Crystal Palace vs Everton

If they do, I fancy Everton to beat Palace, and continue the good away form.

UTFTs!

I noticed Branthwaite limping towards the end of the Brighton game. He would be a bigger loss at Palace. So far, Dyche has been keen to keep what he regards as his strongest XI on the park. With 8 games in 28 days in December, the need to rotate players will be obvious. Otherwise, we can expect injuries to take their toll as they already are at several other clubs.

Against a faster club they'd be vulnerable, but Palace doesn't have much pace up top. Mark Édouard tightly in the box, keep Eze out of the middle, and we should be fine.

Palace are a strange team in many ways, and capable of almost beating anyone on their day. So we need to turn up with our best 11, and hope everyone is 'at the races' for hopefully 3 points.

If this leaked information is true, we only get 6 points deducted instead of 12, albeit not till the season after next, we must try and finish as high as we can. I watched Luton against the RS and they look no mugs either. So treat every game as a must-win or draw at the very least.

If any part of a points deduction is suspended, that means that, if no other indiscretions occur within the suspension period, then the deduction will be wiped off.

Yet ultimately any sanctions would be penalising the ones that care, and not the incompetent Board and Owner. Hopefully, like in Mythology and the Phoenix (not Peter Kay's Club) we will rise from the ashes better and stronger!

Nurse, Nurse, I am hallucinating again! :-)

Palace are a strange side, they don't score many goals but at the same time they seem to be a really hard team to score against, especially at Selhurst Park and more so since Roy has come back to the fore.

This is a game we can win and should be targeting three points in however, albeit they will say the same but that's not our problem.

We need to go there and be compact but start posing more of a threat in games and would be nice to see if Dyche starts trusting the likes of Beto to offer more by giving him a bit longer when fresh legs are often required.

So for me, it's up to the team: put in a shift and be clinical in front of goal, keep it tight at the back with no stupid mistakes, and the points are in the bag.

We are improving, the Manager needs to be smart with team selection if injuries are becoming an issue. More ‘new improved' Everton please.

Up the Toffees!

So, as others have said, I believe it's important to begin giving some of the fringe players meaningful game time, not the odd 5 minutes at the end of a game. And for this game, I would start Patterson, and give Young a break.

Although Young has had a mixed season so far, his ability to play in either full-back position and on the wing makes him very useful.

And hopefully this will be the game when we finally give Calvert-Lewin better service – wingers and Pickford, please note.

Hope in wrong.

I thought the Young - Patterson combo worked better than the Young - Harrison combo the other week so I would consider that. Harrison has not impressed me that much and I would feel more confident with Young and Patterson ganging up on Eze.

Left flank looks more solid and if Onana is fit midfield looks good.

Difficult to predict but hopeful of 3 points.

Jordan Pickford
Michael Keane
Vitaliy Mykolenko
James Tarkowski
James Garner
Mason Holgate
Idrissa Gueye
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Demarai Gray
Alex Iwobi
Dwight McNeil

I think we are stronger now with a better more balanced team, options off the bench too. We are more settled, getting used to the system and believe in it more. It's a good opportunity for a win so I'm going for a narrow victory:

Palace 1 Everton 2

COYBLUES!!!!!

Whilst we are all peeved off with these international breaks, it's hardly a pointless one, seeing as the games are European Championship qualifying games.

Granted, both England games are against Malta and North Macedonia, games Southgate could probably pick 11 players from League One and still win, but there are also qualifying games all over the world, using players from the Premier League and Championship.

Unfortunately, these games have to be played at some time, unless anyone can come up with a better alternative as to when they should be played?

Plainly Dyche does not yet fully trust Patterson as a preferred option when we are defending a narrow lead. There is a touch of the headless chicken in his game. That said, I would have brought him on in the closing stages last week, when Harrison was clearly tiring.

Even when he has played relatively well, his end product is poor. If Danjuma was on form, I would have liked to see him given a run but he doesn't seem to have found his form yet. Against Palace and Eze, I would prefer Young and Patterson.

Won't be easy, but we seem to be on the up.

If anybody has a ticket and can't make it, then I'll happily buy one! I'm fed up sitting with the home fans when we're away and will wait to join my fellow blues one fine day, sitting on one's hands isn't easy!

I'll keep out of the other talk, or I'll get myself in trouble… I'm here for the football, the stadium will fall silent before the match - as it should.

It can be done and shall be done, they can overcome, come on you blue boys! Woy is an auld boy with a great career in management, but our Sean is on the up, coming into his managerial prime, we must prevail!

The uncertainty is palpable, but it's there for the taking. Take it Everton. UTFT.

Neither team wants possession but Palace are at home so will have to attack to satisfy the crowd. We're top 8 on away form and have the counter attack speed and strength and guile to take advantage.

If we score first we win. If we equalise, we also win.

Two-nil to us if we have a go. Coyb 👮👮👮

What is it exactly that makes you think that? What have you seen in Palace so far this season at Selhurst Park to make you think that?

Palace have scored four times in five home games (three of those goals were scored in one game). They have not scored in three of those games.

I remember going there many times in the 90s, Crystal Palace or Wimbledon and for that church their Holy day of obligation was Saturday and they'd always be there exasperated that fans had filled up the parking lot before their service.

But, if we have 20% possession and aimlessly hoof long balls to clear defence, then it will be a long afternoon. This was the approach we took in the 2nd half against Brighton and it was a step backwards on the evolution of the team.

The difference between the two approaches could be if Onana plays, as he has done a good job recently of receiving the ball from the defence and initiating forward moves.

