Digne back in training ahead of Spurs clash

I think it is the Everton coaching system which survives manager after manager and produces half-hearted teams – regardless of the players.

I mean seriously is this really necessary?

33 years old, can't play to full capacity at club level every week now, and our only right-back option (I don't even class Kenny now as no manager seems to think he's good enough).

Coleman I understand is a proud Irishman and wants to represent his country but this is hardly beneficial to Everton Football Club.

What the hell is wrong with Yerry Mina?

Such a shame that we can't get this guy on the pitch 30 plus games a season anymore, nearly always seem to be injured with something.

He is our captain. But he doesn't show captain material at all, IMO.

Good News Digne is back. Let's hope he can show us he's still the player he was 2 years ago.

Pickford
Coleman Keane Godfrey Digne
Townsend Allan Davies Gray
Richarlison Rondon

Just go direct and get the left-back and right-back bombing forward, over-lapping. Get balls into the box early for Richarlison and Rondon, who are both good in the air. Davies to play more forward and Allan to sit deep and spread balls to the wing.

We have to change something. The formation and shape hasn't worked for weeks. If we come out with one up front again against Spurs, I fear we are sitting ducks.

I'm an 80s kid, so grew up on 4-4-2. But in the modern game it exposes you in midfield and you get overloaded in my opinion.

We as well benefit financially from this inevitability.

I think this guy is taking the piss. Can you see this situation being accepted elsewhere?

Always okay for Colombia but seems to get injured getting out of bed when it comes to playing for the club that pays him.

Brings back memories of a certain Slaven Bilic, who had no trouble rising from the treatment table to put his Croatia shirt on.

I remember reading an article at the time that it (he) was one of Everton's last rolls of the dice of trying to be a big club.

As I said on another thread, it's not the transfer fee that kills you, it's the sustained wages over 4 or 5 years. And as I understood, we were paying him a King's ransom.

In terms of Sunday, I'd like to see a 4-3-3, but defence has got to be brave and push up or Son and Moura will just occupy the same space Wolves did and we'll be dead and buried before half time. We need pace here to do it.

Pickford
Coleman Holgate Branthwaite Digne
Townsend Allan Delph
Gray Richarlison Gordon

Formation can easily switch to 4-2-3-1 if it needs to (ie, defence again not being brave, and therefore need to cut off space in front of it).

I would rather put a Number 9 on a traffic cone and put that on the pitch rather than Rondon – at least the Spurs defence would have to run round it, I say let Simms show what he's made of.

Not to mention he's up against Mason Disaster-gate and Michael Scream too doesn't bear thinking about.

Personally, I would prefer a 4-3-3, with Delph in front of the defence and Allan and Davies as the other midfielders. They're all decent as part of a midfield 3, but all regularly get exposed when there's just 2 of them there.

I feel this is a game for a low block and counter attack, so in the absence of Mina then it has to be Keane and Holgate again. These games are suited to Keane, regardless of how he has played in previous games, and Holgate is the next best option currently.

We all have our preferred options, but the reality is you play the system that suits the players you have available. Not play the system you want regardless of the players you have available.

My preferred attacking formation is 3-5-2, but you really have to have the right players to play that. My ideal formation is 4-2-3-1.

But ultimately, to my previous, you have to look at the players available and play a formation that suits what you have. Not pick a formation and try to make the players you have available fit that.

Mina should never have played 3 games in 8 days for his country. The guy just can't take it.

As for Digne, I presume he is biding his time for an impending departure.

For the Sunday game, can we just start the game at full speed, as apart from the Davies goal, we have taken half the game to wake up.

4-4-2 can work but needs very particular personnel – which we don't have. It just exposes the limitations of our centre mid players and nullifies our wingers by having them track back all the time.

Son and Kane will fancy their chances against our shaky defence, we have to be a lot stronger and more organised. It worries me with Mina out, there doesn't seem to be a confident pairing beyond Keane & Mina.

