Newcastle United vs Everton

But surely Garner, Calvert-Lewin and Gordon have to start?

Need to pick up 6/7 points from the next four fixtures before we sign off.

Palace, Fulham, Leicester and Bournemouth sound potential 3 pointers – famous last words... But, if we don't get at least 7 points from them, then I'm afraid it'll be flares and supporters back outside the ground every week.

I'm still regarding Newcastle as being a slightly lesser task than Spurs. I think we have more chance tomorrow albeit not a huge one. Not keen on a fully negative set-up but we need to not lose.

The performance we gave at Spurs, first half at least, would serve well, if we could somehow find some finishing.

We need to start being braver in our decision-making in front of goal, you don't need loads of touches to get a shot away, Iwobi proved that against Man Utd.

We need to start getting more men in support of the forward also, it's no use isolating Maupay or Calvert-Lewin and just hitting crosses.

I can't see our conservative manager starting Dominic. He looked way off the pace, mistimed nearly all his jumps, and is clearly short of fitness.

It's going to be several weeks of patient introduction before he starts. Frank will be after a point.

If you're fit enough to train every day and sit on the bench, then you should be able to put in some minutes on the pitch.

The World Cup and its time out is fast approaching and we need to get some points on the board.

Surely a half-fit Calvert-Lewin is as good as what we have at present showing up front?

I hope we don't play 5 at the back again, McNeil is not a wingback, and Mykolenko is not a centre-back. We need Calvert-Lewin back, but our medical staff have to have the final say. Asking when can we officially get rid of him, a bit much in my opinion.

Watching Sky Sports earlier, showed some of the Newcastle press conference, Moyes as well, and went to Anfield to discuss their upcoming conference and never even mentioned Lampard's press conference?

No doubt St Maxim will have his usual excellent display against us then be average for a long spell afterwards.

We have got to get something from this before confidence is blown totally.

We never get much up at the Geordies' place and I'm not expecting much tomorrow. If Holgate is fit, I would go with him at right-back and Vinagre at left-back. Two centre-backs as is.

Give Garner a start in the middle, with Guye in front of back four Gordon and Gray out wide Iwobi and Onana either side of Garner and (if fit) Calvert-Lewin up top. Need points on the board or it's back to a Bottom-3 fight again.

We should have signed a proper bloody centre-forward in August.

We bought Maupay because he was the best we could do at the time. We will do better in January.

Newcastle are building a good team but will be missing a couple of key players. They have tall central defenders and need a player like Calvert-Lewin to cause them problems from long balls to crosses.

Playing at home with the crowd behind them, Newcastle are not the sort of team that you base your game on defense hoping for a breakaway.

Maupay is not the scorer we hoped for. Calvert-Lewin will want to get in the England team for the World Cup; his time is limited, so he has to prove he is both fit and capable of scoring. Sitting on the bench with limited time to play will definitely reduce his chances.

Trying isn't enough, though.

Maupay is a decent player provided that you play football like Brighton did under Graham Potter; he's not going to prosper with balls pinged to his head.

Even if Calvert-Lewin was not injured, we still needed more firepower than just Maupay.

We are not and have not been a side that has an abundance of goal-scoring talents in the attack, so I'm peeved off we waited so long in summer to try and solve this.

Being no expert, I just repeat, if you can be on the bench then you should be able to play.

We have 5 games until the break; if Calvert-Lewin can't play, then don't put him in the squad. Write him off until the Premier League starts up again.

If he can't play then he really is finished, and unless we have some money to buy, maybe we will be too.

All depends on budget, I suppose.

No defensive shit for this one; we need players further forward to enable out balls and not sideways and backwards passing and no bottling by Pickford.

The good news is St Maxim isn't fit, reducing red card potential... :)

This is a winnable game IMO but we need to get it right and play only with the players who do not bottle it.

Over to you SuperFrank.

Some were too expensive, some weren't going to be interested in Everton, some just weren't good enough. But I don't believe for a minute that Kevin and Frank were sitting around all summer doing nothing.

Who would you have signed if you could? Dennis? Brereton-Diaz? Broja?

As for the team, I think we need look to start Garner and lose a winger, especially against top six or tough away games. It's just possible that Garner could end up with a more goals and assists tally than one of our wingers anyway, playing from a midfield position. When he is starting regularly that is.

He has experienced the Championship and won promotion with Nottingham Forest, that's a league of hardship.

He looked technically accomplished in the games I've seen him play and I fear picking the same midfield tomorrow night just result in more passing up of possession with sloppy play.

