Everton 2018-19: 96 (th Minute) Tears

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Those being new manager Marco Silva, most recently of Watford, and director of football Marcel Brands, of PSV Eindhoven.



After a season nearly sunk by the terrible roster construction of several managers and executives working at cross-purposes, and salvaged only by the plodding and unimaginative tactics of dour Sam Allardyce, the fans are thrilled to have this telegenic, ambitious, talented, and suavely European pair at the helm.

See the breathy press, e.g. "Relaxed, focused, meticulous - Marco Silva and Marcel Brands gave Everton fans fantastic first impression." https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/relaxed-focused-meticulous-marco-silva-14743491 No, they're not your sisters' new boyfriends; they're running your football team.

Not much of substance to report yet on the player front, other than Rooney's move to DC United, which is expected to be finalized at any time.

More hard-hitting analysis to come.
 

singaporesoxfan

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I still think the NEC and Chang jerseys are the best ones in Everton history. Maybe the one2one one as third. I just find the Angry Birds logo on the sleeve in that pic ugly.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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I'm partial to Chang, just because I think beer is a right proper sponsor of a football team. But this is pretty good.
 

SoxFanInCali

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I'm partial to Chang, just because I think beer is a right proper sponsor of a football team. But this is pretty good.
Yeah, I still love all my Carlsberg Liverpool shirts, but I can see the point that some people don't want to plaster a beer logo across the chest of their 10 year old.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Ha, I didn't even realize that's what SportPesa is.

And if that's not sketchy enough, it's headquartered in Kenya.
That part is shrewd. Africa is PL-crazy and its potential is untapped. Everton went to Kenya last pre-season to play a couple of Kenyan and Tanzanian sides and got heroes’ welcomes.

There’s a cup tournament for Kenyan and Tanzanian sides and the winner will come to Goodison for a game: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-confirm-african-friendly-lined-14702338.amp

It’s a great idea to tap into an overlooked and growing market for marketing purposes.

I’d still prefer (an African) beer.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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As expected, Rooney to DC has finally been consummated. Remaining year of his contract comes off the books; not finding that number right now but it's a big number. That, plus the undisclosed transfer fee, and it's a nice chunk of cash for other purposes.

No transfers in yet. I'm not that worried because 1) seems slow generally with the WC, and 2) it's more important to shed dead wood right now.
 

ninjacornelius

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Everton kicked off their preseason today, taking on ATV Irdning. Who the hell is ATV Irdning, you may ask? Why, they're a fifth division Austrian side of course! Apparently they come from a town of 1,700 people. I say "apparently" because the club doesn't have a Wikipedia page in either English or German, and the only internet presence I could find was a Facebook page that didn't even advertise the fact that they were playing a Premier League side today.

Anyway, Everton won 22-0. Yuuuuup. 22-0. Yes, it's meaningless. And yes, they were playing a team that is legitimately a Sunday league pub squad. But you're damn right I'm going to take this opportunity to dunk on that bastard Sam Allardyce one more time.
Everton under Allardyce: 27 goals in 24 matches
Everton under Silva: 22 goals in 90 minutes plus stoppage time
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Crap! Forgot.

I wasn’t going to reprise my embarrassing coverage of preseason last year but I did want to see this. Oh well.

Transfer window is quiet.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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5 goals from Kevin Mirallas, doubtless gorging on playing time like a homeless guy on a porterhouse, since he bombed out at Olympiakos last year and has0% chance of playing at Everton this year
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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If the EPL were the NFL we’d already have 20 pearl-clutching articles about how mean Everton are for running up the score.
But the Packers or Steelers don’t ever play the Pumpernickel Pub team in the Plainville Norton Park Rec League, which is what this was.
 

OurF'ingCity

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But the Packers or Steelers don’t ever play the Pumpernickel Pub team in the Plainville Norton Park Rec League, which is what this was.
True. It would never happen in (American) football because people would literally die, but I do think it would be amusing if they did this in basketball - I’d like to see the Warriors going all Globetrotters on a team filled with Silicon Valley computer programmers.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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1-1 at League Two side Bury, not as auspicious a result.

Niasse with a Niasse hat trick - a goal and two hit posts.

Niasse also had his teeth rattled by a tackle by none other than




Sam Allardyce (Big Sam's grandson, a 17 yo on the Bury youth squad).
 

coremiller

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1-1 at League Two side Bury, not as auspicious a result.

Niasse with a Niasse hat trick - a goal and two hit posts.

Niasse also had his teeth rattled by a tackle by none other than




Sam Allardyce (Big Sam's grandson, a 17 yo on the Bury youth squad).
Stick to playing fifth-tier Austrian sides.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Catching up.

Everton played in something called the Algarve Cup in Portugal last weekend, with games against Ligue 1 side Lille on Saturday, and Porto on Sunday.

With back-to-back games, they played two almost completely different sides, with the first team taking the Porto game on Sunday (minus Sigurdsson, Gueye, and Pickford, still resting up from the WC), and the hangers-on, also-rans, and kids playing on Saturday (ie those fighting for jobs).

The Lille game was a meh 0-0 draw (for some strange reason, they did a PK shootout afterwards - and kept going even after Everton lost. Whatever- it's preseason).