There's no easy answer, Godfrey needs time to properly recover, Branthwaite is young, inexperienced and just returned from injury, Holgate is error prone and has looked a lot less a defender than I was expecting him to develop into.

Because of the health and injury factors, and because Holgate and Keane did very well against Brighton (unbelievably back in August), I would reluctantly go for that pairing.

With a more compact midfield, that could help with our defensive stability too, so for me also, it has to be a 4-3-3:

Pickford
Coleman Keane Holgate Digne
Allan Davies Delph
Townsend Richarlison Gray

Gordon on for Townsend in the last 30 minutes.

Iwobi and Rondon shouldn't be starting matches until they are showing far more. Rest Godfrey until after the November international break.

Hold on to your hats and clench the buttocks when Tottenham have a corner or free-kick near the box.

Like treading water for me at the moment. I want to so desperately stay up but I have a sinking feeling. Not Rafa's fault in my eyes. Shit show of a squad and who can hope to dream of a win when you have Iwobi, Holgate and Rondon in your team?

Normally over-optimistic and thought we'd beat Wolves but, when you see Allan and Keane arguing on the pitch, Godfrey out of sorts, and with Calvert-Lewin, Digne, Mina and he who shall not be named all out... well, you have to worry. I am.

Could be an appalling scoreline. Hope he plays Gordon from the outset. Everything crossed.

Can't believe Seamus is making himself available for Ireland at this time. He's 33, and got a dodgy hammy, and we've got no cover. The club must have spoken to him about it, but it looks like our captain has told them to Foxtrot Oscar. Speaks volumes for the spirit down there.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hmfySwmpHew

Thanks for spotting that. I checked a couple of links to GOT that are buried on our Fans pages... they seem to be working okay.

Any chance you can recall which ToffeeWeb page you were on when you saw this problem, Dave?

Cheers.

On the other hand, we do pay his wages, and it is a huge risk for him to play international football with Everton in the situation we currently find ourselves in.

If I was him, I'd retire from club football and become player-manager for Ireland at the end of this season. I doubt if he'll want to be playing Championship football at his age.

I just hope we don't sit back from the start and allow Spurs to dominate. I want us to get in their faces from the first whistle; we are far too passive. COYB

Pickford (Why did we let two good goalkeepers leave?)
Coleman
Keane
Branthwaite
Digne
Delph
Townsend
Alan
Gordon
Gray
Richarlison

In a 4-1-4-1 with Delph just in the pocket between midfield and defence, instructed to not go over the halfway line.

But Rafa will pick:

Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Digne, Iwobi, Allan, Davies, Townsend, Tosun, Richarlison.

I'd also love to see the back of Iwobi in January but where would he go?

Arsenal couldn't believe their luck when we took him for over £30M and I'd be surprised if we could get half that from another bunch of mugs.

Sounds easy but, sooner or later, we have to act like pros and have a Plan B and Plan C.

Given the mobility of Regulion, Moura and Son, I'd change it a little and put more mobile people in those positions, regardless of whether or not they make our 'best team' or not. Keane man-marks Kane and doesn't leave his side.

That looks like (IMO):

Pickford
Kenny - Coleman - Keane - Holgate - Digne
Allan - Delph - Davies
Richarlison - Gray

Subs: Begovic, Godfrey, Branthwaite, Gbamin, Iwobi, Townsend, Gordon, Rondon, Tosun.

Funny, listing it out, we have a huge squad just short on quality. Of those 20, I'd swap in of our players either injured, unavailable, or on loan:

Mina, Nkounkou, Doucoure, Calvert-Lewin, Sigurdsson, Gomes.

Bobby @32

I like your team selection but I agree: Benitez won't go for it.

I've no hope for this at all, and Coleman, as much as we have all loved him, like Baines, has been kept 3 years too long. What a pathetic set-up this club is. Obsessed with decades old history, and Bill who still bangs on about Howard's Way.

