Everton vs Tottenham Player Ratings: Undefeated home run ends

Tarkowski I wouldn't give more than a 4 at best, yet again the decision to offer a contract extension seems hasty as it's a player looking on the decline.

We were one-half wonders as usual, Ndiaye played well for one half which seems to be the limit at the moment, and when he doesn't play well, we don't seem to play well.

Grealish was okay but little end product and he is supplying ammunition to a gun with no trigger unfortunately.

I presume some on here will blame Moyes for picking the wrong team!!

Owners gave Moyes money and he has chosen to bring in a forward that isn't ready and failed to recruit right and left backs.

We have very little pace in the team and everyone we play exploits that.

The only way any youth get experience is sending them out?

Same shit... just a different location!

Until then, it's plod on with what we've got. A long way to go yet.

However, the offensive side of things is very weak but we have to suffer it until at least January.

If Jack and Iliman are snuffed out, then we will struggle, as they did today. Most teams will realise this.

Defences can just double up on the striker in the middle and snuff out their threat, which in Beto's case isn't great.

I support the idea of trying either Ndiaye or Grealish interchanging as a false nine with Dibling on the right. Today demonstrated that we should try something different as we had good possession in promising positions on the flanks but no threat when the balls were swung in to the middle.

Very familiar current Everton performance, which in part is nice to watch but we simply cannot finish.

Obviously we also struggled every time Tottenham crossed the ball into our box... worrying as our back line has traditionally been more resilient.

£25M and he's not even as good as Alcaraz.

The whole team was poor today. Did Beto split his pants with that overhead kick he tried?

We appear to be settling into a pattern of mediocrity, but maybe that is what Moyes is trying to achieve at this stage of the season, so that the owners will take notice and cough up some more ackers for another inflow of uselessness.

I will be away, so will miss the next two games. Let's hope there is an improvement by the time I get back!!

No wonder Man City got rid.

Them three of Ndiaye, Grealish and the dreadful Dewsbury-Hall are basically the same players. Fur coat and no knickers comes to mind.

Or he wins a free kick which we just whack into the area.. Never looks look like scoring. Doesn't look like setting anything up. He is a bit of a one-trick pony.

£12M in wages with no return.

Probably not easy when you have a carthorse in front of you, a full back that hasn't got a clue how to overlap you, a middle of the park that doesn't take up a position around or in the box to give you a target to hit.

I imagine Grealish would look a much much better player if he had prime Leighton Baines passing him by, or Lukaku showing for passes up front or even a player like Naismith in this side that could take up a dangerous position in the box.

All we do is pass to him then stand there watching him almost with the attitude of "Right, you do it yourself, Jack, we've passed the ball to you."

I've seen more movement in a tortoise tank than you get from our attacks.

How on earth have we persisted with one of the most un-modern left-backs in the Premier League in Mykolenko, who can't run, can't pass, crossing awful, and is just so unlike the majority of full-backs in this era, yet we have churned him out for 4 years.

How on earth we identified needing to replace Seamus Coleman way back in 2019, when we signed Djibril Sidibe, but somehow still haven't replaced him.

How did we persist with Calvert-Lewin from 2017 to 2025 knowing he'd been injury-prone and not good enough for 4 of those seasons, yet we still have not signed a striker who can even look like he's been trained professionally.

We are watching a very much declining central defender in James Tarkowski yet wanting to offer a new 2-year contract.

Those are bigger concerns at this club for me right now.

People didn't want McGinn but I tell you one thing, he'd have improved our midfield no end.

I wanted us to push the boat out on Kubo and was erring towards that move ahead of Dibling.

In answer to your questions, because the club is rotten to its core. Has been for decades and ain't changing soon. Pitiful really.

As I say, we're the most pointless, sterile, 1970s style football club as there is.

I mean fans clapping Richarlison when we're getting beat 2-0. Absolutely pathetic.

McGinn would have made a big difference, but playing for Moyes didn't seem to be an incentive. I suspect Kubo was similar.

I might be an eternal optimist but I see progress. We're signing young (which will come with its blunders) and we're actually attempting to play football.

Yes, we lack plenty of the parts needed to be a good side, but we've just spent the last few years barely playing football, staving off relegation, and being stripped of any decent playing assets.

You've only got to look at the selections. We lack a cutting edge... Yet Spurs can introduce a Brazilian international striker off the bench. The same guy we had to sell to them to meet PSR limits! If you wanted to sum up the respective clubs, it was right there in that moment.

Same reason. Moyes: same old tactics -- which may look good but are painfully slow in the buildup. The opposition just has to shepherd the threat up and mark up the stationary attackers.

This has been the way the opposition have played Moyes for years. No proper preparation is being put into set pieces, whether attacking or defending. That is a real problem that Moyes should be held accountable for, especially when his main strength is supposed to be to contain the opposition.

The way Moyes's tactics are, there are only two ways of scoring. The centre-forward gets the right connection on a half-chance, or from a set-piece. Neither are going to happen.

I think TFG should be looking at Stage 2 asap.

Moyes may not even want players to look to play the through ball.

And every other Saturday.

Friday night football and we win the league.

Jerome, we have one of the highest % of scoring from set pieces in the Premier League over the last 12 months, and we're the last of the 20 teams to concede from a set-piece this season. Your statements are not backed up with actual facts.

The bottom line was our keeper was nowhere near 3 headers in his 6-yard box. Garner and Mykolenko were bullied out of their header duels fairly easily, and the 3 big dopes were nowhere near Micky van de Ven who is a clear danger. Oh, and we had a set-piece disallowed by VAR.