Mo Besic made a strong case to secure a spot. When it looked like he was odd man out last season, he was loaned to Middlesboro, where he played very well for a side that made the Championship promotion playoff, becoming a fan favorite in the process. Against Lille, he showed physicality in midfield and also a deft passing touch. He's making it hard for Silva to leave him off the team.

USMNT left-back Antonee Robinson defended very well and showed dangerous pace getting up the left flank. His first touch was not good, but he's an exciting player.

Otherwise, nobody impressed, least of all Davy Klassen, who is leaving for German side Werner Bremen.

Porto beat Everton 1-0, but despite not breaking through and giving up one sloppy goal on a bad clearance, Everton were on the front foot throughout and looked dangerous. Sandro, in particular, looked good. He may be staking a claim to stay.

Yes, I watched both of these games.

Oumar Niasse has been told he will stay. He is not the answer as a starting forward; he doesn't have the quality. As an "impact sub," he's excellent. His energy, persistence, and sheer unpredictability is a useful weapon.

Likely on their way out: eternal tease Kevin Mirallas, Ashley Williams, Cuco Martina, Yannick Bolasie. Others will follow. Silva has acknowledged that the roster is bloated with too many middling players.

For transfers in: it looks like Everton have landed Richarlison from Watford for 35M, to reunite with Silva: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/everton-news-transfers-live-richarlison-14944284 That's a solid piece of work.

Also rumored: Boro center-back Ben Gibson, Barcelona LB Lucas Digne, and Barca center-back Yerry Mina, who scored for Colombia against England in the WC (although this is looking less likely)>
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Everton announce signing of LB Lucas Digne, who has been unable to crack the XI at Barcelona and also missed out on making the WC roster for France.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/everton-news-transfers-live-lucas-14976002

What happens with LB Leighton Baines now is an open question. Baines is 33 and has been with Everton for 11 seasons. He is an Everton legend, but missed most of last season with various muscle injuries. Everton's lack of a fill-in for him was one of the biggest causes of their sucky season. Not sure who gets the nod as the starter. Baines could seek to move on (MLS has been rumored). Not sure he would want to be a squad player. USMNT LB Antonee Robinson has impressed in preseason but is young and raw and is going out on loan.

So two good pieces of business, but the last couple of preseason games have been awful, an 0-3 defeat at Blackburn Rovers and 1-4 at Stade Rennais, who finished fifth last year in Ligue 1.

The Blackburn game featured the various hangers-on and last-chancers, and they were terrible. The first team came on at the half and mostly had the better of the play in the second half, but did not score and surrendered another.

The Rennais game was worse. Although there were some positives - Richarlison looks lethal - Everton's weaknesses were badly exposed. Silva loves to play an aggressive, high-pressing style, which the fans want to see, especially after the disaster of Big Sam. Everton has the fullbacks to play that way - even at his age Baines gets up and down very well, and Coleman is in the top tier of attacking right-backs. However - Everton's center backs are slow. Jagielka is 36 and Ashley Williams is 33. Jags had a decent year last year but Williams was terrible. Michael Keane showed a lot of promise at Burnley, but they played a disciplined style where the back four hung together and sought to defend. With the fullbacks bombing forward, the center-backs are badly exposed on the counter. It's just too easy for a pacy attack to get into the huge gaps behind the fullbacks and the center-backs are too slow to keep up. In the second half Rennais scored twice in four minutes on runs right behind the center-backs and it was like a hot knife through butter.

Everton are in on both Barcelona/Colombia CB Yerry Mina, and ManU's Marcos Rojo. Neither is looking likely at this point, though.

Compounding the problem is the midfield. Grade it an incomplete due to the late arrivals of Gueye and Sigurdsson, who just arrived in camp due to time off after the WC and only played a half in the Rennais game. They need a little work to get back to game fitness and the midfield will be better when they are. Still, the Everton midfield looks like it will struggle with dynamic attacks. Sigurdsson has been a great No. 10 for Iceland and Swansea, but neither played a high-pressing style and I don't know if he has the pace to get up and down quickly. Davies does but he regressed last year, probably becuase he kept getting shifted around as they tried to find a spot for Rooney. The key to making the midfield work has to be the No. 6, as Silva and Marcel Brands have said publicly. That's Morgan Schneiderlin. His form has been on a downward trajectory and he was the target of boos at Goodison last year. He just kind of moped around, provided nothing going forward, and was late with all of his challenges. He had a brief spike of good form at the end of last season and the fans warmed back to him, but he's been indifferent this preseason again.

Some dead wood has been cleaned out. Davy Klaasen is off to Werder Bremen. Funes Mori is gone. Of course Rooney's in DC, which has been a very good thing - it's good not to have to worry about finding a spot for him.

So it's a mixed bag right now. Brands likes a 4-3-3. Tosun up top flanked by Richarlison, Walcott, and/or Amendola Lookman (RB Leipzig is pushing hard for him but Everton won't budge), fed by Sigurdsson as the No. 10, with Calvert-Lewin also available and the wild card of Niasse as the late-game disruptor, is a good attack. Digne/Baines and Coleman at the FB spots is strong. That leaves the two CB spots and the two other MF as question marks. Maybe Keane can do better with a pacy CB alongside him (Mason Holgate could be the guy but he's young and raw and also currently injured).