Everton will be trying to offload him in January, to save on wages, so cannot see us risking another injury, scuppering an exit.

Iwobi has got a free pass with scoring at Wolves, his only contribution, but enough to justify Rafa starting him yet again, even though Gordon should be getting a start in his place.

With the exception of Digne returning, I see a similar line up,to the one that started v Wolves.

Page not found came up! :-)

Same shit, different weekend, same outcome... We need 12 new players or 10th place again.

How boring is it being mediocre?!

But, yes, the embedded links to each of their thread titles listed below are broken.

Unfortunately, because of Covid and Brexit, we are short of competent coders, so you will have wait for remedial action to be completed. In the meantime, please do not panic and feel tempted to use other websites.

10th place. Wow!! That is too much to expect with the present bunch.

I know, but it's Friday and, after a hard week building, I am feeling generous, upbeat and a bit daft!

Bring on the beer!

But Iwobi is still really shit!

He's taken the piss for 2½ years.

If he becomes Player of the Season for the next 6 months, I'd still fuck him off for that reason alone.

And "Elijah Campbell, meanwhile, is selected in an England Under-18 squad that will participate in the four-nation Pinatar Tournament in Spain". Also well deserved.

Slow, weak, gives away free-kicks all the time, can never get a corner past the first man, and maybe gets to put in two good crosses a game.

Jesus, I miss Bainesy on the left.

I've already given up on Sunday as the propensity for our centre-backs to provide assists to Kane, combined with the lift their new manager will give them, is likely to overwhelm us.

I'd give Branthwaite a start. Even though he was guilty of one bad error in his previous appearances, the present pairings are making 2 or 3 howlers per match.

If Iwobi and/or Rondon start, it will be game over. I cannot think of anything more likely to deflate the atmosphere at Goodison than those two names being announced before the kick-off. Things could get very nasty very quickly on Sunday.

ps: Has anyone been spotted in a shirt with Rondon on the back yet? There's always someone willing to take on a daft bet.

He's not everybody's blue-eyed boy. Plenty on here don't rate him, including me, but he's all we've got at left-back so it's him or Godfrey. I'd say Digne just edges it.

But those corners might not be so bad if Everton just put a player at the front post? It's one of my biggest pet hates in football, and something that I find really hard to understand.

I recall many a time (probably too many) where the blue Hibbert shirt was worn around Goodison, and even away from home. Unfortunately, Tony was wearing it.

To be fair, we could do with the 2007 version right now, Seamus is done, imo.

11/5? Not a big gambler, but that has to be worth a nifty...

So, for Sunday, Rafa, please, please no Iwobi – the guy has had numerous chances and sadly, for the most part, has been a miserable failure.

Secondly, can we please have three central midfielders who can win and retain possession? It's really no fun for anybody when we allow the visiting team to dominate games by allowing them the freedom of the midfield.

Not for me to say who those three should be and you may win Manager of the Month if you can find three who can play for 90 minutes. But, if you manage to do this, you will have my full support. Good luck as I expect we will need it.

I will quite happily wear a donated Rondon top.

I have only ever had 5 players' names on a shirt over time: Rooney, Ferguson, Speed, Kanchelskis and Fellaini – all five had left Everton the very same season I bought the tops.

Seeing as it's close to Christmas, could you buy an Iwobi shirt to go along with the Rondon one?

You're both on to something. Chuck in another 30 shirts to clear the dead wood and the board. You're going to need a bigger closet!

The positive contribution he made when he came on last week will get Benitez thinking. He looked proactive and confident. Really trying to make something happen rather than be passive and choosing the easy option.

It is the sign of a quality player when they have this attitude and the natural talent to back it up. It wouldn't surprise me too much to see him starting on Sunday, he can't be far away.

Good selection, Lee Carsley!!

I expect a brilliant noisy atmosphere and an "up for it" fighting performance. Let's enjoy a win before the international break.

He might not be rapid but he ain't slow either and he is always looking to do both his defensive and offensive duties.