The bigger issue is our players are not very good. The defence is poor without a low block, the midfield aren't great on the ball, and shooting is dreadful. Oh, and the big lad up front has the touch of a kerb and turning radius like he needs to be on the Mersey.

The team had good chances to score yesterday despite all of that, and gifted shit goals to Spurs. Christmas came early for them.

My criticism is not getting Alcaraz on earlier. I thought Dewsbury-Hall was pretty poor. I'd like to see Barry and Beto together at some point, so they've some pace in the side to unsettle teams -- 2-nil down is that situation. The O'Brien experiment is meant to help set-pieces, but defensively it didn't. Tarkowski worries me.

For the next game, I would like to see some of the finishing XI start:

Pickford
Garner
Mykolenko
Tarkowski
Keane
Röhl
Gana
Alcaraz
Ndiaye
Beto
Grealish

Is it a great team? No. But that's where we are. Spurs were no great shakes either. Their centre-forward from PSG was pretty rubbish -- and they've plenty of others in Tel, Richarlison, and Solanke that they've squandered on.

Not easy, this centre-forward lark.

But, if Branthwaite had been in the middle yesterday they wouldn’t have scored those corners.

We need asap two fast dynamic fearless full backs and get Branthwaite and O’Brien in the middle. Add a competent striker (or go all out on Barry) and we’ll not be far off.

But in the meantime, we need a big change of mentality.

Bring in Iraola asap.

Grealish doesn't shoot, Dewsbury-Hall doesn't shoot. Our typical pattern of play in attacking is getting inside their half, and whoever has the ball doesn't see any options, so passes into the middlem and ultimately a nothing ball is crossed into a crowded organised defence and cleared.

Another observation from yesterday is that two of the goals were from corners where we looked very vulnerable. Jordan Pickford is a great shot-stopper, as he showed when saving against Richarlison but has no command of the 6-yard box.

Compare that with Vicario where any corner we had was either underhit, collected or punched well clear by Vicario. The only exception was Jake's.

My fear is that Thomas Frank has shown other teams exactly how to score against Everton.

I was fuming with Moyes yesterday bringing Alcaraz on with 6 minutes left.

I know he has his fans on here but it's about time Gana was put out to pasture. Okay, he wins the ball back but, more often than not, coughs up possession, he contributes nothing offensively and his shooting is woeful... mind you, he's not alone there!

The fear of another season of struggle is once again upon us.

Agree on Grealish. You need someone at Number 10 that can exploit that space when players are dragged out to Grealish. Ndiaye would be the main beneficiary, but with no one on the right, it will need to be Alcaraz.

Röhl should start next game. It's where Garner plays now? Midfield or right-back.

I'm not anti-Moyes -- he did a great job turning us around last season -- but we should've dumped the “old” Everton mentality of the last 35 years when we left Goodison.

We were poor at Anfield when they were vulnerable. We didn't capitalize on a poor Manchester City at the Etihad, and we were poor at Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

West Ham at home when they are abysmal was also a shocking performance, while we got lucky at home to Palace when we could have been 3-0 down before Ndiaye scored to level it.

Despite our history, we are currently a step down from Bournemouth who have better players, better recruitment and better prospects. They have a genuine shot at Champions League football within the next few years whereas we will struggle to get into the Top 10.

There are lots of talented young managers out there and I wonder if Moyes will come under pressure around Xmas if we are languishing around 15th-18th which feels distinctly possible.

In theory, we should have a better second half to the season with a raft of new players getting settled and finding synergy but a lot of these new players (Barry, Dibling, Röhl, Aznou etc) have barely featured as Moyes seems loathe to tinker with lineup and formation. And to be fair to him, when he did name a much-altered lineup in the cup, few players if any made a case for themselves.

The recruitment was strange. We bought more wingers who want to cut inside despite having no overlapping full-backs and more players who want to keep hold of the ball and play it around despite having no forwards who excel in linking play.

The strikers in the middle have to do more. He somehow still managed the assists he did despite this. Put better players with him and you'll see his quality.

I was at the game yesterday and he was trying to tell his team mates to move etc. You would not see this if you watched on telly.

Also, one of his ‘assists' was passing the ball 5 yards to James Garner.

We definitely miss Branthwaite and Calvert-Lewin on set pieces, Jerome.

The teams we are up against will all have figured out how we play -- and that we have zero pace and limited finishing capability in the team.

I fear we'll see repeats of yesterday as the season progresses -- not helped by Ndiaye and Gana disappearing for a few weeks.

Moyes needs to shake things up a bit, be a bit more creative and risky. Try and outwit opponents... because that's what they are doing to us.

The more things change the more they just stay the same, with most of our play going through our two wingers, with teams just doubling up on them.

I thought Gueye, was as bad as I’ve ever seen him, with Dewsbury Hall, playing his normal game. His normal game keeps him on the pitch every week because we simply have a manager who is reluctant to change, imo.

Dwight McNeil, is not a world beater but he’s been a decent player for Everton, and yet he has been completely banished, so when I watch Grealish, bringing defenders towards him and flicking it into the space, I often scratch my head and think that would have been perfect for a player who has probably/definitely got the best shot in the squad.

I could go on but what’s the point, because anything that is said, is often jumped on as a criticism of our manager, who can hopefully steady the ship and bring stability, to a set of fans that are absolutely desperate for a tiny little bit of success.

I honestly won't give a monkeys who wins, which will be a new experience for me.

