with wingers.

We brought in Van de Beek and Alli whilst loaning out our only proper defensive midfielder in Gbamin (who admittedly had not showed much aptitude to date, though with limited chances); giving us again a surplus of players best suited at attacking midfield (Alli, Van de Beek, Iwobi, Gomes? Doucouré?) with a massive shortfall of ball-winners.

And then finally we brought in Lampard, with the board seemingly swayed by fan graffiti. I said at the time that I like the type of coach that Lampard seemed to be (young, communicative, modern etc) but that his actual accomplishment included taking Derby from 6th to 6th and Chelsea from 3rd to 4th (under challenging circumstances admittedly).

I was worried that Lampard had shown little capacity for organizing a team defensively – something that has traditionally been crucial for teams scraping to survival. To be fair, the alternatives were not obviously superior, but this is the job of key decision-makers – to get hard decisions right more often than wrong. Would the likes of Pereira or Jesse Marsch have got us better organized? Impossible to know.

We are not where we are due to curses, bad luck, conspiracy theories or VARtastrophies; we are here due to a prolonged period of bad decision-making that ironically seems to coincide with the arrival of the great fortunes which were meant to enable us to break the glass ceiling. Be careful what you wish for.

If this trajectory continues, we will go down, either this season or next. I only hope that the ‘internal review' or whatever soul searching has taken place at Goodison this year may lead to a better-run club moving forwards, but it's a slim hope.

Crystal Palace, though not world beaters, have shown a decent blueprint for progress and exciting football over a short period; bringing in a modern young manager with a number of affordable, underrated, hungry young players; mainly from the Championship.

Meanwhile, Kenny was doing something unexpected of an Everton player: he was moving into space to take a forward pass. Have we really got to the point of blaming players for doing something positive rather than hanging back or facing the wrong way?

Anyway, it now looks like winning at both Burnley and Watford will avoid relegation but a first step would be to put Holgate's name on a seat on the bench. If Mina is still unfit, then Branthwaite must start as neither Holgate nor Godfrey seem capable in the air. And can we afford Gray, Gordon, Richarlison, Iwobi on the pitch at the same time or just rely on continually pumping crosses over to a lone forward?

I really don't have an answer but it does seem that Frank has two options: all-out defence or all-out attack, as we seem incapable of moving from one to the other efficiently.

I belong to the "You can't beat the referee" school of thought, now aided by another ref in a box, the VAR. I have applied this dealing with my children's teachers, in business, and the workplace, with success.

There is no doubt Frank was dealt a poor hand, but he has not played it as well as he should. He has adopted the same tactics home and away, with an inappropriate variation, 5 at the back, but retaining the same formation in the midfield and forward. Even this five at the back consists of two wingbacks to bolster the attack, rather than as being defensive. When pinned back, Everton are exposed with two in midfield and no covering midfielder.

The tactics are always the same anyway. On gaining possession, fan out and push up, leaving gaps, which have been exposed many times once possession is turned over. This was the same after equalizing in the second half with similar results, helped by error-prone players.

But, as Sam says, the problems run deep, over an extended period at Everton – all making their contribution. It was inevitable that they would all come home to roost together.

I don't think that the Internal Review is as you intend, Christine, but hope Frank gets a chance to learn and improve. He does have good football potential.

With everything going on in the world, some may think I'm going over the top but, if we get beat by Burnley, I'm going to have to step away for a while as it just doesn't feel like it's relegation – it's like the whole club's existence feels under threat at the moment.

How has it even come to this?

The club seems to be in such a mess that only somehow scraping survival this season will keep us effectively a going concern. Even if we do stay up I strongly suspect we may start the new season with a points deduction (another historic first for Everton FC to chalk up - I don't believe that has ever happened in the English top tier) making next season painful before it even begins.

If we do get relegated the financial mess that has been created I fear will see us just shrink further into mediocrity and we will be on the way to becoming one of those once great clubs that people love to reminisce about but is essentially no more.

I genuinely do feel for the future of our club. This does not feel like '94 and '98 to me. It feels far worse

I do not blame the managers entirely for this – particularly the more recent ones – although some have been culpable, but Jeez wept – this club stinks at the moment.

I shall remain a Blue through it all, however; support us wherever we land up, and just feel sorry for my kids who followed me into this – all too young to quite remember the '80s.

But because of FFP that cant carry on, now I absolutely detest FFP but in our case it might just be the reset we need. A number of high earners are out of contract so they can be moved on in the summer, and irrespective of which division we are in next season other players will leave the club. Now for me the last thing we will need next season is a change of manager, so if I was Moshiri I would be having talks with Lampard and his coaches as to what they will do if we do go down. I would do everything I could to persuade them to stay, now I don't know if Lampard is the right man but he deserves the chance to prove he is. I would be having those conversations now and not waiting till the end of the season, so everybody knows what will happen if we get relegated.

During Moshiris reign we have recruited badly in both managers and players, I believe because too many people were buying the players, that now needs to stop. Lampard has to be the only person who decides which players come in and which are moved on and by all means have discussions with the new DOF but ultimately Lampard has the final say.
I think the whole coaching set up at Everton needs a complete overall from junior coaches right up to the first team. I think its quite obvious watching Ferguson on match days having little or no involvement with the players is embarrassing, so its time for Duncan to move on and the same with Unsworth and maybe even Tait.

Like a number of contributors on here, my Everton state of mind was not brilliant. However after a short holiday and a break from ToffeeWeb (internet was rubbish), I have come to this conclusion.
I will keep the faith, because there simply is no other alternative for me. I realise whatever happens, I’m not going to suddenly stop supporting Everton.
I would however, like the same commitment from the club.

I'd agree with you about Dunc and Unsworth, but this is Everton. Family before business.

I think we've lost 9 of 17 games by one goal. Whilst we also conceded 8 goals from our own errors the highest in the league by nearly a factor of two.

If we could just stop from shooting our own feet, that would be a start.

I reckon we keep schtum for tommorrow and just leave it to hope and optimism.

When you say Kenwright "needs to be taken out", does that mean what I think it do?

MS AA 39,40 for tommorow maybe text me.
0 7972351685.

Adrian Evans.

There over 65, but I can ring the office, they can pay the suppliment.Thinks is £17.50 ticket plus £15,So £32.50each.

Got fluy virus, chest.Not Covid🙄👍