Sometimes it's about who you are operating with. If he's expected to get forward as often as possible then someone has to be aware at the times he will be caught out of position.

Whoever he is linking up with going forwards will make a big difference too. Demarai likes to carry the ball inside and doesn't all that often look at the overlap from what I've seen.

Was Bainesey ever any better than when he was playing with Pienaar?

This squad, at least those that are fit, are just average and the last three games showed that in a big way.

Most of the team that get's on the pitch is way too slow in closing down the opposition and frequently leads to excess pressure on the back line which is also a tad slow. Our quickest man used to be Seamus but he is now past his best.

Kenny is quick but not really up to the task and they let a good prospect in Nkounkou go for this season.

Spurs, as we know, are very dangerous and they now have a new manager they all want to impress

Our players have gone past their grace period and have slunk back to what they were previously.

I will be very surprised if they can avoid defeat again.

07932 488887 Thanks.

Thanks for that, Brian @73. Biggest laugh of the weekend so far. And it's only just begun. Keep 'em coming!!

With that lot, I feel like I'm doing a stretch at Strangeways and counting the days down until my freedom from them. But then I remember I've got three more years of Iwobi and Gomes for bad behavior.

I don't blame Rafa (beyond playing Rondon). Completely unprofessional display. It's the worst back-line I've seen in my lifetime. Not in talent, but attitude and spirit.

Beyond Mina, an utterly spineless defense.

For my own mental health, I just can't watch it. I hope we stick with Rafa and let him clear out the dead wood, and the rot is pretty deep beyond the surface layer of Tosun etc.

I'm sure the U23s would show more spirit but heck we're protecting them before we flog them off as not good enough to the Championship…

You can't tell me Cenk Tosun and fucking Rondon are better than our youth. Let me ask you this, who would you want to go over the top with in the trenches – Lewis Dobbin or Rondon?

That's it, I'm out for a while. Likely only a week or so but I wish I'd was bloody longer.

I'm not a Delph fan but, when he came on for the second half v Wolves, he sat in front of the back four and provided the link to the midfield which had been totally absent in the first 45 minutes. He transformed the game and, with better finishing, we'd have got at least a point.

If he's fit, he'll start on Sunday.

Okay, I'll get my coat!

I've never questioned the ability of Delph from his Leeds Utd days through Aston Villa and into Man City. The issue has been his fitness. If he's fit, okay, play him. He's a decent player and, Seamus apart, the one guy in our squad with some character.

But, even if he's awesome for the next 6 months, do not give him a new contract as his wages versus appearances is not worth the cost.

But, while we have him, if fit: use him!

I always smile when I see people attempting to leave or resign from his post of being an Evertonian.

This is the fuckin Hotel California, mate.

You can check out any time you like......

Fine. So, out of the squad? Okay. Replaced by whom?

Mina? Recurrent leg problems.

Holgate? Incurable brain problems.

Branthwaite? Hasn't played a Premier League minute for a year and a half.

Gibson? On loan and injured.

Astley? Welch?

We're a little short on decent alternatives at the moment.

Although the sad thing is most of us can't even check out. We sometimes walk towards the reception area with our bags.

But then go back to the bar for more.

He's still young, learning and likely improving and it will be interesting to see how Benitez treats him. Will he be used as back up or from the bench for the rest of the season or sent out on loan again?

It will probably come down to how he is perform training, but I am looking forward to see if he can take his opportunities when they come along and put a marker down.

I've held high hopes for him in the past (the Everton curse probably). The lad is a natural finisher and hopefully with the right coaching could offer decent back-up one day; only one way to find out.

As they say in the French Quarter, of Scottie Road ! :-)

He looked tidy when he came on against Norwich, but seemed to get placed out on the left from what I saw.

I know a lot have been talking about Simms. I don't think it would do any harm to give him 20 minutes.

In the absence of Calvert-Lewin, it would give Gray something to hit other than the lamppost he's been aiming for in recent weeks.