Not sure but it always smacks of our chairman, the old let's make some late moves with two hours of the transfer window remaining.

I wasn't convinced by Dennis to be honest.

I'd have put a punt on Diaz, good age, international footballer, knows British football and his style of play probably more suited to us.

Broja on loan made sense, try before you buy but, for whatever reason, that didn't materialize.

Jim, rumor has us scouting Brereton-Diaz for a January bid. We were one of a half-dozen teams in for him over the summer, and we (and others) reportedly bid £12 million, but Blackburn wanted £15 million and none of the suitors were willing to pay that price. They all look foolish now as Brereton-Diaz has scored 7 in 15.

In my view, are not getting anywhere near the truth about Calvert-Lewin and his injury/return – and haven't had the truth right from the start.

Mike @26,

I think you are right in saying we didn't wait until the end of the window to do something about a man up front. Problem was (our Chairman here I think must have got involved) we were looking for a Messi at a Tosun price. Never going to happen, was it!

In other words, we placed all our bets on Calvert-Lewin and had no intention to sign a decent striker during the summer but were forced, because we realised too late, that Calvert-Lewin wasn't going to be our saving grace, and we paid too much money for what we could get at the last minute.

It will be interesting to see what happens in January. Until then, don't expect to see many goals, so the downward trend is likely to continue.

Remind me, Was it just the ten men we beat them with ?

I'm sick of hearing about the great Geordie revolution. These deluded fuckers actually think they will win the league every year.

We'll do them again tomorrow. The only thing anyone wearing blue has to fear is those fucking stairs.

But in fairness, the only two game-winning goals we've scored this season were by Maupay and McNeil. Outstanding strikes both. Funny how things work out sometimes.

I don't see the sudden drooling over the skunks. They haven't bought anybody who stands out a mile, like a Messi, or Neymar or Mbappe or (wash my mouth out) a Salah.

They've bought players from Villa and Brighton, and a player I'd never heard of, Alexander Isak, who might well turn out okay.

With Saint-Maximim and Isak both missing tomorrow, there is, as you say, nothing to fear, other than that climb up to the away section. Fourteen flights of stairs with ten steps on each flight. Think I'll take the lift up!

And Pickford, please cut out the ridiculous time-wasting.

I feel we need to make one or two changes though. The side that was improving and giving us good vibes has gone a bit flat.

Need to stop the run. Can't be losing to these plastic Kopites.

5-man midfield so we can try and compete.

An away game so stay deep, compact, frustrate and hit them on the break.

Our passing needs to be crisper, sharper, quicker and more accurate.

Anything's possible in this game.

Onana and Gana need to keep Guimaraes quiet. He is the dangerman.

I think if people are desperate to get Garner in the team, then one option is playing Iwobi instead of Gray who tends to lose the ball frequently, while slowing us down and not doing great defensive work.

Though Iwobi only really works as a wide player if the full-back can get beyond him frequently so he can come inside, which neither Mykolenko nor Coleman seem capable of currently.

I say Gray but Gordon has not been much better, he works more defensively though and will be raring to go after missing Sunday.

Pickford
Holgate Coady Tarkowski Mykolenko
Garner Gueye Onana
Gordon Calvert-Lewin Iwobi

Garner has promise, but I don't think he justifies a start a head of Gana or Onana away from home. If he comes in, I'd be taking Gana out.

Maupay, McNeil from a performance point of view have done little to justify a start. Both lack pace, and don't do enough when on the ball.

Coleman, whilst a great servant, is struggling to offer what Patterson was starting to provide.

A work-in-progress team up top. But no surprise after last season's struggle.

Pickford
Coleman Coady Tarkowski Mykolenko
Iwobi Gueye Onana
Gray Calvert-Lewin Gordon

Go and get them Everton.

They're Newcastle.

Not Bayern Munich.

And we saw them off too.

They have height at the back. Trippier will always create problems from set pieces. And then there's the wild card that is Saint-Maximin, who Howe said is expected to be fit for tomorrow.

But we're also a very different team to the one they played last season.

Like others, I'd like to see Garner start this one, at the expense of McNeill. I'd go for the old Christmas Tree, 4-3-2-1. Back four picks itself. Garner, Gana & Onana in the middle, Iwobi and Gray interchanging behind Maupay. Keep it tight, then bring Calvert-Lewin on at half-time.

It's easy being an armchair manager...