This team could be very good but there are still big weaknesses and way too many marginal players still to clean out. I trust Brands and Silva but player acquisition was a disaster over the past couple of seasons and it won't be turned around in one transfer window.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Like the Digne signing, but they desperately still need at least one CB (really two but don't see that happening this transfer window). Sounds like Mina is headed to Man U. and Rojo always seemed highly unlikely, which leaves Gibson, Alfie Mawson and Jamaal Lascelles from Newcastle as names I've seen connected to Everton. The latter would be a nice get although I suspect it would take quite a bit to pry him from Newcastle given he is the team's captain among other things.

As OCST notes defensive central midfielder also a key position of need but I suspect they will not address that position in this transfer window, see what they have with Schneiderlin, et al., and then assess when the transfer window open up again.

Also sounds like Ashley Williams may be going to Stoke on loan, but since this is his last year under contract that would effectively be the end of his tenure at Everton and one less mediocre player to have to worry about.

Edit: Looks like Mawson is going to Fulham so cross that name off the list. Everton need to do something fast before all their targets are gone. Sadly, "Everton" and "fast" are almost oxymorons at this point when it comes to the transfer window.
 
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OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Everton's preseason ends with a 2-3 loss to Valencia at Goodison.

Mixed bag.

On the downside - Everton lost their last four preseason games with a combined score of 4-11. It is glaringly obvious after today's game that the back four is in bad shape, especially the CB pairing. Jagielka looks old, old, old, and Keane next to him is both slow and uncertain - although Keane finally capitalized on one of his supposed strengths by smartly heading home a Siggy corner (your lumber CB should at least be a target on set pieces, right? - can't find it now but read last year that he was 0-9 for putting headers on frame inside the opponent's box). Baines and Keane had several no-I-got-it-no-you-got-it moments, one of which led to the first Valencia goal. Valencia - who look like a very good team, they finished fourth in La Liga last year and looked very comfortable on the ball - were making fast, decisive diagonal runs through the back four all afternoon and they looked like traffic cones. Stecklenberg in goal - who just re-upped, not thrilled about that - also was clumsy and ineffective in his distribution and positioning. One would hope that the organization in the back will improve when Pickford comes back from his WC play; he's a pretty good ring general back there.

New boy Digne played the second half and he looked pretty good, obviously it will take time.

Attack this time was a different story. In the first half, Everton looked as dangerous as Valencia going forward. The attack of Tosun up top with Richarlison wide left, Siggy at 10, and Walcott on the right worked together very well. I already love Richarlison. Walcott was Good Walcott today, finding Tosun for some nice runs, including for Everton's other goal where Tosun buried a screamer, right across the face of the keeper.

What I thought might be a weakness in central midfield behind Sigurdsson was anything but. I've said before that Gueye is a problem on attack - no matter how well he does with the Kante clearance/block/interception role (and he excels at it), he is not good with the ball at his feet, doesn't make good attacking passes, doesn't shoot well. This has been the death of many attacks, since as a deep-lying central mid in front of the back four, the ball often falls to him at key moments of an attack. Well, today, he was actually dangerous, keeping the attack moving and providing good service. I don't know if he can do that every week.

Schneiderlin looks disinterested and is always late to the ball. He had a brief revival in April/May last year, but before that he had become a target of boos at Goodison and I think he should be gone.

The game was end-to-end, wildly entertaining and 2-2 at the end of the first half. Second half was duller - not sure if the teams punched themselves out in the energetic first, or if the defenses settled down a bit. When the subs started coming on the game tilted back to Valencia. Sandro came on for Walcott and just looked bad. He works hard and can do clever bits of business forty yards out but who cares, right? He's easily shouldered off the ball. HIs spacing and sense of where he should be is terrible - Valencia's third goal came about when he barged back to play a ball that Coleman had easily taken from the Valencia defender, and he essentially tried to play it away from Coleman. Valencia pounced on the resulting clusterfuck and quickly played a pass to the top of the box where some guy buried a nice strike. I appreciate that they're giving him every chance at his salary but he looks lost.

Silva wants to play a high-press, energetic style. That's a breath of fresh air after the plodding style that has featured over the past few years, especially under Sam. But they don't yet have the players for it. Tosun, Walcott, Siggy, Richarlison, Gueye, Lookman (still raw and seemingly uninterested in his 80' cameo), Coleman, Digne, maybe Daives and some academy kids can do it. I don't think Keane, Schneiderlin, Jagielka, Baines (too old) can. Holgate might help but he's still hurt and is raw. Getting sliced apart in the middle of the park by midfields like Liverpool and Man City was a big problem last year. Despite the additions it still is.

Everton have seemingly lost out on Yerry Mina to ManU, which would free up their other target Marcos Rojo, but PSG are suddenly in on him. Other possible options in Alfie Mawson (to Fulham) and Ben Gibson (to Burnley) were snapped up while Everton played footsie with Mina.

Mirallas and Ashley Williams are out on loan. At this stage of their careers and contracts, they will probably never play for Everton again. That's good. Promising USMNT left back Robinson has been loaned to Bolton. That's fine. A little surprised that Nikola Vlasic seems to be on his way out too, but he's got Rooney-itis re: not having a true position - not quite pacy enough to play out wide for 90 minutes, not quite big or skilled enough for No 9. He could be a decent backup at No 10, but he was a Koeman purchase who Silva never would have brought in and it's probably best he moves on, as much as I like his game and attitude.