Nope; £5M a year gets you cautious, defensive, unimaginative and relegation scraps.

Exactly why I wanted Thomas Frank months ago. The performance at an out-of-form Liverpool a few games back sums up Moyes.

I wanted Alcaraz behind Beto and Garner at right-back. Moyes needs to make some changes, it's obvious.

The problem we have, and have had for a long time, is none of our front six score enough goals. Certainly Grealish and Ndiaye are very good players but neither score many, so that puts enormous pressure on the striker and the midfield players.

Let's be honest: Dewsbury-Hall has only scored 4 goals in his entire Premier League career and Gana has never scored many in a season, and James Garner likewise. So it's obvious this team are going to struggle scoring goals.

I know I have mentioned this already this season, but if you are losing 2-nil at home with 20 minutes left, but refuse to bring on your record summer signing, then what was the point of signing him?

Just to finish, I thought the chant from Spurs fans when, with 15 minutes left and our fans started pouring out of the ground, they chanted "Is this a fire drill?"

Why would you drop our best defender this season? What would be the advantage that would give us?

I disagree with that Sam. I think we could attract Iraola if TFG showed him their ambition in what they will fund and the football structure they are putting in place.

Bournemouth have never won anything and that will continue. Also, I don’t think they will be able to sustain a European challenge. That is not being disrespectful of them, as they are obviously a brilliantly run smaller club.

There are levels in every industry, and football is no different.

Yeah, good point. He has played well and been better than Tarkowski.

I do feel though O'Brien just has that little bit more pace than Keane.

We need to unearth the next Iraola or Glasner.

And Forest, with all their cracking players, fancy going for Sean Dyche(!) when they could have just headed over to little Bournemouth and blown them out of the water.

I like how you have completely absolved all responsibility from the manger. We know that Thomas Frank works on set pieces day and night.

The only players in their starting line up yesterday that are dangerous are Bentancur and Van de Ven.

The first corner was clearly Frank identifying a weakness in our zonal set up. Their 2nd biggest threat Bentancur is round the back totally free avoiding all our big men and our zonal marking, then powers his header after having a free run and jump before putting it across goal where their 1st biggest danger standing at 6ft-4in is free after running off the back of Grealish.

The 2nd goal comes as Van de Ven, running from the back post again unchallenged, gets in front of a static Keane, a little nudge on Pickford which takes the weight off his body so he can't come, and then uses his height advantage to have another free header on goal.

You can blame individuals all you want but that was Frank's set-piece coach exposing a weakness and getting his key players in position to exploit. We had no one tracking the goalscorer and no one aware of his presence as we were static in our zone, looking at the ball, waiting to head it, no awareness of the threat and no protection for our 6ft goalkeeper.

Now we are seeing a total U-turn from you who strangely has told us just two days ago that Dewsbury-Hall has to start and can't be substituted due to his 'quality' differential over Alcaraz. He might run more, he might be busier and he has a decent left peg... but quality? I think not.

Alcaraz has 3 goal and assists at Everton and is a lot more incisive, can take the games to the opposition, is always looking forward, and has a much better strike on him. Dewsbury-Hall has the experience edge but both have their strengths and the former should not be on the pitch every minute irrespective of contribution or what's needed in the game.

As for some of your critique of having to play a low block etc, and we aren't very good etc, well, we don't have to play it that is the choice of the manager.

If we are so bad, why is our best player and chief threat over the last 3 seasons sat twiddling his thumbs, a guy who had 7 goal contributions this time last season, in a team who is struggling for goals???

There's no two ways about it -- that means spending Champions League level fees and wages. So a transfer kitty of no less than £200M, I expect. And attracting players like Muani, Kudus, Woltemade etc.

Otherwise, he would have no bigger budget than Bournemouth but with much higher expectations.

As for the ratings,

Pickford 4½ -- very weak performance. Put a player on the front post and they don't score the first with a 6-yard box cluttered with blue shirts, all useless stood in their zones. The ineffective Myklenko marking their tallest at the rear, and he fell over. Pickford has returned to his coke habit: can't get off the white line.

O'Brien 5½ -- He is dependable most of the time and did okay. Headed goal was excellent, lost confidence when it was disallowed.

Tarkowski 4 -- a liability. Caught out all over the place and never made any difference for any of their goals.

Keane 6 -- Having to fill in for the walkabout Tarkowski when we were under counters and numerous Spurs forrays. Was also ineffective for the goals.

Myk. 3½ -- Appalling.

Ndiaye 6½ -- As the game went on, he became more and more frustrated and threw a strop when O'Brien failed to pass to him in 2nd half. Needs to be more productive passing wise after his clever dribbling. Had no need to venture offside.

Grealish 6½ -- Not a great night for him. Was not clinical enough with his chance. Unnecessary offside positioning ruined an excellent goal by O'Brien.

Gueye 4. -- Another terrible showing. Giving away stupid free kicks in dangerous areas when we clearly couldn't defend set pieces. Offered little anywhere and looked like an old man against them.

Garner 5 -- Was all right in points but without speed, or an eye for a pass. Is unable to get a grip and take control of midfield. Is better at right-back.

Dewsbury-Hall 4 -- Ineffective throughout. Seemed lost. Contributed little other than at set plays, which didn't provide much.

Beto 3.5 -- Not much service. Yet again. It's clear the manager won't engage his striker tactically, which he admits to. Smart overhead kick with little power his only real opportunity. Isn't a danger.

Rohl 5 -- Did okay, game was over when he came on. Looks like he needs to start.