I think we are burning him out at the moment.

At the start of the season, Simms was still carrying that injury from his last days on loan at Blackpool. However, he seemed to recover enough to be training with the first team and then get named on the bench for games against Aston Villa, QPR, and Norwich City. But no sign of him for the last four games – and he has not been involved in any way with the U23s this season, suggesting he is firmly considered to be in the first-team squad now.

So, if he is back in training with the first team, then I guess his injury flared up again, or something else kept him sidelined for the last four games. I would expect him to be on the bench tomorrow; it would be nice to see him actually get a few minutes. 20 minutes, Danny, would be unprecedented under this manager – and as for starting instead of the lumpen Rondon... don't get me started.

Through all this time – from the beginning of the season – Lewis Dobbin has been as fit as yer proverbial musical instrument. He started the season firmly with the U23s, has been involved in all their games bar 3 which coincided with his first-team involvement.

I'd like to say he played with the first-team but that's just a sick joke. Entering the play at the 89th minute against Norwich, then the 90th minute at Old Trafford... what is the point? Then sat on the bench for the next 2 games, watching The Incredible Hulk strut his stuff... how galling must that be? So for the last game, to be dropped off the bench entirely must actually have been something of a relief, all things considered.

But this would suggest that Dobbin is very much borderline between the U23s and the first-team, and thus is actually behind Simms in the pecking order, fitness on the day notwithstanding.

And that was my point. Somewhat long-winded. But I just cannot see why the pathway to the first-team has to be so tortuous. And why, in the name of all the Greek gods, do we have to suffer watching Salomon fucking Rondon every week, instead of one or other of these young fit lads...

The Athletic reckons that Dobbin has been weighing up his options, and contract talks have been going nowhere. After the example set by Thierry Small in terms of his impatience to progress, it's all too tempting to think he might already have one foot out the door. And all the more reason why Rafa should play him instead of that useless lump.

Dobbin is not ahead of him as such, in my view, he's just match fit and also offers something a bit different with his pace and mobility. That's why he's had minutes while Simms has not.

Branthwaite and Gordon are the two I'd like to see us develop into proper first teamers right now. Possibly Onyango too.

Rondon, he's that slow he'd draw all the fire.

In both cases, cruel but irrefutably accurate.

I agree Coleman taking chances with his twilight club career, is a unnecessary risk. As for Mina he is rehabitating alone overseas.

But at Man U he was my man of the match full of energy and some great tackles.

I don't think the manager is with the fans with his team selections eg why Rondon and Iwobi and its getting to the better players who must be a bit demoralised when they see the team sheet.

Whatever he said to them at half time at Wolves needs emphasising on the double.

Lets face it more of that is all we can expect from the quality of the squad ?

I am going, can't jump ship; be tough but be there.

It's £19 if you're over 65, like me. £30 if under.

Just meet at ground about 1pm.

07972 351685. Text if interested.

I always go thinking we going to win regardless, same tomoz.

He is paying the price of having to cover in various positions, I know someone will think well Alan Harper did it, yes he did, but he was backup to slip in anywhere, the likes of Ratcliffe, Stevens, psycho or Mountfield all, played regular in their rightful positions, never had Psycho playing as right back, or Rats as left back.

Godfrey for me is in my opinion, our best centre half, for that we need to leave him in that position regular.

I also think it is time to give Dobbin or Ellis a go, Rondon has had a fair crack, now let's see if one of the youngsters can do it.

I would have also started with Gordon, did well til he got hooked, Iwobi scoring now ensures he gets a deffo start, even though it was the only thing he did all evening.

If both Iwobi and Rondon start, Goodison could get very toxic early doors, unless we somehow for once start on the front foot.

Tough one to call tomorrow, if we go bold, then certainly fancy Everton, it is all down to the team that starts.

Playing Iwobi and Rondon will just kill the atmosphere and advantage of playing at home.

Let's hope he's 'sharper' today !