Jarrad Branthwaite's return an instant upgrade

O'Brien went to the right and, when Patterson came off, he became an out-and-out right-back. With Tarkowski and Branthwaite in the middle, Mykolenko on the left. It was never less than four.

The day our boy Davey goes three at the back is still to dawn...

If he keeps it up, and he (+ KDH) can just stay fit we should certainly be looking upwards.

Mr Tuchel should also be very interested, though that would mean the 'big guys' with their agents would start sniffing around again, meaning there's a risk of his head being turned. Trying to avoid the risk of that scenario is a big part of the case for us being in Europe next season.

A rolls royce of a player,his pace allows us to play higher up the pitch as well.

Easy to see the kid played in midfield until he was 15/16,he sees the pass and has the quality to play it.

God loves a trier

Your monitoring skills are to be admired

Try again.Did we play a higher defensive line second half v Leeds?

"Did we play a Higher defensive line up in the second half V Leeds ?"...Than what ?

Any chance of an answer on how high we played second half v Leeds?

Back of the class.

It was two minutes

We played the same line we did in the second half against Brentford, Newcastle and Spurs. Risky, but you have to do it. Especially when the crowd had boo'd you off at half time.

The way we set up from the start must have been acutely embarrassing for those who have never seen Tarkowski live and insisted we would play 10 yards higher.

Two minutes ?. I guess I over estimated you

Which one are you going with?

I also said he would need a gun to his head to come out to play. That came in the form of certain defeat. The wild horses came in the form of 52000 boos You are ok with metaphors ?

Branthwaite or no Branthwaite. Tarkowski will not come out to play at Brighton. Unless we get a corner, He will do what it says on his tin and defend his penalty...Right from the off.

I hope Jarrod doesnt get rushed back... Like last time, but if he gets the nod. He better bring a fucking tug boat if he thinks he can get Tarks to start further up the pitch.

"Which one are you going with ?"... I'm going with both. Not with a belief, but with a certain knowledge.

I honestly believe it's time to let tarks have a rest, watching him now we want to be more progressive is just showing his limitations.

Even O'brien doesn't fill me with confidence with the ball at his feet, jarred coming on at HT just showed how much better he is than any other CB or defender we have.

If we can keep him after the Summer a partner on his level would be on my shopping list !

Buy a fucking attacking left back

Buy a fucking centre forward

Start there. Move forward. Just buy anyone. Even spend a few million. Just get some bodies in.

Do the same in the summer

Or….as per usual…..do absolutely fuck all and hope for the best Everton. And when wonder why a shithouse factory like Leeds fucking United make the club look like bastard amateurs. At home. In the league. 👍👏

SORT. IT. OUT

Think Beto, tosun, maupay, gabamin, rondon, bolasie, Walcott, sandro

The list of Bodies that have cost us is ridiculous,

We don't need Bodies we need quality!

I'd rather us wait for the right signings, signings that can make an impact on the team over a long period.

Yes a loan or 2 would be nice to help, at RB especially if there's no viable long term targets available.

No stopgaps. No fill-ins. No Cucos.

Quality and quality only.

Great to see Branthwaite and Dewsbury Hall back. I felt Gana Gueye and Ndiaye were a little off pace but still did a job, particularly Gueye's cross to Barry for the goal.

With Barry scoring again, Jarrad and DH back, Keane finishing his red card ban etc, Patterson playing reasonably well ------- that we won't see any new faces in the team until July/August. (unless Beto goes??)

Anybody on here got views on how the effect the World Cup might have on the transfer market?

For what it’s worth I think stage 1 was a very mixed bag, some credits, some questionable additions, and some glaring misses in gaps that needed to be filled.

That said, I don’t see why a progressive management team wouldn’t want to seek to add some quality, some impetus, even if only short term loans ( but better if could mange quality additions), in this window, particularly given the opportunity when European places are so beckoning.

No panic buys. No big financial outlay. Just some fresh impetus, showing some ambition.

It feels like a lack of ambition at the moment. Hope the next few days prove me wrong.

Most quality players are looking to play European football, which many think we would be foolish to qualify for at the moment

It's not easy. I looked it up -- only five non-goalkeepers have been brought in on loan across the entire PL in this window, the headliners being Douglas Luiz and James Ward-Prowse. So finding a midseason loan for right back or forward may seem obvious, but it's anything but.

Also, these are African matches that don't affect Ili's eligibility for Everton.

Think Coleman, Jelavic, Pienaar, Donavan and Arteta,

We are told we have a world class recruitment team and analytics department,. But, if we buy a player in January the same team will deliver us a a panic-buy, a body, stop-gap, fill-in? Explain that logic.