Alcaraz 4 -- One of his first passes was backwards from central midfield, straight to a Spurs player on the edge of our box, who managed to mess it up. Not much else really.

Barry 5 -- All of a sudden, knows how to control a pass and trap the ball. Thus opening up a whole new world to him. Was okay but offered little potency.

Moyes 4 -- Got it wrong tactically. Very wrong.
Honest enough to admit our goal was correctly disallowed.

Pawson 4 -- On a relatively trouble free night booked players unnecessarily whilst not booking for a couple of bookable fouls. Is a poor referee, and unable to get through a match without several blunders, frequently critical ones. Shocking comical voice.

A small budget compared other clubs he could go to. Fan expectations out of kilter with said budget

He's best of waiting for Pep to leave Man City or Barcelona next season.

But there's five subs available nowadays and the most successful managers are usually prepared to use them all in a lot of games.

Moyes has got his strengths but his biggest weakness is that I personally don't think he's adept at implementing a squad, which means that the players who are not getting picked to start really suffer.

Pickford
Garner. O'Brien. Tarkowski. Aznou
Rohl. Dewsbury-Hall
Ndiaye. Alcaraz. Grealish
Barry

I like that side.

I am sure Iraola will have a choice of clubs to pick from, and while I would love him here, I think he will get more lucrative offers than coming here.

I am surprised that you would select Tarkowski ahead of Keane, who is way ahead of Tarkowski in performances this season.

The last big turning point overhaul of the squad saw us buy multiple Number 10s when we needed pace and width in attack.

This summer, we've bought 6s and 8s and inverted wingers. Once again, everything is slow and central.

All of the teams doing well have width and pace -- since that is what open gaps when in possession, and also allows effective counter-attacks.

Martinez was a chump in many respects but he was very astute in his upgrading of the Moyes team he inherited.

Pace and quality and width from full-back and wingers. Quality and pace at centre-back, and a well balanced trio in midfield. It allowed numbers in support of Lukaku.

If Martinez took over this squad, I expect he would play a 4-2-3-1 of something like this:

Pickford
Garner
Aznou
Mykolenko
O'Brien
Rohl
Gueye
Alcaraz
Grealish
Dibling
Barry

Sin miedo!

We would ship goals but we would be much better able to score goals. Hard to know if it would work or backfire.

However the future plays out, I deeply hope that we work very hard to bring in pace and width to unlock the potential of this side.

How big is the ambition of TFG for Everton, and how much are they willing to invest in squad improvement (PSR permitting)? They appear to be quite cautious and more focused on stability, rather than pushing for success.

That being said, it would be a lot easier to hire Iraola than sign Semenyo. Improving the quality of the squad will be a massive challlenge and require huge investment over time.

The point I would disagree on is that Bournemouth have higher expectations than Everton. Expectations for a club the size of Everton are enormous, and as Ryan says, the fans expect trophies. Pressure comes with that, but the best managers want that.

Success for Bournemouth is staying in the Premier League long-term with a run in Europe. That for their fans is beyond their wildest dreams, given their peak in terms of trophies was winning the Championship in 2015. I suppose winning the Third Division South was also a big moment for them.

Not questioning the 4-2-3-1 style of play but how many of that team do you think Martinez would have signed?

I agree that Martinez was pretty astute in his upgrading of the Moyes team he inherited.

We don't get in Europe
We don't win anything
We don't get relegated
We don't play exciting football
We're not renowned for anything (apart from the Number 9 shirt I guess)

We have owners that have sold at least 10% of the shares in the holding company. They are more occupied with Roma than us.

I mean this genuinely.

David Moyes has had a greater net spend in his one season at Everton than Iraola has had his entire time at Bournemouth.

Bill Foley is an ambitious owner and he backed Gary O'Neill to stay up. Most promoted clubs have done this then struggle the second season so the owner made another huge investment to ensure they would avoid a relegation battle and give the new manager the players he wants to alter the style.

Last season was only a moderate level but this season they sold nearly all of their key players including their entire defence and had to replace their goalkeeper with the only key assets remaining in the shape of Semenyo and Evanilson.

In essence, what he is doing flies in the face of everything we are told about our expectations. Basically he has spent £30M net every year and he has done it by signing players under 25, many in their teens and without any Premier League experience, and moulding them with a core of experienced journeymen.

Bournemouth have had three seasons of signing players in the £20M to £35M bracket. Yes, they have bought very well.

We've had one season of decentish money being spent after 3 or 4 seasons of asset stripping the squad.

Winning a trophy would transform this club far quicker than incremental increases in net spend. It is tempting to think of a 5-year plan to reach a regular Top 6 finishing position as success.

But it isn't.

I agree, Everton have higher expectations than Bournemouth (not sure how I phrased it). I think our fans' expectations exceed those TFG have in mind though and are funding for.

Dave # 63,

With Martinez, I think we may have signed Barry, Alcaraz, Dibling and Rohl. He would then have signed two fullbacks and a wing forward like the three I mention at Sunderland: Adingra, Mukiele and Mandrava. Pace, width and quality.

That is why we should go all out to hire Iraola in the summer. I think we could get him as well.

Moyes has a future in the club to support the CEO in putting the football recruitment and operations structure together in place to enable him to build a sustainable approach.

We now have a minus 3 goal difference. I can't see us scoring goals and, come December, Gueye and Ndiaye will be off to sunnier climes, muttering tfft. When Skies Are Grey is back in vogue after the sunshine of August and September.