Generally, I'm satisfied that things are headed in the right direction. I did not think all of the problems could be addressed in one transfer window, especially since panic buys and mismatched pieces created this mess in the first place. Most Everton fans, judging from the blogs and podcasts, expect that it will take til the January window at least to get it sorted out. It's at least exciting to see Everton attacking again and - gasp! actually looking good doing it.

Still, watching Everton give up sudden goals due to positioning blunders and lack of pace is galling.

Expect a lot of 4-3 games at Goodison this fall.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Actually got to watch this one. Agree with pretty much everything OCST says. The front line is raw but promising, the midfield is ok I guess but lacks creativity (100% agree that Gueye has serious decision-making issues on the offensive end, but sadly he is the least of their problems in midfield) and the back line is total dumpster fire at least when they don't have the ball - no communication, opposing players roaming about unmarked, etc.

On the plus side, seeing reports that Mina is, in fact, coming to Everton - I'll wait till those reports are confirmed but if true sounds like he was holding out for a better offer from ManU (or Lyon) that never came, so I'm not sure how much passion he'll have to play for the Toffees but like many others who have used Everton as a stepping stone he does have incentive to play well for the next few seasons so he can catch the eye of another CL team and, in any event, he is much better than Keane whom he will presumably be replacing.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Actually got to watch this one. Agree with pretty much everything OCST says. The front line is raw but promising, the midfield is ok I guess but lacks creativity (100% agree that Gueye has serious decision-making issues on the offensive end, but sadly he is the least of their problems in midfield) and the back line is total dumpster fire at least when they don't have the ball - no communication, opposing players roaming about unmarked, etc.

On the plus side, seeing reports that Mina is, in fact, coming to Everton - I'll wait till those reports are confirmed but if true sounds like he was holding out for a better offer from ManU (or Lyon) that never came, so I'm not sure how much passion he'll have to play for the Toffees but like many others who have used Everton as a stepping stone he does have incentive to play well for the next few seasons so he can catch the eye of another CL team and, in any event, he is much better than Keane whom he will presumably be replacing.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2789624-barcelona-transfer-news-everton-reportedly-beat-manchester-united-to-yerry-mina

It's pretty funny - looks like Barcelona and Mina spurned Everton to play footsie with ManU who told them at the last minute to get bent, and by then Everton had walked away too. They evidently had to grovel to Everton to get them back to the table.

I'm a little concerned about Mina as a defender - read somewhere, can't find it now, that Barca's defensive stats were worse when he was on the pitch - but just in terms of pace he's an upgrade. Ultimately you would have to think it's Digne-Mina-Holgate-Coleman across the back, and with Pickford organizing them, if they can get the hang of working as a unit (and Digne and Mina already know each other) then that's not bad.

Baines and Jags are going to be squad players, which at their age is fine. One of the podcasts was speculating about Baines in a midfield role, which I could see working decently well as part of a rotation.

Jonjoe Kenny did well in some action last year and is a very capable backup and heir apparent to Coleman.

Cuco Martina will be let go.

Keane, I don't know. I'd love to see him turn it around but I think he's just too slow.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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By the way, Mrs O and I are members of NYC Evertonians. After Everton pub Mr. Dennehy's in the Village sadly closed last year, the group found a new gametime home at Turnmiil in Manhattan https://www.turnmillnyc.com/

We'll be going to watch the first game of the season next Saturday, at Wolves. That's Wolves' first home game back up in the PL after being down for several years, so it's going to be a very tough away game - the Wolves fans will be insane.
 

67YAZ

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I'm a little concerned about Mina as a defender - read somewhere, can't find it now, that Barca's defensive stats were worse when he was on the pitch - but just in terms of pace he's an upgrade. Ultimately you would have to think it's Digne-Mina-Holgate-Coleman across the back, and with Pickford organizing them, if they can get the hang of working as a unit (and Digne and Mina already know each other) then that's not bad.
Mina would still be a great addition. He’s young and dripping with potential. The leap from Palmieras to Barca is huge, and he was on the pitch for less than 400 minutes total. He never really had the chance to bed in, which is how things go at the super clubs. But their impatience should be Everton’s gain. Mina is still very quick and pacey for a man that size, and he’s obviously great in the air. Mina also has a tidy short passing game. He competed over 92% of his attempts at Barca and over 89% at the World Cup. It’s that skill that made him look like a Barca player in the first place.

I can’t imagine Lacelles moving. He’s got 4 yeas to run on his contract and selling him would probably be the very last straw for Benítez. But then again, if Ashley sees £££...
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Mina continues to be a tease. Lyon supposedly in now.

Also Courtois rumored to be talking to RM; expect Chelsea to try to pry Pickford loose if so
 

OurF'ingCity

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Sounds like Everton also now close to signing Brazilian winger/attacking midfielder Bernard - not entirely sure where he fits but Silva will certainly have plenty of options to mix-and-match on the offensive end if this signing comes to fruition.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Sounds like Everton also now close to signing Brazilian winger/attacking midfielder Bernard - not entirely sure where he fits but Silva will certainly have plenty of options to mix-and-match on the offensive end if this signing comes to fruition.
Everton were in on Bernard 2-3 years ago, never came to anything
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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It’s so ludicrous I won’t try to r cap it all- just google it - but now Mina is supposedly back to ManU, possibly as part of a deal for Pogba to Barcelona
 

ninjacornelius

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Now the latest is that Mina's heading to Everton after all for a fee around £28m. Apparently the lack of guaranteed playing time made him turn down United. And if it's playing time he wants, he'll certainly get it - Mina could probably have his right leg amputated and still be a nailed-on starter in Everton's back line.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/everton-news-transfers-live-bernard-14996705

Mina announced. Barcelona have a 30M buyback clause.