Hopefully the performance will be an improvement and we move ahead with more confidence. Defeat isn't a disaster… in fact, defeat is how we will perhaps learn most.

I think Howe said he expects Saint-Maximin to return before the World Cup. I've read that he's definitely out with a hamstring injury until at least the last game before the break for the World Cup.

Play a back four with Calvert-Lewin and Maupay together upfront.

The lack of goals will kill us more quickly than the leaky defence did last season. Can on-loan players be recalled?

As always with this squad, it's 4-4-2 for me:

Pickford
Holgate, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko,
Doucoure, Garner, Gana, Onana,
Iwobi, Maupay.

Up the Blues!!!

If Everton can keep composed as in the first half at Spurs, it's definitely winnable but chances made must be buried.

It would be great to beat the Toon and sap the media who beef them up to be some team with a defined destiny to be a great team.

It's up to Everton to take the learning from Spurs and put right tomorrow night, with a well overdue burst of good finishing.

We are not quite there as we all know at this stage, but have a decent nucleus of players, and they all seem to be working as a unit, except recently against Man Utd, and to a degree Spurs, till it was too late.

Hopefully, a lesson has been learnt.

I appreciate the clarification – I must have misread Howe's comments on Saint-Max. Him not being fit is good news!

We're as good as them, if not better. Go and play with belief and win the game. No fear. We're Everton. I'll be following and watching.

I cannot see Holgate improving the defence unless we play eight across the back.

It's obvious to us all and Lampard that we need to score goals but we don't have the artillery good enough to do it so it's down to Pickford and company to save us in all games at least until January when possibly the squad will be strengthened where necessary.

Tomorrow's game is another one whereby we will be clear underdogs but can we expect a big improvement after the last two games?

It is very painful going through this period but Lampard has to rally the troops to battle like crazy.

Barcodes are no world beaters and were lucky not to lose to Man Utd.

COYB

Haha “eight at the back” cracked me up

It happened time after time at Tottenham.

We can’t expect to go from bottom end to top end straight away. Mid table, and some stability is what's required this season. Let's get real.

They aren't world beaters. Wilson always does well against us and Pickford always gets wound up by them.

4-5-1 with Gordon in for McNeil.

Calvert-Lewin isn't going to go all Marvel and turn into Aguero MKII or even Son, and Gordon's shots have as much power as Pippi Longstockings.

God speed to the travelling blues and those of us following from afar despite the time zones.

Let's go and get the points.

Agree that Coleman should perhaps be rested, with Holgate coming in.

I've noticed that the BBC have today re-started their campaign to replace Pickford as England's first-choice keeper. They've even got a poll on the page, with Ramsdale top choice. Total coincidence that they've chosen today to run the article of course, with Pickford going to his least favourite venue and Pope playing for 'everyone's second favourite club'.

I just want us to put in a performance tonight with a clean sheet for Pickford or even a win to make the legions of ex- RS BBC, Sky, Amazon, and BT pundits. commentators and gobshites shut the fuck up for once. So COYB.

Our style at present is a lone target man who is usually at least 15 yards from a team mate, so how does that help build any attacking moves? Even if Calvert-Lewin starts, if Frank persists with this defensive system, we will still struggle to score goals.

I am sure, if we can go toe to toe with Liverpool, then we can certainly do the same against an average Newcastle team. They have made a couple of additions to last season’s team who for most of last season occupied a Bottom 5 position.

So please, Frank, let’s have a go tonight and not retreat with all our players in our own half, like we have in too many matches this season.

I do believe, if he had access to the same funds as Frank Lampard has had this season, at the beginning of last season, he would still be the manager. Benitez’s total spend at the beginning of last season was just £1.8M, which is a footballing joke.

It was an insult to any Premier League manager, when you compare the £150M the Nottingham Forest manager spent this year yet they are near the bottom, but he still keeps his job.

We all seen what happened after Benitez's honeymoon period ended. It was the most disjointed football since Mike Walker. Clubs aren't falling over themselves to employ him.

Onana, Gana and Garner have improved us, not just Coady and Tarkowski.

Not sure what your point is but we are playing Newcastle tonight away from home. We should stick with the pragmatic approach that we took into the Man Utd, Spurs and Liverpool games.

A five-man midfield for me and I'd start Rondon to knock the centre-backs around a bit and hold the ball. I'm no fan of his but he is more use on his own than the tiny Maupay.

That said, if Calvert-Lewin is fit, then I'd play him but, like others, I do wonder if there is more to his absences than meets the eye.

Young Garner should play from the start.