Getting Iraola isn't a fix of itself. There would still be glaring issues with the squad and even a Brighton level £250M spend this summer would not give us more than about the 8th best squad.

It is one thing to patiently develop a squad and a style of play with a supportive board and fans; it is quite another to be thrust into the Everton hot seat and be under pressure to deliver big immediately. That is what Iraola would face.

I think the chance of him or Glasner would be very slim -- and also very unimaginative choices given what others are achieving across European football.

I admire your optimism and I sincerely hope that you're right but Iraola is probably the most sought-after manager in the league with Glasner.

Even if Everton were not a step down at the moment in terms of players and talented recruitment staff (though I guess we're yet to see what Everton's new team can do), then Iraola would surely have far better offers from whoever fails to make the Champions League this season out of Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs etc.

Even the likes of Brighton and Palace (when Glasner leaves) might be more attractive, to say nothing of European offers.

I think you're right to say the expectations at Everton are still higher than Bournemouth but I'm not sure that is attractive. Higher expectations but with inferior players is what leads to Everton fans being perpetually disappointed and our managers always under pressure.

I am not claiming that's my view but not only that I reckon the closest second choice would be one of their subs, Ryan Christie, as he a Moyes type player in the same way as Dewsbury-Hall.

Case for Tyler Adams and Jimenez also.

Only sustained spending and smart recruitment would.

Dewsbury-Hall keeps players out due to his all round game. Playing Kluivert means you are emptying the midfield which is why Alcaraz ain't trusted. Kluivert is less defensive than him.

I would have Truffert but Moyes would doubt him defensively as he's a bit lightweight and small and positionally vulnerable. I think he would use him like Garner in the last game. Don't forget he wouldn't use Coleman at right-back for donkeys.

Adams wouldn't get near the team and would be behind Röhl in Moyes's eyes. He genuinely believes Garner should be in the England squad.

You would be saying Dibling would be a shoo-in had he signed for Bournemouth during the summer

You are right that it does not replace putting in a well-funded long-term strategy and structure at the club -- but I would trade off a League Cup win for any league position outside a Champions League slot.

Just my opinion though.

The problem for the last 30 years has been that the fans' expectations were high but I am not sure they were ever matched by the ownership.

At least not in a professional manner.

Well I'd drop Dewsbury-Hall who offers nothing. I'd play their left-back ahead of ours and their right-back too. Garner (another guy who contributes nothing) wouid be replaced by Adams. Semenyo walks into our team

So there's half a team already better than ours.

You're point about Coleman is wrong. He signed in January 2009 and was an ever-present after his 5-month loan at Blackpool in the 2010-11 season.

Ryan, who obviously watches more football, has picked half the Bournemouth team, but has the wit to mention that his opinion on this subject might not necessarily be the opinion of our manager. (Or words to that effect.)

Success doesn't have to come at tortoise pace. Sunderland are a great example of that.

I watched the Netflix series during Lockdown, ‘Sunderland till I die'. They were on their knees in the lower divisions. (Great series, by the way).

Last season, they somehow scraped their way into the Premier League via the Championship playoffs. They were favourites to go immediately back down, not to lie 4th in the Premier League.

The above mentioned teams have a common denominator for their successful football. They possess managers who are young, forward thinking, brave, incisive and with tactical nous. We don't have that. Until we do, results like yesterday will continue to be served as the main menu.

I wanted David Moyes to do well but he's not the answer. We need better. We need better now. I want success sooner rather than later, and unfortunately it won't arrive under the present management structure.

It sounds to me that Conor was using his own opinion of Moyes to say that not many of the players mentioned would get into a David Moyes team, so I think all three of us might actually be on the same side for once!

You ain't playing Dibling then after raving all summer about him? I'd have Jack as a Number 10 in my team, for what it's worth, so I agree with you about Dewsbury-Hall.

I'd have only 2 definites, possibly 3, but I do like that young centre-back when I've seen him, who they just signed.

Sunderland fans will be looking forward to the next match, as Moyes took them down.

I wouldn't have Dibling in the starting 11 at the moment but I'm pleased we have him.

The club's ambitions do not match the fans' and haven't done for 25 years. For far too long staying in the league, finishing 17th has been the known ambition and anything else a bonus.

Our only hope is that TFG want us to succeed. We have a lot of self-preservation at the club and a serious lack of ambition.

I'm pretty confident saying they have superior players; at least until the likes of Barry, Dibling etc get into their groove.

Just for fun here's my combined starting XI:

Pickford
Jimenez Senesi Diakite Truffert
Gana Scott
Ndiaye Grealish Semenyo
Evanilson.

Branthwaite would get in if fit, though Bournemouth's centre-backs have been pretty decent.

It's how boring, Calvinistic, deadbeat managers like Moyes keep getting jobs. This nonsense argument of providing stability.

It's an excuse for a total lack of imagination and derring-do. A fear of failure that leads to an even bigger fear of success.

It's football austerity, a con job, playing on the relegation fears of all supporters, keeping them firmly in their place, and lying to them, basically.

Moyes spews out a lot of shit (that I'm sure he actually believes, the doddering halfwit that he is) about how “We're trying to accelerate the development of the club and bring some success to these supporters.”

Really? And how exactly are you doing that? By not blooding Tyler Dibling into the side and sticking with O'Brien at right-back?

Keeping Dewsbury-Hall in a position that he isn't quite nimble or skilful enough to play? Etc.

There is no stability in football. Man City may soon be relegated out of the Premier League. The Red Shite are falling apart this season. Everything is up for grabs, at all times, in every game.

