Premier League — Week 19

Watching the Villa v Leeds game and I believe that Everton players and manager should be locked in a room watching a video of this game, for a couple of hours, with a comment of this is the effort and desire we want from our players.

Leeds were unlucky last night. A couple of dodgy penalty decisions going against them and Villa's keeper doing a Pickford away from getting a point. Fine margins as they say.

United using Rashford in a similar way they did against us last Friday.

Not often City loose 2 in a row

That result only benefits Arsenal who are pulling away.

I called out Ten Hag amongst others when we went down the Benitez route.

He obviously bided his time for the right job. That's if we ever sounded him out.

The RS are losing 2-0. Even that doesn't thrill me anymore.

Forest have scored…

Forest and wolves winning

Only positive is the LFC loss to Brighton

Fulham are a good side. They actually look better on the ball than Newcastle.

Newcastle are very hard working. Remind me a bit of a Klopp team. Direct and intensive.

Many of us scoffed at the prospect of signing Longstaff, but what an important cog in that midfield wheel.

See Chelsea introduced their new player Mudryk at half time... £85M.

It doesn't matter how much they spend, it amazes me they stay onside of the FFP.

Is Lukaku still a Chelsea player out on loan?

Bill,

We are set to introduce our new player Baldrick against West Ham I believe.

If Palace lose today then they are at the top of the "relegation league". I think Villa are out of it. That is a 7 point gap, 5 points to Forest. We have to stay in touch.

Fulham awarded a penalty. Mitrovic scores, but touched the ball twice, so the goal is disallowed.

Bill #11,

They and other clubs make it work through player sales and commercial revenues. The Chelsea situation is pretty extraordinary this season because it's a net spend of over £350M. However, they broke even last year and made over £100M profit on transfers the year before that.

They also have considerable commercial revenues. So presumably they are balancing the books. Our atrocious net spend and low commercial revenues mean we hit financial problems even with lower spending.

Interestingly the vast majority of Chelsea's new players are under 22, which leads me to believe this is intended to become a core group which develops over time under Potter.

This is very much how Arsenal have done it but at lower cost and over a longer period.

Arteta must have been close to the sack a few times. They're reaping their rewards now for a patient strategy of buying and developing players of elite potential. We'll have to see how long poor results in the short term are tolerated at Chelsea but they might be well served by giving Potter another season or two.

Barcodes score at the death. Bastards.

Geordie's never ever concede a goal.

Imagine if Eddie Howe got the Everton job, he'd probably be cursed and concede 70 goals!

Robert @16,

Potter is a fine manager and Chelsea would be mad to fire him. The real irritation is that Brighton found De Zerbi. He was there to be seen by the astute and there must be others of that kind.

Alas, we have not been astute in living memory.

Hopefully Arsenal can do the business today.

I would love to see Arteta win the Premier League. A player who gave his all for this club when he was here, regardless of some knobs thinking he hadn't well warranted a move to a Champions League club.

Good luck, Mikel lad.

Fulham unlucky here, but Newcastle stayed patient and persevered.

These two teams show just how far we have fallen relative to the rest. In a year when the Sky 6 are underperforming, it's even more galling.

To think we didn't want Howe and Silva got sacked. Needless to say it's largely irrelevant given the structure of the football club.

Yes, Jim @20, I want Arsenal to win the League. I think they might lose today, though. Looking forward to the game.

Bill,

Mudryk has signed an 8½-year deal. Let's assume he will be on £100k per week (probably be more), that means he will earn over £42M during his time at Chelsea.

I don't think any team on this planet will be able to touch him for at least 6 years, when his contract slowly runs down!!

Hard to even think that this time last year Newcastle looked all but relegated.

How quickly a club can change its fortunes, even without buying any truly world class talent, it's simple structure, belief and ambition has got it right.

I just can't fathom how at Everton we can keep on getting it so wrong on so many occasions.

Tony 19,

Everton are gone. Not winning 7/19 games. Maybe 3 at most. We've taken 5 points out of 24 upto 13th place. 6 of those games at home. That's bottom-of-the-league form. I can't see any reason for a miracle as those around us get relatively stronger with new players coming in.

The only way Everton possibly stay up is
1. Sack Lampard immediately and have a replacement ready to go
2. Spend £50M on a couple of strikers this week
3. Get a run of games out of Mina

All 3 sound unlikely. 3 together – impossible!

And yet there's a lot of hope in that, Jim, because (as you say) this is not success bought by Newcastle.

It can change.

Nick @26,

Agreed with my head but life sometimes astonishes us. We must keep our hope or we're done for.

As I've said somewhere else, I'm already planning for following them in the Championship. And yet, and yet…

Rob,

I know you go to the away games I wonder if you met my nephew, John Blain and his wife? I know he goes to most away games even abroad as he sends pictures. He used to be Chairman of the Shareholders Association.

Bill,

I know John quite well – a good decent man and a True Blue.

Thank you, George.

I have known John since he was a young boy, John and his sister used to come to our house in Kirkby to play with my kids, his mother is my wife's sister. He helps me a lot when we come back home.

Yes, a good Blue, John. i see him around and at the odd Everton Do.

Bill, if he's travelling Saturday, get him in touch.

dannyefc26@gmail.com

Rob and his mate are going to look after me in the fanzone!

I remember that, George. I had to defuse a situation on train journeys with West Ham supporters when they started their "We pay your benefits" chants.

I had one of those moments when I just had to speak out. The only Evertonian on the carriage. I ended up befriending and helping them get to Goodison!!

Good to talk today, George, and don't forget, happy to talk to the young people you help.

Haha. Loris!

Think Spurs need Dele Alli back.

Bill #29.

Can't say I do know him. Would need to see a photo or something. How does he travel to the away games, as we normally use the club's official coaches.

Great finish by Odegaard. Game over?

Rob I am sure he travels away by car as sometimes he posts where he is stopping a day before the game.

The much derided Steve Round there assistant at Arsenal to the unwanted and inexperienced Mikel Arteta. The equally much derided Greame Jones assistant at Newcastle to Eddie Howe, also unwanted as a relegation manager. Everton that. Lol.

Strengthens my belief, Nick, that Goodison is cursed.

Some Spud just kicked Ramsdale at end of the game. Watch the MSM gloss over it cos it's Spuds the biggest media team in Europe.

Spurs fan comes on the field at the end and kicks Ramsdale? Surely not.

Will that get the same media attention as them bad Everton fans?

Some sort of bother at the end of the game between Richarlison and the Arsenal keeper also the fans getting involved doubt if the tabloids will say anything about Tottenham misbehavior

Ramsdale started kissing the Arsenal badge as he went towards his goal to collect his water bottle. You could clearly see Richarlison was indicating Ramsdale was bang out of order doing so, which was always going to provoke the Spurs fans.

Did you see the knobhead who kicked out at Ramsdale then scurrying back over rows of seats to try and get away?

Football fans do overstep the mark, let's be honest.

I'm all for vocal criticism from the stands providing it's not directed in one direction, and even our own fans appalled me prior to the sacking of Silva, Big Sam etc etc.

Same with the stick Gordon got on the way home after Saturday, simply too much that is.

Fans getting on the pitch and attacking players, you'd only hope the tit-head at Spurs gets the lifetime ban and hauled before the courts he deserves.