Also announced, out of nowhere: Barca also loaning midfielder Andre Gomes to the Toffees. I know nothing about this guy, except he used to play for Benfica. I'm going to guess that he's comfortable with Silva as a fellow Portuguese but what do I know.

So that makes Richarlison, Digne, Mina, Bernard, Gomes, and in a little-discussed bit of business, U19 keeper Joao Virginia from Arsenal. 4 Brazilian or Portuguese players - maybe Silva this is Silva's Moneyball angle.

With the caveat that who knows about any of these guys - except for Richarlison, who has already looked fantastic, and I'm willing to write off his slump at the end of last season to fatigue - this is a pretty good window IMO. Positions of need were addressed. We'll have to see how it shakes out of course, but in terms of the quality of the players and the match of needs to skills, it compares favorably with last season's mess. There may be a bit of a logjam in midfield, but it's mostly wingers and attacking - mid types, maybe some of them can shift up front as false-nines or second strikers. It's not like having three No. 10's like last season.
 

teddykgb

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There's no good amalgamation of Everton and Barcelona like we had with Stoke. Please change your name so we can fix this.

It will be fascinating to see where Everton and West Ham end up in the table this season. You could convince me of nearly any spot from 4 to relegation
 

CPT Neuron

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Riveting and potentially brilliant close to the window for the blue side of the city today.....I'm curious as to how this works with Silva in charge. Could make quite a push towards the European places (more 5 or 6 than top 4), but it will be amazing to seem this team come together.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Riveting and potentially brilliant close to the window for the blue side of the city today.....I'm curious as to how this works with Silva in charge. Could make quite a push towards the European places (more 5 or 6 than top 4), but it will be amazing to seem this team come together.
That's what I thought last year, but of course in retrospect that was the island of misfit toys, wasn't it.

According to a trusted source - fantasyfootballscout.co.uk - Gomes figures as competition for Schneiderlin - which makes sense and I hope he pushes him forward or out, since Schneiderlin has been underperforming and surly. The No. 6 role is supposedly vital to Silva's system.

Also- supposedly Bernard's natural position is left winger, same as Richarlison. With Lookman and Theo also out wide, there's competition there too.

https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2018/08/09/transfer-window-watch-fpl-updates/
 

coremiller

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Congratulations on winning back-to-back transfer window championships that will leave the team exactly where they were before in terms of final results. Everton have become the Washington Unnamed Professional Football Team of the EPL.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Congratulations on winning back-to-back transfer window championships that will leave the team exactly where they were before in terms of final results. Everton have become the Washington Unnamed Professional Football Team of the EPL.
Entirely fair.

I do think this year's crop is better suited to the needs of the team than last year's.

That's a really low bar though.

In particular Richarlison has looked very, very dangerous in preseason.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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The 718
2-2 at Wolves.

Everton scored first when Keane knocked down a Baines free kick to the feet of Richarlison. A poacher's goal but well taken; credit to Baines for a great ball in.

It's been well-discussed due to the controversy around Jagielka being sent off at 40' for a tackle at the top of the box. There was never a clear explanation re: whether it was for dangerous play or for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity. Being biased, I don't think it was either; I thought the red was harsh. What was obvious, though, is that Jags was beaten on the play. He's too old, I fear. Luckily Mina and Zouma are on hand.

To rub salt in the wound, Neves buried an excellent free kick to draw level. It was remarked by just about everybody that the spot of the free kick was about five yards in front of where the foul occurred. Spotting it accurately would have made it a much tougher chance.

After the red, Silva dropped Sigurdsson, subbed in Mason Holgate for Jags, and went to a 4-4-1. In a marked departure from Big Sam-ball, Everton still played to win, and could well have. Tosun and Richarlison put together a beautiful give-and-go on the left, with Richarlison putting a little dribbler around a defender and into a narrow slot between the keeper and far post. Quality of a kind that the Toffees rarely showed last year.

Unfortunately, Keane lost Raul Jimenez off his back shoulder on a free kick in the last ten minutes, and he put a glancing header past Pickford for the final scoreline.

Keane has been fans' whipping boy for being slow, dull, and underwhelming. In this game, though, I thought he did a great job of organizing and directing the the back four and keeping chances to a minimum, despite being a man down and under constant attack from a very good Wolves side (who had a bonkers crowd urging them on). Yeah, he lost his guy on the second goal, but it was a perfectly weighted ball and you can only hold down the fort for so long.

The most important takeaways are: 1) Richarlison is the real deal, and already a fan favorite; 2) Silva wants to compete. Sam would have played for the dull road point even before the sending off, and afterwards he would have parked ten guys in the six-yard box in front of Pickford. But Silva went for it, and came damn close to winning this game in a hostile environment. It was a massively entertaining game. The fans' reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

On Saturday: Southampton, at Goodison.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
I've been busy.