At present, we have fundamental structural gaps in the fullback, striker and now left wing positions. The refusal to address these issues would be inexplicable if we didn't already know the reason.

No, not the adherence to our "long-term plan". The payment of a 43 million dividend to TFG's parent company means we don't have the money.

KDH — 9

Grealish loan — 9

Barry — 5/6 based on recent goals, addressed a need, good goal scoring record in a top league, but plenty of room to become a 7 or 8 based on age (even if I have my serious doubts)

Rohl — 6/7 a bit of an overpay for what he is now, but if he’s a legit midfielder alongside Garner, KDH and Armstrong in 2 years, then it’ll prove savvy

Aznou — 6/7 like Rohl and Dibling, too early to tell, but lots of potential in an area of need, very young, position of need, low cost, time will tell

Dibling — 5/6, if only because it appears an overpay, plus he looks so unhappy and unsure of himself, but has more in his bag, so much more potential than the previous two, given his age and pedigree

Even the ones we can argue about their quality, they’re young enough that they could prove brilliant in time.

Garner contract — 9

Branthwaite contract — 10

Keane contract — 8, given how important he’s been and early in the season was playing his best football in years.

Gana contract — 8, he’s aging and imperfect, but absolutely needed him this season.

I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to TFG, given how many players we had to replace, despite not signing a right back (who would you all have had who was realistic?) and possibly missing on Barry and Dibling — time will tell.

I’ll say for the umpteenth time: No stupid buys this winter. And if we don’t sign a right back this summer, I will be just as angry as the rest of you.

What we've been told about the January window, by the CEO of the club back in December, is this:

"...all our experience demonstrates how challenging the winter market is to deliver quality and value. We will work towards identifying and executing opportunities that will make us stronger in the long term. But these opportunities will need to be exceptional, and we will avoid short-term fixes that will weaken our hand for phase two of our rebuild next summer."

So like it or not, that's the plan, shared with us well in advance.

As for the idea there's no remaining money to buy players in TFG -- America's 34th largest private company, which sold $11 billion worth of Toyotas last year plus revenues from luxury resorts, golf courses, movies and TV (I was just binge-watching Landman tonight) -- well, I know you share that theory with Michael K, and good luck to you both on that one.

Kinnear himself said: "Transitioning into the Premier League is challenging, evidenced by the fact that two-thirds of transfers fail. But when players are given time, this success rate can be improved dramatically."

To me, the jury is still out. I'll wait to see how we do in the summer window, and how some of this season's kids succeed or fail over time.

Good news and hopefully a decent-sized fine. Gana, I hope, got a heavier punishment for walking off the pitch.

Give me the evidence to prove this 'fact'. Proper evidence. Show me the precise figures and then, if you are doing it correctly, weight the numbers by clubs.

If you want to stick to an unsupported generalisation do so.You're very good at that. Otherwise, gosh, people might be forgiven for thinking that this could be, golly, yet more preemptory defensive fluff for another window.

By the way, how is the search going for only, in your word, 'exceptional' players. I can't wait.

Jonathan, with respect, I find your ratings in terms of contribution, impact, and, playing time a tad on the high side. By the way, this might be a question of the player and. how he has been used rather than performed.

I might have gone for - KDH 7/8, Grealish 7, Barry 4, Rohl, 4, Aznou 1, Dibling 2.

Not much that is 'exceptional' there so far Mr. Kinnear. Time will tell.

I do agree on this JO - 'It seems prudent to wait until the end of the summer window to judge this new recruitment system and team'.

Both countries' federations were fined and two players from each (including Ndiaye) were suspended for various other unsporting conduct, but no players were punished for walking off.

I too don’t want January panic buys and trust the assessment that the market is not good value during the window. We don’t need to panic buy, leave that to the West Hams of this world. I’d like European football but wasn’t expecting it at the start of the season, it would be a bonus.

Wouldn’t mind John Duran on loan though.

Dibling, Rohl and Aznou may have been here for months. but Moyes's reluctance to take risk them has meant the haven't been able to put in what the average guy would call a full days work between them.

Signing talented youngsters with one eye on the future is what top clubs do. Yet when we do it, a large section of the fan base cant wait to rip them apart.

I find it astonishing that people show so little patience with the young players we have bought. Yet the re-signings of a bunch of geriatrics like Gana. Tarkowski. Coleman (who were never that good in the first place) is cheered from the fucking rafters.

Leave those kids alone

That leaves us looking at players that are not quite at the level of the very best, this where we have been for as long as I can remember.