There is only abundance and potential in this World; scarcity is an illusion used by powerful forces to control people and stop them believing in themselves and others. This is not a zero sum game. (Sorry for getting too philosophical there; when I'm angry, I get mystical, haha!)

No calculated, smart risks equals zero rewards. Fortune favours the brave team selection etc.

Moyes has done his job, he has actually already stabilised us, for what it's worth; that task has been completed. Now he needs to be moved on and a different energy and imagination is needed in the dugout and in training sessions. Immediately, please!

Interested to know why you wouldn't play Dibling?

Also, agree with you on Dewsbury-Hall, he's a betwixt and between player. Not really a Number 10 and not physical enough to play deeper. A strange player who can look tidy on the ball, good energy, but doesn't really do anything meaningful. He'd probably be most effective in a midfield diamond, to the left.

Also, agree on James Garner. He's very average. Show flashes of promise. I think we've been starved of classy midfielders, and when one comes along who does a few nice passes, we get excited and start overrating them, think Andre Gomes.

Although, saying that, Garner could do a job for us at right back at the moment because something needs to change there.

Only because I would play Ndiaye, Alcaraz and Grealish instead.

I said it today, I haven't really seen innovation at Everton since Howard Kendall went to watch our reserves and immediately appointed his old midfield partner as first-team coach... and look at the rewards that brought.

Maybe I'm wrong because Moyes did bring in some innovation the season we miraculously came 4th, but he's still near enough using those exact same tactics 20 years further down the line.

I wouldn't argue with that explanation, Ryan, but just because a player is a sub doesn't mean he shouldn't be getting brought off the bench and introduced into the team on a regular basis.

I wouldn't really have a problem with Moyes if he was trying to make our team stronger by switching things around but it's usually just same old or like for like with my belief being that this won't be doing much for the morale of the players on the bench.

Firstly, I agree that Moyes has done his job but, since the debacle at Wolves, we seem to be lost. Winning is a habit and we got out of it that night and do not seem to have recovered since.

I would fear for us against Sunderland from what I saw in the last 20 minutes at the Bridge. Sunderland were really up for it and played as a team. If Moyes loses that game, I do think his position will be assessed by TFG.

As for alternatives, Iraola, Glasner are the obvious but Le Bris of Sunderland is doing a cracking job. The real issue is who would take the job?

When Dyche lost the dressing room, Moyes was the only one to hold up his hand to say "I want the job". I remember way back when ToffeeWebbers were looking for Simone.

Realistically, we may have a wish list which is dropping down from the heady heights of top managers in the Spanish or Italian leagues to successful managers in the Premier League. Why can't we find the like of Iraola, Glasner etc?

Finally, rarely do I select team as I think it is fantasy football which I do not play and more importantly do not see how the players perform in training and how they bond with each other... but, for my first effort, I am going to suggest the following:

Pickford
Garner
O'Brien
Keane
Mykolenko
Iroegbunam
Röhl
Ndiaye
Alcaraz
Grealish
Barry

I do think Beto would be better with Alcaraz but it is time for Barry to start and see if he can do enough in the first half to prevent himself from being substituted. Similarly with Alcaraz.

All subs to be used in the second half at a time, depending on the performance, would be:

Gana, Dibling, McNeil, Beto, Tarkowski, Aznou, Dewsbury-Hall

We had two or three good chances to score in this game which could have changed the match. But they were missed as usual. The least said about Tottenham's goals the better.
We weren't outplayed -- we were just toothless, they will start calling us Everton-nil!

It's no use saying we need new full-backs, a centre-forward and another winger -- we are limited what we can spend, we have PSR rules to navigate.

Besides, we are poor at finding and signing quality players.
It's looking like another nailbiter season to me.

It turns out McKenna might be rubbish -- but it would have been fascinating to see us approach football as Ipswich did last season.

I think that is what you are after, Andrea, and I support that sentiment. However, since it is TFG's money on the line and not mine, they might understandably be more cautious.

Risk doesn't always pay off. The value of your investment can go down as well as up.

I don't hate David Moyes (although he is starting to irritate me), it's just time for a fresh approach. Not sure who that should be, really?

Ryan, I know people have probably said this a lot on here already, but couldn't we have Ndaiye up front, Dibling right, with Alcaraz and Grealish? Or even Alcaraz up top (seems like he's got a decent shot on him), Grealish as Number 10, Ndiaye left, Dibling right?

Wouldn't that make us a better team? Ndiaye coming from the left could potentially be our top scorer with 20+ goals. You never know.

I know the larger trend is going back to traditional centre-forwards, but maybe we don't need one at the moment with the personnel we've got.

Having said that, I think Barry has been harshly judged. There might be a decent player there if he's given a go.

We could have a manager every 3 months for the new manager bounce.

Silva -- fresh approach... bounded out.

Lampard -- fresh approach -- sacked after 18 months.

This goes back even to Joe Royle when fans wanted him gone 18 months after winning the FA Cup.

Like a lot of fans, I would like to see Grealish play in that Number 10 role to see how if he is as good there as was playing for Villa — which got him that £100M move to Man City.

He's obviously got the talent and ability to play in that position — my only query would be: Has he got the energy now that he had then?

And I think the time the new man is given is dependent on a lot of things. If it's Nuno Espírito Santo, it would be 8 months, sure. He fluked that season with Forest... Chris Wood isn't gonna score 30 goals again, ever.

But, if it's someone more inspirational and innovative, who can adapt, isn't wedded to a philosophy, connects with the supporters, and brings energy, excitement and tactical nous -- you'd probably give them a bit longer.