Pickford (or Begovic)
Holgate Coady Tarkowski Mykolenko
Garner Gana
Iwobi Onana Gordon
Calvert-Lewin (if fit; if not, Rondon)

I am surprised Benitez took the Everton job in the first place with so little money available to him but with so many expectations of him. But he did manage to make Gordon and Gray better players, but lost his 2 most important players, Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

Everton under Frank Lampard are doing a lot more running around this season than last season, but are still woeful in the final third because there is a lack of quality.

He was trying to do the right thing, and the moves he made last year now look even better with the emotion taken out of them. He built a better team with zero net spend than the other jokers managed with half a billion.

Getting rid of James and Digne, not easy to do when you see what a cushy number they were on, losing out two most effective goal poachers in Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin, not being given any money, getting those two fullbacks in, getting Townsend and Gray on frees… amazing really he wasn't given any credit.

In fact, he was run out of town with jeers ringing in his ears when he tried to tackle the gobshites down on Finch Farm.
A massive missed opportunity.

You can't be serious.

Benitez spent too much of his time playing power politics with the backroom staff. On the field, he was completely out of his depth.

He persisted in playing two in midfield with the consequence we were being constantly overrun and the defence was always under pressure.

One of the many disasters which stands out for me is Norwich away. They hadn't scored for around six games but were 2-0 up within the first 15 minutes and it could have been more. There are many other examples including Liverpool and Watford at home.

He was certainly no champion of Gordon. He publicly stated he couldn't last more than 60 minutes and only eventually selected him because of injuries to others.

That is where the system falls down for us. The other five are not contributing enough goals to win games. The lone striker isn't either at present.

Everton's attempts on goal are pretty poor, because Everton are more defensively minded and getting back into their defensive positions.

Can't really argue with that if we are honest.

The football isn't great is it? Even when Calvert-Lewin is back, it won't be great either.

It's basically get the ball to Gray or Gordon and just tell them to run 30 yards into a blind alley.

We don't see any real incisive passing moves, we don't have any combinations on the go, remember the Bainaar?

I don't know but I hope as the season progresses we start to see Frank produce some kind of little glimmers for us in getting a team that organically plays good football instead of just forcing things.

After all, it didn't take Graham Potter long at Brighton to get the team playing easy-on-the-eye football, a club that has punched above its weight for 3 years or so now.

I was no lover of Benitez either, the wrong fit completely.

He was however correct in his assessment of Anthony Gordon.

He still can't play more than 60 minutes even this season, in fact he's not even running as much as he was.

Some things are the truth no matter who said them.

Secondly, I think one of the worst mistakes in football was getting rid of the Central League; and for those unfamiliar with it, all teams had a reserve team, which played competitive football, I think there was even relegation.

But for players coming back from injury, like Calvert-Lewin, and Gbamin, for new players like Garner and players out of form or favour, it gives them game time and players new to the club some settling in time.

For the up-and-coming young players, they play man-football week-in & week-out against old established pros, and of course means we can call on the likes of Ellis Simms, Lewis Warrington or Lewis Dobbin, if they're impressing in the team.

The U21s just doesn't cut it.

I think 5/1 is generous, I can't say I really fancy us much but at that price it's worth throwing a small bet at it.
The reality though is we are not very good at scoring which is why we continue to struggle to beat anybody.

Can't score = can't win; anyway fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Some fans say he has to play a he played at Spurs, defend and attack on breakaways. I agree to a degree but not the ultra-defensive way Frank has them playing, how come we start attacking more, and creating chances, when we go behind?

We got a goal back and a draw versus Forest, could have snatched a draw at Villa after going two behind, had chances in the second half v Man Utd, so we can attack more if Lampard changes his tactics, not gung-ho but enough to trouble their keeper now and again.

What is certain is, if you go to defend for 90 minutes, you just might get a draw. If you make some effort to score at the other end of the field, you get 3 points, instead of boring and worrying the life out of the fans who are watching.

I know results are everything but give us something to bleedin' cheer as well, especially for those incredible fans who travel to watch, give them a thought for God's sake!!

10 defeats in 13 games and a squad who downed tools on him. That level of ‘success' nearly got us relegated.

I also want a more ambitious gameplan from Lampard tonight.

Pickford mustn't allow himself to be goaded by the Newcastle fans and Holgate too must keep his cool.

Onana and Gueye will boss midfield and Gordon will pop up while all eyes are on Onana. 3 points are ours to be lost

That was on Benitez. Just like Steve's comment (91). Same Lampard needs to attack these, from the off.