But figure that it's a good time to update this thread after Everton FC CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale, MBE, buys me a pint and talks shop for awhile:
Screen Shot 2018-10-26 at 8.14.34 PM.png

That's Prof. Barrett-Baxendale holding up the Everton NYC scarf. She was in town for a working session with Dan Meis, the architect in charge of Everton's new stadium effort, and visited on Tuesday night with NYC Evertonians at our home bar, Turnmill on East 27th St. Very, very cool that the head of the organization wanted to come out and have a pint. She bought a round for the whole group and went around asking lots of questions about how people followed the Blues, how they came to be fans, etc. We talked for about five minutes. I told her that I was planning a family trip to Goodison this year and she asked me to contact her about it. Tremendously impressive person.

Video of the whole thing is at 8:25 of this rather odd assortment of short clips spliced randomly together on Everton's YouTube channel: http://www.evertonfc.com/evertontv/archive/2018/10/26/everton-unseen-27-gomesmina-dance-off-and-bernard-speaks-scouse

I am in that picture but you'll have to guess which one of these handsome fellows is me (except that I must point out that I am not Green Shirt Guy immediately right next to her).

Anyway: the Toffees. Things are looking up.

The season to date:

WOL 2-2 EVE - 1 pt
EVE 2-1 SOU - 4 pts (6th)
BOU 2-2 EVE - 5 pts (8th)
EVE 1-1 HUD - 6 pts (7th)
EVE 1-3 WHU - 6 pts (10th)
ARS 2-0 EVE - 6 pts (12th)
EVE 3-0 FUL - 9 pts (11th)
LEI 1-2 EVE - 12 pts (11th)
EVE 2-0 CRY - 15 pts (8th)

For good measure, the Carabao Cup:

8/29 Everton 3-1 Rotherham United
10/2 Everton 1 (3) - 1 (4) Southampton (SOU advance on penalties)


A good start followed by a rough few weeks. The most obvious cause was Richarlison's stupid red card against Bournemouth, when Cherries provocateur and free-market philosopher Adam Smith goaded the youngster into the slightest of head-butts, earning him three games off. It seemed less important at the time, but Michael Keane being stretchered off with a hairline skull fracture after a bad fall from an aerial duel was at least as important.

At that point the team hadn't gelled. New signings Bernard and Kurt Zouma had not yet played. In the first couple of games, the front four of Tosun up top with Richarlison - Sigurdsson - Walcott had looked fluid and dangerous, but with Richarlison out for three games, turgidity set in. Tosun struggled to get anything going.With Seamus Coleman troubled by a foot injury and Keane out, the back four scuffled and shuffled like last year, although new boy Lucas Digne was a bright spot at left back, unceremoniously dumping Everton institution Leighton Baines out of his starting job. Idrissa Gana Gueye missed time too, and Tom Davies struggled with additional responsibility.

It was clear that Marco Silva was trying to get the team to play his way, but with so many new players and injury/suspension problems, it was tough going. Symptomatic of the Toffees' troubles was an embarrassing glut of goals given up on set pieces, including to the lowly Terriers to drop points at Goodison. Silva imposed the "zonal marking" system of defending corners, and there was much grumbling among the fans when unmarked opponents kept putting balls past a hapless Jordan Pickford (who wasn't winning plaudits for his play in general anyway).

The low point was a butt-kicking administered at Goodison by West Ham, who went through the Toffees like the SS through Belgium. Everton had played successive home games against two teams in the drop-zone with a -15 GD between them and come out with one point out of six.

The turning point was a two-goal loss at Arsenal, funny enough. Everton hasn't won at Arsenal for something like 25 years. But with Richarlison back, the attacking unit suddenly looked dangerous again. They went at Arsenal with an aggressive high press and the Arsenal backs could not handle it. The Toffees ran the Gunners ragged for the first half and looked the far more dangerous side, with only heroics of Cech and a couple of just-missed chances standing between Arsenal and a multiple-goal deficit. Unfortunately, early in the second half Lacazette out of nowhere uncorked a golazo from well outside the box (xG had it an 0.04 probability of a goal, if you believe in such things). A second goal followed and that was that. But despite slipping further down the table, the team looked much more solid - including at the back, where Zouma and Keane, both restored to the lineup, started to look very solid. Keane had struggled since arriving last year and many considered him a bust, but he seems to have figured it out.

Since then, other than the hiccup of a bad cup loss to Southampton in a shootout, it's been all upward momentum, with wins over Fulham, at Leicester, and over Palace. Sigurdsson is once again looking like one of the best 10's in the PL, and has four goals, including a golazo of his own at Leicester. Bernard has been a revelation- his ball skills are unreal. There is still uncertainty up front. Tosun looked lost during the bad middle stretch and was eventually benched, for a lineup with Bernard out wide left and Richarlison up front that looked lethal at Leicester. Richarlison scored once and threatened all day. Wes Morgan could not keep up with him and got sent off for two yellows. However, at Goodison against Palace, Richarlison kind of ran around ineffectually and could not break through, and the wings struggled against a tough and compact defense. The game was scoreless until late, when Silva subbed in forgotten men Ademola Lookman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Tosun. He looked like a genius when Lookman lobbed a perfectly-weighted ball into Calvert-Lewin's path for an easy header, and then a minute later Tosun got on the end of a clearance, dragged two Palace defenders fifty yards down the pitch, and coolly nutmegged the keeper.

