Everton draw the Cherries in Round 3

Mind you, those two gobshites John Aldridge and John Barnes did the draw… pulling out Liverpool at home to Derby County.

Good motivation too as seven Premier League clubs will be out and a decent chance of a good draw in the next round. I'd like to see us take it seriously and give it a good crack this season, it could well open up for us.

Pickford, Holgate, Coady, Tarkowski, Patterson, Mykolenko, Onana, Gueye, Gray, Broja, Iwobi.

Simples.

Otherwise, not a great ground for us but I fancy we'll get through.

Jeez, you're looking at a total of about twenty hours sitting on a bus! 🥱🥱🥱😴😴😴

I think a lot moved down there when first Plessey's (formerly the Automatic) and then most shipping companies (OCL & ACT) did when containerisation became big time in the mid-'70s after Liverpool's Harbour Master refused to build a container terminal saying he didn't think it would ever catch on.

When I drive back from my local town centre, I can see the arch. When I travel into London on the train, one of the stops is Wembley Stadium.

Let's finally win this trophy.

I think that Lampard and his backroom staff have seen what is needed and if we recruit wisely we will be better than last season. The problem is as usual with Everton – games have gone by and points have been dropped, leaving us to play catch up.

Sean Roe. No. Just no. Win a trophy and it gives you winning mentality and momentum. In modern times, that's what most have done (ourselves included) before they go onto league titles.

Let's get some silverware in the dusty cabinet.

This is based on this moment in time; if we get the attacking players we need before the deadline and start winning games in the league, I will certainly be setting my hopes higher in the cups.

Nobody can ever question your optimism and certainly every time a cup draw comes around you always expect (hope) this could be our year.

But just look at the last 20 winners of the League Cup and its Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Spurs. and the only other clubs to win it were Swansea, Birmingham and Middlesboro. So your theory of success in a cup competition can propel the club forward certainly hasnt happened for these 3 clubs in fact I think most of the fans of these clubs would claim their clubs have gone backwards since winning it.

I also looked at the last 20 winners of the FA Cup. Again mainly dominated by the usual suspects as dominate the EFL. Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal, the only other winners of the trophy other than these clubs are Portsmouth, Wigan and Leicester. Again rather than propelling these clubs to more success in each case they have all gone backwards.

I think these figures destroy the myth that these competitions give the lesser clubs a chance, the figures don't back that up in the last 20 years.

Nobody can ever question your optimism and certainly every time a cup draw comes around you always expect (hope) this could be our year.

But just look at the last 20 winners of the EFL and its Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Spurs. and the only other clubs to win it were Swansea, Birmingham and Middlesboro. So your theory of success in a cup competition can propel the club forward certainly hasn't happened for these 3 clubs – in fact, I think most of the fans of these clubs would claim their clubs have gone backwards since winning it.

I also looked at the last 20 winners of the FA Cup. Again mainly dominated by the usual suspects as dominate the League Cup. Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal, the only other winners of the trophy other than these clubs are Portsmouth, Wigan and Leicester. Again rather than propelling these clubs to more success, in each case, they have all gone backwards.

I think these figures destroy the myth that these competitions give the lesser clubs a chance, the figures don't back that up in the last 20 years.

When we talk Everton, they often look at me with alarming concern for my sanity.

And I'm supposed to be the sensible elder statesman at the age of 50, about to turn 51.

Without sounding very dark, a lot left Liverpool to get away from the drug scene. At one point, 10,000 were actually signing on the dole until Thatcher changed the B&B laws and you had to be over 26 years old.

A scouser, believe it or not, took her to human rights court and win min. Cue about turn en masse back to Bournemouth etc. I done the same and used a different Everton surname with every job. Sheedy, Gray, Nevin. Although Tory conference at a hotel in Bournemouth so my iffy Irish surname, Sheedy, was looked into and I got chased, ha, ha. Different times eh.

I have come to the view that Anthony Gordon should be sold and the funds used to purchase two strikers and a central midfielder.

If I could choose three to come in, given our limited budget and the endless list of players being identified, I would go with Broja, Diaz and Garner.

I also think that Allan might depart, injury and age seem to have ruled him out of the manager's plans but unfortunately I can't see any takers for Gomes.

I always love reading your posts, as they are usually very positive and uplifting and I hope one day your predictions come true. I am lucky I have seen us win the league in 1962-63 and all the trophies onwards, but my sons and grandson have never seen us win a league. To me, anyone under 40 who supports our club are the real heroes. Anybody can follow a successful club but to follow a club that haven't won a trophy for 27 years and counting, they are real fans.

My Grandson is 12 and has had a season ticket for 5 years, and he was born in Manchester and lives there. I say to my Son I cant imagine the stick he gets from City and United fans at school. They asked him why he follows Everton, he doesn't say because my Dad and Grandad are Evertonians.