But the further back you go and still allow the opposition to have >80% of the possession and get a little wiser or luckier (as in the case of Brighton), you will concede at least 1 and possibly 2 goals in the dying minutes.

Against Palace, we should high press but maintain the structure at the back that frustrates the crap out of the opposition.

Forecast: Palace 0 - 2 Everton

14 games where EFC have scored first under Dyche.

Wins: 10
Draws: 4
Losses: 0

That ranks very highly for a lower-half team so I say he keeps up that tactic.

No doubt we can and should do better with the ball than we did against Brighton but, as someone who is very into statistics, I don't give a stuff about possession by itself. I do care about how many chances each team is creating with the possession they have. If we manage to create (and hopefully convert!) more chances than Palace, I'll be happy enough.

Expect Onana to come back in if fit. Eze is back for Palace which is a shame, he will be instrumental for them.

When we're clear of the threat of relegation, then and only then will I want to see more attractive football. Whether Dyche can deliver safety and then attractive football remains to be seen. All subject, of course, to any points penalty!

This is always a reflective weekend. A pause at 11 am. Remember. The first minute is for those who went to war and conflict. The second minute is for those who didn't come home. Cenotaph tomorrow.

Anyway, see you in southeast London. The 1878 Originals Banners out loud and proud.

Spirit of the Blues. Forever Everton.

The only time we posed any threat in the second half was when we began to push on after Brighton equalised. They began to fall back to their weak defensive shape and we put them under pressure.

We only drew a game we should have won. If that is the rationale for continuing with those tactics, it explains why we'll probably finish 16th in the league.

We did well for almost all of the game but lost 2 points in the final minutes and could have been more. Okay, their goal was massively lucky. To get that kind of perfect trajectory from off Young's knee was sheer luck. Football gods saying "Hold on, Everton. Don't get ahead of yourselves" kind of stuff.

I think Dyche is doing well and we will end up mid-table this season. Looking forward to making a trip over to an early game in the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock as part of a family holiday. There might be 12 of us. So I hope enough tickets will be available.

It should be a fairly even game. Whoever scores first will probably win. It might well be a nil-nil draw.

Others travelling from other parts of the country and no doubt the globe.

None of us will be going there with a negative attitude. We go to win.

Just like we always have done supporting Everton and playing football.

Sorry. In the zone.

Do you know if there is any disruption to the trains in London today?

UTFT

On the high street Thornton Heath.

All the very best thoughts for an Everton win today, but will reluctantly accept a draw, also to all you travelling Blues. God Bless You All !

COYB 💙💙👍

Edit: 3-0 Palace if Keane starts instead of Branthwaite.

I had a great seat on the half-way line for the last two games and Patterson was up against Pacqueta and Kudus and did really well. Young did okay for a while but he is slow… end of!

We started well, attacking them, and could have been ahead before we scored. Then, when we did shut up shop, we hardly attacked until Brighton scored the equaliser which should have surprised nobody.

Brighton are a decent team but they were in a lean spell when we played them and we treated them with too much respect. Crystal Palace will be well organised defensively as we will be but Everton have to attack them aggressively, at times, not only when we go behind.

We can win there today if we want it badly enough; we are certainly good enough.

I'm at Wembley (sigh) and yes will be there.

I think it's the Prince George but message me.

What chances did Brighton create? Even less than us. I've no issue with making it a low-chance affair once we're in the lead.

Did you read my post? Seems very clear that this rationale has proved highly successful. If we were scoring first and then consistently drawing or losing, that might be different. The proof is in the pudding!

As for finishing 16th, I'd probably take it. Lampard's efforts to retain more possession had us footballing our way straight to the Championship. Of course, I'd love us to be playing better football and controlling matches at some point in the future but it feels like some people want us to run before we can walk.

If we can grind our way to 40-45 points and 15th-16th, that will signify some much-needed progress and some stability.

Simply put, I'm happy with any tactic that sees us getting more chances and better chances than the opposition. If that happens over the course of a season, then we'll end up closer to 10th than 20th.

Terry # 76, I hope you and the family are well. Agreed re Patterson v Young

Danny # 78, cheers, on my way!

Feeling confident after what I saw last night from the other team in blue in my life - my local Waterford FC. After 9 failed play-off attempts in-a-row, they sealed promotion last night back to the Irish Premier Division with a dramatic extra time win against local rivals Cork City. Maybe former Waterford player Bobby Charlton was looking doing from above!

You could write some book (or Netflix doc) on the goings on at this club over the last decade, not least that the Waterford FC owner Andy Pilley (former Fleetwood Town Chairman) has been jailed for 13 years for mis-selling energy contracts involving three of his companies.

We had a brief stint with former Toffee's Kevin Sheedy and Mike Newell in charge which ended in tears. There was also a 'rebranding' which cost the club it's place in the Europa League.

Waterford qualified for the Europa League by finishing 4th in the 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, but were ruled by UEFA to have not passed the "3-year rule" as the club were reformed in 2016. As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, St Patrick's Athletic.

That's just a taste of the goings on, some of which make Everton look well-run by comparison. Anyway. We are back where we belong as of last night which gives me hope that Everton can someday return where we belong – at the top of English football, in the not-too-distant future.

Enjoy the game today with our fabulous away fans. Don't know if you and Danny have any authority over the song sheets but we need some for Calvert-Lewin, Tarkowski and Branthwaite…

I was born in Carlisle, Cumbria.
I was signed by Everton FC
I was loaned to Holland PSV
I was sold but I didn't want to leave
But it's alright now 'cos Jarrad is back
It's alright, Jarrad Branthwaite is Class Class Class