It may well be that Everton are best with the Richarlison up front and Bernard-Gylfi-Walcott line away from home, but may need to sit Bernard (he's only 5'4") and go with bigger center-forwards at home against weaker opposition. That's fine. Andre Gomes (one of three acqusitions from Barcelona) played his first game last week and looks to become a fixture in midfield. Gueye continues to excel in the "N'golo Kante" role, and Davies, although still errant, has improved, so Morgan Schneiderlin has been stapled to the end of the bench. Digne is quietly becoming one of the better left-backs around, and the Keane-Zouma duo is so solid that hulking Colombian WC star Yerry Mina is going to have a tough time cracking the lineup.

There is still a long way to go. The consistency is not there. There are holes. But for the first time in a long time, there is cautious optimism among the fans that the upside of the team may not be known. Also for the first time in recent memory, it's not automatic to look across the park and have a sad because none of the Blues could ever possibly crack the Reds' starting XI. No one is expecting the Toffees to finish above Liverpool this year, or next, but right now Liverpool has only one more goal than Everton on the season, and Richarlison and Sigurdsson both have 4, just as do Salah and Mane.

Everton are at ManU on Sunday. Given the soap opera at Old Trafford, and that Everton have looked quite good away, I'll say it: Toffees win, 3-1.

It's fun to be an Everton fan right now.
 

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Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Everton are at ManU on Sunday. Given the soap opera at Old Trafford, and that Everton have looked quite good away, I'll say it: Toffees win, 3-1.
Toffees lose, 1-2.

The first ManU goal was off a penalty that should not have been awarded. Gueye won the ball from Martial who went down rather theatrically over the leg that Gueye had used to win the ball. Pickford saved it with his hand but the rebound went right back to the shooter Pogba.

The second goal was a beauty of a curler from Martial.

FWIW, Lukaku only came on late and I thought they looked much more dangerous with Martial and Rashford up top.

Everton continue to look good but not over the whole 90 minutes and not when it counts. Two chances missed, by Bernard and Coleman, that both should have been goals.

The wings were quiet. Bernard didn't do much other than to get the one chance he botched. Walcott is gonna Walcott - lots of industry going forward but utter failure to track back: the Martial goal was from the same spot as Lacazette's goal a few games ago, and while both were high-quality, low-percentage shots, both benefitted from the fact that Walcott was ambling somewhere in the near vicinity without too much effort to get the fuck over there and do something about it. Walcott also has questionable decision making - the shoot-or-pass test seems to be one that he flunks regularly. The link-up play between Walcott and Coleman on the right is sorely lacking. Since I've been watching Everton, Coleman has been elite level among RB re: his ability to get forward, deliver crosses, and even shoot. This year he has missed time with a foot injury and I just don't think he's very good right now.Too bad because Luke Shaw looked vulnerable - I think vintage Coleman gives him a long afternoon.

Gomes is good on the ball and adds some needed starch in midfield. Sigurdsson was again very good and converted a late penalty. Keane and Zouma continue to play well. Digne too.

There is quality in the attack and with the high press. It's not yet clear how to deploy the pieces. There are too many good winger options and not enough good striker options. Putting Richarlison up top worked great against Leicester but maybe because Wes Morgan became a slow old man overnight this year. The last couple of games Richarlison's run around a lot. Despite now wearing No. 9 for Brazil, Richarlison's best place is seems to be out wide left, which means there needs to be at least one striker out front and either Bernard or Walcott have to drop out (or both, if Lookman pushes for a spot). Tosun and Calvert-Lewin are not Lukaku-quality but both have upside (Calvert-Lewin has 4 goals in all comps so not sure how much longer you can keep him out of the lineup) and if Richarlison goes out wide somebody's got to go up there.

Getting better but not there yet. I felt good after the Arsenal loss because Everton dominated for stretches and should have gotten a result. Not today.
 

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Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
So, last week was the game Evertonians were waiting for. A 3-1 hiding of Brighton at Goodison, and it wasn't that close.

Other than a (predictable) goal off a corner, the Seagulls rarely threatened and stayed in their own end for almost all of the second half. The Toffees were on the front foot throughout. A fantastic combo of a stiff spine down the middle, and speed and trickery wide. Zouma and Keane have developed a great partnership. Nothing got through them. MOTM Gana Gueye was everywhere, hoovering up loose balls and intercepting passes. Andre Gomes is a rock - he can't be knocked off the ball. And the front three were everywhere, devilling a very good Brighton defense with movement and trickery - with the exception of Walcott, who continues to underperform.

A brace from Richarlison, one prettier than the next, and a goal from Seamus Coleman, who defiantly held his ear up to the Goodison crowd, as if to say, "I've heard you shitting on me - how you like me now?" as he's been criticized for subpar performance this year. I had no problem with it, and neither did the crowd - it was good to see him with some moxie.

Away to Chelsea on Sunday. Zouma can't play against his parent club, so Yerry Mina will make his first start. This guy is MASSIVE. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do.

With Richarlison rampant, Sigurdsson excelling as the No. 10, speed out wide, and a solid defense, I'm confident that Everton will win some of these away games against the top-six this year. They've lost at Arsenal and ManU but should have come away with points in both. Chelsea are coming off a Europa League special flight back from Barysaw, Belarus on Thursday night, so maybe this will be it. In any event, the excitement is real. The fans are buzzing, and for the first time in a long time, the Toffees are..... dare I say..... .FUN?
 