(Do we have one yet?)

Just give us some energy and excitement to begin with!

This isn't a defence of Moyes, by the way. If there is someone better out there who would come... then for fuck's sake bring them in.

I'm just not really convinced having (admittedly only half-followed) the Roma story that TFG are likely to be revolutionary in terms of managers.

Funny you mention McKenna. His stock has fallen since relegation. People quickly forget he got Ipswich promoted twice before the fall.

Likewise Rob Edwards (Luton) did the same, then got sacked and is now in obscurity.

Meanwhile, Kompany gets Burnley promoted just once (as a team that had only just been relegated, as opposed to Luton or Ipswich who had been out of the Premier League for decades) promptly gets Burnley relegated again but somehow lands the Bayern Munich job!!

It is just weird how the fortunes of football managers vary. Some get opportunities, some don't. In the same vein, Brenda gets Swansea, who were on an upward trajectory, promoted, survives, then immediately gets the RS job.

Curbishley, Pulis, Dyche, get teams promoted and stick around in the Premier League for about a decade without being offered plum deals until their fans tire of them and they eventually get sacked.

Determining who is actually good versus lucky is very tricky.

One very noticeable thing yesterday was the way the ground emptied. The weather was awful and, because of the current logistics, this makes me think that this might just happen on a regular basis throughout the winter months if things stay the same way to what we have become accustomed to.

Kieran, I thought Andrea used an absolutely massive phrase in one of her earlier posts when she said she wished for a manager who wasn't wedded to a philosophy. I say this because, although it can be a great thing, sometimes it's got to go out of the window when the going gets tough, something I think that we witnessed with our own Roberto Martinez in the end.

I very much get your point, but Rob Edwards is actually doing well again. Boro are 2nd in the Championship. But a mention has to go to Frank Lampard: Coventry are currently on fire.

Sometimes football only changes when you're also prepared to change, so maybe this has happened with regard to how Lampard and Edwards view their philosophy versus the brutal nature of top-level football.

"I personally blame our saviour."

So how many of Moyes successors did very Blue Bill pick?

I'm going one?

Though one in particular nearly poked my eye out.

Senesi? It ain't even that if he plays for another 5 seasons as a regular, without some of the defending in his earlier seasons there, that he might surpass that iconic Everton legend😉 Funes Mori for caps. Mind you it won't surprise me if that young Serb will have his spot by the time the season's out.

No, the real shock is that I've had to listen to you and Rob telling us that we have to play on the halfway line for the last few seasons and you've only gone and picked that lad.

There's me looking forward to the two J's as our backline and if Senesi gets in front of him, I think us Blues would be better off defending our box with Tarkowski and parcelling Jake as a 2 for 1 with Patto this January.

Andrea, can you please do the team talks before the players show for our usual first-half sleep fest?

Mike, can't we just sack Ryan😜? Sorry, bud, couldn't resist!!

I think risk is a broad spectrum. Ipswich appointing McKenna was a more wildly speculative risk, with him having zero managerial experience, of any kind, at any level, I think.

Bournemouth appointing Iraola was based on assessing his three seasons of top-flight football with Rayo Vallecano and deciding they liked what they saw. More of a calculated risk, but still visionary and brave.

And then, obviously sticking with him through that difficult patch. It may all still go to shit for him this season, an injury crisis maybe? Luck plays a part sometimes, no doubt. But, at the moment, he's looking like one of the best around.

I can think of very few top managers over the past two decades who are not wedded to a philosophy. Some are willing to tweak it (Luis Enrique, Carlo, Silva, Emery), some not (Pep, Mou, Tuchel, Simeoni, Conte) but they're all devoted to their own proprietary systems. Managers without one don't win much.

Conor #109, not Jerome??

There's probably not much between him, Keane and Tarkowski this season, though I think the Argentine is the most composed on the ball, which has helped Bournemouth in their buildup.

When fit, I'd definitely have Branthwaite ahead of him. And possibly O'Brien, but then we've had so little of him at centre-back!

It's more complicated than that. When you say tweak, that means alter, doesn't it? Change what you need to to win the game.

When I look at Bournemouth, or Thomas Frank at Brentford and now Spurs, they don't seem to have one exacting style of play. The undercurrent is togetherness, hard work and organisation, of course, but, there's a flexibility there. An ability to mix it up and vary it, sometimes during the course of a game. Also, using the five subs to great effect a lot of the time.

So, I'd say Thomas Frank and Iraola are not wedded to an unchangeable tactical approach. And I wouldn't mind either of them taking the helm at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Good to know, cheers.

It was a game of small margins really and Spurs had to work very hard to shut us out. Frank's influence seems to be paying off in their defensive resilience and some very precise exploitation of dead-ball situations.

As Gary Neville said in commentary, Vicario isn't stopping Jake's header anyway but it's hard to argue with a letter of the law ruling on offside players interfering with him. On the soft side definitely but we've seen them given for both the Tarkowski and Gueye penalty shouts.

A draw and neither manager would be complaining.

Some incredibly harsh scores, and some generous ones. I saw 6-7 performances all round generally. Röhl didn't stand out for me. He missed a decent headed chance and gave the ball away and failed to track Sarr for their third but I'm not writing him off yet.

Dewsbury-Hall seemed out of sorts. Alcaraz should have replaced him much earlier.

Grealish is trying from the kick-off to the bitter end. Faintly ridiculous that he is apparently getting some stick for not crafting a ‘worldy' a couple of times a game.