I've said before we need a scouting system second to none, one or more of the smaller teams in the Prem. are able to find future stars, we need to too.

Kinnear only said “The recruitment structures we put in place, marrying world-class analytics with industry-leading talent identification and player trading capability, have borne fruit.”

So world class analytics and but only industry-leading talent identification and player trading capability. I don’t understand why he is being so modest.

As for the lack of investment during the January transfer window after £43 million was taken out the club, I suggest you are being a bit gullible if you believe that TFG are not actioning the fundamental structural gaps in the squad due to their “long-term plans”.

But as you said Mike, good luck to you both on that one.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies, Jonjo Kenny and Mason Holgate used to get battered on here while senior players like Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson, Tosun, Ashley Williams, Gomes, Delph and latter day Miralles stole a living.

The youngsters cost us almost nothing, while that list alone cost us over £100 million in transfer fees alone. For youngsters to thrive, they need a solid set of senior pros performing well to guide them.

As for supporting the geriatrics, I am just as frustrated by Tarkowski’s performances as the next person, but he’s been absolutely needed because of how reliable he is. It’s not like we can just go pick up a younger version who is ready to play tomorrow. The RS and Chelseas of the world can do that, we can’t. Same with Gana. As for Coleman, well that may not have been prudent, but it was done for leadership purposes, and that can’t be underestimated. It’s criminal though that he hasn’t been replaced. But to say that none of them were ever that good in the first place, well if you believe that, I don’t know what to tell you.

Take Barry for example, 1 season doing well in Spain, we buy him for £25m now, if he stayed in Spain, had another good season it could have been 40-50m this summer.

He's on track for 10 -15 goals, in his first season in the hardest league in the world, if he does that then I don't know why people are on the young lads back.

Yes he can improve his hold up play, his touch, awareness & decision making but there's lots to be positive about the lad.

These are the gambles we have to take, Rohl & Asnou similarly, not massive outlays in today's market but potentially great upsides if we can develop them over a couple of years.

Patience is needed if we want a developing side, of players getting better, rather than signings who are on a downward curve in their career.

Jarred is a prime example, fans have been patient with him, he's made mistakes, had bad games. He's developed into a quality player, bought for buttons.

Before that he had played most of the season and the two seasons previously without hardly a break in premiere league games and to me he was a rock in defence and a great captain on the field urging his fellow players on and one of the first names on the team sheet.

Now to some he is past it, I think he is still a valuable player to have in the team and time will tell that he is not over the hill just yet.

100% agree.

He probably played his best football for us over the last couple of seasons before this one, but still a player for me.

All I ever heard was his excuse factory claiming he was playing shite because he was carrying an imaginary back injury.

When he did get an injury at the end of last season. One which actually prevented him passing stringent fitness tests Our results improved. We climbed the table with 9 points from our last three games. including wins at Newcastle and Fulham.

I struggle to listen while he gets away with murder from fans who continue to allow him to dine out on backs-to-the-wall relegation battles. That was two seasons ago.

I have no doubt he probably has 2-3 more backs to the wall performances in him but the guy is 34 this year. He's not going to get better. He's going downhill like a fucking bobsleigh'er

"He is leading the league in blocks" Sigh

Hear, hear.

Branthwaite and a complimentary centre back are required.

- Mike the Statto

You more than anybody will know how much havoc Stats wreak with my blood pressure.

Bit like Moyes. Trying very hard but too old for the modern game. Huge impact but tell me style.

We have conceeded only 1 more goal than Aston Villa and Chelsea and a lot less than most of the other teams in the Preier League, and most of our goals that we have conceeded have come in 5 or 6 games.

I get the argument that Moyes normally favours a defensive set-up rather than a offensive one but I think slating our defenders is unfair; they may not be fantastic individuals but they are not as poor as some paint them either.

The attack could do with a boost, that's where we lack compared to the best teams.

Attacks are built from defence, defending is their main objective of course, but in the modern game, defenders are not just there to stop attacks, full backs especially need to be up & down, overlapping, even coming inside now inverted to fill in midfield.

So although we are decent at the back at keeping opposition at bay, we dare suffering going forward by the limitations of our fullbacks, and CBs.

Tarks distribution hasn't been good this season, he's been caught out a few times.

Will he drop off even more next year ?

Jarred obviously helps.

Myko tries but isn't ever going b to be that flying left back overlapping whipping great balls in.

And our RB oh what RB ?? Patterson gas played a handful of games, done on but isn't the answer.

I honestly believe 2 quality full backs would improve us massively, in an attacking sense as much as defending.

A long term successor to tarks should be sort this year too, O'brien may be the answer, time will tell.