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Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Toffees emerge from Stamford Bridge with a well-earned point. A gutsy defensive effort in a physical, chippy, hard-fought game. Seven yellows doled out and it really should have ended 10 v 10 - 5'4" Bernard somehow managed to deliver a solid head-butt to the much bigger Rudiger, and Jorghinho stomped on Sigurdsson's shin.

First half was mostly contested in the middle third. Everton defended energetically and got forward some on attack. Chelsea didn't get out of second gear. I don't think either side put a shot on target, other than a screamer by Alonso off a clever set-piece play that Pickford saved with difficulty. Bernard bumbled over a ball in the box that should have been a good chance, and Theo Walcott also had one of his trademark whiffs.

The second half started to show that Chelsea were the better team and at home. The Everton attack stalled. Chelsea kept hammering away and Pickford was MOTM, making several quality saves. Still, Chelsea can slice and dice defenses and they didn't do that to the Toffees. Every ball was contested and every opportunity was hard-earned. The Guardian put it well in its match recap in describing Everton as "resolute" and "abrasive and aggressive in opposition," and citing the "awkward excellence of Everton's resistance." Chelsea were disappointed not to win, but Everton deserved the point.

The Richarlison-Bernard-Siggy-Walcott attack struggled, maybe in part because Siggy limped through the game after being mauled. Walcott and Bernard are both struggling and being pushed hard for a starting spot by Lookman, who came on for Bernard and looked more dangerous. But the defense was stiff. Yerry Mina, making his first start, was huge, literally and figuratively.

The offensive effort was better at both ManU and Arsenal, but they came away empty from those games. This was a better and more satisfying result.

13/18 points in the last six. With Cardiff at Goodison after the break, Everton could be as high as fifth in the table heading into the derby match at Anfield on December 2.
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,016
Chelmsford, MA
I really enjoyed this match yesterday. Everton didn't turtle, they were really trying to attack and were quite aggressive. Chelsea were overall a better team but this was not a 10 men behind the ball and try to survive attempt. Very physical but both teams seemed to think the points were there for them to take and were trying to take them all. I thought Gueye played well and had a very big role in Everton's formation as Gomes seemed very free to join the attack (I thought he looked good as well but i have a bit of a blinder for Portuguese players)
 

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Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Of course, the thread title is reference to the heartbreak at the end of the Merseyside derby. It's been dissected to death and everyone here is well aware of what happened with Pickford and Origi, so I won't dwell on it, other than to say that Everton once again went to a top-six side's park and played to win. Liverpool were the better side but not by much, and there were extended periods where the Toffees had the better of the play.

Still: that song is getting a bit tired. Out of four such efforts away to Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea, and Liverpool, Everton come away with 1/12 points, when they should have had 4-5 or more.

Toffees then had two draws at Goodison, 1-1 against Newcastle and 2-2 last night against Watford, and did not impress in either. They were lethargic in the Newcastle game, which could possibly have been attributed to a short turnaround from the physically and mentally draining loss at Anfield. Not many excuses for the Watford game, where the Toffees started brightly, dominated in the first half, saw Richarlison score his 8th of the season (should not have counted, Walcott was offside, but still nicely worked). But in the second half Watford was by far the better side, scoring twice in three minutes. The first was an own-goal, but well-deserved for Watford. They had been aggressively attacking for several minutes and not meeting much resistance when a shot caromed off the post, ricocheted into Coleman's leg and back in. Shortly thereafter Doucore headed past Pickford at close range. About a minute later, Everton were awarded a penalty when some Watford dude elbowed Mina in the back of the head, but Sigurdsson's shot from the spot was saved - the second penalty he has missed this year (he also missed one for Iceland in the WC). Only Lucas Digne's beautiful free kick goal from the edge of the box after a Watford handball in stoppage time salvaged a point.

Everton have the bones of a side ready to break into the top six but the problems are clear. Richarlison is playing as a No. 9 and can play there, but his best position is out wide. He's there because there is no one else to put there. I love Tosun's attitude, he's a great guy, he can occasionally show flashes of real quality (his goal against Palace this year was beautiful) but he's just not good enough often enough. Walcott is Walcott- again, just not good enough or consistent enough. I think it's time to admit that, at age 29, Walcott has peaked and is never going to be The Guy. Bernard, repeating a theme, is a wizard with the ball at his feet, but so much of his beautiful ball-movement on the flank ends up looking like the moves of the guy twirling the sword at Indiana Jones, and ending up about as effective in the end.

The limitations of Idrissa Gana Gueye are becoming clearer now that he's paired with an absolute beast in Gomes, who is probably Everton's best player this year. Gueye has been left to his preferred role as the DM in front of the back four, where he excels at winning the ball and breaking up attacks. However, he's just not very good at getting forward or making passes when he wins the ball back, and he has no shooting skills to speak of.

Seamus Coleman is not quite as good as he has been. He still gets forward well but has been exploited on defense. His terrible injury may have taken a toll.

Past a starting XI with quality players, the bench is thin - too thin.

The progress project has stalled a bit, and with the next two games away to City and home to Spurs it's not getting any easier.