I hate that we concede possession easily, that has to stop but we play with the tools we have. Get into them, Blues.

I live in parallel universe where the Blues and hope is concerned. We've got to find a way to include James Garner, more often than not.

Having a one-game-in-four striker won't move us up the Premier League. Off to the nag punchers, binoculars at the ready.

I want our away fans treated to skills and goals. How do we do that?

We have all watched enough football, some on here have played to a good standard. So can it be done without getting us relegated?

Can we get 50 goals out of Calvert-Lewin, Rondon and Mauphey?

Can we get an end product from Gray or Gordon?

After climbing those 45 flights of stairs up to the away fans section, those still breathing deserve something to cheer.

We've showed some promise of being more solid and in the Liverpool game we showed that we can also take it to a team. This is a great opportunity for Frank Lampard to show the other side of our game again because, if he plays that ultra-defensive crap, it is going to have myself and his other hardened backers a bit worried.

Get Calvert-Lewin on from the start so we can see if he's got it and let's give their defenders a bad night.

Can we leave any Benitez history out of any threads because just as with the name Allardyce, it reminds me of who is running this club.

Blues for a 2 nil win

Forget these half-arsed wingers and let the fullbacks defend. Oh and Holgate in for Seamus who probably needs a rest.

I think Pickford in the past has been his own enemy, nerve-wise.

I don't think a few Geordies will bother a good Mackem – he'll be well up for that I reckon.

The Barcodes are playing much better than last season and they are at home but a strong defence may just get the result.

Frank Lampard has introduced a fines system and player leadership group at Everton to maintain standards that he believes will help the team to progress. The Everton manager had a fines system at his previous club, Chelsea, that included a £20,000 punishment for being late for training and £10,000 for not reporting an illness or injury before a day off, but did not implement it at Goodison Park last season as the team fought relegation.

It has come into effect this season, however, and Lampard insists his players are happy with the extra discipline. The 44-year-old, who indicated the fines are not as heavy as they were at Chelsea, said: “When I went to Chelsea the feeling was that maybe discipline had not been spot on – that was from the players by the way, not my view, so we brought that in. It raised a few eyebrows because of the numbers and in the second year at Chelsea I came off that a little bit.

“Then you come into Everton. It didn’t feel a priority last year to go: ‘You are fined if you are late.’ The priority was: ‘Can we get three points this weekend?’ Now we have got more time this season and the group is set up, my feeling is they like some sort of policing of the standards and I think it can help if done right.

“The players are fully involved in it so they are happy with the levels – we are not killing them with the levels! – but it is good to have something in place to make sure we stay on point. We speak to the players a lot about the balance of confidence, progression and complacency. It is a very fine line and I think the right fines system can help keep that balance.”

Football, the common mans game

If PSG had that policy, Neymar would have been available on a free transfer long ago.

But with a bit of luck Newcastle will have an off day and we'll scratch some kind of result to keep a decent distance from the drop zone.

What a time to be alive

Pickford

Coleman (Holgate if fit) Tark Coady Myko

Garner Onana Iwobi McNeil

Gordon <---

--> Maupay

On offence, Iwobi advances in a diamond with Onana as cover

defence, Onana middle with McNeil and Garner and Iwobi free to pressure.

With Garner and McNeil we will keep possession longer which will make Iwobi more potent. Gordon and Maupay should constantly interweave not go to the outside without support.

For what that's worth. Gray and DCL late but leave Maupay on.

Twenty thousand for being a bit late for training? Many of us are stressing about having to choose whether to eat or heat our houses this winter.

I love football, I don't love the money involved these days. The article is just rubbing peoples noses in it to my mind.

Back to on the pitch matters, here's hopeful of three much needed points tonight.

If we're going to stay up, it will be the home games against teams around us that make the difference.

The big games for us are Palace, Fulham, Leicester and Bournemouth. We need 7 or 8 points from them.

Drew with Wolves, Bournemouth, Palace & Brighton.

Nothing to be scared of Blues. Keep it tight and if Gray actually bothers his arse for a change we CAN win this!!

COYB's!!!

On Newcastle it’s not a case of a new favourite team. The owners have more money than City. That’s a fact.

that would not be Newcastle, that would be Mega Investment F.C. same as Man City.

For now, they're won-nothing Newcastle.

Everton of course, chose not to be falsely inflated by the immoral injection of money. We distributed ours within the wider football community. We're doing it the right way :-)