He tells them its because he is a Scouser with a Manchester accent. He had me laughing at last season's City game at Goodison, he was on his feet singing "Manchester is full of Shit".

Brian Murray. I believe that the second city of the British Empire and one that had a larger population than Manchester drastically declined in the 80s as many citizens left. As a self-imposed exile, it's great to see the city back on its feet. But those were dark times indeed. Of course there are still areas that need investment, but that's no different to down here in London or any other city.

You had to throw the Sheedy bomb in (excuse the pun). The only person I would leave Mrs Danny for.

Scouser with a Manchester accent. Love that. As I've just said to Brian Murray, being an exile surrounded by London Reds, United's notwithstanding the Chelsea boys, I can sympathise.

Hopefully we can meet at a match and I'll give him some tips. Sounds like he's got it sussed though!!

If you are ever in the Upper Bullens stand, let me know and I will certainly come and have a chat.

Regarding our great City, I think a lot of credit for the rejuvenation is in no small part down to Michael Heseltine. I have to say when Thatcher appointed him as Minister for Merseyside in the middle of the Toxteth riots, I think Thatcher thought he would be crucified from his background coming here and, being a staunch Labour supporter, I feared the worst.

But the Albert Dock and Liverpool One I don't think would have happened if it hadn't been for Heseltine, I don't think any City before or since has been given its own Minister.

Maybe you can convince that strict lady to serve me at half time??!!!

And disappointing in the sense that's it's such a small ground, the away ticket allocation will be tiny.

Would the team fly down and back twice in a few days or stay for the duration in some fancy country hotel and locate some decent training facilities?

Not so easy for the hardcore away travelling fans of course but there are worse places in the UK to spend a few days in early November then Bournemouth.

Get the couple of players in and Wembley, here we come.

If we travel to Bournemouth with only Rondon available, it could be a long evening in Bournemouth.

The stars may be aligning just a bit for us to have a shot at this cup. Seven Premier League clubs will be knocked out in this round, including either Chelsea or Man City. I'm with Danny, I think we should go for it with everything we have.

I smile at the posts about the travel challenges of going back and forth to the South Coast twice in four days. I guess it's all about proportion. 200 miles is less than my wife and I used to drive for doctor's appointments when we lived in Oregon.

And Liverpool to Bournemouth is closer to 300 miles, you know!

A lot depends on this seven days, not only for our chances in the Cup; but our chances of staying up! We've a desperate need for goalscorers in the team and a scheming, passer of the ball in midfield, wouldn't go amiss. I don't think we'd be too far off, then.

I hope we can have a good run in one or both competitions but we're awful thin on the ground! Weren't we the club with the most players time lost through injury last season? Even if we get a couple of good players in, these cup games take a toll on players.

Number one priority this year is to move away and stay away from the relegation zone. Cup runs are a bonus; but also a hazard for squads with a limited amount of quality players.

I think the difference in driving in the States and the UK is the traffic on the highways. I drove from Saskatoon to St John in Canada, over 4000 km, and I doubt if I passed as many cars that I would encounter on the M6 from Liverpool to Birmingham.

I once spent 3 days travelling from Colorado to Chicago, driving across what I now understand to be the flyover states. I realise why.

Nebraska, Ohio and Illinois. 3 days of non-stop corn fields and I kid you not, one stretch of Inter-state that my son and I measured as being 85 miles without a single kink or bend. Ruler straight.

Brian. If I get a ticket for West Ham, I will give you a call / shout.

Imagine half a million people at St George's Hall and Queen's Drive lined with Blues setting off blue flares. It would make Palace seem like a tea party ...and if that didn't motivate the team to better things, I don't know what would.

Ah well... I guess we can all dream, eh, Danny?

I've read every book Bryson ever published --- I consider him the Mark Twain of this generation. And you're right, as both he and Bill Gall point out, it's about travel time, not distance! Google Maps just told me it's five hours from Liverpool to Bournemouth, either by car or by train.

Danny #37, I made that trip regularly when I was in college... 44 hours driving time from Chicago to Oregon. I grew to despise cornfields. And that one stretch of I-80 to which you refer is (according to legend) where the term "highway hypnosis" was born.

Story I'll never forget is him visiting Liverpool. He went into a Jewellers near Central Station and wanted to buy a crucifix as a gift. The young girl shop assistant asked him if he wanted a plain one or one with a little man on it.

Just cracks me up every time.

Mike G - I've covered so much of the States by road and visited 30 of the 50 to date. The best way to see the US is on the road in my opinion.

Out there from tomorrow for the next 10 days so it's Everton in the mornings for me apart from tomorrow, which will have to be onboard WiFi!!