It could be argued that Ndiaye fouled Vicario before the header (similar to the Van de Ven goal?) but this is not what Pawson gave. So it looks increasingly likely that the rules have been misinterpreted to our detriment yet again!

Yes, the keeper gets a little block, but it didn't affect his feet, or his ability to try and save the header, which simply had too much pace on it for the keeper to keep it out the net.

I could understand the goal not being given but I didn't quite understand the explanation for why it was disallowed.

Give a foul, but don't give offside, because the keeper's view wasn't impeded by either player.

Football is like life -- you get nowhere without a plan, and that's why I despair at Brendan sometimes, because he goes on about things like picking a manager while I'm going on about why our saviour didn't just fuck off and leave us alone?

The deceitful Kenwright definitely had a plan, and his plan was definitely more about himself and his ego, rather than what was best for Everton Football Club.

But the man who has been asked to write down the really good things that our saviour actually did for the club many times has yet to answer.

It can be subjective as to what level of physical contact is allowed but, either way, there has to be consistency.

There were a few fouls on Grealish, it doesn't matter what minute of the game it is because the first foul on him was definitely dangerous, and the moment he complains to the referee about this, he gets booked.

It's seriously off-putting. I've driven hundreds of miles, got on aeroplanes and flown thousands of miles to watch my team play but it's got that bad I can rarely even put on the television in my living room, to watch a game of football these days. How sad.

The game is being re-refereed in the most nitpicky and unentertaining way. These dickheads shouldn't be in charge of the way the game flows, they should be there as more of a guide to correct anything that goes disastrously wrong. Instead of these displays of small-penised authority, they should be helping the game flow better for the supporters while subtly keeping the players in line.

Therefore, it has to be an appeal system. One appeal per half, if you're wrong, you lose it. You'd cut down the lag on the process massively because you can only ask VAR to check the one element you're appealing for, eg, offside, handball, ball went out etc -- they don't check the full ‘validity' of the goal, just the one thing you're appealing for.

It would speed the whole thing up, the refs and VAR would not have the power to ruin the game, and teams would think twice before using it, the error would have to be egregious and obvious.

And then we can get back to celebrating goals without feeling empty and stupid afterwards.

I'll love and watch Everton till I die but the title is a hollow crown now. It's fucking rigged!

I hope we had a least a scout at the Racecourse tonight?

Every corner is like a wrestling match but just for standing by the keeper we are interfering with him.

Gana Gueye gets nearly sliced in half and it doesnt even go to VAR.

I'm about to join Tony on a sabbatical.

I'm also watching Cardiff. I have watched BBM's career since he went to Preston as player many years ago. He had served his coaching time a Man City Academy and I believe he is highly thought of by Pep.

All reports I've heard is that they play very attractive football and work extremely well as a unit when defending and switch very quickly to attack when regaining possession.

On Everton, I was very optimistic for this season but, since the Wolves Cup game, I am losing confidence week on week. My fear that this could spiral down very quickly as I have great fears of our game vs Sunderland.

After watching the last 20 minutes vs Chelsea and they move the ball much quicker than we do. If we lose this game, then who can we beat? Don't forget that the games we did win, we were very fortunate not to be a couple of goals down.

I had to Google who the Cardiff manager is as they play some good stuff.

After being relegated last season and his appointment in the summer, he has done a good job getting them to 2nd in League One.

I was impressed with his post-match interview, he seems like a humble type.

Let's see what he has achieved in 12 months time and you never know -- he may be a candidate for a bigger job.

Wolves tabled a motion to suspend VAR and not a single Premier League club backed them up.

All other clubs sticking 2 fingers up to their own fans whilst lining their own pockets.

I don't think I have heard a match-going fan from any club think VAR has improved the game.

The greed of the beast, Rob. Just for one month, I'd love to see every single match-going fan boycott the stadiums (for live televised games) even though I'm aware that not everyone is as militant as me.

Football survived empty stadiums throughout Covid -- that is something I've often read on these pages... but everyone was stuck at home with nothing to do. Would it survive so well now?

If you need your footballing fix, just go to a lower league game. Park near the stadium, it's a lot cheaper to watch and you don't get irritated by pathetic stewarding and that ghastly PLR!

On Sunday I was listening to the match - Radio Merseyside. Stubbs went bonkers when we scored. I on the other hand did nothing, as now I wait to hear if VAR is getting involved when we "score". My heart sinks when I hear the ref called to a monitor, as we all know what's about to happen. The game is ruined by VAR and corrupted by SKY and it's breast feeding SLY SIX.

All this is happening as facilities for the fans are becoming better and better. Yet the actual product on the pitch is now at its worst and I don't mean the EFC team !

What ever happened to the peoples game ?

That's why I'm watching. See how he performs in his first appointment, especially playing attractive football.

The big test will be if they are promoted to Championship and higher where attractive football has to be measured against naively. Ask McKenna or Kompany...

It can work though, like it does pretty effectively in every other bleeding sport.

I’m not sure it’s completely corrupt, it’s more worrying than that, it’s the power corrupting the incompetent, tiny minds of these buffoon referees. And also, yes, the more power you give them, the more chance of actual fixing and corruption, which I’m sure does take place at some level. It’s just total madness.

How long is it going to take them to sort this out?

It should be a completely simple and straightforward process to implement, an appeal system.

They must be aware that everyone hates it! Its mind-boggling.

They just don't necessarily pause the game for their decision to be announced, and if they don't think the ref needs to go back and award a penalty, you'll not see anything about it at the game.